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Posted

Hi guys (and girls) - it's been a while since I've posted anything on here. Doesn't mean TKs haven't been part of my nerd life - quite the opposite actually! Those of you who remember me know I'm an accuracy hardliner, always reaching for that one holy grail... the ultimate suit. Not there yet (and it will probably take a good while longer), but with this project finished, I think I've got the helmet pretty much sorted.

 

A little introduction to those who don't know: RS Prop Masters have an ongoing (yet highly limited) run of "green" lids - helmets pulled from khaki PE plastic, a dead-on match to Simon's real lid and an actual vintage new old stock. They initially had plastic for roughly 100 helmets, 60 have been pulled so far. They call it their "SA Edition", SA standing for screen accurate, they all come with a numbered plaque - but I cheated and got the 77 on purpose. Guess I don't need to explain why ;).

 

So obviously, the helmet you are about to see is one of them, which I finished myself to get it as close to a real lid as I possibly could. that obviously includes the full paint job - red primer, white topcoat, all handpainted details, chipping it (no sense in keeping all the green covered up :D) and adding a good bit of weathering to get that brilliantly grimy "used on set" look. 

I also sourced some vintage elastic and added the proper Newey snaps, and the foam star was cut out of some old foam I ripped out of an old armchair - goes perfectly with this kind of bucket I'd say. 

 

Enough of the banter, here is some eye candy for you:

 

First picture I took after I semi-finished it last week on Friday, just prior to leaving for a brilliant nerd weekend in Manchester:

AaViIse.jpg

 

And then a couple more from all sorts of angles, taken this week. You might see some added chips, also notice the neat helmet stand also done by my good friends at RS, goes perfectly with the plaque (and the lid, of course ;))
F0ZpcXC.jpg#

 

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plaque close-up

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Newey goodness!
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Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do! And if anyone is thinking of adding one to their collection: Don't wait too long, when they're gone, they're gone - and they are absolutely worth it!

 

 

  • Like 5
Posted

My goodness that's beautiful!!!!

 

might i ask what technique you used for weathering.... my helmet started chipping naturally but the white paint itself is still so clean and i wanted a more used look, how did you do yours?

 

Well done mate, that thing looks spot on..

Posted

apart from just bumping it against all sorts of edges and corners, I also used actual dirt (how ingenious! :D), some rubber trim and - probably the "main" ingredient - an aquarelle pencil in black. It allows you to make "scratch marks", but it will also smudge with a bit of moisture and leave a "layer" of black/greyish grime on it. You should give it a shot, works quite well for me :)

  • Like 1
Posted

That's brilliant!!!!! Thanks for the tip Dan, cant wait to see a full armor to go with that stunning lid.

 

Cheers..

Posted

You certainly did a lovely job on this one. But you've always made nice helmets in the past so no one should have expected anything less from you. ;)

  • Like 1
Posted

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!! i like the fact you havent gone OTT with the chipping where a lot of replica lids i feel go sooooo wrong it just says STAR WARS 1977 ( or 1976 when it was filmed :jc_doublethumbup: ) ...  oh...did i tell you i love the lid??? :peace:

Posted

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!! i like the fact you havent gone OTT with the chipping where a lot of replica lids i feel go sooooo wrong it just says STAR WARS 1977 ( or 1976 when it was filmed :jc_doublethumbup: ) ... oh...did i tell you i love the lid??? :peace:

Thanks mate! I know what you mean, a lot of the replicas actually look fake, not just because of the amount, but also the shapes of the chips. It is not that hard, just use what we see on the real ones as inspiration, then try to think of places that would chip naturally. All it takes is a little attention to detail I guess :)

 

Oh, I kinda love the lid as well ;)

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...
Posted (edited)

Just a small update (after all, what project is ever actually finished?):
A good while ago, I redid the tube stripes, using a different blue that was suggested by a good friend of mine. I also recently got some of keith's amazing mic tips. The RS one piece cast tips aren't bad, but not quite as nice as the new ones, hence the upgrade. I just installed them and used the chance to take a few more pics:

 

OUlWDMT.jpg

 

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Edited by R2Dan
  • Like 4
Posted (edited)

Sure. I used Duplicolor Aerosol Art RAL 9010 gloss white over Duplicolor metal primer (the only red primer I can find at the DIY store ;))

 

That's the stuff:

eshopprodukty_fotky-252.jpg

Edited by R2Dan
Posted

Damn, that's a beast!! This is just so... perfect. Makes me think that one of those day, people will confound this one with an original and try to sell it for thousands of quid.

 

Is the new blue "Mediterranean Blue"?

Posted

No, it's not. It's a custom mix that matches the tube stripe colour on the hero lid eFX had access to, but I was asked not to share. Sorry.

Posted

[....] It's a custom mix [...] but I was asked not to share. Sorry.

 

Don't worry it's find for me. Your pictures are well lighted and are very helpful to anyone who'd like to make his own mix.

Posted

Looks awesome! Diggin the Falcon in the background!!

Yeah. The Falcon is one of my favourite pieces. Took years to hunt it down (after missing out on the sale just before MR went bust... still can't believe I let that opportunity slip by). It is a true centrepiece!

 

Back to the lid: Thanks for all the praise guys :) Since I'm stuck at home at the moment with not much chance to be productive, I keep staring at my prop stuff, thinking of what could be improved - which is not the worst thing to do, to be honest. With this lid though, I'm pretty confident there's not much more I can do!

Anyway, here's another artsy fartsy, filtered shot of that beauty, just because:

 

XqARKhI.jpg

  • Like 2
  • 8 months later...
Posted

Thanks Juan - it is one of my favourite pieces in my collection. I recently had the chance to take it to Star Wars: Identities and compare it to the stunt helmet on display there. Pretty darn close... probably the closest I will ever get to the real deal.

  • Like 1

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