Sideshow 1:1 Han Carbonite replica

Sideshow have unveiled their 1:1 Han Carbonite replica but I can't help noticing that it appears they've used a Han casting which must have originally been cut into separate parts (for ease of shipping) and then joined back together because there is the same loss of "Carbonite detail" in the area where the join has been rubbed down as was seen on the replicas that Vos produced.

It doesn't appear that the sides of the box have the correct tapered shapes either.

Here's a photo montage which shows the original prop, Sideshow's replica and Vos's replica. Note the loss of detail in the area highlighted within the white box.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see what this sells for.

It doesn't seem to be nearly as accurate as the fan-made HIC's. I spent the better part of a year putting mine together.

I'm hearing buzz about pricing over $5000? It can be done, much more accurately, for half that price, but it does take some work.

darthwhitey said:

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Yeah, it will be interesting to see what this sells for.

It doesn't seem to be nearly as accurate as the fan-made HIC's. I spent the better part of a year putting mine together.

I'm hearing buzz about pricing over $5000? It can be done, much more accurately, for half that price, but it does take some work.

I've seen replicas on the board here that would put that SS one to shame.

Yeah, for five grand, that's ridiculous.

Alan Castillo said:

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I've seen replicas on the board here that would put that SS one to shame.

Yeah, I totally agree Alan. But I guess that can be said for Vader helmets and any other prop that so many people love. I guess it comes down to how much work and time you want to put in, and your skill set.

I love my HIC, and it's about as accurate as you can get, but it weighs a ton (built with a wood frame) and is hard to move around. I certainly see the appeal of a licensed prop (that holds it's value better) and you just pay for and display with no work. But there's a price for that luxury.

It'll come down to the final price for this piece I guess.

cking said:

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I think it's a real shame that they couldn't get access to the mold that was made by Don Bies when ILM produced replicas for the various Planet Hollywood locations. The smooth part where the join has been rubbed down really stands out to me and for an officially licensed version, they should have used an un-cut han casting.

Yeah, I agree that's a big deal. But equally as bad is the box design (if it doesn't match the angles) and the side panels. The level of detail in the side panels seems lacking? Hard to tell now from the photos.

Again, not trying to bad mouth it, we all have our "good enough" level.

I'm interested to see how they'll ship it and how much it weighs!

The panels are 100% accurate...I had the opportunity to help paint the hero panel on this display...more to come from those who were involved in the making of the panels. Sideshow did the box....they outsourced the panels. I think everyone will be really excited when they see all of the pics.

I guess I should check in here as I created the masters and molds for the side panels, as well as made the prototype hero panel on the piece being shown.

The master panels were created with substantial attention to accuracy and detail, with some reference unavailable to most. They were also created with some constraints for production, but in almost all cases the panels are very accurate.

Paint application is subjective and that is Sideshow's domain, though Darthmiller and I did paint the hero.

I had help from several people on the project, including DarthChromer for the base Volvo panel casts, one of his greeblie parts, and much discussion on the build, including paint colors.

The panel greeblies were almost all new machined parts, with a 3D print for the veiwfinder, from Xenix, making it incredibly accurate, electronics from Scottinthebooth, and the Viewfinder graphic by ToshiChris.

Besides the time spent researching the panels, and the greeblies that belonged on them, the most time spent was developing the replica Nixie tubes (the digital displays). I'm very happy with how they turned out and think they faithfully replicate the originals.

My only complaint about the panels, are that Sideshow cast the panel clips solid rather than using metal parts. Kurtyboy has a terrific part made for this, and I hope they change this part to the one he has detailed.

Good to hear about the panels being accurate Philip.
Can you confirm if the box has the correct tapered sides? Also, why didn't they use an "all in one" Han casting instead of one which had been cut? The loss of detail in the area I highlighted is really distracting to me and I think it's a real shame.

Chris

Rebelscum said:

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I guess I should check in here as I created the masters and molds for the side panels, as well as made the prototype hero panel on the piece being shown.

The master panels were created with substantial attention to accuracy and detail, with some reference unavailable to most. They were also created with some constraints for production, but in almost all cases the panels are very accurate.

Paint application is subjective and that is Sideshow's domain, though Darthmiller and I did paint the hero.

I had help from several people on the project, including DarthChromer for the base Volvo panel casts, one of his greeblie parts, and much discussion on the build, including paint colors.

The panel greeblies were almost all new machined parts, with a 3D print for the veiwfinder, from Xenix, making it incredibly accurate, electronics from Scottinthebooth, and the Viewfinder graphic by ToshiChris.

Besides the time spent researching the panels, and the greeblies that belonged on them, the most time spent was developing the replica Nixie tubes (the digital displays). I'm very happy with how they turned out and think they faithfully replicate the originals.

My only complaint about the panels, are that Sideshow cast the panel clips solid rather than using metal parts. Kurtyboy has a terrific part made for this, and I hope they change this part to the one he has detailed.

cking said:

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Good to hear about the panels being accurate Philip.
Can you confirm if the box has the correct tapered sides? Also, why didn't they use an "all in one" Han casting instead of one which had been cut? The loss of detail in the area I highlighted is really distracting to me and I think it's a real shame.

Chris

I wasn't part of the box I'm afraid. I'll get my guys at sdcc to go check the box taper out though and post here.

darthwhitey said:

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It'll come down to the final price for this piece I guess.

100% agreed

one day I shall own one.......one day

Confirmed the sides of the box do go out at an acute angle. It's just hard to see in any of the photos.

Nice to hear that some of the experts worked on it. Very curious about the price and hope it's under $5k. I love the base it's on too.

Down for one, but as some have already said, price would have to be lower.

I am getting two. I have some very large books that need some bookends.

However I will only purchase if they are extremely expensive and of poor quality.

cking said:

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Good to hear about the panels being accurate Philip.
Can you confirm if the box has the correct tapered sides? Also, why didn't they use an "all in one" Han casting instead of one which had been cut? The loss of detail in the area I highlighted is really distracting to me and I think it's a real shame.

Chris

Does the Illusive Concepts version also suffer from the loss of detail in those highlighted areas?

It was cool to work on the side panels for this. The detail of the parts I worked on are higher than in any other replica because of the awesome detailed data and photos I got to work from. Shame about the carbonite texture =/

Is there any update on when this will be going up for sale and/or any list of specs/features of this?

If it's going to be really expensive I sure hope it has a red glow feature and idle sound effects.

Bumping this as Captain Solo has become my new obsession. I have a spot that screams for it and a WAF that is trending positive.

Yeah, this is my holy grail. I'll probably cave and get the Sideshow version, or start making my own this next Spring as I'm sure it'll be the fraction of the cost of Sideshow's.

I'd be down for an IC version if the price dropped on them.