SgtFang Mystery Helmet - A Review and Progress Thread

Yay! an update! Looking good Eric! I have a similar looking drill that I am gonna use to recess my t-nuts. Alex's visor mounting method just rocks.

How long did the fiberglassing take? I've been considering doing that to mine especially since the mandible got a crack in it.
 
Justin (evan4218 ) had done it before, so it only took about a half-hour. There were three of us doing different things, though (positioning the helmet, stirring the mixture, coating, etc.). I recommend getting a 'team' together. :)
 
Hah. Maybe if you Justin and Alex want to fly up to Chi-town and help me out I could have a team. Unfortunatly I'm pretty new to the Chicago area and I dont really have a bunch of friends who'd be willing to help me out on my "silly halloween costume" :(
 
Terrific update, very similar to Spidey's build up of his MSH2. Screwing the visor in and using magnets on the ear caps are some of the best techniques for these helmets, really easy to work with them if things aren't permanent

-=QuinN!
 
Any update Batninja? your thread is really good to help the persons with a SgtFang helmet, and for my future Mistery... :love
 
Hah. Maybe if you Justin and Alex want to fly up to Chi-town and help me out I could have a team. Unfortunatly I'm pretty new to the Chicago area and I dont really have a bunch of friends who'd be willing to help me out on my "silly halloween costume" :(

If you want your helmet FG'ed I can do it... Basicly your looking at $20 for the kit, $25-30 for my time and shipping back to ya... sadly that dose add up though. But I wanted to throw it out there. But an FYI if you atempt it your self make darn shure you get the fiberglass in there smooth becase its easy to end up with tons of FG barbs!!
 
UPDATE 2/10/07

Earlier in the week, I did some light heat-gunning to close the gap between the mandibles to a uniform 1 3/4". This also lined up the top edge of the mandibles to the brow:

width.jpg


alignment-1.jpg


So today, following Spidey's suggestion, I coated the inside of the helmet with Rust-Oleum 'Hammered' spray paint. It gives the interior a clean, fresh-off-the-assembly-line look. I used black as my color choice, but in hindsight, I should have gone with a more 'metallic' color like silver or aluminum. I'll save that for my next helmet...

paint.jpg


int_1.jpg


Next was the final sanding stage. I gave the entire helmet a good sanding with a 150-grit flexible sanding sponge and rinsed the helmet off in the shower. Now I have to clean the shower. :)

And finally, I applied several coats of Krylon white primer to the exterior and earcaps. It was at this point I learned an important lesson: to avoid overspray, mask off any openings (visor, keyholes, earcap mount holes) before applying the primer. I had to touch up the inside before continuing.

In between primer coats, I examined the entire surface of the helmet with my hand and good lighting, looking for any lint/hairs/imperfections that I could sand off.

The results speak for themselves:

helmet_5.jpg


helmet_1-1.jpg


helmet_2-1.jpg


helmet_3-1.jpg


The visor shown in these pics is not the final visor, as the heatgun episode caused me to have to make some adjustments to the alignment of the mounting posts. Once I had the visor and posts installed exactly where I wanted them, I dabbed a spot of paint around the existing hex-nuts. This way, I can verify the exact center of the holes I'll need to drill into the final visor. I hope that all made sense.

Anyway, this project is drawing to a close. I won't install the rear screen until after the final painting. And since there are already several outstanding painting threads, I'm not going to 'blog' about mine. :)

And of course, there is the range finder issue. I have one of Asok's clear versions (and Bobo's self-contained LED system), and I will post a separate thread on that piece once I get closer to the servo system installation.

I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions over the last few months. I hope this thread serves as a helpful tool for those preparing their own helmets for painting. Special thanks to the other members of the infamous Fort Worth Four: SpideyFett, DarthMiller and evan4218.

Let me know if you have any questions!
 
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NICE UPDATES!!!!...(y)

I've gotta say that bucket looks FANTASTIC Bro!!!.....:eek:

I think all the Mods you did really put that helmet over the top...:cheers

Great work BN!!
 
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Great work!

i have a question.. you reinforced the inside with Fiberglass.. and that made the visor area expand a bit, right? what if you had glassed it before you cut out the Slot? would it have kept it's shape better? i plan to do the same but wanted to know if you think this may help prevent the spreading of the Visor area..

thx

Arnold
 
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I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions over the last few months. I hope this thread serves as a helpful tool for those preparing their own helmets for painting. Special thanks to the other members of the infamous Fort Worth Four: SpideyFett, DarthMiller and evan4218.

:lol: :lol: ....just saw that!!.....:lol:
Wonder who came up with that AWESOME name??;) ......

hey and didn't we adopt RIPCODE???:lol:

8)
 
Great work!

i have a question.. you reinforced the inside with Fiberglass.. and that made the visor area expand a bit, right? what if you had glassed it before you cut out the Slot? would it have kept it's shape better? i plan to do the same but wanted to know if you think this may help prevent the spreading of the Visor area..

Arnold, initially, I wasn't going to 'glass the inside. But once I made the decision to install a servo system, I went for the fiberglass to add stability. So to answer your questions, yes, I think that 'glassing it prior to cutting the visor would be a better idea. :)

hey and didn't we adopt RIPCODE???

Rippy is the unofficial fifth member. To make it official, he has to relocate!
 
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