BobbyFromBUF Posted July 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Have you joined the Garrison Excelsior forums yet? The majority of the members are towards your neck of the woods and you might be able to get some assistance.I did years ago, but haven't logged on in ages. I'll make a point to do that! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 There are a lot of troops in your area and throughout the state coming up soon so hit up the garrison forums! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Actually, now that I'm searching for it, I'm having trouble finding the Garrison Excelsior forums... Should I be looking under FISD or 501st.com or somewhere else? Thanks. Sorry for the dumb question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted July 10, 2015 Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 http://www.garrisonexcelsior.com/forum/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2015 Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 So, here my helmet has sat. Taped together. Very poorly. Resting on a mannequin head for over 2 years. That is terrible, and should be a crime.... DSC_0316 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0315 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0317 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr I have had enough. I am off next week, and I am gonna put this sucker together. Part of the reason I stopped my build 2 years ago is that the NE Helmet is super "wonky". There's tons of "extra" material on every single part that needs to be trimmed before the parts can begin to resemble the shape I'd like. With that said, I yanked that blue tape off so I can better assess what I have going here. Here are a couple of shots of the faceplate separated from the cap and back... DSC_0329 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0328 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr I noticed on some other threads that faceplates from 2 piece helmet assemblies don't generally have that thick brow bulge on the faceplate. Does this brow "bulge" serve a purpose as a guide or something? Should I just cut it off? Any direction would be super helpful. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Next I got out the blue tape and started taping the back n cap back together. I was trying to get some photos of the angles of the overlap. Does this look right? I'm just trying to be careful before I proceed with glue. DSC_0327 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0326 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0325 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0324 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Now, I'm trying to figure out the positioning so I can trim. I actually bought TK4510's Basic Helmet Assembly Guide when I first ordered the armor - not realizing that the guide was for a 2 piece helmet. However, it's still extremely helpful. TK4510 mentions that the forward edge of the ear/com link should end up being between 1/2" and 3/4" from the tear. So, with this in mind, I cut the brow trim (leaving a bit extra to trim off later), and used some clamps to hold things in place. DSC_0338 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Does the angle of the faceplate look "right". I was afraid that it looked a bit "shallow"... DSC_0339 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr So, I held the ears on, and traced the edges. I hope this is leaving the correct "S curve". DSC_0343 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0345 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Does this seem correct? DSC_0346 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0347 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Thanks everyone. I am really going to make a run at this thing this week. Any feedback I could get over the weekend would be very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutter[TK] Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) The faceplate looks like it can come out a little. Comparing your helmet to reference photos would be your best bet. I would suggest not doing anything with the faceplate until the back is glue into place. The curve on your helmet looks ok, difficult to tell. Remember cut a little at a time. Edited July 11, 2015 by Mutter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks Mutter! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted July 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 I started trimming the helmet, and actually attached the cap and back together. I just noticed after staring at the Dave M Helmet that the "lines" of the eye and the front edge of the trap line up. So, I'm going to use this as a way to make sure I'm staying lined up properly.... Dave M side by side 2 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Dave M side by side 1 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr That's not much progress, but at least its something. Well, I'm off to High School Alumni Lacrosse Game. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to do a bit more tonight. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Going off the references is always going to be the best advice. When you trim the sides, trim a little because you can always trim more if need be. Make sure you have the top cap glued in place before you make any final adjustments to the face. If you don't like that seem, there are a few builds with people filling it in with abs paste or other sculpting material. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted November 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2015 Hi All, Happy Thanksgiving to anyone out there celebrating... I am having a dilemma regarding my helmet. The shape of the helmet is making it extremely difficult to trim the ears. Would it be crazy of me to add an extra rivet to each side - under the ears - to snug up where the tube connects on the face to the back? I can't find any examples of anyone else doing this, but I feel like it might be my only way to get a good secure fit. Any direction would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Bobby DSC_0473 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0472 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted November 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 The NE Ears come really thick to start off. I just can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong. DSC_0474 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0475 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr No matter how I push or pull, I just can't get this gap to shrink. I read a suggestion to attach the ears with the screws, use pencil marks, and then keep trimming. But, I'm obviously not understanding... DSC_0476 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0477 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Please help! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyFromBUF Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 Well, after some hard thinking, I decided to use the original ears that came with my kit. I purchased from Tupperware TK, and shortly after receiving my kit I received an additional package with replacement ears. Since I have the new ears, I figured it couldn't hurt to try and shape the old ones with a heat sealing iron and heat gun. Here are the results.... DSC_0492 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0493 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0494 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0495 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr DSC_0498 by Robert Whalen, on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 Looks great and wow shiny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 Looks great and wow shiny I'll second that, like a shot of gloss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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