AFFO$'s PAINT LIST FOR THE AIRBRUSH CHALLENGED

I'm about to start on painting my ROTJ Fett helmet, and will definitely be using the ideas in this post as resource material. Thanks for suppling the information, it'll be a great help!
 
To anyone who has painted their own, do you have an estimate of how much all the paint and materials cost? As a not-so-great painter i assume it would be in my best interest to get someone else to paint one for me?
 
For all the armor and helmet? Figure 5 dollars a can of paint...depends on brand and location. I use about 2 cans of Huntclub, 1 can of the bauhaus yellow, 2 cans of silver, 2 cans of primer, dullcoat maybe 2 cans, flat black 2 cans, claretwhine one can, royal blue i think one can, flat white one can, thats just armor and jetpack add another can of everthing besides yellow and add moss green, for ROTJ, sandpapers towels masking fluid or toothepaste and then ull want some other things like brushes and what not for the masking fluid, space to paint and all. I may have left out some things at least 11-15 cans of paint, if your doing a helmet also then add depending on helmet style add 5 or so more cans so 20 cans at 5 a peice thats about 100 bucks or so plus sandpapers and other stuff masking fluid about 15 bucks for good stuff....so maybe 150 in all for all the stuff ull want to have
 
ok, so basically a nice quality paint job runs about twice what all the materials cost for labor, i imagine it takes forever to do one of these up right. $300+ seemed a bit steep for a paint job but after totaling materials and considering the quality with which i could do one myself, it seems to make sense.

so on average $250 helmet + $350 paint job = $500 total?
 
yeh well with airbrushing the guys who do the commisions are laying down different paints, mixing colors, taking alot of time to mask stuff...this doesnt happen in a day, many hours of painstaking work is put it. It took me the better part of two weeks to paint my armor, a week to paint a helmet, and I work fast and wasnt at my job as I was on vacation getting ready for CV, wife was aggrivated with me spending HOURS AND HOURS in the garage. Your math is 100 off BTW, 250+350=600...Thats what I would charge for a ROTJ paintjob about another 100 for ESB being theres alot more going on with layers of paint in the red and back areas, and ears...and fading of kill stripes. If u have some painting skills its great to paint yourself but if u dont the options are out there to have it done, and alot of skilled people to do it.
 
Does anyone know where to find the Valaspar Gloss Mustard Seed spray, I went to lowes and walmart and was able to get every color except for the mustard seed, cant find it anywhere for sale online.
 
This newbie sure appreciates the listing...you can bet I'll be coming back here a LOT over the coming weeks as I study the paint schemes.
 
Just strted painting an ESB, using the suggested colors. Found everything but the merlot and the mustard for the killstripes. But my question, anyone have ideas for the gray above the silver in spray paint? Trying for the true layered look.
 
Just strted painting an ESB, using the suggested colors. Found everything but the merlot and the mustard for the killstripes. But my question, anyone have ideas for the gray above the silver in spray paint? Trying for the true layered look.

You can try Model Master Panzer Gray. It kind of has that Lark Dark Gray look in a spray version.
 
Anyone know what a good sub for the Valspar Merlot would be? I can't seem to find it anywhere. I can get most all the other colors including Polly Scale at my local Hobbyland.

Also, I know it was reported in 2006 earlier in this thread that the American Accent line had been discontinued, but I was at my Hobby Lobby tonight and they had a lot of it! Were there some colors that had to be dropped off the list because of it once being discontinued?
 
You may have to get Lowe's to special order it. The Valspar Flat Merlot's product number is 65013. The Gloss Mustard Seed's product number is 65095. I just checked the valsparspray.com website and they are both listed as colors that are still in production. The Lowe's where I live quit carrying those specific colors because they didn't sell well. I guess there aren't enough Fett painters in the southeastern Kentucky area. Valspar also has a Satin Wine Red that is very close to the Flat Merlot. You would just have to hit it with a shot of Dullcote when you get done.
 
Thanks AFFO$! Any chance the Rustoleum Satin Cabernet (I think that is what I saw) would be a decent match? Believe me I have already tried the special order route with some paint I wanted for my TK bucket and they told me I would have to order an entire case of 6 cans! They won't order a case and let me buy one or two. What a crock!
 
I haven't seen that color so it would be remiss for me to venture a guess. I used to use Krylon Burgundy Satin before I found the Merlot. You can find the Krylon Burgundy Satin at Walmart. I would usually give it a light misting of brown and then hit it with Testors Dullcote.
 
Here is an interesting update... Not sure if this has been mentioned elsewhere, but I went to Lowe's today and was looking at the Valspar paints. I was having trouble finding the Wine Red and was asking a sales person about it. He said he thought that the name had been changed. Long story short, I found one can of the wine red in with the Royal Garnet. He pointed out to me that it was in fact the same paint, just a different name. The Royal Garnet is the same item number and UPC number as the former Wine Red!! Wonder if the Mustard seed is just hiding out there under a different name? I will have to check next time I go.

Also, quick question, I got some of the PRR Maroon for the weathering on the ESB helmet. Can I assume since it is an acrylic, it will dry a little darker and show up well? Right now it looks pretty close to the cap color of the Valspar Wine Red.
 
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