Short4ATrooper
Hunter
What do you think of the weathering so far?
3D Print ESB helmet WIP
- Thread starter Short4ATrooper
- Start date
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Thanks! I just loaded a relatively fine brush and used my thumb to flick it on.
I still need to do some topical work on most of the helmet to get some of the finer detail down, as well as shading around the dent and on the back panels.
My plans for my “proper” helmet have changed slightly too and I’m a little worried I might have made a huge mistake!
So, I’ll preface this by saying that I had no idea of the …shall we say “controversies” surrounding MinuteFett. All I knew was that his helmets had a great reputation.
His Etsy page popped up on my recommendations and I thought I’d ask him about his metal ears, thinking I’d get some for when my BobaMaker helmet arrives.
Long story short, he said he currently has no wait times for helmets as he’d made a bunch in preparation for the release of the metal ears. Said he could have a restored ESB, with metal ears at a slight discount with me in around a week.
Well, that was too tempting to pass up so I placed the order directly through PayPal and cancelled my order with BobaMaker.
It’s only since then I’ve become aware of the mixed reviews…
I will say, I’ve seen just as much positive stuff as negative and I’m REALLY hoping I’ll fall into the positive category too. He’s sent me tracking info and said the helmet will be sent out tomorrow so here’s hoping.
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Should I be worried? Anyone had any recent experience(s) with Mr. Minute?
AlphaCloneFett
Hunter
you're good, i recently got his ROTJ and ESB helmet, no problems at all, quality helmets.... and i just ordered his metal ears too!
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Phew! Good to know, thanks. I feel bad even bringing it up and asking the question to be honest. I'm a big believer in there being 2 sides to every story, and I like to make my own judgements on people. That being said, it's never good to read stories of people not receiving orders when you've just dropped £500+ via PayPal friends & family!
ShortFuse
Well-Known Hunter
There is a second side to the story, and I will leave it at that. You will be fine. He makes excellent helmets.
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Done some more weathering today. It is unbelievable how much a wash of grey #79 completely changed the green 78 on the dome and cheeks. Here’s a comparison:
Obviously not perfect by any means, but much closer.
I also did the white smudge on the rear trim:
Still to do the black shading on the cheeks and the dent scorch mark. I just haven’t had the motivation to drag the compressor out for what’ll be 2 minutes work but I’ll get around to it.
Obviously not perfect by any means, but much closer.
I also did the white smudge on the rear trim:
Still to do the black shading on the cheeks and the dent scorch mark. I just haven’t had the motivation to drag the compressor out for what’ll be 2 minutes work but I’ll get around to it.
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
I also took a photo with the flash on to get a better match to the lighting in the reference photo
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Looks like mine could be a smidge darker. Should I do a black wash or just accept that this is as close as it’s gonna get?
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
I won’t, you should’ve seen me doing the grey wash. Super tentative!
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
This is with a very heavily diluted black wash. I don’t think I can possibly get any closer to the right green from here! I also tried to add in some more topical details on the rear panels but with how out of size/placement/proportion a lot of it is, most of the detail I was adding starting to just become guesswork. I didn’t want to overdo it.
zombeeman90
New Hunter
Beautiful! And you said this is your first time airbrushing? That encourages me, as I'll be doing my first helmet very soon!
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
It was, yeah. It can be daunting when you first get it but I just watched a tonne of YouTube videos about how they work, techniques, and especially about how to clean and maintain it (very important!)
Well, I’m calling this sucker done now. Got around to finishing the weathering, added the shading on the lower cheeks and in the top right corner of the rear right panel as well as the scorch mark across the dent.
In general, I’m very happy and think it turned out way better than I was expecting for my first go. Plenty of lessons learned that I’ll take onto my next paint job so overall a success! It looks a little shiny at the moment and some of the colours might not look right but it’s because the final clear coat is still drying.
Some close ups on the shaded areas done today:
Any feedback/suggestions are welcome!
Jango Fett Jr
Well-Known Hunter
Great work! My first time using an airbrush was also on a Fett helmet, pretty daunting but once you get through it you can handle anything.
One spot that jumped out at me is below the front triangles and under the killstripes:
Looks to me like some green paint peeled off when they masked off the visor area and killstripes and they hastily covered up it up. I used the airbrush but you could also thin some paint and do it with a paintbrush.
One spot that jumped out at me is below the front triangles and under the killstripes:
Looks to me like some green paint peeled off when they masked off the visor area and killstripes and they hastily covered up it up. I used the airbrush but you could also thin some paint and do it with a paintbrush.
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Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Thanks, good spot! I noticed that with those markings around the side, underneath the kill stripes. I think you’re right, it’s more of a thinned green but I misunderstood the templates I think and thought it was silver. Doh!
Short4ATrooper
Hunter
Ah, I see - that makes sense and is good to know for my next one.
So the best way to achieve a screen accurate look is to paint it silver, then pretend you're in a rush and cover it up with a heavily diluted green
