Yet another ToEleven scratch build

[ToEleven]

More progress...visor and keyslots cut and sanded, visor superficially installed, ears mounted, stalk mounted (still need to build, mold and cast a rangefinder...uhg)



My visor is a piece of gray acrylic. I baked it in the oven for 6 minutes at 260(Fahrenheit)...then I bent it over the face of the helmet and ran cold water over it to set the shape. I would recommend placing some kind of cloth over the helmet because the heat from the acrylic can cause some helmet material to rub off (i discovered this with a test piece which was ruined). I've had to go back and add some curve to the edges with a heat gun.



I've been working out the ear casting process, and I've learned a lot about block molds, air bubbles and wasted urethane plastic. I have a new found respect for anyone who can make a quality cast.

...I seem to have forgotten to take more pics. I'll put some up later.

 

[toofastrobot]

Wow...

 

[intwenothor]

Yeah, what the artist formerly known as Catbread said. This is an almighty scratch build.

 

[skaalaluke]

What computer program did you use for photoshop?

Sent from my SM-G925V

 

[ToEleven]

What computer program did you use for photoshop?

It's just Photoshop CS6..pretty powerful all on it's own, although probably not the only thing to crop, size and manipulate images. It's basically what I'm most familiar with.

 

[skaalaluke]

Do u need a pretty strong computer to run it?

Sent from my SM-G925V

 

[ToEleven]

Do u need a pretty strong computer to run it?

No, it should run on a pc or mac that's a few years old.

 

[skaalaluke]

That's good to know! Thank you

Sent from my SM-G925V

 

[toofastrobot]

Let me know if I can have/buy one of those test casts to paint!

 

[Cyris]

Your "prototype" there is quite the beauty already, ToEleven! If only you could have included pics of the keyslots, so that we could have seen her from the backside as well!

As someone who has attempted his own crude, amateur block molds, I can understand the air bubbles. Having a set up vacuum chamber would be ideal, though it looks like you have it all under control. Good luck on the RF pieces!

 

[ToEleven]

Let me know if I can have/buy one of those test casts to paint!

Dude, I'll let you know...I plan to put some kits together for some people asking for one, so I'll feed you info on what I've got. I'm going to dive into the casting as soon as I get some ESB up on this guy...I got a bunch of Tamiya Acrylics in based on your GMH thread.

Your "prototype" there is quite the beauty already, ToEleven! If only you could have included pics of the keyslots, so that we could have seen her from the backside as well!

Thanks Cyris, here you go...


Also, some other odds and ends...

 

[ShortFuse]

Yeah, I'll take one of those "test" casts,as well.
Superb work.

 

[Cyris]

Thanks Cyris, here you go...
View attachment 97158

There it is! There's always something a little satisfying about seeing some well-filed keyslots! Nice work!

Oh, and since everyone's chiming in, be sure to include me on your mailing list as well, just in case you needed to know!

 

[ToEleven]

I figured I would share my visor attachment adventures, since this can be a pain for any helmet setup.

I got inspired by some work done by Intwenothor to accurately emulate the ESB interior. I used some 1/16" aluminum stock and cut a couple 1 1/2 x 1/2" pieces. I bent the pieces a little on the end and tapped a 6-32 screw hole on the end.



I haven't decided whether I will tack the upper clip setup (I'm not exactly sure what is going on there) or just use the T-nut/chicago screw method. I must say that the clip is a dynamite way to do the lower mandibles. They're super solid. BTW I used JB Weld to hold them down. I had my clips drift a little on me which is why the left one is a little lower in the pic. I figure if I just don't look at it then my OCD won't kick in and make me rip one out and re-set it.

Update: I went with a hybrid t-nut setup. It's a really nice and tight fit.

 

[ShortFuse]

I like that setup. I Velcroed my visor in, but this is an area of contention for me as the Velcro has a tendency to pull away from the helmet even with some strong adhesive holding it in place. For the rest of the visor, the Velcro works great. I think I will give this method a shot.

 

[beetle]

Looks great, nice job!

 

[ToEleven]

Rangefinder!



The prototype is built from 2mm sintra. My block mold is working pretty well, but I'm getting a few bubble toward the front and sides. I'll cut in a few air vents to fix that. If I decide to make the RF in black I'll need to add a touch more pigment since these are a really dark gray.

 

[ShortFuse]

In awe.

 

[ToEleven]

I made my borden connector from 303 stainless steel rod. They look fairly close to me.

 

[intwenothor]

It's so good. Every step. Every single step.