Rubies 1997 Helmet questions....

Ive looked around, and well.. Ive come to the realization that every helmet needs to be treated with a one on one re fitting, not everyones is the same, some dings are larger, some warps are more visable. I have finally gotten my helmet, and well, its got many deformaties, and I would just like to know what is the best way of tackling each one of them to make it ESB movie accurate, and in which order, Ill post pictures if I can.
Problems: ok first the plastic range finder is bent, possbily replacing it with aluminum.. or rebending, but it is very delicate plastic.
another is the heat and bad packaging seems to have caved in the left *his lef* cheek, making it very deformed all around.
another is the dent is only the size of my index finger, I do believe it should be larger.
Oh if you need more pics or information please ask, I dont plan on starting on it till I get a good general Idea on how to make it better, Ive thought of slowly re moulding it with a hair dryer, pushin in on the front plate to make it flat, but i dont know if that would push the :"ears" out too far...
The T visor needs replacing, anyone have brand name suggestions or detailed instructions?
I would really like to get it more rounded and less melted and oblong, but I dont really have anything to compare the size and shape that its supposed to be... anyone had this problem before... tell me how you solved it.. i heard somone put towels in theres, and left it on the hood of a car for a hot sunny day.. and then let it cool.. but my warping is much more severe... hopefully I can get pics up.



shows the extent of the deformed cheek

and this one the bulding left side of his helm


and this one just various imperfections, including the dent

Whoa.... you paid for that thing? That's one of the worst I've seen out of the box.

I decided to post again rather then edit again.. heh... the material is ... thick latex, and I dont know how it would stand up to repeated heatings and coolings, say i put somethin in it to make it "round" then wanted to flattin the front in another heating and cooling.... i dont wanna crack it or anything... so.. again.. if anyone has some info, please post.

You may want to try a sink full of HOT water to soften up the latex. I've used this technique with DP helmets and have had good success. I have a double sink so I fill one with really hot water and the other with cold water with ice cubes in it. It just takes a few seconds in the hot water to make the plastic pliable. Your helmet will probably take several 'dunks' to correct, but it can be done. Just be patient and work one problem at a time.

to responce to both of yours, A it wasnt in a box, just the shipping box and plastic, poorly done I must say, no cousin in the box to protect it, and the heat and warping prolly happend because the box was really too small, and yes I paid for it, a mere fraction of what most everyone else pays for though, so I guess I really got my moneys worth, it just needs some TLC and itll be fantastic. B hot water huh? do you have a refence photo I can use to get it shaped, i dont want to apply to much pressue to the "nose" and have the "ears" be at the wrong angle and such.

Hi. Your helmet has a serious deformations, but nothing is impossible with a little (or not little) work. The shape of the helmet can be modified with a heat gun, reshaping and cool water after, but you will need to reforce it with fiberglass after to mantain the correct shape and make it harder, and...sorry but I don´t know the name of this thing in english: a product to repair the cars. Probably you´ll need to use a metal ring or something similar to help you to mantain the shape until you fiberglass it (I used one in my Rubie´s Jango). I buy this version because it is harder and has a good shape (but is smaller), and modified it to looks like Boba Helmet. You can see some pics (bad quality, sorry) in this post:

http://tdh.prop-planet.com/viewtopic...=11731&forum=2

If you want more details, let me know.

when I see thing like this it make me sooooo mad that Rubies STILL have the license to make SW props

:edit sorry not to be constructive just felt like a rant

All you guys had perfect buckets right out of the gate huh?

Give the guy a break & a little help.
I strongly recommend the heat gun,making sure to heat from the inside out.Take your time.
Go with the aluminum rangefinder stalk , look on ebay.
Also check ebay for new T-visors.The ones that I bought were listed under "the best t-visor prop". cost about 15 bucks.
The "car repair" product here in the states is "bondo"
Good luck & welcome aboard

Once you get done with the reshaping, you'll have to reiforce the inside with fiberglass or something to make it keep it's new shape.

If you don't, there is a really good chance it will go back to it's present shape now.

You don't want that too happen after all your hard work.

Lynn

Hey, I gotta say, although it is appears bad...don't loose hope.

Here is what I did:
-Get a high capacity hair dryer or heat gun.
-Have a large bucket filled with COLD ice water.
-Have a hoop or something like that to give you the shape you want.
-Heat the helmet, but keep the gun moving (you do not want to be your next post to include pics of your new Rubies puddle.)
-Place the hoop inside pull to shape and dunk un the icebath.
-Hold it in there for several minutes (I did 20 minutes).
-Remove and set aside
-If you're of age, crack a cold one and call it a night.
(You've got some bondo and support work to do the next day)

Hope it helps.
Darren

I have a heat gun but theres no tempeture control on it, it just heats up and keeps going till it gets about 1200 degrees, I can keep it at distance to make sure it dont melt though, another thing is the ring you all speak of should it be at the base? i always thought that the helmet had the look of a V front with a round back witht he point of the V being rather flat like \__/ roughly. Some things I need to know now are, if I want to impliment the right ear sliding down to reveal a vent and a fan, like I saw on the forum here *rather ingenious I might add, and looks awsome* and things like Remote controlled View Finder and LED lights in the top front arrows, should I use the heat method, then find fiberglas fill, and line the inside with a very light coat, then work on that stuff? or should I make cuts and preperations now. The other big thing is the dent, I do believe its rather small in comparison, any suggestions on enlarging it and to what rough diameter.. maybe someone here used some tool or wreanch with a standard size I can duplicate. I have aluminum left over from my shoes, I can cut for range finder if its not too thick, anyone have diameter of it and its full dimensions in case my plastic one is inaccurate? Ill stay posted. I have a very nice painter thats anxious to start painting, hes won model competitions, so it should end up outstanding in the paint department. Help me out with links or detailed posts or PMs or even email, kissker@sbcglobal.net, about this helmet, and what I need to do to it with what method. If anyone has worked with this hard latex stuff before, itll help. Also I noticed the cheeks seem to be unevenly warped... so.. again I need to know if the hoop is to be like at the base or up at the top above the eyes.. or both.. iam not sure what the real ESB helmet looks like anymore.. lol

I threw this comparison photo together not to insult your bucket but to give you a visual reference of what to fix.




To say it is an uphill battle would be an understatement, but the resourcefulness of TDH members never ceases to amaze me!

is that the ROTJ helm? Iam trying to make mine ESB movie replicated

Its ESB, notice the yellow kill marks. And yes you have a big undertaking here, nothing is impossible but if you punt it like a football across the living room after many unsuccessful hours of trying to fix it I wont blame you

The earlier Don Post helmets are much better, not perfect but alot better. I/m not saying you cannot fix it but you must understand rubies does not give you alot to work with, there material is very delicate and cheap, why they make hard type helmets out of latex, I will never know.

saves money and time.. think of it... latex is cheap.. cheaper in bulk.. make a mould.. pour the **** in, dry, repeat, massive surplus of helmets for almost no cost, sell for 10x what you pay for craptacular "hand painted" detail, and boom. profit.
ok, time to verify if everyone else agrees with what Iam about to say, before I begin the week long task of making the shape more accurate. From Top to bottom.(please post anythin I miss, or anything you noticed) From the refernce photo added:

The top of my bucket needs a more round shape, not flat
The range finders connector seems to be 1/8 inch thick on ESB
My dent needs to be larger, slighly down and to the center
My kill marks need redone, placeing them more over the ear
I need to pull my "ears" out, causing the T mask to go lower, angle better, and widen the overall helmet, while doing so, I need to press on the left ear from the inside to undo the unsightly buldge in the cranium.

Thats what I can see, of course theres the replacing the Range finder, the T visor, and completely repainting the entire helmet.. also to dremal out the back vents, reinforce them, and add specific tweaking things... like an RC rangefinder or fans or LED lights and such. Also, I could use some pointers on how large the diameter of the base of the helm is on personal ones, and if anyone has any suggestions on remakin the dent, Ive thought of heating it up with a hair dryer, from the inside, (hot water made it very flexible, I think a heat gun would be over kill and ruin it) pushing it out to NO DENT shows, then cooling, so I have a no dent helmet, then finding the suitible diameter of the real dent, and replicating it with like a large flash light or something.... does anyone know the cause of his dent in the story? did a "thermal coupling" smash into his head or something? (props can be remade to specifications, and then the dent can be remade perfectly)

alright Ive had my break, and now I want to takle this craptacular SOB and make it look beautiful, The hot water method seems to shape it very well, but I have no experience with fiberglass, can anyone give me some tips, and possibly a place to buy it? This helm has stared at me long enough, begging for me to put it out of its misery (stupid me left it on display above my TV, so it haunted me) so nows the time to give it a new life. OH as for a dremal tool, would a standard "rotary kit" work, we have them were I work right now, they have a small hand held device that spins a tip, I think its a cheap imitation of a dremal but iam not sure, also wich tips ill need to work it.

Well a Resin mix is just as cheap, if not cheaper than latex.

About the rest, a rotory tool? Dont you have to have a drill for those, isnt a rotory tool just an extension of some other source? Not sure, but I got a dremel from Wal-MArt for 14 bucks 2 speed works fine only trobule is its battery powered only.

Fiberglass can be found there as well, its a resin liquid in the auto section below the auto spray paints. There is also fiberglass sheets above the resin you will need both.

You can do it! a '97 rubies was my first bucket also, and while it didn't turn out perfect, I learned a lot making it. its an excellent bucket to practice on; it's a challenge.

I did what the other guys are suggesting; heat it. hot water or a heat gun will work. find some metal strips that you can glue or bondo to the bottom rim of the helmet to help it retain its shape (i used some aluminum for this, i could bend it easilly by hand, but it would hold the bucket where i wanted it). Next I bondoed the inside of the bucket, when this hardens, the bucket will be solid and durable.

It was the PAINT where my skills were lacking, but as I'm discovering, it comes with practice.

my bucket was about as thrashed as yours is, here's what i did to it: http://tdh.prop-planet.com/viewtopic...=11616&forum=2

Far from perfect, but oh what I learned while making it. I'm working on my second bucket now; a DP'95 for a custom project: http://tdh.prop-planet.com/viewtopic...forum=93249783

Good luck with your helmet. my advice would be just to play with it and get an idea for how to work with the materials.

...but just for good measure, I'd like to ship a wolverine thats high on angel-dust to the good folks at Rubies...

Hey

I have never seen a helmet in such bad shape mate, tell you what, I have a DP 97 that's in pretty good shape with no RF stalk. If you pay the shipping you can have it for FREE.

Let me know..

DAZ

wow cant beat that. Maybe He can buy one of your helmets later on, how is that coming along btw? I'm definitly waiting on it.

The offer wasn't even made to ME and I feel special. You people are awesome! KISSER, take him up on it.

Don't ask me why, but I bought one of those those "craptacular" helmets, as Kissker put it, off of Ebay really cheap. Looks almost like the one above. I wanted a cheap one to do some testing on.

Talk about ugly...


It was my first time seeing one of these type helmets in person. I was actually shocked when I saw how ****** this thing is made next to my DP '96. I don't see why LFL would allow these guys to put their logo on something so bad.

...but anyhow, I worked on shaping it for about an hour last night. It looks a lot better than it did, but I'm having problems getting the dome to round up in the center. I tried stuffing it with towels and even using my head to push it up some. Anybody have a better suggestion?

I'm using the hot water/dual sink method.

EDIT
OK, what I have done so far is put a metal "half-hoop" in the back to straighten it out and to increase the flare. The back seems fine now. I even managed to get the dome to pop up some.

The cheeks...still wavy, but here is a suggestion. I took some strips of 1/16" thick aluminum and applied them to the bottom edges, similar to the hoop method in the back. This helped somewhat. My suggestion if you do this is to use a razor blade (or a dremel drum sander attachment - your choice, of course) and smooth the inside the best you can. Get the flatest surface possible so the strips can pull the edges in straight.

Still ugly, but getting there...


It still has a twisted look to the front, but when I add the visor, I'm going to put another metal strip across the inside at the bottom, and join the cheeks together and hopefully keep it from twisting again. There is an indention near the kill marks that I couldn't pull out either

I am also reworking the dent. This one looked like it had an inverted puss pocket on it. I've done a little work, and here is where I am right now. The picture doesn't do it justice.



I'll keep posting as I continue.

just revitilizing this section, as I am going into hard work on the helmet soon.. like.. now. as soon as i move my "work station" to the basement. heres a new starter pic, its had some minor reshaping since i first got it, hot water and towels, and it stayed like that for months until i found it again from the move (towells inside LOL) now.. time to get some 14 gauge wire and round this puppy out... and flare the sides.. and straighten the cheeks.. and bowlling ball the dome.. hehe...

I have a DP 97 that's in pretty good shape with no RF stalk. If you pay the shipping you can have it for FREE.

Hey, Boba Maker. I sent you a PM about this. Please say yes!

Kissker vbmenu_register("postmenu_81163", true); - I returned your PM. That's not looking too bad. If you install the hoop in the back you can get it to flare properly.

Also remember, when you put the visor in you can use it to help hold the helmet in shape. Just be careful when gluing it in, and not get it all over the visor.

got any tips for the dome rounding and things before the fiberglass is added?

heres some updated pics of my helmet first is its shape after i slammed a bowlling ball in it.. surprisingly accurate from pics.. watch..

and yes... i plastic welded the wire in there to help its shape.. next up is rounding the dome.. wich i have an idea for using only water and gravity! (did it once already, look at last picture.. isnt it nice how more rounded it is?) gimme input!

Doing good mine was shaped with a kind of plastic peice. Looking good i'd say same type of helmet as slade even.

new methods of rounding your dome
A_ try this, fill a pot with hot water, get it to boil ((or close to it)) hold your bucket upside down and gently push into the water, then, get some of the hot water on the inside (i cut part of the T out and let it go in there) give it a few seconds to get soft.. then fill the bucket with hot water, (to the T cut in my case) and lift it up over the pot, the hot water inside should weigh down the helm, and gravity makes it bow and shape the dome! repeat as neccisary. *added* can speed up cooling time by filling most the inside, then going outside or over a tub, and slowly pouring ice cold water in to replace the hot water (this gets wet)
B_ plaster time. get a shallow bowl or something to that nature, fill with plaster/plaster ofparis, use a ball or other round object to make a round curved indent (like the helmet would have) let dry, then heat your bucket and hold upside down, pushing from the inside to fill your "mold" with the helmets material, taking the molds shape! (havnt done this one yet, it came to me though)

so what you all think? grey primer(got sick of rubiescolor) ntell me what you think of the shape... fiber glassing soon

cant really see it in the pics.. but i need to work the dome some more.. theres a "lump" i just found.. so back to boiling water first.

It's coming along well for a Rubies. I still think you need to cut out the front and put a real visor in though.

oh i will, after i fiberglass the inside ^_^ and order the visor ... lol

Hey guys,just signed up after seeing this thread as when I got my DP 97 I aslso was terribly dissappointed.
so I got to work on making it some where half decent,this is all I did..
First I cut that silly visor out and replaced it with some clear plastic sheet covered in car window tinting stuff and evo sticked it in!! (the t shape was just trial and error using card to get it right)
Then I simply just painted on the scatches and stuff using acrylic paint as mentioned above somewhere,I also hair driered it into shape and that was that...hope this is of some use to you

ok guys.. its terrible, iknow, but heres pictures after I mutilated my helmet and fiberglassed the inside... ugg.... so much work to do now.

Pretty nice helmet Wish i could have it

this pic isnt up to date but it shows comparison, on the left we have the real boba, and the right is almost up to date (i cut out more of the T)

Oh yea, heres a pic to show how far its come, this is straight outta its box! ::shudders:: god it was one ugly bucket.

Wow! I am amazied at how far you have taken that thing. It looks wayyyy better now! Keep up the GOOD work!!

-Tony Vida; TK 3204; Austin, Tx

_error_ i seem to have fiberglassed too much.. makes it difficult to get my head in AND weighs too much. Need suggestions on thinning and lightening. the dome of the bucket seems to have accumulated a lot more resin then the rest (odd since it dried face up to my knowledge) id like to "scrape" some out and sand down the back and sides a bit (i have a flaw in my skull, and putting it on as it is, the keyslots rub against a bone protrusion in the back of my skull, dangerous, and uncomfortable *if someone smacks it with it like it is, hard enough, Ill either pass out or die.)

I don't know much about fiberglass, but... that's one Hell of a job. I just took the easy way out and bought a DP '95!

Thining fiberglass huh? You might need something try something more powerfull than a dremmel to work efficiently. 'Like a heavy duty grinder. You might be able to rent one from a homedepot or something if you don't have one. Just be carefull not to overgrind and go all the way through! Whatever you do, make sure you wear eye and mouth protection against the dust particles. good luck!

Originally Posted by Kissker

(i have a flaw in my skull, and putting it on as it is, the keyslots rub against a bone protrusion in the back of my skull, dangerous, and uncomfortable *if someone smacks it with it like it is, hard enough, Ill either pass out or die.)

hmm... nasty... but won't you pass out or die if someone smacked ur head without the helmet?

good luck with the error fixing, don give up, bad things happen everynow and then, looking at what uve doen so far, id say ull get it fixed!! :thumbup

It's probably that people are more likely to smack his head as a joke when he's wearing the helmet. Like at a convention or something. You never know.

I can see it now, "Hello! Hello! (annoying conventioneer thumps Kissker on the head) Anybody home? Think, McFly! Th-" (Kissker falls to the floor, shaking) "Oh, ****. Is there a doctor in the house?!"

Just kidding, K.

Don't let it worry you so much. That's the beauty of a cheapy Rubies. If you screw it up, you can always chalk it up to experience and start over. I know the time thing is a pain, but you've learned a valuable prop-building lesson.

I have a vinyl fett helmet and i wanna make a real fett helmet out of it.
Its really ugly but i have now seen that it can be done.
Contact me on MSN or something so that we can talk.


Or sell one to me!!

Originally Posted by Jaiden

I can see it now, "Hello! Hello! (annoying conventioneer thumps Kissker on the head) Anybody home? Think, McFly! Th-" (Kissker falls to the floor, shaking) "Oh, ****. Is there a doctor in the house?!"

Just kidding, K.

Don't let it worry you so much. That's the beauty of a cheapy Rubies. If you screw it up, you can always chalk it up to experience and start over. I know the time thing is a pain, but you've learned a valuable prop-building lesson.

oh but see, I NEVER GIVE UP! ILL DIE BEFORE I LET THE UGLY BUCKET WIN! heres some update pics, tell me what you think *note, the colors are wrong to start with and the flash wash out makes em look even worse, but since iam not going for 100% screen accurate, i think its lookin pretty **** good. specially since ive never painted ANYTHING (but a house) before!


Oh yea.. and the bump thing, yea, if you hit juuuuust right it would, but the helmet had a bump from the keyslot that pressed right on it, making it 100 times easier to hit me "just right' and cause severe injury/death to me. i sanded that puppy down, drilled out some of the fiberglass, sanded smooth, applied a very THIN layer of fiberglass to fill the uneven spots, sanded again, and well, its still a heavty paper weight, but i think i can wear it now. lol.

Originally Posted by Elofsson

I have a vinyl fett helmet and i wanna make a real fett helmet out of it.
Its really ugly but i have now seen that it can be done.
Contact me on MSN or something so that we can talk.


Or sell one to me!!

WOW I (ME!) INSPIRED SOMEONE! I feel special for my POS hodgepodge work to have touched someones heart.. I only wonder how UGLY that bucket really is.

I NEVER GIVE UP! ILL DIE BEFORE I LET THE UGLY BUCKET WIN!

you frighten me...

seriously, I see your point, but like I said, it's just $30, definately a lot less than what your life is worth. But, hey, if you can and did fix it, huzah! Keep posting pics!

Originally Posted by Jaiden

but like I said, it's just $30,

what you talkin bout Jaiden? I didnt pay no 30 bucks for this POS. LOL UPDATE PICS! had to do the paintin myself.. so it sucks.. but eh.. its not going for 100% movie no more. lol.

Looking good!

I only said $30 because that's what I paid for mine on eBay. I already planned on doing a Desert Storm/Iraqi Freedom Fett painted in the tan camo colors. So go wild, dude! Paint as you see fit! It's your bucket, have fun!

almost finalized.. my new visor has yet to come in.. gettin mad at the provider... have to have a few choice words with them about it.. its been 3 weeks... but heres a pic of it. tell me what ya think.

didnt get to get the professional paint job done.. thats my work.. kinda horrible.. but eh.. ive never painted anything before.. so.. i think it looks alright. its got about 15 layers of paint there.. and 3 topcoats of clearcoat

wow you came a long way, I did sort of the same thing with my heat gun and DP 95 helmet....and a basketball

so tell me exactly how you shaped your helmet and when do you put in fiberglass?

IT'S ALIVE!!!...IT'S ALIVE!!!

Night of th e LIVING Thread!!


sixarmspiderman, not sure if you noticed or not, but this thread was started almost three years ago and before you it was last posted in over 2 years ago.

That being said it does look like Kissker is still a fairly active member...looking at his public profile he was on the board recently (06/08/07), but it was still 3 months ago. You may want to try PMing him or emailing him. It may get you some info quicker than waiting around on new info in a dead thread.

Good luck~