MS3 Progress thread :)
- Thread starter superjedi
- Start date
superjedi
Sr Hunter
UPDATE: August 8th
Well, no pictures today, cuz all I did was prime the ear pieces. It actually did reveal some imperfections with some of the edges of the parts. I'll do some sanding and fill one decent sized bubble, and re-prime them tomorrow.
When I'm ready to paint the RF side ear, I'll also paint the portion that's already "built in" on the helmet. That way, I don't have to break out the airbrush twice! Yeah, I'm lazy like that.
Well, no pictures today, cuz all I did was prime the ear pieces. It actually did reveal some imperfections with some of the edges of the parts. I'll do some sanding and fill one decent sized bubble, and re-prime them tomorrow.
When I'm ready to paint the RF side ear, I'll also paint the portion that's already "built in" on the helmet. That way, I don't have to break out the airbrush twice! Yeah, I'm lazy like that.
superjedi
Sr Hunter
UPDATE: August 9th
*Sigh*. . . delays, delays.
Well, while sanding the lower right ear piece, one edge of the wedge shape at the bottom kind of crumbled away. There must have been some bubbles just under the surface.
I didn't take a "before" pic, but here's the area in question.
So, I did some expedient battle damage repair.
I took some .010" styrene sheet, and cut out some pieces to reshape that sharp edge. A flat rectangle for the bottom face, and 2 smaller triangles to cover the top wedges. I sanded them as close as I could to the resin, then filled the edges and corners with some automotive putty. Now I'll have to wait another day to sand and reprime.
But that section of the ear will have a nice smooth edge again.
*Sigh*. . . delays, delays.
Well, while sanding the lower right ear piece, one edge of the wedge shape at the bottom kind of crumbled away. There must have been some bubbles just under the surface.
I didn't take a "before" pic, but here's the area in question.
So, I did some expedient battle damage repair.
I took some .010" styrene sheet, and cut out some pieces to reshape that sharp edge. A flat rectangle for the bottom face, and 2 smaller triangles to cover the top wedges. I sanded them as close as I could to the resin, then filled the edges and corners with some automotive putty. Now I'll have to wait another day to sand and reprime. But that section of the ear will have a nice smooth edge again.
MARROW SUN
Well-Known Hunter
Sorry about the crappy part. Glad you were able to repair it.
Melvin Fett
Hunter
absolutely amazing. what color brand of red did you use?
Jango Fett Jr
Well-Known Hunter
Stunning, that's all I can say. Todd, you are a lucky bugger!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
UPDATE: August 11th
Yay! My ear repair came out looking good, and I got them painted.
For the RF ear parts, I used Floquil Earth over a base coat of silver. This is what Lee recommended in his legendary color thread, and it turns out great this way.
After they were dry, I masked them, and sprayed some Testors Metalizer Stainless Steel on the "exposed" metal areas. This will dry overnight, then tomorrow I'll buff it with a soft cloth.
The left ear was painted with Testors Acryl RLM 83. This is where I go off the Rogue Studios trail just a touch. I think with his last update, he said to use POG, just like the dome and lower cheeks, but after poring over the reference pics, I really feel that this is a slightly different green. I've used the RLM 83 on all the helmets I've painted so far, and I think this color looks really good.
Here's how the ears look.
Also in the pic are the vinyl decals I'll use. They're a mixture of what Marrow Sun supplied with the helmet, and some leftovers I got on one of VashDStampede's last helmet decal runs. Vash did this latest batch with the small white arch "pre-damaged" which makes painting that area soooooooo much easier! I have cut out the black and white arches really close to the vinyl, but this isn't necessary at all. It just helps me to place them on the ear pieces.
I'll also be using some small dry transfers in place of some of the tiny black decals.
Not shown is the arch that's built into the right side of the helmet. I masked that off and sprayed it with Earth over a silver base, too.
More to come!
Yay! My ear repair came out looking good, and I got them painted.
For the RF ear parts, I used Floquil Earth over a base coat of silver. This is what Lee recommended in his legendary color thread, and it turns out great this way.
After they were dry, I masked them, and sprayed some Testors Metalizer Stainless Steel on the "exposed" metal areas. This will dry overnight, then tomorrow I'll buff it with a soft cloth.
The left ear was painted with Testors Acryl RLM 83. This is where I go off the Rogue Studios trail just a touch. I think with his last update, he said to use POG, just like the dome and lower cheeks, but after poring over the reference pics, I really feel that this is a slightly different green. I've used the RLM 83 on all the helmets I've painted so far, and I think this color looks really good.
Here's how the ears look.
Also in the pic are the vinyl decals I'll use. They're a mixture of what Marrow Sun supplied with the helmet, and some leftovers I got on one of VashDStampede's last helmet decal runs. Vash did this latest batch with the small white arch "pre-damaged" which makes painting that area soooooooo much easier!
I have cut out the black and white arches really close to the vinyl, but this isn't necessary at all. It just helps me to place them on the ear pieces.I'll also be using some small dry transfers in place of some of the tiny black decals.
Not shown is the arch that's built into the right side of the helmet. I masked that off and sprayed it with Earth over a silver base, too.
More to come!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
UPDATE: August 12th
Boba can hear now!!
Got the ears done. This concludes all major painting on the helmet!
Here's a couple of shots. First the RF ear.
Here's a closer view of the upper part. The decals still look really shiny. After the dull coat, they'll be nice and flat. The nine stripes on the silver area were done with dry transfer letters. Those are a lot easier to chip up than the vinyl stripes.
The left ear.
And the bottom wedge.
The only paint that will touch the bucket now is some acrylic flat white for the two thumbprints in the killstripe area. That will be done after the next phase: pastel weathering and clear coat. The pastels will "unevenize" the colors, and the flat clear coat will protect everything.
Getting close now. . . so close!
Boba can hear now!!
Got the ears done. This concludes all major painting on the helmet!
Here's a couple of shots. First the RF ear.
Here's a closer view of the upper part. The decals still look really shiny. After the dull coat, they'll be nice and flat. The nine stripes on the silver area were done with dry transfer letters. Those are a lot easier to chip up than the vinyl stripes.
The left ear.
And the bottom wedge.
The only paint that will touch the bucket now is some acrylic flat white for the two thumbprints in the killstripe area. That will be done after the next phase: pastel weathering and clear coat. The pastels will "unevenize" the colors, and the flat clear coat will protect everything.
Getting close now. . . so close!
Mandocommando
Hunter
"Very" nice.
Jimmy BufFETT
Well-Known Hunter
I can't wait until this weekend! That looks so amazing!
MARROW SUN
Well-Known Hunter
Beee---uuuuu---tifullll!!!!!
superjedi
Sr Hunter
Thanks, all!! This has been a really rewarding project. I honestly appreciate the opportunity to work on members' helmets and armor. It really helps to keep my skills sharp!
There's absolutely no way I could have built my Boba costume without all the outstanding artisans and craftsmen here on TDH, and I like to think I'm helping a few folks reach their costuming goals by spending some time with paints and brushes. Which leads me to. . .
THE FINAL UPDATE: August 14th
Done! I had told Laan a few days ago I expected to be done by Wednesday the 15th, and I finished 1 day ahead of my (very flexible) schedule!
Here are some shots of the completed helmet. (Once again, I want to say I'm working with my older digicam, which does some odd things to the color balance.)
First, an overall "You talkin' to me??" shot.
Here's the right cheek, showing the Borden connector in place. On Marrow's v.3, it came as a seperate piece, which was really great for painting purposes! I've always had trouble figuring exactly what color this thing is. Nothing in the reference pics has ever leapt out at me color-wise, but I think what I came up with looks pretty OK.
In the above pic you can also see some of the pastel weathering that I applied. Over most of the helmet, it's a random mix of black and charcoal gray, but in certain areas, I used a brown tone. Like at the bottom of the left ear here:
And in the upper right corner of the back panel here:
In the killstripe area are the famous "thumbprints." I used Tamiya acrylic white and kind of dabbed it on with a fairly small brush, letting the color build up slowly. Then I took a brush with very stiff bristels, and streaked the paint toward the back. (I guess you could say I was streaking while I worked on this helmet!)
Finally, here's a really close shot of the forehead area. It shows the tan spatter I applied all over the front half of the helmet. I thinned some Tamiya Khaki till it was pretty watery, then flicked it on with an old toothbrush. Depending on how close or far from the helmet you get, you can actually get pretty good control this way. It's a really subtle effect, but it adds to the overall appearance.
So there you have it! I began this helmet on July 24th, and finished tonight, August 14th, making this a 22 day job!
Todd, I really hope you'll like the helmet once it gets back in your hands. Thanks for letting me work on it for ya! :cheers
Snoogins!
There's absolutely no way I could have built my Boba costume without all the outstanding artisans and craftsmen here on TDH, and I like to think I'm helping a few folks reach their costuming goals by spending some time with paints and brushes. Which leads me to. . .
THE FINAL UPDATE: August 14th
Done!
I had told Laan a few days ago I expected to be done by Wednesday the 15th, and I finished 1 day ahead of my (very flexible) schedule!Here are some shots of the completed helmet. (Once again, I want to say I'm working with my older digicam, which does some odd things to the color balance.)
First, an overall "You talkin' to me??" shot.
Here's the right cheek, showing the Borden connector in place. On Marrow's v.3, it came as a seperate piece, which was really great for painting purposes!
I've always had trouble figuring exactly what color this thing is. Nothing in the reference pics has ever leapt out at me color-wise, but I think what I came up with looks pretty OK.In the above pic you can also see some of the pastel weathering that I applied. Over most of the helmet, it's a random mix of black and charcoal gray, but in certain areas, I used a brown tone. Like at the bottom of the left ear here:
And in the upper right corner of the back panel here:
In the killstripe area are the famous "thumbprints." I used Tamiya acrylic white and kind of dabbed it on with a fairly small brush, letting the color build up slowly. Then I took a brush with very stiff bristels, and streaked the paint toward the back. (I guess you could say I was streaking while I worked on this helmet!
)Finally, here's a really close shot of the forehead area. It shows the tan spatter I applied all over the front half of the helmet. I thinned some Tamiya Khaki till it was pretty watery, then flicked it on with an old toothbrush. Depending on how close or far from the helmet you get, you can actually get pretty good control this way. It's a really subtle effect, but it adds to the overall appearance.
So there you have it! I began this helmet on July 24th, and finished tonight, August 14th, making this a 22 day job!
Todd, I really hope you'll like the helmet once it gets back in your hands. Thanks for letting me work on it for ya! :cheers
Snoogins!
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