Scratch build ESB Boba WIP

Sorry to hear about your frustrations with the gauntlets. What pep file were you using?

I used the one that was done by Skip which was based off of the WOF templates. I had to take some creative liberties myself but I thought the turned out well, granted these are ROTJ.

I know what you mean with building it from scratch, but it is so rewarding to say that it is yours when you are done.
 
Well this is where I will end the gauntlet session tonight. There are obvious areas which I will need to sand a bit more and straighten out, but overall I think I have captured the basic essence of the gauntlets. Now to start assembling the little bits and pieces to complete them.

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I was pretty excited to get a small well packaged box in the mail yesterday from our very own JC27. I got my topper lights! And to top it all off my servo showed up as well. So the task of stripping the board from the tiny RC car was my next task. I tried to find a Zip Zap so the wiring was the same as the tutorial, but alas there were none to be found. So I went with a generic tiny capacitor charged car. The board and wiring were nothing like the tutorial so it was a bit of a task to trace everything, especially after the hair thin wires all came off the receiver circuit board. Through some trial and error I managed to track down the power, ground, forward and backwards controls. After all was soldered up I taped it all inside the helmet and gave it a test run, here it is. Just an FYI I am using an Animefan topper and stalk and a JC27 light kit with micro tilt switch.
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Gonna be following this close, looks awesome. I'm still in planning stages for my build and would like to do as much as possible on my own so seeing how great yours looks so far is impressive to say the least.
 
Hey guys thanks for the compliments. I am going to start working on a jetpack soon, and then onto the soft parts.
 
T90, your helmet looks awesome, could I ask which templates you used because I really like the matching numbers or marks. That is a very professional looking job, thanks for all the pics. My son asked me to help him for a cos play in may and I have to get started.
 
Thanks, I tried to send the link to another member that had asked earlier but it would appear tha the pep file I used is no longer available and has been taken offline.
 
Well its been a bit, and I started this part of the build very hesitantly. I am not sure why I was not looking forward to the jetpack, possibly has to do with the amount of parts, or maybe it had something to do with the fact I am tired of bondo and sanding and filling and sanding some more. Whatever the reason I was purposely avoiding the very necessary jetpack.

So, I downloaded WOF jetpack template, bought a half sheet of Sintra and started tracing patterns.

Cutting 1/8" SIntra with an Xacto knife is a chore to say the least, the fore arm pump and blisters on the sides of my knuckles will attest to that.

Diving in head first I cut the majority of the large and major pieces. Armed with some PVC cement and a heat gun I set to shaping and gluing the parts together. Have I mentioned I do not like using PVC cement, not even a little bit. The main body went together rather quickly, even though I had to custom bend the main tube that runs down the centre.

Next I had to do some improvising. I could not find a tube that would fit the top section, I looked high and low and could not find a piece of PVC to fit properly, enter the bottle of Scotch, as I sat and had a drink I looked at the cardboard tube that the bottle of Scotch was held in and it just happened to be a perfect match. Cut, glue and voila! A tube that fits awesome, not only does it fit the space perfectly I was also able to use the lid as the base for the missile! Life is good.

So lots of cutting, heating, shaping, gluing, swearing and sanding, I was nearing the finish line of the main build. Next I have to fill cracks, holes, divets etc and sand it all down.

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Here you can see my make shift missile clamp, the weights along with the dowel kept everything in line as well as assisted in clamping the glued and drying pieces.
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The thrusters are made from 2.25" wood balls that I found at Michaels craft store and the top cone I made from a kids foam sun visor folded to the proper shape then filled with a mix of rondo. Once the rondo was hardened I peeled the foam off and like magic I had a solid topper the right shape and size.

Total weight of the pack is 3 lbs 14oz, which I feel is fairly reasonable.
 
New weight! I found a shipping tube that fit the sides perfectly! No more heavy sched 40 PVC!
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Temporarily velcroed the pack in place to test fit. I think it will do just fine.
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Well the new gauntlets are almost done. The missile keypad and dental expander are all Redkraytdragon's parts and are quite well done! The gauntlets are made of Sintra and from the WOF templates, the switches are Alco and all wired in and completed. I still need to complete the flamethrower and some painting but for the most part these pieces are done.

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Wow, this is turning out pretty awesome. What template did you use for the gauntlets? I've found a couple of ROTJ ones, but can't seem to find the ESB gauntlets. I will be doing more research on the differences tonight, if it's not too much I'll build from the ROTJ templates and improvise the rest.
 
Thanks very much guys! I can finally see the light at the end of the project, now that the majority of the hard parts are done and painted.

As for the gauntlets I used the WOF templates and while they are for the ROTJ gauntlets, the differences between the ESB and ROTJ gauntlets are minor. The whipcord housing on the ESB is quite a bit shallower than the ROTJ version, and the flame thrower on the ESB is a completely different piece than on the ROTJ version. I left my whipcord housing a bit taller in case I want to make my ESB into a ROTJ sometime in the future, and I am working on the flamethrower now, hopefully I can complete it in the next few days so I can call the gauntlets done like dinner.

Again thanks for the compliments I can`t wait to get this complete and get some photos like Dathvorhees has for himself, that outfit looks fantastic!
 
Sweet, that's what I figured. This thread inspired me to get back on track with my Boba project. How did you get the paint to look as if it were chipped? I've seen the slightly soapy salt water paste method, and the paint chip solution stuff.
 
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