Brak's Buddy's Fett Helmet Project

Art Andrews

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Community Staff
A good friend of mine who I will not name (and I would prefer you didn't name in this thread) was kind enough to send me a helmet to try my hand at. I have never really worked on a project as most of the props and pieces I have acquired are found parts so this has been quite the challenge. I am nearing completion and just couldn't wait to post pics.

The helmet is all fiberglass with a white gelcoat. when it arrived the entire visor section was solid so I colored it in with a marker, then quickly hotglued the ears and rangefinder in place just to get an overall feel for how the completed helmet might look. Here is the result:

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I began the project by grinding down the raw bottom edge of the helmet and cutting out the visor section. Once the visor was removed I realized there were going to be some HUGE issues with sanding the visor lip and making it smooth. It is almost impossible to reach the inside of the horizontal slot of the visor with a dremel or sandpaper. Also I realized that some parts of the visor area were going to have to be built up with bondo, something I had never used before. Well, after MUCH bondoing and MUCh dremel work and more sanding than I even want to remember I am pretty much satisfied with the visor area. It isn't perfect but it is as close as I think I can get it.

At this stage I only have the cheeks and keyhole area to rework and I will be ready for my first coat of primer!

Here is the current state of the helmet:

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Here are a couple of pics of the visor area so you can get an idea of what I have been doing. It doesn't look like much but it was a HUGE pain!

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Lookin' good Braks.

I was kind of hoping that there wouldn't have to be that much work on the helmet . . I've never done any of that stuff either :), but, looks like you've done a great job on smoothing it out.

Having not seen the gelcoat yet . . . what's it going to be like for painting? Are you going to have to sand him first, or do you think the primer will stick to it?

Jer
 
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Ego wrote:Lookin' good Braks.

I was kind of hoping that there wouldn't have to be that much work on the helmet . .

. . . what's it going to be like for painting? Are you going to have to sand him first, or do you think the primer will stick to it?

Jer


Honestly there isn't that much work that HAS to be done. There are only three things that are absolutely essential.

1. Clean up the raw edges at the bottom of the helmet. Very quick and easy. Nothing to it.

2. Cut out the visor section. Again, VERY easy with a dremel and a cutting disc. Now, I went all out and bondoed the area back up quite a bit and tried to get it all perfectly smooth. If you are really good with a dremel and don't mind a bit of inconsistency that no one will ever see anyway it isn't a big deal.

3. Sand done the seam that crosses the dome. No biggie here either.

As far as sanding goes, it wouldn't hurt to give the entire helmet a once over but I imagine paint would stick to the raw gelcoat.

I would like to state that this helmet is beautiful and I am VERY happy with it. I am putting a ton of work into it but it is not because my friend didn't make a quality helmet. I am just trying to make it as perfect as possible. I love this helmet and I don't want to rush it.
 
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Not to nit-pick because I usually don't but...

Is it me or is the top part of the visor area kind of wavy? It seems that it's not completely even. Could just be the pictures too. Otherwise, that kicks!
 
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Good eye webchief. You are absolutely correct. It is not straight and it was sculpted that way very specifically to match the real helmet! My friend went all out with this and tried to add EVERY detail!!! Remember it is the assymetrical aspects of the Star Wars helmets that make them unique and cool. DP utterly ruined their Fett helmets by trying to clean them up and make them all symetrical. My friend did not want to make the same mistake.


webchief wrote:Not to nit-pick because I usually don't but...

Is it me or is the top part of the visor area kind of wavy? It seems that it's not completely even. Could just be the pictures too. Otherwise, that kicks!
 
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Wow... very cool then. I had no idea the original was like that. That's why your the man Braks!

P.S. off topic for a second, I noticed you said you were a big Pearl Jam fan... ME TOO! Best band in my opinion.

O.K.... back to the helmet... Someday I'll turn in my 96 Don Post re-paint for a fiberglass one...someday...
 
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Glad to hear it's not as much work . . . and I was expecting the seam and the edges at the bottom . . . . but, what do you think of doing this for the visor.

I was planning on not cutting it out flush to the line where it should be cut, but leave a bit there, then sand it down to where it should actually go . . . wouldn't that be easier than trying to cut it exact and then bondoing back up?

THis is great, you'll be a couple of weeks ahead of me . . I can learn! :) hehe

Jer
 
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That helmet looks great, i don't mind a little work myself, its all part of the fun :)
I can't see much filler around the lip of the visor area, did you use white filler or something?

Keith.
 
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Lookin' good BB! That's going to be one FINE helmet when you're done! Kudos to your sculptin' buddy too!

:)
 
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:eek: WOW!! That looks really great Braks! You should be proud! I don't have a fiberglass helmet (not yet) ;), but I did make my own gauntlets out of fiberglass. Even a perfect original, with a perfect mold, perfectly cast will need some finishing. Making the helmet flush to the visor right out of the mold is impossible. The outside of any fiberglass piece is all smooth and pretty, but the other side will have some variation in thickness of both the gelcoat and the layers of fiberglass. A few layers of bondo and sanding will fix it right up. The gelcoat is very tough and needs to be sanded down with a course, then medium, and finally fine grit sandpaper before primed. This will make the surface perfect for wetsanding and then painting. (y)
 
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Ego wrote:I was planning on not cutting it out flush to the line where it should be cut, but leave a bit there, then sand it down to where it should actually go . . . wouldn't that be easier than trying to cut it exact and then bondoing back up?

I think you will see what I mean when you get a fiberglass helmet. As is mentioned above, the thickness of the fiberglass isn't consistent so the inside edge, the edge that the visor sits on, isn't consistent no matter how you cut out the visor area. If you want a smooth edge on the inside you will HAVE to bondo it somewhat. No big deal except for the fact that the visor is so difficult to get to from the inside. I HIGHLY recommend getting a set of large and small files. This made work SO much easier. if I had to rely on sandpaper alone I would have killed myself long ago. Files rule because they are fast working on large areas and they are good for straight level lines. A dremel is good too but it is very easy to screw things up with a dremel but you have a great deal of control over a file.
 
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Yeap, I'll second that. Unless you are a dremmel master, you're bound to get an inconsistent line. I had a much easier time getting things level and sanded after I gave it a shot with some files. Of course that was on a standard DP, I'm not sure I would trust myself with one of those, lol.

Great work, BB. That puppy is going to look smmoooooooth.
 
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BB.... Great helmet!! Did you use just the straight Dremal as is with just the attachment bits or did you use a flex shaft adaptor and bits on your inside the visor area?

I tried using my Dremal plain with just the bits and it was almost impossibly it get inside of my mystery helmet, I then used my flex shaft adaptor and it made all the difference in the world, I was able to get in tight around the inside visor area and sand it all to a smooth an even thickness, using the Dremal sanding tubes, and I used no Bondo or putty what so ever.
Just a thought, I plan on doing that when my new helmet arrives as well.
 
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Haven't gotten a flex shaft yet. Perhaps I need to! My dremel frightens me. It is just so fast and cuts so quick and takes off a ton of material before you know it. Again, this is my first time really using it though so I am getting better...
 
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BB & TD . . . I misunderstood what edge we were talking about so . . never mind, yeah, that makes a lot more sense now that I know what you're talking about.

Good idea on the flex shaft, I'm thinking I might pick one up as well . . . trying to get my tools ready for when the helmet arrives.

And good idea on the file too . . . I can see that helping a lot on this project. Using flat files I take it??

Jer
 
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Boy, the flex shaft is like night and day on a Dremel. Ive been sharpening up my RA gauntlets using a dremel, and I didn't even realize the diffrence until last night. After grinding with the Dremel in my hands, my hands feel sore and strange from all the vibrations. But with the flex shaft, there is a lot less vibration and it's a lot easier to control the tool end. Grab one brak, it really does make a difference.
 
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WOW!!

That is superb work Braks. :)

Youve got to but a flexi shaft, Dremels shouldnt be sold without them. They really are that good.

Nathan
 
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Keith wrote:That helmet looks great, i don't mind a little work myself, its all part of the fun :)
I can't see much filler around the lip of the visor area, did you use white filler or something?

Keith.

Actually, there isn't much filler ther but I had to do it over and over and over to get the little bits in just the right places to get the visor to sit as flush and smoothly as it need to be. Actually, the visor does not sit flush against the helmet in all areas on the real deal nor does it on mine. The edges of the mandibles flare away from the visor and if you look at the helmet from the side you can see where the mandaibles pull away
 
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Ego wrote:And good idea on the file too . . . I can see that helping a lot on this project. Using flat files I take it??


I bought my files from Lowes

1 Nicholson 8" Flat Bastard File for large work

1 Nicholson 6 Piece 4" File Set with Handles for medium to fine work

1 Nicholson 5 1/2" Hobby File Assortment Set for really small places
 
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