I use all tamiya acrylic paints. Acrylic is my preference, due to clean up and dry time.
To start I layer the whole helmet in a flat brown with 40% black mix. This is after priming, of course. Next a layer of flat brown and then red brown. There are lots of layers to this paint up, and there is more than one way to do it.
I'll go in and paint on the paint chips next, which takes time.
For some reason the brush work (painting on the paint chips, etc.) is the part of paint up I love the most. The helmet just really seems to come alive. It's like the chips and these small details really tell the story of Boushh, and I like to imagine maybe what caused some of these scars and scratches. Or where the helmet would wear the most from being dropped and scuffed around. I maybe get a little too into it. lol. But I'm a Star Wars kid, and Boushh was always a favorite for me. I remember when I was 10 or 11 I got the trilogy on VHS for Christmas. Those tapes got a lot of use! Wish I still had them. Anyway, I digress...
The first part of the brush work I use a red brown mixed with about 40% white. My brush work has gotten better over the builds. The detail has gotten finer, and overall I'm happier with the result.
Alright, I just had about an hour to work on the helmet. Back to the air brush for a bit.
I first misted the back panel and slots with sky grey. I also like to mist very subtly over some of the paint chipped areas. Sky grey was also used for the ditch around the cap of the helmet. German grey was next, just to give more depth and contour.
Lastly I used flat black to give the battle scars a burnt look, and sprayed the ear greeblies black as well. I'll be on to a bit more brush work next, then some decals and some dry brushing. It is really coming along nicely.
Got the last of the brush work finished tonight. Boy, does it take a lot of time. At this point the helmet always looks super weird and contrasty to me. But it tones down quite a bit after I hit is with some steel wool and put it through an umber wash.
For this part I use flat aluminium. I mostly just follow where I had previously painted on the paint chips, but not absolutely. I'll have to spray the top lens/visor area with the flat aluminium as well, but that will have to wait till tomorrow. There is also a few more places to add some chips on the back, but I can't do that till the back decl goes on. I think I should be through painting by tomorrow.
I spent some time doing the masking around the top visor and decals on the sides. For the decals on the sides of the helmet I had a friend make some vinyl stencils for me. I used hull red for the sides. The top visor got sprayed with flat aluminium, and the lines on the back and around the top cap were with flat black. I'm at the point now where all that there is left for paint is some dry brushing. After that I'll tone things down with some steel wool, then it'll get an umber wash.
Alright ya'll, paint = complete on the helmet. What you see in the pictures here is the end result after some dry brushing with some flat aluminium, an umber wash, and a matte clear coat. Leather will come next, but first I have to order some. So that might not happen for awhile. I also have to order some lights from fettronics. So the helmet may be on hold for just a little while, so I can get my ducks in a row.
I am very pleased with how the paint turned out. This may be a good time to remind people that I do commissioned Boushh helmet builds, if anyone is interested and likes what they see.