DJb1138
Active Member
Thanks! It was a bit of both... mostly washes and dry pigment (like Gold Leader), but there is some airbrushing there, too. I brought it home from my studio space recently, so I could use it
Black series XWing Pilot helmet up for pre-order on Amazon
- Thread starter GBRyker61
- Start date
Thanks! It was a bit of both... mostly washes and dry pigment (like Gold Leader), but there is some airbrushing there, too. I brought it home from my studio space recently, so I could use it
DJb1138
Active Member
CadetTK2386
Sr Member
I'm pretty sure I got a set from the same seller, I'm repainting the one I got into a Tierfon Yellow Aces for my wife's Rey, and the decal set I got had the same issue on the "Vs" as well as the fact that while there was the appearance of a cut line around all the individual decals, they actually weren't cut. I had to go in with an Exacto because the the decals weren't fully cut out from the sheet, just sort indented around the decals.
RodanAZ
Well-Known Member
Were yours actually on vinyl? I think I used the same seller and got decals printed on sticker paper... useless except as patterns for stencils.
CadetTK2386
Sr Member
Mine were on Sticker paper as well, not vinyl.
Ackbar16
Active Member
I had several back, and forth conversations with the Etsy seller about my issues with the decals. I think I had to convince him that I wasn’t being combative, and genuinely trying to help. Once we got past that he took my advice, and worked to correct the issues I pointed out. Since then, he’s been very good with communication.
He increased the size of the decals that were too small, and made corrections to the “V” decals so they weren’t off set. The decals I received were printed on vinyl paper. I had no issues with the cuts, but that’s not to say it’s not possible someone else didn’t.
He’s going to send me a sheet of the re-sized “V” decals, so I’ll report back once I receive the updated version.
He increased the size of the decals that were too small, and made corrections to the “V” decals so they weren’t off set. The decals I received were printed on vinyl paper. I had no issues with the cuts, but that’s not to say it’s not possible someone else didn’t.
He’s going to send me a sheet of the re-sized “V” decals, so I’ll report back once I receive the updated version.
Zeke1
New Member
To quote the great philosopher Luke Skywalker: "What a piece of junk!".
The chin strap snap sheared right off the first time I used it - and on the helmet half too. At least if it had been on the strap end I could have fixed it but on the helmet it's embedded into the mold. No way to fix it that I can see.
Between that and the crummy velcro I'm sorely disappointed in this one Hasbro.
The chin strap snap sheared right off the first time I used it - and on the helmet half too. At least if it had been on the strap end I could have fixed it but on the helmet it's embedded into the mold. No way to fix it that I can see.
Between that and the crummy velcro I'm sorely disappointed in this one Hasbro.
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DJb1138
Active Member
Ugh - that sucks, Zeke. If you wanted to fix it, taking the helmet apart (or, at least getting that panel out) isn't too bad...
I agree with the velcro, though. I've been trying out other velcro bit (ones from JoAnn Fabrics, specifically) to help evenly adhere the pads in - they help, more or less, it really comes down to the glue on the velcro pieces "sticking" to the plastic lining of the helmet.
Zeke1
New Member
I'd be willing to try and replace the snap if I could figure out how to get the inside panel off. It looked to me like it was just held on by screws and rubber molding around the edge. Removing the screws seems pretty straight forward but it feel like the rubber molding would be a challenge because it feels like it's glued in place. Am I right?
DJb1138
Active Member
With the screws, yes - it's quite easy, man. The rubber molding isn't glued in at all, it clips in around the edge and will pop right out when you loosen the screws.
I've done some disassembly videos for my Gold Leader buildup, PM me your email and I'll hook you up with my Google Drive folder with them (I haven't gotten around to putting them together on YouTube yet
).
Zeke1
New Member
PM sent. ThanksWith the screws, yes - it's quite easy, man. The rubber molding isn't glued in at all, it clips in around the edge and will pop right out when you loosen the screws.
I've done some disassembly videos for my Gold Leader buildup, PM me your email and I'll hook you up with my Google Drive folder with them (I haven't gotten around to putting them together on YouTube yet
I immediately went "Oo, neat idea" and went to look at what that might be like. Going one way is... kinda unimpressive. Thanks to them using an APH-6B as the helmet base for ANH, seeing, say, Red Leader's markings on a standard APH just looks like someone forgot the mohawk on the Star Wars helmet.
The other way, though, definitely makes for a fun crossover idea. The visor shield personalizations can definitely be split, tweaked, and scaled to work around the mohawk. Bonus points if the pilots' handles are done in aurebesh.
Now I'm also thinking of doing a U-Wing helmet as Farro's from Aliens -- with the "FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES" also hand-painted on in aurebesh. Pilots' helmets have such a wonderful range of possibility...
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DJb1138
Active Member
I was thinking the exact same thing! The possibilities of doing the asymmetrical visor shield artwork is really cool, as well as incorporating more "hand painted"/rough personalizations from the pilot add to the character and "story" of the helmet. I'd love to do a few like that.
I'm doing that with one of my Mando helmets. Rangefinder is replaced with a blast shield on which I'm painting in aurebesh) "IF YOU CAN READ THIS IT'S TOO LATE".I was thinking the exact same thing! The possibilities of doing the asymmetrical visor shield artwork is really cool, as well as incorporating more "hand painted"/rough personalizations from the pilot add to the character and "story" of the helmet. I'd love to do a few like that.
I know DJb1138 has a disassembly video, but now that Entertainment Earth has restocked and I have my Luke helmets, I tackled this and wanted to update this thread with handy tips and observations for taking these apart. As with the suspension attachment points in their Boba helmet, several points that have given people problems fall under the category of "if brute force doesn't solve your problems, you're not using enough".
After removing all the screws and the rubber trim, I poked around to see where things were cooperative and where they were stubborn. The next step for a full disassembly is popping out the visor. It's pretty tough plastic. I was going at it with a flat-blade screwdriver and it's barely scuffed. I hadn't been planning to keep it, so I wasn't bothering being careful. As was mentioned upthread, the root of the visor needs to be forced inward to pop off the retaining clips. I pried the inner retaining wall away from the visor with the screwdriver to give myself more working room, then, though experimentation, got the middle to pop out first, followed by the ends. Your mileage may vary. Here it is, freed. I haven't done anything to clean it up, not even wiping away finger smudges from yanking on it:
After that, there was enough play inside to seriously apply myself to the lining. the seams aren't decorative. Don't be afraid to really force it to get it to pop free. Start with the side pieces and push them into the middle. POP! POP! The the rear piece, POP!, which exposes most of the electronics. Then pulling in at each temple popped one side, then the other free at the mohawk front detail piece's retaining clips, and that whole thing came out. The wires are taped to the backside of that crown piece, and the tape comes off pretty easily.
The mowhawk strip is mostly held on with the four screws through the crown lining and the greeblie at the front snapped on. Near the back the strip has two retaining clips of its own, which are easy enough to pop free. The last bit was tough on this first helmet I tackled. I welcome others' experience with this -- and potential solutions. Toward the very rear end of the mohawk strip it has a lateral tab that is friction fit and glued into a slot on the battery unit. I just forced mine until the plastic gave, in hopes I could defeat the glue bond, but no:
(Sorry for the blurry.)
You can see how the strip fatigued and bent at that tab. I need to find a better way to deal with that, for at least one helmet.
That strip was mostly what locks the helmet halves together. That and these two glued tabs at the back:
Those, at least, are fairly easy to pop apart. I think one of my favorite things about this helmet is that, even though it's engineered so that everything on the final helmet is lined up right, it's still one half overlapping the other, just like the originals:
In the end, apart from that one troublesome tab, the electronics all come out easily as a unit:
...and the helmet interior looks like this:
A lot to play with in there, depending on what one wants to do with it. I'm likely to keep the side pieces of the lining, at least, with mods. The snaps are handy, they help retain the rubber edge strip, the mic mount is convenient, and some form of better earcups can be mounted to them while removed, the whole subassembly being able to just be screwed securely in place. I might see if I can extensively rework the crown lining piece to interact with a less-static visor... A lot depends on how much room is needed for a head and good padding.
After removing all the screws and the rubber trim, I poked around to see where things were cooperative and where they were stubborn. The next step for a full disassembly is popping out the visor. It's pretty tough plastic. I was going at it with a flat-blade screwdriver and it's barely scuffed. I hadn't been planning to keep it, so I wasn't bothering being careful. As was mentioned upthread, the root of the visor needs to be forced inward to pop off the retaining clips. I pried the inner retaining wall away from the visor with the screwdriver to give myself more working room, then, though experimentation, got the middle to pop out first, followed by the ends. Your mileage may vary. Here it is, freed. I haven't done anything to clean it up, not even wiping away finger smudges from yanking on it:
After that, there was enough play inside to seriously apply myself to the lining. the seams aren't decorative. Don't be afraid to really force it to get it to pop free. Start with the side pieces and push them into the middle. POP! POP! The the rear piece, POP!, which exposes most of the electronics. Then pulling in at each temple popped one side, then the other free at the mohawk front detail piece's retaining clips, and that whole thing came out. The wires are taped to the backside of that crown piece, and the tape comes off pretty easily.
The mowhawk strip is mostly held on with the four screws through the crown lining and the greeblie at the front snapped on. Near the back the strip has two retaining clips of its own, which are easy enough to pop free. The last bit was tough on this first helmet I tackled. I welcome others' experience with this -- and potential solutions. Toward the very rear end of the mohawk strip it has a lateral tab that is friction fit and glued into a slot on the battery unit. I just forced mine until the plastic gave, in hopes I could defeat the glue bond, but no:
(Sorry for the blurry.)
You can see how the strip fatigued and bent at that tab. I need to find a better way to deal with that, for at least one helmet.
That strip was mostly what locks the helmet halves together. That and these two glued tabs at the back:
Those, at least, are fairly easy to pop apart. I think one of my favorite things about this helmet is that, even though it's engineered so that everything on the final helmet is lined up right, it's still one half overlapping the other, just like the originals:
In the end, apart from that one troublesome tab, the electronics all come out easily as a unit:
...and the helmet interior looks like this:
A lot to play with in there, depending on what one wants to do with it. I'm likely to keep the side pieces of the lining, at least, with mods. The snaps are handy, they help retain the rubber edge strip, the mic mount is convenient, and some form of better earcups can be mounted to them while removed, the whole subassembly being able to just be screwed securely in place. I might see if I can extensively rework the crown lining piece to interact with a less-static visor... A lot depends on how much room is needed for a head and good padding.
DJb1138
Active Member
Well done, man! It can be quite a pain to get these things apart - and it definitely looks like Hasbro just re-released the helmet again, with no assembly changes. One thing I'd caution on is not using the "stock" liner that screws in... while it may not be accurate to the vac-buckets out there, its pretty much what keeps the helmet hemispheres and mohawk strip in place when it's back together (I'll try to make my folder of videos and photos from my Gold Leader repaint from last year more public so I can actually post it here
)The battery pack attachment point for the mohawk strip is also a bit of a temperamental thing to separate, too - you may want to hit that stress point with a hair dryer or heat gun to get it back into shape... I've got an HBS helmet apart now for a Squadrons appearance I'm about to work on, so I'll try heat and/or some solvents to see what will soften-up the glue holding that tab in place and report back in the thread.
One thing I am wondering, though... is how compatible the Galaxy's Edge X-Wing helmet interior is (as far as mounting points go) with the HBS helmet. If the screw-holes align properly, maybe one of those interiors can be put in an HBS (or replicated in some way), as they have articulated visors in those helmets as well as *some* electronics.
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