Improving the Blufive hollow idol

[kurtyboy]

I've done a lot of clean up on my Blufive idol but I'm a little unsure of some details.

Should the eyes have these lines in the corners? I don't see them on pictures of either the screen used motorised or stunt idols.

And should the lines around the mouth be this prominent?

The shape of the top lip on this idol seems to match the stunt version in the Lucasfilm Archives book while the motorised/eyes version seems to have a less curved top lip. So I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't put glass eyes into this one for the sake of accuracy.

Or does anyone have any pictures of a motorised/glass eyes original that show this curved top lip?

The other thing I'm unsure about is where are the seams/opening on this idol? Or is it completely sealed?

 

[Jedifyfe]

Just an FYI. The Blu-Five idol is not by any means screen accurate. It is a real nice sculpt, great hollow casting and a great costuming idol but if you are trying to get this to be screen accurate you will need to do more than the eyes and lips.

BUT to answer your questions:

1) There are no eye lines on the HERO idol
2) There are no mouth lines on the HERO idol
3) This idol is also about 15% smaller than the screen used idol


This is my comparison shots of my Gobler Idol (which is about the most screen accurate idol made to date) and the BluFive idol side by side.

Brad

 

[kurtyboy]

Thanks for your answers. And yes, I realise the Blufive one isn't screen accurate which is why I'd like to improve it a bit.

But it does look more like the stunt idol in the Archives book than the ones with the glass eyes.


So, are there eye lines and mouth lines on the stunt idol(s)? Should I fill them completely or just smooth them out a bit?

Just a FYI. The Blu-Five idol is not by any means screen accurate. It is a erall nice sculpt, great hollow casting and a great costuming idol but if you are trying to get this to be screen accurate you will need to do more than the eyes and lips.

BUT to answer your questions:

1) There are no eye lines on the HERO idol
2) There are no mouth lines on the HERO idol
3) This idol is also about 15% smaller than the screen used idol


This is my comparison shots of my Gobler Idol (which is about the most screen accurate idol made to date) and the BluFive idol side by side.

Brad

 

[Jedifyfe]

But it does look more like the stunt idol in the Archives book than the ones with the glass eyes.

So, are there eye lines and mouth lines on the stunt idol(s)? Should I fill them completely or just smooth them out a bit?

Well, actually there is debate whether the Idol in the Archives book is the stunt idol or possibly a sculpt that was done within LFL. There is a well documented story that states the "Archives" or "Frowning Idol" was sculpted and cast so that it could be presented to a Japanese business man that wanted a cast of this idol for himself. There was a thread about this somewhere...

Here is my collection of the various types of idols...

 

[Contec]

Here is my collection of the various types of idols...

Don't forget my Idol: :lol

Made from paperclay and bondo.

/Conny

 

[kurtyboy]

Roger that! I see now. So nearly all the fan made ones stem from the post Raiders sculpted frowning idol.

Well, actually there is debate whether the Idol in the Archives book is the stunt idol or possibly a sculpt that was done within LFL. There is a well documented story that states the "Archives" or "Frowning Idol" was sculpted and cast so that it could be presented to a Japanese business man that wanted a cast of this idol for himself. There was a thread about this somewhere...

Here is my collection of the various types of idols...

 

[DrStranglove]

Did the eyes ever screen visibly move in RLA?

 

[Jedifyfe]

Did the eyes ever screen visibly move in RLA?

No. Supposedly there is film that was cut that showed them track Indy in the temple but Spielberg decided it didn't fit the feel of the film. On the extras DVD there is a great part that shows the interior of the idol and the servos that controlled the eye movement.



Brad

 

[agent5]

Did the eyes ever screen visibly move in RLA?

Yes, they do. When seeing it in the theater (and most likely in HD) you can see them slowly move back and forth as Indy approaches the pedestal.

So nearly all the fan made ones stem from the post Raiders sculpted frowning idol.

Yes. The Gobler is the only one that has gotten it right. The easiest tell is by the size. To my knowledge no other idol is of the same height as the Gobler. All the others are a bit smaller.

Don Bies was kind enough to give us some backround on this particular prop. If I remember correctly he said that it had deteriorated and was repaired and re-plated, so this is not exactly how the original looked.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3145/2493664034_613cd65534_o.jpg

 

[Jedifyfe]

Yes, they do. When seeing it in the theater (and most likely in HD) you can see them slowly move back and forth as Indy approaches the pedestal.

Well, that is news to me. I thought there was a interview with Spielberg about this and he commented on it. I guess we will find out when the BlueRay comes out. It would be cool if they really did move.



Brad

 

[agent5]

Trust me, Brad. They do. If you can watch it on your pc then take a peak. As they show that tightening shot of the idol as Indy advances on it you can see them move side to side ever so slightly. You can see it clearly on the big screen. I'm able to see it at the theater at least once, sometimes twice a year at a theater in the city (Chicago). You can see so many things so clearly on the big screen.

 

[Jedifyfe]

Trust me, Brad. They do. If you can watch it on your pc then take a peak. As they show that tightening shot of the idol as Indy advances on it you can see them move side to side ever so slightly. You can see it clearly on the big screen. I'm able to see it at the theater at least once, sometimes twice a year at a theater in the city (Chicago). You can see so many things so clearly on the big screen.

Oh, I trust you!! I just never looked that close.

I just watch it on my PC and A5 is totally correct. They move from right to left, then left to right and repeat again. They move pretty quick too. Very Cool



Brad

 

[agent5]

Told ya'.

 

[kurtyboy]

The vacuum metalizing came out really nice! I might even go the whole way and put motorized eyes in it.

 

[Jedifyfe]

Looks Great!. I think you HAVE to put the servos in there now!

Brad

 

[Imahomer]

Hey Brad... Have you seen the production used idol on Ebay? What do you think about it?

 

[Imahomer]

Hey KurtBoy...
Please let me know what the story is behind the idol you're apparently working on. From what I see it looks great.

 

[kurtyboy]

The answer to your question is in the title of my thread here

I just did a lot of modification and clean up.

Hey KurtBoy...
Please let me know what the story is behind the idol you're apparently working on. From what I see it looks great.

 

[PHArchivist]

That looks fantastic. One of the best metalizing jobs I've seen.

 

[Imahomer]

The answer to your question is in the title of my thread here

I just did a lot of modification and clean up.

Well, what I was looking for was a little more detail about how you went about "improving the Blufive hollow idol" and what your ultimate goal is, or was.