Carbide bits arrived and goddamn they cut through manganese steel like butter. Downside is that these are cheap ones so first hole was a cakewalk, second a bit more effort, i dont imagine I'll get more than one more hole done with my first bit. But Ive got a second ready to go.

Got the bump plate ...

Highly reccomend Caramac's Prop Shop. If they dint have a velcro backed option shoot them a message and they should be able to sort you

And my small ammount of progress today.

Filled in the black. Theres a yellow splotch on the back that I noticed later in the painting but honestly I don't want to do it until the bump plates are on as they're an easier reference to work from than trying to get it right from the surrounding camo ...

Here is the helmet as it was last night with all colours bar the black and white mostly done

I tend to trace out my camo patterns in acrylic paint pen before I paint them but after a few revisions things become impossible to figure out which is the correct line and which the earlier attempt so ...

So my new helmet from Scottwinny arrived in the post (was silly and only took a pic of the liner fitting inside before I got to work)

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The call to not use my 1950 Mccord helmet and instead get this 1960s belgian MP helmet was the best move I've made as the bump plate from ...

And a tiny bit more paint before bed.

Apones camo is surprisingly simple. Theres literally no black on the bump and very minimal white whisps all over. Needs a little refining but i think ive got a solid base here.

Made a little bit of progress today. Mounted the ear flap to the ear cup and started paint on the ear and lobster plates. Following several references to try and get the ear correct but sadly there aren't many references for the lobster plates so following scottwinny's apone lobster plate paint job ...

Yeah I thought theres a lot of habits out there that folks have formed around building aliens props that arent the most accurate, not bad, but a deviation from the screen. Then new folks build based off of the builds of others and slight inaccuracies get codified, much like the misconception that ...

Made from cast urethane

Lamp head and handle cast from genuine pieces

Lamp box is a casting of a 3D print

Elbow bracket angle is adjustable and lamp head tilts back and forwards

Fins are aluminium

Freshly rewired light in fully working order with all new components.

All pieces bar the new ...

Damm youre even doing the camera! Badass