For a while I've been wanting to repaint my Driver armor. I chose the shade of gray based upon a common paint that people had been using (VHT Light Gray Satin) since it would paint the nylon moon boots reasonably well.
I've never really been happy with how dark the gray is. The armor is darker than the flight suit, but from reference photos I believe the armor should be lighter than the flight suit.
Lately I've been gathering up some supplies to possibly do a repaint.
Here is a paint comparison of several shades of gray that I have gathered. Here are the paints L to R:
(Shoulder Bell) VHT SP953 Light Gray Satin, with Satin clear coat
VHT SP953 Light Gray Satin
Humbrol 64 Acrylic Matte
Krylon Misty Gray Chalky Finish
Tamiya AS-16 Light Gray
Tamiya AS-20 Insignia White
White WTF ABS
Inside my garage under fluorescent lights:
Untitled by
daryl doak, on Flickr
Outside under overcast sky:
Untitled by
daryl doak, on Flickr
Of these 5 shades I think the Tamiya AS-20 Insignia White (which is actually gray) has the best contrast with the flight suit.
A couple other ACD members have recently received AT-AT Driver armor from Mon-Cal, and according to his paint research the "Van Sickle Gloss Light Ford Gray (1965&newer) 46570" is the proper shade. I really like their armor in that color and I'm considering buying some. It's much more affordable than the little cans of Tamiya are.
ACD Detachment leader has said that Humbrol 64 is the closest to the screen used helmet, according to someone who has seen it in person (Jez from starwarshelmets.com). To me that looks way too dark.
The next issue is with my hoses. I chose them because they didn't need to be painted, but they are a pain since they are so inflexible, and the rib spacing is not exactly accurate.
So I bought some Tie-Pilot hoses from Targworx, and they arrived today. Not exactly what I was expecting.
Top: New Targworx
Middle: Hoses from Cueloopz@ACD
Bottom: My existing hoses
Untitled by
daryl doak, on Flickr
Untitled by
daryl doak, on Flickr
Untitled by
daryl doak, on Flickr
Pros:
hose is super flexible
hose diameter is closer to the 33mm
Cons:
Rib spacing is very wide
Hose diameter is a little bigger than 33mm
Unknown:
Will they they take paint?
I also received some new helmet decals from Crookknights Assembly Line, and I'm going to order new chestbox and circuit board decals from Cueloopz@ACD.
I'm hoping to accomplish this make-over this summer while the weather is nice for painting.