Recreating the '85 Kenner kitbashed figures

[New_Bornalex]

Hi folks.

Apologies if this has already been covered.

I'm trying to get some help IDing parts on a specific Kenner kitbashed figure from their proposed 1985 non-film line extension. (Sort of a forerunner to the Shadows of the Empire concept of doing a 'big movie merch tie-in release, except without a movie'.)

If you're unfamiliar with the '85 line extension, click here

I've previously replicated two of these proposal kitbashes as customs, and am currently gathering parts for a third. So naturally I'm looking at the others with fresh eyes.

On the first three it was relatively easy to ID the parts they'd used and source myself some beaters of those figures. The fourth is proving more difficult.

Unfortunately, the name of this particular kitbash is simply "Imperial Attack Droid C" so using those keywords to search these forums returned a lot of unrelated results. Hence why I thought it best to start a new thread.



Here's what I can deduce so far.

The legs are from the original Power Droid.



The torso is from R2 (or R5), inverted and with some additional greeblies added.



Above that is FX-7's head.



At the bottom is the proton torpedo from the Y-wing fighter, again with a greeblie added to it.



Those are all the ones I know for certain.

This nubbed hubcap-looking piece above the FX-7 head looks tantalizingly familiar though.



I thought for a while it might be a GI Joe piece, then I remembered Kenner wasn't yet bought by Hasbro in 1985.

However, we know they did occasionally use toys from other companies for kitbashing. (Fisher-Price Adventure People, Shogun Warriors, etc.)

So don't limit your thinking to just the vintage Kenner line.

Does anyone recognize any of these other parts?

Any help here would be hot.

Alex

 

[VaderJay]

I love where this thread could go......great post

 

[Nibcrom]

MONGO BEEFHEAD

 

[New_Bornalex]

MONGO BEEFHEAD

I actually did a Mongo Beefhead back in 1995, shortly after Steve Sansweet wrote a Star Wars Galaxy Magazine article that showed a pic of it.



It fired my imagination and within weeks I'd sourced all the donor figures and thrown together my own.



I did Imperial Attack Droid B a couple of years ago.

I'm planning to remake the Mongo Beefhead with better techniques, plus I'm gathering parts for Imperial Attack Droid A at the moment.

And I repainted an EU Sentinel to be Atha Prime ages ago, but misplaced him during a move and he has yet to turn up. I keep hoping I'll find him, but if not I already procured an extra Sentinel in case I need to remake him.

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

Believe it or not, this is also something for which I've been slowly gathering parts.



Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

I know that I want to attempt at least one more to revisit some things I was never satisfied with in '95, yet I'm undecided on how many Mongo Beefhead Tribesmen I will ultimately want.



While I ponder that quandary (or quander that pondery?), in related news a couple of parcels arrived today, so now I only need two things for my recreation of Imperial Attack Droid A.



This one will be a mix of vintage parts from beater figures, recast rifles, and a 3D printed Y-wing top cannon.



I felt fortunate to score an already headless IG-88 with one arm gone. This assuages the guilt of damaging a perfectly good toy.

But has anyone got a beater vintage 2-1B they don't need?



In fact, I don't even need the whole figure. I already had legs left from making Attack Droid B, so now I only need a set of arms. Anyone got a pair in their parts bin?

Alex

 

[bluestars01]

Hi folks.

Apologies if this has already been covered.

I'm trying to get some help IDing parts on a specific Kenner kitbashed figure from their proposed 1985 non-film line extension. (Sort of a forerunner to the Shadows of the Empire concept of doing a 'big movie merch tie-in release, except without a movie'.)

If you're unfamiliar with the '85 line extension, click here

I've previously replicated two of these proposal kitbashes as customs, and am currently gathering parts for a third. So naturally I'm looking at the others with fresh eyes.

On the first three it was relatively easy to ID the parts they'd used and source myself some beaters of those figures. The fourth is proving more difficult.

Unfortunately, the name of this particular kitbash is simply "Imperial Attack Droid C" so using those keywords to search these forums returned a lot of unrelated results. Hence why I thought it best to start a new thread.

View attachment 450749

Here's what I can deduce so far.

The legs are from the original Power Droid.

View attachment 450752

The torso is from R2 (or R5), inverted and with some additional greeblies added.

View attachment 450751

Above that is FX-7's head.

View attachment 450753

At the bottom is the proton torpedo from the Y-wing fighter, again with a greeblie added to it.

View attachment 450754

Those are all the ones I know for certain.

This nubbed hubcap-looking piece above the FX-7 head looks tantalizingly familiar though.

View attachment 450755

I thought for a while it might be a GI Joe piece, then I remembered Kenner wasn't yet bought by Hasbro in 1985.

However, we know they did occasionally use toys from other companies for kitbashing. (Fisher-Price Adventure People, Shogun Warriors, etc.)

So don't limit your thinking to just the vintage Kenner line.

Does anyone recognize any of these other parts?

Any help here would be hot.

Alex

The white piece seems to be a sprocket half from a tank model kit... Most likely German. My initial guess was Panzer III but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'd say it's from a Tamiya Kit considering this is '85.

 

[New_Bornalex]

Thanks, bluestars01. I included this tentative ID in a similar post in a Studio Scale modeler's group on Facebook. Hoping some of the other greeblies are from model kits too, because if so they can usually narrow it down very quickly.

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

Going back through the 1985 binder, I notice that at some point over the years I must've forgotten about this little guy. Simple repaint, and I should have parts already on hand for it.



And then I guess the next big one that I still need to source parts for is the Tandem X-wing.





It's odd seeing the front pilot from '85 again now that there's been a Luke helmet sculpt with the visor down, in the form of the Retro Snowspeeder Luke.

I guess unused ideas never really die.

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

The white piece seems to be a sprocket half from a tank model kit... Most likely German. My initial guess was Panzer III but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'd say it's from a Tamiya Kit considering this is '85.

Thanks, bluestars01. I included this tentative ID in a similar post in a Studio Scale modeler's group on Facebook. Hoping some of the other greeblies are from model kits too, because if so they can usually narrow it down very quickly.

Alex

Well, I didn't specifically mention Tamiya kits in my FB post, but one of the Studio Scale folks named Lee Ralph corroborated this possibility: "very possibly from the Mobelwagen or Jagdpanzer Lang. Although I'm basing that on Tamiya kits."

And then Leah N Jason said that these parts seen below were from a "German flak kit, as used on the at-st studio scale model" to which Lee Ralph added "Nebelwerfer".



I'm seeing a couple of different 1/35 Nebelwerfer kits on eBay at the moment. Not sure which is correct yet, but the box art does look encouraging.




Edit: I'm told the Italeri kit is the correct one, not the Aurora.

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

Another reply to my FB post in the Studio Scale modeler's group says that the piece above the FX-7 head is from a Tamiya German panzer IV tank, and he says that tank is the base for the flakpanzer.





Presumably, he's referring to this piece.



These kits are currently about $60 on eBay... which is pretty pricey when I only need just that one part.

This is usually the point in a project where I rush off with partial info and excitedly buy the lowest priced kit I see... only to have it turn out to be the wrong company, or the wrong size, et al.

Time to force myself to do some better research and educate myself about which scale of each kit will be needed, what year they were made, etc.

So that leaves these items still unidentified:



The four rockets on top of the droid's head.

The detailed panel/s on the front of the torso.

The panel with buttons added on the fins of the proton torpedo.

Plus there's something added to the back which is causing a shadow to the right (and presumably left also) of the FX-7 head.

Any other ID guesses?

Alex

 

[bluestars01]

Another reply to my FB post in the Studio Scale modeler's group says that the piece above the FX-7 head is from a Tamiya German panzer IV tank, and he says that tank is the base for the flakpanzer.

View attachment 451383

View attachment 451384

Presumably, he's referring to this piece.

View attachment 451386

These kits are currently about $60 on eBay... which is pretty pricey when I only need just that one part.

This is usually the point in a project where I rush off with partial info and excitedly buy the lowest priced kit I see... only to have it turn out to be the wrong company, or the wrong size, et al.

Time to force myself to do some better research and educate myself about which scale of each kit will be needed, what year they were made, etc.

So that leaves these items still unidentified:

View attachment 451387

The four rockets on top of the droid's head.

The detailed panel/s on the front of the torso.

The panel with buttons added on the fins of the proton torpedo.

Plus there's something added to the back which is causing a shadow to the right (and presumably left also) of the FX-7 head.

Any other ID guesses?

Alex

The Panzer IV kit you posted is a newer Panzer IV mold created some time in the 90s, you might want to look for the older 70s kits.

While based on the same model of tank, the old Panzer IV molds were made with moterization in mind and thus had different dimensions compared to the more accurate successors. There are several differences but to keep it short the running gears are quite thinner.

Most of the kits that uses the old Panzer IV chasis mold are now long retired, but some are still in circulation. Like you pointed out the Flakpanzer variant, otherwise know as the "Wirbelwind" still uses the old chasis and should be much cheaper compared to the one you found. Somewhere around 30 bucks I'd say.

I'll attach a pic of the sprocket pieces from the kit for reference.

 

[VaderJay]

Alex, you might just have to improvise. Are there any pictures that are better focused than the ones we're looking at here?

 

[Utinniii]

There are kitbashing groups that are sourcing parts. I also think someone might have scanned some parts for 3D printing (or someone should!)

 

[yodashizzle]

@New_Bornalex .....I have a ton of model tanks that I've used over the years, I'll check my greeblie bins and let you know if I can help out.

 

[New_Bornalex]

Like you pointed out the Flakpanzer variant, otherwise know as the "Wirbelwind" still uses the old chasis and should be much cheaper compared to the one you found.

Thanks for the excellent pointers. Just the sort of expertise I was hoping to attract with this thread.

Are there any pictures that are better focused than the ones we're looking at here?

Probably. I'm having to do all of this from my phone lately, so I'm cut off from one of my external hard drives where some of these pics were already saved.

Case in point, I found a pic the other day of the Sandspeeder from the Sansweet article. I remember being able to discern far more details in the magazine version than in this online pic.



In fact, I'm kinda wondering if that circular greeblie atop the canopy might not also be from the same tank? So now I definitely want to find this image in better quality.

There are kitbashing groups that are sourcing parts. I also think someone might have scanned some parts for 3D printing (or someone should!)

Tell me more about these groups! I do recall stumbling on a decent custom of Imperial Attack Droid A a couple of years ago, but can't recall what website it was on now.

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

@New_Bornalex .....I have a ton of model tanks that I've used over the years, I'll check my greeblie bins and let you know if I can help out.

That would be great. Fingers crossed!

Come to think of it, I bought a specific tank model kit years ago when I was heavy into collecting Ghostbusters prop replicas. The treads were used as trim on the slimeblower.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if by some cosmic coincidence, it was the same kit and I already have the parts without realizing it?

Let me know what you find in the bins.

Alex

 

[yodashizzle]

Alex,
I checked my bins and found nothing that looks like it would work, lots of bits but nothing sprocketed that size. I'll keep my eyes open though, will let you know if something turns up. I think there might be another box of stuff, not sure, most of the tank kits I'd picked up were small, veeeery small so I could do stuff with 3.75 treadwell type stuff.

 

[New_Bornalex]

A beater 2-1B just arrived in today's mail. His limbs are very loose and there's a lot of paint rubbed off the torso.



Even though this will once again leave me with too many 2-1B legs left over, those arms should be the last two parts I need for the Imperial Attack Droid A.



Plus these spare parts arrived a few days ago.



I've already got an extra side hatch stashed around here someplace. I got it for cheap because a previous owner had partially melted and warped it.

Hopefully when I cut these parts down to the 'convertible' look for the AT-IC, those melted areas will all be in the section that gets sliced off.



Cross your fingers!

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

I did a boil and pop on the new med droid and the armless phlutdroid. Normally that's where I'd stop, and just bevel the limb posts to reinsert them.

But this time since IG-88 had something rattling inside his torso, I went the extra step of inserting closed needle nose pliers into the neck opening and prising the body halves apart.



Judging from the length of the severed segment that fell out, it must be the neckpost of the missing head, but that does make me wonder why there was no armpost of the missing arm. They decapitated the head but boiled the arm to remove it?

The unexpected problem now is that the 2-1B legs won't fit in the IG-88 hip sockets without some drastic modifications.



The diameters and depths of the posts are just too radically different.



I'd hoped I could knock this out by tomorrow, but it looks like there will be a little more tweaking than expected.

Ah well, I was gonna have to Dremel sockets for the 2-1B arms anyway.



Alex

 

[VaderJay]

Alex,

Lightly shave the inner torso hip sockets to narrow the plastic to fit the leg post.

It's the best way to keep the integrity of the figures movement.

 

[New_Bornalex]

Got some dremeling done. Enlarged the shoulders so the rifles can turn snugly without forcing the torso seam apart. Added sockets for the additional arms (had to flatten the bandolier on one hip) and created clearance for the legs.



I still need to make a neck post for the Y-wing cannon/head, so for this test fit pic it's just balanced precariously on top.



But it's starting to come into focus.



Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

Today's progress...

I realized the perfect neck post for attaching the cannon was already right in front of me. The broken piece recovered inside the IG-88 torso!

It will now be used upside down from its previous orientation.

I dremeled out a hole in the underside of the 3D printed cannon.



Then I glued it in place.



It fits surprisingly snugly.



With all the parts finally modified, now it was time for base coats of paint. I masked off the upper portion of the torso.



We had perfect weather today for spray-painting!



I also went ahead and painted the legs.



Once the gold paint was fully dry, I peeled off the first masking tape and applied new tape over the gold paint only. (Forgot to take a pic.)

I was really nervous about the tape potentially ruining the gold shoulders, but I got lucky.



UPDATE: I did some of the hand-painted details as well.



Let's compare it once more to the reference pic, and you can see how close we are to the finish line.



Alex

 

[Batuurist]

That is STUNNING work!!

Seriously, that is the prototype. The only thing I might point out is that I think the shoulders might be the same black flecked color as the lower torso. But wow, what an absolute joy it is to see this thing come to life, like it was plucked from store shelves in an alternate timeline.

 

[New_Bornalex]

I ran out of daylight yesterday and had to do the shoulders this morning. Waiting on them to dry now. (Of course the beautiful warm dry weather from the past two days is now a rainy 40 degrees outside.)

EDIT: Dry now.





I still need to add the silver flecks. And is it just me, or is the lower half of the bandolier still black on the actual Kenner kitbash, even though it's gold above that?

Here, I've boosted the contrast of the reference pic. Either they never painted over the bottom section of the torso, or... less likely... they repainted just the lower part of the bandolier.



Alex

 

[Jedi_Sirk]

Been tracking this project and great job! Your last question about the bandolier made me look at the original reference deeper. It almost seems like the bottom half wasn't painted but the speckles are gold overspray from painting the top half. I could be nuts and just looks that way on my monitor. Either way, yours looks great and this project is on my "to-do" list now.

 

[Utinniii]

I wanted these when I first saw them but they would have been too expensive to source the parts.
Having seen yours, I kinda want them again.
Regardless, it has been a joy to follow this thread.

The only legendary figures I wound up making was the Mongo Beefhead since I had the parts already.

 

[New_Bornalex]

Been tracking this project and great job! ... yours looks great and this project is on my "to-do" list now.

Despite making a few others from the '85 proposal, I never really expected to make this particular one until I remembered having seen a one-armed headless IG-88 in the $5 beater box at an antique store about ten minutes from my house. Then this kitbash popped to mind while I was working on something else and I had to go back. Luckily it was still there.

I wanted these when I first saw them but they would have been too expensive to source the parts.
Having seen yours, I kinda want them again.

I thought for a long time that the Y-wing cannon was a deal breaker. Even though I have multiple vintage Y-wings, including one that was bestowed on me for free, I never wanted to take parts from one to paint it gold. (Likewise the Y-wing torpedo necessary for the Attack Droid C.)

But then it occurred to me that with the rise of 3D printed parts, which I guess are primarily for cherrying out incomplete vehicles, then I wouldn't have to take a real vintage part out of circulation to make this custom.

The only legendary figures I wound up making was the Mongo Beefhead since I had the parts already.

Neat, it's a whole Mongo Beefhead family! Er, tribe!

Are some of those scratch-sculpted?

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

I located the melty AT-AT part.



This is my first time putting the hatch with the rest of the parts.



But, comparing it to the AT-IC reference pic...



... it's clear that the burnt section is in a bad location.



However! I can't make the details from the kitbash match the details on the original AT-AT sculpt.

I need to find a better reference pic, and compare it to all the sculpted areas of the original toy and get a better idea of what pieces were used for the kitbash.

I wonder if it would be possible to salvage the sections that will be cut off of the roof and use those to replace the burnt side hatch?

Alex

 

[Utinniii]

2 of the heads are scratch built and the bodies are off-brand figures. By looking at the picture I realized that I cheated on the arms as I made a mold of them and cast them in Model Magic.

 

[New_Bornalex]

While I continue to search for better reference pics of the AT-IC, let's look at another vehicle from the 1985 proposal.



This is the SRV-1.



Notice that it looks more elaborate than the other relatively cruder kitbashes in the presentation binder. The reason for that is, this wasn't its first time being pitched (or rejected).

Scratch-built from styrene, the SRV was a non-film concept originally pitched in 1980 as the Rebellion's sci-fi equivalent of a tow truck.



Now, I've had limited experience building things from styrene, with dubious results, so I have no desire to attempt something this complicated.

But I can't escape the feeling that I've seen *some* toy that resembles this. Maybe a GIJoe tank from the 80s? Any ideas?

Back in the 90s, I did buy this secondhand Kenner VR Troopers Battle Cruiser, since it had treads and two cockpits.



The left canopy even detaches and becomes a four-winged fighter.



So overall it has a definite Star Wars vibe.



But the VR Troopers figures were much bigger than the Star Wars 3-3/4" height. They were at least six inches tall. So as you may can tell, this toy is a bit oversized.

If anyone thinks of something else that would be a better starting point, do let me know.

Alex

 

[Deathspawn9000]

Alex, what about 3d printing a replacement door for the AT-IT since most of it will be removed anyway?

 

[New_Bornalex]

I thought of that. I saw one recently on eBay, as a matter of fact. The color was slightly off, but the files must exist already.

But upon comparing the photos for the first time the other day, I was intrigued to notice that the details don't seem to line up.

I think the kitbash might not have been as 'cut along this line' simple as I always assumed.

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

Okay, this is kinda funny...

Searching for some of these reference pics in better quality, I saw on the swca.com that the Tandem X-wing was pictured in the "hardcover version of the Second Edition of Tomart's Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles".

I went to my shelf to see if I had that book. I do, but it's the paperback not the hardcover. Next to it was the first edition.

And inside the first edition was this bookplate.





This was right after I'd made my recreation of the Mongo Beefhead Tribesman based on his magazine article. I'd snail-mailed him a photo and/or a videotape showing that and other customs I'd done.

I knew he'd called me Kenner somewhere, and also quipped 'Mongo Beefhead Lives!' elsewhere.

I was thinking the Kenner gag was on the return package (I'd SASE'd one of his hardback books to him, which he'd signed and mailed back) but it must've been on this bonus bookplate.

I didn't remember what book this was in, so it's funny to me that I only found it because of the same 1985 kitbashes once again.

Also funny is the fact that because of things like those customs which he only ever saw on VHS as well as some fanzine articles I wrote around the same time (mid-90s) for Martin Thurn's Star Wars Collector and Blue Harvest, I eventually got to add professional writer and internationally published photographer to my accomplishments.

About 2007 I emailed Steve a question about one of his books, and to my shock he said he remembered me and told me I should be writing for the Insider, which directly led to my two articles for them. One on the history of the original Star Tours (published before they revamped it) and one on the Holiday Special. He was even the one to send me copies of the French editions.

Alex

 

[Kneel_Before_Zod]

So, I don't' have anything helpful to add here, but I wanted to post to let you know that I'm following along with what you're doing and it's amazing. I'm really tempted to try it eventually. Thanks for putting up such detailed posts about sourcing parts and what you're learning about assembly along the way.

 

[New_Bornalex]

I swear, y'all... this could only happen to me.

Recently, seeking better resolution pics of these '85 kitbash figures, I couldn't locate my copy of the magazine which contained that 'unproduced Kenner prototypes' article by Steve Sansweet.

That theswca.com article said the photos were in Star Wars Galaxy *Collector* Magazine, issue 2.



Off I went to eBay and bought an inexpensive replacement issue, which just arrived.



And while it did contain a Sansweet article about unproduced Kenner prototypes... it was a totally different article than the one I was seeking!

Turns out, the magazine I actually need is issue 2 of the similarly-named Star Wars Galaxy magazine from three years earlier. This one had no 'Collector' in the name, yet the mention on theswca.com has contained this typo unnoticed for decades.

So there I was holding the wrong magazine, feeling a bit bummed, when I flipped to the table of contents and spotted... my own name.

Yep. I had totally forgotten that this was the issue where Gus Lopez once wrote a collector spotlight on ME.



What are the odds that typo would redirect me back to something so personally relevant?

Plus, dig that group shot of my old customs!



I only know where a handful of these are at the moment. I've been wanting to locate certain of these recently, as a matter of fact.

Furthermore, skimming the 1998 article again, I noticed in the text Gus mentioned a specific cartoon that I'd drawn for Martin Thurn's fanzine: 'The Lone Ranger and Ronto'.

In an even freakier coincidence, I just saw that very cartoon earlier today when Martin posted the PDF of that exact 1997 issue on Facebook.



And Martin's 'zine? It was called Star Wars Collector. No 'Galaxy'. No wonder there was confusion about the names that went undetected for so long.

Alex

 

[VaderJay]

That's one "planets aligning during a solar eclipse" moment!

 

[Tyranusspotting]

Ha, I remember that article!

 

[New_Bornalex]

Alex

 

[New_Bornalex]

This one gets a little verbose, but I decided to upload it as an unedited single-take because of the 'OMG' moment that occurred while the camera rolled.

Alex