New ESB & ROTJ Rocket Pack Stabilizer

This is the Rocket Pack Stabilizer (or Missile Targeting Range Finder according to the Visual Dictionary). This is a found item that comes off a vintage JA Michell Engineering Hydraulic Reference Turntable Sweep arm assembly. This little guy, and I do mean little, is the stand or base of the sweep arm. It comes in variable sizes. I was able to obtain two machined replicas that were made to match the originals precisely.

New ROTJ Wookiee Braids Version 1.0

This is my first set of ROTJ Wookiee braids, or 'scalps' made by Julie. They are braided from horse hair to closely match a diagram that I drew up based on the available reference photos. I placed an order for them in February of 2007 and they finally arrived! They are still missing one braid that I will have Mary-Frances braid for me. I will then tie them together and add a snap to the vest where they will attach.

New ESB EE-3 Blaster Greeblies

I have actually had these parts for several years now. The first one is part No. 65, Connecting Rod on a 1977 Revell Visible V8 Engine kit. These kits are very popular, making them on the pricey side, if you can find one. The second part is a set of Tyco Electronic 6-pin Molex Connectors. They normally come in 'white', but the individual selling them was able to 'dye' them black with a plastic dye that chemically bonds to the plastic, altering the color. Don't ask me about how to exactly do this, as I have no idea. But it's not painted black, which makes them all the more cool.

New ESB Helmet Range Finder View Screen

This little guy is the lens seen on the bottom of the Range Finder. It comes off a Polaroid SX-70 Camera. The lens is the View Finder Lens on the camera, so it was ideal to be used where it is on the costume. The Lens itself is Magnifiying, so and Image I put behind it, is 'blown-up' on scale. The lens so far only appears to be on the ESB costume.

New ESB & ROTJ Helmet Key Slot Circuit

This is the circuit board that is found inside the MQ-1 Casio Calculator. The calculator keypad was used for the left gauntlet, while this little guy was glued to the inside of the helmet. You can see it through the 'key slots' in the back. Just click on the images to see larger photo.

Updated All Photos

Well Rumor had it that my photos were not visible to all since I was linking them from Flickr.com. So I reloaded every single photo, plus some new ones straight to the blog itself. So hopefully, they should all be viewable. Minus two.

New ESB Utility Hip Storage Pouches Version 3.0

Same story with the ROTJ pouches, just wasn't 100% happy. I also made these out of a Cotton Twill fabric, tweaked the pattern a little, dyed them using Royal Blue and Pearl Gray. It was too dark of a blue at first, so I used a little color removal to get the color it is now. The color doesn't seem to be identical as it is in person as opposed to taking a photo of it. But they are done. I even added a Velcro strip to the top like the originals. Oh and this time the flaps are both going the correct direction.

New ESB & ROTJ EE-3 Blaster

Here is a 1917 Webley & Scott Mark 1 Flare gun. It is the base for both blasters. It is the second one I have been able to purchase, but I sold the first one (see brief story in previous posts). These babies are hard to come by. I will be molding this thing to make both blasters so I am not caring around a real flare gun. It is pretty heavy too. Isn't it beautiful?

New ROTJ EE-3 Blaster Greebly

This little model piece is off a Revell F-4E Phantom II kit. It was used kit-bashed and added to Fett's Blaster, on on either side of the barrel to cover over the 'Webley & Scott" logo stamp, as well as to give it a more futuristic look. I wont use these original parts on the finished blaster since that one will be a resin casting, but will cast these in resin too and use them. No point on having a replica blaster with orignial parts. If they broke or fell off and got lost, I would be up a creek.

New ESB & ROTJ Helmet Data Port

A Borden 3-hole Connector was cut from its base, turned upside down and fiberglassed in place in the helmet. This little guy is the nifty detail you see on the right cheek. Upon investigation, this particular model isn't the correct one, so I may upgrade these later if I ever do find the correct 3-Hole connector. Oh, this thing is used for drills by dentists. It is one of a few dental items used on the original costume.

New ESB & ROTJ Rocket Pack Connector

This is a BNC Connector that is seen among the other little greeblies on the backside of the Rocket Pack. It is likely that the connector itself was functional, sending power to the Chest Lights via a cable. There was also a stip of masking tape under it labeled "Supply to Digital 6 volts + on centre pin". These things are tiny. I am still looking for two of the five connectors seen.

New ROTJ Honor Sash Version 1.0

The Honor Sash is made from a English style Mohair horse Girth. It is another one of those found parts that were used for the original costume. Nylon black webbing was added to the buckle at one end allowing it to be belted around the waist. It was originally designed to go on the underside of a horse and attach to each side of a saddle. So the girth has the buckles and the saddle has the straps.

I bought the white 36" girth and dyed it with scarlet and wine Rit dyes. First I did just the wine. Which made it more of a purple/pink color. Just horrible. Then I got the scarlet and had it in the dye bath for 90 minutes to get the color it's now. The ties that held the girth together had to go as they where more a peach color and not on the original costume. So I removed them. However this caused another problem. Now I had two halves of the girth. So I grabbed some extra gray fabric, laid it behind the girth and stitched the two halves together. Worked great, now it's finished.

New ESB & ROTJ Rocket Pack Connector

Here is a found item that is seen on the backside of the Rocket pack. By backside, I do not mean the side you see when looking at my back, but the inside of the rocket pack that faces my back that no one sees. That's right, I got a detail that literally no one will know about or see, but it's there on the original pack so it will be on mine. It is a female 5-pin XLR Connector. On a strip of masking tape under it written in sharpie "+4- feeds & switch returns for wrist units". It was most likely used to supply power to the LED's and switches on the gauntlets.

New ROTJ Hip Utility Pouches Version 2.0

Well I guess I am never happy. I went back and revisited the Hip pouches for both ESB and ROTJ. I bought a cotton twill fabric this time, and edited by pattern a smiggin. Just enough for that slight difference. I then dyed it a dark Coca Brown. Totally the wrong color. I used three packets of color removal to get this color of a lighter tan. I think I like these pouches enough for them to be the final version.

On a related note of 'revisiting', I again have removed the sleeves from the vests. I am just not happy how they look and plan to redo them yet again.

New ROTJ Rocket Dart Launcher Version 1.0

"What?" you ask, "even the Dart launchers are different between the two costumes?" They most certainly are. To the naked eye they are identical, but looking closer they do look just a little different, don't they?

I had these made the same way I made the ESB launchers. I traced a photo scaled to 1:1 and made blueprints of them. I sent them off to Russel Brown and he machined them for me.

New ESB Rocket Dart Launchers Version 3.0

Well obviously my first set were resin that came with my M. Bradly Knee Armor. The were O.K. for what they were, but they were resin, and home made. I later upgraded to a new set, machined from Aluminum, made by Russel Brown. I bought them off eBay, but when they arrived, I could not help but notice how tiny they were. Nice, but small. So not quite what I was looking for. I then took it upon myself to design the Dart Launchers they way I wanted them to be.

I imported the reference photos of the real costume into MicroStaion, and was able to trace over the photo and scale it to what I believe to be a 1:1. I then made workable blueprints and sent the plans off to Russel Brown to make me a pair of dart launchers that I was hopping for. So he did. May I introduce to you, Dart Launchers 3.0

New ESB & ROTJ Shin Tools Version 2.0

The first set that I bought came from the same source where I bought all my armor. This time around I am making them from the original found parts, a paterson print squeegee, and a Paterson stirring rod. The squeegee was used to make two of the three identified shin tools. I will have to cut each of them to make them a little shorter and mold them in RTV silicone to make resin castings.

New ESB & ROTJ Rocketpack Harness Buckle

This buckle comes from a U.S Divers Aqua Lung KAM EZ suba pack. The straps and pack pak that holds the air tank were discarded as the buckle was the only thing used in the original costume. It is a detail that is not supposed to be seen, but can be in some production shots sticking out from under the vest. It was used for both versions of the costume. I will need to pick up a second one.

New ROTJ EE-3 Blaster Stock Plate

This details goes on both sides of the ROTJ stock. It come from a 1970 Revell V8 Visible Engine model.
Other parts from this same model were used for the ESB blaster as well.

Another identified model part that is on the ROTJ blaster is from a Revell F-4E Phantom II jet plane. I do have this kit, but I am going to have to get another, 'cause the part I need has already been glued to the model and I cannot separate it.

New ESB Concusion Grenade Launcher Holster

Here is another found item that I happened to come across scouting many online auctions. This holster is for a Nemrod spear gun. It is a strong plastic that came with a knife and spear gun. I didn't need the spear gun or the knife, so I resold them to help cover the original costs. This holster sits on Fett's right side and can barely be seen in ESB. He does not have a side arm in ROTJ. The blaster that goes inside this holster has not yet been identified. I will need to cut the end of it off so the blaster will stick out, and will need a new safety strap to help keep the blaster from falling out.