Boba Fett Helmet - Weathering

If you plan on removing the visor and installing a new one, do so now.

With a medium grit piece of sandpaper, lightly rough up the outside so the primer will adhere to the helmet.

You'll also need to fill in the copyright information on the backside of the helmet. Wal-Mart carries Bondo Glazing Putty in a red tube in the automotive section. We highly recommend this product!

After the putty has cured, lightly sand it until the edges are smooth. Repeat if necessary.

Since the helmet is made of vinyl, regular spray paint may not cure unless you use primer first. The paint will have a "tacky" feel to it.

Spray the entire helmet with sandable primer. Use an automotive gap filling, sandable primer. These tend to work the best and are available at any auto parts store and in the automotive section of Wal-Mart.

After the primer dries, spray 2 to 3 coats of silver or aluminum colored paint. Allow as much time as you can for the coats to dry.

Next, apply random shapes of either masking tape or Liquid Mask to the helmet, as shown to the left.

If you're using masking tape, use a hobby knife to cut the tape into jagged patterns.

At this point, you should have already chosen your color scheme. The person doing this helmet is going with a 4 color scheme which includes: silver, taupe, sage and white. Keep laying your masking material over the parts you want to be a different color.

The next few images include more masking, and more painting. For a more realistic weathering effect, spray 2 to 3 coats of each color, before masking and moving on to the next.

When all the major painting is done, go ahead and work on the sides. Remember to mask the entire helmet so you don't get any overspray on what you just worked on.

For the designs on the left and right ears, either contact Richie's Armor, or visit a sign shop to have some custom vinyl emblems made. Do not try painting these details on by hand unless you're a talented artist.