*UPDATE 2013* WIP : Jayvee's 'lil' chunk of ROTJ love' paint up

[Jayvee]

Gentlemen - Thank you all so much for your ultra kind words! You guys rule and make this hobby as fun to share as it is to do. I can't thank you all enough

Raf/Dave - Cheers lads, it goes without saying how much I respect you chaps. While I am certainly no God, I did run this past the wife - while she assured me that I certainly wasn't a god, she did call me a few other things, probably better left not posting

Thirdethree - Thank you kindly - if pushing some boundaries and setting a standard as you put it, helps push others to great paint ups - while it was never my intention - is a huge positive. You have produced outstanding work - the idea that I may possibly have been a help in there somewhere, is not only gratifying, but truly humbling. Of course having said that, the way you are producing high quality lids, you will probably have a ROTJ done before me, and of better quality

Garrett - agreed mate, i'm still up in the air with which way to go with the satin sheen. I have the humbrol clear coats, but I may just lightly buff it back with steel wool on completion. It's a tough one, as I havn't found anything i'm really happy with yet for just that 'right' amount of sheen. On another note, if your knitting is as good as your painting, i'll take two beannies immediately please - the pom-pom on top variety of course!

Eric - best keep those painting supplies - I think the standard of your own work is more than enough to keep em' for a while longer...

 

[hobbit057]

You are way to kind my friend, You are a truly awesome human being as well as a talented one! Your skills are as remarkable, and you never stop giving to us plebs. I for one appreciate everything you have shared with myself and this community... and all I can say is, the world is a better place for having the likes of you in it .... Thanks Jonny.

 

[Jayvee]

You are way to kind my friend, You are a truly awesome human being as well as a talented one! Your skills are as remarkable, and you never stop giving to us plebs. I for one appreciate everything you have shared with myself and this community... and all I can say is, the world is a better place for having the likes of you in it .... Thanks Jonny.

Gosh mate, dont know how to respond - thats just such a kind thing to say. The one thing I can say, is that I am always happy to discuss any techniques, colours etc with anyone from beginners, to the very best of painters- if someone can get one idea, or technique, or colour or even just a little bit of inspiration from anything I have done, then it's just another thing that makes this hobby so gratifying for me. The people on this board are just so great, and with more and more of us Aussie Fett lovers popping up, it just really is a great community to be a part of. Thanks again for the props bud, just far too kind. With a bit of luck, can hopefully have some updates of the completed back trim and sides in the next few days! Peace

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Full paint list, or I shall have to Ban you...no seriously this is looking amazing. I think everything is VERY close to what I personally see colorwise...there is always IMHO a color or two off on most paintjobs...but you have captured them very well. Like I said when I saw the dome initially brilliant paint matching here...Im about to be home and working on a few ROTJ jobs (one being a GMH for myself) and I really cant say how nice this is so far...should be a new std in ROTJ colors. I have the rattle can colors down pretty well, however the sharpness of the airbrush is just awesome.

 

[Jayvee]

Full paint list, or I shall have to Ban you...no seriously this is looking amazing. I think everything is VERY close to what I personally see colorwise...there is always IMHO a color or two off on most paintjobs...but you have captured them very well. Like I said when I saw the dome initially brilliant paint matching here...Im about to be home and working on a few ROTJ jobs (one being a GMH for myself) and I really cant say how nice this is so far...should be a new std in ROTJ colors. I have the rattle can colors down pretty well, however the sharpness of the airbrush is just awesome.

Fett4 – thank you for those huge props bud. As someone who I consider to be the King of ROTJ Fett, it really makes me feel I’m on the right track, if you approve the colours I have painstakingly concocted . One of the things I really found when trying to nail down colours, was feeling it very important to realize how light plays a big part, and to match my colours after actually taking photos under similar conditions, to whatever ref pic I was looking at, as that’s exactly what we are looking at – a photograph. And we all know how light can make a big difference in photos...

As for the colour list - ask and ye shall receive my friend! Check for the update in my very first post in this thread, with the base colour list as it currently stands. I do put them down at the end of each major update, but i’ll put a version down now that is easier to read. I will update this with the ear colours I use down the track..

*While we’re on the subject of colours, just a small note to anyone who may be interested to how I mix ratios – I work in a gym, and find literally hundreds of the clear plastic tops that seal bottles of water, so I collect them up, and use them for mixing. They hold about 5ml of paint each, super easy to fill, and as they are all the same, perfect for getting your ratios right.

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Nice stuff bud, and yeh color theory is something I learned a while ago in college, not everyone see's the full spectrum and dont notice things being off. But your eye is definitely calibrated. Cant wait to get to work in my new place, we'll see how it goes I have a basement and a garage not sure how warm the basement will be though.

And now it is stuck for everyone to see...

 

[Jayvee]

Gosh, a sticky - I feel a very privileged lil Fett lover! Thanks a bunch for that!

 

[RafalFett]

Congratulations for the 'sticky'! You deserve it! Can I suggest to make 'sticky' Jayvee's ESB paint up thread too? ==> Jayvee's deluxe ESB paint up (with an awesome BGHunter lid...)

 

[hobbit057]

Congrats Buddy! You truly deserve your sticky... and again I have to agree with Raf on your ESB sticky. It will help me also, as I look at that thread daily now!

 

[Jayvee]

Stop it you two - you're gonna make me blush! Then I'll have to incure even more sarcasm from the wife than normal! Really appreciate all your support guys, truly humbled

 

[superjedi]

Guess your name is Sticky Jonny now. Like some kind of messy 1940s gangster!
Well deserved indeed. This thread will be a great resource for anyone doing their
own ROTJ lid.

 

[Jayvee]

Guess your name is Sticky Jonny now. Like some kind of messy 1940s gangster!
Well deserved indeed. This thread will be a great resource for anyone doing their
own ROTJ lid.

Hahaha. "Sticky Jonny was the kind of guy that rooted for bad guys in the movies..."

I do love Goodfellas...

 

[Jayvee]

Morning Fett-Maniacs! Next update here for all the fine detail on the rear red trim and sides. It's only a teeny, tiny update, but sheesh - far more detail going on here than I thought, so took longer than I anticipated. Really enjoyed doing the big scrape on the side next to the rangefinder, and was just messing about with my ears, so took some shots with them attached very loosley, obviously unweathered.

Pics 1-4 are pretty much covering all the back and sides from different angles, with a comparison pic in pic 5. The real shot in the comparison pic obviously has quite a bit of glare, but overall, pretty happy all up with the comparison pic.. Ears will be next, but this was an enjoyable section to do, so let me know what you think, and hope you enjoy the pics! Peace

 

[hobbit057]

There are no words my friend..... simply breath taking!!!

 

[Jayvee]

Okay gang, need some expertise here, so some more discussion from you kind folks! Now, while my paint attention will be moving to the ears shortly, the other area which I like to nail down, is the interior - and this my friends, is where I would like to hear your opinions...

Now, in the montage pictures I added, pic 2 shows the only 2 pics of the ROTJ helmet interior that I can find (if anyone has any other pics, that would help greatly). Now, the obvious problem with this, is that the set up looks vastly differrent. The Heilman Pic is in pic 1, and looks alot more stripped back. I actually prefer the 'rawness' of the look in this pic. Pic 2 however, has the helmet liner inserted, the side straps look a little different, there is different or less tape in certain areas, and it even seems that the black bit of plastic or rubber covering the back of the key slots, has disappeared (although that could be down to the angle and poor resoloution of the pic...). I have highlighted that area in Red..

This made me think that maybe we were actually looking at different interiors all together - the Heilman pics are clearly ROTJ, but was this second pic actually the interior of one of the stunt helmets etc, that may have been sitting out of frame?... Well it seems not. Where I have circled in yellow, it seems the bondo'd areas near the visor are a very good match for the Heilman pic, and that is something that would've been just slapped on with very little science - so it appears indeed the very same ROTJ lid, that has just undergone some reasonable inerior changes. The pics in pic 1, have areas highlighted in green, that show less damage on the upper cheek in the first Heilman pic. The second pic (this is taken from the same time and place as the second interior shot), even with poor resolution, shows more of the damage we see today - hence my thinking that the second pic is more recent.

So the Question is - which version do I go for? On one hand, I actually simply prefer the look of the Heilman pic, and it will be easier for display purposes. However, the second pic is more recent, which my outside paint reflects. The issue with this is, it may have been altered again for the 'Magic of Myth' exhibit, which I have used as reference for my paintwork. So if it has been altered again, the second pic may not be accurate either...

Phew! So - First or second set up - and why do you think so. And if anyone has any more info or pics to help out, i'm all ears. If this thread is gonna be a sticky, and reference for the ROTJ lid, we may as well nail all the details. Thanks for reading (if you're still with me ), opinions appreciated! Peace

 

[RafalFett]

The Heilman images are from the ESB (pre-ROTJ) era, around 1980, while the second image is from the LFL Archive after the ROTJ, mid 80's to mid 90's (?). The interior is different because the now called ROTJ Hero helmet was part of the ESB Promo #1 suit, and for that purpose that helmet didn't needed a full working interior. But this changed dramatically when it was chosen to appear in the 'Return of the Jedi'... And because you chosed to do the ROTJ as we can see it now in the exibits, I say go for the second variant.

 

[hobbit057]

Haha! The first one looks like my attempt at an interior! Definitely the second, looks way nicer!

 

[Jayvee]

Excellent gentleman - I was indeed thinking the more recent pic would b the one to go for, but I have to admit to actually really liking the more basic and less clutterred interior of the Heilman era.. Still, that was pretty much my line of thinking too - oh why must we be such accuracy whores raf?.. Two things - ) do you think that black plastic/rubber piece is still over the keyslots? im not entirely convinced from the pics; and 2) Does anyone have any better images, or even the same one with better resolution? Appreciate all your help friends, peace..

 

[RafalFett]

Some images I found in the Gallery:



There's no clear image of the inner back part of the helmet (except the one posted which looks identical to the Heilman image) and the black stripe paralell with the rear keyhole looks like a part of the helmet liner strap, or a black tape, or a piece of velcro.

 

[Jayvee]

Raf - firstly I would like to say thankyou for your time in compiling that awesome set of images. You are truly one of the best assets to this board, and your wealth of information on all things related to Fett history is astounding..

In fact, as the ultimate in Fett historians with your supreme accuracy, I may just take it upon myself to dubb thee - 'Mr. Precision...'

I agree with your summary based on those pics my friend.. That extra black strip you mention is interesting - It may just be a strap acting up, but on higher resolution, does seem to have a velcro texture.. As for the black piece covering the keyholes, my thoughts are to keep it in - the pics probably aren't conclusive, so as its definately there in the Heilman images, and looks to be glued and bondo'd in place solidly, it seems unrealistic that they ripped it out. So I think common sense says to keep it in.

Once again 'Mr. Precision', I cant thank you enough, and having you in my corner during these paint ups is a blessing. You are a true gentleman.