Shoulder Emblem

[Jedi Bob]

With all the great outfits out there, can someone PLEASE let me know what the measurements are of the fett shoulder emblem. Also how far down it goes, etc.
I am all done with my bells and am dying to see it done.

Thanks

 

[phantomfett]

I'm going to stencil my shoulder emblem on when the time comes. Personally I think it's more authentic looking than a sticker. Plus stickers always pick the worst times to start peeling up around the edges.

 

[Jedi Bob]

I th0ought about stenciling as well, until I looked at the Fett CD and the pics that Brak's took of the shoulder. It is clear that the emblem is indeed a sticker. When enlarged, you can see the raised white sides of something added on. A decal would not show that much and the line is too perfect and consistant to be paint.

I am trying some sticker paper in my injet today and will post a pic of the outcome.

 

[LisaFett]

You can buy small sheets of decal paper at many model train shops. It will look better than stickers and will not peel off. Just trace the design and cut out with a craft knife, then apply like any decal. MUCH easier than stenciling, IMO.

 

[thraken]

I always paint mine. Its not that hard, and it looks a world better than a decal. No mater how much wethering you do, a decal can only look like a decal

 

[BobaFettish]

I followed Lisa's advice and bought the decal paper (not sticker paper). But there is a catch. If you don't get the spray sealant that is made by the same manufacturer as the decal paper, the ink will probably smear when you submerge it in water. The sealant was more than twice the price of the paper, but it is a good sized can. The model guy told me that regular clear coat will cause it to smear as well, and showed me some examples of it. Therefore I will probably make quite a few of these just to recoup a little money. I have very good, computer crisp images stored on my PC including a weathered chest emblem. If anybody is interested in some of these decals, send me a PM.

 

[LisaFett]

I prefer the decal, it was much easier than painting, and turned out much neater as well. I did not have to use any spray sealant. Maybe you got ripped off. There are special solvents you use to ease the decal on, and there is a "setting" solvent, but they were about $2 each for small bottles. I know that for every decal on my whole Fett suit I spent <$10, total, and I had extra paper and tons of solvent left over. I also put a clear coat of paint over mine, and there was no running. They have also been rained on, and nothing happened to them from that, either.

 

[BobaFettish]

Maybe it is just this brand or something (VitaChrome Graphics). The decal paper is called VitaCal and the spray is called VitaClear Transfer Coat. The guy showed me two model cars that he made graphics for. The first was blurred and distorted which he claimed is from when he submerged it into water to release it. He said what made it worse was when he sprayed Testor's Clearcoat on it and the colors just ran. The other car he showed me had sharp, crisp colors and writing. He said he sprayed the "transfer coat" on it first and let it dry overnight. From there you just submerge it in water, and apply the decal. You can apply a regular clear coat after that as extra protection, but it isn't necessary.

::Edit:: I was in uniform when I went in there, so I would hope they weren't trying to pull anything. Who knows, maybe they hate cops. :rolleyes

 

[LisaFett]

I used Microscale brand, they are found mostly in model train shops, I think. (I'm not at all sure). The directions say nothing about any special sprays or sealants, except the ones I talked about before. My dad works on model trains a lot and uses the paper, and he's never used anything but the solvents I talked about before (cheap, small bottles), and he's had models around forever and they've never had their decals run.

Also, with the sealant (cheap kind) over the top of the decal, it looks identical to a very crisp, very clear paint job. The sealant does make a difference for that.

It could be that the brand you're using is also used for some other really specialized application, and that's why they make it so that it needs the special sealant.

 

[Fetthunter]

I guess I'm going to have to resort to some "craftiness" of my own to make my emblems. I contacted Mandalorian Costuming on 8/8/02 asking them if they were still in business (after Rex's problem), and have yet to hear from them. I guess my ~$10 isn't important enough to them to warrant a response. :facepalm

I'll let you guys know what I try, and in the end, what I have success with.

 

[Jedi Bob]

I tried making a sticker from my PC and inkjet printer and sticker paper, but with the shape of the bell and the paint, the sticker would not hold. :-(

I ended up using the MB emblem that was sent with the shoulder bells. I figure once I weather it up it will look fine. (Even if it is tad small.

 

[Bountys Hunted]

Bummer the sticket you made didn't work out. That sux. I'm still thinking about doing the stencil route. It'd be more work, cutting out several different ones, and spray painting them, but if it turned out...

Well, I finally did get my stickers from Mandalorian Costuming. Two of them. Except one small problem...I ordered the Journeyman Protector ones and got the skull ones instead...

Ah well. I appreciate that construction of a full costume was underway, but would have liked a bit more communication.

take care all,

-Rex

 

[Fetthunter]

Back to the topic at hand...

I tried something this afternoon that seemed to work...

I have an Epson inkjet that prints photo quality pictures. I put in some Epson glossy photo paper (a LOT thicker than regular paper - almost like light cardstock) and printed a scaled Bantha skull emblem on it using Adobe PhotoDeluxe at the highest resolution I could (1440 x 2880).

The picture really *was* photo quality, and you couldn't tell that it had been printed. I cut it out and glued it to a scrap piece of Sintra using 3M Foam Fast adhesive spray. After it dried, I sprayed Testor's Dull Coat matte lacquer on it.

I looks pretty good! It's a cheap way to go, too!

I may do this "for real" on my suit.

 

[Ego]

Hunter: Email Received!

Fettish: So you would have to clearcoat overtop I would assume to keep the decals on? Does the decal "stand out" at all from the rest? I know that when I've done models in the past, when using the decals, they really seemed to have a different shine to them than the rest of the model and kind of stood out. Not sure if it would even matter in this case anyway, but, just curious.

Thanks
Jer

 

[BobaFettish]

No, they don't seem to stand out at all on my armor, although you will need to weather the skull decal since it is white. I did put a coat of Testor's Dull Cote over top of mine along with the rest of my armor to knock the shine off. I could do that to just the decals before I ship any if requested. To answer you first question, they are coated/sealed. I bought a can of spray sealant made specifically for this decal paper to prevent the colors from washing off when you dip them in water. So far, so good. I still have a few left if anybody's interested.

 

[webchief]

BobaFettish,

I just got my decals in the mail today and already put them on my armor. They look sweet! Thanks man!

Bob-A-Fett

 

[BobaFettish]

Anytime buddy, anytime.

 

[Zabernax]

I need to make one for my car.

 

[bobamatt]

2002 -2009


Epic.

 

[Mike M.]

i think this may be the oldest necro i've ever seen.