Midnight Trooper Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Happy Birthday to me! Yes today is my birthday and I thought now I would share one of the things that has made the start of my 20th year memorable. I am now the greatly excited owner of TE2 helmet #14! I will try to keep this updated for the benefit of newbies like me who are trying to assemble their first trooper helmet. But dont worry guys, "Guns" made sure I was capable before he let me have one so there is a fighting chance I wont completely butcher it. Tony I love ya, you're a great guy to deal with. (Loved the Macadamias, send me a whole bunch for Christmas) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakengine Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Wow. Coolness. I'm sure it'll look fantastic when you're done. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD2802 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Consider yourself lucky to have one of these. Tony's work is one of the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Congrats dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-1536 Posted December 8, 2006 Share Posted December 8, 2006 Looks like a couple of other nice goodies there, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted December 8, 2006 Author Share Posted December 8, 2006 Well no actually the only thing in the picture that is mine is the unassembled helmet. Tony took this in his workshop and my camera is down for awhile so I cant post my own for a bit. I just wanted something to show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Ok, pics and an update coming soon. I've got the parts all trimmed out and all. Now the thing I am having trouble with is trying to find the proper position for the faceplate. I can see the remains of rivet holes on the back piece, but there are no corresponding ones on the the face piece. I wonder if anyone can give me tips on where the holes should be so I dont end up with a Jay Leno trooper or one that I cant fit my head into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted December 9, 2006 Author Share Posted December 9, 2006 Here is some trimming done. I trimmed it all with a utility knife and modeling knife. I am going true to the ANH slob stlye and not being over careful. I took more out of the eyes then people usually do. But its still accurate. I based alot of the eye and "tooth" trimming on that helmet over at themppc.com but also made it unique. I still need help on a few things and quickly. How much of the cap do I take off. I left alot of extra because I am still unsure of how it will look when together with the face. I dont want a super high brow. And I really need help trying to find out where those rivets should go. I know I'm gonna have to redo the rivets at least once otherwise.. Here's for your critique; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weiBes trooper Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Great job so far,looks super..one word of advice,try to avoid cutting sharp angles in the styrene,it could cause a split if to much pressure is applied in this area.its good to cut rounded angles to avoid splits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 that is a very bad spot for splitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weiBes trooper Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 drill your faceplate mounting holes in the dome first,then you can position the face plate in the dome where you would like it.once you have one side where you want it,mark it threw the hole in the dome.then drill the hole in the faceplate on the side you marked.bolt that side together,then position the other.drill and bolt,now its on a pivot point and you can angle it,give or take where you want it to be.always fit the faceplate and dome with the brow trim inplace or you will end up with a big gap or a very tight fit and have trouble getting the trim on..if you want a medium brow i would trim about a qaurter inch off the dome,starting at the traps,cut very little off and work up to the quarter inch in the middle of the dome brow,then back to the other side.hope this helps,i never rivet any of the kits i have built,i always use screws like the AP kits i have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-1536 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I love that bumpy cap dome, but the mold has deteriorated on the forehead area. On the two I own, I've filled both with bondo. Just FYI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearden6521 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 How thick is a TE/TE2? I have a GF and AP and would love to have a TE2 down the road when the jar is full From the looks of the pics, it's pretty thin! The detail on the TE is definately supremo over the GF and AP. Are some of the "bumps" on the TE/TE2 from the nasty paint job runs of the originals? I love that bumpy cap dome, but the mold has deteriorated on the forehead area. On the two I own, I've filled both with bondo. Just FYI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted December 10, 2006 Author Share Posted December 10, 2006 Thanks Mike. I was cosidering doing that. The TE helmet I have is thin in some places but durable nonetheless. The plastic gets thinner the more it is pulled down over the vacuform mould; so places like the dome edge under the brow and under the chin are pretty thin. Ok, here's my own theory on the bumps. These bumps are on the original helmets and can be seen like star constellations on some screen caps. Now some really arent obvious and after all, the TKs are soo shiny and nice. (minus the paint chips) We know the painters were not over careful, there are paint runs and drips everywhere. Some bumps were hidden by the heavy paint jobs and maybe the painters slathered on more paint on the really bad spots on purpose to try to hide them. Another thought is the posibilty of the inside of TE's original helmet flaking is some spots. I dont know if HDPE even does that.. Someone go out and step on their fishpond. Bottom line. There may be some bumps that werent there on all original helmets. And there is always the tightness of the induvidual pulls to consider. I love my TE! I have put the halfs together and will post pictures up tomorrow sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopermaster Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I would listen to weiBes troopers' advice as that is exactly what I was going to suggest.Once happy with the overall look then you can proceed to rivet the pieces together but only when your totally sure. The helmet mould has definately started to deteriorate,especially around the forehead.I know there are bumps but that is mould damage above the brow and not seen on any originals.HDPE does not flake though the paint on it does but it's not that causing the marks.It's my understanding that the cap'n'back mould is made of foam and looks to be starting to break down.I could be wrong here although the pic Matt shown me looks that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-4510 Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 My TE2 is very thick compared to the AP I bought. The AP was very thin around the front of the dome and overall pretty fragile. BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THAT SHARP ANGLE. Dont force the dome to be in a certain position or you will crack the plastic right there in the corner by the ear. Once you have the helmet faceplate in the position you think looks good, tape it in place on the inside and stand back and see if its all even and what you want. In ANH the alignment varies sooooooooo much it really could be anywhere you want. As far as trimming goes, if you look close you can see the trim lines pretty clearly. Looks like you trimmed the mouth pretty good. I think I overtrimmed mine a bit. I wouldnt try to be too accurate on the entire look though, the originals look terrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 OK. Camera's working again. I finished all trimming with the model knife and I only cut myself twice. Once with the utility knife, and once on the styrene if you'd belive it! I trimmed out the eyes with a medium amount of "flashing". I could always cut more away. I used many pictures from starwarshelmets (Thanks Jez!) and the Gentle Giant mini bust to position the dome correctly. I drilled all the holes for the rivets using a dremel tool with a drill bit. I only had to drill 3 holes in one side and 2 in the other to get it right... The ears were a super pain to trim. I still used the knives and I made sure to leave a bit of extra plastic so I could trim them down as needed later. I've heard too many stories about people with big spaces around the ears. The poop colored paint around the bottom was my atempt as reproducing the HDPE but I gave up on the layered technique for now. Tonight I am Bondoing in the big chips in the front which are not present onscreen and I will begin painting tomorrow. I am having a bit of a time with the Krylon doing a slight orange peel effect at the moment on my test piece. Tony was nice enough to give me the "failed pull" faceplate and at my request he made a better one which I am using for my helmet. This one has no 4th tooth on one side and is much softer. I may finish it Hero style later and mount it or something.. Opinions? My first helmet so take it easy on me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-4510 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 already looks better than mine did. AND it appears that you cut everything correctly too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 Nice looking helmet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Thanks. Ideally I would lower the dome a hair for my tastes but I dont want to drill more holes.. I have finished the bondo and will try to paint it tomorrow sometime. Maybe after I see Eragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Try filling in the damage on the front of the cap. Thats mold damage and should not be there. Should only take a few minutes to sort it out. Keith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-1536 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Try filling in the damage on the front of the cap. Thats mold damage and should not be there. Should only take a few minutes to sort it out. Keith. yeap... I've made mention of that a few times before. Bondo works fine, and I did it on two of mine without issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight Trooper Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 Well, I'm back to school now and finally able to post some progress pictures. I'd say its a major upgrade over my old helmet from many years ago! I handpainted all the detailing using Jez' site extensively. I used a 0 size brush. I used Krylon Fusion Dover white and Testors 1138 for the grey. I have yet to get the midnight blue. Can anyone direct me to where I can get Humbrol paints in the US? The last thing I need to do paint-wise is the blue stripes. I need to handpaint them. Does anyone have a pattern? I seem to remember Brak's Buddy had made one but I cant find it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-4935 Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 i think Paul TM had a great technique for this. something about using a two pence piece which of course you won't have stateside DOH! erm, over to you Paul..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopermaster Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 OK,here's what I do for free hand painting the tube stripes for a screen use look. Stick two pieces of masking tape 15mm apart and about 10mm away from the face plate on the tubes.Then mark out the stripes on the tape making the stripes 3mm and the gaps 4mm,then using a 2p draw around it making the curves.You could use a quarter or someting? I don't try too hard to get the stripes perfect and then just fill them in with #15 Blue Humbrol.You'll need a steady hand though when painting the stripes so take your time and let one side fully dry before doing the other. Hope that helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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