ESB Boba Fett - Scratch Build (Pic Heavy!!!)

[Tom Walker]

Hi All!

I recently scratch built a Boba Fett helmet...

...and it has progressed into building a full costume.

I am building it to be moulded and cast, but in a way in which it can be converted into a Jango Fett variant as well. I have started a separate thread for the Jango variant here:

Jango Fett Built from Scratch (Pic Heavy!)

I won’t be covering the helmet build in this thread as I have a separate thread already:

ESB Boba Fett Helmet - Scratch Build - Pic Heavy!

I have been using various reference imagery from the film to scale from and also a lot of RafalFetts's measurements.

Here is my progress so far. Hope you enjoy!

I started out by making some rough paper templates and pinning them to a t-shirt. This helped me get the basic shape and scale.

After making numerous templates I began to actually fabricate something.

For the majority of the armour panels I am using 5mm Foamex. It's a really great material as you can shape it with heat and it cuts and sands really nicely. I glued parts together with superglue (activator helps a lot!) and used a whole mess of body filler to blend everything together.

Fresh pull from my previous helmet mould and a splash of primer...

Quick test fit...

Not sure where I got the sharp ridge from on the back panel... So I decided to sand it smooth

Another test fit, and all fitting well!

several alterations (including moving the slots) were made, until I was finally happy with the back plate.

It was at this point when I was made aware of wizardofflight's templates which helped considerably for scaling. Using them side by side with the references I had found, I made tweaks and changes to get them the way I wanted.

For the more detailed areas, I found using 1mm and 3mm Fomex was a lot easier.

I soon had a nice collection of parts coming together.

Small details were added as I went along.

I drew a lot of the greeblies up in Fusion360 and 3d printed them. (some Jango Fett parts can be seen here also)

I also opted to make the knee symmetrical so I only have to make one mold. The excess parts can then be trimmed and sanded off after casting to make them accurate.

This is my parts collection so far...

Next up: prepping for moulding... Stay tuned!

 

[ShortFuse]

Awesome job. Coming along nicely. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Tom Walker]

Mould Prepping time!

To prepare the parts for moulding, I created a flange around all the edges using cardboard (and MDF for the gauntlets). I used hot glued to attach it.

I then created a fillet between the parts and the cardboard to remove any undercuts. For this I used plasticine that I warmed up on a radiator to keep it soft.

Prior to molding, I gave everything that was going to be made with a solid fiberglass mould several coats of release wax. I applied it generously with a sponge and buffed smooth with a soft cloth.

Waxed and ready to mould...

Thick layer of gel coat applied...

Chopped strands of fibreglass to prevent air bubbles in the tight corners were added...

Stippled down with resin...

Two layers of chopped strand matting added...

More resin and making sure there are no air pockets...

Left over night to cure and removed from the original.

The left gauntlet upper part, I had to mould slightly differently as there was an undercut I wouldn't have been able to get out of a solid mould...

A thin (beauty coat) layer of silicone was applied first and left to cure...

Then several thickened layers were applied (added thixotropic addative)...

Locator keys were made with an ice cube tray and attached with more silicone...

The silicone was left to cure over night and then two layers of fiberglass were applied to create a solid "jacket"...

Once the fiberglass had set it could be removed from the original part.

For the small "greeblies" I made walls around them using hot glue and cardboard. I could then carefully pour in un-thickened silicone to create a simple silicone block mould.

They were left over night to cure. The cardboard was then removed and the original parts were taken out. (forgot to take a pic! )

Nice collection of moulds going on here... Time to cast some parts!

 

[LanceM71]

Dude! Nice work! The molds look so clean.

 

[Tom Walker]

Haven't posted an update in a while... But progress has not stopped!

So where was I? Ah yes... laying some fibreglass.

I began by giving all the moulds several coats of wax to prep them for casting. I then applied a generous layer of gel coat followed by two layers of fibreglass.

Once the fiberglass had set, all parts were removed from the molds.

I then proceeded to produce a second set of parts to later become a Jango Fett varient.

Next up was to tackle the jetpack! I found correctly sized pipes and began making test templates out of cardboard.

I drew up various parts and 3D printed them.

To model the main body I used 3mm Foamex.

Plenty of filler and primer was applied as per usual.

I was initially going to 3D print the rocket. However with the amount of finishing I would have had to do, I decided to take a different approach and turn one on a lathe.

Extra details were added after turning. I then drew up and printed a thruster and had a test assembly. I was very pleased with the result!

I continued on and began the mould making and casting process...

I missed a few pictures of the moulding process of the thruster, but you get the idea...

For the rocket I did a cavity (sometimes called matrix) mould. Mainly as I was running out of silicone. This process consists of making a jacket that is bigger than your item then pouring in the silicone after. To do this I wrapped the rocket in clay and applied fibreglass. When it had set, the two halves were separated and the clay was removed. the two halves were placed back around the rocket (making sure to keep it central) and silicone was poured in.

I've got a lot of parts and moulds... Didn't think about where I was going to keep them all...

Anyway, more parts to come soon!

 

[ShortFuse]

Excellent work.

 

[Tom Walker]

I spent a few days tidying up an assembling parts this week... I love this stage, when things start to take shape!

I attached the jetpack halves together with fibreglass and filled and sanded the join. I then attached some 8mm threaded bar into the thrusters so they could be bolted into the main body. I also cast a piece of PVC pipe into the rocket so that it would fasten securely into a connector that i'd glued into the bottom on the inside.

I glued hinges and magnets into the gauntlets to allow easy access in and out. I then used fibreglass paste to hold them in place
securely.

Greeblies and details were then test fitted.

I used a dremel to form the necessary dents in the armour.

I forgot about making the little blocks that connect the collar and the codpieces together. I used 1mm foamex to form the shape and the dregs of silicone I had left to make a mold. I used fast cast polyurethane resin to make the final parts.

So here is my full set of Boba and Jango armour ready for test fitting!

Suit up pic's to follow soon!

 

[droidbait]

Wow! Beautiful!

 

[RamSkirata]

I have nothing to add. I only need to say that your skill levle is astonishing.
I usually avoid threads with "scratch build" in the title, because I just know, while the levle of skill might be astonishing still, it usually will not reach the levle that I would be looking for. (That said, my own armor is entirey scratch build, too, except the helmet. And yes, I am not anymore entirely satisfied with it).

YOURS however... Thats next levle stuff. I mean it. Its amazing what you have done!

 

[AlphaFoxV]

WOW! You already are aware of how incredible your work is.

What are the "locator keys" for?

 

[Tom Walker]

WOW! You already are aware of how incredible your work is.

What are the "locator keys" for?

Thanks!

The locator keys are to align and hold the silicone part of the mold in place with the fiberglass jacket. Without them the silcone layer would deform.

 

[vaders right hand]

simply amazing !

 

[jangobobango]

gosh...
what are you going to do with the molds?

 

[JReevy]

Terrific job!

 

[BobaFettAZ]

Amazing!