Boba Fett Project Complete!

At long last (About 2 years!) my Boba Fett project is complete. Today, my brother donned the armor and I got behind the camera for final project photos!

And my brother, sans helmet...

That's a wrap!

~N

Boba Fett's Empire Strikes Back Helmet, FINAL PHOTOS!

After several months, the Boba Fet ESB helmet project is finished.  Here are the final project photos. (Click the images for extra-large, high-res versions!)

And here are the Empire Strikes Back (left) and Return of the Jedi (right) helmets, together!

The next update will be final project photos of the Return of the Jedi armor!

~N

Boba Fett's Empire Strikes Back Helmet, Part 4

The last major area of painting on the ESB helmet was the T-visor. So I taped up the helmet and added a layer of liquid mask using photo references:

Then I sprayed over the silver with Rusto Anodized Bronze. When that dried, I added another layer of liquid mask...

There's a purple layer under the red that shows through in spots, so I sprayed a layer of Rusto Purple. When that dried, yet another layer of liquid mask...

Finally, the top layer of Rusto Claret Wine, misted with black.  I removed the masking tape, and it looks great! We have a mostly finished helmet!

I've also been working on the "greeblies" (little plastic parts that need to be applied.) Here, you can see Boba's antenna, the cap to his left earpiece, and the circuit board that needs to be installed behind the keyslots in the back of the helmet...

All I have left to do is affix all the greeblies, add one more layer of grime to even everything out, apply the vinyl decals on the ears, and spray a top coat of Testor's Liquid Matte to the whole helmet.

My next update will be the project completion photos!

~N

Boba Fett's Empire Strikes Back Helmet, Part 3

It's been so humid here in New England, that I haven't had many days to paint.  The good news is that I've finished the cheekbones and both ears!

The paint scheme for the cheekbones was: Primer, Rusto Aluminum (layer of damage with liquid mask), Rusto Anodized Bronze misted with black, (layer of damage with liquid mask), and a top coat of black.

The paint scheme for the right ear (with the antenna) was: Primer, Rusto Aluminum, (layer of damage with liquid mask), Rusto Anodized Bronze, (layer of damage with liquid mask), and a top coat of Rusto Putty.  There are decals that go on this ear that I will apply before the final clear coat.  I'm also still working on the antenna.

The paint scheme for the left ear was: Primer, Rusto Heritage Red, (layer of damage with liquid mask), Rusto Almond, (layer of damage with liquid mask), and a top coat of Rusto Sage Green misted with Rusto Spruce Green.  The green used on this ear is not the same shade as the green of the dome and cheeks, so I tried to capture that subtle difference.

The paint is still shiny right now, as I can only get certain colors of paint in gloss or semi-gloss, but in the end there will be a clear coat of Testor's Matte finish so that everything becomes flat.

Next up, the red areas of the visor!

In other news, it looks like the final project photos of the Return of the Jedi armor will happen in the near future.  My brother will be donning the armor for the shoot, and I'll be behind the camera.  Can't wait!

~N

Boba Fett's Empire Strikes Back helmet - Part 2

I decided the next sections to paint would be the dome and cheeks.  So I added a layer of liquid mask in those areas where the silver should show through, and then I sprayed a layer of Rusto Anodized Aluminum with a mist of black.  When it dried, and I removed the liquid mask, we end up with this:

Once more, I added a layer of liquid mask for the places where the silver and gray should show thorugh. There is no Rustoleum paint that is an exact match for the green topcoat. That meant I had to blend a couple of different colors.  After some tests, I decided on a base coat of Rusto Spruce, with a mist of Rusto Oregano.

Before I removed the liquid mask, I dry brushed a little bit of black grime on the dent in the dome and the edge of the cheeks with Testors Flat Black... (You can see my Return of the Jedi helmet in the back there.  I used it for reference while trying to get the green tone just right. The RotJ helmet is a slightly lighter green.)

Then I removed the liquid mask and dry brushed some more grime with the black. Just a smudge here and there. Finally, I used a screwdriver to add some random scratches...

You'll note the helmet is pretty shiny -- I'm going to coat the whole thing with Testors Matte Dullcoat at the end so everything is flat, even, and not reflective.

While I had the masking tape on the non-green areas, I thought I'd go ahead and add the kill stripes on the side of the helmet.  I decided to spray these on. (Some people use vinyl decals, others hand brush them on.  The original prop seems to have been sprayed.)  So I made a complicated and infuriating mask with tape, and then sprayed it with Valspar Hubbel House Golden Maize, (there's a mouthful for you.) Towards the back of the helmet, the kill stripes become a little orange, so I misted back there with Valspar LaFonda Copper.

Once all the tape was removed, and a little more grime added, we end up with this!

More soon!

~N