Mandalorian Paintjob

When The Man Comes Around

2004-08-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Well I know your thinking to yourself, When the hell is this guy going to update this damned thing? Well tonights the night! LOL
Since we last chatted, alot has presented itself and I have been quite busy. A friend of mine from the 501st Garrison, Mr. Fett has been working on a project that he is getting ready for Dragon Con. He has 3 Predator Heads that he is working on for his Predator Costumes. He and Cutest Sandgirl are going to be going as a couple Predators at the Con. So anyway, he asked me if I knew if there was aything that I could use to paint these predator dreddlocks with cause he purchased them from a guy in Canada and they are all white. I told him that we could figure something out and I could possibly airbrush them with liquid latex and acrylic paint. He was happy with the idea so I went to find my old supplier of latex and found that they didn't exist anymore! Oh No! So I looked around and found a place right around the corner from my house. Small world! Even smaller when I found out there is a guy that lives about a half hour from my place that does unbelievably high end statues and stuff! I am talking high high screen quality stuff. I was able to acquire his number and gave him a call. Needless to say, we hit it off well and he asked me and Mr Fett over to talk about the dredds. Here is his collection of statues and stuff he has made:
Bobby C's Remarkable Collection
Well, Mr. Fett and I were completely Blown away when we saw his collection. He gave us some advice and some latex that we could dip the dredds in. The 2 of us spent the better half of a Sunday dipping dredds and hanging them in my garage on 6 clothes lines. 175 dredds in all! Looked like a wierd hunting party that went snake hunting! LOL

So anyway, back to my helmet progress. I finally bondo'ed the keyslot detail in tonight and I will sand it tomorrow so it is ready for the painting! I will be sure to take new pics so you all can see! :~)

Oh and here is me as the Tuscan Raider for Hejira:

E2K13 and his Terrified Twins

The Fear Subsides

2004-08-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally went ahead and cut out the key slots in the rear of the helmet. It was taxing on me cause I have never done a repair to this degree before. I meticulously carved out the area with the ole dremmel and sanded the new piece to fit in the area. It matches up quite well actually. I need to bondo it in and sand it out and then the big day will arrive!
Paint Job time!
I got permission to pick myself up a compressor for the airbrush so Now I can be confident that the paint job will look as I want it to. I will be able to do other projects with the airbrush as well so it will be a great investment. I will post pictures of the key slot detail as soon as I can.

Tonight I am going to be costumed as a Tuscan Raider for a canned food drive at a Lazer Tag event. Some members of the 501st Garrison have invited me along. I really can't wait to get this suit finished so I can troop in my own costume!

The Long Road Out Of Hell

2004-07-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it has been a long time since I updated this bugger but a lot has been going on. First things first.
-I just received my replacement key slot detail from Marrow_Sun the other day. I know a lot of you are thinking, "Hey! What took that guy so long to get it to Eddie?". In Marrow's defense, I inquired about a week and a half ago as to the whereabouts of the illusive keyslot detail. Ironically, he had received the package back from the postal service that same day. It was all torn up and had been damaged in a postal sorter. He showed me the pictures. It wasn't pretty. Anyway, Marrow and his exceptional customer service sent me a message that stated that he had sent me a new one plus a little something extra for all the trouble. When the package arrived I was very excited to see that the key slots had been already trimmed out and he also included a resin copy of the guts to an MQ-1 calculator that was behind the key slot detail on the original helmets from the movies. So now I will be able to make the bucket look even more screen accurate! Marrow, if you are reading this....Thank You again!

-In the meantime, I have been working on getting other parts of the costume together while I was waiting. I hunted down the girth belt that goes around Boba's waist under his ammo belt. It is an English Mohair Girth that they would use for the under side of a horse to help secure the saddle. They just so happened to have them at a local pet store that caters to horse owners. I read on a few threads at The Dented Helmet that they couldn't get the girth belts to hold dye. I have done a bit of fabric dying in the past and inquired a few different places. Needless to say, I was able to get the girth dyed after I picked it up. I had to dye it a couple different colors to get the correct hue I wanted but I think I have my formula down pat now. I already have orders from about 4 people that also want new girths in the correct color. A couple of them I am just going to trade one of their things for one of my girths. So far I have an ammo belt and a cape lined up so I am happy.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings for one evening. Keep your eye on the blog for updates coming more regularly now! :D

Pictures Finally Taken

2004-06-15T19:00:00.000-07:00

Marrow_Sun gratiously took the opportunity to look at my blog to see how the progress was going and sent me a PM on The Dented Helmet to let me know that he had a clean resin cast of the key slot area that I could have to remedy the situation. He said it was a cleaner cast then the one on the helmet itself. All I have to do is carve out the area and plug in the new one and bondo around it to seal it in. Sounds easy enough so I told him to go ahead and send it out. Talk about customer service! I am really happy I bought the bucket from him!
Anyway, I have a few new pics that I took showing the areas that needed attention and the key slot area that needs some help.

Bondo Left Side

Bondo Right Side

Bondo Right Ear

Visor Bubbles

Key Slot Crack

Bottom Key Slot Crack

Bondo Key Slot Reinforcement

Key Slots From Hell!

2004-06-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well I decided to tackle the keyslots finally as well as getting the chance to do some Bondo work. It was alot easier then I had originally anticipated but the key slots have shown themselves to be a definate chore.
I built up the earpieces in bondo as well as the seam along the top of the bucket. Then I filled in some of the bubbles in the T-Visor area. I applied Bondo to the crack in the keyslot area too.
I took some time and sanded the areas a bit before drilling my piolet holes for the key slots.
That crack proved to be much worse then I had thought. Its hairline fracture was running through the corner between the 1st and 2nd from the top. I no sooner then had the key slots filed out with my hobbie files then I felt the fracture give a little.
Oh it was definately cracked enough that it needed a little reinforcement. I went to work by mixing up some more Bondo and reinforced the entire key slot area from the inside. I am going to let it cure till tomorrow and then sand it a bit to make it smooth and do a little touch up filing to make it look good again. I will update the photo section tomorrow after I take some progress pics. Hopefully I was able to remedy what could have been a disaster! LOL

T-Visor Finally Shaped

2004-06-11T17:39:00.000-07:00

Well, last night I was able to work on shaping the T-Visor to the shape I want it to be. Now it is about 1/8th inch all around the inside. I took some new pictures and even one from the inside looking out. I know I am crazy but what the hell, it's just the way I am! LOL The next big project that lies in front of me is the crack in the key slot area. I want to carve out the key slots but need to strengthen the integrity of the area surrounding before I begin. I will bondo the helmet first, then sand it down good and work on the key slots. I know they will be a pain but have confidence that it will go smooth. Let me know what you think so far!
Thanks!

The Bucket Pics!

Progress!

2004-06-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally updating this thing. Things have been crazy in the E2 household here. We have had alot of company this past few weeks. When I began this Blog, I had already begun to receive my house guests. My parents came as well as my sister, nephew, grand-niece and my sisters 2 rat terriers. It has been hectic but fun to say the least. My sister and her family has left to go back to TX and my parents will be here till June 20th or so. I have friends coming in from out of state on the 17th of June and as soon as they leave, my cousin and his wife will be staying with us for about a wek or so! I feel so honored to receive this much company in 1 year! LOL

Anyway, enough about that and lets talk about the bucket! LOL
I spent a couple days taking my time sanding and shaping out the T-Visor area. It is still a little too thick as compared to the ESB Boba helmet so I think I am going to take it down to the desirable 1/8th inch thickness that the prop builders have been generally taking it down to. Things are looking good though. After I have everything sanded to the desired shape I want then it will be time for the bondo. Now I don't know how many of you have ever worked with Bondo but that stuff is pretty potent so I will be doing that application outside! LOL
Here is the progress so far!

Eddie's Bucket

It Begins Here!

2004-05-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hello and Welcome to the first post of my illustrius Blog which will detail my trials and tribulations of putting together a Boba Fett Costume for Celebrations 3 next year. I am going to work from top to bottom pretty much. It took me a long time to find the right helmet to begin with.
There are many helmets on the market to chose from. I wanted to get the best helmet that was closest to the original that I could come within my price range. Now I am a father of twin sons so I have to use my bartering skills to get me to the price I need to complete my goal. I ultimately ended up going with a helmet made by a gentleman by the name of Marrow_Sun. His attention to detail is very precise and exactly what I wanted. I have seen his helmets go on eBay for upwards of $400 unpainted. They are fiberglass and gelcoated.
I decided to contact Marrow directly to see if he would work with me and to my joy, he was very nice and willing to help out a fan! Without revealing my price I will say I got the good discount that I prayed for. He just E-mailed me yesterday morning that my helmet has shipped! So it should arrive here in about 2 weeks. As soon as the Helmet arrives, I will be sure to post pics up so everyone can see but untill then, the wait is on!