CableGuy

Hello world, A little more progress. This time, hovi tips. The resin is typically yellow in appearance so a couple of coats of white were applied. Then, satin black. Fitting them to the lid really gives it extra character. :-) Next up - tubestripes. :-)

Hi Simes, Amazing commitment, jumping straight in with those fixes!! Top job. Regarding the ear alignment, don’t push yourself too hard here. Depending on how you trimmed the face plate and back sections that are under the ears, this might not be possible. Ear alignment is really a task for early on in the helmet construction. (Just keep the ear references if you ever make another lid). However, I’d definitely consider using the spare set of ears that Ross provides to try thinning them out a bit. As you know, I also troop an RWA lid and recently trimmed the ears for a more accurate look. Here’s an example; Screen used - note how thin the “disc” is; For the tubestripes, personally I’d consider removing the ones you’ve added and slowly lean a couple forward. The style that’s been referenced in your EIB review sees the stripes steadily lean further forwards. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44755-tube-stripes-anh-stunt-dave-m/ With respect, your new front one leans forward a little abruptly, not quite in keeping with the others. I’d perhaps fit two in the gaps, each with a little more lean. (Or, Just remove the new ones and leave it as it was - the template you have is not the same as the Dave M template so you’ve used what you had very well). :-) Keep up the amazing work, Simes. :-)

Congrats, Trooper. Great job! :-)

You’re heading well towards basic. :-) With your list of Centurion amends, don’t forget the ab to kidney gap (at the sides). For EIB; Any gap between the abdomen and kidney armor is no more than 1/2" (12.5mm) wide For Centurion they will be looking for no gap. To achieve this, you’d need a shim that is blended in for no visible seam. Keep yo the good work. :-)

And avoid “Buy one get one free” offers. ;-)

Don’t despair, buddy. We all face set backs during a build. Are the other parts a total right-off or could they be saved?

I have a feeling that they might be made by a third party. If they are made by who I think they’re made by, they’ll be very, very good! :-)

You could consider spray painting the helmet (as the original Stunt helmets were also painted). If you colour match it, that could work. Otherwise, the colour match would be too far off, in my opinion.

Haha! Thanks, Brien. I’m considering trooping it when it’s done and weathering my armour a little. We’ll see how things go. :-)

Hi folks, Hand painted details now underway. My previous build I used templates for the trap and tear vertical lines - this time, I went totally freehand. Whilst I’ve got a little touching up to do, I’m really pleased with how they came out. Vocoder tweaked a little, too. Thanks Daniel. :-) Please excuse the lighting - it’s not actually yellow in the flesh.

Hey there, trooper. I’d be tempted to trim those shoulder bridges down a bit, just to even out the proportions.

Thanks Ryan. I really appreciate it. :-) Thanks Troy. I’d highly recommend it. It really gives it a lot of character and that ‘ANH’ feel. If nothing else, it’s a really good project. :-)

Hi Jennifer, Not sure that anyone replied to you regarding the calves. They should open at the back and I don’t think this would pass clearance as is. I believe you’ll have to cut them open and use either Velcro or the original bra hook method to have opening calves. Best wishes Dan

Progress so far: I think I’ll tweak the left tear and the vocoder. :-) **these are all different helmets I’m using for reference as I’m not following one specific lid. Just getting the feel of the originals. :-)

Good spot, Daniel. I’m going for a slightly different shape to that one, based on the below, however comparing the two it does need to extend up by a few mm. :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi troopers, The fun continues with the hand painted details. To create the pinstripes I’m using the ‘black before grey’ method. All the usual paint colours at this stage. More to come. :-)

Good post. :-) I’m also an ‘in character’ trooper. My trooping persona only includes what I can imagine Troopers doing in ANH. My only exception is hi fives for little ones. This is literally and hand out and let them do the five.

Wow, thanks for the information, Andrew. I had no idea paint could be so complex! Before applying this latest gloss coat I did lightly sand some of the worst affected areas - this certainly helped to smooth it out a little. Now, the top coat is much more even and the appearance is better. Very few obvious pimples now. Thanks again for the tips and advise. It’s always appreciated. :-)

Haha!! That’s EXACTLY what happened!! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

So, I wasn’t really happy with the finish as it had quite a few imperfections (yes, I know the originals were pretty bad too, lol). Not sure if this was caused by the paint, weather, my technique or what... I was planning another coat to try and cover this finish. Although, I really wasn’t happy with the Appliance White as it was just TOO white, especially when compared with my armour. Thankfully, I was speaking with Paul ( @troopermaster) about some of his latest pieces and he kindly gave some tips and recommended a different shade. This is a MUCH better colour now, offering a shade that’s nearly a perfect match for my armour. Firstly, Appliance White against my 1.5mm ABS belt; Next, Paul’s recommendation against the same belt; Side by side (photos taken on two different days so lighting is different, making the belt look a different shade - look at belt to helmet to see the difference); Not sure if it’s the paint, that’s it’s applied over the other gloss white, environment or what but the finish is much smoother this time around; Really pleased with it now and extremely excited to get to the hand painted details. :-)

Hi all, Firstly, I’d like to say that Low and higher brow heights are perfectly acceptable and all members are welcome in the legion. I would just highlight that some appear to reflect Stunt or Hero/Promo troopers. The intention of this post is to share educational reference photos with new and aspiring troopers. Based on watching ANH, viewing the many reference photos and additions behind the scenes and historic photos, there is a clear direction regarding various brow heights in ANH. In the spirit of the CRL, this guide would help improve uniformity across the legion. For those that favour a low brow, I would highly recommend checking out the Hero* or Promo Trooper as an ideal option. *please note that not all Hero helmets had a low brow. Below is the Promo Trooper. This features a hero helmet (this is different to the Stunt helmet) and is an iconic look, featuring a low brow (brow trim essentially ‘on’ the top of the eye sockets). There is essentially zero gap between the bubble lenses and the brow trim. There were just six hero helmets made for ANH, made in gloss ABS, intended for close up shots; Luke has a very similar look; Han, on the other hand, had a clear gap (seen here left of shot) 50 Stunt helmets were made for ANH. These were made from green HDPE plastic, then primed and painted. The majority of TKs seen in action and group shots in ANH were Stunt helmets and had a visibly different appearance, including a longer painted ‘frown’ with (for the most part) 4 ‘teeth’ either side, 3 screws per ear rather than 2, flat lenses rather than bubble and (for the majority seen on screen) had a consistent gap between the top of the eyes and the brow. First up is a photo taken outside Shepperton Design Studios and shows approximately half of the 50 Stunt helmets primed and ready to send to the studio. The brow height is consistent across these helmets, each having a clear gap between the eyes and the brow. Note below that perhaps 2 or 3 of 26 helmets have a slightly lower brow. On to screen used, there are a few lower brow stunts featured through ANH, however they are certainly outnumbered by the conventional look. Note the same scenario from ESB (re-using ANH Stunt helmets for the most part); Even quite a few Hero helmets, including Han’s, had the usual gap. I hope that these reference photos help to show the difference with various helmets. This post,and the information included, comes from a passion for the wonderful character that is the Stormtrooper and is not intended as a negative view on those that choose the low brow. Both have their place in our character lineup. I would simply suggest considering the hero or Promo Trooper as an option for those that prefer the low brow. Best wishes Dan NB - credit to StarWarsHelmets.com for a lot of this information. I’ve learned a lot from there over the last couple of years.

Well done, Simes. Centurion is calling. :-)

Many congratulations. Welcome aboard. :-)

Great job!! Welcome aboard! :-)

Hmmm. I might be drooling over this build a little!! Keep up the good work. :-)