Saltyr1's First ATA ANH Build thread

[saltyr1[TK]]

So finally kicking off the build of my ATA ANH stunt kit.  My plan is to build this to Centurion level specs.  I'm planning to build this over the winter, so it's not a rush project.  And I like to take my time and get it right the first time.

 

So here is the kit unboxed.  Everything looks great.

 

Helmet kit.

 

I'm going to start the with the helmet.  Here are some close ups.

 

The front is gorgeous!

 

 

The back is a little bumpy towards the sides, but from what I have read, that is expected.

 

Some more

 

 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Welcome to FISD! I, too, have been working on an ATA kit, and have actually compiled a master resources thread with many of my saved research on this awesome forum! I also included links to many other ATA build and submission threads towards the bottom, since they are specific to our armor.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49412-all-in-one-tk-anh-stunt-index-of-resources-by-maskedvengeance/

I look forward to following along on your progress!


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome aboard, very exciting times, here is a bit of info which may be of help

 Looks like you have left a little of the teeth areas top and bottom, when in doubt check the Gallery section 

 

 

Also a few really helpful helmet builds:

 

[saltyr1[TK]]

So today I marked off the helmet for trimming.   It looks good to me, but any opinions before I trim it?  I'm excited and nervous about this step for some reason.

 

The front pre-trimming seemed pretty close to were I marked it.  So it was more of straightening it out.

 

Sides

 

Face

 

[Cali_Nole]

I'm also currently building my ATA helmet (almost done), so this looks very familiar.  One piece of advice I've received from others on FISD (and taken to heart) is to cut conservatively at first.  You can always cut more if you need to...it's a little tougher to put it back.  I drew all my initial cut lines basically where the mold lines were, similar to yours, but my first cuts were 2-3 mm short of the lines so I could see how the two pieces came together.  Then I cut more as needed.  Hope this helps!  

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

A helpful tip I recently received is to especially be conservative towards the bottom near the neck opening under where the ears will be. That way you can ensure both properly-aligned ears and a flush neck opening curve (which will also helpfully be covered by the neck trim).

And speaking of neck trim, you may also pull back your cut line on the one mix tip side to match the other side, even though the plastic is a bit more rough there. Once again, it will be covered by the trim.




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[saltyr1[TK]]

Thanks to you both for your feedback!  Makes a lot of sense to leave extra and trim as necessary. Cali_Nole- I'm following your build thread, really great!  More to come soon!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Helps to leave a little excess on the front bottoms of the backplate, from memory the right side doesn't quite cover as well as the left. As I wanted a specific brow height I ended up with a small gap between these pieces but it was covered by the ears  

[saltyr1[TK]]

So I've been working on it a little here and there.  Here you can see I trimmed out the face and bucket leaving extra at the bottom.  

 

Then I spent a lot of time on the eyes, using the reference pics.  

 

Here are some pics of the end result.  Any concerns here?  Do I need to trim more?

 

Next step will be the frown.

 

Chris

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

All lookin good so far

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

Great work! Looks like I’m just barely ahead of you with my build thread! It’s really fun to be putting the bucket together.


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[Sly11[Admin]]

Trimming looks good. You can still take a little more of the excess out from under the vocoder and the hovi bulge on the right of the image. The larger you make the head hole, the easier it is going to be to get the helmet on and off. trust me every mm can help.

 

[saltyr1[TK]]

Made some progress.  I trimmed out a little more of the bottom as suggested by Sky11

 

Teeth took a while.  I started with a Dremel on the 4 most middle teeth.  Only to doubt my skills in grinding down the ones on the ends of the frown.  So I drilled those out instead.

 

Overall I'm pretty happy.  But would love some feedback on where the teeth stand now.

 

In the meantime, I'm hoping to mock the pieces together and see how it initially looks.  Photos to come!

[saltyr1[TK]]

I also put milliput (super fine white) on the inside of the Hovi Mic wells.  I forgot to take a picture of that.

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

I also put milliput (super fine white) on the inside of the Hovi Mic wells.  I forgot to take a picture of that.

My next thread update will have you covered on this. Haha. I took multiple photos.


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

5 hours ago, saltyr1 said:

 

Nice work

[saltyr1[TK]]

I feel like I'm finally making progress!  I'm using the Dave M helmet stickers and applied the brow and cheek vent using the soapy water technique.  I was very pleased how the stickers conformed to the unevenness of the plastic with no wrinkles or bubbles.

 

I also tried to line up the helmet as best I could.  The right side is pretty wonky, but I guess expected.  The red dots are where I plan on putting the rivet (screw first).  I still need to clean up the ends of the brow trim.

 

So a couple questions,

Does this look correct, especially the right side?

Also, I'm concerned as I can't fit my head in without turning it to the side.  I'm hoping I can still trim some off the back bottom lip.  But do others have this problem? (I do have a big head).

 

Thanks in advance!

Chris

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

27 minutes ago, saltyr1 said:

Also, I'm concerned as I can't fit my head in without turning it to the side.  I'm hoping I can still trim some off the back bottom lip.  But do others have this problem? (I do have a big head).

Hi Chris, don't worry about that, all ANH helmet  needs to be turned to the side to put it on.  They were originally hand sculpted and have this kind of details. for screen accuracy it's not necessary to trim the back button lip. 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

You will find the helmets are not symmetrical so each side will have different positioning, the ears cover a lot of gaps so don't be too concerned if you see a gap once rivets/bolts are added.

 

Sideways "this is the way"

[saltyr1[TK]]

Thank you both!  Somehow I missed that part.

[saltyr1[TK]]

A little more progress.  I did drill the initial holes for the rivets (I'm not sure if I want to rivet it, I assume screwing it together would be ok). I should have taken a picture first, but I took it back a part since it's easier to paint.  I have painted the frown using Humbrol #5.  I'm pretty happy with the results of my paint job.  One thing that bothers me a little bit is the Humbrol is slightly darker than the Dave M stickers.  I'm hoping to paint the vcoder Humbrol Satin black in the next day or two.

 

Let me know if the frown needs any attention.  Any feedback is appreciated!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I use Humbrol No5 with Dave M stickers and hasn't been an issue.

 

Many don't use the side rivets and opt for bolts in case they need to adjust the angle/height of the helmet, depending where you fix the sides does make a difference, using magnets is a great way to play with the positioning before final riveting/screwing

[Cheeseballs]

Looks good 

[saltyr1[TK]]

Thanks again for the feedback.

 

Progress on the helmet.  I spent a lot of time on the vcoder.  Overall I'm happy with the results.  As usually, any feedback on them is appreciated.

 

Next I moved onto the lens.  I liked how others have used some type of post to mount them too.  I created a bunch of different sized hex setoffs with an angle on them and 3D printed them out.  I used Sugru to secure the mounts.  I did go with only 2 per side, but was strategic in placement to ensure minimum to no gaps.  I might go back and Sugru the lenses to the helmet for extra reinforcement.  

 

Again, I'm happy with the results.

 

Helmet is together below with just the initial bolts.  I still have to figure out the bottom.  

 

Again, any feedback is appreciated.  Next steps are the hovi mics and the dreaded ears.  I have the hovi mics painted and screens installed (failed taking pictures of them, so to come..).  

[saltyr1[TK]]

Two things on the hovi mics.  First, the ATA markings for the holes I want to double check as they seem a little high up to me.  The one on the left was pretty easy to identify.  The one on the right was not, so I based it off the left side.  Does this location look right?

 

Secondly, the posts definitely aren't in the middle, nor are they straight.  I know the actual helmets aren't straight, but I would like them to be.  Any suggestions on this?

 

Thanks as always!

Chris