BACK from California!

*UPDATE!* The video has been posted!


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I had a blast working on this. On top of being Threepio, I ended up doing some last minute background and matte painting work for Jabba's palace and the interior of the Millenium Falcon.
The R2-D2 and Wall-E both belong to Micheal McMaster. He was great fun. Threepio's voice was done in post by the most excellent Chris Bartlett.









Just back from California, here's a little bit about my trip and some comments regarding the storage totes I purchased for the trip.

Here's some rambly video about the trip and some new neck/neck bolt mods I did just before leaving.



Quick video of the shooting location at Red Rock Canyon state park in California.



Some photos from the trip, (I'll add more as I get them)




At the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California


Standing in C-3PO's footprints in front of the famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California.






Showing the storage containers I purchased





First storage tote I purchased, the Stanley 37 in. Mobile Job Box

This box is really nice. The construction and materials are good and strong. The wheels and handle work great and the latches and lock are a nice touch. Plus, the whole suit can fit inside. Biggest problem is that it's WAY too big to get on the plane without paying a huge fee for over-size luggage.

This can be purchased at the link below.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202300294?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=stanley+tool&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=202300294#specifications




What I ended up using, the Centrex Plastics, LLC 2-Piece Plastic Rolling Cargo Trunk

The size of this box was just right, maybe even slight too snug BUT fit what I needed and I wasn't charged for an over-sized container when taking this on the plane.
The construction wasn't horrible but it's not nearly as nice as the Stanley tool chest I initially purchased. The wheels and handle feel really cheap and the plastic shell doesn't have much structural reinforcement along the sides. Overall, it did the trick and I'll continue to use it but will remain on the lookout for something nicer.

This can be purchased at the link below.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_306966-61896-306966_0__?productId=4487914&Ntt=tote&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dtote&facetInfo=




This is the storage bin I think I would like to own, the Stanley 24 Gal. Mobile Chest


This one has the perfect blend between the two. It has many of the same features and construction I liked on the 37" box has but a size closer to the 25 gallon box. I looked for one of these but couldn't find one before the trip.
There is a store called Skycraft here in Florida that sells VERY good quality, used flight cases for around $50. If I can find one with similar dimensions, I'll pick one up, if not, I'll keep looking for this one.

This can be purchased at the link below.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203710098?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=stanley+tool&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=203710098#specifications

Going to California!

I meant to post this before I left but forgot. SO, here it is! New post to come in about 2 hours.  ;)

In this vid I do a quick upgrade on my finger setup and a add gold squares to the palms of the hands using a really cheap method.

Where Science Meets Imagination at the OSC

BACK!
This post: Orlando Science Center and a few updates...



Sorry for speaking so quietly. I made this video in the early hours of the morning and didn't want to wake the family.

A few photos from my first troop event at the OSC























Getting better at packing the droid with each event....


Everything fits into this box except the arms. (and my tool box of extra goodies)


I've been using one of my skateboards to roll the whole setup to and from the car. Works great. Eventually I'll get a proper folding cart...


New helmet progress update...
These are two resin cast faces from my mold.
Left is straight from the mold, untouched copy.
As a test, the one on the right (also worn to the Orlando Science Center in the photos above) has the lip added, similar to the prequel trilogy helmets. I used exact measurements off of my other face to sculpt the ring. I like this part of the design and this mod will most likely make it into the GT Props kit along with neck tabs that match the newer style helmets.


Mated to the back of my Starbuckcylon fiberglass head. The opening slightly squeezes the face making it appear slightly narrower. This will be my temporary setup until I finish the new back half.
 


The existing rear half I'm working from is really beat-up...



...but has some great detail that even the later screen-used helmets lack. This makes me believe it was cast from a fairly early version of the helmet, ESB or ANH...




Head was silvered (new version on the right)
The Zorg eyes (used in the photo above) are slightly too small in diameter (notice the slight gap) and about %30 deeper than the actual eye sockets in the mask. I trust that the mask is screen accurate, new, custom eyes have been 3d modeled and printed


They almost perfectly match the screen used eyes in the photos below..





Compare this to the shape of the Zorg sized eyes and there's a big difference in depth.



The size is PERFECT for the new helmet...


Molds of the new eyes are being made now to go along with the kit....
First half of the silicone is curing as I type this....

METAL!!!

OK, finally started the metal tutorial!!!


















It's going to be a multi-part process and I'll be keeping all the parts here.
Once it's done, I'll edit out all the excess rambling, amend anything I missed and combine the videos into one long vid.

Ready to get started?!

NOTE! before starting, if you plan on doing gold, I'll be showing a few other techniques not recorded yet. One of the techniques may require one of these earlier steps to be altered... I'll be sure to make a note as soon as I figure it out.


PART 1


 PART 2
 

 PART 3

HAD A BLAST AT CVI!!!

Back from Star Wars Celebration VI,





LONG video update.

The looks on kids faces were amazing.



Ran into a few friends...









Was lucky enough to tag along with TK409's C-3PO for a little bit. He is a master. Quite the learning experience.
 




It's really tricky to get the whole suit assembled, especially with no practice. Had an awesome crew to help me on my first outing and my wife did an amazing job the next day.







Now that I'm back, time to get prepped for the gold!
I wiped some of the weathering off of the chest, chrome still looks like new!
Sorry for the loud hum. The computers in here have loud fans.