Opinions on Vader CA Mods

[Thrawn]

Hello all,
I have here a DPCA Vader Helmet thats had a new paintjob, tusk, lenses, some reshaping, grills, most of the 'usual', but I think I need to adjust the neck more. I cant really tell how MUCH more though, so im fielding the question to you guys

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[Prometheus]

Just curious, did you take it to an auto shop to get it repainted?
Or did you do it on your own?
It looks great

 

[SithLord]

The neckline looks fine, the faceplate is just wider...you could trim a little toward the back, but you could also just tighten the rear horizontal strap so the rear is pinched in a little...looks too nice to trim The vinyl is flexible so try pressing it in in the rear a bit...

T

 

[Darth Detroit]

Once its been painted, it may be difficult to reshape trhe neck flare. Tha paint is going to want to pull off the mask, crack, tear, or bubble from the heat. It also depends what kind of paint was used too, that will give youan idea as to what it will do. I woul have corrected the flare first, then painted it. Worst case senario- youhave to sand off all the paint fromthe bottom tubes of the mask down. Reshape the mask, the repaint it.

 

[Darth Detroit]

Double post sorry....

 

[SithLord]

true...unless the paint is the kind that flexes...hmmm....

 

[Darth Detroit]

Originally posted by SithLord@Mar 18 2006, 06:09 PM
true...unless the paint is the kind that flexes...hmmm....

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Thats allot of flex.... and yes, the type of paint would be a determining factor.

 

[Thrawn]

I think that when the helmet is put on, the back of my head pushes the straps outward, causing the neck to pull in, I guess thats why the helmet always looks better when I wear it and look in the mirror
If theres any chance at all of the paint messing up I dont think ill take it, the dome has been repainted at an autobody shop once over a paint screw up (not adhering to the vinyl), so ill just leave it be. The faceplate was painted by the person I bought it from, but the clearcoat had started to peel so I had the autobody shop guy give it a new one.
Thanks for the tips everybody.

 

[ob1al]

I think it looks very nice as it is. Cool Vader helm.

I would just put it up on display and forget about the neck flare, its really just a small thing and not important enough to risk screwing the paint job up, IMO.

 

[KevVader]

..it does look a little bull necked, but cinching the straps may help. As long as the paint has some flex agents added, which most modern plastic paints do...you shouldn't have to worry about cracking...

 

[Shabaaz]

When i first got my CA it had the same wide neck as yours. I used a hair dryer to warm it up and slowly reshaped it. The vinyl becomes quite soft when warm. I left a rubber band around the neck for a while so it wouldn't warp back to its original shape or you could just tighten the straps. Just be careful you don't crack the paint.

Here is how my mask looks now... painted, grills replaced and with the top of the face modified so the dome sits at the correct angle with the face (angled more to the back so the dome covers the back of the neck). The neck width pretty good to me.

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Looks nice Shabaaz.

 

[vaderfanforever]

Originally posted by Shabaaz@Mar 19 2006, 09:38 AM
When i first got my CA it had the same wide neck as yours.  I used a hair dryer to warm it up and slowly reshaped it.  The vinyl becomes quite soft when warm. I left a rubber band around the neck for a while so it wouldn't warp back to its original shape or you could just tighten the straps.  Just be careful you don't crack the paint. 

Here is how my mask looks now... painted, grills replaced and with the top of the face modified so the dome sits at the correct angle with the face (angled more to the back so the dome covers the back of the neck).  The neck width pretty good to me.

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Shabaaz, that is a sweet looking CA. I use a CA for my trooping, and it works great because if the weight of the helmet. I have done a couple upgrades myself, and I asked KevVader to give me a hand as well. I removed the old foam padding and he replaced it with new padding. He also installed some pluming insulation in the "forehead" pard of the lid to add some extra padding. I think this will also give me a bit more circualtion.

And to KevVader, thanks so much for doing the work.. I am looking forward to picking it up soon.

 

[SithLord]

Do you have more photos of your helmet, Shabaaz? It looks really nice....

:cheers,

Thomas

 

[Thrawn]

Well I spent a few hours today working on shaping the helmet, I reshaped the left side of the dome, the back of it, and the faceplate. I think it looks about a milion times better. (I guess it was very flexible paint, there were no issues with cracking or anything).
PS: Shabaaz, that CA looks amazing.

 

[Shabaaz]

Thanks guys...Thrawn your helmet looks much better now...
As requested here are some more pics of my lid

Here is the helmet with the rest of the costume

I'm planning on upgrading most of the costume parts except the helmet...i made everything myself and now I want better stuff. Also things are falling apart as you can probably notice (chest box pieces, armor chipping and revealing pink placemats).

Thanks, Wackychimp for hosting pics

 

[DARTH ANIBAL]

Okay Shabaaz, is that the dome that came with the CA? The Rubies' Supreme dome and the CA domes I've seen are exactly the same except for the ridge being softer. I hate the way on my helmet the dome is too short in the back. Yours looks great, so here's my question, is that just awesome placement of your dome or a totally different dome that's longer in the back? Check out the pics of my helmet in the link in my sig so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[Thrawn]

I agree, Shabaaz, PLEASE post a picture of your helmet with the dome off, or a tutorial on what you did to the CA to get the dome to sit like that. Id love to get mine looking like that...

 

[KevVader]

....those are some mighty fine CAs, lads. And Shabazz...that dome does look great...has it been reworked for more length?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

I don't know, my dome looks pretty much like his. The curve at the bottom where the dome ends is a giveaway unless he is a damn fine crafter, which he could very well be. The bottom of my dome starts near the same spot his does, so it may be better placement of it on the helmet all together.