Superjedi's M_S 2

UPDATE JULY 13th
Well, I don't have much hobby time during the week, but I've done some structural things the last couple of days. First off. . . I have ears! I can finally hear. :)
I mounted my ears by bolting them on. One of the main reasons I chose to do it this way was because the ears had a very slight bow to them. Just enough to leave a noticeable gap when held in place against the helmet.
Also, they're removeable!

I found some fairly small pan head screws that were long enough to go through the structure of the helmet and leave enough on the inside to put on a washer and nut. I decided to use 2 screws per ear, plus 1 on the upper right ear, going straight through the hole in my aluminum RF stalk.

I drilled through the helmet first, then placed each ear in position, and marked the spots with a pencil. Then, I used a round grinding bit in my Dremel to carve out a "dish" shaped hole in the back of each ear, just deep enough so the head of the screw would be just below the surface of the resin. I used some 2-ton epoxy to glue each screw into the "dish", then let it dry overnight. Afterwards, any epoxy that seeped up over the screw heads was removed using the Dremel again. Then it was a simple matter of putting the ears in position, and tightening down the nuts. If you choose a similar method, there may be a strong temptation to really crank down on the nuts. DON'T!! I just made them sort of "finger tight" using the correct size socket. With the washer in place, there's little chance of them loosening up. However, if you crank them down too tight. . . well, there goes the side of your nice FG helmet.
Pics below should show how I did this.
Eric

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ya know....its people like you who i really hate...:lol: your helmet looks great. i wish i could do that. :lol: Great Job...keep up the good work.
 
UPDATE JULY 16th
Finished! *Sigh* Well, the final weathering and construction are done. I spent some time applying pastels for weathering. I used dark gray and black, applied with an old paintbrush, and really ground in in certain places to make dark looking stains. I basically went over the entire helmet, making the colors a bit uneven looking.
I followed this with an overspray of Testors Dullcote over the entire helmet, to seal the pastels and to even out the sheen of the different paints I used during the detail painting. Once the Dullcote was dry, I used some steel wool over the entire helmet, just to bring it back from a dead flat finish. Not too much, though.
The Dullcote really dulled down the little hairline scratches, making them sort of grayish looking, so I broke out the compass and went over every one of them a second time. It didn't really take very long, as they were already there, and I didn't have to take all that time trying to match the reference photos.

Once I was satisfied with the overall finish, I started on the visor. :) I had gotten a Bobamaker visor a while back, while I was still waiting for my helmet to arrive, and now I finally got to use it! I fitted it into the helmet temporarily with some painters tape, just to check the fit. I found the top edge could stand to be trimmed back to get it closer to the visor opening. As it was, it was sitting on some "bumps" in the gelcoat in the helmet interior which held it away from the surface. I marked the visor and cut off about 1/4" with my Dremel and a cutoff wheel. Then it sat in place almost perfectly.

To install the visor, I had read a lot of different methods, and the basic method I chose was described on TK-409's website. I got a tube of epoxy putty and some picture hanging brackets, and starting from the center of the visor (the "forehead"), I began epoxying it in place. I used a bracket, and put a blob of putty right over it, holding it in place till it dried, about 15 minutes. I worked my way outward, all the way across the top of the "T" until it was secure. Then I worked down the sides, ending at the bottom. I had to be extremely careful that I didn't get my sticky fingers anywhere on the visor. So I used a small Philips screwdriver to press down on each bracket until the putty hardened. There's a pic below showing the bracket/putty method.

Now, the ONLY remaining thing is the range finder. I probably will not use the RF that came with the helmet. It's a terrific cast, but I'm going to wind up replacing it with a hollow RF, so I can install LEDs. I'm not going to go the circuit board/battery route, but I want to put in LEDs for show.

Anyway, it's been an amazingly rewarding project! A couple weeks before I bought the M_S helmet, I almost bought a pre-painted one from eBay (not a M_S. . . it was its own "mystery"), but now I'm so glad I decided to do my own. My wife, who's not the biggest Star Wars fan in the world, says "it looks like it came from the Smithsonian." :D
Thanks for all the unbelievable information found on TDH. There's no way I ever would've attempted a buildup like this if it weren't for the great stuff I've seen on this board!
Pics below.
Eric

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Now.. do you find yourself just LOOKING at it???:lol:
Isn't it a great feeling when these Projects finally get done.....

Great Job.(y) AND GREAT INFO Through out....
 
cal196 said:
Oh that is awesome!. Perfect. Are you going to put the wihte paint blob on the left side?
It's on there, Cal. Just don't have a very close-up shot of it.
Thanks, everyone for following along with my build up!
Eric
 
I think you stole that helmet from the Smithsonian ;) Kidding. :lol:

Looks awsome. You definatly have an eye for detail and have mastered the art of weathering. (y)

My first attempt at a custom bucket pales in comparison.

:cheers

Brian
 
Hey Eric...Just Thought I'd bring this Thread Back up....:) ...
I was trying to get Idea's on how to install a removable headliner??:confused

Looks like you used Velcro????

Anyway Great Thread...(y)
 
Hey Spidey,
Yeah, I saw this back near the top of the list, and I was like "huh??" :)

I did use velcro for my headliner. I bought a hardhat from Home Depot (it was like $7.00 or so) and it had the removeable adjustable headliner.
I got some industrial strength velcro and cut out 4 big squares and stuck them right onto the raw interior of the dome, making them big enough so I had some "wiggle room." Then, on the 4 prongs of the headliner, I stuck the opposing pieces of velcro. I sort of cut them to shape to fit the prongs. . . let me tell ya, cutting industrial strength velcro is a fantastic way to ruin a good pair of scissors! :lol:
I made sure to let the glue cure overnight, then stuck the headliner in, and after a couple of small adjustments, it worked like a champ!
As you can see from the dates on the thread, it's been done for just over a year, and that thing hasn't budged!
 
superjedi said:
Hey Spidey,
Yeah, I saw this back near the top of the list, and I was like "huh??" :)

I did use velcro for my headliner. I bought a hardhat from Home Depot (it was like $7.00 or so) and it had the removeable adjustable headliner.
I got some industrial strength velcro and cut out 4 big squares and stuck them right onto the raw interior of the dome, making them big enough so I had some "wiggle room." Then, on the 4 prongs of the headliner, I stuck the opposing pieces of velcro. I sort of cut them to shape to fit the prongs. . . let me tell ya, cutting industrial strength velcro is a fantastic way to ruin a good pair of scissors! :lol:
I made sure to let the glue cure overnight, then stuck the headliner in, and after a couple of small adjustments, it worked like a champ!
As you can see from the dates on the thread, it's been done for just over a year, and that thing hasn't budged!

Sweet!! Thanks Eric...exactly what I was looking for....
Wonder if Home Depot is open this time a night?????:p

Alex
 
What are people using for the yellow/cream color on the back of the bucket. I am looking at the first couple bucket progress pics. Superjedi, your color looks great.
 
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