Do We Really Need A Vac Metalized C-3PO?

Whenever I say that I am in the "blue coat" camp for Han Hoth, someone invariably accuses me of being biased by the vintage Kenner figure. Truthfully, I don't think that's entirely true. While I long ago conceded that the actual jacket is brown, it looks blue on-screen, so I want the figure to be blue, but I admit that the Kenner figure might have made me think jacket was bluer than it really appears. Now that I've probably doomed the comment section to a blue coat/brown coat debate, I want to get to the point of this article: is it possible that three decades of vac metalized C-3PO figures have prejudiced us to think that's the way he appears on screen? Because he doesn't. Not really. Not in the OT anyway.

As we all know, the Original Trilogy is from the pre-CGI era. That means everything was done with practical special effects in post production, or was captured in-camera. That last word is the operative one. If C-3PO's plating were as reflective as our action figures pre-2010, the camera, lights, crew, boom mics, and all manner of behind-the-scenes bric-a-brac would have been reflected in that mirror-like finish. For that reason, the cast coated the plating to cut down the reflectiveness. I believe they used grease, but I'm not 100% on that. I tried to google for confirmation, but my google skills are getting worse, and I don't have time at this late hour on Tuesday night to watch Behind the Magic. Nevertheless, the end result was a more satin finish for old goldenrod. Episodes IV - VI from left to right:


Shiny? Yes. Luminous? Yes. Highly reflective? Not really. That polished chrome-like appearance is more or less specific to the Yavin ceremony:


I would be okay with a C-3PO that mimics that satin finish that permeates the OT. One of the the things that really impresses me with the new Jango Fett figure is the silver paint. If you don't have it yet, the pictures don't do it justice. The brilliance of the paint surprised out of the box. It's partially reflective without being mirror-like. If Hasbro could bring that type of paint to a hypothetical new C-3PO figure, I'd be fine with it. In fact, I think I'd almost prefer it. It would better match C-3PO for the balance of the OT.

---

comments powered by Disqus