BobasBounty

I just received CfO's MKII kit I ordered last week and it is really nice. I highly recommend this kit. Oh and there are no dimples in the earpieces. Great job on this bucket.

Here is another photo showing more of the actual shape of the helmet, of which I am pretty impressed with. I don't like using cell phones or tablets to take photos because they tend to come out fish eyed. Please excuse the quality.

I have been out of the country for a while but I am back in the states and I recently pick up one of the AM 4.0 kits. I decided to go with the ESB build. I am nearing completion with only minor touch up work and the ears to finish. Wanted to see what you all think so far.

Great build thread. I am working on an APA bucket and I am happy with it so far. Totally agree that the eyes and teeth need to be trimmed out more. I like how yours is coming along.

Ok thanks guys.Unfortunately the AP I received was not as sharp as my previous AP buckets. It will become a sandtrooper bucket though. I did pick up an ATA kit off eBay for $62.50. I just received it and I am thinking about turning it into the ESB MKII. It is super shinny and the details are sharp.

I am thinking of building this helmet using an AP lid. Anyone know where I can get a good set of ABS ROTJ ears for it?

Ok so I painted another Dan Laws stormtrooper helmet that I was working on. It is going to be an ESB version. I can say that if you want a super glossy sheen than Krylon Fusion Gloss White is not the way to go. It has more of a plaster sheen to it (that is the only way I can explain it). I am positive it can be made glossy with maybe a gloss coat or another type of gloss white enamel spray paint after it cures completely. I will post pics of the helmet later.

Thanks for the info. I got some Dupli-Coat Adhesion Promoter yesterday and tried it out on a scrap piece of HDPE (before applying the spray paint ). It works pretty well under the Krylon. Not sure if it works better than the paint alone but I will see later tonight. I am giving it 24 hours to cure. Nice job on the DL TK helmet by the way. I have those pics saved in my reference photo files. You are definitely better than I am at documenting your progress. I need to take notes.

Yep that too. I may just use the old toothpick method. I did just pick up some Dupli-Color adhesion promoter at the auto parts store today. I am testing it right now. So far though Krylon Fusion Gloss White without a primer coat is working the best.

I am testing a couple primer/paint combos to see what will work best. One that seems to do pretty well is Rustoleum Plastic Primer and Krylon Fusion Gloss White. Unfortunately I am allergic to latex which completely bites. I tried to use liquid latex once but that was followed up with epinephrine shot. No fun at all. I may try the white glue technique though. I will decide later. I am not used to taking progress photos but I will see what I can do.

Thanks. I think the main issue with the wide face or as I call it the fathead look, is the way it's assembled. The flexible HDPE face is being pulled into the hollow ABS ears by the screws being over tightened. Carefully studying photos of the screen used helmets on starwarshelmets.com I noticed that the ABS ears are actually only screwed onto the back piece which is riveted to the face. Below is a pic of what I am talking about. By doing this I noticed that the face doesn't get pulled into the ears warping it and giving it the fathead look. After that you can heat up the plastic with a blow dryer and shape it as you want. I also lay it on it's side and place a pillow on it. This adds weight but not too much, which will push the ears into the face and back giving it the more desired look. It takes a bit of finagling but totally worth it. I have also added styrofoam to fill the space between the ears and sides of the helmet. It is a lot of trial and error I admit but I think I almost have the process nailed. I am still experimenting with spray paint to see what works best for adhesion to the finicky HDPE. Do you have the exact name of the Rustoleum product and where I can find some? I am currently testing Krylon Fusion spray paint on the scrap HDPE that was trimmed away. It seems to be working so far.

Thanks. I think it's coming along nicely. I am definitely having fun with this build.

Thank you all for the feedback. One can get a sort of tunnel vision working on one of these. Outside advise and critiques are always welcome. I am thinking you are correct. It may be the angle of my helmet compared to the screen capture may be contributing to the slight differences. Most likely the fact that I am using an iPad to take the photo doesn't help much either.

Thanks. Yeah, I see what you are talking about. It isn't really that noticeable until compared to the original screen capture. Maybe I can get another set of ears from Dan. I'll contact him and see. Thanks for the feedback.

I think I am almost finished with the construction and shaping of my latest trooper helmet build. It took a bit of tweaking and maneuvering of the face plate and head piece but I think I got the resemblance pretty close. What do you all think? I am hoping to start the painting process this weekend.

Thanks. While it isn't my first TK bucket it is the first one in a very long time. Last one I built was a GF stunt for my brother which was about 7 years ago. Working on an AP Sandtrooper build now. Just started painting the frown. Btw, I have listed the ESB bucket on eBay. Need to pay taxes this time around so I had to let it go. Oh well, someone else can enjoy it.

I fixed the photos so they would all fit.

Hello. I am new to this forum. Most of the time I am on the RPF but I was directed to these forums for help in accurately building and painting trooper helmets. Not really into the whole trooping thing but I do love building Star Wars props and helmets. I just recently finished up an ESB TK Bucket that was made from an AP ABS kit I got a few weeks ago. What do you all think? I figured this was the best way to introduce myself.