C3PO Has Fake Wires and Weird Hands!

Yesterday I got an up close look at the Return Of The Jedi C3PO costume at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and I noticed a few odd things that I never noticed before.

C3PO has fake wires!!! Most of them look like rope or shoestring, and the rest were just painted on. I could see those kinds of shortcuts being made in A New Hope, but this was the costume from Return of the Jedi. There should have definitely been a budget for it (plastic wire is probably cheaper than the paint used), and I'm sure there was time between 1977 and 1982 to throw a few wires together. Not to mention, this is an all new costume, made just for the film. I tried to research and see if I could see the shoelaces and painted lines in any screenshots or videos, but the results were all over the place.

Here are a few images of C3PO's inconsistent mid-section wires from throughout the years.

The Prequels had real wires. 

This is some kind of jumbled intestine mess.

Promo photo? Totally painted on.

No painted lines for naked C3PO.

I can definitely see some of the painted lines in this ROTJ screenshot.

I think I'd prefer painted lines to this. Where are all of his wires??

I don't know what's going on here.

At least this person splurged for real wires in their C3PO scarecrow.

Also....

C3PO has really weird hands! I didn't notice it until I saw them up close, but they're actually much cooler (and creepier) than I remembered. The color was a little different than the rest of his costume, and they have a weird rough texture to them.  My photo turned out pretty blurry, so here are a few from the google.

And finally..

Where is R2-D2??
R2 used to be right there with C3PO. I haven't been there in a few years... but yesterday also was Kenny Baker's birthday. Maybe he took it out for some birthday fun?

So, if you ever have an opportunity to catch any of the Star Wars props in person, I'd highly recommend it. I've been to a few exhibits over the past 10 years, and it's extremely inspiring and nostalgic. Some of the materials that were used don't even look like materials found in this universe. I remember Emperor Palpatine's robes looking unlike anything I've ever seen before. Also, it also gives you a better perspective of scale when you're right there with the props. Yoda is seriously tiny.