EPISODE II CLONE PILOT BUILD

With all of the rain and cold here in town, it's been really tough to get anything done, hobby-wise, during my off-duty time. Kinda Sucks!

Well, I've been kicking on the portable heater in the garage and spray painting helmets in between rain showers, using the heater to cure the paint. This Clone Pilot has been the first helmet I've painted in such cool/damp temperatures...AND it will be my last in such conditions. I made it work, but it was a LOT of work pulling it off.

Anyway, here's some photos of the progress so far. I still need to paint the frown and the yellow top portion of the helmet, along with puting the Republic "Cogs" on the sides.

I'm pretty happy with the results so far. Tonight, I was able to sit in the kitchen, quietly, and use a brush to hand paint all the black areas of the bucket. I'm pleased!








After painting the yellow top and the cogs onto the Clone Pilot, I'll be installing the Visor and the Screen behind the teeth, paining the inside with a black rubberized coating and instlling the padding. Hopefully, by then, the weather will start warming up and I'll be able to get to this....




...and begin painting the battle damaged Empire Strikes Back (ESB) Boba Fett Helmet!

VADER DROPS THE PUCK

Here's a short clip of me (SL-2294) dropping the puck at the Stockton Thunder Hockey Game on 3/19/2011 with The Central California Garrison of the 501st Legion.

STOCKTON THUNDER 501st APPEARANCE

I had the distinct honor of appearing as Darth Vader with the Central California Garrison of the 501st in Stockton, California last night (3/19/2011). It was the 501sts first ever appearance in Stockton...and what a night it was.

The occasion was for the Stockton Thunder Hockey Team's Star Wars night. It was a sell-out crowd. Here's some photos from the event as well as a link to the story on their website.

Stockton Thunder


Vader Drops the Puck


Thunder Team Captain Craig Valette and I after the game


Craig Valette tries on a Stormtrooper Helmet



Craig Valette tries on Chewie and LOVED IT



Here's the Hockey Puck I dropped at the start of the game


Side B of the Hockey Puck


Friends and fellow 501st Members Shawn Sullivan (Chewie) and Darren Wright (Boba)



And here's just a whole bunch of photos from Sean Blair (The Thunder Photographer) who was gracious enough to send me a copy of all the pics! THANKS SEAN!!!!!




















Turns out, Craig Valette is a HUGE Star Wars fan and loved having us at the game. He told us a funny story that he and his wife played the Imperial March at their wedding when they came down the isle! What a fan!

It was a fun night.

IRONMAN PAINT CANS

Really quick update, here's those paints I found at Kragen Auto to paint the Ironman Helmet with.

First up, the Gold:

Sunburst Gold Metalic/Dupli-Color Brand




Second can, Red Pearl/Dupli-Color Brand




I was really happy with how they turned out.

C3PO GETS HIS SIGHT

It took some doing, and I'm glad I'm not building this to wear because it allows me to utilize space inside the helmet for electronics that I wouldn't normally have. I was able to finish up the electronics and paint for the eyes and lenses last night.

First up, I went to Radio Shack and picked up 6 white LED's and 3 resistors ($10.00). Following a schematic I got from L.E.D. Calculator Dot Net, I was able to successfully wire up the 6 lights and get them installed into the eyes.

However, they were INTENSELY bright and I needed to figure out a way to cut back on some of the brightness. So, after a few quick experiments, I discovered a simple piece of yellow construction paper inserted between the lights and the lenses gave it that nice golden glow. Additionally, with the lights off, it still retained some of that gold color.

Here's a few shots. Next up, neck bolts and designing a way to make the two havles of the head stay joined together. Velcro, magnets, something. Not sure yet.

C3P0 PROGRESS

So, when you want a truly realistic C3PO Head or Suit, you take your parts and send them to a company that will Vacuum Metalize them in Gold Color. It produces a HIGHLY reflective surface and is the same process the Star Wars team used back in 1977. However, it's EXTREMELY expensive (around $1000 for a full suit) and that makes it not practical for a display head like what I'm building here.

So, Some highly reflective Gold Spray Paint will have to do.

I think it came out pretty good all things considered. I had to take off all the primer paint that was already on the Head when I received it because it was flaking off. I then sanded everything smooth, re-primered and painted the head. Now, I need to wire up the eyes, finish the lenses and put some black behind the mouth. I've also got some ideas for sound clips since it will be a display head. Stay toooned! :)