Everything in the Star Wars universe looks “well used” and “abused”. So, to make my new crate look like an old crate, I first applied several acrylic washes using various combinations of black, burnt umber, red oxide, and rust brown. After the washes were dry, I used some sea sponges to add some slight “texture” effects more toward the bottom of the crate to mimic how it would look if it were used in a muddy forest floor.
After all of the acrylic work was completed and dry, it was time for the dry dust. In order to really bring out the details and make something look well used, it needs dust. So, I applied three different colors of fullers earth (dark grey, rust brown, and light gray) to all of the greebles. I also created streaks so it looks like some parts have rusted and been exposed to a wet environnent…
I need a way to transport my armor, so I’ll make an Armor Crate…
I was pressed for time to get this thing finished, so I didn’t have time to document all of what I did through photos. I started with a Sterilite foot locker that was big enough to hold my entire kit. The base color of the plastic was a silver-grey. I sanded all of the surfaces and then used black primer for plastic to try and create a good paint bond.
For the design of my crate, I wanted to make it look like it would be something that Scout Troopers would use in the field. And, I wanted it to look like something “dangerous” as well. So, for the base color I went with a coffee bean brown that’s similar to the color of the Speeder Bikes in Return of the Jedi.
For the “dangerous” part, I chose to use some red markings to make it look “scary”.
To really try and make my crate look like it belongs in the “Star Wars Universe” I needed to add greebles. I had a bunch of old electronics laying around that no longer worked, so I pulled the circuit boards out and used a bunch of small plastic pieces from some old printers along with some plumbing parts I picked up at Menards to build up a few small groups of greebles. I also picked up an old GE 1970’s clock radio that had a perfect “Star Wars style” key pad.
After painting all of the greebles, and masking off and painting the red markings I attached everything to the crate where I though it need to go. Then, I used vinyl stencils to spray some Empire logos, and my 501st ID number in grey.
Since paint has a VERY tough time sticking to the type of plastic these crates are made of, I did have some paint pull off here and there. But, since the base plastic is a silver-grey it just kind of looks like the “metal” has been exposed. To help make it look even more like real damage, I first applied a bit of silver paint pen into the areas. Then, I used some latex masking fluid to create some flecks, etc. When that was dry, I sprayed over the silver areas with flat black paint from quite a ways away. I was going for a laser bolt scoring effect. Once the black was dry, and I peeled off the masking fluid, it really looked nice…
The four photos above show how it looks at this point…
