Step 1

Remove arms and legs from GI Joe. Crack Fett's torso and remove arms and legs. Line up Joe and Fett arms side-by-side. You will want to cut the Joe arm at the same place where Fett's gauntlets start. Do the same to Fett. Make sure Fett's gauntlets fit nicely on Joe's stumps. Drill a hole on either side of the gap (making sure it matches up) and insert a small bit (about 1 cm) of copper wire to hold the pieces together. Glue for a stronger weld if you choose. Use sculpey to make the seam invisible.

Step 2

You will have to shave Fett's armholes down a bit to get the Joe shoulders to fit. Carefully use your x-acto blade to remove the shoulderpads from your Fett. Glue them onto the Joe arms just below the shoulder joint so that it doesn't interfere with movement.

Step 3

Line up the Fett legs and the Joe legs. This will be trickier than the arms, as you will cut above and below the knee joint, and there are details on Fett's legs you want to save. Either cut details off and glue them on again later, or carefully cut behind them. Once you have the Joe knees aligned with the Fett thigh and lower leg, you will do the hole + wire trick again. I used two holes for each side of the gap for extra strength. I suppose you could use just one for below the knee joint and not glue it, so you'd have an extra bit of articulation, but I was going for durability instead. Use sculpey for an invisible seam.

Step 4

Use a Dremel to cut down the back of Fett extensively. The more, the better. When it's shaved down as much as possible, you'll need to find a way to attach the POTF2 jetpack. I inserted a flat plastic bit vertically into the gap, and made an adapter in the jetpack channel so it could slide on and off. Fill the holes in the back with sculpey.

Step 5

Sculpt belts on the back of Fett. Try and make them match the ones on the front.

Step 6

Slice off the antenna on Fett's head. Glue on the flat piece of metal with a properly shaped bit of plastic on the end. For the metal, I used a bit I found inside a broken cassette tape. (Don't forget to reassemble Fett's torso! While you're at it, boil Senor Fett to harden el sculpey.)

Step 7

The cape is made by folding over a piece of panythose and cutting to size. Make a loop with the elasticized thread and sew at the shoulder. Now it is removable. I used the thread connecting those clips on new dress shirts.

Step 8

The braids are made by (surprise!) braiding. You'll need the 3 colours (I'll call them blonde, brunette, and black). For each colour, braid a strand at least 3 times longer than the final length. Tie knots above and below where you want to cut them into thirds. Braid the new 3 shorter stands of a colour together. Now you have 3 "superbraids". Shape these into a loop and glue into that shape. This, too, is removable.

Step 9

The rifle is made by cutting off the barrel of the Biggs rifle and gluing it to the Playmobil revolver (minus the barrel). If you need one of these revolvers, I've got extras for trade. Glue an appropriate sight to the top. I used one from the Naboo accessory set. The stock I carved from flat plastic.

Step 10

Drill a hole in Fett's right arm large enough for the 3pack tie-thingy. Wrap the other end around the jetpack peg. Glue if you choose to.

Step 11

Paint the sucker. I used a softer, lighter green than on the vintage Fett. The head needs extensive repainting. On my most recent version, the feet have new painted details, the entire jumpsuit is a light grey, and the pads are the proper colour.

Step 12

Ta daa! Completed, hyperarticulated Fett. Whew.

Tip provided by:  rodkanderson@yahoo.com Rod Anderson