Kredal's ANH Hero build [AM2]

[Kredal[TK]]

I took off the blue from one tube this morning, and the fingernail polish is still there.  I'm not sure anything short of acetone will get rid of it... so I put in a request for a new faceplate from TrooperGear.  ><

 

If I get a new one, I can use this one to practice shaping and pushing the outside teeth back to flat for more Hero-lookingness.

 

Oi.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Try some mineral spirit or testors paint thinner

[Khazid[TK]]

Agreed, testors paint thinner should soften the acrylic enough to remove it.

Edited July 2, 2015 by Khazid

[Kredal[TK]]

Alright, I'll give that a shot tonight...

 

And then I might just put on the stickers that came with the kit for the tube stripes... since they don't need to be painted for centurion!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Just look at my build thread so you don't put them on the wrong side like I did 

[Kredal[TK]]

Tube stripes?  What tube stripes?  Also tear that was horrible. 

 

 

this is proof that almost anything is fixable.  (:

 

Everyone who offered advice is awesome. (:

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Great job, again 

[Khazid[TK]]

Nice job on the repair Josh!

[Kredal[TK]]

OK, before I do anything crazy like applying paint, how does this look?

 

 

 

 

Do I have the go-ahead to apply nail polish and then paint?

[ukswrath[Staff]]

As long as it looks like this you're golden.

 

Edit: Actually it looks like the first tube stripes on each side should sit closer to the front of the tube. 

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2015 by ukswrath

[Kredal[TK]]

Alright, brought the templates forward a little bit until the bottom corners were actually curved up on the ledge, sealed it down as much as possible, added nail polish, and painted.  The right side will need a lot of clean up this time, once the paint is cured, but it should at least be in the right place.  (:

 

 

 

Also repainted that tear grey, and I'll go over it with black tomorrow.  Finished up the rear traps, no pictures of those though.  They look like hand-painted traps.  Not much to say.  (:

 

Got the cover strip gluing on the right calf.

 

 

And got Velcro on the opening of the left calf.  I had an inner strip on the back, but ripped it off.  It's really not needed, and makes the opening smaller than it should be, and makes it much harder to appear closed properly.

 

 

[Kredal[TK]]

Really quick update:  I was a genius and labeled my shin armor as you look at it, not as you wear it.  Soooo, all the closures were on the wrong side, and the sniper knee was on the wrong leg.  See, genius?  Luckily, I'm using E6000 everywhere.  Ripped the sniper knee, the back cover strips, and the velcro off the "completed" leg, and I'm in the process of rebuilding them on the proper legs.  Sigh.

 

Helmet face is done except for the left tear, I might finish that tonight, then put the front and back together and start on the ears.  The ATA plastic is slightly differently shaded, but it should pass the 5-foot test, at least.  Worst case, I get a full ATA hero helmet and do it all again!  (waaaaay down the line, hopefully.)

[rduda]

Did you or will you have any triming in the ear or bottom of the bucket whew you put your head?

[Kredal[TK]]

Did you or will you have any triming in the ear or bottom of the bucket whew you put your head?

 

So helmet is put together.  Waiting on Sugru from Amazon to put in lenses and teeth mesh.  (tomorrow!)

 

 

To answer your question, assuming you mean black trim, absolutely!  Which tells me that probably wasn't your question. (:  If you meant trimming the plastic, most likely.  Here's pictures of the bottom showing where the back end sticks out (in?) a lot further than the faceplate.

 

 

 

Once I get the ears trimmed and placed (remember, I'm using ears that didn't come with the kit, so they aren't going to be anywhere close to a perfect fit), I'll trim anything that needs to be trimmed to make the opening a continuous line all the way around, and then add the black trim to that.

[rduda]

So helmet is put together.  Waiting on Sugru from Amazon to put in lenses and teeth mesh.  (tomorrow!)

 

 

To answer your question, assuming you mean black trim, absolutely!  Which tells me that probably wasn't your question. (:  If you meant trimming the plastic, most likely.  Here's pictures of the bottom showing where the back end sticks out (in?) a lot further than the faceplate.

 

 

 

Once I get the ears trimmed and placed (remember, I'm using ears that didn't come with the kit, so they aren't going to be anywhere close to a perfect fit), I'll trim anything that needs to be trimmed to make the opening a continuous line all the way around, and then add the black trim to that.

Yea, that's what I ment, good painting so far!

[Kredal[TK]]

Ears are on!  That was easier than I expected.  There's still some gap, but that just means it's authentic.  (:

 

 

Now, as far as trimming goes... here are the bottom ear posts.  

 

 

 

Do I cut the front and back to match up with the bottom of the ears before attaching trim?

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Try to follow the contour of the helmet as I've illustrated. Install your "S" seal and lets see how it looks.

 

[Kredal[TK]]

I cut that little corner off the back side on both sides, and the trim fits in really well!  No pictures though... not until the ears are painted, mic tips are painted and installed, and eyes and frown mesh are in.  Tomorrow, maybe?

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Super clean, Josh! 

[Kredal[TK]]

So random question... The ATA ears are way small for the AM2 helmet.  I saw someone else remold their ears from a 4-bump to a 3-bump by taking an impression on both sides, heating up the bump area, and pressing the ears in until they were shaped properly.  Would that be worth trying to get a set of AM2 ears to have the hero 3-bump look, so the ears would actually fit the helmet?  It would hide the top of the curve where the back meets the front, extend all the way down to the bottom of the helmet, and would be the same color of white.

 

Downside: it *could* be considered recasting... (boo, hiss)

 

What says the community?

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I would highly suggest buying AM2 ears and save yourself a lot of grief however, I love to mod things. When someone once told me I was trying to reinvent the wheel when I created a DIY calf closure clips, I simply replied I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel I just found a better way to mount it on the car. 

 

With that said, costuming is all about fabrication and modification. You're not recasting a complete set of armor here, that shouldn't even be a issue, though there are those that will argue with me for some reason or another.

 

Bottom line, deciding whether to mod your ears or buy new is solely up to you. Being creative is a part of being human. 

 

On the official side, If you decide to mod just make sure it falls within the CRL guidelines.

Edited July 6, 2015 by ukswrath

[Kredal[TK]]

I've got two sets of AM2 ears, but they all have 4 bumps.  Since I am doing a hero build, that doesn't work.  So modding one set of ears to be 3 bump would be the fix action... I bought 2 sets of ATA ears because they have the 3 bumps, and someone else who had made an AM Hero build had used them.  I'll have to go back and see what ended up happening with the size of the ears on their build...

 

But yeah, making casts of the ear bumps out of plaster or something will give me more creative outlet, and will be just one more costuming thing I can say I've done!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I've got two sets of AM2 ears, but they all have 4 bumps.  Since I am doing a hero build, that doesn't work.  So modding one set of ears to be 3 bump would be the fix action... I bought 2 sets of ATA ears because they have the 3 bumps, and someone else who had made an AM Hero build had used them.  I'll have to go back and see what ended up happening with the size of the ears on their build...

 

But yeah, making casts of the ear bumps out of plaster or something will give me more creative outlet, and will be just one more costuming thing I can say I've done!

 

Have you tried isolating one of the bumps, heating it with a heat gun then collapse the area? Or Grind one bump off and fill the hole? or...

[Kredal[TK]]

I haven't tried anything yet.  (:  The AM2 ears are still rattling around in the Big Brown Box.  Heating up one bump might be possible, we'll see.  I've got two sets of ears, so worst case, I melt down one bump, don't like it, then I can use that ear for testing out the whole re-molding over ATA ears.

 

It was Walter who used ATA ears on an NE helmet... you can see the color difference, but the size seemed way more comparable than mine does, which is weird. I thought NE and AM were the same mold?

 

*edit* also, I do need to push out or fill in the extra teeth in my helmet. So that'll be fun too.  Heat gun is gonna get a workout!

 

*edit 2:* http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/30165-scorchers-am-20-hero-first-build/?p=386070has a great idea of grinding off the MIDDLE bumps and replace them with a bondo bump.  Color doesn't matter since it's all painted grey anyway!

Edited July 6, 2015 by Kredal

[ukswrath[Staff]]

I haven't tried anything yet.  (:  The AM2 ears are still rattling around in the Big Brown Box.  Heating up one bump might be possible, we'll see.  I've got two sets of ears, so worst case, I melt down one bump, don't like it, then I can use that ear for testing out the whole re-molding over ATA ears.

 

It was Walter who used ATA ears on an NE helmet... you can see the color difference, but the size seemed way more comparable than mine does, which is weird. I thought NE and AM were the same mold?

 

*edit* also, I do need to push out or fill in the extra teeth in my helmet. So that'll be fun too.  Heat gun is gonna get a workout!

 

Casting question humm!

 

Well I think NE is derived from RS and FX however, to what % NE is RS and % FX is a good question. AM is derived from FX  so I can't say how much what goes into NE to be honest.

 

Hope that doesn't confuse you too much.