Superjedi's MCR-ESB for CDYoung

[superjedi]

Hi all!
I told you I'd be back soon!
I'm pretty amped to start on this helmet. Not only is it ESB/SE number 48, it's the first of several Machinecraft Replicas MCR-ESB helmets i have lined up. Woo hoo!
The helmet itself has been reviewed, and there's not really anything more I can say about it except that it looks amazing! The kit includes machined aluminum ears and RF stalk, just like I previewed recently in my ear prep and installation tutorial thread. They're sharp and fit the helmet perfectly. A Terminalfettler RF topper is included as well.
For this build, CDYoung also sent a metal Borden piece and a real vintage MQ-1 circuit board. Some pretty sweet accessories!



I prepped the helmet this afternoon, doing all the cutting and trimming. I gave it a nice soapy bath and it should be ready for primer tomorrow.



This is gonna be fun!

 

[cdyoung]

Thank you so much, superjedi! Your progress on this helmet will be exciting and a lot of fun to watch.

 

[KaanE]

Is the Polaroid lens original too or a TF cast?

 

[superjedi]

It's TF. The casting is perfect.

 

[RamSkirata]

Hi all!
I told you I'd be back soon!
I'm pretty amped to start on this helmet. Not only is it ESB/SE number 48, it's the first of several Machinecraft Replicas MCR-ESB helmets i have lined up. Woo hoo!
The helmet itself has been reviewed, and there's not really anything more I can say about it except that it looks amazing! The kit includes machined aluminum ears and RF stalk, just like I previewed recently in my ear prep and installation tutorial thread. They're sharp and fit the helmet perfectly. A Terminalfettler RF topper is included as well.
For this build, CDYoung also sent a metal Borden piece and a real vintage MQ-1 circuit board. Some pretty sweet accessories!

View attachment 200083 View attachment 200084

I prepped the helmet this afternoon, doing all the cutting and trimming. I gave it a nice soapy bath and it should be ready for primer tomorrow.

View attachment 200085 View attachment 200086

This is gonna be fun!

for this kinda thing we have to invent an new term. "Hero Helmet" doesnt quite cut it anymore...

Anyways... Im really interested how you are going to tackle this one and how the results will look

 

[KaanE]

Maybe "Lenged ESB Fett Helmet". Oh wait...

 

[superjedi]

Whatever you decide to call it, it's the coolest thing in the universe ever!

The helmet is in primer now. This does obscure some of the detail that's preserved in the surface, as some of it appears only as slight differences in reflectivity. But the physical artifacts like the surface cracks and the slight edges of the original paint layers are preserved.



When I prime any helmet, I like to use an adhesion promoter under a good quality primer. Adhesion promoter is like a primer for your primer and helps strengthen the bond between the primer and the surface you're painting. I'm using Tamiya primer for this one, applied in a couple of light coats.
With a heavier primer such as Krylon or Duplicolor you'll risk losing even more surface detail, as those primers are fairly thick.



I'll start the color coats this weekend!

 

[superjedi]

The first color is on.
I airbrushed on the beige on the back panels. On these lineage helmets, I do mask around the edges of the panels to minimize overspray. I have removed the tape in this shot, but I left it on the keyslot area.



Once this is dry I'll stencil and mask for the dark green.

 

[superjedi]

Using some key "landmark" scratches, I applied the stencils on the rear panels.
Next I'll use masking fluid to cover the areas to remain beige.

 

[superjedi]

Everything is masked with Winsor and Newton and we're ready to airbrush some green.

 

[superjedi]

Here are the unadjusted back panels. I'll be going back with a fine brush to tweak the shapes and add the smaller details.

 

[superjedi]

I refined the shapes and added the smaller details on the left panel. I also did some SE weathering, which shows as wear on the dark green parts, as well as some physical and painted scratches.



I'll do the same on the right panel next.

 

[superjedi]

The right panel has been tweaked also. The dark green has been faded and the small SE scratches have been added.



Now I can start adding the gray and silver!

 

[superjedi]

Rainy days are great for painting! I got the left panel finished today.

 

[superjedi]

Whew! Got the big scrape on the right panel done. So much detail.

 

[cdyoung]

Simply stunning so far, superjedi!

 

[superjedi]

Glad you like it!
Here's the finished right panel.



The dome and cheeks will be getting some green next!

 

[Mugatu]

Incredible work as always, superjedi! Thanks for posting your process. It’s extremely helpful and inspiring that I may give this a shot one day.

cdyoung, you are a lucky lucky fellow!

 

[cdyoung]

Mugatu, many thanks for your support as always, my friend!

superjedi, it’s so interesting how that rear panel changes with the angle and light. Really cool!

 

[superjedi]

Yes, lighting plays a big part in how the in-progress pics look. When I take the final pics using my table top light box, everything will look true to how it looks by eye.

Here's where the fun begins...