superjedi
Sr Hunter
Dang guys! I'm blushing over here.
I like posting progress on these things. . . it gives my poor fingers and eyes a rest!
And. . .
UPDATE: August 4th
Wow, got a lot more done today than I anticipated. I completed the cheeks, but forgot to take pics of those areas. Oops! :facepalm
After that I started on the dome. One of the things that can make or break the appearance of the helmet is the kill stripes. With each bucket I paint, this is the most nerve wracking part for me. To place the stripes, I measure my reference pics and tape them off using that blue painters tape. I have found this to be an extremely useful tool. I've never had a problem with too much tackiness, and I haven't (yet) had it pull up any underlying paint. I'm very careful to let my base coats dry for at least a couple of days before putting any tape on.
Once I have the basic outlines taped off, I use Winsor & Newton's masking fluid to mask off the chips within the stripes. I usually do this by eye.
Here's a couple shots showing the stripes masked off. I have my camera on the close-up setting, so there's a weird fish eye effect. The masking fluid appears shiny in the pics.
After everything is masked, I apply some UP Armor Yellow with one of those dense little make up sponges. I apply several light coats, letting each one dry for about 15 minutes in between, until no more green shows through. Once the yellow is dry, I brush on some reddish-orange pastel powder, making it heavier on the rear stripes, and kind of fading as I come around toward the front.
Here's how the stripes look once they're unmasked.
After the stripes were done, I began on the damage on the dome. I started from the killstripe area, and worked around the back of the helmet toward the right ear.
Here's the killstripe area. All the tiny tiny thin scratches were made with a compass point, following closely with the reference pics.
Here's the rear view. What a jumble of scratches on this section!
And finally, the area just behind the right ear. This is a good stopping point for today. . . cuz my wrist is cramped!
Tomorrow, the cat scratch and dent!! Woo hoo!
I like posting progress on these things. . . it gives my poor fingers and eyes a rest!
And. . .
UPDATE: August 4th
Wow, got a lot more done today than I anticipated. I completed the cheeks, but forgot to take pics of those areas. Oops! :facepalm
After that I started on the dome. One of the things that can make or break the appearance of the helmet is the kill stripes. With each bucket I paint, this is the most nerve wracking part for me. To place the stripes, I measure my reference pics and tape them off using that blue painters tape. I have found this to be an extremely useful tool. I've never had a problem with too much tackiness, and I haven't (yet) had it pull up any underlying paint. I'm very careful to let my base coats dry for at least a couple of days before putting any tape on.
Once I have the basic outlines taped off, I use Winsor & Newton's masking fluid to mask off the chips within the stripes. I usually do this by eye.
Here's a couple shots showing the stripes masked off. I have my camera on the close-up setting, so there's a weird fish eye effect. The masking fluid appears shiny in the pics.
After everything is masked, I apply some UP Armor Yellow with one of those dense little make up sponges. I apply several light coats, letting each one dry for about 15 minutes in between, until no more green shows through. Once the yellow is dry, I brush on some reddish-orange pastel powder, making it heavier on the rear stripes, and kind of fading as I come around toward the front.
Here's how the stripes look once they're unmasked.
After the stripes were done, I began on the damage on the dome. I started from the killstripe area, and worked around the back of the helmet toward the right ear.
Here's the killstripe area. All the tiny tiny thin scratches were made with a compass point, following closely with the reference pics.
Here's the rear view. What a jumble of scratches on this section!
And finally, the area just behind the right ear. This is a good stopping point for today. . . cuz my wrist is cramped!
Tomorrow, the cat scratch and dent!! Woo hoo!
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