Mad Cow Rebel

Update: Got some of the heavy lifting done on the helmet. As I've said before I'm going for a fake HDPE look on this one Here is what's been done: I was really happy with this colour for the HDPE The biggest disappointment so far is the ears. The ones included in the kit were just wonkey for some reason and I couldn't get a very good fit. No two TKs are the same so I'm just going to carry on Next update will be painting. I'm going to spray Tremclad oil paint through my spray gun and lay it on like originals. Possibly create a few drips.

I've finished trimming the helmet and I'm happy with the brow height and dome fitment. I'm almost ready to put in an order for the rest of the straps and parts I need to start building the armour and finish the helmet but I want to be sure I have everything first. Is there a thread where the original strapping systems are discussed? I can't seem to find it

Alight I'm jumping in head first: with the helmet I'm planning to make an ANH HDPE helmet replica similar to what CableGuy did here: I've started trimming and, like on my first helmet, I've gone with the rough "box cutter" eye shapes seen on screen used helmets like the "move along" trooper seen here And here is my first attempt at replicating that helmet a few months ago I haven't tried to replicate any particular helmet since this is my trooper. I simply did it in the same mindset of "lets get these helmets made quickly so they can be on set for this weird space movie" that I'm sure the workers at SDS had in 1976. of course not all original helmets are the same and having nice completely cut out eyes is not innacurate at all. Here is another original ANH helmet that was on auction at propstore this year. It has fully cut out eyes. I am currently putting together a trooperbay order for the rest of what I need to complete this helmet so stay tuned

So after building an ebay helmet kit I decided to take the plunge and begin working toward achieving a literally life long goal (since I was around 6-7) of owning stormtrooper armour <-----that's how we spell it here in Canadaland. So here I am: Monday evening with a pile of ABS on my floor. I'm excited and slightly intimidated but not as much as I would have been had I not built a helmet already. I'm going to do my best to build this to centurion level. I still have a lot to learn about the strapping system used on the original suits and I'd like to get as close as possible within reason. You will notice in the photos I have a set of ESB hand guards. That's simply because I didn't want ABS ANH guards as I'm planning to get latex guards and figured it could'nt hurt to have some ESBs lying around for a rainy day. Also don't mind the WW2 collection in the display case.

Decided to dirty it up after all

Forgive my ignorance as I'm still new to understanding the ins and outs of the STAR WARS costuming community but I noticed an etsy seller, Matt Gauthier (TE) Etsy-leatherbygauth, listed on the "sellers to avoid" post and I would just like to know why? His armour looks good to me and he has high ratings. Is he a recaster or am I missing something?

Final reveal: As you can see, my helmet is more of an "inspired by" piece than a near exact replica of the original. Here are some more shots: This was a really fun project and an excellent learning experience. I'm thinking of a scout or AT AT next but maybe I'll try out another TK/TD. Thanks for following along. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them as best I can

I actually used mustard XD

And we're off I've started painstakingly replicating the hand painted details, scrapes and drips in the paint to the best of my ability. It's a lot harder than it looks and I was not as successful as I know I could be, meaning that I'm certain I will do better on the next helmet. Hard work for sure but It is a lot of fun Here's a sneak peek before the final reveal

Ironically, It arrived today and, since I was in builder withdrawal, I only took photos of the helmet as soon as I had finished spraying after working for 2 hours straight XD Here it is as it stands drying in my garage shop And here it is next to the real deal again It's not perfect but considering this is my first go at a helmet using a poorly made recast kit, I'm happy with it More to come in the next few days or at least after the off gloss white enamel paint dries...

...I would love to do some more work on this bucket but my Trooper Bay order has been stuck in the USPS LA distribution center since July 18th

I went out to my local Canadian Tire (general hardware store chain up here) and found some paint that I'm pretty pleased with for an imitation HDPE colour. It could be a bit more Khaki but for an out of the can solution I'm happy with it

I've decided that I'm going to try an emulate the "move along" helmet (real original I know) but with a twist: I am going to try and replicate the way it looks now. current day. Although, If it had never lost it's ears. I'm planning to paint the entire helmet with a khaki green to replicate the HDPE showing through the cracks in the white paint. Obviously this will not be a helmet for trooping but a display piece that (maybe) I can fool some house guests into believing it is the real deal for fun I've been building models for the past 5 years and I'm not new to weathering and painting techniques so I'm expecting myself to do a decent job on this less than decent kit. Here are some photos of what I have done so far compared to the surviving original helmet Not bad for a first attempt in my opinion, however I'd like to think I could do better on a second attempt. I would like to eventually try this out on a real HDPE helmet kit but I'm getting ahead of myself

Yes thanks as I said I have a trooper bay order coming in the mail.

Thanks for the help Here are the photos I wanted to post earlier

Just got it in the mail today. Details are pretty soft in places which confirms in my mind it is recast. The ABS is thicker than I had thought which I'm happy about. The dome piece is warped however so the faceplate is very loose. I will try to use a heat gun on low or maybe hot water and try to fix that somewhat. Overall, for $80 shipped I'm happy to have my first helmet build underway. I've already placed an order for everything else I need from trooper bay so the actual build should begin shortly. The Ebay seller is gruntprops . Please spread the word that he is selling what appears to be recast of possibly AP armour and helmets. P.S: why am I not able to upload any photos greater than 0.02MB? One photo from my phone is bigger than that.

Found this very affordable (first red flag I know) set of armour that doesn't look half bad to me but I'm too new to know the good from the bad on armour. I'm a helmet nerd myself https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANH-Stormtrooper-Armor-Kit-White-ABS-Plastic-Unassembled-Replica/124272321187?hash=item1cef3522a3:g:fJoAAOSwaEVfG0Q5 Any thoughts appreciated

Hello everyone, I have wanted to build a stormtrooper helmet for years (I've also been a member of this forum for years and never posted) but life always got in the way. Last night I decided to just do it. I figured since it's my first go at it I'd just look for a cheap kit off ebay and I actually found a half decent looking one. I have no idea what maker it is and I realize it may be a recast (that did not occur to me when I bought it). It's just the vac formed parts so I'll need to source the rest. It looks like an ANH stunt to me but I also think it may be an ESB? I like the ANH stunts better so I'm going with ANH for now. I know it's definitely not the best available but I figured before I shell out the cash for an RS props kit I'd use this as a trial run. I imagine I'll have a lot of questions for you all and if anyone has any advice for a guy new to trooper armour I'll gladly take it Here are the photos from the ebay listing, I will post more when it gets here in around 10 days from now Thanks everyone

Thanks guys, since I'm still not sure if it's an ANH or ESB I didn't want to post a build thread in the wrong section

Hello everyone, I have wanted to build a stormtrooper helmet for years (I've also been a member of this forum for years and never posted) but life always got in the way. Last night I decided to just do it. I figured since it's my first go at it I'd just look for a cheap kit off ebay and I actually found a half decent looking one. I have no idea what maker it is and I realize it may be a recast (that did not occur to me when I bought it). It's just the vac formed parts so I'll need to source the rest. It looks like an ANH to me but now I think it may be an ESB? I know it's definitely not the best available but I figured before I shell out the cash for an RS props kit I'd use this as a trial run. I imagine I'll have a lot of questions for you all and if anyone has any advice for a guy new to trooper armour I'll gladly take it Here are the photos from the ebay listing, I will post more when it gets here in around 10 days from now Thanks everyone

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