LittleOne

I like it, but... the Cap and Back is what is going to attract the most attention on this one...it has very sharp molding like in the movie... and i have checked they were that sharp...! I am not 100% sure if i like this, because it looks a bit wonky in some areas, i guess more pull and experience will provide them with the ability to have pull without wrinkles. And i guess i am so used to see my helmet and Brian and Dave derivatives that are generations away from the original mold that it makes my opinion a bit biased. I just goes to who you that bumpy cap and backs were not really the standard, from the looks of it, they were pretty clean if you ask me... i guess well have to wait and see what comes out of this. but you can't get more accurate than that...now i want to see the suit..that the biggie!

Finally got my mits on a Hasbro E-11 blaster, these are rare! will have to get a doopidoo kit now... Removed lower T track, drilled holes, will need to get bigger drill bit, removed muzzle, removed lettering with x acto....did a little bit of weathering to make the blaster looked banged up... will see if i can modify the trigger safely, if not i ll leave it has is... After cleaning the rail or whatever it is called..man that took several hours just to do that! all done with model files after i had drilled holes.. still lots to do but super fun!

lol, now i am more confused than ever....

i masked the parts that i had detailed and repainted the whole thing...now hopefully the clean up will go well with no undesirable effect, plus i added a few chips to make it look a little bit weathered....

found this, wonder what it would do to the bucket.... expensive stuff though... ----

from yahoo answers: T-cut is a cutting compound which contains tiny abrasive particles in a creamy solution that effectively finely sands your paint down, but it only removes microscopic layers and dead pigments within the paint. Actually T-Cut is by no means the best product of it's kind anymore, I find on the consumer market now that Auto Glym Paint Restorer works rather well, much better than T-Cut. The professionals use products made by a company called Farecla, which are much better than that available on the shelf at Halfords and the like, Their compound, G3, is just plain awesome, removes more or less all surface defects from paint, but like all of these things, it removes paint, they all do. T-Cut is not a polish like is commonly thought, polish adds layers of wax protection to the paint to make it repel water, and you should use a proper polish after using a cutting compound because it can leave modern water based finishes soft and more easily damaged. But the mark on your car should be easily removed by using a cutting compound and then polish, removed light damage like that from loads of cars using that method. I hate when morons like that rub your car and dissappear without leaving so much as a note, I've seen cars really seriously damaged in car parks by other drivers who then scarper rather rapidly without so much as a backward glance. Good luck anyway, you can give your car a nice treat this weekend!

lol id pay more for shipping than the bottle is worth.... ehehehhe

what do you recommend from canadian tire or wall mart Panda for polish or wax?

Hi all, i know this is just fantasy thinking and far fetched but i sincerely think that the move along helmet might have been the first helmet pulled and assembled for the movie. why am i saying this? well look at all the defects of the helmet ( which makes it great and legendary by the way) the time frame the sandy were made in. the real bad pull around the teeth area the crack in the tube and behind one ear. bad assembly or struggled with assembly... the badly cut ear piece... the weirdly cut eye area... the black grill on the hovi mix tips... all signs point out that this might have been one of the so called mythical "prototype helmet" some people are talking about on the net. i wonder...mmmmmm.....

well i wanted to use Novus, but this seems like a rare thing to find...so does anyone else know a good non destructive alternative to novus that is easy to find?

reason i am asking this is that a lot of people make their bucket super shinny which gives it that hard finish reflective quality that you find in some real helmets...it just makes the helmet look more solid to the eye. I know that the real screen used helmets are somewhat matte looking but some have this shiny look to them too... just wanted tricks and opinions... cheers

Hi all, How did you bring the shine or super glossy look to your helmet? discuss, cheers!

I actually had a extremely good painting night last night…I painted the traps stripes without too much problem. I went to the craft store and bought a line-detailer brush, very little tip and then went home. I used Mike’s stencils and traced where the lines would go, then I used one of those small foam brush thingy painter to make what they call a “maul stick†..yes i know what you are thinking Definition below: Maul stick definition using that piece of wood I let my paint brush glide against the stick which gave me a very good looking straight line. I had to practice a bit before to get the feel of how to do the lines but I was satisfied with the end result after a while and then repeated the process on the helmet. I then let everything dry up and then cleaned out the spills and bleeds that happened and I must say that I am impressed. The lines look straight but it looks like they have an organic feel to them as they are not super precise. I am inclined to say that a similar method may have been used on the helmets when they were made for the rear traps and tears. Using this technique you can achieve very precise lines when you need to. I allowed me to do the lines very quickly and don’t have to worry about nasty bleeds all over Mahl stick video to show you the concept of this. i did not do it exactly like the guy is doing it but the idea was the same... i glided my paintbrush on the side of the handle to make a straight line, the hard part is to keep the width of the line the same when you do them... cheers!

thanks for tip Mike.

makes lot of sense!

you know what panda...you gave me a good trick just there....i may yet use mike's stencil as a placement guide, i.e trace the tubes with a pencil then put some frisket at the top and bottom and then paint away... the frisket is great to stop the bleeding.... impressive. most impressive as one Darth would say...i ll pratice this on a plastic for sale sign, see how it turns out... i ll also test mike's new stencil when they arrive and let you all know... what are your thoughts on star wars helmet.com saying they were silk screened?.... cheers!

my 2 cents: there is good enough and movie accurate but then people raise th bar again and try to go too far... there is no way you will ever get a definitive version of the stormtrooper suit...unless you get your paws on some major cash, have connections and buy a real suit which is probably not gonna happen anyways. its like trying to recreate the eiffel tower the exact same way it was built long ago...you cannot recreate the past...you can only emulate it with the tools of the present... you can't reproduce or clone the suit, you can emulate them but if you set your bar too high yu set yourself for fail....i know i am like that...i will be happy one day if i get a TK number....thats my goal, the rest is just frosting on the cake for me.

trying for ANH....and i swear to god , it's gonna look like an ANH helmet when i am done...

i think the tubestripes were silk screen according to star wars helmets.com the krylon attacks the vinyl if you spray too much on as i have discovered...the trick is too hold the can very far and barely spray it, but you still have to be careful of what on how you paint with your brush... i have looked this up and i have yet to figure out how they would have done this...the tubestripes look too perfect for being painted by hand, if you ask me.... the rest looks hand painted and organic...but the tubestripes have sort sort of trick to them.... right now i have tried at least 20 different tests and nothing is satisfactory.... what i am doing now is this... i am using mikes stencils as position reference for the details and shape of the tears and traps. i bought some airbrush frisket and am cutting away the details....and painting the rear trap lines one by one...it is gonna take a darn long time but it beats having to sand everything over and over... dont wanna dis on Mike's stencils and i think they are great but i also think that i have several problems at the moment. The stencil vinyl is too thick and it is preventing a good seal. Mike is actually sending me another set that are thinner so he can see if i have success or not. I think that the leak happens because of another factor...the krylon itself...it is a porous material even when dried up and not as hard as pure plastic so the humbrol might want to naturally travel against of soft surface if there is any sort of space between the stencil and the helmet. I am also inclined to say that the tac strength may not be strong enough so that the paint leaks under...i know that the frisket i have used is way more sticky. The stencils also are probably way better against a hard surface like the ABS helmets since the stencil adheres directly to the surface. and mike as painted a bunch of them and know how the stencils respond, he may be doing something i am not...but its all part of the game... I think that most people that got away with nice tubestripes with a painted helmet probably airbrush them on. i guess i ll keep on trucking....... cheers!

nice paint job Mark, I agree with a airbrush and experience you can paint almost anything with surgical precision...

Ok guys, i ran another test and the shrinking and deformation of the stencil happens when you apply too much of that matte finish...so if you are gonna do this..go very very easy on the spraying of the stuff. it needs a very thin coat to make the seal.. Unfortunately airbush is not an option for me at this time, i tought about it but the cost and inexperience with the tool with probably go against me again. Humbrol does not offer any enamel in spray which is a bummer cause it would have made my life super easy. but there is way around the problem, i just lack of experience i am sure of that. But i am learning on the go...

they look like vinyl to me, maybe Mike could confirm that...

Hi All, was reading some post here about neckseal and i found out that the stunt neckseal are different than the hero's neckseal..is that true and if so does anyone have any picture example of this? i am surprised at this to be frank but i would like conformation of this please. thanks

would you recommend this as a sealer? -----

awesome painting skills John!