Boba Fett Jett Pack Scratch Build - Completed

Kcghostbuster

New Hunter
Hey everyone, glad to be a new member of the community.

My approach to building a rocket pack was exactly backwards, first I built the pack, then found this community (sigh). I can only imagine how much easier this build would have gone if I'd had access to all the wonderful material available here ;)

My 12-year old son is going be be Boba Fett for Halloween this year. He already has a store-bought costume, but asked if we could make the pack together. I found this graphic/measurement (not realizing it came from this site)

JetMeasure1.gif

and using reference pics on the web (both props/replicas and original images) we started work.

My son did the parts tracing, glueing and some shaping. He also picked out the final color palate, helped me mix the colors and applied the clear coat.

The entire build took about three weeks primarily on weekends. We weren't aiming for screen accuracy but wanted something that would look good for trick-or-treating. The pack is made from Home Depot pink sheet insulation, foam core, PVC and some odds and ends.

The final airbrushing took about 5 hours (mostly cause I'm slow and my airbrush was acting up).

Here's the build:

Basic form complete and primed and detail being added:
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Missile pieces made from Hobby Lobby foam for artificial flowers (already cone shaped) covered with Bondo and sanded.
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Thickened the pack base and built the rocket ports out of a ping pong ball, plastic christmas ornament and a Thomas the Train plastic cup.
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Ran PVC tubing through the inside of the pack and cut access holes for attaching the shoulder straps.
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Shaped the back.
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Final cleanup, a coat of primer and dusted with metallic paint.
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Bottom cover shaped and in place.
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Paint started. Is there anything more gratifying than laying down paint with an airbrush?
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The toothpaste weathering method: cover part of the piece with toothpaste then paint. Once the paint is dry wipe off the toothpaste for a convincing paint chip.
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Started playing with more weathering while still in the painting process. Used steel wool to rub the top coat of paint down to the silver. Also used my fingernail to make scratches.
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Detail finished for the rocket ports.
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Full paint complete. The pictures make the paint look more vibrant than it really is. I misted the entire pack with black paint to give it a really grungy look.
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I may ultimately do a little more with the exhaust vent -but for my son's purposes it points towards the ground while he's wearing it so it's really not seen.
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The chipped black stripe was also achieved with the toothpaste method.
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The missile at the top is removable -in case the piece is too tall to wear (or otherwise becomes a problem).
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Beauty shots
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We still need to get the straps attached to make it wearable, but we're close to done.

Stayed tuned for pics of the kid in costume...

JetMeasure1.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I will not complain about the jetpack inaccuracies, because this is not important with this build. It looks very good, both the build and the paint job. It is always a great moment when parents and kids do things together and the final result is always rewarding. Just keep up the great work... both of you!
 
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