Black Series Darth Vader reveal helmet coming...? Hasbrocon

I'm probably going to yoink your stand plans. :) Thanks for posting them. Not for this helmet, though. My Vader's a hodge-podge of the Hasbro voice-changer mask of some years back, cut off and heavily modified; a fanmade ANH dome; and scratchmade ANH lower face/neck. Yup -- symmetrical/idealized ANH Vader Reveal. :eek
 
I'm probably going to yoink your stand plans. :) Thanks for posting them. Not for this helmet, though. My Vader's a hodge-podge of the Hasbro voice-changer mask of some years back, cut off and heavily modified; a fanmade ANH dome; and scratchmade ANH lower face/neck. Yup -- symmetrical/idealized ANH Vader Reveal. :eek

PICS!!!
 
Sure, here it is without the helmet:
View attachment 814037
The dome and face part on mine looks odd because my initial estimates were slightly off. Had to add height for the dome (why it's thick) and extend the plate for the face (why the back end is barely catching on the PVC cap. I adjusted these for the templates.

Also, forgot to mention, painted the hardboard black after cutting, and then used adhesive backed felt for the parts to sit on. Not really to protect the helmet, but to keep the paint from lifting when removing the helmet off.



I cut the pieces with a laser, but hardboard can be scored and snapped. You can slightly adjust the shapes (straight edges where rounded). It needs to be scored more and doesn't give a clean edge like say acrylic, but the rough edges can be sanded. The PVC can be cut with almost any type saw (since the ends go into caps, they don't have to be perfect). The only other thing needed is a drill and something to cut the MDF (if that's what you wanted to use for the base, but could use several different materials).
Sorry if I missed it,but how does it all attach? Can all of this be purchased at Menards or Home Depot?
Thanks for the tips!
 
Sorry if I missed it,but how does it all attach? Can all of this be purchased at Menards or Home Depot?
Thanks for the tips!

Yes this should all be readily available at any large box home improvement store.
PVC pipe can be cut with tubing cutter or a hacksaw
Wood can be MDF, plywood, poplar, anything really as a base...maybe even some scrap. But holes can be drilled using a spade bit for the pvc pipe to fit in....press fit or some glue for added security.
Then cap the end with pvc end cap. And then attach the wood to the end cap. Thickness and corresponding weight of the "shelf" pieces would be my concern so you may need to experiment with different materials.

Not sure yet on hardware or if additional support is needed but generally this would be how I would go about it.
 
I was just watching a clip from ROTS and I noticed that the neck section on Vader's helmet is the same length as the neck section on the Black Series Vader helmet. So isn't it possible that the BS Vader helmet design is based off of the ROTS helmet?
 
I was just watching a clip from ROTS and I noticed that the neck section on Vader's helmet is the same length as the neck section on the Black Series Vader helmet. So isn't it possible that the BS Vader helmet design is based off of the ROTS helmet?

The eye shape and the nose shape differ significantly from ROTS - as well as the nose bridge.
 
Sorry if I missed it,but how does it all attach? Can all of this be purchased at Menards or Home Depot?
Thanks for the tips!

You should be able to purchase 3/4" PVC pipe and caps at any home improvement stores. I ordered it though, got this pipe http://a.co/d9JrVDl and these caps http://a.co/dJMrfhv
I went with the black so that I wouldn't have to paint it. Both came without any scratches or damage, so it was ready to put on once cut.

Rundown:

Parts/Materials:
* 3/4" PVC caps
* 3/4" PVC pipe
* Screws
* Hardboard
* MDF
* Paint
* Adhesive backed felt

Prep:
- Cut and drill hardboard per templates
- Cut MDF per template
- Paint hardboard and MDF
- Cut and apply felt to top of hardboard

Assembly:
1) Drill pilot holes (slightly smaller than screw size) in center of six caps.
2) Screw bottom caps into MDF base (using template).
3) Cut PVC pipe to lengths listed above.
4) Put PVC pipes into bottom caps.
5) Screw hardboard patterns onto top caps.
6) Attach top caps onto PVC pipe.

Couple of notes:
- There's no need to glue the pipe to the caps, the friction fit is just fine (and allows disassembly).
- Using a single screw will allow things to swivel, you don't want it loose and swinging around, but being able to turn the parts can come in handy.
 
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Yes this should all be readily available at any large box home improvement store.
PVC pipe can be cut with tubing cutter or a hacksaw
Wood can be MDF, plywood, poplar, anything really as a base...maybe even some scrap. But holes can be drilled using a spade bit for the pvc pipe to fit in....press fit or some glue for added security.
Then cap the end with pvc end cap. And then attach the wood to the end cap. Thickness and corresponding weight of the "shelf" pieces would be my concern so you may need to experiment with different materials.

Not sure yet on hardware or if additional support is needed but generally this would be how I would go about it.

I used caps on top and bottom (simpler than boring hole in MDF).

There's not going to be any deflection on the shortest piece of PVC and doubtful on the middle piece. The long piece could possibly have some, but the dome is by far the lightest piece, so that's the best scenario.

I haven't seen any deflection in the hardboard (I thought might be some on the platform for the face), but if I do notice it, I'll add an extra piece under the platforms.
 

Differ in what way exactly? Too big? Too small? I'm just curious.

I think this shot shows that...left ROTS MR Studio Scale..right Hasbro:

32571247xs.jpg
 
I'll be putting my complete mod work steps on the mod thread when this is further along. But here's an update after waiting a long while for parts to come in. I got the small and large stainless steel dental expanders from China via Ebay (20 pcs) for a total of $50. That's by far the most expensive part of the mods. It kills me to spend $50 on these things for a $100 helmet. But other parts came cheaply so I win and lose some. Working on the back neck piece first, I tried removing the gold paint with paint thinner. It worked okay but the safer bet was to just use a black paint pen. So I ended up doing that to cover up all the gold paint on the original expanders. Then, I was worried about what type of glue to use, putting stainless steel parts on plastic. I started with a basic hot melt glue gun and was very pleased. It works extremely well, quickly dries, and has a certain ability to pry off the the parts and do over if there's a problem. But it holds the parts on really well so I went that route. The result is not as great as a high end replica, but I think having real steel parts instead of painted plastic looks better.
Photo Apr 22, 9 17 43 PM.jpgPhoto Apr 22, 9 27 34 PM.jpgPhoto Apr 22, 9 36 59 PM.jpgPhoto May 02, 4 06 13 PM.jpg
 
I also purchased some nickle plated button snaps from the local fabric store for a few dollars. They fit nicely onto most of the back neck piece parts where otherwise it is just silver painted rubber. Again, having real steel parts instead of painted ones adds a better look in my opinion. This just took a few dollars and a few minutes. Only the silver "spikes" remain plastic for now.
Photo Apr 25, 10 28 35 PM.jpgPhoto Apr 25, 10 40 59 PM.jpg
 
For the eye lenses, I ordered some flatter black ones to get more of an ROS look. I thought taking out the original ones would be easy. WRONG! Do not attempt to replace the original lenses unless you would like to completely disassemble this piece. You may end up breaking it. I thought it was held together with a few screws, but there's also a number of glued plastic pieces that will almost break when taking this apart. The eye lenses are all one big plastic piece buried under all the inside face panels. I guess Hasbro did not want these things popping out. Anyhow, I took the whole thing apart and now await the replacement lenses to arrive.Photo Apr 25, 7 08 00 PM.jpg
 
For the silver nose, I wanted to make the nose hole smaller, rounder, and all silver on the inside. The reason to go smaller and rounder is to get more of an ROS look. To do this, I used Apoxi Putty from Amazon to put a strip of putting into the nose and then shaped it round with the shaft of a marker. Then I smoothed out the putty to taper it to the plastic of the mask. Lastly, added black enamel paint. The result turned out pretty good. Not identical to ROS, but more like it. IMPORTANT NOTE: DO THIS LAST, as taking apart the mask will also take out and apart the nose piece. The putty and painting of the nose should be done near the end of the project.

Pictures show before, during, and after the "nose job".

Photo Apr 25, 12 57 42 PM.pngPhoto Apr 25, 1 02 02 PM.pngPhoto Apr 25, 12 57 32 PM.jpg
 
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Replacing the silver painted rubber tusks with metal ones helps get a more high end look. I added these ROS tusks with a little glue. To remove the old ones, use pliers and gently twist back and forth. They are just rubber, so the stems may break off. On the photo you can see one installed already and one not yet installed for the difference. Rubies used real metal ones. I'm guessing Hasbro used rubber for safety and cost reasons. Photo Apr 27, 3 39 31 PM.jpg
 
Photo Apr 21, 8 58 19 PM.jpgPhoto Apr 21, 9 19 07 PM.jpgPhoto Apr 27, 10 08 09 PM.jpgWhile waiting for some parts, I also added a center 1" trim line to my Rubies dome to be used with this Hasbro mask. I made a mask and sprayed multiple layers of thick primer to get a conforming strip from front to back, since it is missing from the Rubies dome. Normally I might not be messing with the dome exterior, but my Rubies dome was so badly scratched up that I figured it was not usable without a paint job. View attachment 814542
View attachment 814543View attachment 814544View attachment 814545

- - - Updated - - -

By the way, how does one rotate photos in this forum so they are not oriented incorrectly!?!? I'm new.
 
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