ap helmet building?

[TK-7828]

Hi !

I am new here and i might have missed it when i did the search (in that case i am sorry for asking ), I found alot of ref. on how to drill out the holes and on painting but i did not fin any guide on which order i should assemble the helmet, can someone please help me with this....when i am finish with the faceplate, wich order and how do i assemble the rest?

 

One more ?:

 

I have not joined the local 501 yet ( i will when i am finished) and i was wondering if i want the TK look but want to have a sandtrooper eyebrow on the helmet, is that going to cause any prob when applying?

 

and if i want a higher brow should i use sandpaper or cut of a bit of the top of the helmet then?

 

thanks for answear

 

brgds Andreas

 

and sorry for my english

[dougefresh]

I think the order of assembly is up to you.

 

Some people like to cut out the eyes and frown first, then attach the faceplate to the cap.

Some people attach the faceplate right away and then do everything else.

I think it's personal preference.

 

If you want to see some fantastic tutorials for helmet building in general, check out TK-4150's tutorial.

Some of the steps won't apply, since it's for TE2s specifically, but it has awesome tips on trimming ears, lining things up, etc.

 

Also, I'd HIGHLY recommend Stukatrooper's tutorial on Flickr. It was an absolute life-saver for me.

 

As for the brow trim -- I love the helmets with the slightly higher brow. That's my favorite look.

As far as I know, there's no reason a high brow line would keep you from getting accepted.

 

I've asked others about the higher brow, too-- and yes, if you want that cool little arc in it, you should trim or sand it just a little extra.

 

Hope that helps.

[TK-7828]

Thanks buddy for the help

[MandalorianWarrior87]

Doug to the rescue!! I agree with what Doug said, it's up to you with which part you do first.

 

If you do decide you wanna be a sandtrooper, pop over to the MEPD, we'll look after ya'

[troopermaster]

Personally, I like to trim the general shape of the face and back-cap before I do the final trimming. I trim the main two pieces and offer them up for assembly. You don't really want to use the drill marks on the AP helmet, just get the face where you want it, which would be tilting slightly forward, and you won't need to trim too much of the forehead to raise the brow up.Then, drill your own holes to bolt or rivet the two parts together. Only trim the ear caps once you have assembled your helmet and again, try not to use the trim lines when cutting the ear caps as you will find some gaps if you haven't used the pre-marked drill holes. Keep trimming bits off the ear caps at a time and keep offering them up against the helmet to get a good fit. Slight gaps are nothing to worry about

[TK-7828]

Am I going to glue the eye brow list? or is it going to be "loose", if i glue shall I use a hot glue gun? that question goes for the "s" shaped list under the helmet to?

 

thanks

/Andreas

[dougefresh]

Am I going to glue the eye brow list? or is it going to be "loose", if i glue shall I use a hot glue gun? that question goes for the "s" shaped list under the helmet to?

 

thanks

/Andreas

 

Both the brow and neck trim will stay on with their own pressure. You can glue 'em if you want, but you shouldn't have to.

 

Oh-- and Troopermaster is FAR more qualified to come to the rescue than I am- that guy knows his stuff. When Paul hands out advice, I grab a notebook.

[TK-7828]

Another question

 

What is best to use on my ap helmet, should i paint the decals or buy stickers? i want the anh style but mine was deliverd with esb/rotj decals. Which is best in the long run?

 

thanks / Andreas

[MandalorianWarrior87]

I'll second that, Doug.

 

Paul, you are the trooper MASTER

[Billhag]

Another question

 

What is best to use on my ap helmet, should i paint the decals or buy stickers? i want the anh style but mine was deliverd with esb/rotj decals. Which is best in the long run?

 

thanks / Andreas

 

Andreas

There's not really a 'Best to use', it really depends on how authentic you want to go, or how confident you are at painting

teeeeny-tiny lines, or if you'd like a quick and easy solution to make your life easier

The original ANH on screen helmets had all the details hand painted, the traps, tube stripes, frown, chin and ear bars.

ESB and ROTJ had stickers (although there have been some original oddities found without )

There's no standard set for 501st or FISD 'Elite' approval regarding stickers/decals or hand painted.

The main criteria is that they should be the correct colours for all the detailed areas.

Its really all down to personal choice

 

A great happy medium would be to get a set of Mike's - TK-4510 ANH decals as they have been brilliantly

designed to emulate the hand painted details found on an original helmet (The Dave M helmet)

That way you get the best of both Worlds

Check them out here;-,

 

TK-4510 DECALS - ANH

 

 

I hope this help mate

[TK-7828]

Thanks mate for the aswear!

 

I have yet another ? and then i am going to start posting pic on the build

 

I have tried to paint some buttons that i got with the fx kit but man the were like glass and the color did not seem to want to attatch to the surfice, so I am going to paint the frown with the humbrol dark admiral grey on the ap helmet....will i have to do somthing or is it just to paint straight at the abs, I have looked around at pictures here on the forum and that is what i THINK i supose to do so I am just doublechecking ( dont want to mess up the ap helmet )

 

thanks again

 

I hope this help mate

[TK-7828]

Im soon finish with my fx armor but today i feelt that i wanted to to some on the helmet, so here is todays work , The eyes is finished and the frown i have started on.

 

 

 

 

 

i dont think i am going to open the eyes more, i looked at starwars helmets and saw bigturcs helmet and i really think that one is gorgeous and i think the eyes is pritty close, what do you guys say..open more or stay with it?

 

thanks

 

Andreas

[TK-7828]

and

 

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sorry for this reply...could not get the img up

[VacTrooper]

dude, open the eyes up a lot more...

[tatooine]

I never cared for the AP sty in the eye myself. I found a little heat decreased that bump quite a lot. FYI Just my personal opinion...

[TK-7828]

dude, open the eyes up a lot more...

 

 

yepp i did open them a bit more yesterday

 

now for painting the frown

[TK-7828]

Just painted the frown and the vocoder...looks like the vocoder is ready after only one paint...however the grey Humbrol color was crap comparing to the black one...the black was so much thicker...

 

How many times do you guys paint the frown when you build helmets?

 

here is a pic:

 

 

thanks for answears

 

/Andreas

[TrooperTim]

Just painted the frown and the vocoder...looks like the vocoder is ready after only one paint...however the grey Humbrol color was crap comparing to the black one...the black was so much thicker...

 

How many times do you guys paint the frown when you build helmets?

 

I'm sure you mixed the paint well before you used it. That can have an effect on the coloration, but not sure about thickness. I've heard that the paints they produce now look a little different than what they used to be. I used Testor's 1138 and one coat was all I needed to paint mine. I've found that enamel paints are usually thick enough that they don't need additional coats.

 

The vocoder looks great.