TFA Stormtrooper Bucket & Armor...Old School Sculpting: Snowie P.8

[jimmiroquai]

Hi all! Not really meaning to jump in the band wagon but i just love to sculpt (though i'm just a beginner) and i love Starwars! TFA is a long way off and i thought what better way to channel the obsession than to work on this bucket.

I had a bit of practice sculpting the 2003 Clone Wars Microseries lids so i thought i'd try my hand at this.

Here goes!

Here are the templates based on the available photos from Celebration VII:


I based the size on my Microseries Phase 2 Fordo bucket which is roughly the same size as the original Stormy bucket. I printed out the template and traced them unto foam board. I then cut the shapes out, removed the backing paper and build the basic frame.


I'm using XPS foam and sculpting in quadrants to help me maintain symmetry. I also use expanding PU spray foam to fill gaps / fix mistakes.




Here it is roughed out. Just the basic shape. Next step is refining the shape and fixing symmetry issues. As i'm doing this all by hand, there are bound to be some left over symmetry issues. I have to step away from the project several times so i can see mistakes with fresh eyes.


And here it is after refining the main shape. Rough sculpting is more or less done for the moment. I painted the black parts with acrylic so i can better compare with pictures and the templates.





Next step is what i'm dreading most: surface finishing with bondo and the next-to-endless sanding...

What do you guys think? Feedback very welcome! Especially at this stage of the project.

 

[Sni9er]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Good start look forward to seeing the result havent seen to many foam sculpts ^^

 

[James Kenobi 1138]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

The old fashioned way is still the best way.

Are you going to plaster mold the foam, pull a plaster copy and then refine the plaster copy and mold it?

 

[jimmiroquai]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Thanks!

I'll be painting this with an acrylic emulsion then a few coats of epoxy resin. Then unto bondo. Hmmm, I haven't tried making a plaster casting to refine...

 

[MasterEdi]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Looks great so far!!!... Love old school approaches, keep up the fantastic work! .. And please share more with us!:thumbsup

 

[Tumbler]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Looks really great so far. Nice job on keeping the symmetry, looks very balanced. Never realized other medium used under the clay. I guess I always assumed it just started with a big blob of clay. Makes sense. Thanks for sharing and the education.

 

[jimmiroquai]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Thanks! This is how i check for symmetry:

 

[jimmiroquai]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

I refined the shape some more. I did notice that i took away too much material in some areas. This will have to be built up during the surface finishing. Comparing closely with the pics from Celebration, i need to build up the front plate area under the eyes and move the brow a bit lower and forward. But i think the overall shape is pretty close.

 

[CT7567]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Wow this is fantastic! This method is always amazing and more spectacular to watch than digital modeling. The only thing i see is that I think the right side of the chin under the mic tip/hole looks to be bulging a little on the low side. Other than that keep up the great work! Subscribed!

 

[jimmiroquai]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Update on the helmet:
Clay over the foam master..with a greebly made of illustration board

Oh and i thought, i'd have a go at the rest of the armor as well.

Would anyone be so kind as to share the dimensions of the abdominal and belt boxes? As well as the diameter and length of the thermal detonator?

 

[ohheyitschris]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

This is turning out great! I'm definitely going to follow this build.

 

[jimmiroquai]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Sculpting the master is done. Next step: casting the prototype.

 

[papamurf812]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

This is looking really good. Can't wait to see the evolution of this.

 

[griffinx1]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Great job so far.

 

[PhortKnight]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

This is an incredible build, do you this kind of work for a living!?

 

[Bayani]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Looks very promising!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[TazMan2000]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Holy crap! You really have some skills.

TazMan2000

 

[garymorris]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

wow! that some gnarly awesome sculpting!

 

[jimmiroquai]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

Thanks! I'm just a beginner though and still learning. Oh and just to clear up the confusion, I sculpted the main foam form, and i asked my friend to help me with the surface finishing with clay as i am still unfamiliar with the medium. In the past, i would've used a ton of bondo and sanding, but that took too much of the fun away from the project. So i'm still learning to use the stuff, hence the Count Dooku side project elsewhere in this section.

So, no, i don't do this for a living. I'm actually a doctor and on single parent duty while my doctor wife is doing some further training abroad for a year. So this is done on my spare time. When i retire, then just doing this would be awesome.

In the mean time it's practice practice practice.

 

[Tumbler]

Re: Another TFA Stormtrooper Bucket...Old School Sculpting

A beginner you say. Doesn't appear so

Great Dooku!