If you’re reading this version of my Buffalo Bills Mandalorian helmet reveal it’s because of one thing and one thing only. The team copied my homework.
The original intent was that I got people hooked on the project with the helmet being the tantalizing final reveal. I was going to show off each piece, bit by bit, until I was able to showcase the full set of Mando gear with the helmet as the cherry on top.
But then the Bills released an alternate uniform combination to the world. And their helmet looks
like a ripoff of mine. So here you go! An early release of my work to show that the Bills not only are reading my work, but actively copying it.
What did the Bills steal exactly?
Way back on April 14, I revealed the concept for my Mandalorian helmet, found here. It included the following graphic intended to show a side-by-side of the helmet’s original Sabine Wren design with my intended one. As you can clearly see, the charge stripe on a blue background was my idea. Sure it’s a **** illustration, but the idea is quite clear.
I even discussed the base color to replicate my beskar steel was going to be a coat of pewter-colored paint. Yes, the Bills are rolling with “nickel” to go with the city’s nickname, but us Buffalo Rumblings faithful know the score. They were copying my homework all along.
The real question isn’t the headline. It’s obvious they owe me a design credit. The real question is; can I spray paint better than I draw?
AT LONG LAST!
I won’t go into too many details on the process here, you’ve seen some of how I made stencils using the Frog Tape, and you’ll see some more when we get to my shoulder armor. I will say that I agonized on how to get the lines straight. I really needed to nail that. I lost actual sleep.
Then it hit me. You know what has some really straight lines already? The tape, you dummy. Me. I was the dummy. The second that realization hit, I couldn’t wait to finish the final paint. You’re not here for stories though. So here’s some more of the final paint to check out, starting with my reveal video as I gleefully take off the tape to see how I did.
Hopefully that was enjoyable and not for Rex Ryan reasons if you catch my drift. Wanna see some still shots of it? Of course you do!
Here you go. In all its Mando glory. I tried to get the rangefinder to match the look when down and that turned out to be a pretty simple affair. Even better, this lights up when down and I managed to get the electronics back together so it still works the way it should. I rolled the dice on the pewter paint holding the texture to look like pitted and aged steel and that worked out beautifully. It’s not a flawless job, but I’m very happy with the result.
This project wouldn’t have been possible without support. My friend who had the idea to buy and Bills up the helmets. You can see our respective work side by side right here. My family. My youngest in particular has helped brainstorm design ideas. The white stripe with red ombre effect on the back of the helmet was her idea. The fans of this site that have encouraged me to make this bigger and better with every step. Anyway, here’s a video with I think just about perfect lighting to show off the full thing.
I’ll close on a final thought for those of you who might hold me accountable for promises made. Back in the second chapter in this odyssey, I said I was going to do something on the left side of the helmet. Specifically, you might recall that I was going to paint a hybrid bison/mythosaur symbol on the side. Here’s a very basic mockup of the plan.
Well here’s the thing. I got the stripe on the helmet and decided I liked it without anything else on it. I consulted my friend and daughter and they both agreed. The only thing that went on after the charge stripe was the white and red ombre on the back.
That said, I haven’t abandoned the bison/mythosaur sigil. In fact, it’s just about ready to go onto its final placement. It won’t be on the helmet. And while I think I’m finding out I’m pretty good with stencils and spray paint, there’s one thing I know I’m even better at.
In other words, you might have seen the helmet, but you might want to stay tuned. There’s plenty of Buffalo Bills and other elements to go in this project. I might be biased but I think you’re going to love a lot of them. Let’s see the Bills try to copy what’s coming next…
