TKCaleb

Thank you Scott! I got to work right after I picked her up from the post office. Thanks again for the speedy shipment! Here are my final images, complete with machined aluminum mic tips from Russ! Thanks man!

WHOA!! That's crazy there!

These lids look incredible! Really excited to see them in final form once you clean them up and all!

Hey Mark! So far so good, I spoke with a gentleman located in my area who specializes in screen printing. He has been in the business 20+ years and knows quite a lot. I talked with him about what I was doing, shown him some high res pics of the original helmet decals and he said I was on the right track. Once I receive my screen mesh and frame, he is going to be building a stencil so that I can start printing these bad boys! Stay tuned!

thats awesome Mark! I love it!

HAHA! You got me man!

Never noticed it before, but it appears that the trooper center right of the image next to Harrison Ford has an incomplete helmet. From what I can tell, he has no ears!

Thanks for the kind words Armando! I think she will look even better once I install the machined metal mictips being sent to me! lol Noel, I know ROTJ armor is the black sheep but it is still my favorite.

Any more progress with the build? I'm eager to see what you have so far!

Wow, that must explain why I got so high. All joking aside, I am not trying to kill anyone, just sharing something I discovered. As for fumes, like anything that emits toxins, I did this in a well ventilated garage with the doors wide open to allow maximum airflow. I encourage anyone who attempts this to cut the bleach with an equal amount or more of water to minimize the odor. As for the foam, it was fully submerged for close to 3 minutes until I removed it and soaked in in hot water. It was not destroyed. I agree that if it had been submerged for over 10+ minutes, the foam would be in very bad shape. If the foam is cleaned and rinsed thoroughly, there should be no lingering odor inside the helmet.

Thanks. I agree, it looks much more natural and aged. The color looks very authentic in reality, very dirty and old looking. Pictures just don't do it justice. Yes! If you or anyone else tries this technique out, make sure the foam soaks in warm to hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Id even add some soap to the water just to make sure all the bleach has been removed.

edit: DO NOT TRY THIS!!! I am not sure if this has been covered before, or if anyone else has discovered this trick, but I have transformed some upholstery foam from a green to a brown yellow/gold under 10 minutes simply by soaking the material in bleach. This strip of foam was soaked in a sink filled with 100 percent bleach for 3 minutes, I then wrenched the bleach out of the foam while running under warm water. Afterword, I let the foam soak in hot water for 5 minutes to neutralize the bleach.

finally installed the blasted screen mesh into the mic tips. That was a real challenge.

Thank you gents!

Thank you Joe! Mighty kind of you, and thank you everyone for the wonderful words. Here is a shot comparing the original helmet to my CFO build. I also worked up some Photoshop magic and finished the mic tips.

Looks awesome man!

thank you all for the kind words. This is my second helmet build, and I must say, I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do. Definitively a fun learning experience. The ear pieces where the trickiest parts to get right! I must say, I was quite thrilled to discover the large 5'x4' piece of yellow foam laying out in my dad's garage, adds a nice touch of realism to the whole build.

Thanks Lucas!

Just finished this build today. The mic tips are not complete, as I am planning on purchasing some from Russrep. I also spent quite some time buffing the plastic to death to achieve an awesome shine. It was quite a lot of fun! Here are some pics. Overall, I am quite proud of it!

Yes sir! I am currently sourcing the appropriate color to use for the ESB decals, just takes some time getting the color right. You can get the vinyl off ebay, or a printing store. I get mine from a local shop that produces vehicle decals and wraps.

Ohh okay! Thanks man!!

I am currently in the middle of a build with a CFO ROTJ helmet. I quickly realized that the faceplate seemed shiner than the dome itself, and upon closer analysis, there was this continuous pattern of blemishes on the surface of the helmet. You can slightly make it out when the light hits it. Any suggestions on how to approach and remedy this issue would be wonderful. Caleb

looks great man!

Thanks Armando! I thought you had a hero helmet? You sold off that one too?!?!