First Helmet build - ANH "move along" TD Finished***

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Hello everyone, I have wanted to build a stormtrooper helmet for years (I've also been a member of this forum for years and never posted) but life always got in the way. Last night I decided to just do it. 

I figured since it's my first go at it I'd just look for a cheap kit off ebay and I actually found a half decent looking one. I have no idea what maker it is and I realize it may be a recast (that did not occur to me when I bought it). 

It's just the vac formed parts so I'll need to source the rest. It looks like an ANH stunt to me but I also think it may be an ESB? I like the ANH stunts better so I'm going with ANH for now. I know it's definitely not the best available but I figured before I shell out the cash for an RS props kit I'd use this as a trial run.

I imagine I'll have a lot of questions for you all and if anyone has any advice for a guy new to trooper armour I'll gladly take it

Here are the photos from the ebay listing, I will post more when it gets here in around 10 days from now

Thanks everyone
 

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Just got it in the mail today. Details are pretty soft in places which confirms in my mind it is recast. The ABS is thicker than I had thought which I'm happy about. The dome piece is warped however so the faceplate is very loose. I will try to use a heat gun on low or maybe hot water and try to fix that somewhat. 

Overall, for $80 shipped I'm happy to have my first helmet build underway. I've already placed an order for everything else I need from trooper bay so the actual build should begin shortly. 

The Ebay seller is gruntprops . Please spread the word that he is selling what appears to be recast of possibly AP armour and helmets.

P.S: why am I not able to upload any photos greater than 0.02MB? One photo from my phone is bigger than that.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Avery, certainly this cheap kit will be a good start point for your first helmet build. In my opinion, this is the most challenging part of a TK armor build. So, take your time to browse the forum, measure twice or more an cut just one. looking forward for your progress,.

 

by the way, for posting photos most people here use Imgur . in the check this post to learn how to post photos with imgur.  

 

NOTE: when posting the photo with imgur instead of using the BBCODE option  use Direct Link option .

 

 

Cheers  

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Here are some helpful threads, good luck with the build

 

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Thanks for the help

Here are the photos I wanted to post earlier

Edited July 29, 2020 by Mad Cow Rebel

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

 

You will need some additional parts to complete the Helmet, take a look to the following links.

 

 

https://trooperbay.com/costuming-accessories/kits-combos/helmet-builder-basic-combo-set

 

https://trooperbay.com/costuming-accessories/armor-parts/mike-tips

 

Cheers 

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Yes thanks as I said I have a trooper bay order coming in the mail.

[Mad Cow Rebel]

I've decided that I'm going to try an emulate the "move along" helmet (real original I know) but with a twist: I am going to try and replicate the way it looks now. current day. Although, If it had never lost it's ears. 

I'm planning to paint the entire helmet with a khaki green to replicate the HDPE showing through the cracks in the white paint. 

Obviously this will not be a helmet for trooping but a display piece that (maybe) I can fool some house guests into believing it is the real deal for fun

I've been building models for the past 5 years and I'm not new to weathering and painting techniques so I'm expecting myself to do a decent job on this less than decent kit.

Here are some photos of what I have done so far compared to the surviving original helmet













Not bad for a first attempt in my opinion, however I'd like to think I could do better on a second attempt. I would like to eventually try this out on a real HDPE helmet kit but I'm getting ahead of myself

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

looking good! 

[CableGuy[TK]]

I've decided that I'm going to try an emulate the "move along" helmet (real original I know) but with a twist: I am going to try and replicate the way it looks now. current day. Although, If it had never lost it's ears. 

I'm planning to paint the entire helmet with a khaki green to replicate the HDPE showing through the cracks in the white paint. 

Obviously this will not be a helmet for trooping but a display piece that (maybe) I can fool some house guests into believing it is the real deal for fun

I've been building models for the past 5 years and I'm not new to weathering and painting techniques so I'm expecting myself to do a decent job on this less than decent kit.

Here are some photos of what I have done so far compared to the surviving original helmet













Not bad for a first attempt in my opinion, however I'd like to think I could do better on a second attempt. I would like to eventually try this out on a real HDPE helmet kit but I'm getting ahead of myself

Lovely attention to detail. I really liked how are you following the specific cut lines of the original helmet you’re copying, like the eyes and the teeth.

Very good! :-)

Lovely idea to go the Mock-HDPE route, too. I’ve done the same recently and it’s great fun. :-)

Dan

[Mad Cow Rebel]

I went out to my local Canadian Tire (general hardware store chain up here) and found some paint that I'm pretty pleased with for an imitation HDPE colour. It could be a bit more Khaki but for an out of the can solution I'm happy with it

Edited August 3, 2020 by Mad Cow Rebel
Grammar

[Mad Cow Rebel]

...I would love to do some more work on this bucket but my Trooper Bay order has been stuck in the USPS LA distribution center since July 18th

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 hours ago, Mad Cow Rebel said:

...I would love to do some more work on this bucket but my Trooper Bay order has been stuck in the USPS LA distribution center since July 18th

Unfortunately, same issue down under, mail is taking sooooooooo loooooooooong

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Ironically, It arrived today and, since I was in builder withdrawal, I only took photos of the helmet as soon as I had finished spraying after working for 2 hours straight XD 

Here it is as it stands drying in my garage shop 

 

And here it is next to the real deal again





It's not perfect but considering this is my first go at a helmet using a poorly made recast kit, I'm happy with it

More to come in the next few days or at least after the off gloss white enamel paint dries... 

[Mad Cow Rebel]

And we're off

I've started painstakingly replicating the hand painted details, scrapes and drips in the paint to the best of my ability. It's a lot harder than it looks and I was not as successful as I know I could be, meaning that I'm certain I will do better on the next helmet.

Hard work for sure but It is a lot of fun 

Here's a sneak peek before the final reveal

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Tedious work but will be worth it in the end. Another way to do it is apply toothpaste to areas you want to remove before painting, works well

[Mad Cow Rebel]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Tedious work but will be worth it in the end. Another way to do it is apply toothpaste to areas you want to remove before painting, works well

I actually used mustard XD

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Final reveal:





















As you can see, my helmet is more of an "inspired by" piece than a near exact replica of the original. Here are some more shots:







This was a really fun project and an excellent learning experience. I'm thinking of a scout or AT AT next but maybe I'll try out another TK/TD. 

Thanks for following along. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them as best I can 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by Mad Cow Rebel

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very nice work.

 

 

 

[Firedog[TK]]

Looks really good, Avery! You took a less expensive Ebay bucket kit and made it look amazing! Kudos!

[Sly11[Admin]]

Wow, nice work Avery, thank you for sharing.

[Mad Cow Rebel]

Decided to dirty it up after all

[Firedog[TK]]

Nice work!