Black Series Darth Vader Helmet Mod Thread!

[DarkLyte]

Glad I’m not the only one haha!

With that being said, the new lenses are here and look AMAZING. They will need to be cut down to fit but I recommend them. They don’t match the exact contour of the originals which leaves a small gap between the lens and the top of the eye hole, but you can’t see it unless you flip the helmet and are looking for it.

I also finalized the collar extension and am working on blending it in to the mask.

 

[blewis17]

You have made this toy helmet look amazing! Bravo, sir!

 

[DarkLyte]

You have made this toy helmet look amazing! Bravo, sir!

Thank you!! Just trying to keep up with all the other awesome examples in this thread!

 

[ABE]

wow looks so cool !!!

 

[DarkLyte]

Been a while since I’ve been able to make progress on my Vader helmet but I finally got the lenses put in. They are amazing but do not fit the curvature of the originals. Since mine were damaged, I cut them out of the lens “assembly” so I could have something to mount the new ones to without gluing them to the helmet itself. Since the new ones didn’t match, I used some epoxy putty to make up for the gap they had at the top. This helped with making sure they had more surface to adhere to and not have light show through. This wasn’t super easy but the results speak for themselves!

 

[DarkLyte]

Kind of hard to tell from a photo but in person the difference in quality from the originals is amazing! Totally adds a new level to the helmet. Original on the left, Vaderpainter lenses on the right.

 

[DarkLyte]

 

[ABE]

beautiful work , What type of paint did you use for the helmet?

 

[DarkLyte]

beautiful work , What type of paint did you use for the helmet?

Thank you! I used Duplicolor Gun Metal for the silver parts and just used Rustoleum Gloss clear over the silver and factory black plastic.

 

[StephenMG]

DarkLyte this look fantastic. I agree, those lenses make an amazing difference. I might have a bash at thermoforming some myself.

 

[DarkLyte]

DarkLyte this look fantastic. I agree, those lenses make an amazing difference. I might have a bash at thermoforming some myself.

Thank you! I considered making some myself but for the sake of time and materials, $25 for a pre-made set was worth it. If you ever thermoform some that are a direct replacement for the ones that came with the helmet, let me know!

 

[Celtic007]

I'm having trouble removing the interior pieces. Is there any trick to it? I don't wanna break anything.

 

[StephenMG]

As luck would have it I took mine apart again yesterday in order to improve the 'nose' area (photos coming soon), so took a couple of quick shots which I hope will help.

Once you've removed all the screws, the trickiest bit is getting the side panels away. There are two 'tubes' which fit into blind holes inside the moulding at the edge so they're not visible from outside when assembled. These have some sort of flexible glue on them so they are not solidly bonded together but hold firmly enough to make it a little tricky to get apart. I've circled the bits I mean in yellow so you can see the 'tubes' and the 'holes' they fit into. You can also see some of the glue reside still left on mine. Make sure you've got all the screws out then wiggle away at the side panels and they should eventually come away.

Good luck. I hope that helps.

 

[Halliwax]

You guys are really taking this to the next level.. dang

 

[russellsch]

I got one of these for Christmas. Can't wait to take it apart & start painting!
You guys are a huge inspiration!

 

[Halliwax]

where is everyone grabbing the eye upgrade lens from?

 

[Celtic007]

As luck would have it I took mine apart again yesterday in order to improve the 'nose' area (photos coming soon), so took a couple of quick shots which I hope will help.

Thanks! So I take it the side pieces must come out first? The reason I want to remove it is to redo the nose area as well. I want to 3d print a correctly shaped nose to re insert.

 

[StephenMG]

Thanks! So I take it the side pieces must come out first? The reason I want to remove it is to redo the nose area as well. I want to 3d print a correctly shaped nose to re insert.

No, the centre piece (which has the nose section as part of it) comes out first. The side pieces have a couple of tabs on them with oval holes (you can see them at the top of my second photo) - these fit over the screw posts and are hidden under the centre section. Stick your thumb in the nose and press and the centre piece should unclick and that whole section should then be free to work out. In the forehead area it had a couple of slim tabs which sit under the side pieces so these need to be worked free before the centre section can come out. They're only there for support really so are easy to get free with a little wiggling.

 

[StephenMG]

Just finished my efforts to improve the nose from the squared-off original to the more accurate rounded shape.

Starting point scuffed up to help key the filler,

Milliput added and rounded off using a glass marble rolled around the inside,

Hardened, sanded and cleaned up,

Painted and re-assembled,

A simple mod but a big improvement I think.

 

[Celtic007]

Great job! That seems a lot easier than what I had planned. Might have to steal that idea.