How To: Paper Towel Ponchos

Hi folks,
I've been making a lot of paper towel goodies lately and thought I'd show a step-by-step of the process I used to make ponchos for my Mudtroopers.

You'll need:
• 1 sheet of plain paper towel, no designs or brands imprinted on it if you can manage it.
• Hockey tape + Scissors
• Paper Clip + Wire cutters (For a wired collar)
• Gel Superglue
• Clear Floor Polish
• Carnation Ribbon (optional)

Step 1:

Your Paper Towel.

Step 2:

Fold the paper towel in half. You can glue both sides together. This will help strengthen the material, and still allow for a good 'drape' on the figure after shaping.

As an alternative you could line one side of the paper towel with strips of hockey tape, though this could make the material 'stiffer', with a bit less 'drape'.

After the fold, cut the towel in half.

Step 3:

Fold one corner of the paper. This will serve as the 'hood' area. The mudtrooper ponchos were based off the Russian Plash Palatka.

Flatten and cut your paper clip. Make sure to not make the wire too long. The wired collar assembly will be installed just below the fold area.

Step 4:

Cut a section of hockey tape. Fold the tape over the ends of the wire, then over on itself. This will help prevent the wire from punching through the material, and your fingers.

Step 5:

Trim the tape. Position the wire assembly with the wire towards the top, just below the fold for the hood.

Step 6:

Secure the wire assembly with either more tape, or gel super glue. Here I did both.

Step 7:

Flip the paper over, run a bead of glue along the edges and apply carnation ribbon. This can serve as a cosmetic feature, and also a little extra binding for the two halves of the paper.

Step 8:

You have two ponchos!

Step 9:

Paint. Using diluted acrylic, apply several coats of paint, allowing the material to dry in between application. Do this to both the outside and inside of the ponchos.

Step 10:

Floor Polish application. Brush it on, at least one coat or two, both sides, allowing the material to dry in between application.

Step 11:

Once dry, form the wire around the neck of your figure. You can also add a bit of carnation ribbon as a retention string to help keep the poncho secure.

Step 12:

Paint the ribbon, then apply floor polish for a little extra stiffness.

Then you're all set. You can apply weathering and dry brushing on top of the floor polish if you see fit.

Thanks a lot for the step by step, the result is awesome (that last pic is gorgeous! The mud trooper is definitely my favorite feature in Solo)

blackpool wrote:Thanks a lot for the step by step, the result is awesome (that last pic is gorgeous! The mud trooper is definitely my favorite feature in Solo)

My pleasure man, thanks for checking it out! The Mudtroopers are definitely up there in my favourite trooper types now, thanks to that film.

And the figures themselves are wickedly cool.

Very cool, thank you for posting. I also like the mud trooper -- even if simply as regular imperial infantry that happens to be deployed in a muddy environment in my book -- and got two of them myself. Your ponchos make them much cooler than the original sets though.

GubernatorFan wrote:Very cool, thank you for posting. I also like the mud trooper -- even if simply as regular imperial infantry that happens to be deployed in a muddy environment in my book -- and got two of them myself. Your ponchos make them much cooler than the original sets though.

Thanks man, happy to share the process. Now if you wanna upgrade your Troopers you have the guide

It was neat seeing certain elements of the sculpt on these guys that was a bit hidden under factory paint, like the fact that they have jackboots with armor shin plates strapped to the front of 'em.

What a great tutorial. Thanks for all the details. Well done.

Stryker2011 wrote:What a great tutorial. Thanks for all the details. Well done.

Thanks for checking it out, Mark!

Great tutorial, they look much more in scale than any fabric would, I think.

And the helmet option with the goggles down is one of my favourites, it has that anonymous autocratic judgedreddy vibe.
Is the mudtrooper's armor the only one where you use metal colored material under the paint? My interpretation is that the mudtrooper's armour is of a cheaper, maybe heavier and less sturdy material than the stormtroopers plastic-like armour.

Excellent tutorial. Thanks much.

Thanks a lot guys!

Ovy wrote:Great tutorial, they look much more in scale than any fabric would, I think.

And the helmet option with the goggles down is one of my favourites, it has that anonymous autocratic judgedreddy  vibe.
Is the mudtrooper's armor the only one where you use metal colored material under the paint? My interpretation is that the mudtrooper's armour is of a cheaper, maybe heavier and less sturdy material than the stormtroopers plastic-like armour.

Actually on most my armored repaints I'll give them a wash of wrought iron acrylic, then layer the paint on top of 'em after. If I'm going for more of a metallic look, I'll use some graphite from a pencil for a little extra gleam.

It was a bit interesting to see just how under-armored the Mudtroopers are. They have the shin guards and the chest/shoulder armor, whereas Stormtroopers are fully armored. Gives much more of a Cannon Fodder feel to the Muddy Boys.

Interesting technique. I should look into the wrought iron acrylic (is this Vallejo? -- been using their gunmetal grey and blue, and oily and natural steel). As for the graphite (which sounds like an excellent idea for highlights), doesn't that rub off?

GubernatorFan wrote:Interesting technique. I should look into the wrought iron acrylic (is this Vallejo? -- been using their gunmetal grey and blue, and oily and natural steel). As for the graphite (which sounds like an excellent idea for highlights), doesn't that rub off?

Actually the Wrought Iron that I use is by FolkArt, the Walmart brand.
https://www.amazon.com/FolkArt-Acrylic-Assorted-Colors-Wrought/dp/B001BETLSG

The graphite can rub off, but I put a layer of floor polish on to seal 'er up, Can add another layer of graphite ontop of that as well, which can help lead to a worn metal look as it rubs.

PickleMunkey wrote:Actually the Wrought Iron that I use is by FolkArt, the Walmart brand.
https://www.amazon.com/FolkArt-Acrylic-Assorted-Colors-Wrought/dp/B001BETLSG

The graphite can rub off, but I put a layer of floor polish on to seal 'er up, Can add another layer of graphite ontop of that as well, which can help lead to a worn metal look as it rubs.

Thanks for the clarification. I've seen FolkArt acrylics around, I think I have some of their precious metals ones. Do you think the other metal colors would work to improve the FIFA Table Football game I showcased and make it look more realistic?

GubernatorFan wrote:

PickleMunkey wrote:Actually the Wrought Iron that I use is by FolkArt, the Walmart brand.
https://www.amazon.com/FolkArt-Acrylic-Assorted-Colors-Wrought/dp/B001BETLSG

The graphite can rub off, but I put a layer of floor polish on to seal 'er up, Can add another layer of graphite ontop of that as well, which can help lead to a worn metal look as it rubs.

Thanks for the clarification. I've seen FolkArt acrylics around, I think I have some of their precious metals ones. Do you think the other metal colors would work to improve the FIFA Table Football game I showcased and make it look more realistic?

Yeah I think they could work pretty well! At the very least, worth a shot, eh?
You may need to work the colour in in wash-layers but I think it could definitely help.