future9er24
Jr Hunter
This just keeps getting better and better. You're doing a great job!
Rebel Y-Wing pilot helmet
- Thread starter superjedi
- Start date
superjedi
Sr Hunter
Thanks all!
UPDATE: Feb 15th
OK. . . got a lot done! I've done most of the weathering, with the exception of the greeblies. I know I said I was going to attach them and then weather them all together, but I decided it would probably be easier to do them separately. So sue me!
Once all my base colors were on, I took a very pale gray and added some large chipped areas. These are visible in my reference pics, so I painted 'em on there!
I used several weathering techniques on this helmet. I airbrushed a couple of different gray shades on the entire helmet. Lighter gray everywhere, some darker gray in certain areas. On the white portion, I also mixed a "muddy" gray brown for some variation in the tone.
After airbrushing, I went back with an X-acto blade and made some scratches all the way down to the white styrene. I also took a toothbrush and spattered some of the base yellow color back on over the darker areas. Really broke up the dark gray and gave it a "deeper" appearance.
Here's the forehead, showing the gray and muddy colors.
And the left side.
On the green dome panels, I first airbrushed the same dark gray shade I used on the rest of the helmet, then went back with a toothbrush and flicked on some slightly lighter green in random patterns. Then I took some light gray and a very stiff "stippling" brush, and added some gray damage. The final step was taking the X-acto blade to it, scratching down to the raw styrene.
If you notice, in the shots where you can see inside the helmet, I've also added the "car door trim" around the bottom of the helmet. This was included in the kit, and really makes an excellent looking finished edge!
On to the greeblies!
UPDATE: Feb 15th
OK. . . got a lot done! I've done most of the weathering, with the exception of the greeblies. I know I said I was going to attach them and then weather them all together, but I decided it would probably be easier to do them separately. So sue me!
Once all my base colors were on, I took a very pale gray and added some large chipped areas. These are visible in my reference pics, so I painted 'em on there!
I used several weathering techniques on this helmet. I airbrushed a couple of different gray shades on the entire helmet. Lighter gray everywhere, some darker gray in certain areas. On the white portion, I also mixed a "muddy" gray brown for some variation in the tone.
After airbrushing, I went back with an X-acto blade and made some scratches all the way down to the white styrene. I also took a toothbrush and spattered some of the base yellow color back on over the darker areas. Really broke up the dark gray and gave it a "deeper" appearance.
Here's the forehead, showing the gray and muddy colors.
And the left side.
On the green dome panels, I first airbrushed the same dark gray shade I used on the rest of the helmet, then went back with a toothbrush and flicked on some slightly lighter green in random patterns. Then I took some light gray and a very stiff "stippling" brush, and added some gray damage. The final step was taking the X-acto blade to it, scratching down to the raw styrene.
If you notice, in the shots where you can see inside the helmet, I've also added the "car door trim" around the bottom of the helmet. This was included in the kit, and really makes an excellent looking finished edge!
On to the greeblies!
MandalorFett
Well-Known Hunter
Jeez, your paint-fu is strong!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
Thanks! This has been fun as it's given me a chance to practice with my new airbrush. My last one was a cheapy little Badger set up and it was on its last legs. So I picked up a Testors double action set. It came with 2 different nozzles; one for "general" work, and one for fine line detail. I've never gotten to use a double action airbrush before, and I think it's just tremendous fun!
I practiced for about 10 or 15 minutes just shooting paint onto a couple of sheets of white paper before I started on the helmet, getting the feel of the trigger.
I was amazed at just how fine a line I could get with the fine nozzle!!
Of course I didn't have any need to work that fine on this helmet, but it's nice to know I have the capability to do it if I need to.
Last edited by a moderator:
Silver Fett
Active Hunter
Hey great job on the helmet eric!
Also, love the weathering paint job!
Also, love the weathering paint job!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
Wow! High marks, indeed.
That reminds me of one of the SNL skits with Will Ferrell as James Lipton from Inside the Actors' Studio:
"Your performance in that film. . . has forced me to create a new word to describe it. And that word is. . . scrumtralescent!"
Desloc
Hunter
Possibly, however, that doesn't explain why in ANH the Y and X wing pilots wore the same helmets and in ESB the X, Y AND snow speeder pilots all wore the same helmet. Only thing I came up with is over the "years" helmets changed due to improvements much like the HPU-4 evolved into the HGU33 and further into the HGU-55. Did any of the X-wing guys wear the new style?
While I do thing you are doing a great job, I never really liked any of the "new" helmets from ROTJ. For me, I will stick with the standard rebel helmets from ANH.
However, keep with the outstanding pictures.runJEDIrun
Active Hunter
this is looking great!! I want to do one now!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
Getting really close now!
UPDATE: Feb 17th
Whew! OK, pretty much all that remains is to put in the visor and add some padding for my noggin.
All the detail bits are done now. Here's the styrene plate added next to the lettering on the forehead. I used Polly Scale Rock Island Maroon as a base coat, then sponged Wisc. Central Maroon over that. The reference pics show this as having a random, broken pattern.
I bought some brown vinyl and made a paper template to match the curve of the jaw. I sort of eyeballed it, and I adjusted the pattern about 4 times to get the curve right. I transferred the pattern to the vinyl and cut it out, then attached it using CA glue. I just did a bit at a time, slowly working around the curve. It's folded over the "top" edge and glued to the inside of the rim. (My fluorescent kitchen light is killing the colors in these pics. . . when it's all done I'll get some shots in natural light.)
In these pics you can also see the mic boom assembly. The resin piece is glued to the helmet, with a hole drilled for the large piece of wire. The mic has a depression drilled into the backside and is attached to the wire with CA. Inside the helmet, the wire was bent around and epoxied to the helmet shell.
I also did lots of work on the greeblies today. I decided to remake some of the resin parts that were supplied with the helmet. They're nice casts, but some of the parts weren't quite as "crisp" as I wanted them to be. I added a couple of details that can be seen in the ref pics, but weren't supplied with the kit.
Here's the right side, showing the remade part (the gray assembly) and the bits I added. It's hard to tell exactly what these are, but they seem to be some kind of latch. It's possible the back of the helmet shell was supposed to swing open or something. I built the latch parts from Sintra and some sheet styrene.
Here's a closer look.
On the left side there are 2 greeblies. The one closest to the chin is the stock piece supplied with the kit. It was really nice and only needed some quick sanding. The round heat-sink looking piece was scratchbuilt to replace the resin part. The vanes on the resin part were kind of uneven and even after heating and bending them, they still slowly moved back to their original position.
I rebuilt the part using a section of round styrene tube for the central core, then added the 10 vanes. The part that sits on top of the vanes was just a flat resin disc. I took a thin piece of styrene and marked and cut out the X shape, then glued it onto the disc and sanded the edges smooth. The disc was attached to the vanes, and I attached the whole assembly using a small sheet metal screw from inside the helmet.
A tighter shot.
Something occurred to me as I was painting today; the greeblies are the only parts on this whole helmet that have any silver on them! Quite a change from Boba.
So, tomorrow I'm off to buy a batting helmet to rip apart for padding. Then I'll attach the visor, and we'll call this puppy done!
Hope everyone's enjoying the progress.
UPDATE: Feb 17th
Whew! OK, pretty much all that remains is to put in the visor and add some padding for my noggin.
All the detail bits are done now. Here's the styrene plate added next to the lettering on the forehead. I used Polly Scale Rock Island Maroon as a base coat, then sponged Wisc. Central Maroon over that. The reference pics show this as having a random, broken pattern.
I bought some brown vinyl and made a paper template to match the curve of the jaw. I sort of eyeballed it, and I adjusted the pattern about 4 times to get the curve right. I transferred the pattern to the vinyl and cut it out, then attached it using CA glue. I just did a bit at a time, slowly working around the curve. It's folded over the "top" edge and glued to the inside of the rim. (My fluorescent kitchen light is killing the colors in these pics. . . when it's all done I'll get some shots in natural light.
)In these pics you can also see the mic boom assembly. The resin piece is glued to the helmet, with a hole drilled for the large piece of wire. The mic has a depression drilled into the backside and is attached to the wire with CA. Inside the helmet, the wire was bent around and epoxied to the helmet shell.
I also did lots of work on the greeblies today. I decided to remake some of the resin parts that were supplied with the helmet. They're nice casts, but some of the parts weren't quite as "crisp" as I wanted them to be. I added a couple of details that can be seen in the ref pics, but weren't supplied with the kit.
Here's the right side, showing the remade part (the gray assembly) and the bits I added. It's hard to tell exactly what these are, but they seem to be some kind of latch. It's possible the back of the helmet shell was supposed to swing open or something. I built the latch parts from Sintra and some sheet styrene.
Here's a closer look.
On the left side there are 2 greeblies. The one closest to the chin is the stock piece supplied with the kit. It was really nice and only needed some quick sanding. The round heat-sink looking piece was scratchbuilt to replace the resin part. The vanes on the resin part were kind of uneven and even after heating and bending them, they still slowly moved back to their original position.
I rebuilt the part using a section of round styrene tube for the central core, then added the 10 vanes. The part that sits on top of the vanes was just a flat resin disc. I took a thin piece of styrene and marked and cut out the X shape, then glued it onto the disc and sanded the edges smooth. The disc was attached to the vanes, and I attached the whole assembly using a small sheet metal screw from inside the helmet.
A tighter shot.
Something occurred to me as I was painting today; the greeblies are the only parts on this whole helmet that have any silver on them! Quite a change from Boba.
So, tomorrow I'm off to buy a batting helmet to rip apart for padding. Then I'll attach the visor, and we'll call this puppy done!
Hope everyone's enjoying the progress.
MandalorFett
Well-Known Hunter
Dude go to bed; it's after midnight!
The helmet looks fantastic! I'm blown away by your work.
The helmet looks fantastic! I'm blown away by your work.
runJEDIrun
Active Hunter
looking good!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
Thanks a lot, guys. Here's the final
UPDATE: Feb 18th
Done! I added some batting helmet padding inside the helmet, and used some industrial strength velcro for the visor. I may go back at some point and add 2 small support brackets on either side of the visor, but for display, it's great.
I also added a couple of final details. In the reference pics, there are 6 small screws visible. Not sure if they were functional or not, but I added them anyway. There are 2 on either side of the face opening, and 2 on the right side of the helmet. One right next to the strange script, and one above the 3 wide red stripes.
Here's a final gallery of pics, taken in natural lighting out on my messy table on my balcony.
Here's a final painted detail; three black "vents" just over the visor. I masked them off lengthwise, and did the rounded ends of each vent by eye.
The natural light gives a better look at the variance of the green on the rear panels.
And a final look at the greeblies.
This was a really fun build, and it looks very unique among my 3 other X-Wing style Rebel helmets. Hope everyone's enjoyed the progress!
Eric
Here's the finalUPDATE: Feb 18th
Done! I added some batting helmet padding inside the helmet, and used some industrial strength velcro for the visor. I may go back at some point and add 2 small support brackets on either side of the visor, but for display, it's great.
I also added a couple of final details. In the reference pics, there are 6 small screws visible. Not sure if they were functional or not, but I added them anyway. There are 2 on either side of the face opening, and 2 on the right side of the helmet. One right next to the strange script, and one above the 3 wide red stripes.
Here's a final gallery of pics, taken in natural lighting out on my messy table on my balcony.
Here's a final painted detail; three black "vents" just over the visor. I masked them off lengthwise, and did the rounded ends of each vent by eye.
The natural light gives a better look at the variance of the green on the rear panels.
And a final look at the greeblies.
This was a really fun build, and it looks very unique among my 3 other X-Wing style Rebel helmets.
Hope everyone's enjoyed the progress! Eric
