My SgtFang arrived

[CSMacLaren]

Woo-hoo! My first SgtFang kit! This is going to be fun. This is my first movie-sized helmet, and as many of you know, my first was the Golden Armor Fett kit. It's quite different from the Golden Armor -- much cleaner and the lines are better defined. The kit did have various tiny holes and bubbles -- some in very difficult to acccess areas -- but I believe with patience and my collection of detail metal files, I should be able to bring this up to presentation condition!

I've posted more photos and am doing a more comprehensive write-up on my work on this helmet at:

http://www.aokforums.com/thepropden/thepropden-about591.html

I'm a notorious over-writer and some people can't handle the length of my threads, but I wil post brief updates here too!

 

[Darth Finger]

Nice, you got one I have been wanting to buy one of these, but I have not had the time to do it. Cant wait to see it painted

 

[Rat Fett]

Nice to see it arrived, now get to work!

 

[KaanE]

:love My helmet is on way! But thanks for all the pics, good pics

 

[BH1053]

:love I just orderd mine also! I was going to wait for the new molds but I can upgade later 8) For the price and quality I mean this is for Sarge

 

[CSMacLaren]

BH1053,

Yes, I felt that for the money, it was a good buy.

Now I just finished dremeling out the "T" visor area.

 

[CSMacLaren]

The thickness of the walls appears irregular. Can anyone advise as to what thickness they should be? I'm going to use Aquamend epoxy putty to build out and neaten this area. Can I just arbitrarily come up with a thickness, e.g. 5 mm.?

 

[CSMacLaren]

Here is another shot, and this time the center of the "T"

 

[Darth Finger]

Very nice Are you going to paint it ESB or ROTJ style.

 

[superjedi]

The thickness of the walls appears irregular. Can anyone advise as to what thickness they should be? I'm going to use Aquamend epoxy putty to build out and neaten this area. Can I just arbitrarily come up with a thickness, e.g. 5 mm.?

Actually, I'd say you have more to trim away.
If you look along the "wall" edges, you can see a faint mark/line/seam. That's where you should trim down to. Once you get it to that thickness, then use some medium to fine grade sandpaper to even the edges.
Then, on the inside surfaces, you should try to even those out, so when you place a visor inside, it sits pretty flush with the helmet. If there are any little bumps or resin "boogers" on the interior, your visor will be held away from the surface.
Hope that makes sense.

 

[SgtFang]

Wow! LOVE those closeup pics! I'll have to start sending people links to this thread when they want better pics from me! :cheers

For sanding the back of the visor- if you have access to a bandsaw, take a cheap rubber sanding block from the dollar store, and cut it way down into a miniature copy of itself about 2" x 1". You'll have to cut it so that the rounded side becomes your new sanding surface, and you'll have to cut in new slots for the sandpaper to tuck into, and secure it with little 1/2" furniture tacks.

Works like a charm!

-Sarge

 

[CSMacLaren]

Sarge,

Perhaps I am not quite envisioning how a bandsaw would be used with respect to the helmet, but I've figured some things out. The material thickness seems to be about 3-4 mm. The vertical portion of the "T" can be done with some dremel and file work, but I might refine it with some Aquamend and sanding.

The horizontal part of the "T' is a different matter. But in the photo below:

... on the top row, the second from the left -- that particular Dremel bit may do the trick.

I'll let you know!

 

[Sixxgunn13]

CSMacLaren,

Great pics.. I think SgtFang, meant use the band saw to cut the sanding block to a smaller Sz to enable you to sand with a flat surface on the inside of the helmet.

hope that makes sense
Arnold

 

[CSMacLaren]

Sixxgun13,

Ahhhh. I get it now. Thanks.

I used a combination of a Dremel, filing and sandpaper to work the outside and inside of the "mandibles" (cheek plates). I simply wrapped sandpaper around a cardboard roll.

I've added 9 images and a writeup on my "Work In Progress" thread at:

http://www.aokforums.com/thepropden/thepropden-about591.html

 

[Darth Finger]

Wow you take some good pics

 

[CSMacLaren]

Finger, Sarge,

Thanks for the feedback on the pics!

Question: the ears (near the opening) have this little notch that people say should be levelled off, and that the angle is wrong.

I see some people squaring it off so that it's level with the ground, but that looks "off" to me somehow. I was thinking of making it parallel with the edge of the helmet opening, just like I have it in the last photo I posted.

 

[SgtFang]

CSMacLaren,

Great pics.. I think SgtFang, meant use the band saw to cut the sanding block to a smaller Sz to enable you to sand with a flat surface on the inside of the helmet.

hope that makes sense
Arnold

Yup! Here's a quick diagram I just whipped up-

Just cut out the red area and secure the sandpaper with a couple little furniture tacks.

-Sarge

 

[CSMacLaren]

Thanks, Sarge. It's a great idea. I think I'm just about past that now. The rolled up cardpaper worked out okay. I was able to slip narrow files into the mandibles / cheek plates quite easily to do filing.

 

[Darth Finger]

What paint job are you going to go with? ESB or ROTJ style ?

 

[CSMacLaren]

Originally, I was thinking to do this as a Concept Fett, since this my first ever, and I want to simply see if I even know how to paint! But seriously, after seeing the metallized treatment to various kits, I'm very drawn to the metallic look. However, a metallic Concept Fett would essentially look like Jango, and the Jango paint scheme is kind of boring to me.

So if I end up not doing this because I need the challenge, then it's very likely it'll be an ESB.