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I've been collecting 1/12's for awhile, mainly Mezco's 1/12's,and the majority of them are fine "as is", except the Hellboy, the heads are darker than the body, but other than that, pretty solid work.

However, there's one comic character (Cassie Hack of Hack/Slash) I like and every toy company that has tried to make a figure has failed at it. So I figured it was time to do it myself, so I picked up a phicen 1/12, but the lack of head sculps was a pain, I was able to mod the hair without an issue but there's just a lack of goodies for the 1/12 line at the moment, and I wasn't crazy about the overall look of the body type.

So yesterday I ordered a Phicen S35, which is the suntan one with the black hair, seems like a good base to work with, and it comes with a head, which I figured was a good decision to make just in case I can't find a 3rd party head that matches right. As far as I can tell the S35 is a bit smaller than early Phicen 1/6 bodies, so not sure if there are any solid 3rd party head sculpts for the S35 that will match the skin tone right, so that's part of why I'm here.

Has anyone attempted to use any 3rd party head sculpts with the S35 that match the skin tone and scale?

Being new to the 1/6 scale I'm a bit overwhelmed, there are so many head sculpts on Ebay but most of the sellers put the heads on a stand rather than a body, so its impossible to tell what matches.

 

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I have a S35 and I don't think there is any significant color difference from other TBL's. I compared my S35 with a S02 and I don't see a difference, at least in room light. I have noticed some color differences even with the same model TBL. It may depend more on the batch or when the body was made, but not sure. If there is any color difference, it doesn't look significant.

Not sure if you are aware of this. But the main difference with this body from older models, is the head post is smaller. Also hand posts. If you want to use most other heads, you will need to modify the post. I found putting a cut straw over the post works pretty well to keep the head tight. Not perfect, but worked. I did this with a S25B that has a small head post too. There may be a source for the smaller head inserts somewhere also. I think I saw some on Aliexpress that weren't very expensive.

The S35 seems to be roughly about the same height as standard 2015-2017 models. It just has narrower shoulders and shorter arms. It is supposed to have a somewhat shorter torso with longer legs than early models.

Most eBay sellers don't mention color. Maybe you can get suggestions from a hobby store that sells heads. Most heads are usually suntan, but the color can vary a bit. There are some brands that are mostly pale like Super Duck.

 

[Devianza]

Most eBay sellers don't mention color. Maybe you can get suggestions from a hobby store that sells heads. Most heads are usually suntan, but the color can vary a bit. There are some brands that are mostly pale like Super Duck.

The only hobby shop out here only deals in model cars and drones now, I did go in there once to ask them if they could refer me to any hobby shop that did deal with the action figure market, they couldn't think of any. I did order a YMT head for the old S01 I had, they said it was pale but it was more suntan, and it was just off too much, which is a huge pet peeve of mine. Mezco's 1:12 Hellboy for example, first time I've ever had the issue but the heads are darker than the body, so I just tossed it. I mean seriously, with tech today, matching colors shouldn't be that hard. I still haven't gotten the S35, maybe the eye decals I ordered will work out with the head it comes with. It'll have more of an asian look than I want, since the character I'm trying to make is caucasian, but I could live with that more than a mismatched skin tone, or a loose head...

 

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You might like the head it comes with. Probably will be the best match for the body in fit and color. I should have been more clear, but I meant contacting an online store like Ekia Hobbies or Cotswold Collectables. But they might not know either. Also sometimes stores like this have a description saying matches TBL suntan or TBL pale. It still might not be a perfect match but they are usually close. You may be particular about color match. I'm not as particular as some collectors. As long as it's pretty close is good enough for me. A head can look like a match in room light but may look a bit off in sunlight or in photos.

 

[Devianza]

I'm not as particular as some collectors. As long as it's pretty close is good enough for me. A head can look like a match in room light but may look a bit off in sunlight or in photos.

I'm quite picky so I probably will stick with the default head. I got the decals yesterday for the eyes, far smaller than they looked on Ebay, so while easier than painting, its still not going to super easy to get those things on. As far as I can tell, they work like model car stickers, dip them in water and then... whee. I still need to get some tweezers, they are way too tiny to do by hand.

As for heads... even default heads on figures can be off. Phicen's 1:12 is pretty dad on but there's a tiny, tiny difference, but nothing horrible. Have to hand it to them on the 1:12 figures, except for on one thing, which is weird. The first one I got from a US retailer had painted on nipples, the one I got from a Chinese retailer did not, so I thought it was defective but the second one they sent me, same thing.

 

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I'm quite picky so I probably will stick with the default head. I got the decals yesterday for the eyes, far smaller than they looked on Ebay, so while easier than painting, its still not going to super easy to get those things on. As far as I can tell, they work like model car stickers, dip them in water and then... whee. I still need to get some tweezers, they are way too tiny to do by hand.

As for heads... even default heads on figures can be off. Phicen's 1:12 is pretty dad on but there's a tiny, tiny difference, but nothing horrible. Have to hand it to them on the 1:12 figures, except for on one thing, which is weird. The first one I got from a US retailer had painted on nipples, the one I got from a Chinese retailer did not, so I thought it was defective but the second one they sent me, same thing.

I must have clicked quote by mistake.
Yes, even supplied heads can vary a little in color because they are made from a different material than the body.

I never got a body with painted nipples. I don't think I have heard anyone else say that they got a base body painted. Maybe it is something that particular seller does. Also I usually get bodies from China or Hong Kong. I usually paint them myself with a watercolor pencil.

 

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I never got a body with painted nipples. I don't think I have heard anyone else say that they got a base body painted. Maybe it is something that particular seller does. Also I usually get bodies from China or Hong Kong. I usually paint them myself with a watercolor pencil.

Yeah, something is up with the nipple thing, The first 1:12 I got from that US seller on Ebay had them painted, and so did the S01, same seller. But I ordered 2 other 1:12's from two other sellers, and they weren't painted, however the sellers were both in China. I ordered a rosewood castell watercolor pencil to work on the S35, when it arrives, and when the pencil arrives, still need to figure out how to stay "within the lines", heard stencil paper is the way to go... still seems tricky. The character I'm making does wear fishnet tops so the nipples are visible, so it would look dumb if they were flesh colored.

 

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I have several different color pencils. I use a different color weather the body is suntan or pale. Never thought of a stencil. Maybe that makes it easier. I just do it free hand. The nipple acts as a reference. It just take my time and use almost no pressure. I wet the end of the pencil and if it needs to be wetter I dip the end again.

The water color generally isn't permanent and can be washed off. If a redo is needed and there is still color remaining, Oxy 10 pimple cream will remove the stain. It works on clothing stains too. The active ingredient acts as a dye remover. So a mistake isn't a big problem.

Here is a pic of my S35 after the water color.

 

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Here is a pic of my S35 after the water color.
View attachment 493096

I got the idea for the stencil from some guys walk through on "One Sixth Figures - Forum", he recommended different colors and confused me. A few others vouch going that route, claim it doesn't rub off. But I still will need a way to fix any mistakes, so the tips you have for cleaning should come in handy. What color did you use? Looks very realistic. Oh, and the bangs on the forehead, can they be pushed to the side or did they root them to where they're stuck in place?

 

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The color I used was chestnut. The bangs aren't stuck in place, but they tend to mostly go back to the original position. If you want it off to the side, maybe holding it that way with a band for a few days might keep it in place. I think heat is used to style hair, but I'm not sure.

 

[Devianza]

I got the S35, and like others have said, the "bits" weren't painted. The stencil worked great however on the right breast, wouldn't apply as dark to the left for some reason however, I then tested it on the lower region and it worked fine, so that's odd. Anywho, I checked my Ebay history and the two Phicen's I got that had painted bits already, they weren't from the same seller, but they were both US sellers. So I ordered another S01 from the last US seller that sent me one with the bits painted. If so, that's strange. Should be done by default. There was a company in the US years back that put out action figures based on famous porn actresses, all the bits were painted. So I don't get why Phicen is drawing the line on adding a touch more realism. But whatever....