Bobo\'s DP \'95 Conversion TUSCAN DONE

Well, I've gathered materials, cut the visor, opened the RF, and found almost all paints!! Here are the pics

Here is the bucket with the sliced out visor:


As you can notice here, I chipped some pieces of the right earpiece while taking the RF off, but some super glue and bondo (not bondo'ed yet) helped out:


Inside of the cut out. Should I cut that inside trim out? (the trim that's there from the front mounted DP visor) since I'll be rear mounting:


RF will have a window with some LED's inside:


The glorious chemicals:


Panzer Olive Grun!!! Go ESB!!


Floquil Tuscan for the Mandibles, used by Mr. Webchief and looks damned good! :


And now, for something completely different! Bobo...


That's it for now! I'll keep this post updated with my progress
Comments?

Bobo

I just cut out the keyholes with a utility knife:

Looks like you know what you're doing. Keep it up.

Have to agree with MMM, you seem to know what your doin! But excellent job, keep posting pics -

Looks you are on to a good start.

Hey Bobo!

Great work. I have a 95 with a white interior. I plan on doing the same thing to mine. Your pics are such a great help. I am doing ROTJ though.

Good luck and more pics!!! lol!!!

Great job man. How did you cut out the mandibles that cleanly? Also I know the 95's are better than my 97 but you may want to get that visor in fast as the helmet will warp with out the support there.

Ah me boyo... doing great!

A Fett after my own heart. Just call me MR. WebChief.

Looks like you're ready to go
Good luck!

-Mikael

Thanks for all the pleasant replies!
Jedi-Bob, I just used a utility knife, and carved...and carved and carved! A little exacto knife helped for the little parts.

I find that if I used a dremel for this, I might have screwed it up. So the exacto knives kept it clean, and here's a pic of how nicely the carving of the excess trim came out:

BEFORE:


AFTER:



So I guess my pics are helping some people out?
If yes, then I'll be posting more and more as I go along if you guys want! I'm keeping the pics to 320x480 resolution for the slowpokes out there .

I'm about to prime this baby, so more pics coming soon!

Oh yeah, and here are the "carving tools" i used:


Ciao!
Bobo

You the man!

Thanks again!

Looks like you're going to have one helluva bucket!

Are you using flat black spray paint for the whatchamallit cheek sections under the red?

Cheers!
TJ

Yeah I think I'm sticking to flat black. I like flat black, and it seems to be close enough to the actual one! My Master (Webchief) has proven to me that flat black looks sexy

Bobo

Webchief, could you post a pic of your outfit? If I remember correctly, you did one helluva a job!!!

Thanks!

BONDO!!!!!!




More to come!

Bobo

I'm pretty sure Webchief wouldn't mind me doing this since he's not around to do it himself! So here is his beauty!

Mandibles: Floquil Tuscan
Dome/Lower Cheeks: Panzer Olive Grun 1943
Lower Back: Japanese Navy Green
Upper Cheeks: Flat Black
Right Ear: Gold & Buff





Cheers,
Bobo

keep us updated!! ure gonna have a great bucket!!

**** i wished i had a 95 instead of a 97....

Primed!




And here's my set of tiny mercury switches for the RF LED circuit:


Bobo

Lookin real nice!

Thanks for posting those pics Bobo...

Here's a couple more:

I have 2 questions.
How many bottles of panzer olive do you need to paint 1 helmet?? Are you going to paint it with an air bruch??

Yeah I'm not exactly sure about that. I figure 1 bottle of Panzer should be enough since it's only the top dome and the lower cheeks.

As to painting...I believe Webchief painted his with a sponge brush? I'm not exactly sure if the sponge would waste any paint or how easy it is.

I was also thinking of painting with a paintbrush, but I'm not sure yet. I don't think I'm gonna go out and buy one of those propellants, so I'll have to figure something out.

Webchief, would you be able to enlighten us all about painting please?
I'd like to know what you did, what to do and what not to do...and why!

Let us know dude,
Bobo

PS: more pics coming soon once the week starts!

PPS: WOW! Those paints look dead on Webchief! Especially in that different light! Eeeeexcellent work

Thanks for the info, and please let me know more about the sponge brush method. Thanks.

Yup, I simply used a sponge brush. Yes it may "waste" some paint but A) it saves you going out and buying an airbrush if you don't have one B) you only need one bottle anyway C) its much easier to use then an airbrush. Just give it a coat, let it dry and give it another coat.

I used a foam brush on that entire helmet except for the upper cheek area which was spray painted with flat black and then weathered.

Webchief, did you ended with paint lines on your helmet by using a sponge brush?
From the pictures I have seen I cant see any. It looks like it turned out very nice and smooth.

Thanks for the info.

Nope... no lines. Smooth as can be.

Is there any special way to apply the paint with the sponge??
I might try it if I dont get a paintbrush by the time I start painting my new helmet.
Thanks Webchief.

Ok, I've spraypainted the flat black onto the upper cheeks, and now I finished applying a 2nd coat of Panzer Olive Grun to the dome and lower cheeks!

If you are wondering, I used a small sponge brush and there is enough paint in that tiny testors bottle for 3 (maybe more?) coats of green!



Bobo

Bobo, How did you aplied the paint with the sponge brush?? Circular motion, by sections..... Please let me know, thanks.

By the way, is turning out great.

Hey dude, well....
I never painted with a sponge brush b4, and I got scared because after the 1st coat, it looked horrible!! Streaks everywhere!! Even after the second coat there were streaks!

I just painted in different directions, smooth straight strokes, and I didn't dab since bubbles will form.

I just finished the 3rd coat (same bottle of paint!) and there are no streaks visible! So don't be scared, go crazy with the brush, but don't go too fast or else you'll see some bubble forming. Just slow down and smooth the bubbles away.

I think the key is to do as many coats as possible and not to go fast with these sponge brushes, cuz my paint job is turning out great!

Good luck,
Bobo

Nice progress
Makes me want to do an ESB helmet. . .if only I had another helmet lying around somewhere

Keep us posted on your continued progress, pictures are a great help.

Ely

Thanks for the info Bobo, I appreciate it.

If bubbles appear they are easy to get rid of.
A blow dryer will take care of them in no time.

Great lookin' helmet Bobo!

darksidedesign

Thanks for the compliments!
I just went out and bought this baby for really cheap:




It looks very nice I think, has a nice thickness, same green as the MOM exhibit one, and it's not very seethrough!!

Bobo

I'm blown away by the terrific shape of that helmet!
Not to mention the AMAZING paint job!!!

I'm dying to see this thing done!

darksidedesign

*blush*

Why thanks I didn't think it's an amazing paint job, but if you think so...then great!!!
I'm painting the red madibles as I type this (well, not during) so I'll have some pics up in a couple of mins!

Yeah, the bucket does have a nice shape doesnt it?

I'm wondering what people used to cut the Polycarbonate Welding shields?? Mechanical saw or blade?

Also, could anyone confirm for me how wide the space is supposed to be between the mandibles? (im cm please )
I mean, is it just the same width all the way down? Or does it flare up a little?


Bobo

fine lookin bucket there bobo! as for cutting the faceshield i just used scissors but it scratched mine up so maybe an exacto is better... just score and snap!

And with the Tuscan color applied (1st coat), it looks a little something like this:

Since flash makes a HUGE difference on color, I added flash and no flash comparisons here.



FLASH:


NO FLASH

FLASH:


NO FLASH

Hope you like!

Bobo

Lookin good Bobo, just wait til you start adding the battle damage and scratches
Is the visor hard and not very flexible? If so I had one of those before and used a Dremel with a cut off wheel.

Looking really good, Bobo. Can't wait to see further pics as you progress.

Si

It's coming along real nice Bobo!

What have you got planned for the weathering?

Cheers!
TJ

Quote:


Also, could anyone confirm for me how wide the space is supposed to be between the mandibles? (im cm please )
I mean, is it just the same width all the way down? Or does it flare up a little?


Bobo

It's the same with all the way down. But if you add flare to the helmet the mandibles will flare a bit. If you add to much flare the lower mandibles will look too wide and it wont look good.

Ok same width...now I just need to know what that width should be, that'd be great

Since a 95 DP helmet is much smaller than the one used in the movie the width of for your helmet wont be the same as the movie helmet. You should try a width that looks good with your helmet. There should be a balance between flare and width. Hope this helps.

Check out the Ref CD to have an idea on how it should be.

Sounds good thanks!
Also, I saw some people used hot glue to fix the visor in place, anyone got any other suggestions? I don't think drilling will be good since its already painted :p

Bobo

Looks amazing Bobo!!

I think hot glue should hold it fine, I have it done that way and it isn't moving anywhere.

Now did Webchief tell you which colours he used for weathering? The weathering on the helmet it really nice, and I'd love to find those same colours.

Also, the right earpiece doesn't look really gold to me, although it could just be the pics. Is it really gold, or is gold & buff actually the name of a paint colour?

Good luck with the rest, Bobo!

Thanks for the comments
The right earpiece is a mix of Gold and Buff colors. You'll have to experiment and mix until you get the right color.

And yeah, I've got the list of colors Webchief used for scratches:

Quoting Webchief - "Testors Silver for the dents and
scratches, Polly Scale US Gunship Gray for some of the scrapes on the visor and helmet, Testors Model Master Steel for some other scrapes."

Bobo

Looking real nice Bobo!

This might sound weird, but any chance you could post a shot of the sponge brush dealy you're using? I just want to make sure it is what I think it is.

Cheers!
TJ

Bobo wrote:
Also, could anyone confirm for me how wide the space is supposed to be between the mandibles? (im cm please )
I mean, is it just the same width all the way down? Or does it flare up a little?

I have one of Antrock's modified 95 kits. It measures 5 cm at the bottom and at the top it's about 2mm smaller than that. So there is a slight taper.

I don't know if that's what it's supposed to be, but I think it looks great!



Cheers!
TJ

Hooray, I picked up all the colours today

I may have missed it somehow, but what colour is the left earpiece?

Also, as jeezycrazy said, I'd love to see a pic of the brush so I'm sure I get the right thing.

Keeping you all updated! Here's the Tuscan finished and tape taken off. I think it looks amazing!!!!




The color looks o.k. here, but in person it looks alot browner and more screen accurate, I recommend it!

I also bought this baby that I believe Micke used on his for the scatches:



Bobo

Looks great, Bobo. I only hope mine looks half as good when I get it done. Although, I will have to use the same green that I used on my armor (spruce green).

Helmet is looking great, post pictures of it after adding scratches with the pen to get some feedback from your experience with it.

Looking fantastic so far man!

Keep those pics a'comin!

Thanks guys! i can't wait to paint the back and the ears, and then the scratches.

I'm just worried that this silver pen won't stick to the paint I really hope it does.

I'll definitely keep pics comin so don't worry, but I also have to devote some time to my RF LED project

Bobo

Hi, Bobo. Test the pen first on a little area and check if it will stick. Wait about 1 day. My silver stays on great, but it takes a while to entirely dry(1 hour).
What's great is that i can paint on top of it later and the colours dont stick to the silver, so it kinda works like a masking technique
After all the paint has dried. Clearcoat the whole thing(dull not shiny).

You helmet looks great so far!
Good luck!
-Mikael

Very nice, Bobo! Couple of questions:

- I was curious about the type of sponge brush that you have been using also. Got any pics of it?

- Will you paint your armor the same Panzer Olive Grun 1943? Or is the ESB armor supposed to be a different color from the helmet?

Keep up the progress pics!

Thanks sharky

Well, the sponge brushes are just regular, ugly, cheap wal-mart blash sponges (wedge shaped) on a stick!

I realized that they work fine for the Acrylic colors, but you should really use a decent paintbrush for the enamels and the Floquils. Because I tried painting the Tuscan (Floquil) with a sponge...but it looks horrible and globbed on :p.

And I believe the armor is supposed to be a different color. I dont know what it is yet, but someone else should know?

I just hope the silver pen looks good :p

Ciao,
Bobo

wow Bobo looks awesome
i want to see the metal paint now

Thanks Secol, I appreciate it
As with most of my posts, I'll be adding more pics very soon!

Ciao,
Bobo