Hi. I recently received my Animefan FP Premium ESB helmet, for my first paintup. Gulp. I will try to do this beauty justice.
I’ve built 501st centurion level stormtrooper armour, so I figure this needed to be my next challenge. I do plan to attempt Level III on this, so if I need to do something ‘now’ to allow an easier (or possible) ‘later’ install of a Level III item, please let me know. I’ve watched and am re-watching Welsh Warrior’s videos for tips, but will be following TF’s layered process.
I’m going to try to post more pics during the process than I did with my TK. And here’s my first batch. I really look forward to everyone’s advice (although I seem to have ignored any I’ve heard already, as you’ll see......grrrr). I already feel like I haven’t done as much research as I did with my TK, but I think it’s just the sheer size of task in front of me that makes me think that......so I’m prepared to forge ahead, anyways! Let the journey begin.
Jaydon
I’ve built 501st centurion level stormtrooper armour, so I figure this needed to be my next challenge. I do plan to attempt Level III on this, so if I need to do something ‘now’ to allow an easier (or possible) ‘later’ install of a Level III item, please let me know. I’ve watched and am re-watching Welsh Warrior’s videos for tips, but will be following TF’s layered process.
I’m going to try to post more pics during the process than I did with my TK. And here’s my first batch. I really look forward to everyone’s advice (although I seem to have ignored any I’ve heard already, as you’ll see......grrrr). I already feel like I haven’t done as much research as I did with my TK, but I think it’s just the sheer size of task in front of me that makes me think that......so I’m prepared to forge ahead, anyways! Let the journey begin.
Jaydon
- Dremeled the visor out.......Did I mark it out like the video says?.....No. I left more physical damage from the Dremel than would pass, so had to bondo some of my damage......I can’t believe I damaged that pretty thing. So I introduced myself to ‘bondo’. (All the major fixes have been corrected, finally, but I haven’t uploaded those pictures yet)
- Sanded, wet sanded, and washed.
- First shot at priming, and noticed a couple fixes I still needed to do, so a little more bondo and sanding.
- Right now, I’m struggling to find good photos of what the physical damage (in all the areas) is supposed to look like......I have the reference photo on TDH that has the arrows edited into it, found in the templates thread, but it’s not the best quality. I’m currently going through more paintups to find other examples, and using Welsh Warrior screenshots as a guide. He mentions on his video about placing the ‘holes in the right place’......I presume the physical damage has deeper crevices in some places, but I can’t seem to find good references. Q: Can anyone point me in the right direction?
- I’m also going to re-do my DIY visor. I have 3mm acrylic, which is too light, so I’ll try to add some window tint to the inside of it. In the meantime, I’ll use my original DIY visor during the paintup.
- In the attached screenshot from Welsh Warrior’s video, the stencil is placed against the edge, leaving exposed edges. Q: How are the edges (shown with arrows) painted, using stencils?
- Additionally, the circled section doesn't appear to be scaled correctly. Q: How close do the stencils need to fit, and how do they need to be placed? I haven't been able to find threads yet that describe the stencil scaling process.
- Finally, I read somewhere that the Prepro 2 helmet is the same as the ESB helmet. Q: If this correct, can I use photo references of either?
