A Less then Comfy First Helmet Build

[Comfy Turtle]

Hey everyone, i made a build thread in assembly but figured its probly better off here and i'm in some serious need of advice, after reading such inspiring build threads like Dianas, Russellrs and Zarlons, i'm pretty embarrassed how i'm having so much trouble on just the helmet, especially the ears, and even though i've been reading guides and FAQs i still have some "moments", i've always been a computer nerd and never a actual power tool kinda guy but i ventured outside my -comfy- zone for the chance to one day be a TK.

 

Heres a late night progress report on my Right ear and some woes i'm having on it.

 

heres the kit as of now, not much progress but mostly late night right ear dremeling.

 

 

 

 

 

and i've read many threads and guides on ears but they never completly stop me from making mistakes so i'm asking for advice.

 

i've also learned its hard to keep the cameria focused while holding down the ear.

 

heres the front side

 

and from the back

 

i havent gotten to the drilling phase yet but i'm noticing this side poking out at the center and i'm worried i might have taken to much off. i might be overreacting but i tend to do stuff like this at 3am,

Edited April 29, 2015 by Comfy Turtle

[HansDC[TK]]

Don't stress. It looks fine. Just grab some sandpaper or one of those flat files and slowly file the parts that need filing down so that the curves fit. They don't have to be perfect...but if you take your time, you'll find that its a lot easier than what you expected it to be,  

 

[Mcott65[TK]]

I would suggest you mark the area on the ear where it touches with a soft pencil or something like that and then sand the marked parts down and just keep refitting until you are happy with the shape.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

I would suggest purchasing an inexpensive rasp type file at Lowe's or Home Depot.  Get one that is flat on one side and curved on the other, (for the contours), and, like Hans said, use sandpaper or a sanding sponge to smooth it down.  Just take your time, and I am sure it will turn out great!  Remember... small increments... 

[gazmosis[501st]]

I would start by taking a bit more off of the round portion. You still have that flare out at the bottom that should be reduced more. Don't rush this. Like Mark said, look at both your gaps and the things preventing those gaps from closing. Always Mark what you are going to trim. Never just trim willy nilly. Important to remember that what you trim on the front side can/will affect what happens in the back. At the stage you are at, I would also decide the final location of your ear on your helmet and trace that. Stay in that trace line! Moving that ear, even a little outside that area, will affect how the ear fits. Good luck

[Zarlon[TK]]

Take all of the advice mentioned above, don't get discouraged, and don't expect perfection. I know this is easier said than done but keep at it. I was extremely frustrated with mine and still don't like they way they turned out but I've moved on. You'll get there just try and enjoy the ride

[Comfy Turtle]

More progress if thats what you want to call it, again with mixed results, here we go.

 

I "finished"/AKA got fed up with the ears, i'll take them off later and "try" to fix them but i think i went to far on one and and slapped them to see how back it was, i was about to say one of them was ok but honestly they'll both give me nightmares tonight.

 

From this pic it doesn't seem to bad but when we get closer...

 

the problem zones get noticed.

 

Front Left

Not great but i'm to tired to continue on it tonight

 

"Horror noises"

 

 

 

i'm probably going to have to bust out the second set ATA gave me but i'm really scared to just mess it up again, might wait and hope for a local armor party. between this and noticing more and more imperfections are making my spirit hit rock bottom.

Edited April 30, 2015 by Comfy Turtle

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

As someone who has spent well over 3 hours on each ear, I feel your pain. I went through 4, yes 4 right ears until I was finally happy. I haven't even posted it in my build thread yet. Remember where parts are touching needs to be sanded down a bit and it will bring it closer eliminating the gap. You also have to counter whatever you do to the front to the back as well. What I did is make a rough line to cut to and also sand down the top disc portion where I wanted. Then all I need to focus on was the curve and bottom portion of the ears. A dremel with the sanding drum and a piece of 100 grit sandpaper is what I used. Just do a little at a time, test fit with the screws in tight. Then look at where the gaps are and what's touching so you know where to adjust. Hope this helps. 

[russellr2d2[TK]]

if it didn't turn out to your liking.  SLOWWWWW Down.  

 

• Use sandpaper only (180 or even 220 grit) to fine tune the ears.  No Dremel !  Work slower.  Fit the ear note the high spots and scrub a pencil in the area so you see it later.  Fit-sand-fit-sand...sand LESS and fit more will help you get that closer fit.

• Also cut a notch at the top of the round portion to fit over the overlap of the face and back of the helmet.  This allows the ear to lay much closer and flat on the side up near the round area of the ear.

• Don't worry about it being perfect...the original helmets were wide open by our standards. 

 

Slow down, have a beer while you do this, watch Big Bang theory or a good movie.  Have fun!   

 

Good Luck!

Your going through what we all did!

[Comfy Turtle]

if it didn't turn out to your liking.  SLOWWWWW Down.  

 

• Use sandpaper only (180 or even 220 grit) to fine tune the ears.  No Dremel !  Work slower.  Fit the ear note the high spots and scrub a pencil in the area so you see it later.  Fit-sand-fit-sand...sand LESS and fit more will help you get that closer fit.

• Also cut a notch at the top of the round portion to fit over the overlap of the face and back of the helmet.  This allows the ear to lay much closer and flat on the side up near the round area of the ear.

• Don't worry about it being perfect...the original helmets were wide open by our standards. 

 

Slow down, have a beer while you do this, watch Big Bang theory or a good movie.  Have fun!   

 

Good Luck!

Your going through what we all did!

 

I wondered about that top part overlap so yeah i'll try and notch, maybe light dremeling but i'll also try not to use it, not much ear left!

 

i'll try again tonight after work but yeah take it slow, 

[Comfy Turtle]

Minor progress tonight as i want to take it slow with what ear i have left, but also noticed other things i thought i should address as the ears almost seem minor in comparison.

 

Heres the Front Left ear

 

Back side, Still pretty bad but much better then last night.

 

I've not given up on fixing these ears but i think i'll move on to other parts of the build for now as i've been on these ears literally all week. atleast a chance of pace before all i think about are ears.

 

i read up on how to apply the lens, and alot of people either seem to just Hotglue the buggers or use some weird plastic and screw method? which is "better"/how does someone get the plastic for that method?

 

also some things i've noticed after placing the ears multiple times is my eye holes are very uneven, but i think i went to far on the Right eye and only have the choice to narrow the left as far.

 

and another is i didnt place my cap and back placement as well as orginally thought, this is suppposed to be a full front photo but notice the right side is a bid off while the left is already showing.

 

last in the same photo back when i did the original cap trimming i think i must of taken off way to much because my brow cant really go all the way down to the eyes without falling off, i noticed alot of people say to super glue them when you get it the way you want, but since i'm not finished yet what stage should i wait for that?

 

are these issues worthy of disassembling and redrilling? i'm tempted to try but scared the old holes might not be covered if there is new ear placement needed.

 

and would this effect 501st Membership?

 

sorry for the rush of questions but my minds on fire over it, any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I think your ears look great. I would do this minor improvement and call it a day. I would do it by hand with a piece of sand paper and keep checking fitment as you go.

 

[Comfy Turtle]

yeah not enough ear left to risk dremeling, i'll do it in a little bit, also going to take off all screws and see if realigning is possible.

[Comfy Turtle]

small steps today as my friend visited, distracting me from helmet work but he drove around and i picked a few things up while we went to drink.

 

we stopped at a local shop i go to for my model paints and picked up what i need for the helmet... i think, i couldnt find the color guide i saw anywhere when it came time to buy, but i got a Model Master French blue because that was the only french blue i've seen in town. i got the spray paint and masking tape in hopes of painting the inside black, grey and black for the decals and off pic but i have various super glues laying around, dont know if the kind matters.

 

i moved the helmet around slightly and drilled a few new holes (i checked and they were still covered by the ears), i suppose it doesnt look that much different in the picture but its better to me

 

only issue i had is when i moved them the front left ear gap grew.

 

but when i was talking to my friend about it, who isnt exactly a engineer but a electrician, he asked if i could use chaulk to fill the gap, now i've never read anyone else do that but i thought i'd ask if it was ok. 

[Comfy Turtle]

Anyone know a good way to get some paint off the helmet? the inside spray went well for the most part, but some got through the teeth.

 

i'm not so worryed about the teeth themselves as i'll paint them grey tonight but theres a smudge just under it and nail polish and vinegar arn't really cutting it.  

 

maybe i should get some white gloss paint to cover it? or novus polish? as of now i painted the teeth and that went fine, but when doing the vocom i got smudges here and there and i'm in full panic mode

Edited May 4, 2015 by Comfy Turtle

[Comfy Turtle]

Edit: sucks that since i'm a late night person no ones often on to respond but gotta say, thank god for mineral spirits

 

 

heres my helm where i've painted the inside black and begun painting on the teeth and vocom, a horrible mess ensued so i salvaged(IE Mineral spirits) what i could of the vocom for now and will redo it tomorrow.

 

also i found that smudge was due to using the nail polish was acetone based and part of the face lost its shine, can i fix that with gloss enamel?

Edited May 4, 2015 by Comfy Turtle

[Zarlon[TK]]

Edit: sucks that since i'm a late night person no ones often on to respond but gotta say, thank god for mineral spirits

 

 

heres my helm where i've painted the inside black and begun painting on the teeth and vocom, a horrible mess ensued so i salvaged(IE Mineral spirits) what i could of the vocom for now and will redo it tomorrow.

 

also i found that smudge was due to using the nail polish was acetone based and part of the face lost its shine, can i fix that with gloss enamel?

 

 

Yep...definitely stay away from the acetone! Mineral spirits are what I use to remove excess paint. 

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Looking good, dude! Maybe look at taking a little off the bottom of the ear where it touches the tubes and it'll bring it closer. In any case, if you want my left over ears, shoot me a PM! I painted my black lines on my bucket last night. Grey goes on tonight after I finish helping out at a garrison event. 

[Comfy Turtle]

I'm calling this completed helmet Alpha because there is still alot to do with it, along with losing one of the side bolts and some half awake choices. the ear painting is sloppy but i fully plan to replace them with the other ears over time.

 

 

Right

 

Back

 

Left

 

Any noticeable things that i need to fix besides the ears? i dont expect to be Centurion with my skill but i may aswell dream big.

 

i also plan to replace the flat grey teeth with the proper grey next week and add mesh to the teeth, maybe buy a second set of decals? these were Scott M i bought a long time ago, but didnt know about Dave Ms at the time.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Comfy Turtle

[Comfy Turtle]

As a person who fiddles with models i'm going to try to get better pictures of the problem areas i've noticed. its kinda hard to show sadly since all i have is my phone cam, any advice on how to fix them would be highly appreciated, i'm tempted to order a new set of decals and redo the stripes, but i would atleast perfer to get the shine back in a part of the face that got damaged by acetone nailpolish i tried to clean.

 

Here is the biggest offender to me, when i applied the decal i knew it was off but by the time i tried to remove it some of the lines already stuck so it was either this or nothing.

 

heres as close as i can get to show the spot, notice the areas not reflecting. i heard Novus polish could fix it?

 

another damaged shot, these two also show how bad i am at applying paint layers.

 

 

Here is the Vocom orginally it was a complete mess but i cleaned it up with mineral spirits, should i add/substract more though?

 

 

and here is the bottom of the helmet, but i've noticed some people take off alot of the back cap but what a good spot to leave? i am also terrible at trying to get the bottom trim to even stay on but i'll wait till everythings done before applying it.

 

sorry for pretty much begging for answers but i cant really stop thinking about the issues (even at work )

 

i figured i'd make a order for padding and velcro, gloss white/grey and the polish, anything else i should get to fix it up? i'll wait for electronics for the helmet til the day i begin trooping.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I would try to use a little watered down paint thinner to remove the teeth paint. I have to cut my back cap some too as it's way to tight to fit my head in even with putting it on sideways and screwing it on. Just leave enough where you still have that ridge and only take enough as necessary. You don't want a huge opening that people can see up in. 

[illusionz_09[TK]]

Before you cut off anything from the head opening, make sure you try the bucket on and see if and how much you need to. In most cases you shouldn't have to cut any off, just put the s-trim.

 

as far as the teeth goes, they look a bit "twinkied." I'm not sure if that is what you are going for, but if you are trying to get as accurate as possible, you should try to cut a bit more of the teeth to square them off. By doing this it will also open up the painting area and allow you to clean up the paint lines for the overall frown.

And for Yoda's sake, please use the proper grey; it will make you feel so much better about the paint job.

 

I also noticed that on the tears you have the sticker decal. For ANH, i would definitely suggest you hand paint them; not only does it look much nicer, but it will give you less of a headache during legion approval.

 

The ears can be touched up as you know. Just make sure at this point you stop dremeling. Slow and steady; sand by hand little by little.

 

Sorry to attack, just trying to touch all points. Don't be discouraged, were all here to help. You're doing a great job so far...

[Comfy Turtle]

@Airborne yeah i'm addicted to mineral spirits thinner after it saved me a few times from my own horrible painting, and i'll probly only take a little off the back at a time but i scratch my ear taking it off even screw style.

 

@illusiuonz i might cut a bit more but i'll probly always stay a little "twinkied", and yeah i'll buy like 2 bottles of the proper grey and as i hear in the model world "THIN YOUR PAINTS!"

 

As for the decals yeah i'll probly give them try as worst case scenario i just buy the Dave M and cover them.

 

the ears i might start the second set but definitly see if i can perfect the first. 

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

My bucket really scratches my ears so that's why I have to open it up more. I don't think I have THAT big of a head. I wear 7 1/4 fitted hats. 

[Comfy Turtle]

Ready for a horror show? also known as my first attempt at painting the details

 

Front shot, not to noticable, but since the old flat grey had been on the teeth so long i couldnt really get it off so i just painted the gloss gray on top

 

my biggest issue seems to be my not so steady hand

 

 

 

 

front a distance i dont think most will notice or care but the back ones are pretty bad imo, and i did this 2 days ago so they've already dried in, though hopfully mineral spirits can save me again.

 

maybe i should just buy those Dave M decals

Edited June 2, 2015 by Comfy Turtle