ATA Bucket Build[*ATA]

[2155TK[TK]]

The wonkiness is normal. i hope you used washers on the screws to prevent any dislodging of nuts.

 

As for the inside of the helmet..other troopers use matte or glossy black paint. It's actually preference.. IIRC none of the Philippine Outposts members have colored the insides of their buckets. I believe even the actual props didn't have paint either.

 

But then again it's your choice.

[Midnyt17]

Yup washers are in place and I've just cut, drilled, and installed the lens. I'll probably paint the aerators this weekend. What kind of paint should I use? Enamel? Acrylic? Glossy? Matte?

 

I'll keep thinking about painting the inside. I kind of want to paint it to make it look "cleaner" and I've read it makes it feel cooler in there.

 

And speaking of the Philippine Outpost, isn't there a troop this weekend at Megamall? I saw the poster on another forum.

[2155TK[TK]]

Just use the RJ or Bosny Acrylic Laquer spray cans found in ACE hardware. That will do for the hovi's.

 

As for inside the bucket.. If it were me i wouldn't paint the inside any color because it might add to the humidity inside your bucket while trooping. We do live in a tropical country and you'll need all the fresh air you can get.

 

About the troop that's correct, august 7 megamall. It's a hasbro toy event. I won't be able to go because of work but i 'm sure some of the members of the Outpost will recognize you.

[Midnyt17]

Alright. Will buy a can of black spray paint tonight. This is a stupid question but should I paint the inside of the hovi's or keep them resin colored? I'm going through pictures around the forum and I can't tell if the insides are painted or not.

[SydB1974]

Alright. Will buy a can of black spray paint tonight. This is a stupid question but should I paint the inside of the hovi's or keep them resin colored? I'm going through pictures around the forum and I can't tell if the insides are painted or not.

 

from the various hovi's i've seen FS or from the movies, they are either solid black on the inside, or painted white. If you search around for Stomper's hovi's, he used to make them either way.

[2155TK[TK]]

If you look at my link starwarshelmets.com on the set for stun trooper, his hovi's are black on the outside and white on the insides. I bought my hovi's from keithkit and are the best out there together with stompers. I colored my stomper ones black and white, then when i replaced them with keithkit's, it was already pre-painted. The sweetest i've seen

 

make sure the can that you buy is matte/dull black. post pics!

[Midnyt17]

Here's my assembled helmet. Sorry for the picture quality. What do you guys think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I still need to do some finishing sanding and filing then paint everything.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Midnyt17

[Midnyt17]

from the various hovi's i've seen FS or from the movies, they are either solid black on the inside, or painted white. If you search around for Stomper's hovi's, he used to make them either way.

 

 

If you look at my link starwarshelmets.com on the set for stun trooper, his hovi's are black on the outside and white on the insides. I bought my hovi's from keithkit and are the best out there together with stompers. I colored my stomper ones black and white, then when i replaced them with keithkit's, it was already pre-painted. The sweetest i've seen

 

make sure the can that you buy is matte/dull black. post pics!

 

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I'll try and paint the outside first and see how it looks then decide if I'll paint the inside as well.

[SCtrooper20]

Looks good. Are you going to hand paint the traps and tears and ears or go with deals

[Midnyt17]

Looks good. Are you going to hand paint the traps and tears and ears or go with deals

 

Thanks! I'm still thinking about it. Decals would cost me three to four times as much as painting them myself but I don't trust my hand painting skills so I'm still weighing if the cleaner, more accurate look of decals is worth the cost.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Midnyt17

[2155TK[TK]]

I know i bought decals that look like it was hand painted from TK-mike...

 

http://members.cox.net/appstronaut/troopermaster_hp.html

 

The best of both options. I still had to hand paint the ears and teeth though. These decals saved me a lot of trouble.

 

 

you can still fix that gap on the ears by adjusting the lower screw's hole. but if you can live with it i guess it's ok.

[SCtrooper20]

I hand painted mine. It came out better in my opinion. Plus it makes it more screen accurate

[Midnyt17]

I know i bought decals that look like it was hand painted from TK-mike...

 

http://members.cox.net/appstronaut/troopermaster_hp.html

 

The best of both options. I still had to hand paint the ears and teeth though. These decals saved me a lot of trouble.

 

 

you can still fix that gap on the ears by adjusting the lower screw's hole. but if you can live with it i guess it's ok.

 

Yeah. TK-4510(Mike) is my first and only option if I go the decal route. When you bought decals from him did you get it shipped to the Phil or the US? I'm wondering whether the decals will still go through customs even though they're just stickers.

 

As for the gap, I've tried adjusting the lower screw to no avail so either I'm leaving the gap or I need to find a way to fill it in.

[SCtrooper20]

I ordered the Humbrol style paint for the tears traps and chin. Also I got the tube stripe decals from tk4510's website. Not sure about shipping out side the US or about getting them through customs.

[Midnyt17]

I ordered the Humbrol style paint for the tears traps and chin. Also I got the tube stripe decals from tk4510's website. Not sure about shipping out side the US or about getting them through customs.

 

I actually wanted to ask about that.

 

Since we don't have Humbrol nor Testors in the Phil, I wanted to know what kind of paint would I need to use for the chin and the other details so I can look for alternatives. Do I use glossy or matte paint for the chin? How about the tears? Teeth? All glossy?

Edited August 9, 2010 by Midnyt17

[Midnyt17]

Oh, and can anyone link me to a helmet painting guide? I'm going to paint the helmet this week (probably on the weekend) and I honestly have no idea how to do it.

[2155TK[TK]]

The best local paints you can use are Tamiya ENAMELS. The only problem is the grey paints are in DULL FINISH. You can buy some CLEAR ENAMEL GLOSS to mix with the dull grey, but this will darken the hue of your grey. so make sure you buy a grey shade that is lighter in color. I think i still have some Humbrol #5 left that i lent to some of the Outpost. Pahiram ko nalang sayo. Just use sparingly

 

The decals that i ordered from mike was shipped directly to my doorstep. It's just an envelope so i guess it was nothing of interest to the customs post office.Just ask mike to have it shipped priority.

 

As for painting the helmet white i know there are a lot of build thread's here about it. Have you found the right hue for your white colored base? Don't be in a rush bro.. baka magkamali pa and mahirap na mag start over, or even worse stripping the paint off the plastic. it involves harsh chemicals and may damage the plastic.

 

If you have time i can talk to you over the phone on how to paint big surfaces with spray cans. I'm in Melbourne right now but will be home by friday. you can give a call then.

[Midnyt17]

The best local paints you can use are Tamiya ENAMELS. The only problem is the grey paints are in DULL FINISH. You can buy some CLEAR ENAMEL GLOSS to mix with the dull grey, but this will darken the hue of your grey. so make sure you buy a grey shade that is lighter in color. I think i still have some Humbrol #5 left that i lent to some of the Outpost. Pahiram ko nalang sayo. Just use sparingly

 

The decals that i ordered from mike was shipped directly to my doorstep. It's just an envelope so i guess it was nothing of interest to the customs post office.Just ask mike to have it shipped priority.

 

As for painting the helmet white i know there are a lot of build thread's here about it. Have you found the right hue for your white colored base? Don't be in a rush bro.. baka magkamali pa and mahirap na mag start over, or even worse stripping the paint off the plastic. it involves harsh chemicals and may damage the plastic.

 

If you have time i can talk to you over the phone on how to paint big surfaces with spray cans. I'm in Melbourne right now but will be home by friday. you can give a call then.

 

I'm going to try and get some Tamiya paints tomorrow. Should I strictly get ENAMEL or will ACRYLICS work as well as I read that they're easier to work with for beginners. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to paints and painting.

 

I'm planning to order a set of decals from TK-4510 (Mike) this week when I get my paycheck. If they don't go through customs and go straight to my doorstep then I'm definitely getting a set.

 

I've actually had a change of heart about my whole armor project. I needed to make a compromise. Will explain more when you get back in town. Will give you a call.

[Midnyt17]

Can anyone tell me the size/type of brass(?) screw that comes with the ATA kit? I need to get some extra washers and nuts to secure the lens material to the screws.

[Tech151[TK]]

Hey Martin.

 

 

Helmet is looking pretty good so far. I've read through most of this forum and have thoughts and suggestions after recently finishing my own ATA kit.

 

You mentioned something about gaps in the ears, I'm not sure if ANH Stunt and EIB requirements allow you to use filler to fill those gaps, that's what I did for my ESB hero style lid. I like the filled look but I know it's not for everyone.

 

As for those entire holes, If they're covered by the ears they shouldn't pose much of a problem. And painting the interior of the helmet is definitely something I want to do at some point, or wanted to do. Instead we (Tkbondservnt and myself) just sprayed a clear coat in there. It added a bit of strength to the bucket. Additionally we were going for a more idealized look and primed the exterior a few times so we could sand down all the bumps and I mean ALL the bumps lol. This bucket is practically bump-less. My biggest suggestion, especially with this ATA helmet, is don't skimp on the paint. Several layers make it a lot easier to fix and clean up any scratches, dents, or dings. Lastly, on painting, we decided to not add a clear coat because most of the clear coat spray paints available apply a rigid finish and we though that we wanted there to be more flexibility. Our solution to this was to just add a few coats of Wax. Currently I only have one on my armor so we'll see how it holds up this weekend.

 

Anyway, it looks like you're making great progress. If you're ever nervous about trimming, use the sand paper to take of the extra flashing because it removes this plastic like butter!

 

OOOOO last question, how are you doing the lenses? A pic would be cool. Looking forward to see the next set of pics!

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

I would paint the entire bucket with rustoleum epoxy.

 

there are lot's of plastic model puttys and fillers. make sure you get one that

is compatiable with HIPS plastic.

 

sandpaper is your friend! water and wetsanding is the best path to take.

make sure you're dust free by washing it up with soap and water.

 

dishwashing soap like "dawn" is a good choice. you don't want soaps with

lotion, or any kind of mixture like that. just a plain degreaser.

[naatsirhc[TK]]

I think you are doing pretty good so far. I would suggest looking at the many ATA build threads that are in the Assembly Mods section(not the TE derived section, which was added later). Many of the questions and problems you have and will face are covered in those threads. Not so say that what I did with my build is what you should do, but you can easly find my build by accessing my profile. I used the information I gained from others along with my own ideas to build my ATA kit. TK 4510 has a great painting tutorial which will show you a great way to paint your bucket, it is in the Build or Tutorial section and should still be pinned. Good luck and keep up the good work!

Edited August 12, 2010 by naatsirhc

[2155TK[TK]]

acrylics are good for airbrushing. but when hand painting enamels are the way. dont forget to buy enamel thinner for enamel paints.

[2155TK[TK]]

acrylics are good for airbrushing. but when hand painting enamels are the way. dont forget to buy enamel thinner for enamel paints.

 

I forgot what tamiya paint number you have to buy, I know it's in one of the topics. I do know it's tamiya royal blue and xf? Sky grey?

[Midnyt17]

Hey Martin.

 

 

Helmet is looking pretty good so far. I've read through most of this forum and have thoughts and suggestions after recently finishing my own ATA kit.

 

You mentioned something about gaps in the ears, I'm not sure if ANH Stunt and EIB requirements allow you to use filler to fill those gaps, that's what I did for my ESB hero style lid. I like the filled look but I know it's not for everyone.

 

As for those entire holes, If they're covered by the ears they shouldn't pose much of a problem. And painting the interior of the helmet is definitely something I want to do at some point, or wanted to do. Instead we (Tkbondservnt and myself) just sprayed a clear coat in there. It added a bit of strength to the bucket. Additionally we were going for a more idealized look and primed the exterior a few times so we could sand down all the bumps and I mean ALL the bumps lol. This bucket is practically bump-less. My biggest suggestion, especially with this ATA helmet, is don't skimp on the paint. Several layers make it a lot easier to fix and clean up any scratches, dents, or dings. Lastly, on painting, we decided to not add a clear coat because most of the clear coat spray paints available apply a rigid finish and we though that we wanted there to be more flexibility. Our solution to this was to just add a few coats of Wax. Currently I only have one on my armor so we'll see how it holds up this weekend.

 

Anyway, it looks like you're making great progress. If you're ever nervous about trimming, use the sand paper to take of the extra flashing because it removes this plastic like butter!

 

OOOOO last question, how are you doing the lenses? A pic would be cool. Looking forward to see the next set of pics!

 

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Will probably do 3 coats of primer and 3 or more coats of paint. As for the inside, I'm still deciding whether the black color + the chemicals in the paint will make it more humid in there. But I will definitely look for that UV-protect wax you used and put it on my bucket. You did a wonderful job on your build and I'm actually going to take a lot of pointers from it when start painting my bucket and sometime soon building my armor.

 

I'm going to take a look at helmet again tonight and decide whether I'll keep the gaps or not. The front gap on the left ear doesn't bother me as much as the gap at the rear of the right ear. If I do decide to fill it in I'll probably use some Tamiya putty unless someone suggests something better. What did you use to fill in your gaps?

 

I'm probably painting my bucket this Sunday or Monday so I have a couple of days to work on final sanding and filling the gaps.

 

As for the lenses, I followed TK-4510's tutorial here to attach them. I'll take a picture a little later and post it.

 

Again, thanks for all the advice. I appreciate it.