HipHop Trooper Custom Mini Vinyl Helmet

I decided to finally customize a Star Wars mini vinyl Stormtrooper helmet I bought a while back. When the time came to decide what to do with it, it was a no-brainer. I wanted to make a HipHop Trooper version. With the new vinyl cutter, I figured some of the harder parts (lettering and logos) would be a little easier than trying to hand paint.

I painted the entire helmet gloss red with a rattle can. I decided not to mask off any areas as the majority of the project was red. (This caused a few issues later.)

 

I was excited to try out the vinyl letters and stripes so I placed them next. In retrospect, those should have gone last. Although I didn't have any issues with them for the rest of the project, I did have to take extra care not to get them dirty or damage them as I worked on the rest of the areas. If I were to do this again, I'd definitely wait til later in the process to apply.

Once the majority of the vinyl decals were applied, I tackled the black areas. I hand-painted the brow, eye lenses, and mic/breather areas with flat black. I had the intention of clear coating the entire piece, but ended up really liking the contrast with the flat and gloss so I left the matte areas alone. Next came the gold accents. This is where painting on gloss posed some problems. I should have hand primed the areas with a flat yellow to give it more tooth. It still turned out fine, but took more effort than it needed.

I thought I was done, then realized I was missing a stripe on the helmet. HipHop Trooper has a few different sets of armor. I was using the original Adidas set as reference, but used a Champion helmet for one reference photo. That set has only two stripes as opposed to three for the Adidas set (naturally). After adding the third stripe, all that was left was a quick photoshoot before sending it off the People's Cosplay Champ.

HipHop Trooper is one of the nicest people you'll meet. Look for him at your favorite conventions and tell him NOPAL sent you. If you want more info, give him a follow on Instagram or check out his site.

Star Wars X AZTECA: Part TWO

When I posted the STAR WARS x AZTECA design on Instagram, I mentioned that I eventually wanted to get one laser engraved in wood. Very quickly I received a DM from 2ndwnd expressing that they could do the job. After we traded some emails, it became clear they could do the job - and boy were they right. They created three 12 inch prototypes laser engraved in Baltic birch that captured all the detail in the original design.

Of course, having seen the 12 inch version, I wondered how a larger one would look. Again, 2ndwnd delivered with an amazing 2 foot version that has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality woodwork. And for kicks, I had them engrave a plexiglass master with the intent of casting a few to simulate stone or metal. That piece by itself is beautiful.

I now have a prototype of antique "metal" that was hand finished using successive layers of my favorite metallizer, Rub n Buff. The finished piece looks like it was just unearthed from an archaeological dig.

Can't wait to try out a faux stone finish on another prototype. Stay tuned.

The RockeTrooper custom vinyl

Sharing an equal love for Disney's The Rocketeer and Star Wars... it was inevitable that the two would meet someday in a mashup of some sort. A friend had shown me a tiny custom-made mashup helmet for sale, and while immensely cool, it lacked the side intakes that make the Rocketeer so unique. Once Disney released the Design A Vinyl Stormtrooper DIY kit, I knew what I had to do.

The first step was the signature fin. A thin strip of basswood proved to be solid enough while still allowing for easy cutting. The template was created by shooting a profile photo and importing that into Abobe Illustrator.

The next step was the intakes. I glued down some foil tubes to give the Sculpey something to adhere to. I used the smoother (and softer) white Sculpey. If I had to do it again, I think I'd stick with the classic (flesh-colored) version. It's stiffer and would probably hold the detail better. Lesson learned.

Once the intakes were done they were "fired" with a heat gun. The fin was then attached with Gorilla Glue. That set for a few days.

With the fin and intakes assembled and dry, I added some more Sculpey for the "weld lines." These came out a bit more coarse than I wanted but again, I blame the softer Sculpey. 

After that, all that was left was paint. A base coat of Bright Gold and then a wash of Burn Umber to get into all the nooks and crannies. I then went to my favorite trick for metallic finishes - Rub n Buff. A rough coat of Spanish Copper to give it a dirty look and then a coat of Antique Gold. Then some buffing and voila! The RockeTrooper.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Stormtrooper helmet

A project that I've been waiting for a few months has finally shown up. Oz from theRPF has hand-crafted an Episode VII Stormtrooper helmet and it looks awesome. As a reminder, he's the one who made the Rocketeer helmet and the Supernatural Colt kits. I'll be updating progress here on the finishing, but I can see it's going to take a lot of patience to make it look good. Stay tuned.

The Boombox Collection

Happy New Year! A while back I had the idea to turn a Stormtrooper bucket into a boombox. The result was the illustration below. It has since been turned into a well received t-shirt design. But that got me thinking about other Star Wars boomboxes. In addition to the Stormtrooper and Boba Fett Boombox sticker designs, I finally finished the X-Wing and Rebel Hoth Boombox designs. Not to be left out, I created the Star-Lord Boombox design. With music such a huge part of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, it seemed a natural mashup. Look for the X-Wing, Rebel Hoth, and Star-Lord designs in the shop soon.

Stormtrooper Boombox Tee

Just added to the shop is something a little different. The Stormtrooper Boombox is the first in a new line of NOPALArt apparel. Inspired by my two loves - Stormtroopers and music. Get them before they're gone.

Stormtrooper Boombox v2.0

Sketch vs Illustration

Stormtrooper Boombox v2.0

A while back I had an idea for a Stormtrooper Boombox illustration. Initially, it was more stylized and cartoony, but I wanted to change the angle (to be front facing) and make it more traditional looking. There are still parts of the old one that I like better - namely, the speaker/mics. I may still do another version of this one with those larger speakers. Hope you enjoy.

Sketch

Stormtrooper Boombox v1.0

Seiko Commemorative Star Wars Watches

Crave posted about these new Star Wars commemorative watches by Seiko. So far, they are only available in Japan and will run you upwards of a grand a piece. The biggest difference with these watches is the subtly in the design. Other than the logo on the face, the character branding is done on the back side of the watch. This leaves a very elegant design that still feels like Darth Vader would wear it. My favorite is the Stormtrooper version. Finally, a licensee who gets it. Check them all out on Amazon Japan's page.

Goodnight Forest Moon – pure awesomeness

The folks at Dzign Space have modernized “Goodnight Moon” with a Star Wars twist. Even better, they provide instructions on how to make your very own book. Check put “Goodnight Forest Moon” for yourself.

You gotta love Star Wars fans

Star Wars fans have a deep devotion to the SW universe and no where is that more apparent than with this site – Hot Chicks with Stormtroopers. The pictures range from the amazing to the bizarre. Have a look for yourself.

www.hotchickswithstormtroopers.com