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Sideshow's Life-Size R2-D2 and
C-3PO and
Interview with "Robotman" Fred Barton |
| Update 28th March 2008 - Sideshow has finally
released the first shots of their intended final production versions of
the Threepio. Both will be limited runs of 250 per character (unless they
decide to do "Alternate/Special" editions at a later date....... |
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| .....and Artoo life-size statues. |
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SSC's Life Size C-3PO |
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| So first off with the C-3PO, Sideshow
Collectibles' is saying that these "new C-3PO and R2-D2 are the most
authentic life-size reproductions ever made available to private collectors",
so they're clearly placing these above the Don Post in terms of accuracy.
Interestingly Fred Barton sculpted these pieces using plans and the Archive
originals, rather than simply cast a screen-used item. We're not sure if
that was the best approach..... |
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| I'd like to get my hands on one of these
so I could take my own photos as I don't believe the head/helmet pics are
the most flattering - Sideshow- any chance of a review model? |
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| From these photos the finish looks like its been
chromed, then a layer of weathering applied to make it match the way he
looked throughout the majority of A New Hope. |
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| The wiring looks good and I like the fact that
they've made the arms articulated. For more detail on how these life-sizes
were designed and made see lower down the page in the Fred Barton interview.
Finally, Ive produced this comparison shot below showing the original (L),
New SSC (M) and Don Post (R) |
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SSC's Life Size R2-D2
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| Next up Sideshow's Artoo, which like Threepio
will begin shipping in 3rd Quarter 2008. |
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| Both droids will according to SSC "include
light and sound function, for the most 'real' experience possible",
however the details on this are not clear yet but I'm sure will include
various sampled beeps and whirls from Artoo with perhaps some
Anthony Daniels recording? |
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| The base looks really nice and again is matching
for both characters - looking like a floor tile from the Millennium Falcon.
Another nice touch from Sideshow is the addition of a restraining bolt for
both Droids, which will be engaged via a pair of magnets such that they
locates in the right place. Nice touch! |
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Interview with "Robotman" Fred Barton,
designer of SSC's new Threepio and Artoo |
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February 2008 - Fred Barton has kindly given me an interview
to discuss his work on his upcoming R2-D2 and C-3PO life size figures,
which he's produced in conjunction with Sideshow Collectibles and Lucasfilm.
For those of you who may not know, Fred's known as "The Robotman" for
a very good reason since his great work in producing a range of
replica sci-fi droids from Forbidden Planet's Robby the Robot to
Battlestar Galactica's Cylon Centurion has cemented his position as
leading provider of museum-quality Robot replicas. For more info on his
fabulous range of droids visit
www.the-robotman.com.
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| SWH.com - How have you created the 3PO likeness
– did you cast a suit from the Lucasfilm archives, if so which one (one of the
Revenge of the Sith droids)?
Fred - I made a mold directly off of Anthony Daniels himself, right
out of the shower – it was a mind scrambler. Actually, Daniels is a real
robot, he really is 3PO and wears a human costume off stage to blend in with
the rest of the world. Who knew? But seriously, molding off of an archival
piece is not always the best course of action for quality and control. For
instance, although at my disposal, I didn’t want to make a mold from the
existing archived cylinders as they have already been so over molded and
re-produced for so many droid suits, that they lost their fine detail and
were warped. Not so you would notice on film, but in person, they just
wouldn’t cut it. I think the fans deserve the best possible first generation
quality piece for their money. I used the same amazing machinist I use for
my Robby’s (Ed. Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet). The new machined pieces are spec’d right off of the original
droids and machined making them as straight and as sharp as possible. |
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| SWH.com - And what about your R2-D2 – did you
cast your replica off an original or work from Lucasfilm production
drawings? Fred - It was the same deal for R2-D2 as C-3PO, we used all
new remastered detail so everything produced was as spot on as we could
possibly make it. Compare the shot of me at the archives with 3PO in his
crate and my hand on R2 to the photo of me standing next to the shot my
painted Prototypes, you’ll know just how perfect the new pieces are. |
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| Fred - It was great having the original
droids for reference. I can tell you I took advantage of every opportunity
to make these droids as good or better than what seen on the big screen. My
robot collectibles must look better than actual props. Always have. A prop
is a prop, my robot collectibles are art, displayed in peoples homes. They
have to be great. Both Don Bies and Tony Dyson have contacted me about my
work and the new droids and both have given me their thumbs up. That really
meant a lot to me. Who knows better than the guys who worked with them in
all the movies? I consult with them from time to time about detail. Makes
all the difference. |
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SWH.com - Fred, can you explain the manufacture
process for your replica C-3PO. Do you produce a sculpt and then silicone
moulds were made of it - which are subsequently used to cast in
resin/fiberglass?
Fred - Many processes are used. Sculpting, casting, vacuum forming,
machining, fiberglassing… I used all the same processes on the droids as I
do the other 15 movie robots I make. Except "Tobor the Great". He’s made
from sheet aluminium. Whole different process. |
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SWH.com - So will your replica R2-D2 be
completely fiberglass or is the dome aluminium?
Fred - To keep the price down, it was decided to keep R2 all fibreglass.
Many R2’s over the years in different shots in various movies were also
fibreglass. There is no real definitive head for R2. What we’ve done looks
fantastic. You’d never know it wasn’t aluminium. But you’re wallet will. |
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SWH.com - Back onto C-3PO, has the finish on this droid been finally decided,
will Sideshow be adopting a shiny chrome or a duller paint/weathered finish?
Fred - C3PO will be fully plated, nice and shiny – not painted. He’ll
appear exactly as he did in Star Wars -A New Hope. Lucas would have it no
other way. Neither would I!
SWH.com - Can you explain the Chrome Plating process you and
Sideshow have used, is it like vacuum metalizing?
Fred - No, we've utilized a real plating process. No vacuum metalizing.
It has to be more hard-wearing and the problem with Vacuum Metalizing is
that it cracks over time and is just too thin. Here's a shot of our fully
plated C-3PO, I think fans will like this......... |
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SWH.com - So Fred, how do you think your 3PO
will compare with the Don Post statue? I believe the Don Post 3po was not
actually 1:1 scale, but slightly smaller – what about yours?
Fred - My C-3PO and R2-D2 are the most definitive droid replicas ever made.
The Don Post R2-D2 and C-3PO was shrunken and sunken in, melded in on
itself, warped, and had a soft and molded look, not separate details and
just a lot of problems. They would run their molds hot, meaning
over-catalyze the fibreglass to cut down on curing time. This shrinks the
resin even more making it brittle. They used thin gel-coats and fillers.
Combine that with over-used, overheated rubber molds, you get a lot of size
and detail issues. Each numbered piece was progressively worse and worse
until at the end of the run, they were quite wrong. Plus, the Don Post R2 color
was way off as well. We are using a special paint mix Don Bies adhered to
over the years. I also posed C-3PO in a much more familiar stance. He is dead
on accurate and the right size. Not slightly smaller. |
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SWH.com - Will any part of your 3PO be movable,
e.g. arms. What about R2-D2, will the 3rd leg or dome move?
Fred - Some parts are articulated on both, but again to keep the price
down, they are not fully articulated nor should they be. These are full size
studio scale statues, not 12” action figures. Parts are heavy and can break
or wear out. It is best to look a these units, not play with them. They are
pieces of art, not toys. |
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SWH.com - Have there been any discussions about
making the R2 motorized? Do you think owners could retro fit a motor and
controls?
Fred - There have been discussions for me to make a line of robotic 3PO’s
and R2’s. I can’t go into detail at this time. I don't know if you've seen my animatronic
Robby but fans are going to be in for a treat!!!. As for retrofitting the pieces, I would
advise against it. Doing anything to these guys will devalue them and as we
all know, Sideshow pieces sell out and appreciate over time. I believe there
are hobby clubs that people can join to custom out their home brew R2’s. I
would leave these pieces alone. |
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SWH.com - How close are you/Sideshow to
finishing off the robots – we understand there's due an announcement from
Sideshow in
February.
Fred - Both R2-D2 and C-3PO are scheduled for release 2nd quarter of
2008 and things are right on schedule! We're working on the final designs
now so we can agree all the remaining details like C-3PO's finish and
whether he has messy ANH stomach wires or straight RotJ wiring. |
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SWH.com - Finally, was this your first
encounter with Star Wars Droids?
FB - No, we used to go drinking in a little bar on Tatooine, where droids
are allowed. Artoo can really put it away!
SWH.com - Fred, that really is excellent
information - thank you very much for your time and please keep us updated
on how the project progresses. Maybe you should tell Artoo to lay off the
hard-stuff! |
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| Note that all of the images on this page are of
the various prototypes made in different stages and poses. ---
Painted, plated, clean and distressed. The final production versions have
not yet been decided on or released, but Fred insists that they will
actually look better than anything posted at this time. Well I dont know
about you but I'm excited!!! |
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Thanks to Fred for the photos, additional photos taken by
myself at San Diego Comic Con in Summer 2006 and Shadow from SDCC in
Summer 2007. Previous news July 2006 - One of the big news stories to come out of
Comic Con 06 was that Sideshow now has the license to provide certain life-size
Star Wars characters. I understand Lucasfilm has a slightly unusual way of
managing their licenses in that any company can bid for any individual
character - they don't assign a single license to cover all life-size
characters. Looking back you may remember that when Don Post was producing
The Stormtrooper, Boba Fett, C-3PO and R2-D2, it was Rubies who had the
rights to Darth Vader. Odd! Anyway, onto the Droids......... |
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Okay, now before we start its worth pointing
out that these are the prototype designs. When I spoke to the
Sideshow representatives they really were at pains to point this out. Hence
we're going to have to wait a while to find out the final specification. |
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| Sideshow representatives said they were really
against the clock in order to get them ready for Comic Con, and
the finished versions will be significantly different. Looking initially at
C-3PO, Sideshow said that the production version will be completely chromed and not
painted gold, like this one is. Speaking with one of their production guys,
they're planning on using the same liquid-chroming technique they
used on the excellent Terminator life size. Given that's quite a benchmark it
looks like we can expect the 3PO to retail at a similar $6,000 price tag.
While not cheap that's still considerably less than you could find one of the
excellent Don Post statues |
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While on the subject of the Don Post statue,
the main (probably only) criticism of that was that it was not 1:1, but
slightly but significantly undersized (never did find out why). I'm sure
we're all hoping that Sideshow product will be full size, and therefore the
most accurate licensed product available. Since a full-size 3PO has always
been probably the ONE prop I've always wanted - I'll be watching this one
with real interest. |
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I have to say I don't know a shed-full about
R2, but this little beastie looks excellent. The prototype they had in San
Diego looked solid and significant, but I'm not sure if the final version
will have any moving parts or not. As mentioned elsewhere, Sideshow
Collectibles seem to be an outward looking company as they are doing their
best to also help collectors outside the US (Master Replicas
PLEASE take note). With this in mind, Sideshow now have distribution hubs in
several regions of the World including one in Europe. Folks in Europe can take advantage of some pretty reasonable Dollar exchange
rates, although not that you DO need to bear in mind that you have to add
any local taxes you may have. In Europe these vary by Country from a VAT
free Canary Islands to around 20% for UK. Either way its still a great deal
from Sideshow.
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for the main Sideshow
Collectibles page click here
For
Sideshow's Aliens, Terminator and
Predator Busts and Life-sizes click
here for our sister site.... |
