budspencer1971

Hi Guys, i think i am on to something here. Everybody is wondering where those helmets tips or whatever you want to call them come from. A lot of people think they are microphone tips or faucet aerators but after looking and surfing i found some new facts. i think i know what they are.. they look to be check valves parts for plumbing systems. let me explain: i have wondered why the original hovi mix have said hovi mix pa2 well i think i solved the PA2....looks like it stands for plumbing assembly 2 from there i sort of looked at other stuff mainly plumbing stuff i started to see a weird pattern in this theme "Plumbing Valves & Fittings" i started to goolge some more on this to see if i could find other examples and that lead me to check valves in plumbing and fittings. ---------- scroll down a bit a look at the check valves and look at the bottom part..it is very similar to the tip of the hovi mix furthermore, if memory serves me well shepperton studios used to make fish pond out of HDPE. I would not be surprised one bit that they would have used a component of the fish pond to make those tips. think about this for a moment... these tips could not come from something expensive because i believe they had a very low amount of money to give out per helmets. They surely used something that was around them to make the tips and save money...i am sure they did not go out and bought fifty microphones or fifty sounboards just to get the tips or one button on a soundboard plus they needed fifty plus. i am sure it is something they had on site way back then. if i find another good example i ll post what i find.

i was refering more to the tube stripes parts but yes there is a blue color scheme also for those buttons... it was hard to make out because testors does not really offer any good look at that paint online...i guess you have to get some humbrol french blue paint it down on a scrap piece of you armor than paint the testors besides it and then decide but if you already have humbrol that is not an issue... just when you run out of it i guess...

Hi all, Been doing some research on a suitable replacement for Humbrol french blue because it may prove hard to get since it is from the UK i believe. this research is based on internet pictures and not real samples of the paint themselves so this "could be misleading" in all honesty. But Since then i did some research to try to come to a suitable replacement for that particular using testors enamels. I was lucky enough to find a source here that has those enamels and they happened to have a good choice of blue colors on the rack. now i could not get the french blue testors color but i did get these. dark blue 1111 light blue 1108 bright blue 1110 after some research i came to the conclusion that if you cannot get testors french blue, bright blue is the closest you could get to that humbrol french blue color another interesting point is that transparent blue 1257 seems to come even closer to that humbrol french blue. dark blue seems too dark and light blue is too light... the french humbrol seems a shade or so darker than bright blue and transparent blue seems a shade or so darker than humbrol french blue. if you used testors what did you use for your blue?

cool work indeed!

yes that blue is all over the place on starwars helmets.com, sometimes it is sky blue sometimes looks like marine blue sometimes black... hard to make out... french blue seems to be tne concensus here though...

found this on the net once you undertsand how the matching paint system works on the website it will help you a lot. ------

when the weather will be good which is months away sadly, i ll run some tests with the paint that i got. to see the results and keep you posted at that time. did you try to ever recreate the move along helmet Jesse?

well i kinda lucked out as a hobby shop guy told me to go to another place after he showed me what he had... i went to a local Michael's which is a craft store...it had a small section for models and lo and behold they had tons of testors enamel paint! i bought the equivalent humbrol testors grey i will need and i ll go get some more and some gloss black. the only thing they are missing is the french blue...they have a blue that is really super close to it tough. if worse comes to shove i ll have to use that. i dont know if this is a canadian only chain of stores, does not look like ite but i hit paydirt with them, got some paint, got some brushes too and they have some krylon paint and tons of other stuff to help you build your buckets.. I did an order on the side from TK4510 just to make sure, just have to wait for the paint now... http://www.michaels.com/

Hi Panda, before i forget, how big is the hole at the intersection? i am puzzled as to what size seems adequate. thanks

nice job... i like the fact that you painted the traps black then put in the grey after instead of the reverse..it make more sense to do it your way if you want to try to keep a consistent thickness of your black lines on your helmet too... i would do a sandy that way too...

here is a link to krylon color palette ----- rustoleum camouflage...watch yourself many camouflage color, seems to be Kaki version ------

thank you sir!

Correct me if i am wrong counted the stripes on star wars helmets.com even tough i think there was a standard to the numbers. ANH helmets only: looking towards helmet means holding the helmet in front of you and looking straight at it...but if you would paint right cheek turn look cheek and left cheek turns right cheeks... set for stun Dave M helmet looking towards helmet ---------- 15 left cheek------------- 16 right cheek Brian R helmet looking towards helmet ---------- 9 left cheek ?----------- 11 right cheek move along helmet looking towards helmet ----------- 13 left cheek------------ 16 right cheek stop that ship looking towards helmet ----------- 13 left cheek ---------- 13 right cheek Hero ---------- 11 left cheek ----------- 12 right cheek mister no stripes --------- 0 left cheek ---------- 0 right cheek

Hi all, Waiting for my first bucket but i wanna try to reproduce an authentic helmet and that means going the extra mile to make it look like it was built from HDPE. I was looking at the helmets on star wars.com and looking at the HDPE color under the helmets. Today i went to canadian tire to buy some color to paint my helmet when i get it. I got some Krylon white primer and some Krylon white gloss but also as i was looking for the colors i needed i saw this can of color that looked a lot like the HDPE color form the photos i saw. I bought a can of Krylon "Greek stone" that is the name on the can...unfortunately it is gloss but as TK4510 said they are less glossy than rustoleom according to him. I was planning on putting some primer on then some of that greek stone color on...mask with latex the parts that have been chipped and then put on a few coats of white gloss. Not being too much experienced with this i was wondering if this would turn out good or not? i know that i would probably have to put on several coats of krylon white to make the underneat color disappear but i don't want to end up with a ton of paint that may crack.. your thoughts? maybe forget the primer altogether and paint it green then white..or do as i said above... thanks again guys!

Hi Guys, just wondering if there is aa way to get latex to make armor parts, especially the handguards... brands and place to look for would be appreciated... i live in canada in an igloo like luke lived in one too woohoo!

wish i knew where that little important part came from....

I should get an ATA kit soon and i was wondering what kind of paint i should put on the hovi mic... it looks to have a spray painted look. any tips on how i should do that part? thanks a bunch!

yes, it is one of those small details i guess...i never noticed this until i started to want to build my bucket and later my armor, all kinds of odd little details everywhere..it is super fun to hunt for those details and try to reproduce them...

i ll see if i can get some humbrol to me...dont really want to have to have to do 3 steps in order to have the look of one step...

HI all, I was looking at some photos on star wars helmet.com and counting the stripes on different helmets and the numbers are all over the place.\ i wonder if there is an official number for the amount that the helmetss should have....

my main problem is getting some humbrol paint in canada...i heard that any solvent based product may not get thru, i would order from tk4510 but i dont want them to be seied at customs..i an trying to find an alternative...testors enamels seems to be a good choice but they are hard to find as hell...

i should have mentionned to make the details like the tears, frown and traps... seems enamel paint are a no no to import here...

Hi all, Seems that enamel paint is very hard to find and acrylic is easy...can some tell me how it would affect the build? thanks

Hi all, I know this may end up in a one way debate but i am just curious to see if some people actually used an aibrush to paint the traps and tears and frown on their helmets? i know it must have been done with brushes at the time but wondering if an airbrush would help spray the paint better and avoid any paint rundowns... what do you think?

i think ill try to find a profiler gauge , take some measurements from the front of the rear and then the back of the rear of each ear and then reproduce this on each rear. there must be a gap but i saw a guy here i believe that had overdone it which was sad for him...just want to avoid that. peace