Kagamaru’s Build Thread ANH TK Hero

[Kagamaru[TK]]

24 minutes ago, TheSwede said:

You might wanna wait for ”those in charge” before you decide… 

 

 

@gmrhodes13 would this be you? 

[TheSwede[TK]]

6 hours ago, Kagamaru said:

 

 

@gmrhodes13 would this be you? 

No it would be @Deployment Officer Team that handles the EIB and Centurion applications.

Edited June 25, 2023 by TheSwede

[Deployment Officer Team[Staff]]

17 hours ago, Kagamaru said:

Kidney Plate Extension Guidance:
 

So which is more correct/approvable for centurion level? I cut one shim straight and one at an angle so they meet flush. 

 

Hi Bryan. Considering the size of your armor's kidney plate, we think the best solution is what @TheSwede says well. 

 

 

Keep up the good work!

[Kagamaru[TK]]

@Deployment Officer Team On it! Thanks!!

[Kagamaru[TK]]

Eyes & Teeth

 

Today I trimmed up the helmet and cut out the eyes and teeth! Predrilled some holes for the teeth and used a small round then flat file to hollow them out. 
 

The eyes were carefully trimmed out with an X-Acto blade. A few times around and they popped right out. Sanded and voilà!

 

Hope they look good!

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice work, some references for painting teeth for when you are ready with a brush

 

Note the paint doesn't go all the way to the gums, just stops short

 

  

[Kagamaru[TK]]

This being the hero helmet, is the last little divot removed or left intact? I see both in the photos of the originals. 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

 

For the Hero version only 6 cut-outs are allowed, so what you have now is perfect!  I would suggest removing the rest of the edges on the insides (blue arrows) .  As Glen mentioned, the paint should not go all the way to the gum line as seen in the reference pics below.

 

 

        

[Kagamaru[TK]]

Helmet Trimming

 

My WTF Hero Helmet seems to be almost trimmed to the right proportions. I trimmed some off the brow to make the rubber trim sit evenly. What about the sides? Is that alignment ok? Should I trim those pointy bits at the bottom? How’s the initial profile?

 

[Kagamaru[TK]]

Helmet Alignment

 

Before I commit these rivets I’d like some feedback. To get the brow right with the eyeholes aligned with the dome divots it lines up kind of funny at the bottom. (See photos) I haven’t trimmed anything on the bottom as that’s how it came and there wasn’t the normal apparent trim line like the other pieces had so I’ve left it alone. Is there more trimming to be done down there? Will the gaps on the sides close up?

 

Super nervous about committing those rivets. 

This side really doesn’t line up well. 
 

Bottom of the right side looks close to good. 
 

 

Bottom of the left side however…

 

Any guidance here is appreciated!

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

37 minutes ago, Kagamaru said:

Helmet Alignment

 

Before I commit these rivets I’d like some feedback. To get the brow right with the eyeholes aligned with the dome divots it lines up kind of funny at the bottom. (See photos) I haven’t trimmed anything on the bottom as that’s how it came and there wasn’t the normal apparent trim line like the other pieces had so I’ve left it alone. Is there more trimming to be done down there? Will the gaps on the sides close up?

 

Super nervous about committing those rivets. 

This side really doesn’t line up well. 
 

 

Bottom of the right side looks close to good. 
 

 

 

Bottom of the left side however…

 

Any guidance here is appreciated!

 

If you have taken that side photo from the correct distance (2-3  mts  and zoom it) it looks good to me.  If you commit the rivets you still can make adjustments to the angle if necessary.

 

 

 

What I would do:

 

1- Compare my photos to the references:  

 

2- Commit the rivets

 

3- Place the ears with just one  upper screw  to allow rotation for adjustment

 

 

Some references for you

 

Original                                                                                                                      flipped  

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

FYI you don't even have to use rivets if you don't want too, I use small bolts and nuts in case you want to do any fine tuning  

 

You will find the ears will cover most openings so don't panic too soon

[Kagamaru[TK]]

Left Ear

 

Got one on after two tries! That’s about as tight as I could get it before I’m afraid it would have started going the other way as far as fit. Started with the left side as I felt it was going to be the most difficult in terms of the overlap at the bottom. The first time I thought I left plenty of trim to cut down but sadly wasn’t even close. On the second try I pretty much just left the entire edge and worked it down millimeter by millimeter with the Dremel and files until it got to this point. I’m hoping to get even tighter on the right with gained experience. The screws are counter sunk but because the top screw was practically right on top of the river holding the helmet together I had to move the hole on the helmet just a little. The screw doesn’t sit completely flush. Will that be a deal breaker? I could try to wallow the hole down a little. I have a washer between the nut and bolt so it should hold. 
 

Thoughts? Would this ear mount be considered within tolerance for Centurion Level?

 

As always thank you for feedback!

 

*photos taken at 2m. 
 

The spots on the dome are the dining room lights reflecting. 
 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

1 hour ago, Kagamaru said:

Thoughts? Would this ear mount be considered within tolerance for Centurion Level?

 

As always thank you for feedback!

 

 

 

Hi,  coming along nicely Bryan.  Just some details about the ears:

 

 

1- You could trim a little more the ear to get it closer as the references . Do it little by little

 

 

 

 

2-  You will need to remove one screw (red circle) and align a little more the ears moving them back a little.

 

CRL for L2: Ears shall have two screws per side, one above the ear bar and one at the base of the helmet.

 

CRL for L3:  Ideally, the placement of ears (and screws) should closely follow the rear angle of the trap above them.

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Personally I think it's a little too thick, some great ear trimming tutorials 

 

 

 

[Kagamaru[TK]]

 Damn. The tutorial I was following from somewhere in here had three screws. Guess I’m reordering ears. Unless I can make the first one work somehow. If I move it back much it will expose the seam of the helmet. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

39 minutes ago, Kagamaru said:

 Damn. The tutorial I was following from somewhere in here had three screws. Guess I’m reordering ears. Unless I can make the first one work somehow. If I move it back much it will expose the seam of the helmet. 

You could try adding some scrap to behind the hole then apply ABS paste to fill, sand and polish

 

Hero definitely have only 2 screws

• Ears shall have two screws per side, one above the ear bar and one at the base of the helmet.

Comparision of different versions

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10tEVteIreh6AHMogW010cuH_Bf8TBfU6/view

[Kagamaru[TK]]

No I see it. Now I’m trying to figure out how to salvage without just downshifting to level one. The helmet faceplate came with the trim you see. Very little tolerance and I haven’t trimmed any of it. The back portion I’ve only just now trimmed a little to make room for the more severely angled ear piece. 
 

You can see that I can’t really move the joiner rivet back any or it has nothing to hold the face on with. But as it stands now the ear won’t cover that bit. Did I get a bad trim or pull from the maker? Seems like all the tutorials have yards of plastic to play with here pre trim. Do I add a shim so I can cut it all away so the seam will be hidden by the ear? 
 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

10 minutes ago, Kagamaru said:

 

Note the world "Ideally" it is not a deal breaker if you can't obtain this angle it's only a suggestion

 

CRL for L3:  Ideally, the placement of ears (and screws) should closely follow the rear angle of the trap above them.

 

      

 

A few comparisons 

This is an approved EIB #1056

 

And an approved Centurion #477

[Kagamaru[TK]]

Ears part III

 

More sanding. I got it thinned out quite a bit. The front fits pretty well. I used a little glue to pull the side of the helmet to close a small gap. The back still has a space. It just wouldn’t close. Hopefully will do better on the right ear. 

 

Is there an option to add a little filler into the space? Bondo or something?
 

The angle is as far as I can go and still have room to fasten the two halves of the helmet together. 
 

Feedback? Please and thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I'd be happy with that angle, remember it's only a suggestion not a must for higher levels

 

It's all about minor adjustments, if you have a gap it means it is too close in other areas, you could sand above and below this gap

 

We don't usually apply and filling to gaps, here are a couple of references of how bad some gaps where

 

  

[Sly11[Admin]]

Great to see you are still working on this build Bryan, the ears are always a little tricky but the on screen helmets has a wide variation of gaps so  don't worry too much about those.

Get the ear angle right if you intend to aim for centurion, which you certainly should as your armour is coming together very nicely.

keep it up.

[Kagamaru[TK]]

Lens Resources 

 

Thank you everyone for feedback and encouragement! It’s truly a flood of information. 
 

Is there a reputable resource for the green bubble lenses required for the hero helmet? Or do I make those myself as well? I saw someone had boiled their flat lenses and pressed a spoon into them when they were soft to make the bend. Is that how it’s done?

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

11 minutes ago, Kagamaru said:

Lens Resources 

 

Thank you everyone for feedback and encouragement! It’s truly a flood of information. 
 

Is there a reputable resource for the green bubble lenses required for the hero helmet? Or do I make those myself as well? I saw someone had boiled their flat lenses and pressed a spoon into them when they were soft to make the bend. Is that how it’s done?

 

 

This could be a good option since the bubble lenses can be either green or smoke to any level.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1354624918/dark-smoke-grey-or-green-or-red-bubble?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=stormtrooper+helmet+lenses&ref=sr_gallery-1-8&edd=1&organic_search_click=1

 

 

[riveting]

There sure to be a couple of ppl on here selling these items, else ebay has several sellers, I'd personally not recommend the boiled water method (unless however) you have a buck for the lenses? or a FG lid?

 

hope this helps? it looks like its coming along nicely  continued good luck wished