Midniterider's "Ribbed" Right Shoulder Bell

[midniterider]

The Galactic Marine has two (2) distinct shoulder bells, the left is a standard clone shoulder bell, however, the right bell is a biker scout shoulder bell which has "ribs" -- consensus is a total of six (6) ribs. After looking at various screen shots and pictures, the best representation of this "ribbed" shoulder bell was the Gentle Giant mini bust. Purchased One (1) great biker scout (TB) shoulder bell from Moncal, then sketched out the pattern. Used 10 gauge Romex cable (found at Home Depot) which has two (2) two insulated wires and a ground wire plus it is very malleable / workable.









After molding and bending the wire to conform to the shape and contour of the shoulder bell, use CA glue to initially set in place. Once dry, went back and used Loctite 5 minute epoxy at the base to reinforce the wire ribs. Now the ground wire was the 1st wire that was mounted, and should not have used it, but I improvised, adapted, and overcame by using epoxy putty and corrected my error.








After using epoxy putty and Bondo spot / glazing putty, used my blending method to "fuse" the wire to the shoulder bell. Once satisfied after careful evaluation and coating of primer, used Rustoleum Satin Claret Wine spray paint. Here is the final product, again without weathering and flat clear coat application. Please let me know what you all think! Thanks.

[RamZnation]

Looks very impressive. I like the way your shoulder bell looks.

[bloodknight]

That bell is really great looking.I gotta get together with MR some weekend and work on upgrading some things.

[midniterider]

Hey Bloodknight, you just let me know and I am sure we can arrange a meeting and get together. I would be more than happy to assist you in any way that I can, or answer any questions that you may have.

[CloudStrife7]

I have a question about fusing the wire to the shoulder bell:
Would you mind elaborating on the process of "fusing" the shoulder bell to the armor? Did you have to use bondo/spot putty on each individual wire to make it look as if it was connected to the shoulder bell? Are there any more production photos showing where the bondo/spot putty are the be applied? I think you did an awesome job making it look like the wires are actually part of the shoulder bell, and I would also like to achieve this look.

[midniterider]

If you look at the pictures you will see that the "bare" wires look like they are "attached" to the shoulder bells, not part of the armor. So, you take epoxy putty (Loctite epoxy putty available at Walmart in the hardware section), cut off small pieces at a time for a little goes a long way. Once you knead or "mix" the putty (smoosh and mix together blue and white with fingers, like Play - Doh unit it gets off white), then I apply the epxoy putty in between each wire and the shoulder bell / armor surface. One trick that I use with epoxy putty, is saliva. I know this sounds unorthodox, but by putting saliva on your finger, run your finger (applying a little pressure) between the wire and the armor ---> pushing in on the epoxy putty. The saliva will give the putty a nice smooth look, and it makes for easier workability. Unfortunately this has to be done for both sides of each wire, and can get a little tedious.

After drying, carefully sand the epoxy putty just appiled between the wire and the armor using varying grits, starting low 60 to higher finer grits 220 - 340. Wipe away the dust, then take some Bondo spot putty (Walmart automotive) and put on finger, then again run finger with the spot putty right along top of epoxy putty (in the same manner putty was applied). Once dry, carefully sand with 220 grit and higher sandpaper, then apply primer to look for imperfections. If any, just apply more spot putty. When completely satisfied, paint the entire shoulder bell, and you will have achieved the "fused" look. Thanks for asking and any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. Hope this helps.

[CloudStrife7]

Thanks for the in depth explanation!