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I apologize. I have searched and spent time going through the individual threads trying to find the thread showing how to coat the inside of the helmet with cheesecloth and plastikote, but I can't find it. If someone could reply with a link, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks all. I've emailed their sales support and they said they would email me when it ships. I'll just be patient and assume that I won't be hearing from them.

Is it normal for DoopyDoos to go for more than a week before shipping your blaster kit?

Thanks guys. On one side mine is very thin. I think I might try Pencap510's suggestion and put a little cloth reinforcement behind it.

The insets in the helmet where the mic tips mount is very thin on my helmet. It's understandable since the plastic has to be extruded so much. Do these areas need to be reinforced from behind with extra plastic? Thanks for any and all replies.

Thanks Coastertk. Yes I plan on using templates for the tube stripes. I have seen mention of sealing the template with gloss white first. For gloss white, I'll be using testors. How long would you say I need to allow the white to dry before applying the blue. I know you don't want the paint dry when you remove the template. Just like masking a car.

Thanks bpoodoo. I still have a little trimming to do on the opening so I can get my head through with the neck seal. I have not cut the trim yet. I'm being very cautious on each step and each of you have been a great help.

Thanks for the tip. I haven't seen 5v fans, but I'll begin looking. If I use the USB batteries in series, I would get two identical units.

Yes, gazmosis, I will only be painting the details. You are correct, the white needs no help at all.

I've seen a few members discussing running fans from rechargeable USB batteries. Most fans are 12v and most USB rechargeable batteries are 5v. I was wondering if two USB cables could be spliced so that the ground from battery 1 is soldered to the positive from battery 2, and then the positive from battery 1 is connected to the red lead going to the fans, and the ground from battery 2 is connected to the black lead going to the fans? If so, this should provide 10v for the fans. However, I'm not sure if this would affect the overall recharge life of the batteries or damage them in any way. I am just trying to find a uniform rechargeable power source for my helmet fans. Has anyone tried this or have any comments or suggestions as to its viability? Thanks for any and all replies.

I will be painting my ATA bucket this weekend. I know I need to wash it thoroughly to remove oil and such. Since the helmet is made of very slick ABS, do I need to do anything else like rough the areas to be painted lightly with a scotch brite or anything?

Thanks for the tip T-Jay and great thread you have going there. I scanning it now for even more tips.

Thanks for the quick responses. I really appreciate the help.

Thanks Locitus. This is my first build and just want it to come out well. I don't want to clutter the boards with lots of "New Topics", so while we're on the subject of the neck trim... When I was test fitting the neck trim, It bunched up in a few places. This occurred when it went around a sharp curve in the opening of the helmet. Is there a way to prevent this? Should I trim the corner where if bunches up more? Should I heat and bend that area of the opening a bit to make the curve a little more subtle?

Last night I trimmed the opening on the bottom of the helmet through which your head goes. I'm still test fitting everything. I followed the casting lines from the mold. Once I had the opening at the bottom trimmed and sanded, I wanted to test fit the neck trim. The bottoms of the ears on each side are just even with the edge of the opening. This means that either the neck seal will overlap the bottoms of the ears, or the ears will overlap the neck. Is this common? Have I trimmed too much? Should I notch the neck seal? Should the lower ear overlap? I could not find a thread discussing it. Please lend me your advice. If it's one thing I've seen on this forum it's that seldom is there a problem that this group can't over come. Oh, and yes, that is a can of Zombie Dice in the second pick. Thanks for any and all advice. Left side Right side

Thanks guys. I'm relieved now. I want to leave as much plastic as I can around the opening. That tip alleviates my worries.

Thanks for the replies guys. I am not rotating it 90 degrees before putting it on. However, I can see that it might help. Without trimming the opening at all, turning it 90 degrees is almost enough for it to fit. I was not aware that's how most people put them on. If that's the case, I think I'll be fine and thanks for the tip.

I received my ATA helmet on Friday. This is my first build and I love the quality of the ATA helmet and building it. I worked most of the weekend on it. I got the face and back cut out and riveted them together. I have not trimmed the excess away from the bottom opening. I may be worried about nothing, but it seems like it going to be a tight fit to get my head through the opening at the bottom without cutting into some of the tube shaped bulges that start from the mic tip area. Is this common? My hat size is around a 6 7/8 - 7. Thanks for any advice.