Rubies 1997 Helmet questions....

Kissker

Kissker

Active Hunter
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.

IM000532.JPG


shows the extent of the deformed cheek

and this one the bulding left side of his helm
IM000533.JPG


and this one just various imperfections, including the dent

IM000529.JPG
 
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.php?topic=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 :angry

: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.

dp_real.jpg



To say it is an uphill battle would be an understatement, but the resourcefulness of TDH members never ceases to amaze me!
 
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 crap 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.php?topic=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.php?topic=12189&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.
 
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