First timer...

Hey guys,

Newbie here. My Name is Nick and i'm from Adelaide, Australia (it's awesome to see so many aussies on here btw). I've loved star wars generally and Boba specifically since i was a little kid. I've been lurking around here for a few months now as i've decided to put together a Boba costume. I figured the best place to start was the lid because if i can do that then i can probably do the rest.

I've got an awesome CC from ASOK and have embarked on an ESB paint-up (it seems to be easier for a first timer). The right ear has been attached with REE magnets and the visor after a bit of a nightmare few days has been installed with chicago screws and rubber washers. I left off the screws on the end because the natural curvature of the visor seems to push hard enough to keep it in place. I am however leaving my options open to scrapping it and starting again at a later date.

I'll be uploading images to Fett costume - Imgur as i go along.

I've purchased an airbrush and am going to attempt a layered paintup using Rafal's stencils and TF's humbrol list. The only change will be i'm going to use the CC as the silver and put down a coat of matt cote before liquid masking the first layer. I'm Planning on starting on the back panels this weekend. I'm also wondering if anybody has scaled the templates for ASOK's CC and knows what percentage to print them at.

Cheers.

G'day bud - welcome to the boards another fellow Aussie! My lid was'nt an ASOK, but just PM'd you with some ideas for scaling your stencils. Peace

Welcome I know I not fro Oz but NZ is close enough.

Welcome aboard! Your prep work looks impressive. Good prep work can't be overlooked.

Thanks for the kind words. Put down some base grey today, pictures pending.

Good to see another Ozzie, welcome Nick, I am an ex South OZ but love the tropics, enjoy the site its great.
cheers

Haha we need some more kiwis here lol

So it took me three times longer than i planned to get the back panels done but i am happy with them, up to a point. I used RF and Jayvee's lists/tutorials. A clear coat and some weathering should hide my little indiscretions too. As this is my first time painting the following mistakes were made: apply insufficient maskol (do over) apply insufficient paint (do over), apply wrong colour (sand the whole thing back and start again), mix paint with incorrect thinner, completely gunk up airbrush.

Pics of the paint-up are here

I forgot to mention, for the ear instal I started by reinforcing the inside with putty and then sunk three holes to twice the depth of my magnets. By setting one in the helmet and one on the ear i avoided having to drill into the ear. That in itself was a bit of an adventure because if the magnets aren't properly fixed onto the cap (which they weren't) it becomes quite difficult to remove from a perfectly flush hole.

All in all i think it's a positive start...

Next up gonna hit the left ear.

You know what? I really like what you did so far on the back plates! One small thing to correct, but this is not a big issue: the MQ-1 circuit board's upper half is the only visible part through the keyholes:



You can detach the circuit board from the back and cut it in half then add a piece of plastic/sintra; there were some who used pieces of the t-visor to cover the lower half of the keyhole:



But if you can't or don't want to remove the circuit board (because you don't strive for accuracy) just paint the MQ-1 with the same red you will use on your helmet.

Good job so far!

Hey Raf,

Yeah i've been wondering about that but can't really decide which approach to take. The MQ-1 is molded into the helmet so i'd rather not cut it out. I was thinking of just getting in there with a super fine dremel tool and some putty and flattening it out that way.

Oh, and thanks for the kind words, means a lot.

Originally Posted by Tzhan

Hey Raf,

Yeah i've been wondering about that but can't really decide which approach to take. The MQ-1 is molded into the helmet so i'd rather not cut it out. I was thinking of just getting in there with a super fine dremel tool and some putty and flattening it out that way.

Oh, and thanks for the kind words, means a lot.

Well, then I suggest to leave it the way it is and paint it in plain red. Don't risk to ruin your helmet! Keep up the great work!

Well it took a while to get the left ear done, mainly because i broke the nozzle on my airbrush and had to get another one. Also i had issues with coverage of both the grey and green but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Accuracy-wise i'm also pretty happy, even though it's not perfect with a bit of weathering and the decal i think it'll come out really nice. I have a set of Lucksys decals and am still up in the air whether i'm going to use them or paint on the white horseshoe. The sizing is a little off so i might have a go at painting it on.

Pics are here, new ones are added at the bottom

Next up, right ear, hopefully less painful than the left.

Looking lovely my good man!

Too right Jayvee An absolutely awesome job fellow Aussie!

Okay the right ear is done and i think it turned out nicely. The CC that is showing through in the middle however doesn't shine as much as i hoped so i'm thinking maybe down the line painting that section in silver of boltgun metal type colour. Going to wait till later though. Also going to do the decals at a later date.

For future reference Humbrol 93 and 94 are, in fact, different colors. That being said 94 goes over 93 nicely.

Pics of the build are here

I've got exams at the moment, then i'm going on a three week vacation, then moving house when i get back so i don't know when i'll get back to it, but i definitely will get back to it.

Looking very good keep up the good work.

The best part about the pictures is the wine bottle used as a stand, awesome. Good luck with the rest mate.

A wine bottle with a big ball of newspaper masking taped to the top is the perfect helmet stand. True story...

Hey Tzhan, nice work, especially for first timer. I'm waiting for my ASOK to arrive and was wondering if you used a primer on yours?

Thanks for the kind words. I have been laying down a coat of matt clear as a base coat, then stenciling and masking out the silver damage. Working like a charm so far.

Okay the Dome was an absolute nightmare. I had issues properly scaling the stencils, the dark grey didn't go on right and i couldn't get even coverage on the green. I'm not lying when i said it put me pretty close to giving up entirely but after three tries i've reached a point i'm happy with and i think the issues that remain won't be noticed once i've weathered it up.

Finishing touches on the dent and killstripes are going to be done when everything else is finished. (The cheeks are also done but they are all masked up ready for the mandibles - pics will be coming later).

Pictures are available here. New images are added at the bottom.

Thanks for looking.

I'm glad you've decided to continue the helmet paint and the result is very good so far. Just keep up the great work and you'll have an amazing helmet!

Looking really nice!

I am in the middle of the same process. I'm just wondering what were the coverage problems you encountered and how did you eventually overcome them?

Coverage problems are mostly issues of my own making. I'm still a novice airbrush user so i always put on too little and only realise after the fact and have to go back and re-coat or put on too much in some areas and on something like the dome it really shows when it has been applied unevenly. I mostly fixed the problems i was having through practice and patience.

Okay I'm all done with the red trim, reasonably happy with the result, there is a decent overlap between sections which i'm pleased with and the damage looks pretty good.

The entire album is HERE









Next up is the ear decals and the killstripes. Any advices on how to properly mask of these sections, especially the killstripes would be greatly appreciated.

Any comments are, as always appreciated.

It looks great!

Threads by AFFo$ regarding the killstripes ==> Old Fashioned 'Killstripe' Thread and AFFo$'s ROTJ FPH Paint Up

Looking real good mate, very impressive!

What are you using as masking for the weathering?

Mate, that helmet is looking mint!! As a newbie and someone who one day really wants to have a go at painting one of these would you say that painting your bucket has been fairly easy on the whole ( i know at one point you wanted to call it a day whilst doing the dome) or has it been a lot harder than you thought it would be??? keep up the good work your doin a gr8 job!!!

looking good! Colours look very accurate.

Raf - Thanks mate, i know I can count on you to deliver the threads i need.

Fettspec - I'm doing a layered method, i use Humbrol Maskol to mask each colour before applying the next, works pretty well.

BSG - I don't think it has been harder skill-wise, i knew i would have to do things multiple times to get them right, it was the time i was unprepared for. WIth enamels that need at least 24 hours to dry per coat, with multiple coats required for some colours the days really start to add up. If you go into it knowing the time it's going to take and follow some of the great guides of here from guys like TF and Jayvee you'll have something to be proud of.

Thanks for the reply , i never really gave the time issue much thought , more worried about how hard it would be regarding the layering and airbrushing but this is good to know, thanks again..

So i've got the killstripes down and the ear decals are almost finished though the right now needs a bit of extra work. I have some decals for the symbols that still need to be applied.



Here's a sneak peek of the finished product. Still needs weathering and the detail in the dent needs to be done.



Anyway i'm happy, i think it looks good.

Very nicely done! I hope to do a CC helmet as well! Thanks for posting the pictures of the progress-it looks great! Do you recommend the CC for a first timer?

gt8mar - CC is awesome, once you put the time in to polish it up nicely it works as a great base for the helmet. Remember to make sure you get good adhesion with your first coat though, i used a matt clear as a base coat and everything turned out perfectly.

Okay guys i'm going to call this one as done, the decals are on and i've added some nice splatter weathering, i tried not to go overboard so kept it relatively light. It's been a tough trip but i'm happy with the results, any comments are, as always more than welcome. (the lighting on one of these shots is a little off but it gets the point across)







The only thing left to do is attach the base of the visor to the helmet, it's kinda just floating at the moment.

.

You did an excellent paint job! All the colors are spot on, the scratches are in the right place, could you ask for more? Love all the paint jobs that were done in the near past, but I still don't have the guts to start my own helmet...

Thanks for the advice! This thread has been great, very helpful. I hope to embark on my journey soon.

Raf, you should just try, I am sure it would look awesome. I have an Asok CC if you need helm to try on lol.

Originally Posted by Jc27

Raf, you should just try, I am sure it would look awesome. I have an Asok CC if you need helm to try on lol.

Thanks for the confidence, but I'm too far for painting a real helmet. Maybe one day...

Originally Posted by RafalFett

Thanks for the confidence, but I'm too far for painting a real helmet. Maybe one day...

Come on Captain! Are you scared your paint up will be a "sticky"?!

Originally Posted by hobbit057

Come on Captain! Are you scared your paint up will be a "sticky"?!

Yeah, 'sticky' on a wall or garbage can... Now let's get back to this thread's theme: Tzhan's awesome helmet paint job.

Okay everybody, this one's a rap.



I've started a THREAD over in the armour section for the next step of this adventure.

Beautiful! By the way, thanks for bumping this up to the top, I couldn't find it for a while.