Cricket's Hero Build (deep breath, let's do this!)

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Sounds like it was ABS paste or styrene paste

[Cricket[TK]]

Sounds like it was ABS paste or styrene paste

 

Exactly what I was thinking!   I would hate to have to keep making repairs over and over using the stuff, though.  So glad we now have a glue that works well and is forgiving.

 

Today my hovi tips arrived, and I'm thrilled with them!!!  I chose the green inserts because some Hero helmets had that little detail on them.  Marcus did a fantastic job on these, and shipping was very fast from Germany.

 

 

I ordered them from here: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31288-vajs-accurate-3d-printed-three-part-mic-tips-hovi-mix-pa2-ongoing-run/

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Those are top notch. Definitely would use something like that if I didn't use the ones with speakers. I definitely recommend using E6000 instead of ABS paste as glue though. Elastic eventually wears out and E6000 is way easier to remove. 

[Nagedzi[TK]]

I chose the green inserts because some Hero helmets had that little detail on them.  

 

Cool...I did not know that. I love learning new stuff.

[TKZombie[TK]]

Wow great job with the ABS paste. Looks like that was a ton of work. The ears look good, almost all helmets have slight gaps. <br><br>

I had no idea on the hovi tips being green in some Hero helmets. Thabks for sharing. <br><br>

My TM Hero TK kit is on its way and I had Paul assemble the helmet as I've seen his workmanship and its amazing I didn't want to risk messing that up. So good on you for building your own.

[Cricket[TK]]

I believe that I have the distinction of having the first TK built from nail polish.  Yes, that's right.  Nail polish.

Let me explain: people collect stuff.  You know, cars, model trains, baseball cards, Disney stuff, Star Wars memorabilia...you get the picture.  Well, there is a subculture of people (mostly women, but there are some guys in there, too) who collect nail polish.  I was a part of that subculture for three years, and I had a pretty good time.  But for the past year or so, the Empire had been calling me to build a TK, and I was spending less and less time with my nail polish collection.  I decided to cash in most of my collection to fund my TK.  Now, I know you're thinking, "How much could someone really get for nail polish?  TKs are an expensive hobby!"  But let me tell you this: I sold one bottle of nail polish for $400.  One. 0.5mL. Bottle. Yep.  Most in my collection I purchased for about $10, and sold for between $30-$50 each.  I ended up selling enough to purchase an entire living room set AND completely fund my TK build, complete with bells and whistles.  Kind of cool, huh?  So now you know the story of the Stormtrooper built from nail polish.  

Aaaand back to the build!  Kids were both out of school last week on Spring Break and they both had a pretty decent hit of the flu, so I didn't get much done.  Here's what I was able to accomplish so far:

The Eyes Have It:

I opened up the eyes even more.   I've been using some photos of screen used Hero helmets as reference.  I still have to keep working on it, but I think I'm getting close.

Paint It Black:

 I received a can of Plasti-Dip for my birthday last month, so I decided to take the inside of my lid to the Dark Side... muah ha ha ha....  
I had some Model Magic leftover from a kids' project, so I filled in the teeth with that to prevent overspray.  Then I taped up the rest and sprayed.  I masked off the ATA logo.  I know it will probably get covered up with padding, but I like to know it's still there.

 

After that, I couldn't quite decide what to do next.  Looking at my helmet, it seemed to whisper to me, "Vocoder. Vocoder. Voooooocooooderrrrrr...."  Alrighty, then, let's get the vocoder done.
Pencil traced outlines based on some screen-used Hero helmets.  I feel really in my element when it comes to painting detail stuff.  I had a lot of practice when I would create tiny nail art decorations back when I was really into painting my nails.  This feels easier!

 

I'm not concerned that the outer edges aren't perfect yet.  After my second coat, I will be cleaning up around the edges with some thinner.  

Screw It:

Each time I put on my helmet, I felt a little like Indiana Jones running through the cave at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Bob.  Weave.  Dodge.  These are all things my head did as I attempted to avoid the Screws of Death that attached my ears to the lid.   I kept getting scratches on my cheeks from those screws, no matter how carefully I rotated the helmet onto my head.  They're just too damn long.  I had considered cutting them down, but decided against it because of the problems with possibly messing up the threads.  Someone here in the FISD mentioned that you can find shorter screws for the ears.  Quick trip to my local hardware store, and there they were!  The shorter screws fit perfectly, and I am now free from the Screws of Death in my lid.  Can you spot the shorty?

 

Cheers!
 

Edited April 12, 2016 by Cricket

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I need to know where you buy your nail polish and get my wife in on that game! What you need to do is put the screw back in and mark the left over threading with a sharpie, remove them and assemble like you would on the bucket and cut the excess off. Leaving the nut on ensures the thread doesn't get messed up. 

[TKZombie[TK]]

I had no idea nail polish collecting was a thing! Interesting. I wear it all the time but just had no idea...<br><br>

I also sold some toys I use to collect to help fund part of my TK builds. Great being able to repurpose things that don't interest you anymore for new interests.

[Cricket[TK]]

Yesterday I got it in my head that I would hand paint my tube stripes onto my helmet.  Templates were adhered, paint applied, and all was looking good... until late last night.  In the middle of the night, I woke up and began thinking about if I had the templates correct.  So this morning I began digging through the FISD after I had sent the kids to school, looking at screen used helmets, EIB and Centurion applications, painting and mod threads... and now I'm more unsure than ever.  I need HELP!

Here's why I'm panicking:  in a thread somewhere in the FISD, it said, "These are stencils, but the same concept applies to decals. In the picture, the stripes are aligned the way they go on the helmet as it is positioned. So the stripes on the right side of the picture go on the helmet tube shown to the right of the picture (or left side of the face as you wear it)."  It was accompanied by a photo of the same stencils as I had used, which were also purchased from Trooperbay.  The statement made a lot of sense.  I had applied my stencils the same way they were laid out on the paper backing.

But the stencils I received and the stencils in the photo are completely OPPOSITE of one another.  See?

 

Which set of stencils are correct?  Both?  Does it matter which side goes where?  I'm going to be pretty annoyed if the ones I received from Trooperbay are laid out backwards.  Here's what my stripes look like right now.  They're not finished- still need touching up.  I don't want to continue with them if I need to delete 'em.     Opinions, please.

 

[illusionz_09[TK]]

You have them correct. The striped should be toward the face, not away.

In the picture, trooperbay has them backwards.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Kind of looks like you did the same mistake as I did and put the templates on the wrong side. There is a subtle difference in the stripes. Here's how it should look:

 

[Cricket[TK]]

Thanks David and Jason!  Two different opinions on this.  Interesting!

As I've been examining the Hero helmets, my gut is leaning toward Jason's side, though.  Here is what I'm looking at:




As my most of my stripes are painted on now, they're oriented fairly straight on the cheek- that is, not really curving one way or the other.  It's just the final stripe (the one closest to the mic tips) that makes the curve.  So I'm thinking that I may be able to salvage most of my work.  I should be able to remove and then repaint that last wonky stripe so that it curves appropriately and still matches the rest of the set.  

And I know this because I had purchased a set of "hand painted" tube stripe decals from Trooperbay, and I've compared them very closely.  The stencils and the decals are virtually identical EXCEPT for the last stripe in each row.  The last stripe on the decals curves down, whereas the last stripe on the stencil curves up.  These stripes are on the right hand side of the sheets they arrived on.  

 

 

Very frustrating, but I'm just gonna have to fix my last stripe on each side.  At least I won't have to repaint the entire thing!

[Cricket[TK]]

Well, that only took about 30 minutes to remove the bottom stripes on both sides, complete with a nice polish.  I was worried about the blue paint staining the white ABS, but it came off pretty well.  I think I'm getting the hang of the whole sanding/buffing thing finally.     (I am in love with these polishing papers I found at Amazon-  http://tinyurl.com/j6sch65 )

 

The wonky stripe used to be where the arrow is pointing.


"Look, ma!  No stripe!"  

Now to fix this and clean it all up!

Edited April 14, 2016 by Cricket

[Pyrates[TK]]

Looking really good - keep it up!

[Cricket[TK]]

Okay, I think I've fixed it now on the left side.  Still working on the right side.

Before:After:
 

I painted the last stripe using one of the tube templates and drawing it on with a pencil to make it look right.  Cleanup accomplished with thinner, some fine brushes, and lots of patience.  I will finish the final cleanup of the pencil smudges on it after it is fully dried.  I don't think it looks too shabby for a re-do.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Cricket

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Sweet, nice recovery!

[AWOL]

I think you were right to "fix" it... it looks top notch now...

 

that's no moon, Kim Kardashian is bending over again...

[Cricket[TK]]

Should I continue cleanup on these tube stripes, or is it good as-is? (disregard the gray smudges near the bottom, those are pencil marks and will be removed later)  I think I picked up a buzz from the thinner, and I can't see straight!  Thanks!

Edited April 15, 2016 by Cricket

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Yeah, should be fine. Maybe get a very fine brush and do a quick pass over to try and eliminate some of the brush strokes. 

[Cricket[TK]]

Jason, do you mean around the edges or regarding the texture?

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

The texture, but it might just be the lighting/angle and really be a non-issue. 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Airborne Trooper

[Cricket[TK]]

Thanks, Jason!  Yes, I think what you're seeing is a reflection of the light on the blue stripes.  The color is uniform on all the stripes, but there is some texture in there.  I'm not up for busting out my airbrush for these.      I've used some thinner on them and smoothed them out a bit.  I can also use a 1 micron polishing sheet on them to smooth them out a little more once they've totally dried.  You can't see any of the texture on the stripes at all unless the light is shining on them in just the 'right' way.  

Thanks for your feedback!!!!  

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Sounds like a non-issue then. Move along

[TKZombie[TK]]

Your stripes are on right. Same as on my helmet from Paul that he hand painted.

[Dougal[501st]]

It has been said many times before but I'm going to say it again! Great job with the teeth and working with abs paste! You made it look easy!!! Your build is coming along very nicely! I love the grappling hook addition. I will be adding one to my build further down the road! My popcorn has been buttered.... Let the show resume!!

Edited April 17, 2016 by Dougal