The Aluminum Helmet ROTJ Paintup

[TheBloodyHanded]

So I'm moving up in the world. Finally got my Helmet from my brother. Who so kindly fabricated it for me out of aluminum. See http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f20/brotherly-love-first-time-fett-build-52686/ .
I have now gotten around to painting it. Hope you guys like it. I approached this paint job from the perspective that this is an actual metal helmet. All of the damage and weathering is from paint removal not paint added. It gives it a really nice feel.

Since I am in the middle of a budget Fett build I am only using what I have on hand currently. Being a former miniatures painter I have tons of different kinds of paint and tools at my disposal. One of which I did not have was Liquid Masking Fluid. I opted for toothpaste. I used this for my armor damage as well and man does it work. If you are tight on cash its the way to go.

I will be photo bombing this thread so it will seem a bit jumbled I think.

The earpieces and range finder are full pvc scratch builds and I am not super happy with them. They are only temporarily attached and will be replaced with some nice ones some day.

The Job took me about 6 hours.

 

[TheBloodyHanded]

 

[TheBloodyHanded]

Well that is everything. I may touch up a few areas but I am super satisfied on how this came out. I still need to take a Dremmel tool and cut the gash in the front of the helmet over the left eye and near the right mandible, but that will be for another day.

 

[TheBloodyHanded]

Final note: If you try using toothpaste as a masking fluid, make sure it doesn't have grit in it. Also use a damp rag along with a dry one to rub off the paint. It seems to also come off better if you do it tacky dry. The paint chips will reactivate when they touch the dry area and you end up with a great stippled and aged effect.

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Yeh toothpaste has that grit to polish your teeth....you can get away with using it if you cant buy some masking fluid for $10...run it under water next time though...no wet rag....just wash it away