AOTC Plumed Senate Guard Helmet

[Centurion]

Bugger! Damn! S***!
What the frack is it with these little, itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy pin holes that keep appearing??
Been trying to finish off the actual helmet prior to getting the plumes ready to be finished and I had sprayed the lid with the 'ol undercoat (so far!so good!) and about 10 little pin holes appeared in various places so I rubbed the areas down again (after applying some fiberglass resin to the offending spots) 'til the where as smooth as the proverbial and sprayed those areas again and bugger me if the frackin' little holes did'nt appear all over again!:confused
So!Your mission (if you decide to accept it) is to give moi any ideas as to how to finally get rid of those damn little, annoying pinholes.
Have gone back to the car filler E40 (I think that's what it's called) to see how that goes and will leave at least 24hrs but I am not crossing any fingers here.

Admittedly there are'nt as many now but they are still there and I am rapidly getting to the point where I am just going to "To Hell With It" and leave it as it is!
If I could just finish off the lid I would be happy and the final bit of work needed for the plumes can wiat 'til I'm off work at the end of the month.
But!Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated!:thumbsup

 

[Centurion]

Slowly but surely getting there now.
Started work on getting the plumes into their final shapes once I applied some of that stiffener I showed in a previous post.
Plume no.1 ended up a bit of a distaster as I put the stiffener on straight from the bottle and this stuff sets like concrete in minutes and of course I applied it along the length of the plume so by the time I got to one end the other had set solid and was a total b***h to comb through so that one had to be washed and is currently air drying in the garage waitng on moi to try again tomorrow (but it's double XP on COD Black Ops II so it may wait 'til Monday).
Anyhoo!Before I waffle on too much I got the second plume and put the stiffener on after watering it down with water first and doing it a couple of inches at a time a combing it through before it set.
Because the plumes where all floppy to start with I had a wee brain wave and that was to hang the lid upside down at first so all the hair stood on end. This worked pretty well to give the plume its initial cut and shape and the next part of the master plan was to take the plume off and apply more stiffener which I did later on.

So far!So good sez you!
Not quite sez I.
I really should have seen this coming but as I was taking the helmet off the cords holding it upside down (c'mon guess what happened next!!) it of course slipped, fell onto the floor and cracked the left side of the crest. Not too badly to be sure but I was'nt a happy bunny. Just applied some good 'ol superglue along the crack and when that had dried I just applied some fiberglass to the area and that will get sanded back at some point soon. Not really a disaster but one I could well do without at this stage.
I did forsee one wee prob in that due to the curve of the crest the hair would not want to follow that curve naturally and leave gaps between each tuft which is exactly what happened, but thankfully I had saved all the old tufts from the previous plume attempts and they filled the gaps in perfectly.
Once that was all sorted and I was reasonably happy with life, the universe and so on I went over the plume again with the stiffener but this time straight from the bottle and again a few inches at a time and combing it through.
Then it was out with the new hair dressing scissors (thanks to a certain auction type site/place) and the templates I had made up all those months ago when I first started down the plumed helmet road.
The next pic was taken before I plugged in all the gaps

There we have it for now.
Will get the second plume started soon and that will be both done at last. At least I will have the first plume to use as a template for the second one so no upside down helmets (that really p***ed me off that did!).
Just got to try and bend them over ever so slightly once in the lid but that will be story for another day.
Tune in next week for more thrills, spills and so forth!
Thanks for following this thread folks.

 

[Geohazard]

Looking amazing!
I've been puzzling over the very idea of plumes for some time now, as to materials and mounting procedure, so this definitely gives me a jumping off point. Looking forward to seeing the finished results! Thanks for sharing this!

 

[jweger77]

Looking fantastic! I absolutely love this helmet! What's the going rate for the raw casting of one?

 

[Centurion]

Looking fantastic! I absolutely love this helmet! What's the going rate for the raw casting of one?

Hi there bud.

This was made by the wife of a UK Garrison member and it cost £150:00 and there is nothing like it anywhere on the market.

She (Amy Berry) posted up a WIP thread on these forums awhile back but this is the mk.II with much sharper detail.

 

[Centurion]

Back Again!
After watching fellow UKG member Pete Stroud getting near to completion on his Senate Guard I thought I had better get the finger out and start on the home stretch for the "Hairy One".
Finally got around to repairing the damaged crest and after what felt like an Eternal Battle I finally got the last of those damn pin holes defeated.
The lid as seen in the next two pics is good to go but like I think I mentioned in a previous post it will have to wait 'til I come back from Egypt next month before it goes for paint.

The next couple of pics show the finished crests that have been shaped and trimmed to their final contours and at the risk of banging my own drum "again" I have to say I am well chuffed with the way they finally turned out.
These are the plumes without any stiffening as I am still not 100% what to use in the end as although I thought I had come across the perfect stuff in the fabric stiffener I showed in an earlier post I still was'nt happy with the overall look although there was absolutely nothing wrong with it and I was just being annoyingly picky and wanted to try out a few other things I had thought of during the process of making this helmet (which will now be forever known as "My Frackin' Nemesis").
I got myself a pair of hairdressing scissors which worked to a degree but I found the real horse hair to be a wee bit tougher than human hair. The scissors did the job but I felt they where 'tearing' the hair if I tried to trim more than say 1cm at a time which got laborious very quickly. The solution was at my mums' in the shape of electric dog hair trimmers. After an initial cut with the scissors the trimmers where used to give the plumes their final shaping and trim.
Was a real sod to get the two plums to match and all in all took the better part of six hours as I trimmed very carefully using templates I had made up ages ago. Once one plume was completed it was reasonably easy to match up the other one to it (or so I thought!) but there were subtle differences in each of the runners the hair was planted in to make matching the two up a total pain in the a**e!.

The major problem methinks with using the fabric stiffener was that I used it neat and straight from the bottle (much easier to apply when watered down slightly as suggested on the bottle and so much easier to work into the hair without messing up that overall shape too much) which worked extremely well but made the plumes impervious to anything but a full blown and direct nuclear strike.
Imprtant type tip now and that is :- "Read the bloody instructions on any bottle/container". And more so when applying to any hairy things!
It was an easy fix and just entailed 30 mins or so with the shower attachment some shampoo and just because it was there some good 'ol hair conditioner which by the way actually worked a treat as the plumes turned out brill and not as 'lifeless' looking as the first time when I just hosed them down to get rid of the stiffener. Another interesting and useful side effect of going all Vidal Sasoon on them was that when they dried totally (took nearly a bloody week for both of them) was that the hair went into a subtle "S" shape which lent itself brilliantly to supporting their own weight and helped stop them drooping backwards when attached to the lid. That "S" shape can just about be seen in the pics of the two plumes.
The final two pics in this WIP update show one of the plumes after I had got into with some strong hairspray which was suggested to me. I was not too keen on using hairspray at all TBH as I have visions of the lid catching fire and toasting my noggin inside it which I am sure you will agree would be somewhat embarassing not to mention a trifle painful. Another advantage is that it can be re-applied quickly when on a troop break but I am still trying other solutions even though it pains me to admit this is probably "THE" final route I will take. Got a few more experiments to do with the stiffener, spray and some mousse I am about to mention but nearly there.
The first pic show one of the plumes after being sprayed in this stuff and I have to say I was pleasantly suprised with the results. The bottom of the plume is resting on my hand and there is nothing to support the hair on any side bar this spray.

This is the spray I used.

I also got some "extra firm hold" hair mousse which was another thing sugested to me but I have'nt tried that yet along with that glue spray stuff.
So!Finally getting there and at last that light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter.

Thanks for following this thread and all the comments and suggestions given.

 

[Centurion]

Damnit!
I knew I had forgotten to show something.
Here's the lid for the first time with the plumes trimmed and shaped. When looking at the helmet from the front the right hand plume is the one that has had the hairspray applied to it.

Just got a final wee bit to do on the plumes and that will be that!
It was just a light dusting of the spray but hopefully you guys will agree in that it has turned out extremely well. Will get the hair gel and some more spray this weekend but I have to say I am well chuffed with the way it has turned out. Just wish I had the spare cash to get the lid painted but like I have said it will have to wait 'til I come back from holiday.
Hopefully the next time I post up here the helmet will be completed 100% and the clearance pics will be on their way!
Not long to go now.

 

[Centurion]

Last wee update for a bit.
The next time you see this particular lid it will be all painted up and good to go (hopefully!opcorn).
After what seemed like and endless series of "trials and tribulations" I finally hit on the penultimate look for those damn double plumes.
Lots of swearing, pledges to the devil, glaring at the damn thing, sleepless nights, a ****** load of cash on various hair care products and god knows how many times I wanted to quit the whole project went into this little addition to my cossies but at last we have finally reached the long awaited final stretch towards completion.

This is the lid as it will be seen when I get trooping in it and like I have said in previous posts this will be painted when I get back from Egypt in early May (depending on what cash I have left!).
I really can't do anything else with this lid so I reckon it is pretty well finished at last and if it was'nt for Pete Stroud finishing up his SG a few days ago this would still be sitting here collecting dust months down the line.
So!Please comment on this, as what you guys have said over the past 11 months (Yikes!I started this nearly a year ago!!) has kept me going.
Next time it will be fully painted and the clearance pics would have been sent.
Many thanks for following this WIP thread.

 

[duke nukem]

That's a slick lid. Very nice!

 

[Daddy Solo]

Not sure where you're at with the completion of this build, but all I can say is _ BRILLIANT!! I've been rereading this thread over and over as inspiration for my own Ep 1 build. After much consideration though, I have come to the conclusion that my helmet will most likely have broom bristles for the plumes AND, it will never look as awesome as yours does. Strong work!

 

[Centurion]

Thanks for the comments guys!

The lid is away to get painted as and when my mate can fit it in around his work schedule so it's just a matter of waiting until I get word to go and pick it up.

I cannot wait to see it when it is all done and dusted at last and rest assured I will be posting up a few pics of it.

With regards to you "Daddy Solo" from what I can gather the humidity in your neck of the woods would kill real horse hair as it would for most of the planet (that's the main reason why to my current knowledge that this is the only SG lid with real horse hair plumes) so for once I am actually grateful for the totally crap weather we get in the UK.

Hopefully not long to go before I can get it back and get the plumes in place.

 

[Centurion]

Just had word back from my mate Jason and the lid will be in my hands by this time next week.

So nearly at the end of this little project and now I have'nt a clue as to what I am going to do next!

Standby for pictures!

 

[Centurion]

Well! Here it is at last.
My mate Jason kindly handed over the painted Senate Guard helmet to a very happy bunny in the shape of moi!
I couldn't wait to get home to have a damn good look at it and get those plumes in their slots at last. The pictures that follow are just to show what the lid looks like without any major preparation of the plumes themselves (they have basically just been stuck in their respective slots). Got a teeny bit of work to do to the plumes in preparation of getting the clearance pictures in.
They need a damn good brush as the hairspray that was applied all those weeks/months ago has gone all powdery but hat won't take too long to get sorted. Just need to give them their final 'angled' appearance and many thanks to Glen's missus Mary who suggested that hair straighteners would do the trick and she very kindly loaned me two pairs of the hair doodads!:thumbsup
So! Will be working on the 'hairy' one tomorrow and over the weekend and I hope to have it ready to have the main pictures taken by this Sunday if all goes well. Like I said the plumes are just bunged in there temporarily and just to give an impression as to what this lid will finally look like in a couple of days!.




Just that final teensy-weensy step to take and this lid will at last be completed.
My heartfelt thanks to Jason for once again doing a stunning paint job on what is now my pride and joy. And thanks again to Mary for those hair thingies.
This is going to look freakin' awesome when finally joined up with the fabulous Senate Guard costume that Fran Parson over on the UKG forums made for me.

 

[Daddy Solo]

That "thud" you just heard was the sound of me falling on the floor, overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of it all! Please try to post pics of the front and the back when the plumes are all snazzed up. I need something to get me through my workday lol

 

[Centurion]

Will do Daddy!

The plumes need a bit of TLC to get them back to their former glory as they have been hidden in the loft for the past month or so but I reckon I will be good to go by this Sunday if all goes well. Friday night for me is usually a beer and xbox night but this Friday I want to get started on the plumes and get this helmet cleared.

Standby for more pics in a day or two!

 

[Centurion]

It's Away and it didn't take too long to get those plumes sorted out at last!

Just sent off the pictures for what I hope will clear my Ep.I Senate Guard for trooping with the UKG after what has felt like an eternity.

Fingers are crossed here:-





Just have to wait now!

 

[Daddy Solo]

Well, you know how I feel about this- perfection!

 

[Centurion]

Just got the nod that this has been cleared for use in public!

So! To coin an ancient Scottish phrase - "Ya Frackin' Dancer".

Took the better part of a year and thanks to you all for following this WIP thread and all the encouragement through these forums and the numerous PM's I was very happy to receive!





Just have to figure out what to do next!:unsure

 

[Centurion]

After the better part of a year that involved a lot of head scratching, staring at the damn thing and being the cause of baldness in countless poor wee horses I finally got to wear the Ep.I Senate Guard helmet in public for the first time.



Was quite a novelty being able to see and more importantly breath easily after suffering under Royal Guard, Stormtrooper, and Cylon helmets for so long.