Building The Death Star - PRODUCTION

[TheRealMcFly]

Also would like to see all paint. This has been and continues to be one of my favorite threads on the forum. Truly an inspiration.

Have you considered the effect might have been accomplished with a damaged/cloged airbrush? It has been a while for me, but I can recall putting one back together with a bent needle tip (unintentionally) and not liking my splattered finish.

 

[PHArchivist]

Have you considered the effect might have been accomplished with a damaged/cloged airbrush? It has been a while for me, but I can recall putting one back together with a bent needle tip (unintentionally) and not liking my splattered finish.

Yup... Very possible. I've considered trying to intentionally damage the emitter nozzle of a rattle can to gain the same effect. Jam a tiny bit of plastic in the opening - something like that.

 

[PHArchivist]

Rob, best advise I can give ya is, don't over think what you're doing when you start to apply the speckling. Don't concern yourself with details, just get the pattern on the entire part you're working on, then stand back, compare to pics and adjust lighter or darker. Keep it simple and I know you will love the eventual outcome.

Dave

Dave, outstanding point. Over the past few years I've heartily adopted the concept of crafting. That is (in my opinion) starting large and general, and finessing the details as you go along.

My mental approach to this as I've been thinking (and over-thinking!) about it has been more so the opposite - trying to figure a method to nail it out of the starting blocks. But I agree - I need to just jump in, start with what I propose to do (the best method I've derived to this date) and go for it. If it ain't quite right, I can tweak, modify, and adjust as I go along.

I think that concept is pretty evident here in this shot. Looks like they started with large, very general blocking, and worked in down from there...

 

[vaderdarth]

Wow, you are right sir, that is a very telling photo, thanks for sharing it. Looks like they intentionally went lighter in some panels than others as evident in the bottom globe in that pic. It really does give it such a fantastic dimension doesn't it?

 

[PHArchivist]

Well gents... I sort of kept my word and sort of didn't.

Busy weekend. No actual painting results to show.

BUT I did start masking off the first area I intend to paint.

The images below represent about two to three hours of work. Though there was quite a bit of getting my bearings, getting into the grove of what I was doing, and general "set up" to go forward with the process. The area just under the dish was harder than I thought.

 

[vaderdarth]

lookin good!!!

 

[PHArchivist]

Hey Rob,
Talked with the wife and either one should work for me. Go ahead call me anytime.

Brad

Looks like focus may be on 9/26/09, Brad. My folks want to come see my kids play soccer on the 3rd (of October).

 

[Falk]

... I did start masking off the first area I intend to paint.

The images below represent about two to three hours of work...

Great work so far, follow this thread daily.

Please pardon my ignorance, but wouldn't it be easier to paint the city pattern all over it first and then masking the larger areas afterwards (thus leaving the plain stripes in-between uncovered for the light grey paint)?

This way the odds are better you'd get a consistent speckled surface overall as well.

Just an idea, don't know how this matches the layers on the ILM DS (if observable at all)...

 

[PHArchivist]

wouldn't it be easier to paint the city pattern all over it first and then masking the larger areas afterwards (thus leaving the plain stripes in-between uncovered for the light grey paint)?

I've gone back and forth on that all along, weighing the pros and cons of each method - speckle first, or base grey first. Its complicated enoguh that the difference isn't great.

I've tried to "get into the heads" of the original model makers, and deduce what method they may have used. Its possible the speckle was laid down first, but the incomplete areas of the original in Seattle make it appear otherwise (that the base coat - at least the silver base - was first).

Thanks for the compliments!

 

[Gary Weaver II]

I'd wager the base was laid down first and the speckle was then added or enhanced because the base coats didn't give enough texture under lighting.

Is there any difference in the edges that would indicate a possible re-masking and splattering after the base coat was put down?

-Gary

 

[PHArchivist]

I'd wager the base was laid down first and the speckle was then added or enhanced because the base coats didn't give enough texture under lighting.

Is there any difference in the edges that would indicate a possible re-masking and splattering after the base coat was put down?

-Gary

There is indication of some mask lines or other "edging" on the original, but it is not consistent with the "cityscapes". The edging between the cityscapes and the base coat really show no edges or relief. Most of the relief is evident in the latitude bands between the cityscapes.

 

[PHArchivist]

These shots show what I'm referring to, Gary..

 

[PHArchivist]

Little bit more masking tonight, but nothing really worth showing. I'm not s-l-o-w... Just had kids soccer practice this afternoon.

 

[sapper36]

Dude - Wait till you get to drilling the windows! I've got my 6" Deathstar painted & about 1/6 of the surface windowed. That part really drags, but it looks awesome from one angle when lit up!

 

[PHArchivist]

Dude - Wait till you get to drilling the windows! I've got my 6" Deathstar painted & about 1/6 of the surface windowed. That part really drags, but it looks awesome from one angle when lit up!

Yeah - I did a 9" off-the-shelf model and drilled (all the way through the plastic) 10,000 holes. Yes, I counted them!

On the big one, I'm looking forward to not having to go all the way through. Just getting through the paint should be a touch faster.

More masking tonight, and possibly some spraying. Maybe.

 

[vaderdarth]

don't be afraid Rob, "you can do it!!!!!!!!!"

 

[PHArchivist]

Dave, since I'm literally on the verge of spraying, let me ask - in the shots above, does it look to you like a base of solid grey (for the cityscapes themselves, not in between) with an overlay of black and white speckle? Or do you think its all speckling with no true solid base coat?

I think on mine, the darker grey of the cityscape will be a more or less solid coat, with the black and white speckling laid on top.

 

[vaderdarth]

looks like just speckling added to my eyes. I see way too much of the actual DS basecoat showing thru in too many shots. I think they just went blacker on the darker ones and whiter on the lighter ones.

 

[PHArchivist]

Its tough to tell.

The shot showing the left of the dish looks like speckling over the main light grey bas coat.

The shot showing the area under the dish and to the right of the dish look like the speckling is over a darker grey base coat.

I'll have to look at the shots more closely and experiment more.

And do what works for me to acheive the proper look, versus trying to figure out how they did it.

 

[vaderdarth]

Exactly. experiment offsite.......do it both ways, darker gray with speckling over it, then just alter the amount of black on another sample over the basecoat. Choose the one you like most.