Sly's ANH Hero Helmet Build [CTPG]

[Sly11[Admin]]

Recently I received a BBB (Big brown Box) from CTPG Chris the Prop guy. This is from Anon molds which for those unaware have have lineage back to original.

This is the cleaned up version modified to Hero from the Stunt molds Chris now owns.

 

Obligatory BBB Image.

 

Inside, on inspection all parts accounted for and in perfect shape.

 

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Some of the basic tools I will be using for this build.

Now I do have a Dremel which I may use for some of the larger areas and quick sanding, but I like to do most of the work manually and take my time.

 

Things one can't do without.

1. 2B lead pencil, good for marking cut lines, easy to see easy to rub off when done.

2.Various sized drill bits but generally I run with a 2 or 2.5mm bit. I can fit these into the handle of my scalpel and gently drill by hand in areas that are tight, or add it to my Dremel to speed up when needed.

3. A good heavy duty box cutter, sharp blades are a must, this particular one has a lock off knob on the back side so the blades wont slip.

4. My trusty scalpel, would not be without this and spare blades as it is great for close to the line minor trimming work.

5. Lexan scissors, these have a curved blade which I find comes in very handy for curve work. They cut through ABS easily even the thicker 2mm sheets.

6. Mini or needle file kit. Lots of small different shaped files for tight spot detail work, an absolute must.

As you can see my pouch is full of ABS dust lol, these get used quite a bit on various projects.

 

 

7. Optional but great for large area rough trimming. stay away from your cut lines if you are inexperienced cutting ABS, you don't want to over trim or risk cutting into something you don't want to.

 

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

I always like to have some reference available when working on a project.

As you can see on the monitor, i used our FISD Gallery to peruse several Hero helmets and look for the details I liked the best.

Personally I find it a great way to start, specially when looking to mark out  pencil trim lines.

Here the teeth have had single holes drilled so I can get in there with the tip of the scalpel and trim enough out to then use the files.

I do also sand the back of these areas, which on the inside of the face plate are high points. Just enough to make the material thinner and it makes your first cuts easier. This is slow and careful work of course.

 

The other material you see the below image is excess material trimmed off from the sides of the face plate.

 

Helpful hint:

Keep your scraps of ABS, it may come in hand to do minor repairs on your armour or helmet build if you intend to troop in them.

It can be used as backing reinforcement or trimmed into small scraps to make ABS past to repair potential cracks in thin areas or even the minor mishap during your build.

 

 

 

 

Moving on to the eye sockets, you can drill a series of holes around the inside of the socket, making sure to stay away from your pencil marks.

The idea is to use those marks as your safe zone, stay inside of them and that also give you the room to then replicate a specific look if you decide to base your build on a helmet seen on screen that you really like.

 

Take note of the scalpel cuts and how they are purposely angled inwards away from the pencil lines.  This prevents you slipping into an area you don't wish to cut/damage so always cut away from those surfaces.

You will only cut into the material you are removing and feel much more confident in doing so.

 

Trimmed with plenty of material left for shaping.

I used the scalpel to shave away excess, and filed any sharp bits to get to this point. Once i get closer to my pencil lines it will be time to sand with 120 and 200 grit.

When close to finishing I'll change to a fine grade paper.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Slowly working my way to shaping the eyes and teeth.

need to trim more away and round the top right corner of the right eye and i have plenty of material there still to remove and accomplish this.

Also allowed extra material on the teeth to further refine those.

Sunday afternoon sun shines in making the helmet look cream in colour.

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

On to the ears!

For some, this is a stressful stage of an OT helemt build as you want to find a good fit.

Over trimming is probably the biggest cause for concern, so i take the mind set of A little is a lot when shaping the ears to a good fit.

Again with the trusty pencil, mark out a trim line that sits away from the mold lines.

 

 

I use the tin sheers to take this excess off as the ABS is 2 mm thick.  These make it easy going to remove what isn't needed. Note  they are trimmed still away from those pencil lines.

 

 

Lexan scissors with a curved blade are ideal for cutting around the shape of TK ears, they are slower going, but simple to carefully trim right up to the pencil marks

 

 

 

 

I've now marked the ears with pencil lines following just below the mold /actual ear shape.

Again, leave room to refine these as you begin to test fit, mark and readjust your trimming to get those ears fitting nicely to the sides of the helmet.

This is where the process slows down. I shall take my time removing material and going through that test fit stage i mentioned before.

 

 

 

 

More to come soon.