No turning back now (pic)

Got my first bucket today and am excited as can be about painting it...

Thanks DL

K so im ready to paint it and have done a lot of research and am wondering if these links are the paints I need for my airbrush... And for an esb bucket!

http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=1151

http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=257

http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=211

Thanks TDH!

Yep, those are the paints, you need. Don't forget about the back of the helmet.

Take your time...and Great Start!!
Need any pointers just PM me...

what kind of bucket is that again.??

Testors colors-

* Panzer Olive Green (Cheeks and dome) F505113
* Boxcar Red (mandibles) F414281
* UP Armor Yellow (Verticle stripes) F414170
* MILW Road Orange (Verticle stripes) F414152
* SP Lark Dark Gray 'unsure' (Gray around scratches) F414182
* Rust (various locations) F414323
* Chrome (scratches) I think this was actually a color called bright silver but this works best.
* Euro Dark green 'Unsure' back of helmet. 4729 (Model Master)
* Panzer dark yellow (Rangefinder ear) if you do not have aluminum ears you will need to mix a silver with this to tone it down. F505111
* RLM Green (Left ear) 'unsure' F505056
* PRR Green (Inside cheeks) this is practically black. F414164
* Rock Island Maroon (Red scratches on left ear). F414248
* Light Gray (on left ear) any light gray will do. F505061

I got the compressor fitting today for my airbrush, so I will be starting mine this weekend.

Originally Posted by Spideyfett

Take your time...and Great Start!!
Need any pointers just PM me...

what kind of bucket is that again.??

I totally suggest taking the advice of anything Alex has to say!

Alex is spideyfett? Those pics are amazing...

good luck...make sure and post some progress pics!!

Originally Posted by Fettist

Alex is spideyfett? Those pics are amazing...

One in the same! I can't say enough about this paintjob!

Originally Posted by Pavespawn

One in the same! I can't say enough about this paintjob!

....:o ....

Man thats a nice paint job!
One day, one day,i shall have one as nice:-)

Originally Posted by Pavespawn

I totally suggest taking the advice of anything Alex has to say!

Ok painting question...

In the tutorial for the esb at starwarshelemts.com Steve the Swede says to,

" Pic 4: The kill stripes been added. They were masked with air brush film and liquid latex. The color used was "Polly scale UP Armor yellow". Then the entire helmet was dusted with black pastel powder to make the colors "deeper". Some prefer washes but I've always loved to work with pastel. The kill stripes was also dusted with red pastel powder and they will receive a second dusting later on."

I was wondering about the pastel powder to make the colors "deeper", I am going topical until I reach the back of the helmet (like the tutorial)...At what exact points do I apply dullcote?

Thanks!

I belive i only used one can of Panzer olive green.. but that was just one coat. so atleast one can per coat... and i used thinner to dilute the paint for my paint brush as well..

oh.. and i used Model Master paints.. but the cans should be about the same in volume..

Id like to do my helmet due to lack of cash. But every time I look at all the small details it just turns me away.lol Good luck brother

So did you guys use airbrushing, or what? What is the best painting technique for painting it? Spray paint? Airbrush? or hand paint?

OK so finally I had the time to paint a bit...It was frustrating at start but not too bad after the whining ended...
I have pics of my fiance masking for me. That was harder looking than it really was...even though I didn't mask it. I will add those later if anyone wants them. They are in my other camera and it is dead right now...

Do I need another coat?

Looks fine.....it's too hard to tell from the pics whether you need another coat. I'd advise two just to be sure.

I'd also advise using some model masking tape from here forward. It cuts and bends MUCH better than household masking,which you're going to need for the inner cheeks and mandibles. It usually comes in 1/2,1/4,1/16 inch increments. I use a brand called "Pactra"....it can be found at www.towerhobbies.com which is an R/C site,but has plenty of other stuff. I believe Testors has plenty of their own mask,however I've just become used to "Pactra".

Once you mask the outline of the area to not be painted with the modelling mask you can go in with regular household mask to do the rest....just overlap onto the model mask....NOT the tan stuf as it's too sticky....I'd advise 3M painters Blue tape in medium tack.

Looks good so far

Steve

Looks good so far.
A second coat of paint couldn't hurt.
I also agree with DL44 on the tape suggestion. It also helps if you stick the tape on a solid surface first before putting it on the helmet. It helps reduce the chance of the previous layer of paint peeling up with the tape.

I almost forgot....now is a good time to Dullcote after your second coat....you don't have to all over,so as not to waste it,just around the areas you are going to mask again...this will prevent peeling.


Steve

Wait, so did you airbrush this green on?

Looks just fine to me, id leave it as is. And on that note I just spent mad cash and bought the paint to do my own helmet. Going to give it a try this time.
Where do you get the ear stickers from?

Ok we shall see it when im done...

Ive decided to continue...

I used boxcar red mixed with some bright red like steve the swede said to...
BTW: that pactra worked like a charm...

SWEEEEET!

Lookin' good The lack of "darkness" you're speaking of is just due to the lack of weathering that will come down the road with washes,or pastel powders...whichever you choose. Most all of the movie-accurate-paintjobs you see on fan helmets start out just as your has....it's the paintjob from here on out that will give the final color.

Keep up the great work!

Steve

Thanks a lot! I am finishing the main colors today... It is actually drying right now after I put on the dullcote. I will post pics of it soon...I think I need a bit of touch up though but hey its my first bucket and first paint job on anything in my life...

So again, thanks for all the help and support! :thumbup

Ok so I had a few problems with my airrbrush...It started to spat on the brunswick green. So I had to finish it with a layer done by a brush. Problem with that is some of the paint got stuck inside the cracks of the pactra tape... I am a novice...

Anyway can anyone look at the problem areas and give me some feedback on the best way to fix them?

Thanks!

Simple...take a brush and paint over them Really,it's that easy with these acrylic paints...it may take a few coats,but then when you're satisfied just Dullcote it all....

Steve

Yes, like said above just touch the spots up w/ a brush....your going to be weathering that some much and handling it alot by the time your done you wont be able to tell that it wasnt airbrushed.

That's an awesome job. I can't wait to see the finished product!