ATA ABS Helmet Build Thread

[sebastien]

Hello,

 

This is my first build and i am starting with a ATA Helmet. I received the brow box some month ago, but i must admit i was a little bit stressed and take a lot of time to watch build threads to be sure i can apply : "Think twice, cut once !"

I'll try to follow the advices of this build thread : http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/14806-how-to-assembling-ata-abs-helmet-1/

 

OK, so let's start !

The kit looks really beautiful ! 

 

I start by marking the trim area around the ears with a whiteboard erasable pen. I then used a plastic piece to mark the top of the cap

 

I then drilled a hole in the junction area

Same on the other side

 

I then start to cut with a metal knife. The ABS is really thick ! It's hard to cut.

 

 

Then i do the same on the face plate

 

And the section under the neck

 

According to the post i'm using as a reference, i draw line at 1.25" above the eyes (around 3.2 cm)

and then i cut it

 

I am then sanding all the cuttings to have something smooth and clean

 

 

Time to cut the eyes. I mark the bump around the eyes with the whiteboard marker

 

Using a Dremel i'll cut the eyes

 

 

Then, using sandpaper and small file i smooth all the cuttings

 

Using the dremel, i then sands the back of the teeth to open them

 

Then, using a hobby blade and some small files, i opened all the teeth

 

 

what do you thing of my frown ? Should i "square" it a little bit more ?

Edited June 1, 2015 by sebastien

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Yes, square it up a little more. I did not know they make a cable attachment for the dremel. I definitely need one of those!

[sebastien]

I did not know they make a cable attachment for the dremel. I definitely need one of those!

It's not a standard Dremel, a Chinese copy from a local retailer in France. But the extender tool is really useful !

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Either way, that would have been helpful to use in some of the tighter portions of the bucket. 

[sebastien]

I squared a little bit the teeth

do you think it's OK ?

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Much better. Just smooth out some of the rough edges.

[sebastien]

Much better. Just smooth out some of the rough edges.

Yes, i will give it a cleaner finish, i was just waiting to see if i need to cut more material. Thank you for your feedback.

Edited June 2, 2015 by sebastien

[sebastien]

Ok, next run.

I tried to fit both parts of the helmet together and attach with clamps :

I checked on both sides how it fits

 

Then, i drilled the ear hole to attach both parts together :

And add the screw :

Same on the other side :

 

On the left side (looking at the helmet), it seem to fit well :

 

On the right side, i have a small plastic part that is not going the good way. It's seems the problem is the same for all ATA :

 

I do not already have my heat gun, so i used an iron to get that piece back on the good side :

 

It's starting to really look gooooood !

 

Ok, now it's time to go for the hardest part : the ears....

Hopefully, ATA Helmet kit comes with 2 pairs, so you can make mistakes.

 

Let's take a beer-stop, move to the garage where i can make more dust and start with that ears.

OK, first step, i tried to use a whiteboard pen to draw the "flat" part of the ear :

 

Then i draw the curved part, following approximatively the indentation i can guess and another line far below to show where i need to cut. I start cutting straight the flat part using my magic dremel extension :

 

the cut is rough, it really looks horrible on the pictures. But the idea is just to remove some material and then to sand until i have the perfect fit.

 

 

Ok, some material is removed, it's now time to move to the sanding tool :

 

Looks really much better 

 

OK, there's really too much material and i need to sand more

 

Still sanding until it fits on both sides. I do not have pictures, but on the flat side, i also sand the front portion for 2mm to match the fit between the rear side and the front side of the helmet :

 

 

Then i drilled the holes :

The lower hole too and screwed everything together :

 

I then sand the lower portion of the ears, near the bucket opening to have something smooth

 

OK, next ear, on this one, the limit seems much more clear (should have started with this one  ) :

Rough cut :

And final fit :

 

Now i removed the screws and washed the bucket to remove mold oil (it smells like my engine oil  ) :

 

OK, that's it for this run. Next step : painting. I'm still wondering if i would like to plasti-dip the inner bucket and before that, i need to determine if i will attach the lens on the screws (more simple) or cut eyes in the lens material and attach it on some small wood pieces attached around the eyes (nicer but really more complex).

To be continued   

Edited June 18, 2015 by sebastien

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Nice fitment and nice photos! Looking fantastic

[sebastien]

Nice fitment and nice photos! Looking fantastic

Thank you man

[sebastien]

OK, next run.

I tried to find a moskito mesh to stick inside the teeth

I cut it the shape of the mouth

 

OK, now it's time to paint ! I really do not feel comfortable with painting so i asked for some help of my wife   

I purchased Humbrol paint.

 

I started with the easiest, the mic tips

I painted them using black mate spray paint

To be sure i would not make any mistake, i purchased a "DaveM" decals set :

started with the back shapes :

then front shapes :

 

I taped the outside of the mouth to be sure there will be no paint outside the mouth

 

OK, my wife decided to start with the vocoder :

It's looking gooood darling !

then the mouth (OK, the blue tape is really useless...) :

 

Removed the tape, its looking really good after the second coat and the mic tips :

 

The ears, starting with a black coat :

then the gray one :

 

 

I cut the lens material to get a straight band :

 

I then drilled a hole on one side :

and attached the lens to the first screw :

I then drilled the second hole and attached the lens to the second screw :

using a whiteboard marker i draw the nose shape and the cut the nose :

 

I then mount the helmet all together with the lens, say "hello" Mr "No stripes" :

 

time to stick the stipes :

 

yes !

 

It's awesome, i love it !

 

OK, next i tried to stick the s-shaped liner under the bucket, but i experienced some problems :

It seems i have some "bumps" as the s-shaped liner is bend too much. I tried it in different ways and the photo above seem to be the best i was able to achieve...

Do you have an idea about the way i can avoid this ?

[illusionz_09[TK]]

the "bumps" are usually pretty unavoidable due to the bucket shape. What you can do is put super glue inside the bump and clamp it tight. This will diminish the bump completely.

 

as for as the build goes, looks good. I would however try to open up the painting on the frown a bit to try to get as close as possible to the "teeth" upper and lower marks.

[sebastien]

the "bumps" are usually pretty unavoidable due to the bucket shape. What you can do is put super glue inside the bump and clamp it tight. This will diminish the bump completely.

 

as for as the build goes, looks good. I would however try to open up the painting on the frown a bit to try to get as close as possible to the "teeth" upper and lower marks.

OK, thanks for the super glue tip, i will do that.

For the teeth too, you are right, when i look at pictures in centurion applications it seems the paint is closer to border.

[illusionz_09[TK]]

oh and sorry to keep adding to your list, but please fix the ears. Make sure the black line is much thinner. Basically you want the lines uniform in your build to look like the sticker outlines you have. 

Just use the gray and open up little by little.

[sebastien]

OK, i took me around 1 year to finally take pictures and update my build thread 

I reduced the size of the black lines to match the stickers

 

And add more paint on the frown

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Have you received your armor yet? 

[sebastien]

Yes, and i'm close to completion ! 

My build thread is here : http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/35241-sebastien-anh-stunt-build-thread-ata/

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Duh on my part. I've even posted on it. 

[illusionz_09[TK]]

OK, i took me around 1 year to finally take pictures and update my build thread 

I reduced the size of the black lines to match the stickers

 

And add more paint on the frown

 

try to add just a touch more gray on the frown to get it as close to the external "mouth" lines as possible for the top. the bottom looks flush..

Edited March 18, 2016 by illusionz_09

[sebastien]

Duh on my part. I've even posted on it. 

 

No problem, thank you for your encouragements on both of my threads 

 

try to add just a touch more gray on the frown to get it as close to the external "mouth" lines as possible for the top. the bottom looks flush..

 

Ok, thank you for this feedback, i will do it.