CloseTheBlastDoor

Yeah, I was going to go the OG route, but in testing it out, I found that the plastic strip that came with the kit is not long enough to reach the ear screws. I'm going to stop by my hardware store and pick up some screws, and am thinking of trimming and then securing the visor between the eyes and on either side.

Thanks, Glen and Tony! I'm liking the OG method for the lenses, and I think I'll do the hot glue for the frown screen.

I will need to finish up the rest of the helmet while I’m still waiting on the vocoder paint. The visor is up next, and I see many approaches to fastening it, most of them seeming a bit complicated (Chicago screws, gluing cork, etc.). This one is great, but maybe too involved for my taste: Is there a simpler, effective way to do this? Same question for the frown screen.

Well, of course I don’t have the semi-gloss black, so will need to pick it up at Michael’s when I’m over that way. In the meantime, I painted the torso buttons. At first I was going to laser cut a template so I wouldn’t mess up too much, but concluded that I was overthinking it, and instead did it freehand. Good light, hand on table, workpiece on table, and magnifying glasses are all useful. French blue is a pretty color!

Looking at painting the vocoder now, and finding a color guide in this thread/comment: So… it is saying that I should use Humbrol #85 Coal Black Satin, or the equivalent Testors 1139 Semi Gloss Black? I've seen some back and forth on this topic, but this looks like the most recent info.

Thanks, bro!

Moving back to getting the hand-painted look on the tears and traps, I kept thinking about @JBar’s comment about making them ‘less than perfect’ . I initially tried the sharpie, but the ink wasn’t really sticking to the surface very well. So I went back to a fine tip brush and paint. This is what I wound up with, hopefully not too imperfect now! Keen eyes will note that the rear trap sticker is on the other side of the helmet now. I got that wrong, and had to re-stick it. I have no ‘before’ photos of the other set of stickers, but the imperfectness is similar. Look OK now?

I went over it all again, and now I have at least a toothpick's width of gap when held perpendicular to the tooth, and pressing down so the toothpick contacts the plane of the tooth: It's so hard to get good photos of this area, I guess since it's such a bright white.

Here are some photos from a different angle, with better light. Maybe some of the ones you marked are okay?

I am hoping to declare that the frown painting is done. Lotsa tape, lotsa time: Then some paint, while again removing the tape in the painted areas within 5 minutes: After this, more toothpick + mineral spirits action! Here’s a down angle so all the gumlines are visible: Hoping this is good!

Thanks, Sha Sha, I am going to try and fix this, and I'm going to let the supplier know so maybe he can make them better in the future.

Hi John, I asked Walt directly about the stickers, and he said that someone named Chris Zabka (who is on Facebook) makes them. So I got in touch with him, and he made me a set for a very reasonable price. But I am talking about the full stickers, and not any templates, if I understand correctly what you're asking. I wouldn't know where to get templates.

Yeah, I was afraid of that. These are specifically made for WTF kits. I will try giving it a more natural look with the sharpie. Thanks!

Checking in on the tear and trap stickers: I want to make sure that they appear hand painted enough, per the CRL: "Tears/traps shall be hand painted or use decals that emulate hand painted (with correct ANH TK details)." Are they acceptable?

This is what I have for the teeth trimming, does it look OK? I hope the photos are clear enough.

Thanks ShaSha! I think it might have been Pandatrooper who said that, and it's a good tip. But I'll admit that I wimped out and bought the stickers for the black-outlined traps/tears . There's a guy, Chris Zabka, who makes them specifically for WTF helmets. So, getting the teeth right is the next thing. I've been working on getting the trimming right on that, as you advised in the other post, before starting painting.

Ah, nice trick! I did indeed have a fine tip sharpie, and was able to touch it up a bit better. Does "last" mean from left to right on either ear, or does it mean towards the back of the helmet? And the choice of which ear is up to me?

OK, I started doing some painting, finally! Ab-to-Kidney rivets painted: Thigh ammo pack rivets painted: Helmet screws and hovi tips. Hovi tips are black on the outside, and white on the inside and front edge. And then the ears. Lots of masking and painting. First masking to get the black border contained, making sure to burnish down the edges as much as possible to inhibit paint seepage: Freehand topping with gray paint: Allow to dry, then apply black carefully: Per a note I saw from @justjoseph63, remove the tape within five minutes of applying the black. It came out OK, but there were still some smudges and rough spots: After waiting overnight, I reapplied the painter’s tape to this time cover up to the black line (sorry, no photo), and used that to finish the gray. Then a cleanup with toothpick and mineral spirits, which by the way worked way better than I could have imagined! I hope this is good enough! I know I need the black rank stripe on each one, but should I do that now, or later, since it’s for Centurion?

Thanks, ShaSha! Yes, that totally makes sense, and I remember you saying that in your build thread. I've been picking at the teeth a lot, and I think still have a bit more to go. My teeth seem to have too much depth compared to the photos that Glen posted.

Oh, sorry, I still have this question about positioning.

Thank you for the adding the threads on thread sizing to this thread . Hmm, I'm measuring these #4-40 heads at 5.5mm, so I guess that's just within range.

@Doggydoc, @JBar yeah, I feel like I shouldn't be picking at the ears much longer, since I'm bound to overdo it. So I'll leave it as-is and hopefully it will be approved. @JBar, @gmrhodes13 I figured out that I was not using my screw gauge properly, and for this kit (WTF), it's #4-40 screws. I don't see anything larger than that in the kit provided. Those screws and the S-Trim (original was too short) were supposed to ship last weekend, but didn't. But now I can just go buy some. I might just get ones that are all about 1" long. The ones in the kit would of course need to be snipped, but I'd rather not do that at risk of messing up the threading. I have a nice, snug countersink on the ears, and I'll paint everything later in 1-2 sessions. I'll also have to get some screws for the bottoms of the ears. Any guidelines about exactly where they go, or just eyeball from references?

Now checking in on the left ear. I think I have a good fit, but when I compare it to the right ear, it's quite a bit thicker at the bottom. I know that the ears aren't meant to be symmetric, but is this too much of a difference? Left ear: Right ear: My armorer left out a pair of the ear screws, so I don't have the left ear screwed down. Still waiting for that to come in the mail, but does anyone know what size they are so I can get them on Amazon or something? In imperial units, it seems like it's a bit smaller than #4. Who knows what it could be in rebel units ?

Wow, John, thank you for the encouragement! I totally agree, because I know myself too well that I won't want to open up that E-6000 or pull out that Dremel again after getting this done . I think getting this done at any level is an affirmation of skill level, 'cause it ain't easy! I'm glad I had most of the tools already, and I've certainly put them to work!

Thanks, good to hear, whew! Yes, that step at the top was totally needed. I'll hit that top front of the ear some more, as you suggest.