MonCal 3po progress 6/21: update page 7

[MonCal]

Finally have something to show from a massive amount of work

Vacuum formed .06 ABS head with resin ring / horseshoe and neck bolts.

It's taken some experimentation to get it to turn out right. Still need to do some tweaking on future pulls but they'll just get easier now I just need to finish casting the antenna and make the brass eye sockets and do the plating ... then of course move on to hopefully some easier pieces.

 

[TMP]

Nice work you have there. How did you chrome it.. It looks like spray on.

 

[Studio Stasis]

The gold? That does not look like spray on. That looks plated to me. I would LOVE to know more about how to get a vaccuform like this.

 

[Clutch]

Very nice. I'd be interested in getting a plated one.

 

[MonCal]

That one is gold plated... vacuum-metalized

The lighting is poor too though.

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

That looks very impressive, especially the fact its a vac pull.

Ive spent a huge amount of time in the past trying to get some fiberglass 3po heads vacuum metalised for forum members and its a really tough task to get a quality finish. I documented a section on my site about it

ABS would be a much better material so I'm very keen to hear more.

The head looks really sharp and you seem to have managed to get that undercut where the rear section of the head becomes the front (if you know what I mean)

Cheers

Jez

 

[Great_Bizarro]

How do you get such a deep draw pull on those halves without thinning the plastic?
They look great.

 

[Zebardee]

What about normal metal plating instead of "fanta/-vacu plating" or is that considered to be too expensive?

 

[hyperdyne]

Great job Moncal.

The head was vacuum-metalized and made from ABS. These vac formed heads should allow a much better metalizing. Plus we should have gold and silver versions. :love

Of course this head is directly off an ANH 3p0 suit. Here is the whole suit which is fully vacuum metalized and wearable (built just like the original):

 

[MonCal]

Thanks for the compliments.. It has turned out pretty good so far. It wasn't exactly easy to get it to this point I guarantee that.

As for the draw, I don't really have trouble with that. My machine works great... sometimes too great. I have to choke it down occasionally because it can draw too fast. :eek It does thin the plastic but only by a small amount. The piece is very rigid... tougher than a lot of trooper pieces I've seen

Jez, thanks also. I know you have spent a lot of time working on the 3po and I have read your info and am grateful for what you have documented. The horseshoe / ring piece that the front half "fastens" into is actually resin and it is glued to the inside of the back half and has a lip that covers the edge of the plastic. I have to do some minor filling and sanding to get it perfectly flush.

I'm still researching all the different plating / metalizing options but the vacuum-metalizing seems to work great.

I hope that answers all the questions. Thanks again.

 

[Boba Frett]

Great work MonCal , I wouldn't mind having one myself plated or not

 

[Vincent Manuel]

wow thats awesome

im on the market for a head just like that... do you have a "zorg" head for comparisons ?

 

[Durasteel Corporation]

Great job.


One question though....how did you avoid proportionate problems with the vac pull vs. a fiberglass lay in from an original mold?

Ive seen lots of attempts but nothing as detail accurate as a fiberglass repro layed in a mold off an original.

D

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

Great job MonCal.

I love to have one myself plated or not.

 

[TMP]

When you say Vac Met...
I get a bit confused. How does the ABS stand the heat.
You must reffer to Plastic Chrome were it is put in a chamber and then Vacumemed in Plastic Chrome machinery.
:confused

 

[steveo]

Very impressive, MonCal. You keep amazing me with what you come up with. Keep up the great work.

Steveo

 

[MonCal]

Hey guys,
Thanks all for the compliments....

Steveo, good to see you here

I won't claim to know all the technical aspects but vac-metalizing doesn't get as hot as ABS needs to melt. Now if a piece is too thin, it can distort or even explode for lack of a better term :eek . This just means that pieces need to be prepared that can handle it. The plated head in the pics is true testiment that it does work though And it is very strong. I can flex the plastic and it doesn't crack or chip off like I initially thought. At first I would baby the piece, absolutely terrified that it would chip or flake but after handling it more and more, I have every bit of confidence in it's rigidity.

 

[hyperdyne]

Yeah I second what Cal said. The entire suit is ABS and can stand the heat if set up properly. My original head is really thin ABS and it took the metalization with no problems. Really fragile pieces will basically self destruct, so you have to maintain some ridigity in the pieces you expect to metalize.

The nice thing is that there isnt much prep work needed. My 3p0 was originally painted and I had it metalized right over the paint. It worked awesome.

Hopefully we will have gold and chrome heads to show off soon.

 

[Star Wars Helmets]

Mon cal/Hyperdyne

Well done guys, REALLY impressed. I totally agree - ABS is definitely the way to go for vacuum metalising since you totally avoid any of the nasty silicone decontamination issues you seem to get with resin/FG.

I'd certainly like more info when you've got it.

Hyperdyne - I hate it when you show your 3po off. Its just too damned freaking perfect.

Cheers

jez

 

[protokev DMD]

Great work. I have always had a desire to have both an artoo and 3po. I will definitley keep watching this