Newbie Boba Bucket

I'm a newbie at all this and taking my 1st stab at painting (other than walls my wife makes me paint) an ESB bucket. I got this off ebay for $20 a few months back and have been researching Raf's Template's and different rattlecan colors. This may take me a bit as I travel a fair bit for work, but with all your help, tips and continued support, I'm sure it'll turn out to be something I'm proud of. Without further ado...

Here's what I'm starting with... I think it's a DP96. When I did some sanding on it, there is some putty over the lettering on the back and the "plastic" is green under all the primer.



As you can see, someone already cut out the visor and it was very rough! I cleaned it up with the dremel and some sandpaper.
The primer coat looks abit dark to me for the base metal color on Raf's templates so I sanded this re-primed and shot a coat of Rustoleum Stainless Steel Enamel. I used this on my goalie helmet, so I know it sticks well!



It's kind of a dull metallic finish and not the bright silver I will use later. Any thoughts on this as a base color? I plan to use the liquid frigett that Dynamic recommended for liquid mask. I'm thinking I pick up some carbon paper for stenciling tomorrow morning, lay the mask and throw on a coat of bright aluminum. Any thoughts are welcome and appreciated.
I'm thinking the order of paint will be 1. Stainless Steel 2. Bright Metallic Aluminum 3. Concrete (Rustoleum Granite) 4. Reffer Grey (Rustoleum Dark Grey)
Then I'll move around the helmet for the different colors. Thanks for the help!

Of to a good start, not a bad shape for a DonPost, , just a warning though those green vynil helmets have a tendancy react when painted with enamels,
Though some times it doesnt seem to happen, (I personally have never done one )but ive seen people on here mention the paint stays tacky,
but you may be lucky and not have this problem ,
any way looking good so far,

I've repainted my don post 95 multiple times with enamel spray paint and haven't had the paint go tacky once so you should be fine
And the first coat of silver always makes the helmet look awesome

It looks good so far! Before you start painting this baby, if you trive for accuracy you should consider adding the physical damage to the helmet:



...if not, disregard what I said:

Each stencil has two fromats for you: a PDF and some JPG (in compressed format) files. The JPG is there if you need to alter or resize the stencils to your needs, so if you have an image editing program and some skills, you won't have too much trouble to fit the stencils to your helmet. The most important thing with these is PATIENCE (lot of patience) and the result will be according to this: if you do the paint job in a hurry, the helmet will look ugly; but if you will do it with patience and in a logical manner, the result will be an awesome helmet. Whatever questions you have, don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help.

Good luck! Can't wait to see your next updates.

Raf, Thanks for the info on the physical damage. Do I just add some dents and scratches? I can clearly see the nick under the right eye. I am assuming a small dent in front of the left ear and a nick at the left nose. What is on the right cheek?

Where can I find your jpg files? I only have the pdf's.

Thanks!

Here is another image with added hi-rez areas of the physical damages:



The damage in the right cheek is a long crack which you might add it as a physical damage or do it with paint later.

As for the JPG images for the ESB stencils (but I added these for all the helmet and armor versions too) you will find it here ==> Boba Fett ESB Helmet Stencils where each file is compressed in ZIP format (ex: ESB Red Face & Keyhole.zip).

Raf- you rock bud! I appreciate the blow up of the damage and the info on the zip files. I'll get these downloaded and the damage added today.

Today I masked the bucket and will lay the silver tomorrow. Yesterday I was fixated on the RF and stalk. I think I'm done with it except for soldering in the battery. Here's the pics.

Sorry bout the multiple post, I'm learning about the pic posts...



Then I masked and laid the black and attached it to the stalk. Getting the nuts on this baby was a pain! I set the lights in and popped the lens in and here we are. I'll pick up a battery tomorrow and get this baby working!

Does anyone know if I need this little "rail" or "notch" in the ear? I plan on putting a servo in so not sure if I need this or not. I was going to sand this out, but before I do, thought I would ask.



Thanks!

Originally Posted by dechels

Does anyone know if I need this little "rail" or "notch" in the ear? I plan on putting a servo in so not sure if I need this or not. I was going to sand this out, but before I do, thought I would ask.



Thanks!

The right upper ear should look like this:

Raf- Thanks for the detailed pics!

I got the bright silver laid over the weekend and then masked so I could lay the reefer grey this morning, which I just laid. I can't wait to pull the masking off! Going to mask the reefer grey at lunch then start masking areas for different colors. Gotta make a run to Grainger to pic up a welding visor and some chicago screws to hold it in there. Starting to look ahead to the next item and thinking I might attempt a scratch build jet pack. I'll post some more pics this afternoon.

I may have made a mistake last night... In my haste, I removed the masking from the dome to see my progress and then masked it and the cheeks off to shoot the black this morning. I am very concerned that the "Frog" tape is going to pull some of the weathering off. I think I should have laid a clear coat before masking to prevent this, but too late now... Anyone have any experience or thoughts on laying clear coat to help with this?



I think the glare in the 1st picture makes the dent look bigger than it actually is. So far, I'm pleased with this... I think...

Hey Rafal,

Could you add this image to your ESB Helmet Templates thread?

That way I (and I'm sure others) can see all the ESB Helmet details in one place? Thanks!

Originally Posted by RafalFett

Here is another image with added hi-rez areas of the physical damages:



The damage in the right cheek is a long crack which you might add it as a physical damage or do it with paint later.

As for the JPG images for the ESB stencils (but I added these for all the helmet and armor versions too) you will find it here ==> Boba Fett ESB Helmet Stencils where each file is compressed in ZIP format (ex: ESB Red Face & Keyhole.zip).

Sometimes that happens if the paint hasn't finished curing yet. It may be dry to the touch but not fully cured. The label will say how long it takes. I've made that mistake before so I usually give it a full day to dry/ cure before I paint over the next layer. Another trick I use is to take the painters tape and press it against my jeans so that some of the tackiness is removed. You have just enough to mount to the surface of the helmet without taking of excess paint.

Another trick I use when I'm doing gentle curves like the horizontal kill stripes is to use white electrical tape. The white tape doesn't leave behind black residue like black electrical tape. The tape flexes so you can get some nice lines. Remember to press it against your jeans to remove the excess tackiness!

I hope this helps a bit!

Originally Posted by dechels

I may have made a mistake last night... In my haste, I removed the masking from the dome to see my progress and then masked it and the cheeks off to shoot the black this morning. I am very concerned that the "Frog" tape is going to pull some of the weathering off. I think I should have laid a clear coat before masking to prevent this, but too late now... Anyone have any experience or thoughts on laying clear coat to help with this?



I think the glare in the 1st picture makes the dent look bigger than it actually is. So far, I'm pleased with this... I think...

Originally Posted by clonecollector

Hey Rafal,

Could you add this image to your ESB Helmet Templates thread?

That way I (and I'm sure others) can see all the ESB Helmet details in one place? Thanks!

I updated the ESB helmet stencils thread with your request. Thanks!

Hi,
For my helmet, i used tamiya masking tape. Working like a dream, no residue, leave the paint under intact. You can find it in differents width.
Hope it will help you.
keep up the good work

Strum- Thanks for the tape name! I will definitely be on the look out for that. I think there is nothing more frustrating than putting all the time into the details and then seeing it come off on a piece of tape!

Great work so far bud, looking great. As for the tape, tamiya is good, pretty expensive here in australia, so I use a quality blue painters tape you can get from hardware stores. The one I like is scotch brand, and is for delicate surfaces - it even has a rating of how tacky the differrent types are - the one I use is only a 2 out of 5 with 5 being the rating for most tacky, 1 the least. Good luck my friend :-)

Thanks Jayvee! I appreciate the support.

I picked up my visor today. Hoping to get it cut and installed and lay the back plate concrete today. Getting close

Update: I got the concrete laid yesterday and the Navy/Green Mist today. Going to mask the ears tomorrow morning and try to get them completed over the weekend. Ordered some decals from Lucksy31 to get her looking tip top. I also picked up some earth magnets for the right ear and to hold the clear lens piece into the RF. Just need some Chicago screws tot he visor finished.

Jayvee- found a roll of 18mm Tamiya tape for $3 at the hobby store. Great stuff, well worth it!

Well, it was a long night and a busy morning but here it is with the liquid mask removed... I didn't lose much if any of the layering do to the "Frog" tape.
It's really not as shiny as it looks in the pictures but I can't figure out how to get the flash off. I may take it out side for some pics when I finish the visor.
Hopefully I get my Lucksy31 decals soon!



Now I'm working on the visor and waiting for the glue to dry on the ear piece that holds the magnets in place. I think I'm going to hold off on the servo for a bit as I don't have the gauntlets built yet and thus no place for the remote.

While you are talking about rangefinder electronics, I have a similar question/idea:

Has anyone messed around with "voice changers" as a sound alternative? If anyone has, what are you using that can hide a mike under the bucket?

Orionuse- I haven't got there just yet, but in building my list of "Fett" things to be on the look out for, I found a descent one at RadioShack for about $40. It was a head set with mic boom and looked like it was low profile enough to work. Check out www.tk409.com for a few examples. My next 2 electronic purchases are the Fettronics light board and then the servo for the RF.

That is Petty cool... I want to find a 20 bucks helmet too hehe

Thanks HGBobe! It turned out better than expected for sure.

Hey mate, any chance you can post your pics the right way up? Every one is sideways and my neck is hurting.

Bill- sorry bud, I'm new to the pic posting. I will try to get them straightened up! Sorry the neck hurts!

I finally recieved my Lucksy31 decals and got them on the lid. Here's a couple pics of them.


And here I've finally attached the RF. Now I need to find a battery to solder in so I can get that awesome Salamander light working!


Anybody had any luck with T-visor.com??? The visor is giving me fits! I have messed up 2 so far (I'm almost embarrassed to admit that). On the first one, I had epoxy all over the place. On the second one, I decided to bolt it in. Same result... I drilled the holes in the visor for the Chicago screws, inserted them and dabbed the backs with epoxy. Then I inserted it in the helmet and had dreams of being able to remove the visor so that the epoxy could set up.
I think maybe the curvature is off on my template. Anyway, thoughts and opinions welcome!

nice looking lid, you are doing well especially with Rafal as a guide, yet to discover the visor situation, as I just got a DP 96 in box on Evil bay for $30 bucks, just got to wait for it to arrive,great effort!

Thanks Robafett. Rafal's stencils are worth their weight in gold! They really make the process manageable. I think the visor problem was the result of 2 maybe 3 things.
1. Inaccurate visor template
2. Wrong Epoxy
3. Rushing it
It really can't be said enough... You can't rush a good Fett!

Originally Posted by dechels

Orionuse- I haven't got there just yet, but in building my list of "Fett" things to be on the look out for, I found a descent one at RadioShack for about $40. It was a head set with mic boom and looked like it was low profile enough to work. Check out TK409.com Do-It-Yourself Star Wars Props for a few examples. My next 2 electronic purchases are the Fettronics light board and then the servo for the RF.

Thanks, dechels. I'll go run down the street this week and see what they might have. I'm still not in too much of a rush for it, as I'm still shaping up my bucket. Getting the right bondo shape in my cheekbones is a bit of a challenge, atm. The rest of my bucket contour is looking pretty good, atm. I've got to find my camera, so I can post some pics and get some feedback

Orionruse,
Definitely post some pics, I'd love to see what you got going on. I just ordered a visor from T-visor.com and am going to move on to scratch build a jet pack. Hopefully that'll go somewhat smooth...

Got my visor in from T-Visor.com the other day and got installed yesterday. I just hot glued it in for the time being until I can pick up the neccessary hardware for the chicago screw method. I am very pleased with visor and these ease of installation.

Today I got the RF installed and the finally feel like I am nearing the end!
Please let me know what you guys think. I know I have some weathering to do, but comments are welcome.

Those Don Post 96-97 lids really change when painted properly, you are a pro, somday I'll have the guts to post pics of my DP 97 first painting job.....Keep up the great work....

Pistolpete- Thank you for the kind words. Raf's stencils make it possible to tackle and the TDH community really make it all come together. You should definitely post the pics of your DP97. I'd love to see them. I'm tackling the armor at the moment. Got another thread going in the armor section. Feed back is appreciated!

You've done a great job mate. Thanks for sorting the pics out too. Much easier to look at now

Thanks Bill. Definitely easier to see right side up!