ROTJ Left Ear

[Jimbo]

Greetings from Happy Valley....

I received some feedback that my ears need some attention if I'm going for certification.

So this weekend is Operation Left Ear Redo.

I looked far and wide on the forum,... I did a lot of searching for Ears, and other variants of ROTJ Ears and so forth and didn't find a lot... So I'm going to give it a go.

Below and on the right is a clipped a picture from the ROTJ CRL Helmet, and on the left is my paint fumed induced art. There are some minor changes required.... who am I kidding, there's some work to be done here. I know I can do better than this. I was probably excited getting to the end and wanting to get suited up for Halloween.

I'm going to start with some sand paper to remove the various layers I've put on. Running down to the garage/workshop now before my next conf call to see what I can get done.

Stay tuned, and of course I'm welcome to advice and constructive feedback

If the finished product doesn't look better, this will be a great example of what NOT to do. lol

 

[Jimbo]

Sanded with 400 and then 1000 grit, and then applied white primer.... and now drying.

Used a foam block to anchor the ear due to the bolts on the other side. The bolts helped in that the ear remained above the foam block which aided in the application of the primer on the sides/edges. I can see a couple of small holes in the resin that I will fill with some putty.

Second Picture, I have lined up all the paint required and a reminder of instructions and layering. A bottle of masking fluid that needs to be shaken not stirred.

 

[RafalFett]

Usually the images posted on the CRL are from replicas and are more or less accurate (to the letter). I don't understand why are these used (in general) as reference when the Media section is full of photos of the original helmets and suits. Here are some photos of the left ear section of the original helmet (post ROTJ):

And the ROTJ helmet between filming ESB and ROTJ:

 

[Jimbo]

Good Morning, and thank you Raf for adding some supporting pictures. I will be using them for sure.

This morning I got up and put down the first layer, which is Matt 147. I'll let this dry for a while.

Headed out to the Nike Employee store for some shopping.

Hoping when we get back it will be dry enough to start the masking process.

Have a great day Hunters!

 

[Jimbo]

Back from the errands and set up my workstation. I think I need to upgrade with some wood/filters/blower type of set up.

Compass set so I can set the key masking areas up.

Steal Wool for later...

Raf's pictures... CRL pictures.... Tablet and Print outs

Magnifying Headlamp with light.... (Geek, I know)

Monster Mask... Added purple tint and have been using it through my whole build. Works great for me.

Lazy susan so I can spin this bad boy and paint at different areas...

And a beverage... or maybe two. And other stuff I haven't put away.

 

[Jimbo]

Blended up a special 1-1 mix of Humbrol Blue Grey Matt #79

Masked and Painted, letting dry so I'm working on some custom Mando helmets for the boy and I.

I think I did much better than last time. I decided not to mask the White areas below. Instead I did my best to air brush around those areas.

 

[Jimbo]

Here's where I ended up for the night.

It looks darker than it is.

I ended up taking some steal wool and slowly and carefully pull back some of the Matt 79 paint

I touched up some of the masking areas to tighten them up a bit. I used some harbor freight dental tools to create some of the lines.

I took a step back and said to myself.... "Self, you need to walk away. Don't touch it any more."

Tomorrow I will apply 3 or 4 layers of misting through out the day.

I know, I know, how will y'all ever get to sleep this evening when I leave you hanging like this.

Hope this helps at least one future B.F. out there. Its a small contribution to the amazing wealth of info on this site.

Have a great night all.... Good Hunting!

 

[Jimbo]

Okay ... Here's where I ended up.
I applied Humbrol Gold # 16. A fine misting job hopefully to help bring out the metallic look in the resin ear.
I let it dry overnight.
Then I applied a red to the sides, and some red misting down the middle and on the bottom
The red that I've used for my helmet was a one to one ratio of Red Mat 100 and Wine Matt 73.

In my assessment, I think the final product is significantly better than the first attempt.

 

[Jimbo]

Okay... and mounted the left ear back on. Thank goodness for using nuts and bolts.