Tim’s first time build (RS Prop Masters ESB TK)

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

It's really a personal choice, first time helmet builds are always a little tricky, I've built quite a few different helmets and the basics are pretty much the same, although some have particular quirks not seen on other helmets.

 

But as it's an RS helmet I would say follow their builds, after all they should know what they are doing 

 

One other detail the DO's bring up from time to time is the position of the ears which RS may not see as that important, here is the ideal look

 

 

And if you need some reference material you can't go past "Star Wars Helmets" http://www.starwarshelmets.com

 

Good luck with the build

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

As Glen mentioned, the "ideal" ear position has the top (round) part centered right below the rear of the trap, and in a perfect world it should cover the faceplate/cap seam completely.  Note in the references how the bottom screw lines up with the rear angle of the trap.  Sometimes the top 2 line up with that line, sometimes they are just close, which is fine and dandy.

 

We aren't looking for perfection by any means, but it's important that the bottom should be angled back.

 

                    

 

[Morgi[Staff]]

My helmet is an RS helmet as well and I mainly followed their tutorial, with some additional help from the people on here and some small variations that I found improved the overall appearance. Maybe go one video at a time and whenever you're done with a video or have any questions about a certain step or procedure you can come back here and ask for help. As long as you post pictures after every step, so that the people on here can catch any potential mistakes, those tutorials will be very helpful -- even if you decide to not always follow them to the letter and instead go with some other techniques 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks guys. As I thought, makes sense to follow the video for the particular helmet.

Already noted the position of the ears but thanks for reaffirming all the same.

Here is a progress picture. Just it the process of filing out the teeth.

I’d like to draw your attention to the second tooth from the left. It looks a little wider than the others after sanding down the recess area. Is this likely to be the helmet itself or have I made a mistake?


Sent from The Empire

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Some screen references for comparison, notice in the first picture the second tooth is a little larger in the bottom corner than other teeth

 

 

Normally when opening up the teeth I follow the look from side to side not the actual particular tooth opening.

 

If it really bothers you there is the option of adding a small amount of ABS paste to fill any extra gap, normally just add some tape behind for support.

 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Moving onto trimming down the eyes. From reference photos I’ve indicated where I think the trim line should be on each eye.





What doesn’t come across is the ‘bump’ on the lower right eye, which I will ensure is there for accuracy.

Please could you let me know if I have my trim lines in the right place.

Thanks all.


Sent from The Empire

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good, if you check the reference there is a small lip left on the screen helmets BUT many of remove all the excess material as you have drawn, it can give you a little extra viewing area, especially in the inside corners of the eyes.

 

Once you are happy with the trimming you can use some sandpaper on a small block of wood or even just rolled up to sand across the lens area to match the top and bottoms, just helps the lenses sit a little flatter. On lenses some use a full sheet and anchor on either sides, I like to cut the lenses just a little larger than the openings and silicon in place, these can be swapped out later if they get scratched or damaged.

 

Looking good, move along 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

It was going so well…and then I had to remove a rivet.

Basically as I started to drill out the rivet (I just needed to reposition the right side) and as I did this I didn’t notice the actual rivet was turning and making an even larger hole *sigh*.

No panic though, at least it’s an area that will eventually be covered by the ear pieces. My initial thought was ABS paste but wanted to check if there were any other suggestions.





Sent from The Empire

[CallMeMrTibbles[501st]]

Given that its not going to be seen anyway, maybe either a larger rivet, or put a wide steel washer under the rivet(?)

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

As the ear will cover it you wouldn't even need to fill that hole. If you really want to tape behind before applying ABS paste.

 

I always advise to use self tapper screws for test assemble before using rivets.

 

For drilling rivets out use a sharp bit with a slow speed and make sure you grip behind with a pair of pliers 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about making ABS paste, but if the new hole is in close proximity to the old one I would suggest patching it with a scrap piece of ABS.  The reason being is that the area between them (red arrow) will be weaker and may split depending on how much pressure there is pushing out.  You should be fine, but better safe than sorry.

 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks chaps. A bit of a daft mistake but all part of the process. At least it will be an area that will be covered.
@joseph, will e6000 be fine for glueing down the scrap ABS? Also, I’m assuming I’ll glue this on top of the hole?


Sent from The Empire

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

E-6000 should be fine, Tim.  Just use it sparingly, and it may be a good idea to put a piece of tape over the other side to keep it from seeping out of the hole when you clamp it.

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Hi all,
Would appreciate feedback on my progress so far before I move onto the ears.

One thing I noticed was that the left side was further away from the tear compared to the right. That being said, before I placed the holes, I was lining up the contour of the eye to the indent of the decal of the cap which are in line.

I know the helmets weren’t symmetrical but worth double checking with you all.

Thanks in advance for your comments.






Sent from The Empire

[Morgi[Staff]]

Looking good so far! One thing that I noticed is that the brow trim seems to be a little short:

 

 

You could try to press the helmet into the original shape, but I've found that when I aligned those with my helmet it caused a bit of a gap between the face plate and the cap. With the brow trim that gets easily hidden, but the face plate not fitting 100% into the cap seems to be a side effect of the screen used helmets being made out of a different material, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Now, some DO's might say differently, so I can't promise anything, but I'd say that's okay. 

 

Side view of my RS helmet, I hope this helps, sir 

[TheSwede[TK]]

4 hours ago, TrickyT81 said:

Thanks in advance for your comments.

If it were me I would reposition the face plate. As you have it now, you can see were the original hole for the rivet is and that is a good indicator for some tweeking. The ear will probably cover it but I would still twist it a tad to the left .
I would also even out the spacing for the brow trim and ones you do I don’t think it will appear short.

 

Note that nothing I said is mandatory for approval, just worth mention for apparence. Your helmet is fine as is.
 

Some original helmets for reference. (My computer is down so I can’t make any drawings for you).

 

 

 

[TheSwede[TK]]

Here’s a nice read in case you haven’t seen it 

 

 

 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

Thanks for the comments so far. My feeling was to reposition the faceplate which I’m going to do.

In regards to the trim length, I think this is where it may cause debate. I’m using this photo from starwarshelmets.com for reference.




Note that when I positioned the ear, the gap doesn’t look as big.

That being said, happy to hear what the general opinion is on this.

Thanks.


Sent from The Empire

[TheSwede[TK]]

1 hour ago, TrickyT81 said:

In regards to the trim length, I think this is where it may cause debate. I’m using this photo from starwarshelmets.com for reference.

Just a heads up, using just one photo of one Prop isn’t the best approach for 501st approval as the originals had all kinds of quirks that are not approvable 

[TrickyT81[TK]]

What’s the best way to drill out rivets?
Last time I did this, it created a larger hole (see earlier post in my thread). One suggestion was to hold the rivet with pliers but this will be difficult when it comes to the ears.


Sent from The Empire

[Troopermike888]

I done mine both bucket and armour from rs propmaster I would say dreamel helps with the helmet as well I painted mine lol was very nervous I'll show you my finished helmet and armour 

[TheSwede[TK]]

55 minutes ago, TrickyT81 said:

What’s the best way to drill out rivets?
Last time I did this, it created a larger hole (see earlier post in my thread). One suggestion was to hold the rivet with pliers but this will be difficult when it comes to the ears.


Sent from The Empire

Using minimal ”pressing force” and taking breaks to avoid the rivet getting too hot. 
Not sure what you mean by ”when it comes to the ears”? Ears are mounted with screws but I might be stupid and not getting it...

[TrickyT81[TK]]

1 hour ago, TheSwede said:

Using minimal ”pressing force” and taking breaks to avoid the rivet getting too hot. 
Not sure what you mean by ”when it comes to the ears”? Ears are mounted with screws but I might be stupid and not getting it...

Hi Daniel, I should have been more specific. I meant the rivets that sit UNDER the ears but your suggestion helps. 

Just in your comment around not sticking to one particular photo, this is where I find the process a bit challenging. For example, the photo provided by Luca, the trim is right to the edge of the decal (correct me if I’m not using the right terminology) and in my photo it isn’t; it stops short. So in using different reference images there is a contradiction between them. My mind works very literally so if I see something that is from the film, like the photo on starwarshelmets.com, my thinking would be to recreate that. I do want to build to Centurion level so I’d be interested to know other opinions on this. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

When reviewing references especially for higher level clearance the overall appearance of costumes is used, for instance we don't allow Mr No Stripes even though he is seen in ANH. With a lot of reference on Star Wars helmets they are of older helmets in poor condition and brow trims may have shrunk over time. Most of the ESB helmets are reused ANH so the majority would have the trim stopping closer to the ear / trap angle and as I said the trim may have shrunk over time, there are not many examples of the short trim in ANH

 

It would really be up to the DO's for higher level clearance but personally I would try to stick with their references.

 

Here are some references the DO's use

ESB

 

           

 

A few other screen references

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 hours ago, TrickyT81 said:

What’s the best way to drill out rivets?

Grip the back of the rivet tightly with pliers before drilling. Use a very sharp drill bit on slow speed. You are only trying to remove the top of the rivet not drill right through as the rest will pull out once the top is gone.