Well, after 3 years of wanting to start up my Boba Fett AOSW impression, I finally decided to save and put down the funds towards a few items to get me started. First being an awesome Sgt. Fang bucket. Throughout the next few weeks I'll be posting pics and progress (hope I don't bore you guys to death :wacko). Also, I believe in helping TDH community as much as I can, so I'll be also posting my little "how-to's" of my bucket, using methods from various members of this board. Well, enough intro, lets get to the bucket:
Here's the Sgt. Fang bucket after I cut out the T-visor and Dremel sanded the extra resin on the bottom rim of the bucket. The two attachments I used for that were the re-inforced fiberglass cutter disk and the mini sand wheel:
Using the a triangle hobby file that I found in a set at Home Depot, I was able to get into the little slot at the end of the T-visor opening and square it off nice and neat. Be patient, and dont go crazy with the file, or else you'll end up making the opening larger than it should be:
Next I tackled probably one of the most despised areas of any Boba bucket...the keyholes. I used the cutter disk to put in well placed cuts from the inside of the bucket:
From there I used the "cutter" bit on the dremel (its a knob like drill bit that pretty much pokes a small hole) to clear out the rest of the keyholes, followed by some hobby file work:
Once I put some finishing touches on the little areas and cutting in the little nicks that are there on the screen used helmet, I dove into something that almost gave me an aneurysm when it completely backfired on me...fiberglass re-inforcing the inside. I used the Bondo Fiberglass repairkit to coat the inside of the helmet to give it a much more sturdier frame. I left it overnight for 24 hours to dry, and when it was still wet the next day I decided to use a blowdryer on the inside...BIG...BIG mistake :
As you can see, the L/H mandible COMPLETELY warped on me and raised foward of the visor. I thought I for sure ruined my helmet, but I didn't give up. I read on batninja's bucket thread that he had a similar problem (though probably not as bad as mine). He used a heatgun to set it back to its original form, and I decided to use the same method:
It doesn't look THAT bad, and I'm hoping that once I install the visor it will form into its proper shape. Might need to use the heat gun again by doing this. Anywho, back to the progression. I decided to use Rustoleum Hammered On Silver for the inside of the helmet after I sanded down some of the fiberglass to give it that metallic look. It doesn't look spectacular, but I feel lit gives it more of a "weighted" look than if it was just the resin untouched. I gray primed the outside of the bucket and sanded it down to catch any imperfections...turns out, the imperfections that I made were with the 80 grit sandpaper I used...it looks like that was a no-no:
This is AFTER I tried saving it with 320 grit sandpaper, followed by a 400 wet sand. This is the part I'm debating...should I leave those little scratches in there to give it that used bit of "character", and hope that the paint will cover most of it up? Or should I use the ladder method of sanding with 100, then 150, then 220, then 300, then 400, pretty much starting all over again?
It was then off to attach the ear pieces. Unfortunately, I tried using the Forstner bit to sink some t-bolts into them, but when I drilled the holes through the side, the ear caps would leave a noticeable gap between the helmet, and the JB Weld that was holding them in place came off when I tried tightening them form the inside!:
So, I ended up JB welding them completely to the side and I think that did the trick. I want everyone to keep in mind this IS my first helmet, and although I'd like to make it as accurate as possible (the paintjob especially), I feel I'll have to wait for a "wavy brow" helmet from Bobamaker or such to be messing with correct internals and size correct ear caps in the future. But, I hope that this effort turns into a great production, and any input you guys want to throw in would be greatly appreciated.
I can't thank the members on this board enough for the tutorials and threads that have helped me get my dream project started. I'm really looking foward to being a members of this awesome community. And now, for a pic of some other little nick-nacks I'm working on :
Here's the Sgt. Fang bucket after I cut out the T-visor and Dremel sanded the extra resin on the bottom rim of the bucket. The two attachments I used for that were the re-inforced fiberglass cutter disk and the mini sand wheel:
Using the a triangle hobby file that I found in a set at Home Depot, I was able to get into the little slot at the end of the T-visor opening and square it off nice and neat. Be patient, and dont go crazy with the file, or else you'll end up making the opening larger than it should be:
Next I tackled probably one of the most despised areas of any Boba bucket...the keyholes. I used the cutter disk to put in well placed cuts from the inside of the bucket:
From there I used the "cutter" bit on the dremel (its a knob like drill bit that pretty much pokes a small hole) to clear out the rest of the keyholes, followed by some hobby file work:
Once I put some finishing touches on the little areas and cutting in the little nicks that are there on the screen used helmet, I dove into something that almost gave me an aneurysm when it completely backfired on me...fiberglass re-inforcing the inside. I used the Bondo Fiberglass repairkit to coat the inside of the helmet to give it a much more sturdier frame. I left it overnight for 24 hours to dry, and when it was still wet the next day I decided to use a blowdryer on the inside...BIG...BIG mistake :
As you can see, the L/H mandible COMPLETELY warped on me and raised foward of the visor. I thought I for sure ruined my helmet, but I didn't give up. I read on batninja's bucket thread that he had a similar problem (though probably not as bad as mine). He used a heatgun to set it back to its original form, and I decided to use the same method:
It doesn't look THAT bad, and I'm hoping that once I install the visor it will form into its proper shape. Might need to use the heat gun again by doing this. Anywho, back to the progression. I decided to use Rustoleum Hammered On Silver for the inside of the helmet after I sanded down some of the fiberglass to give it that metallic look. It doesn't look spectacular, but I feel lit gives it more of a "weighted" look than if it was just the resin untouched. I gray primed the outside of the bucket and sanded it down to catch any imperfections...turns out, the imperfections that I made were with the 80 grit sandpaper I used...it looks like that was a no-no:
This is AFTER I tried saving it with 320 grit sandpaper, followed by a 400 wet sand. This is the part I'm debating...should I leave those little scratches in there to give it that used bit of "character", and hope that the paint will cover most of it up? Or should I use the ladder method of sanding with 100, then 150, then 220, then 300, then 400, pretty much starting all over again?
It was then off to attach the ear pieces. Unfortunately, I tried using the Forstner bit to sink some t-bolts into them, but when I drilled the holes through the side, the ear caps would leave a noticeable gap between the helmet, and the JB Weld that was holding them in place came off when I tried tightening them form the inside!:
So, I ended up JB welding them completely to the side and I think that did the trick. I want everyone to keep in mind this IS my first helmet, and although I'd like to make it as accurate as possible (the paintjob especially), I feel I'll have to wait for a "wavy brow" helmet from Bobamaker or such to be messing with correct internals and size correct ear caps in the future. But, I hope that this effort turns into a great production, and any input you guys want to throw in would be greatly appreciated.
I can't thank the members on this board enough for the tutorials and threads that have helped me get my dream project started. I'm really looking foward to being a members of this awesome community. And now, for a pic of some other little nick-nacks I'm working on :
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