Project Flashback: The Progressive Bomber Bike

This Yamaha motorcycle came to Killer Paint from an agency working with Progressive Insurance on a show display piece.

This design of this bike has a bit of a retro-throwback feel, which made it a great choice to do a vintage military aircraft homage theme. This motorcycle was in great condition, so very little in the way of prep work was needed, and work could start right away.

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The intention for this bike was to keep it simple and elegant, so the color palette is pretty basic. Green, white and black, with  splashes of red for a little bit of extra eye-catching pop. The helmet that accompanied the motorcycle was also painted to match.

While some of the parts were being prepped for paint, others were sent out to be powder coated. The wheels, rear grab bar, some of the hard lines, and a few other pieces were coated in bright red. The frame stayed black.

The seat was also removed and sent out to be re-upholstered brown, to be more in fitting with the vintage feel that was the aim of the project. Some green military patches were sewn on the sides and top of the seat too.

When it came back in, a metal bombardier pin was attached to the rear end of the seat as well. (click photos to enlarge)

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After the wheels came back, the the edges of the rims were painted white to create a classic faux-whitewall tire look. If you look closely, there is a green pinstripe as well, to tie it in with the color on the rest of the bike. (click photos to enlarge)

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After the emblems were painted on, many of the green parts (and the helmet) were given faux rivets and simulated panel lines. Mike also decided to invert the rearview mirrors for a retro motorcycle racing feel.

All of the paint was finished in a matte clearcoat, to make the whole bike seem more like a military vehicle than a glossy finish does.

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A little something extra was finally delivered while the rest of the bike was in progress- the additional fairing that Mike had ordered just for the project. It got the paint, rivets and emblems treatment as well.

Part of the windscreen was painted green too, in order to give it the appearance of having a little more substance. A pair of faux intake vents were painted on each side, too. Once it was attached, it greatly changed the look of the whole project.

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As a final extra touch, Mike went to a local Army Surplus store that had an authentic vintage dogtag stamping machine, and had a pair of Killer Paint dogtags made to serve as the keychain for the bike.

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We received a few photos later of the motorcycle set up in the display at a show. The bike and helmet each got their own spaces.

 

The project was completed relatively painlessly, without much in the way of unexpected problems or delays, and the customer was thrilled with the result.

The customer gave us pretty much full reign on the design, which was fantastic. When a customer dictates too many specifics on a job, or micro-manages the work being done on a project, it does more to bind one’s hands creatively.

Artists usually do their best work when creativity isn’t stifled or restricted by a laundry list of requirements or details. Otherwise, they can’t do anything beyond the scope of what they are told, and the job can be no better than such a list asks.

In this case, allowing creative license made the whole project turn out that much better.

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We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own car, truck, motorcycle, refrigerator, etc?

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

Killer Paint’s “True Fire™ Basics” Blog Series: https://www.killerpaint.com/true-firetrade-basics

True Fire™ Instructional DVDs:
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 1
The Secrets of Airbrushing True Fire™ – Part 2

True Fire™ Freehand Templates: Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates, True Fire Template Set

House of Kolor Official Website: www.houseofkolor.com

Progressive Insurance Website: www.progressive.com

Yamaha Motor Website: http://global.yamaha-motor.com/

Project Flashback: Hellboy 2 Refrigerator

Back in 2009, a customer came to Killer Paint with a request to do a refrigerator for their home theater. Being fans of the Hellboy films, they wanted an over-the-top theme based on the then recently released Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.

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Many of the Killer Paint Custom refrigerators start off with a vintage unit. Models from past eras like the 1940’s 50’s and 60’s were built with an aesthetic that makes them very well suited to these kinds of projects.

Their style was more akin to the lines and curves that a car might have, unlike most modern appliances, which tend toward the flat and blocky.

They also tend to be much smaller than most modern full-sized refrigerators, so they fit much more easily into many non-kitchen areas of the home, such as game rooms, man caves, or home theaters.

In this case, the Hellboy fridge started out its life as an older model GE fridge. It was still in reasonably good shape and quite functional, but it had quite a few changes in store.

This refrigerator project was going to be much more than just a exterior face lift and a repaint.

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Normally, when a refrigerator gets painted here at the shop, just the outside surface gets the makeover.

On previous custom fridge projects, painting or making any color changes to the inside of previous projects had been avoided, due to concerns about the potential durability and adhesion of the paint once the fridge is in daily by the customer, and can be troublesome to do correctly.

Mike knew that for this theme, opening the door to a sterile white interior just wouldn’t do. So for the first time at Killer Paint, the refrigerator was going to get painted inside and out.

The interior surfaces were prepared and treated in such a way this time that would allow the paint to stand up better to wear and tear. Of course, red was the logical color choice for the inside on this piece.

We’ll take a closer look at how the interior turned out a bit later.

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On the front door, a very large portrait of Hellboy himself (as portrayed by Ron Perlman) dominates the majority of the area. Mike wanted to do it large enough that he could put far more detail into the image, including fine wrinkles and skin texture.

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While Hellboy himself dominates the front door, each side of the fridge displays its own sets of characters…

The left-hand side features the film’s aquatic protagonist Abe Sapien, as well as the primary elvish characters appearing in the film- Nuada, Nuala, and King Balor.

A few other entities from the story, like the Angel of Death and one of the Golden Army constructs, are woven in to create a continuous tapestry of images (click to enlarge)

The other side features the other members of the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who work alongside Hellboy in the film:

The fire-wielding Liz Sherman (portrayed by Selma Blair) and containment-suited Johann Kraus (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) (click to enlarge)

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Guillermo del Toro, the director of Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, is well known for using fantastical imagery in his films, like the highly innovative Pan’s Labyrinth, whose influence is felt strongly in many of the elements of the Hellboy sequel.

As such, there was a wide variety of subject matter available. The film is chock-full of visually spectacular scenes, as well as amazing characters and wonderful (or terrible) creatures. It’s almost too much to choose from, as far as deciding what to paint on this refrigerator.

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Now let’s get back to all of the work that went into the inside of this refrigerator…

The inside panel of the door was also painted red to go with the interior. a faux-beveled border was painted on, and a large Hellboy logo, including the B.P.R.D emblem was painted prominently on the door.

The rest of the panel is filled with an arrangement of spiral glyphs, similar to those etched in Hellboy’s skin in the film. Cracks were then painted in to give the impression that the panel is made of a rock-like material.

For the small square door to the icebox, Mike sculpted another B.P.R.D. emblem along with scratches, cracks and other texture, then painted-weathered the panel to appear as though it were carved out of some kind of stone.

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With a brand new bright red interior, and faux stone doors, there was no way that the original wire shelves and drawers that the refrigerator came with would look good if they were placed back inside. Since the fridge was going to be for a home theater, and not storing meat of vegetables for meals, it was decided that the drawers would be left out entirely, to increase the amount of storage space available for beverages and snacks.

As for the shelves, Mike had something in mind to replace them. Using screen captures from the film, artwork was generated to use in order to etch the images on the underside of brand new, 1/4″ thick glass shelves. Three large shelves, plus one smaller shelf for the space adjacent to the icebox were made, and set on the pegs used for the original metal shelves.

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A few months ago, one of the photos of the refrigerator showed up on a certain Facebook page…

Ron Perlman himself saw and reposted a picture of the Hellboy fridge!

We hope you enjoyed taking a look back at this project. Let us know if there is anything you would like to see us post here in the future!

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Maybe this project gave you some ideas, or you already have an idea in mind for your own refrigerator, car, truck, motorcycle, etc.

If you would like to contact Killer Paint about working on your own project, visit our website, or contact us at info@killerpaint.com

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Related Links:

The Original Killer Paint Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-Original-KILLER-PAINT-INC/297040465604

The Official Killer Paint Website: www.killerpaint.com

“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” info page on imdb.com: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411477/

Purchase “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” on Amazon:

Purchase the original “Hellboy” movie, also on Amazon:

Ron Perlman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/perlmutations

Ron Perlman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/perlmutations