Lower-cost movie-sized helmet kit

It has been suggested to me that for the benefit of anyone who wasn't following the vacuformed helmet thread, I should start another thread just for this.

Like a lot of us, I've always wanted to do a bunch of different helmet paint-jobs to display together- mostly a Jango and the McQuarrie logo designs developed before ESB. This is my way of making lower-cost helmets for just that purpose. I had a left-over fiberglass shell from my Disney projects that had been slated to become my Jango (who knows when I would have gotten around to that project!). Instead, I sliced it up and made vacuform bucks. I wasn't sure exactly how it would turn out, but I'm very pleased with the results!

Since my set of custom helmets will be just for display, I'm not sure if I will just paint the visor black, or install an actual tinted lense.

So I've ended up with a 9-piece 'kit' of sorts from which I can make my Mandolorian army of helmets:

Vacuformed .080" styrene shell (3 pieces), resin ears and rangefinder, templates to cut out 'turn signals', extra styrene to aid in joining parts and behind 'turn signals'.

Templates for both the T-visor and the rangefinder stalk.


Here is the info:

Vacuformed .080" styrene shell (3 pieces), resin ears and rangefinder, templates to cut out 'turn signals', extra styrene to aid in joining parts and behind 'turn signals'.

The only things not included with the kit to do a complete helmet are the smoked clear visor and the rangefinder stalk. However, templates for both are included so you can cut your own.

Also included are some strips of styrene to aid in joining the front and back halves under the ears.

http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/helmetkitJPG_1.jpg

Pics of assembled helmet before any finishing (putty, paint, etc.):
http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/built1.jpg
http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/built1a.jpg
http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/built2.jpg
http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/built3.jpg
http://www.wackychimp.com/uploads/built4.jpg

Note: there is no 'dent' to doing Boba versions, since most customs will be 'non-Boba' (Jango or custom Mando). However, its easy to make a dent by heating up a small spot with a hair-dryer or something similar and pushing in.

If anyone is interested in one of these, PM me here!

Mark

When you say movie-sized, is it Boba sized or Jango sized?

IIRC Jango's helmet is smaller than Boba's (correct me if I'm wrong)

Also do you have images of one completed?

'Movie-size' simply means it isn't the smallish Don Post or Rubies Vinyl size. I actually don't know about the size difference between the Boba and Jango helmets.

I'll be working on a tutorial and I'll post pics of the completed helmet soon.

Mark

You have a PM sir.And this is a great idea.I am so tired of fiberglass and resin buckets.
Please say this is going to be an ongoing project, as I may be doing a lot of business with you.
the price is extremely nice.

Great job Bradley :) You better post this thread in the Dented Variants! I'm sure these will become a hit.

Will you include a small styrene cutout to place behind the two arrows that are cut out? Ever think about recasting your mold for the top dome to include a dent?

Any pics of a completed bucket?

I'm really happy to see this project go through to completion. Great job! It's nice to have more helmet options out there, and one that's probably as durable as a TK bucket.

What do you think you'd charge for just the three main pieces, or for just the dome? I imagine that dome would make things a lot easier for the DIY Fetts that are using Wizardofflight's templates.

Amazing work Mark. Your stuff is pretty top notch I would say, and you deliver in good time! Can't beat that price either.

"Will you include a small styrene cutout to place behind the two arrows that are cut out? Ever think about recasting your mold for the top dome to include a dent?"

There will be enough styrene included for that, yes.

I may do another dome mold to include a dent if enough people need it. Right now, that option would be 'do-it-yourself'.

"Any pics of a completed bucket?"

Check out the link below some shot of the assembled helmet:
Keep in mind that it is assembled, but no finish work has been done (putty, etc.) to give you an idea of how well it goes together:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/1086755...7601817197662/

"What do you think you'd charge for just the three main pieces, or for just the dome? I imagine that dome would make things a lot easier for the DIY Fetts that are using Wizardofflight's templates."

Good ideas- I can certainly part-out the kit in any way someone needs. I'd say about $45 for all the vacform parts, $25 for just a dome (shipping extra).

Mark

That looks pretty good. Can you give us a measurement of the front and back from your first photo? Wondering how tall those are? Thanks Alot!!

Sorry for so many questions, but how much would you say the helmet weighs after full construction?

Has anyone heard from Bradleyfett recently?

I sent him a PM about a helmet and Jango gauntlets on Thursday, but haven't gotten a response yet.

Is he just really busy?

-Eric

*bump*

Anybody have any other contacts to reach BradleyFett at that they could PM me? I sent him a couple of PMs a few weeks ago with no response.

Thanks,

-Eric

Have you checked the status of your PM's to see if they have been read yet or not?

Edit- Also try PMing him again today, just in case he checked them and forgot about them...Or they got lost in the mix.

he must have been busy...he sent me a pm today and told me he got my cash and would keep me posted

He just wrote me back now. So all is well (provided he can set me up for Halloween ;))

I'm a ghostbusters parts seller so I totally understand being busy at this time of year.

-Eric

I'm relatively new. How do you PM? :o

Nevermind, I figured it out.

Click on the username above their avatar and a drop down menu will pop-up. Should be the second option "Send a Private Message to..."

Welcome to TDH!

Very nice and an excellent job!!

Jeanne

Forgive me for not knowing any better... But why is the boba helmet a different size then the jango helmet??? Was it just due to the actors head size???

And also... I am probably totally wrong, but I think the Mystery helmet was a leak from the episode two jango helmet.

And one last thing, why does boba have a dimple on his helmet? That thingy that looks like a watch battery on his cheek?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loveless

Forgive me for not knowing any better... But why is the boba helmet a different size then the jango helmet??? Was it just due to the actors head size???

And also... I am probably totally wrong, but I think the Mystery helmet was a leak from the episode two jango helmet.

And one last thing, why does boba have a dimple on his helmet? That thingy that looks like a watch battery on his cheek?

---

Because they were built 25 years apart and blah blah and so fourth

The Mystery Helmet has no affiliation to the Jango Helmet.

Just 'cause.

The dimple is part of a borden connector. I guess it's just there for looks...just an extra greeblie.

OK, so nobody knows the answer's then. No bro, not cause there made so many years apart. I always thought the jango was a scanned replica of the original boba that tye and his crew made for the show.
Sounds like your just giving me your opinions, not answers.

Can you disprove any affiliation to the mystery and the jango, or do you say that just because.

Also, jango and boba helmets are the same size. There basically the same helmet. Tye Teager scanned the boba to create jango for the EP2 show.

Before the thread gets too hijacked, it is for selling the "Lower-cost movie-sized helmet kit." :)

Loveless,
The "dimple" is a Borden connector. It's a found part that was on the original props from ESB and ROTJ.

The discussion of mystery helmets is a long discussion. They've been around longer than SW EP I, II, and III. The best way to get up to speed is to use the search function on this board and read all about the RS plug, the Lava Helmet, the Don Post Deluxe, and so, so much more. There are many versions of Boba helmets used in the SW films, pre-production suits, and currently in the exhibits.

I personally haven't heard about a Boba helmet being scanned to make the Jango, but the question would be, which Boba helmet was scanned? Again, there are many versions. I've seen a ROTJ and Jango bucket next to each other in person, and the Jango looks smaller. There are people on this site that own a reproduction of the actual Jango bucket and also own a copy from a plug of an actual Boba bucket, so they'd be the ones to truly say.

The search function can take you to all the threads discussing this subject. For now let's keep this thread for MB's cool lower-cost helmet. :thumbsup

P.S. Ask Brak's Buddy all those questions too, he seems to know everybody and everything about Fett stuff. :lol
http://lh5.google.com/justick2/RwXSk...0/IMG_0636.JPG

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loveless

OK, so nobody knows the answer's then. No bro, not cause there made so many years apart. I always thought the jango was a scanned replica of the original boba that tye and his crew made for the show.
Sounds like your just giving me your opinions, not answers.

Can you disprove any affiliation to the mystery and the jango, or do you say that just because.

Also, jango and boba helmets are the same size. There basically the same helmet. Tye Teager scanned the boba to create jango for the EP2 show.

---

I can tell you definitively that whether or not the Jango helmet is related to the Boba helmet, that they are NOT the same size. I have an original jango helmet, I have hands on experience with the Boba helmets. The Boba helmet is considerably larger. The reason for this is probably the height difference between Jeremy Bulloch and Temuera Morrison. Even if the Jango helmet was "scanned" from a Boba helmet, they made significant modifications to the helmet, including shrinking it. This is not my opinion. It is simply a fact that the Jango helmet is smaller and different from the Boba helmet.

Ok back on track! ;)

Mark, can you post a tutorial on how to put this helmet together?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ItsThatGuy

Ok back on track! ;)

Mark, can you post a tutorial on how to put this helmet together?

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In his posts he gave this link to pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/1086755...7601817197662/

The pics show an assembled helmet and different stages of assembly. :thumbsup

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MandalorFett

In his posts he gave this link to pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/1086755...7601817197662/

The pics show an assembled helmet and different stages of assembly. :thumbsup

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I knew that...Really! :lol

Thanks for pointing that out! :hug

Aww, sweet, thanks for the helmet facts guys.

Hey Bradly, will you be discontinuing your run anytime soon?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by loveless

Hey Bradly, will you be discontinuing your run anytime soon?

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Do you plan on buying one? I thought you made Boba / Mando helmets.

That link doesn't show what I am looking for. I am trying to figure out how the dome goes on. Does it just rest on the lip? :doh

Pictures would be great.

Check this pic out. There are others that show the inside too. :thumbsup

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1125/...ed8d38.jpg?v=0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10867551@N00/page3/

What's wrong with that Boba Fett codpiece? The dent is missing.

recieved marks helmet and gauntlet parts today. they look over all good but will require a lot of work and some serious skill level to make this into a nice helmet.

Mark if you have anything to show how to assemble this thing that would be great...also...you included two strips of styrene..is that to join the halves? I also didnt see anything to use for the range finder stalk...what do you suggest for that?

on another note...anyone got suggestions for the face shield material?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GCNgamer128

What's wrong with that Boba Fett codpiece? The dent is missing.

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You sure it isn't a Jango Cod piece?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JDFett

recieved marks helmet and gauntlet parts today. they look over all good but will require a lot of work and some serious skill level to make this into a nice helmet.

Mark if you have anything to show how to assemble this thing that would be great...also...you included two strips of styrene..is that to join the halves? I also didnt see anything to use for the range finder stalk...what do you suggest for that?

on another note...anyone got suggestions for the face shield material?

---

The rangfinder was not included as stated in his first post. He should have supplied a "template" to make your own.

Yeah, my helmet has some bumpy spots, but I plan to putty it up and then sand it a few times any way.

I'm still having an issue trying to figure out where to cut along the top edge.

what material are you going to use for the range finder? does it seem real light and thin to you? ive never used styrene products only abs

For the rangfinder stalk I would assume using 2 to three pieces of styrene or ABS to make it. Easier said than done though.

ABS is more rigid and has a tendency to hold it's shape better, styrene is softer, but the
pulls show more detail.

Like Mark said, the helmet buck was originally for fiberglass casts - not to be used for vac-forming.

Overall, for the price, I am pretty happy with my helmet. ;)

im pretty happy as well...just a lot of work ahead...lol i noticed my pull didnt have the Borden connector impression like the pics i saw...not that its too big of a deal im sure i can take care of that missing item..lol Im hoping that once i get it together and it's all looking pretty that it will be a bit more sturdy feeling...it will be nice and light...i can tell ya that...

The borden piece was resin, not actually cast on the helmet. (look closely at the first picture in the first post - you can see the borden piece sitting next to the helmet.

You should have gotten it with all your other resin pieces. If you are doing a Jango helmet, then you don't need that piece anyway.

ahh.so the jango helemt is without that eh? see i learn new things everyday..LOL

Yeah, I make helmets, I was just wondering, a friend of mine wanted one and needs it by next week, I wont have mine vacuformed by then, so was gonna send him your email if there still selling by fri.

Has anyone put one of these together yet? I still can't for the life of me figure out how the dome is supposed to be installed.

Can anyone help?

Anyone?

I have everthing cut out, bondo'd, sanded, resin peices painted, just wanting on an explanation of how to cut the top rim so the dome will fit.

I am expecting mine any day, and I have been planning how to put it together. I would bet shimming the front and back together from the inside is a good way to start and make sure the top hole is flush, or aligned very strait.

As for the dome, if I were a betting man, I would say to make a 1/2" inch strip of styrene and glue this inside the crown of the lower part of the helmet. So it peaks out 1/4" an inch upward from the crown. Then make sure your dome trim is very, very flat. To test your cut, try to set the dome on a table, make sure there are minimal wavy lines or gaps.

Test fit the dome onto the inner crown 1/4" shim. If it fits well, glue in place, then bondo the seam with no-mix glaze - the red stuff in a smaller tube.

I will take pics of my process once I get mine... ahem, hopefully today? Right?

Thanks BF!

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ItsThatGuy

Has anyone put one of these together yet? I still can't for the life of me figure out how the dome is supposed to be installed.

Can anyone help?

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ITG.. Have you tried contacting Mark? I'm sure since this is his creation that he would have your answer? :thumbsup

i tried contacting mark three or four times in regards to a refund and sending his stuff back...nothing...I decided to go with a BKBT helmet and cruzer gauntlets so i didnt need the stuff...he hasnt return any of my pms...MIA

I've been tryng to contact him as well to get a shipping price, and he hasn't called me back. It's been a while since we talked.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mojo-Fett

ITG.. Have you tried contacting Mark? I'm sure since this is his creation that he would have your answer? :thumbsup

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I sent him a PM the day I got it and that was sometime early last week.

He replied by saying something like "Gary, your helmet is on the way..." :lol I think he got my PM mixed up with someone else's. I replied, saying he made a mistake, no reply yet... No biggie - life gets in the way - which is understandable.

Based on one of the pictures in the photo album Bradleyfett linked, I centered the dome over the visor, set the rim of the dome on the indentation of the visor (on the inside), then taped it. Then I put the top edge of the front part of the helmet in line with the line running around the dome on both sides, and taped those spots. I then glued the front to the dome, removed the tape, and glued those sections. Then I glued a piece of styrene on the inside ear parts of the back part of the helmet, lined up the top of the back of the helmet with the same line running around the dome, and glued the back to the dome and the extra styrene piece to the ear parts on the front of the helmet. Bondo'ed furiously. I posted an album of progress pix in the dented variants section (because my paint scheme will be custom) but haven't received any responses yet.

Here 'tis, if pictures help my poor explanation (they're part of a much bigger album):

http://astromechbuilder.com/mechload...F4233.JPG.html

Thanks! That helps a lot!

I notice you noted some imperfections in your pull, mine had all of the same ones. I thought it wasn’t a clean pull. I’m not concerned about it, afterall it was a mould for fiberglass helmets before it was made into a vacu-form buck.

Heya Guys,

Not to detract from the topic again ... this is just informational, no response is needed. But to confirm what has been said in regard to the Jango vs. Boba helmets ...

I am the owner of the ILM screen casting, and molds. The ILM source I dealt with in obtaining these future artifacts, is that the Jango Helmet was indeed a digi scan of some sort of archived Boba helmet. There is no certaintly as to which which was used however. The scan was cleaned up, and reduced in size, output on a rapid prototyping machine and a mold was made. Very similar to what was done for the Episode III Vader helmet as seen in the "Making of Darth Vader" featurette. It was a little more complex than that, as it was output in pieces due to the limits of the output cutter at the time, and then assembled, and then a mold was made. There is absolutely no relation to the Mystery helmet genre. And it is CONSIDERABLY smaller than the real Boba Helmet. I actually planned on posting comparisons that ppl have been wanting to see for sometime. (In another thread of course) ;)

FP

Yeah, the imperfections didn't bother me, either. I actually like the one on the right front "cheek"--a little built-in battle damage. Took me a second to figure out the little depressions between the two sections of cheeks, though. I have the glazing putty, now I just need a free second to fill them and sand. And the ones on the sides will go under the ears, so no problem there. Please post pix when you get yours together. I'd like to see how these turn out.

Well, I bondo'd the heck out of the dome, and need to sand it tonight. I bondo'd and sanded the face plate.

The keyslots I plan to replace with a resin cast of some.

I should be finished with it by mid next week.

EDIT: Just saw FP's post, Thanks for that info!

ooh, look at me chiming in late on off topic junk! i rule!

anyway... re: the cod. not all boba cods have dents. the mom suit, for example, doesn't. which annoys me, since my costume is based on mom, but my codpiece has a dent, and i'm not really looking to bondo it in. so i have an aosw cod.

and re the mystery vs. jango... i thought the mystery helmets pre-dated episode 2? that would be proof positive that the mystery isn't a leaked jango.

I've been thinking about getting one of these kits. Based on some of the responses, should I even bother? My funds are somewhat limited and I'm trying to be patient with the WOF templates. I thought this kit would be a good idea.

Am I wrong?

it's a nice kit...just requires a lot of work to get it looking primo..can be done if you have the time

Hope I didn't give the impression I don't like the kit. There are several differences between this and any other cast bucket, obviously. But I'm really happy with it. I have two Fang buckets that I haven't worked on yet, and both of them have a certain amount of twist to the face--I'm happy with them, too, obviously. This kit is much more symmetrical, however. The edges are a good bit softer than on Fang's (I don't own any of the other makers' buckets). I haven't yet done a size comparison with the others, but the most obvious difference is how amazingly light the vac-formed kit is. I have little to compare it to, but aside from assembling the pieces, I don't see how this would conceivably be more work than a resin or fiberglass bucket. Bradleyfett was easy to work with, and I received my kits (I bought two) in half the time of anything else I've purchased from a fan seller on these forums. One of the comments made when these were first being designed was that they'd make great painting practice pieces, if nothing else. I guess we won't know how a painted version stacks up against other models until some of the artists on here show us what it can look like, but I'm very happy so far. If for no other reason than that, for a first-time painter, I feel a lot less intimidated to work on this one than others.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ioelus

If for no other reason than that, for a first-time painter, I feel a lot less intimidated to work on this one than others.

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Yup! Me too! I've bondo'd this, sanded it, reformed...This was the first time I've worked with bondo (and I am hooked!).

I've been working on this thing hard core for the past few days - I consider it practice for my Jango (FP CC) that is coming soon!

I really enjoy working on this.

I finally decided to cut the top ring around the helmet, and once I place the dome in, I realized I needed about 1/8" of that ring for the dome to fit properly. Now I need to put some spacers in and bondo it together. No big deal - would have been easier just to trim all but 1/8". :lol

Any word where Bradley is? I am trying to find him to get an ETA. I am cool and everything, I just like to be in the know. Especially since I plan to make an entire Boba costume this Saturday. The "Boba In A Day" suit! HAHAHA!!! Anyone have any cardboard they can spare?

Don't use cardboard - do a search for "Trash Can Armor", let me know if that helps.

But cardboard is fast... very, very fast! HAHAHA!

So I am still having an issue trying to get the dome to stay in one place and trying to figure out how to fill the space inbetween the dome and helmet rim.

I am thinking of using double sided 3M tape (you know the grey foamy tape) and wrapping it around the dome (along the bottom edge) and then place it in. Once I do that I can go ahead and fill the gaps with bondo...

I will have to post some pictures for everyone to understand what I am talking about :lol

Has anyone completed one of these?

ItsThatGuy,

Did I read previously that you attached the front and back already, and are looking to set the dome now? I went back and scanned the previous posts, but couldn't find the comment so maybe I'm making it up. However, if I'm not, I'm wondering if you couldn't use a version of what you described above. What kind of opening are we talking about, between the dome and the rim? I had a bit to fill, but I'd be surprised if it were more than a 16th or an 8th (and an 8th seems like a whole lot to me), but I could be wrong. I was thinking you might use that foam as a temporary ledge to set the dome on, provided the front and back are together already. Instead of affixing the foam to the dome, make a ledge of the stuff on the inside of the helmet and set the dome on top of that. You could then fill the space with bondo (basically what I did), but not if we're talking a great distance. If we are talking a big difference, then I would consider separating the halves, taking off some of the under-the-ear sections, and trying again for a snugger fit on the dome. If the front and back aren't already joined, then I'd put the front on the dome (cuz it's easier to center), and then the back on.

Anyone know where Bradelyfett is? I haven't heard from him in a week and I'm supposed to be getting some jango guants and a couple other things, and I need them before halloween. It seems an unlikely hood, but I'd still like to try.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Toragh

Anyone know where Bradelyfett is? I haven't heard from him in a week and I'm supposed to be getting some jango guants and a couple other things, and I need them before halloween. It seems an unlikely hood, but I'd still like to try.

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last PM i got from him was about 3 weeks ago ... waiting now to hear from him on the status of my order and if he received the payment okay ... if the wait gets much longer will put in for a refund through paypal.

Hm... BradleyFett is a trustworthy guy, I know he does slow down sometimes.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GCNgamer128

Hm... BradleyFett is a trustworthy guy, I know he does slow down sometimes.

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whats why i am waiting a while for him to get back .. last PM i sent him took about 1.5 to 2 weeks for him to reply ...

I got no problems, just slow on either ends for me. Been busy a bit with work.

just updating to sall all is good .. i got mine in today ...

http://www.silenzzzz.net/mando/mando_start.jpg

hope all is well bradleyfett

I am patiently waiting. Though, I had a dream that I got a box, with a helmet kit in it... and I woke up... and it was just a dream. Sad. <-- pathetic.

Johnny

Well here is one of bradley fetts buckets that I did up for one of my armor customers in the esb style.The rangefinder,and stalk were added later.I am not going to lie.this thing was a pain in the rump to assemble, but it holds paint very nicely, and is extremely light.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture281.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture284.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture285.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...cture279-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...Picture286.jpg

Wow wickedbeard, just WOW! That paint job is AMAZING! This is definantly much better than a rubies or DP. Man that makes that helmet look perfect! You must have been working like crazy for halloween man!

I gave up on mine - too much work to fix everything. Yours looks amazing though!

Thanks so much for the compliments.Yeah I have been busy.I do all my paint topically instead of layers.the only thing I layer is the dark grey around the scratches.I use krylon dark grey primer on the whole helmet, and basically mustard off where the grey shows through,spray it down with spruce green, sand it with a fine sanding sponge to get the faded look, then I do all my silver with testors.
the mandibles are painted with rust red acrylic.It looks just as good, and I can brush it on.Less spraying ,less mistakes.lol
There are some guys here that do some mind blowing work on helmets , and with a few more helmets under my belt, hopefully I can stand alongside some of the greats, but for now, I keep my prices reasonable, and do the very best I can do.

that looks good ... did you do anything to the inside to stiffen it up? ... thats what i am debating on right now while i am trimming and fitting

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ItsThatGuy

I gave up on mine - too much work to fix everything. Yours looks amazing though!

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WHAT? Fett NEVER gives up ;) j/k. I know how you feel, it took me three separate tries to finally finish my scratch-built helmet and I'm still not happy with it.

I've been held up on mine by the ear caps--not using the standard ones--so I haven't been able to accomplish much lately. When I get the ears ready, though, I plan to prime, and then I'm giving serious consideration to doing what several guys I've read here on The Helmet have done and spray the inside with truck bed liner. There are places in the helmet where the pieces don't feel right--the helmet doesn't have that single piece feel. Even though it doesn't do it, it almost seems like the helmet should rattle--does that make sense? I was looking for something I could line the inside with to make it feel more solid, so I'm gonna try the bed liner, though I've considered a few other options, too.

Wickedbeard, sorry to hear the assembly was such a pain. Your paint job is fantastic, of course. I know I said earlier that what we needed was some of the artists on here to paint up some of the vac-formed helmets to inspire us, but you might just have stymied me a bit... Very impressive work. Just based on your work, it seems as far as looks go that these helmets could stand up to others. I guess the next test is trooping in them.

Few questions: What did you use for the visor? Did you find that the visor is too heavy for the bucket? Was the helmet made to be worn, or as a piece of art for display? Did you add the dent yourself? Thanks for posting your great paint job.

Well I have never assembled a vac formed bucket before so that was the problem.I am just not used to working with that material.Never owned a set of stormie armor sadly.
The helmet is light, but as far as trooping that to me would be a good thing.Since it sits on your head most of the time not much copuld really happen to it.
I did not add anything to the inside except some foam .It fit like a glove after that.as far as assembling it.All I used was goop, and he had purchased a metal stalk which I added later.That was also kinda tough since I had to do some rigging so it would fit properly.lol the stalk was almost as heavy as the bucket.lololol
The visor was just green faceshield that I had laying around, which I also installed using goop.The faceshield material is very light and pliable.
the dent was created by heating the inside and pushing a rounded off wood post I use to put the dents in my armor lightly into it.
I do have to say that it fits nice and is a good size.I of course had to wear it for a while to make sure, wink wink.Is it just me or does everyone stare into the mirror for long periods of time when wearing their buckets.hahahahahaha

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ItsThatGuy

I gave up on mine - too much work to fix everything. Yours looks amazing though!

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i bought (well, have... i still have to actually PAY FOR) JD's helmet.

it's definitely a bit rough around the edges, but after about an hour or so i got it together, sanded and looking nice.

wickedbeard... awesome paint job on it. i'm not sure yet if i'm going to to rotj or esb.

Thanks for the reply, Wickedbeard. I have a few face shields for visor,s but haven't installed any yet, so don't know how much lighter it will feel cut down. I might have to look into lighter material--mine seem awfully heavy to me.

how long does it usually take to get a response for buying one of these? :?

I think BradleyFett (Mark) has been busy lately, send him a PM.

That looks really good. I like working with styrene so I'd like to do one up Jango style to see the end result. Hopefully someone build one soon and post some pics.:thumbsup

Hi vode, same here... Does anyone have an idea about shipping to France? Thanks!:skull

PM BradleyFett - Only thing is, he hasn't been on here in about a month. Hope he's ok...

i recieved a helmet today but it is not mine:suprise i ordered armor from him
so is there anyone that ordered a helmet but got armor?????

i also made a thread in the general section.

Ruben

Maybe it is mine. I ordered mine 5 weeks ago.

Wow.:suprise With all the problems people are having, I'm glad I didn't put money into this.

Maybe this guy was all talk?:?

David.

Mark Bradley is not all talk. He has an established reputation and I have dealt with him in the past with no problems. Looks like he is having problems this time around though.

A similar thing could be said about Judz Dwedd. He was a dependable, well respected guy but he is just not delivering on his recent orders. Although the situation with JD seems to be a lot worse.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foxbatkllr

Mark Bradley is not all talk. He has an established reputation and I have dealt with him in the past with no problems. Looks like he is having problems this time around though.

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Agreed!

Sorry if I sounded offensive. It wasn't my intention. I just don't want to spend my money on something I'd never receive.

David.

Don't want to ruffle any feathers here, so let me just put this out there. Maybe I'm the only one who's had this experience. Last year, in August, I ordered some sintra prop materials from a maker on another forum. Contacted the seller after a month, because I was concerned I wouldn't have the materials for a Halloween costume in time. All told, it took two months to receive the product. Since then, I have ordered two sets of gauntlets and two helmets besides the ones I ordered from Bradleyfett. Each one took two months to reach me. Bradleyfett's took only a month. That must seem a long time to some, but was shorter by half than any other hobbiest seller I'd had experience with to that point. I think the perceived difficulties with the vac-formed helmet came of a few issues, primarily that it was a new concept, and most people'd had no experience with it. To date, I've only seen Wickedbeard's and tk7602's fine examples of painted vac-formed Boba buckets. When someone had a question, there were very few people who'd worked with them to offer advice. I only know Bradleyfett from this one purchase, but I had absolutely no problems working with him. I know no one's bashing him, but I think there's a wrong impression being developed here. There are real plusses (sp?) to Bradleyfett's bucket--namely price, and symmetry. I'm considering buying a third, and I'm not even finished painting my first. I wouldn't think twice about doing business with him again.

Having said that, I certainly don't mean to belittle the frustration of waiting for a purchase you expected sooner--I've felt that with each of mine, cuz I wanted them that afternoon, let alone two months later. And I don't mean to dismiss the dismay at opening a box and finding something completely different from what was purchased. What a let down that must have been/still is.

Respectfully,

ioelus

Huh? I am not sure if you are defending his timing, or the natural tendancy for prop makers to deliver tardy in general. Late by a month is OK, then 2 months is not OK?

I have been late by 10 days and have people shine-o-la all over me. I have been later (but that was painting and assembling an entire suit of clone armor - and I gave weekly updates)

First off... I do not do suits anymore. And, generally when I shipthings I sell, I try to do it in under a week now. I will offer an example, a recent one. I sold this MG-34/DLT-19 the Monday before Halloween (and I told the guy it would arrive after Halloween)...

http://www.clone-empire.com/MG34/BigMGmark2web.jpg

Since I did not ship it until last Saturday (the 6th day after he paid the purchase), I felt like I was running behind and refunded his shipping cost as a courtesy.

I understand we get behind, or orders stack up, or we have "Real Life" happen... that is cool, we all have lives outside of this realm of plastic and toys. OH, HOW I HAVE LEARNED THIS...

But, we can also share with our peers (and especially, our customers)... "Hey, I am having problems." or, "My molds do not seem to be working." or whatever.

Every time I have PM'd Bradley prior to this purchase, he has always been pleasent, and I have asked him for advice in the past... so, I have no beef with him.

I also do not think I am throwing him under the bus either.

Facts are, I am just going from 5 weeks, onto 6 weeks now.

As I have offered to Bradley in PMs here and through e-mail... "No big deal, please let me know an ETA, and if you are behind, just send me a refund... no biggy."

And if he sends me a helmet, I will probably paint it up fast, and get pics up of how I plan to do it...

http://www.clone-empire.com/lofty05.jpg

http://www.clone-empire.com/lofty02.jpg

WHITE, of course.

I too, do not want to ruffle. I just would like a reply and an ETA.

Later,

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ioelus

Don't want to ruffle any feathers here, so let me just put this out there. Maybe I'm the only one who's had this experience. Last year, in August, I ordered some sintra prop materials from a maker on another forum. Contacted the seller after a month, because I was concerned I wouldn't have the materials for a Halloween costume in time. All told, it took two months to receive the product. Since then, I have ordered two sets of gauntlets and two helmets besides the ones I ordered from Bradleyfett. Each one took two months to reach me. Bradleyfett's took only a month. That must seem a long time to some, but was shorter by half than any other hobbiest seller I'd had experience with to that point. I think the perceived difficulties with the vac-formed helmet came of a few issues, primarily that it was a new concept, and most people'd had no experience with it. To date, I've only seen Wickedbeard's and tk7602's fine examples of painted vac-formed Boba buckets. When someone had a question, there were very few people who'd worked with them to offer advice. I only know Bradleyfett from this one purchase, but I had absolutely no problems working with him. I know no one's bashing him, but I think there's a wrong impression being developed here. There are real plusses (sp?) to Bradleyfett's bucket--namely price, and symmetry. I'm considering buying a third, and I'm not even finished painting my first. I wouldn't think twice about doing business with him again.

Having said that, I certainly don't mean to belittle the frustration of waiting for a purchase you expected sooner--I've felt that with each of mine, cuz I wanted them that afternoon, let alone two months later. And I don't mean to dismiss the dismay at opening a box and finding something completely different from what was purchased. What a let down that must have been/still is.

Respectfully,

ioelus

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Fair enough. Guess I'm still learning. Just wanted to put out a different perspective.

How much are these ? Looks like a great helm.. Price and shipping to Florida ? Maybe 2 or 3 ?


Thanks

Cadial:fettesb

Cadial - Welcome to the forums - just a heads up (if you read the above post) you will notice Bradley hasn't been on line in about a month - you might want to shoot him a PM until then. It might be a while until you hear something.

If you are talking in part about the white one... it is a Judz Dwedd. Which I have heard are a challenge to find now as well...

http://www.clone-empire.com/lofty02.jpg

The one up at the top of the post (in the Boba Fett green paint) is styrene as made by Bradley and painted by another fellow... which looks superb I must say.

I still hope he can pull through, or give us an update... he may be sick or having family stuff. That is usually when I go underground.

Still standing by.

John

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cadial

How much are these ? Looks like a great helm.. Price and shipping to Florida ? Maybe 2 or 3 ?


Thanks

Cadial:fettesb

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Is Bradley Fett Alive?