Acrylikhan

Check out the pictures in the Gallery. Especially with the snout wall. I think you might have it too thin. If you look at the close up photographs, the snout actually is a 90-degree drop, not sloped. It could be a camera trick with the primer. The snout ridge area was half white and half black. I do like the sharpeness around the lens area... I think you've nailed that pretty well. I forsee a lot of bondo filling rounding of edges. I am looking forward to seeing your progress! On the side note- I know its not screen accurate, but I am really digging the angular feel! Its pretty cool!

I think the set up looks very good. I'm not entirely sure about the exact measurements of the Holdout Pistol, but the proportions look correct. I was helping out a good friend of mine build a scout blaster about three years back, trying to track down some of the "found" items that go into making the original props, and the internet turned up a a few leads! Here's a quick list: 1 - an NTE104 Transistor - We got this from another online tutorial... usually retails for about $10USD - $12USD. (it might be more fun to scratch build this... scrap plastic and wood would be cheaper by far! If you need the exact dimensions, let me know, and I will post them here from the transistor's Data Fact Sheet. 2 - "Single Point Red Dot" scope is mounted to the side with the the Centerings above. It is Manufactured by SinglePoint Great Britain, LTD. It was used on a variety of weapons in the Star Wars Universe. We're stillnot sure about the part number used on the original part. 3 - "Tasco 1" Weaver-Style Rings" Can be bought from midwayusa.com They come in packs of two. I do have an extra pack if you are interested. If you need more help, let me know.

No. I've done four. However, my best one (IMHO) is the first one I did.

Ok, I finally got a chance to sit down with some guys and figured out how to do this chest sculpting form.... I have to revise a few things that I had COMPLETELY for gotten. 1. You can do this form on bare skin. If you do, HEAVY vaseline your skin... otherwise you will know pain. BE WARNED! 2. If you decide to use form fitting t-shirt, duct tape it up first! (forgot that part last time.) The plaster won't stick to the duct tape. 3. It will take more than two layers... maybe four. A box of 12 3 yard x 3" rolls, will probably be completely used. But this is also dependent on your physical size. I am tall, and wide... maybe a box and a half for me? 4. Guess what? You don't cut the plaster!! What you do is you leave a nice gap on one side while you are applying the bandages. That it your exit, and you bridge it together after you get it off your body. You would probably destroy your scissors if you try cutting the cast. Unless, you have one of those cast cutting saws that won't cut skin. 5. The T-shirt with the duct tape on it is the ONLY thing you cut with scissors. And essentially its thrown away after wards. SO the key is to go to the dollar store and get cheap cotton (maybe one size smaller than you need) t-shirts. It nice to have a long long talk with friends over dinner and beers and discussing these things. Ya learn a lot, and find out different ways of doing things. I guess in the meantime (as I wait for work to simmer down), I could start some drawings and re-write this procedure....

I am sorry.

The chest armor planning stages are in the works. Instead of trying to free form sculpt the buck from MDF, I've switched gears at the advice from several entities of my Inner Circle. I will be using plaster bandages to make a sculpting base for the chest and back armor pieces. This way, there will be a lot less guessing, and a little more certainty that I've sculpted the piece to my chest size. The tank should still be progressing with the MDF cut outs I've already made. They will need some serious tweaking to get them screen accurate, and It might be a little bit LONGER to accommodate my orangutan-like features. This will also be a great time to re-do my shoulder bells. They are very inaccurate and need to be much larger. So here's what they look like: I was able to get the rolls in 3 yard lengths. I ordered a box of 12 from a Medical Supply shop. It should be enough to make a hollow cast of my chest. I chose the Fast setting plaster bandages rather than the very fast setting type. Both will still need overnight to fully harden. The procedure is very simple. You will need someone to help out with this, they will be applying the wet plaster bandages to you. Get a tight form fitting t-shirt. You should not have to worry about using vaseline on your chest neck and arms. If you are exceptionally hairy (as nature intended for some of us, it might not be a bad idea to do it for the sake of averting painful tear outs). First step will be to cut some of the bandages down into more manageable lengths... six inches to 1 foot for areas for use around the shoulders and neck, and longer lengths to wrap around the torso proper. Use a cloth tape measure to get some ideas on the lengths you'll need. Stand straight, and don't be afraid to let your gut hang out... try to stand as natural as possible, with your arms at your sides, slightly away from your body so that your helper can apply the plaster bandages onto the t-shirt. Start with the shoulders, outside working your way toward the neck, overlapping sections of bandages as you go... 1/2" to 3/4" overlap should be enough to keep everything secure. Use smaller pieces to get around the neck. After the shoulders and neck are complete, start wrapping down the chest and back overlapping as you go! Keeping it as flush as possible to the body. Depending on how far you want to go, you can probably stop at the end of the t-shirt, or at the navel. This should be good point of reference where all the pieces are lying on your body. It will help with sculpting the correct proportions of the armor. There is NO right or wrong way to apply the bandages, and don't worry about it looking too angled. DO try to get it as smooth and flat to the contour of the body. Make sure the model (you!) doesn't move around too much while the bandages are applyied. I.E. - skip the 64 oz uber-cola, or six pack of beer until AFTER everything is done. I think all you will need to do initially is two layers on the t-shirt, for rigidity. After you are finished, and the bandages have sufficiently hardened... which really isn't long...thirty minutes at the most after the last bandages have been applied. Get a pair of heavy duty scissors, and start cutting from one of the sides. CUT BOTH THE SHIRT AND THE BANDAGES and not skin.... Cut up from the bottom to the arm pit... then cut from the bottom side of the sleeve to the armpit. Next cut from the top side of the sleeve to the neck. Now, your helper should help loosen cast's grip on your skin, and pull you out from the side. After you are free, patch the cut with small strips ASAP! If you'd like, let it set while you clean up and then add another layer of bandages to smooth and strengthen the outer surface. You now have a sculpting form of your own torso! After you let is set overnight... or a couple of days, use rigid expanding foam and pieces of wood/ballast on the interior to reinforce the base. Now obviously, there are MANY ways of accomplishing what I'm planning to do here. I've heard of people using old diving suits that they vaselined up to get the plaster off. I know someone how has a duct-tape vest they made so the plaster doesn't stick to it, and peels right off. There are many many ways to do this. So if you want to try this out, experiment! I will be mostly using bondo and some urethane foams to sculpt the armor parts. After they are complete, I will be sealing them with a special urethane based paint, and then cutting them in half for use on my vac-forming machine. This should help me avoid any weird moisture problems. If water gets trapped under the hot plastic and the buck, you can get weird blisters, and textures. I know this post is more of a heavy read, but once I finish my research I will re-post new information, and DIAGRAMS! I am hoping to start this closer to the end of April. Until then, I have a few other things that need to be completed before this project can be fully resurrected. Of Course, I have modified my vac-forming machine, and I still need to alter the plastic holding rig, and test the new oven. It will be an interesting month I hope. I doubt this will be ready before the July 4th. We'll just have to wait and see. New postings in a week... or sooner. Have a great week everyone!

Good Idea for stashing trooping goodies, and the occasional bottle of water. Nice idea there!

MC also makes them. Also, be sure that you use the kit makers abbreviations, not the real names. Contact Bluecyclone for more information .

I know what you mean... It's always going to be Sears Tower to me too... either that or a great "Diff'rent Strokes" joke. Excellent job! Seriously! How's the fit?

Next, we'll have to get you some CPU cooling fans to keep you cool. Too bad Sears Towers isn't Sears Tower anymore...

Congrats!

The velcro or magnets will keep it in place while troopin'. Good solution!

I'm keeping tuned in!

Nice job!!

Those are indeed 3M bolts. I checked 'em out. GREAT FIND DUDE!!!!

I haven't found any yet. From what I've gathered from my television, which is 1080p (1080 progressive scan (60 frames per second) and my sister's which is 1080i (interlaced (30 frames per second)) using a DVD player that has a dedicated switch to change bewteen the two, I haven't seen very much new detail to write home about. Too much of it looks like retouching, and random at best. My buds in the digital restoration seem to agree. I will ask around and continue to look. Any new information is always a good thing!

Hope is a wonderful thing!

I'm hopeful, but very very doubtful that any new detail will be gleaned from a Blue Ray conversion. Remember, that ROTJ was shot on film. After clean up, and retouching, I'm not sure if we will get any new crisp detail. More than likely, it will be repainted to an approximation.

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!

and you can see your ears a little! great job, keep goin'!

Much better! Had me scared for a minute. I sure hope your using rubber gloves with that epoxy putty!! That can be pretty toxic on your hands. You should be able to "smooth" it while it cures with a gloved finger and a little water. I used to make miniatures with the stuff.

Yes, or at least with all the research I've done, I think this the the closest you can get.Remember it tapers back into the back armor plate. Once you start working on the back pieces, work on the tank at the same time. It will help getting both pieces lookin' right! I think there is a slight angle from the top of the tank as it curves into the back armor. Also the side-riding humps on the sides that taper back too, but at a slightly steeper angle. I can't find the screen cap that has a good shot of it.

The bottom of the snout area is very very flared! you might want to square that up. That should be a good priority once your snout greeblie arrives. The chin looks narrow, but that might be the spring clamps pulling the vinyl inward, or the outward flare at the bottom of the snout area. Do you have the bucket's support wires glued in yet? If you're happy with the bucket's looks in that first picture, get it installed soon. Or at the least, get in tacked in place with some thin super glue at the corners and the middle. It will help if you do have one piece the way you want it, and the remaining ones can be bent to the will of the first one. Then its just a matter of getting the three to look right together. Make sure your looking at your references while your working. It will help! Your getting to a very frustrating stage where you have to get three pieces to work together. Spring clamps are going to be a great friend in the process. Are you planing to trim the sides of the faceplate? You might have to add extra support to the faceplate if you don't, just so the visor sides are flush with the bucket. You're doing great! Keep going. Its going to get better with each step.

I hope this can help you would with the top view silhouette of the tank. (each square on the grid is 1-inch square) As for the height, I would say that for some one about 5-foot 7-inches tall, the tank probably wouldn't be too much over ten inches long. Are custom building your own? Or assembling a kit?

Either that or one of those cheap polyvinyl book bag/gymbag from the 80's. I had one just like it.