Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hey guys, just wanted to post an update on my helmet build. I haven't been doing a step-by-step thread, but I've used pandatrooper's tutorial from the start, as well as MANY other troopers' builds. I must say, I've never seen a forum with as much valuable information as this. I'm very proud to be a small part of it. Everything went pretty smooth until I got to the ears. Holy mother of the maker!!!!! Terrell sends two sets for a reason! After two solid days of fighting, cussing, maiming, bleeding and praying, I finally got em decent. I wanted gaps to be screen accurate, but I had a helluva time getting things to line up. PLEASE, if you are just beginning like me, TAKE YOUR TIME ON THE EARS. And don't skimp on getting some good lexan scissors, or you'll be sorry! Anyway, things are looking up now, and soon it'll be time for some paint! Thanks again, all of you that have come before. Your knowledge is priceless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattrooper Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 You did a great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captsafe66[Admin] Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Looking good! That is a great Tutorial to use, Pandatrooper did a great job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCTrooper[TK] Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Nice work! I would trim the teeth more square and trim the eyes out a bit more. The brow could be higher, but that's a personal preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Thanks guys! SC, I'm kinda partial to the low brow, makes it look more menacing, to me anyway. Thanks for the advice on the teeth & eyes, i was worried about taking too much off both those areas, so I'll definitely refine some more! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjsavage7[TK] Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 So far, so good. Just trim a tiny bit at a time & you'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Looking good, a little squarer in the corners of the teeth will give it a meaner look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKido[501st] Posted February 3, 2014 Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Great looking lid you've got there! As mentioned the teeth could use some more trimming. The squareness (is that even a word? ) makes a lot of difference. And personally I like the low brow. It might not be as screen accurate but it does look better. Good luck with the rest of the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hey folks! Time to call it a night....I filed the teeth more square, and took just a bit more off the eyes. Then I put the first coat of gray on over the black that I double coated this morning. Got the first layer on all over. Gotta do some edge work on the ear buttons and rear traps after it dries, I've got a wicked crooked edge on the left trap, but it's an easy fix I'm pretty happy with it. It's amazing how seeing color on your lid gives you a sense of accomplishment!! How's she look? Sorry 'bout the yellowish hue, the lighting in my kitchen isn't the best... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuteman Posted February 4, 2014 Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Very nice helmet! Especially the low brow will look bada**! The only thing I see is that you could extend the painting of the tear detail a little more to the ridges. It looks kind of lost and too small. I'll keep an eye in this build ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2014 Thanks Minuteman! The reference pics for the painting are so hard to judge on the real thing! I'll definitely check up on that, thanks for the advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2014 Hey guys! Just wanted to post some pics of my finished paint job on my lid. Painting was definitely more of a challenge than I expected. I used some vinyl masking to paint the tube stripes, but that ended up being a terrible mistake. The left side had paint runs between EVERY stripe. After much cursing and research, I found that plain old liquid dish detergent and a blunt toothpick will remove testors paint pretty easily without leaving any stains or harming the ABS. So, after two solid hours of reshaping stripes, the end result came out pretty good. I used masking tape for everything else, with little to no issues. I also added a hard hat liner using trooperbay's (I think that's who it was) YouTube video for reference. I wear a hard hat at work, so it's very comfortable for me. I'm happy with the end result, and looking forward to putting some mesh & fans in and calling it done! Thanks for all the advice and support guys, I can't wait to join the ranks later this year!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batphobic Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Looks great. Nice job on the ears. I hope mine turn out that well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Thanks man! It took two sets of ears, and a lot of fitting & sanding to get them even close to being right. Just take your time, leave plenty of material to work with when you make the first cut, and use the tutorials on here and it will turn out great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Your tube stripes look pretty wide, what measurement did you use, hope it wasn't the old stencil on the forum This is the correct appearance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Gmrhodes13, thank you for pointing that out, I did use the old measurement from pandatrooper's template that calls for them to be 13/16". They're sitting at about 21mm. What an eye!! I'm going to shave those down to 16mm ASAP. Thanks for helping me be as accurate as possible!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DroidHunter Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Looks great. Nice work on that lid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Gmrhodes13, thank you for pointing that out, I did use the old measurement from pandatrooper's template that calls for them to be 13/16". They're sitting at about 21mm. What an eye!! I'm going to shave those down to 16mm ASAP. Thanks for helping me be as accurate as possible!! You are very welcome Frank that's what we are here for. Just one other thing make sure the front of the tube stripe is falling down (greater on the top) if that makes sense, it follows the angle on the front of the cheek. You can see it clearly in this picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantina Security[501st] Posted February 11, 2014 Report Share Posted February 11, 2014 Looks Good Frank, those Tube stripe adjustments, and you'll be straight. How long did your ears Take? I have about four hours between the two of mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank4vt[TK] Posted February 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2014 The ears took me pretty much a Saturday evening thru an early Sunday morning, prolly 8 total hours. I made the mistake of working after exhaustion set in and completely destroyed the first set. Then my frickin' OCD set in about the gaps & I ended up almost messing up the second set. If you did it in four hours, then you've accomplished something great in my opinion!! I started honing down the stripes this evening, I'll post pics when I get 'em done. Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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