Counterweight's Second ROTJ Cardboard Scratch Build

[Counterweight]

Woot! Keep up the good work.

Thanks man. You too

 

[Magnavis]

Liking the look of this, and lots of improvements from your first build already I think!

 

[Counterweight]

Liking the look of this, and lots of improvements from your first build already I think!

Thanks a lot! I'm trying to learn as I go haha

 

[Counterweight]

I know I haven't updated this for awhile but bondo is a slow and tedious process. I'm not done with it yet, but I thought I would show my progress nonetheless.

While waiting for the first application of bondo to cure, I decided to hit the ear parts with wood filler and then sand them and seal them

This was after applying filler

And this was after being sanded with the dremel and sandpaper as well

And then the first coat of sealer

I decided that instead of putting a lot of bondo on at once and then sanding forever, I would put multiple thin layers on and take my time with it, sanding between each layer

Layer two

Layer 3

Layer 4

Layer 5

I'm currently waiting for layer 5 to finish curing so I can sand it, but it's the last layer that's going on. I like the general shape of it, so it will just need lots of sanding and spot touch ups where needed

Here is a comparison next to my V1 bucket.

That's all for now. I'm going to finish up the dome, make sure all my holes are cut out where I need them, seal the bucket, and then it's on to the painting!

 

[Stormcrow85]

Looking good! Keep it up man I am always excited for your updates!

 

[Counterweight]

Okay well I got the fifth layer sanded, and have done a couple of touch ups

Smooth

I also cut out the outer layer from the visor so that when I primer I won't lose the visor placement

I would say this is pretty much my end product. I like it

Knowing myself I'll do a few more tweaks here and there.

Now I'm gonna put on the bases for the ears, like in these Rafalfett example pics

I'm fortunate to be getting help on the internal electronics so I'll be trying to figure all that out as I do more work on getting the ears attached to the helmet

That's all for now!

 

[fomare]

epic work .... !!!

 

[Counterweight]

epic work .... !!!

Thanks!

 

[ShortFuse]

In you opinion, what are your thoughts on the build using the Rafalfett templates compared to the WOF templates you used in your first build?

 

[Counterweight]

Short update because I'm bored at work:

I cut out the ear bases for the left and right ears, and used a ruler to measure and draw a center vertical line for later reference when putting the screw holes in

Got them on the helmet with generous amounts of wood glue

The helmet looks pretty good to my eyes, so I decided to go ahead and seal it. I was worried because applying the mixture of Minwax sealer and water directly to the paper (which is still glued to the outside of most of the helmet) made it soggy and start to deform. Only the paper on the outside did this, the cardboard was fine.

But when it was all dry the paper returned to its original form so it worked out fine!

And I gave the ear pieces a quick coat as well

So that's where I'm at right now. I'm going to start trying to focus on getting the electronic components started and doing everything that goes along with that (cutting holes, assembling pieces, etc.) and I may put some primer on the helmet too. But progress from here may be pretty slow because working with electronics is completely new territory for me

Wish me luck!

 

[Counterweight]

In you opinion, what are your thoughts on the build using the Rafalfett templates compared to the WOF templates you used in your first build?

Honestly I would say they are different, but comparable. I think the WOF build is SLIGHTLY easier, mostly due to lack of inner supports (and none of those damn ear part supports!), but Raf's seems like a higher quality and sturdier build.
For example, the left ear took forever in Raf's templates because of all the supports on the inside, but that thing is sturdy as a rock and looks very smooth and high quality as well

My opinion is that if you're okay with a little extra work and some extra headaches here and there, Raf's build is the way to go. But it's personal preference.

 

[ShortFuse]

Thanks. Looks great.

 

[Counterweight]

So I have hit a bit of a snag as Far as figuring out the electronics is concerned. I was trying to wait on doing a ton of work on any of the ear pieces until I had that figured out, but it's not going well so I'm pushing on for now

I need to get some screws in order to attach the ears to the helmet (which I will actually attach after painting). So for now I just went to work with the dremel, putting in some rare earth magnets in the upper right ear as well as knocking out a couple of minor details

Once I get those screw holes drilled out of the ears and ear platforms, im gonna move on to painting. If I find a way to make it happen I'll add the electronics after that

 

[Demmoc]

Looking really good so far!

 

[Counterweight]

Looking really good so far!

Thanks man!

 

[slappymancuso]

Thank you for taking the time to document your project. It looks great, and it's really helpful to be able to see so much of the process. Great work!

 

[Counterweight]

Thank you for taking the time to document your project. It looks great, and it's really helpful to be able to see so much of the process. Great work!

Thanks I appreciate the positive feedback! I'm glad I can be of some help

 

[Counterweight]

I was going to use screws to attach the ears to the bucket, but I couldn't figure out how to do it and have it look good (mostly on the left ear and lower right ear) so I decided that for this one I would just glue them like with my last build. I know screws are more accurate but that will have to be an improvement I incorporate on the next build

Holding the RF on to see the final product

So I haven't gotten the RF assembled yet. That will be done after painting it. And I still haven't figured out what to use as the post that the RF stalk rotates on. I'm not sure how the servo fits in with that so I'm leaving it as is for now and I will move forward with painting.

I also touched up the bondo work on the cheeks

Pain in the ass to match the contour of the cheek

Next update: last minute touch ups and then the primer layer and the silver undercoat!

 

[Magnavis]

Really nice progress. in regards to the screws, could you not have used a bolt and put a nut on the inside? Bolt could have been glued into partial hole and hidden?

 

[Counterweight]

Really nice progress. in regards to the screws, could you not have used a bolt and put a nut on the inside? Bolt could have been glued into partial hole and hidden?

Thanks
Yeah that's a good idea I probably should have done that lol
Now I know what to do for my next one haha
Thanks for the tip