Jump to content

HOW to: assembling ATA ABS helmet #1


Recommended Posts

Great thread; will be very helpful to me. I just paid for my ABS ATA kit and I'm even more excited about building it now. This will be my second lid, the first one looked like a trooper that took a header off the command deck.

Ā 

Thanks for posting this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/1/2011 at 9:36 AM, DarthVeach said:

Fantastic and very helpful for us visual learners! I vote for this to be pinned!

Ā 

me too, I will purchase an ATA helmet kit soon, and this thread can be really useful for us, but people don't reply often and it keeps getting buried with time and pinning it would make it easier to findĀ 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I am using this to put together a ABS ATA right now and i must say this tutorial is tops. To my eye i appear to be duplicating Panda's build and its a much better helmet than the last one i built!

Ā 

Ā 

Panda, your the man!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Ā 

5506800842_5a8d31efb4_z.jpg

Ā 

Ā 

Ā 

what reference or guide do you use to draw the 's' cutting line for the cap n back, please? i can't "picture" this part...

Ā 

and does the forehead line always align with the bottom of the trapezoid for the cut line?

Ā 

thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

on my helmet which was hips, the cut line were pretty much indicated on the helmet. i have not seem a abs one so i could not really tell you, i would assume that the line "might" show up the same as it did on my helmet since it is the same tool to cast them ( i assume ) then all you have to do is follow those lines...they are there....

Ā 

if you are afraid to mess up then leave more on then off....drill your holes in the cap and face plate join them with some brads instead of permanent rivets...then shape your ears the way you want them and also install them with temporary brads, that way you will be able to see if you need to remove some more of the cap and back...otherwise if you remove too much you wont have enough cap and back behind your ear and you ll just want to cry....when you see it assembled and that you dont have enough...

Ā 

Ā 

also tk4510 has some super nice vids for the assembly of the helmet...i followed a lot of his advices and panda's tricks here and ended up with a real nice helmet....i had a ton of problems with the painting but the assembly went fairly well for a first helmet.

Ā 

Ā 

look up mike ( tk4510 ) for help and panda here...

Edited by LittleOne
Link to comment
Share on other sites

if you are afraid to mess up then leave more on then off....drill your holes in the cap and face plate join them with some brads instead of permanent rivets...then shape your ears the way you want them and also install them with temporary brads, that way you will be able to see if you need to remove some more of the cap and back...otherwise if you remove too much you wont have enough cap and back behind your ear and you ll just want to cry....when you see it assembled and that you dont have enough...

Ā 

ah, that's just brilliant, mate!! thanks, i'll use this advice!

Ā 

Ā 

Ā 

Ā 

also tk4510 has some super nice vids for the assembly of the helmet...i followed a lot of his advices and panda's tricks here and ended up with a real nice helmet....i had a ton of problems with the painting but the assembly went fairly well for a first helmet.

Ā 

Ā 

look up mike ( tk4510 ) for help and panda here...

Ā 

great, thank you so much! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Does the ATA ABS lid come with the foam inserts for inside the dome, the mic pieces, the lens, and the black piping to run across the brow and the neck line?

Ā 

Ā 

Panda, great tutorial. I can't wait to order my helmet and get crackin' using this guide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
For the lens, I cut a notch out for the nose area. The bolts passing through the ears will hold the lens in place. I simply drill alignment holes for them in the lens.

5506859056_7a2ed8479f_z.jpg

Terry, did you trim the welder's mask that came with the helmet kit to get it to this size? Mine is significantly taller.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the ATA ABS lid come with the foam inserts for inside the dome, the mic pieces, the lens, and the black piping to run across the brow and the neck line?

Ā 

Ā 

Panda, great tutorial. I can't wait to order my helmet and get crackin' using this guide.

Ā 

Ā 

ATA helmets come with all of the above plus hardware. Foam is not included.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ā 

Terry, did you trim the welder's mask that came with the helmet kit to get it to this size? Mine is significantly taller.

Ā 

yes. I just trim it. I find if its taller it can dig into your cheeks or nose when wearing it. The lens only needs to be 1/2" taller than the eye openings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool, thanks. One more question:

Ā 

After they are dry, I sand the edges of the tips slightly to make them look a little more "worn" and add the mesh (run some CA glue on the inside edge and press the tips in. Some people like to use a round tool to make it look like they are pressed from the inside.

5506855252_85bec8af64_z.jpg

I have E6000 and plastic welder, but no CA glue. Are either of those viable options for gluing the mesh screens?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just find CA glue thinner and less noticable than other glues since it dries clear. I find E6000 too thick. Plastic weld is designed for styrene and ABS not resin, so I'm not sure if it will hold. It might soften the plastic slightly but might not bond with the screen mesh. Just use Krazy glue. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, thanks. I gotta' admit, this is a stressful part of the build. I can't figure out how to accurately work the mesh evenly down into the tip to rest on that little ridge. It doesn't help that I'm not coordinated at all! ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...