Darktrooper Progress Thread 8MAR2011: Getting back to it

[tubachris85x]

starting to look really good tuba. after you sold me that fixerupper boba helmet and i restored it a while back, you said you "couldn't have gotten it done yourself" i dont believe you after seing this. i cant wait to see the finished helmet.

Thank you. Although I could have *potentially* done a decent job on that, I know it would have just become another unfinished project. Besides, you did an outstanding job on it. By far exceeded what I know I could have done.

 

[tubachris85x]

Now Ive hit the hard part-getting everything symetrical. Although I am using the helmet pep as a base for everything, the right side (from the front), is slightly indented more the the left side. Aside from having to fill that to make it even with the left, its getting the details and such.

LOL It's harder for the face, but I feel the back will be a bit more forgiving. I worked on it a bit, started to form the right side; eye, depth variences and the "overlapping" tube portion. *May* post pics later

-TC

 

[LostSonOfSparda]

*May* post pics later

I hope!

 

[tubachris85x]

I hope!

lol Later today I will. Just gotta fix up the right side a bit more. Just hard cause, I have the left side pretty much exactly how I want it, but now I have to do exactly that, but only opposite :facepalm

 

[tubachris85x]

So get this. All this time, I thought that when I built the pep helmet base, that I accidentally warped the right side face (from the front) It's *lower* then the left, in that the grin angles down more, and at the point of where the tip of the grin meets the tube portion, it's indented in more then the left. Like I said, I thought this was a mistake that I had made, and it's frustrating.

Well, it actually turns out that the actual 3d model is warped, therefore, this imperfection is technically accurate. Im not a 3d renderer by any means, but you'd think that they'd be able to make a perfectly symetrical helmet, unlike the screen used TK helmets rofl

Here are some pics. It's very subtle to see, but it's there:

Primary view, can see it very slightly, the grin on the right has a lower angle then the right:

And now, a view from a different angle, which makes it much more visible:

I guess it makes it a bit easier for me lol

Will post some more pics later tonight

-TC

 

[tubachris85x]

Did a bit more accurizing work. Primarily on the eye's and the nose portion. The way it was previously, the rim around the eyes were too thin. So I went back, and widened it up a bit more, and I feel it is much more accurate and overall looks better then before.

The second part was the nose. Was just too thick the way I made it originally. The side profile of the helmet shows the nose is flush with the grin/frown. I am doing a sort of cross between that and a "real world," so there has to be some kind of seperation. So I cut off chunks of clay there, as well as the sides, to help give that depressed look thats prominant in TK helmets. Hard to explain, but lol thats what I mean.

As you can see, Ive started the right side, really, I worked both eyes tonight, and I feel that they look pretty symetrical. The rest though, well, in good time.

-TC

 

[tbone9600]

Looking better every day. It looks really angry. The key is to be patient and not rush yourself. Just keep doing a little at a time like you have been and this is gonna be a sweet bucket and costume.

 

[LostSonOfSparda]

T_bone's right, looks better every time we see it!

 

[tubachris85x]

Thanks guys! Im happy that you guys like it so far, plus that you get the "angry" look from it as well, Im aiming to give that appearence.

 

[LostSonOfSparda]

Oh yeah, looks real mean.
Funny about the asymmetrical game model tho.

 

[tubachris85x]

Oh yeah, looks real mean.
Funny about the asymmetrical game model tho.

Oh yea, you wouldnt believe how hard I laughed when I discovered that.

 

[LostSonOfSparda]

So, I couldn't quite tell from what you posted, but are you going to keep it asymmetrical? Or try to make the frown even on both sides?

 

[tubachris85x]

So, I couldn't quite tell from what you posted, but are you going to keep it asymmetrical? Or try to make the frown even on both sides?

LOL I honestly dont know. Part of me is saying "Its accurate to be asymetrical" but the other side is saying "people wont really know about that so I should try to fix it"

:dunno:

 

[tubachris85x]

Hmm....I gotta fix the eyes a bit more.....

 

[LostSonOfSparda]

Well I'm willing to bet that they didn't intend for the model to be like that. Just the fault of sloppy modeling, or an error they didn't catch. So what is accurate may not even be what was intended.
But that's all up to you to interpret I guess. If it isn't a huge hassle, try to make it even on both sides. But I'm sure it would just be easier to keep it as is.
Either way, fantastic work! It just keeps getting better and better.

 

[tubachris85x]

Okay, more work done tonight. Ive decided to try and do my best to make it symetrical. So, this meant that I had to make the right side much thicker, as far as the clay. I think it's actually looking pretty good. Cleaned up and got around to making the frown more defined and finished off the ends of them.

Unfortunatly, I am comming across an issue which I was afraid of initially-at the very edge, where the clay has nothing to hold onto but the paper base, it's starting to detach itself and will hang off. Not sure what Im going to do about that yet, but it's not incredibly serious at the moment.

-TC

 

[tubachris85x]

Okay, a bit more work on the sculpt tonight, started to move more towards the back on the more completed left side, mainly on the ear cap. Upon further observation, the "com box" has only 4 stubs, where as I originally thought there was 5. The shadowing on the image made it appear as such. So becuase of this, instead of sculpting the box, Im going to be using the one's that came with my FX TK for obvious reasons.

I also started to clean up the back portion, where it merges into the swoop. The lower portions that are not covered by clay, are areas that need to be reinforced with more fiberglass, which Im going to try and do tomorrow. Maybe begin to cut the lower chin portion and make a reinforced wall to begin that section.

I got these in the mail today. I figure I should have these for part of my collection

The newer one is my main focus for obvious reasons. I didnt realize how small this was lol. Although having only a few differences, being the lack of helmet swoop, and a different chest piece, it's pretty much a battlefront DarkTrooper, and the jet pack gives that away, being the same exact design. I *think* the only other DarkTrooper that has the same JJP, is the star wars galaxies version.

For size reference, that's a Dime

-TC

 

[Ram ser]

Lol, the one all the way to the left in the first pic of the figures looks more like an old Cylon.

 

[tubachris85x]

Lol, the one all the way to the left in the first pic of the figures looks more like an old Cylon.

Phase 1 darktrooper, has a giant slasher/sword attached to it's arm :run:

 

[tubachris85x]

Tried using rubbing alchohol today for smoothing. I originally wanted to get some citri solve, but I couldnt find any at the store. I really wish I did cause, lol it smells BAD.

It actually seems to work pretty effectivly, but I should try to use a heat gun or blow dryer to soften it up a bit. Used a hankerchief, didnt have an old t-shirt to spare, left it looking a bit dirty..oh well

I can say that I feel the left side ear cap is pretty much finished as of right now. The com box in this pic appears higher, but thats due to the angle. I also decided to begin the chin portion. Right now, the left side being more accurate. I may not have to cut the section off, but I will have to for the depression needed for the areators.

For other such details, such as the boxes along the dome and the tear drops, Im having a bit of an issue getting them sculpted into the clay. Im deciding wether or not I will even physically put those details in at the moment.

Anyways, some more pics for ya'll

-TC