Vintage Star Wars C-3P0 hand repair guide - Toy Polloi

Another of those issues that seems to affect only certain figures, this time C3p0. The original fixed limb version has a weak point at his wrists and I often find beater like this poor chap, missing both his hands.
So I thought I would have a go at casting some new ones using Bluestuff and Milliput and seeing if I can make a passable set of replacements.
Check out how I got on.
#vintagetoys #starwars #restoration
0:00 Intro
2:13 Casting new hands
9:53 Fitting the new hands
15:00 Painting
17:44 The finished figure
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[@TripleXmodder]

It’s open space. Squeeze the blue stuff around the part. If you push the part into the blue stuff it won’t take the shape…. It’s just making a hole. Thanks for the idea and great video as always.

[@80sfreak42]

Being that I was born in the 80s.. love the music in the background...great restore...

[@andrethib]

love this repair, very hands-on

[@emilflognoid1532]

Hands down, the best repair you’ve ever done!

[@emilflognoid1532]

Your very “handy” with your repairs!

[@emilflognoid1532]

Got to “hand” it to you, that was great!

[@emilflognoid1532]

You really “HANDled” that well!

[@emilflognoid1532]

Got to HAND it to you?

[@sithcarebear1]

Even close up, those hands turned out very nicely. I wasn’t sure if the detail would hold, but it did. Very impressive as always, Dave. Cheers!

[@toypolloi]

Thank you very much!

[@petersavik5007]

Hi there! I've been working with blue stuff for quite a long time for my tabletop gaming hobby. My advice is: consider using 2 part molds for a better result. Just squeeze the part you need duplicated to about a half way in, wait for the mold to cure without taking the master out, then put some blue stuff ontop and squeeze real hard. As a result you will get a two part mold, each part shoud be filled with putty on its own at the same level as the master was put inside. When the putty cures you will only have to cut off the possible excess that will come between the two parts! BTW molotov chrome can be easily colored with pigments to get other metallics Good luck :)

[@juliantognacci7413]

Great fix! Do another collection video! I love those. I would love to see you collection all grown since like 2016 and all your new customs!

[@oldb-1kenobi]

C3PO looks like he is about to give the house the white glove treatment:)

[@razorsedge5145]

This guy is amazing!!! I love all of his videos.

[@raychretien6832]

Everything you touch comes out perfect

[@georgemartinez1720]

Gold idea mixing Moltrow with Gold Maker

[@scruffylookinnerfherder6998]

love your videos, you have inspired me to restore alot of my old action figures... thank you

[@toypolloi]

My pleasure

[@nyquist75]

toy lord saves the day again

[@sparkchaser1973]

You are a magician sir. Simply brilliant

[@toypolloi]

Wow, thanks

[@dattallaudiophile236]

Those white hands, a little bow tie and you have a C-3PO butler edition... He's like a butler after all right? This fix was very ingenious I love it.

[@BrynSmith76]

I have a bunch of handless 3po's to fix. I might have to get me some blue stuff. Ideal for a temporary mould. I had a thought while I was watching that you could always push the milliput into the mould then insert a bit of paperclip while it's soft. It would be great if Molotow did a chrome gold but like you say there are so many shades of gold. I like the idea of using the chrome, it might mix well with a water based gold paint. I hear liquid chrome works well in an air brush too. Mix a bit of gold in and through an airbrush I might get a chrome gold result. Thanks for this video. Just what I needed to see.

[@toysbackzen]

I need some of that blue stuff. Lol! Hands on! It’s funny, we seem to be on the same wavelength, I just finished trying to make gold chrome and other colours just before watching this.

[@ZeroHunterToys]

Brilliant. Clever fix Dave.

[@DarkWizardPrince]

That was cool casting the hands like that and matching the paint. I don't know if you have heard of him, but there is an awesome youtuber that makes action figures called the Craftman. I bet you guys would get along well when it comes to replacement starwars parts.

[@bountyhunter779]

Another great video with an excellent idea. I will also try it with resin and see which of the 2 has the best quality and details on it.

[@sbusiello]

Great job ..and good idea with the chrome/gold mix. Was thinking about when you first put the miliput in the mold, you could have stuck a piece of metal in there and let it set. Or at least left a hole

[@kanishka78]

Top job mate!

[@gieselats]

Thank you for your tip or hint by drilling holes into plasctic things and placing a paperclip into the plastic. So I fixed my sunglasses two times.

[@toypolloi]

Glad it helped!

[@kennybacchus6400]

Like vintage stars c-3po hand repair guide toy pollol

[@djmips]

Like a lot of your repairs, I'm watching kind of side eye but then at the end I'm nodding in approval. You did it again!

[@toypolloi]

Wow, thanks!

[@antman2919]

Thanks Dave, another figure saved from the trash compactor.

[@ManCave1972]

I recently bought some Polymorph on Amazon which are tiny plastic beads which also soften in boiling water and can then be milder into whatever you need as they then set as hard plastic. Very similar to blue stuff as they are reusable, but easy to work with as they come as tiny beads and set as white plastic that can be painted and coloured👍🏻

[@zarnistastudios]

Very clever!!! I love that you saved him. it does seem to be a common problem and now they can be saved. Very clever on the mixing at the end. That was surprising.

[@the_atomshop]

brilliant. Inventive and simple fix. Nice one, Dave!

[@thetworoos]

This is a cool repair and the end result is miles better than the start. I often get ideas from your videos that I use with miniature painting, and seeing the blue stuff in action is great and something for me to add to my list. Thanks TP!

[@toypolloi]

Glad to help. Blue stuff is very useful for this kind of thing. The results aren't perfect, but good enough for most jobs.

[@kaylemathewcomendador6964]

Well that’s a really nice way to fix that figure’s hands. Now I really need to see if I can get some of that Blue Stuff where I live. I’ve seen a customizer online who makes custom Silverhawks figures, and his way of getting the metallic gold and other colored look is by using those chrome pens first and use some kind of transparent paint to coat over the chromed surface. Maybe you could try out a technique similar to that to help out in another restoration similar to this. Nicely done video overall.

[@VF1Skullangel]

I would have never guessed you repaired his hands. cool stuff

[@popcultureoppressionobsess2104]

wow, nicely done!!

[@MrMarkusmarc]

Great fix

[@matafuko]

I have a stormtrooper with a missing hand as well as 2 undamaged ones - I'll try exactly the same thing!

[@lthunter8329]

Great job!

[@malcr2325]

I have those sharpies and some blue stuff. Funnily enough I was going to suggest to try the liquid paint markers with a bit of silver added to match the colours. You were ahead of me. Maybe try some Games Workshop Gold though it may have changed since I used it. If you mix it and get more pigment on a screwdriver by digging into the paint pot, I found that it became more of a shining gold almost silvery. Great use of the Blue stuff.

[@MichaelCarroll]

Love it!

[@pinfarmer]

How about some custom hands so he can hold blasters and lightsabers like in the movies.😁

[@HappyCynic]

Or a custom C3-PX?

[@andybennington637]

Wow! Great outcome. I've actually done the chrome pen and gold sharpie trick. Your outcome looks way better than mine.. could be that ivtried to restore a gold Cylon centurion and it was just too much area. I definitely like what you did though. Good job!

[@davidmchugh2959]

Funnily enough I do happen to have one with a hand missing!

[@inthelionsden6335]

I'd try a base coat of the chrome Molotow pen then cover with the gold Sharpie marker.

[@emilflognoid1532]

Thought the same thing

[@machineman6498]

Sharpie fades

[@eltenda]

Impressive as usual my friend

[@toypolloi]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@theBolderBoulder]

Yet another toy, saved by the great TP!

[@bassmandanmartin3700]

Outstanding!!!

[@toypolloi]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@brianm6337]

That's a very 'hand'y repair. I'm going to look into getting that stuff when I need to do repairs.

[@MRaadesign]

Nice save! I have tried the blue stuff in the past. It's really hit or miss. Mostly miss. I prefer resin and silicone for my mold making.

[@damianjones7554]

Very good, works really well, like you say, its never going to be perfect. But replacement hands are certainly better than none at all. I recon a silicone mold would probably work better than the blue stuff but if that's all you've got to hand then yeah it works. Well done. 😉👍

[@jovintagle2372]

I used to use milliput for recasting zoids parts. But sometimes, I find them a little too brittle for smaller bits. Now I use plumber's putty. They're much stronger and costs next to nothing. Hope this helps.

[@portland-182]

Maybe Molotow allowed to set, and then covered with a mix of Tamiya transparent orange and yellow?

[@oliverraf5237]

Great seeing how you applied the mold and casting idea in a affordable way! This blue stuff seems to work wonders for smaller parts, but seems to lose details in the putty copies, not sure about that. Would be nice to see applied more in larger and detailed one-sided parts to have better comparisons. Unfortunately I can't find any resembling product like that here in my country to try myself, and probably would end too costly to compensate using if imported. Also, yeah, an golden foil effect pen would be excellent to have if avaliable. Molotow is losing an great oportunity for doing this one, but as time passes, maybe this ends being an possibility...

[@grantwelsh7594]

If you have another in the same shape maybe give 3P0 the ability to hold something with one hand and mold the other to look like it’s holding the commlink.

[@keithhorning7753]

Some mouth guards are a plastic with quite similar properties as blue stuff.

[@alexcharles8541]

Not terrible at all, very convincing!

[@toypolloi]

Thanks

[@georgemartinez1720]

You can mix Silver with brown and orange

[@patgeta2678]

Love this repair! I have a request for a repair. Could you find a way to repair the clicker in a R2-D2? I would love to find a way to either repair a broken one or make a new one completely. Or, perhaps you know a person in the repair/replacement community that makes and sells them? Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated.

[@minkster5054]

I thought you were going to push a piece of wire in, pinning it would help give the hands some strength

[@philhibbard333]

Good work… I think I would be inclined to go for a dismembered c3po in a net on chewbaccas back

[@davidrichardson796]

Try two part epoxy resin glue instead of milliput, its £1.00 from the pound shop, makes good plastic parts.👍 you can also add a drop of food colouring or acrylic paint to colour it while mixing the two parts. 👍👍

[@rumblehat4357]

Resin is my go to for making parts. I've made third legs for R2 units, but the only thing is those lousy air bubbles!

[@TheTimPilot]

Just as I thought of suggesting mixing the gold marker with Molotov chrome, you showed the Molotov...lol :)

[@rolandkatsuragi]

This Blue Stuff is rather extraordinary

[@ivane5110]

I like how they look when white; it makes it look like a man wearing armor. I'd love to see it a flesh tone. So kind of an Anthony Daniel's figure instead?

[@georgemartinez1720]

Try Cast &Craft Silacone mold putty

[@CorporalWobbly]

Maybe you could have practised the finish on the reject cast hands? Nice result though

[@mickmerr]

Glad this worked for you 👏. I must need more practice as i could never get it to work with miliput. Have you considered casting resin ? Could be expensive tho...

[@job4391]

You should make one with the red arm from TFA.

[@veiledrecalcitrance4314]

The biggest problem I’ve found with the Molotov chrome pens/ink is that it looks fantastic….as long as you don’t touch the Molotov painted parts or put any top coat or varnish over it,in both instances it goes from chrome to any “silver type” pen. It’s a real pretty chrome but a very very fragile chrome

[@toypolloi]

That is an issue. But as I say in the videos when I use it, leave it for a few weeks. Let it cure properly and then it's fine.

[@RocketPunchHero1]

Brilliant technique. Have you ever tried squeezing 5 minute epoxy into the molds instead?

[@Tim-57]

Great job Dave Perhaps the other hands could be used as snow mitts😉

[@scotthawthorne3760]

Snow mitts for hoth system! 😃

[@Tim-57]

@@scotthawthorne3760 Exactly😃

[@georgemartinez1720]

Use 2 part Epoxy Mix with Plaster to cast In silacone Mold putty

[@ronaldpaterni5081]

This is great, and I agree - why have a sad-looking broken toy, when you have the means to fix it? That gorilla glue is quite strong, but I have a Select Toys Convertors “SDF-1” with a broken-off ship/arm. I’ve used super glue and Gorilla super glue, but, even with the gel-type, it breaks again. Maybe some epoxy?

[@ronaldpaterni5081]

Update: I just put in an order for blue stuff. It sounds like something no toy repairer should be without…

[@cimmerian100]

Try Sylmasta and get a small silicone / resin casting kit I reckon you will find it immensely useful

[@cimmerian100]

2 seconds later you mentioned resin lol

[@mikesmith2718]

I wonder if epoxy would stick to the blue stuff? I'm commenting half way through the video so if you end up using it I guess I'll know . Great video .

[@rumblehat4357]

If I was to cast it in rtv and resin, I would have probably just made whole new arms.

[@Sherdderworld]

Have you tried the new gundam chrome pens I have heard good things about them myself they are mass produced and are apparently on par with the moltow pens and dry much faster than the moltow ones

[@emilflognoid1532]

You could have maybe pushed a paper clip into the miliput while it was still wet in the mold...

[@boglander2004]

Will you ever do any restorations on boglins?

[@markshellard5894]

Maybe try some water with the milliput

[@art4u2c17]

Nice 👍🏻 fixed , do you think the blue stuff instead of using miliput replace with epoxy resin ? Do you think will it work?

[@douglasnieblas74]

You could have done a silver protocol droid as was seen throughout the original trilogy.

[@MiamiMillionaire]

👍

[@jonries1179]

Have you used this method to make weapons or accessories?

[@ImSonnyBurnett]

My very first figure was C-3PO and I have him sitting here on my desk and I was searching how to repair his broken off leg and found this video first (going for the LEGO stud repair route). Ironically, one of his hands is chipped at the fingers, but not big enough for me to try to repair. Anyone have suggestions on how to tighten the loose limbs? He's SUPER flimsy.

[@toypolloi]

I have videos on how to fix loose limbs as well. Just search Toy Polloi loose limbs. Cheers

[@shadowgb]

Instead of milliput.. could you use steel stick and make a pseudo die cast figure?

[@Noblelox]

Could you have put the pins into the putter before it set?

[@damonk3674]

Is there a video that explains how to repaint a vintage c-3po???

[@antonioprado4816]

I accidentally rubbed off the nose and damaged the cheekbones of my vintage Star Wars Luke Skywalker Bespin Fatigues mustard brown hair variant. I kept messing up his eye paint and rubbing it off, then to get rid of the stains I tried Kwik Strik which was stupid and disastrous. Do you think this trick could fix him, i.e. the mold and the milliput?

[@toypolloi]

Send me a message with images of the issues, hard to tell without seeing him. Cheers

[@Brian_is_Not_Sus]

Why did you not electro plate the hands? You had a video a few years ago where you experimented with electro plating.

[@craniumbear]

Have you ever tried epoxy glue instead of miliputt?

[@badape3620]

I would leave the hands white. Looks more like a Disney character

[@georgemartinez1720]

The crayola company make a gold morrow like paint Maker

[@damonk3674]

Which varnish is the best to use to protect figures matt/gloss????

[@toypolloi]

Depends on what finish you are going for?

[@damonk3674]

@@toypolloi just to protect the Colours once ive coloured and painted then on the figure??

[@toypolloi]

I understand that. But do you want it to look shiny? If so go for gloss. If you want it to look less shiny go for a satin. Or Matt for Matt finish. They all have their looks. So what look are you after?

[@damonk3674]

@@toypolloi hmmm like a new figure would look. I've bought a thundercats mumm-ra and I've cleaned it up and even used white vinegar on the corrosive parts haha. I watch all your videos and I've picked up so fantastic tips (thank you) but yeah just to protect the colours and make it look like a newish figure. **May i ask the next video you do could you please give a shout out to Brody wheeler (my 11 year old son) he watches the videos with me and also has started cleaning up and saving some of his old toys. Thanks again toy-polloi

[@toypolloi]

I would go with a satin then. That should give you a close match to the original look. Really he glad to hear you both enjoy watching. Cheers

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

Did he loose his hands in cloud city?

[@GamerWho]

You didn't consider replacing 3PO's arm with a red one?

[@saulmorales1513]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@leeislee]

Why push the part into the blue stuff? you're left with more of a hole. Push the blue stuff around the part.

[@jon9550]

If you're trying to make metallic gold that matches the original chrome, why not try gold leaf? Imitation gold leaf is $7 for 100 sheets on Amazon.

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

1:10 - Rare C-3P0 discovers M-80's and alcohol edition

[@DarioDarrow]

chrome or red would have been canon 🙃

[@odiotreze]

8:22 what this?

[@toypolloi]

Speak and Spell.

[@larrychilders6599]

@@toypolloi Iirc the Speak and spell voice was the same guy behind the text to speech program that Steven Hawking used