Solving Bandai Stormtrooper's short neck issue

[Galactican]

Hi guys,

I am currently building the Bandai Stormtrooper and have found a very simple solution to the short neck problem.

Instead of cutting the neck joint and prolonging it by adding some of the unused polycap parts I chose to insert a piece of foam into the head:







Neck before...



... and after the insertion.



As you can see, the head is still fully articulated and held in place firmly by the foam piece. The thickness of the foam piece determines how far the head is pushed up.

The best thing is, this procedure can be applied to models which have already been built. I'll add a template which you can print to make your own neck extension piece shortly.

 

[Galactican]

OK folks, here comes the template - as promised :



Print the pattern at 300 dpi and you will be fine. The piece has to be a tad larger than the recess of the head to make sure that it does not fall out of the head. In addition, the hole in the center must be big enough to hold on the joint firmly (don't cut it too big). Have fun and enjoy!

 

[Victor3]

What thickness did you use? I have this kit sitting under my desk at work, waiting for it's turn.

 

[Galactican]

2 mm foam will suffice. As I said, the thicker the foam, the higher the neck. Here are some pics of my finished build (with neck extension ):



What's best about this way is, you don't damage anything and you are able to display the model as originally intended if you take out the foam piece again.

 

[R2Dan]

Or maybe the mod ain't needed as the neck isn't too short at all?

 

[edge10]

It's all a matter of taste. Count me as one of those who thinks the Bandai trooper is a bit of a 'no neck'.

Since we are posting screen shots, here are a couple frame that show Han's helmet is definitely on the higher side:

http://caps.pictures/197/7-starwars4/full/star-wars4-movie-screencaps.com-8482.jpg
http://caps.pictures/197/7-starwars4/full/star-wars4-movie-screencaps.com-8650.jpg

 

[Victor3]

That guy in the front does look a little short for a Stormtrooper. Maybe he's undercover!!


Thanks, Galactican, I will probably use this. Personally, I think the issue is more a matter of the shoulder pads being too high - but fixing the neck to make it look better seems easier.

 

[Jaitea]

That guy in the front does look a little short for a Stormtrooper. Maybe he's undercover!!


Thanks, Galactican, I will probably use this. Personally, I think the issue is more a matter of the shoulder pads being too high - but fixing the neck to make it look better seems easier.

Yep I think thats the main issue,.....de-shrug the shoulders

J

 

[Galactican]

Thanks, Galactican, I will probably use this. Personally, I think the issue is more a matter of the shoulder pads being too high - but fixing the neck to make it look better seems easier.

I agree. When I was looking for screenshots and pics of the original costume before I started the build I also noticed that A LOT of the Stormies were rather short-necked. Considering that there were 50+ different suits made for the OT Bandai's design is fairly correct. It just displays one of the "shorties" (in a shrugging pose, but, well, that's life ). So it is definitely a matter of personal preference - which is why I was looking for an easy fix which would not affect the original design of the kit. You are free to return to the shortie anytime by removing the foam piece and attaching the head to the original joint.

 

[Vacformedhero]

If you're displaying a few together it might be cool to have slight variance , so fix neck and shoulders on one, just neck on another and so on, maybe even the rubber gasket over the eyes, subtle enough not to be obvious but it might make the platoon more realistic .....MM. Good excuse to buy a few LOL,
thanks for sharing, looks like this technique can be used on multiple bandai kits

 

[Sergiotron]

Thanks for sharing. It improves the look a lot

 

[mcusanelli]

G,
This is a great idea, simple yet effective! Thank you

 

[R2Dan]

I wasn't referring to the guy in the front, but all Troopers on that pic. They all have the helmet almost resting on the chest with hardly any neck visible. That is true for almost every TK in the movie, as the helmet is rather big and sits way below the chin. The pics of Luke and Han show exactly that.

 

[Galactican]

Indeed. They changed the costumes for the sequels a bit, allowing for a greater range of movement and a more comfortable fit. So there is a large variety of different troopers; enough to build an army!

 

[Jeeves]

Thank you for posting - this is a simple and smart solution. The long neck look is my preference as well.
-R

 

[Pinousse]

Awesome idea :cheers

 

[Jimmer]

I'm late to the game, but picked up this kit and going to take your advice and foam my trooper.

I love the kit but something did always seem off to me, and I agree with your neck theory.

Glad I found this thread. Many thanks.

 

[Analyzer]

That guy in the front does look a little short for a Stormtrooper. Maybe he's undercover!!


Thanks, Galactican, I will probably use this. Personally, I think the issue is more a matter of the shoulder pads being too high - but fixing the neck to make it look better seems easier.

Yeah, after build the Shadowtrooper kit I think that is the issue The neck is ok, it is the shoulder pads being too high like they are shrugging. I had debated seeing if there was a way to cut down the plug on the top of the shoulders to make them fit better/closer

 

[Analyzer]

This pic sure seems to suggest that the top of the shoulder pad armor should sit lower than the torso armor "straps", but on the Bandai kit they sit higher (kind of like that left shoulder of the 3rd stormtrooper back on the right)

Or maybe the mod ain't needed as the neck isn't too short at all?
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