Superjedi's FPH2 for Jbdubz

Thanks, Rubio!

UPDATE: DAY 45

Didn't have the time to devote to the right mandible today. I have to do some boring, mundane stuff.
I wanted to do something though, so I finished those small details at the bottom of the left mandible
and did the fade under the killstripes. The fade is due to tape pulling paint up when the stripes were
unmasked, then being touched up with the dome/weathering color. So I blended some of my dome
weathering color with Polly Scale Piston Silver. It's an acrylic silver.

It came out great! It fades or brightens depending on how the light hits the helmet. Once I do the final
clearcoat, it will tone down this effect slightly, but it will approximate the way the original looks.

Here are a couple of angles to show how it becomes more or less visible depending on the light.
In the first pic, the portion under the first 4 killstripes is readily visible.



But when the helmet is rotated, it blends almost into non-existence.

you are a magician! now you see it, now you don't! great stuff man, definitely one of my favorite little production flaw details that epitomize the ESB bucket, making it pretty obvious that Boba was not a very skilled artist

Just incase your other thousand paint-ups weren't perfect, here you go and tweak the colours to make it simply jaw-dropping. You magnificent bastard.

LOL, thanks guys!
Jeremy, can you just picture Boba hunched over a table in Slave I, adding killstripes to his helmet?

Jonny, you're exaggerating the number of helmets I've done. It's only 900.

superjedi said:

hunched over a table......adding killstripes to his helmet

Click to expand...

....using Superjedi's killstripe tutorial on TDH as a guide..... LOL


Sent from my R2 unit

UPDATE: DAY 46

*Gasp*. . . *wheeze*. . . *cough* The. . . right. . . man. . . dible. . . is. . . done. . .



Whew! Nice rainy Saturday. Perfect for a painting marathon! Soooo much detail on this portion of the helmet.
I don't know which is more detail-heavy: the right mandible, or the right rear panel. It's a close one.



I do several passes with each color when I do this part. I begin by blocking in the silver, then going back and outlining with
gray and maroon. Finally, I go back again with each color and do all the tiny "internal" chips.



As I've mentioned in a few other posts, the appearance will change slightly after I add the pale "base" gray.
But now, I'm taking a break!

UPDATE: DAY 47

Details! The weekend marathon continues.

We're entering the "effects" stage of the paint job. I added the 2 thumbprints on the killstripe side. I've always loved these
details! They just seem so out of place, but they're clearly there in screen caps. Here are a couple of shots.





I've also added the "base" gray that shows up in certain places. It's scattered around on almost every side of the helmet, but some places
are more prominent than others. Here are a couple of shots of the right mandible where the base gray kind of curves down the dividing line
between the dark outer cheek and the red mandible. There are also a few flecks above the visor, and even on the cat scratch.



Rotated slightly.



The dent is another area where the pale gray appears. This was tricky to photograph, but in the first shot it's not readily apparent.



In this second shot, it pops into view quite nicely.



The area where the pale gray is most apparent is on the right rear panel. Here are another 2 pics to show the effect.
First, it pretty much blends in. It's very subtle. You can see a little on the left panel, though.



When the angle changes, it becomes visible.



I'd just like to add that I've had to change the color I used for this base gray. For years I had used a craft acrylic paint called "Blue Wisp" by Delta.
I only had one bottle that lasted through all that time, but it finally dried up recently. It's a discontinued color, so I had to find a replacement.

I'd like to give props (no pun intended! ) to Rick Ponte, who recommended RLM 76 gray. It's a very pale blue-toned gray, which is really similar
to the Delta "Blue Wisp." Thanks, man!

This completes the "basic" painting on the helmet. I base coated the ear pieces weeks ago, and I'll begin detailing them next.

UPDATE: DAY 48

More details! From here the updates won't be showing many dramatic changes to the helmet since all the basic paint
application is finished. I'll be showing some details and weathering application.

First off, the Borden connector. The FPH2 comes with a nice sharp resin Borden replica. Some people might choose to
go with a machined metal replica instead, as Jeremy did. It's a very nicely made stainless steel (I'm pretty sure) piece by
Machinecraft Replicas, TDH's own JodoKast89. Check out his metal upgrade parts, they're great!

The Borden is very well made, and has a "showroom new" appearance. That's the last thing we want for Boba! So, of course
it gets weathered just like the rest of the helmet. I began by lightly sanding the face just to remove the sheen. Then I mixed
a thin wash using a Tamiya acrylic gold and a medium green. I used just enough green so that it would have a greenish tinge.
The idea is to make it look like old brass, brass that has a light patina.

In the pic below, The weathered Borden is on the left, and my untouched, new Borden is on the right. The weathered one looks
taller because I superglued a piece of black styrene onto the back side. Otherwise, light would shine through the 3 holes.



When the wash is dry, I'll apply some silver chipping.

Next up is the RF ear. As I mentioned in a previous post, I did the base coat on the ears weeks ago and now that the helmet is mostly
done, it's time to detail them up! I use the same gray and silver on the ear as on the rest of the bucket. The lower part is just awaiting
the small black markings and some pastel weathering. The upper part has had the arch masked and airbrushed on, and when it dries,
I'll go back and mask/spray the white half-arch. Then I'll do the rest of the detailing and finish the bare silver parts.



The two tiny "drips" at the bottom of the left side of the arch were added using a small detail brush once everything was unmasked.
I stay pretty busy during the week, so more as time allows!

Is there such a thing as 'FettPorn'? Because I think this thread qualifies!

You're a magic man, Eric. Also, how dare you beat up on my Bordens like that! What'd they ever do to you?!

LOL, EEvansHilton. All Fett stuff is Fett porn.

Hi Dakota! I'm sorry, but your Borden was very naughty and it had to be. . . punished.

UPDATE: DAY 49

Details: Ear Markings.

I wanted to show a few pics of the process I use to apply the small black markings to the ears. These markings appear on the
upper and lower RF ear parts, as well as on the white arch on the left ear. The markings on the original helmet were done using
dry-transfer (rub-on) letters. I can't recall the exact font that was used, but it's a vintage set that's no longer produced (of course. . .
why should this part of Fett be any different! )

I use a set that's close, and I modify a couple of the letters just to bring them closer to what's seen in reference pics.

To begin with, here's a list of what's needed:
*Nice, clear reference pic
*Dry transfer sheet
*The ear part you're working on
*New, sharp X-acto blade
*Back of a thin paintbrush or other burnishing tool



This is the font I use for all the small markings. It's a set made by Woodland Scenics. They're made for model railroaders,
so any railroad-type hobby shop should have a fair selection. Of course mine doesn't, LOL, so I order them online. They're
about $7.00 per sheet.



To do the lower half of the RF ear, I use a capital D, a capital V, and 2 small black squares that are just the vertical ends of
a capital H cut down. As I said, this set is close, but the letters with curves in them aren't quite the same shapes as the
screen-used set. This overlay shows the D on the helmet is "flatter" than the the D in the MG737 set that I use.



So. . . on to modifying the letters. I flip the sheet over so I'm working on the reverse side (the side that will stick to the
ear piece). Then, using a very sharp, new X-acto blade and a metal straight edge, I score 2 lines through the D. Then
I use the X-acto blade to carefully scrape away the material, leaving a gap.



I mirror the reference photo so that I'm looking at it in reverse. I use the X-acto blade to scrape away a couple of little
chips, trying to mimic the reference pic as closely as possible. I'm still working on the back side of the D. Once the
damage is scraped in, it looks like this. I haven't brushed away all the remnants yet.



I flip the sheet back over and carefully line the D up on the ear piece and rub it in place using the back of a small
detail paintbrush. You can use a toothpick or some other thin tool to do this. I would recommend using a wood or
plastic tool, because if you press to hard with a metal tool, it may leave impressions in the ear piece.

I repeat this process for the letter V. The V slightly overlaps the D. This is evident in clear reference pics. Then I
repeat again to put the 2 small squares on. The finished marking looks like this.



I use the same process to do the IIIIIIIIIIII markings on the upper ear cap, as well as the T under the black arch.
The process will be repeated to do the sideways E markings on the white arch on the left ear.

So it's a finicky process for sure! But the dry transfers are almost as thin as a coat of paint, and they are pretty
easy to work with.

NOTE: I've used the same process on a couple sets of machined aluminum ear parts. When I'm working with
metal ears, I actually apply the letters whole, then scrape away the chips with a very thin plastic tool after
they're in place. This only works on metal ears. If you try this on painted resin ears, you'll scratch up your
paintjob! (Don't ask me how I know )

Inspirational as always Eric..... beautiful work

EEvansHilton said:

Is there such a thing as 'FettPorn'? Because I think this thread qualifies!

Click to expand...

Guilty also! Great thread only thing better would be to see it live!

Unbelievably good. Bravo sir.

Absolutely stunning! Superjedi, your work has been a really huge inspiration for me.

Thanks a lot, guys! It's getting really close now.

UPDATE: DAY 52

More ear details.
I got all the basic work on the ears done. Except for the RF topper, all the major painting is complete!
The ears will receive their final weathering along with the rest of the helmet when I grunge it up.



The markings were done as I described in my last post--with dry transfer letters.





The final weathering stages for the helmet will include misting with a "muddy" shade, pastel application, and the spatter.
Final weathering for the left ear will include a tan/brown spatter on the lower forward area. Final weathering for the RF ear
will include pastel application and the same spatter that's applied to the helmet.

Awesome stuff! and I was wondering where I could get those dry transfer sheets! Thanks!

Thanks, Necro! They're pretty easy to find online. I've always wanted to get a custom run of dry transfers done that
include only the markings needed for Fett. Getting them done is expensive, though!

UPDATE: DAY 53

First ear test fit!

The ears are temp installed for these shots. Just had to see how everything went together.





I'm going to take them off to do the weathering. I've been working on 1 of Jeremy's 2 range finders. This one is the FPH2 topper
with a solid aluminum stalk. I'll also be doing another which consists of a hollow aluminum stalk and a TerminalFettler topper.
An RF light kit will be installed in that one.

We're in the home stretch now!

Thank you for posting your work Super Jedi , this is truly great suff !