Stormtrooper Mess

My first instinct is to tell you to thrash it since it only cost £39.00 + shipping, but then I realize something like this would go a long way in honing your prop and costume making skills, even if you fail at this one eventually.

Though not as pliable as styrene or ABS, fibreglass CAN be shaped to a limited degree with a heat gun. It takes a lot more heat to make it soft enough to reshape, so you're gonna need serious protection on your hands to work it. The fumes coming off due to the heat is also very toxic, so make sure you have a good respirator on, an work in an area with good air flow and without having other people around.

Work on a small area at a time, and don't force it or else you risk cracking the fibreglass. If it won't bend heat it some more.

Rinsing /dumping the reshaped part in water help it set quickly, and lessen the amount of time you need to hold a scorching hot object.

Also try to grind down any edges/seams that don't fit properly so it becomes easier to bend/shape. You can reinforce it later with epoxy or bondo once you get it to fit properly.

That's all the advise I can give without knowing what exactly are the problem areas. If you ost pics of specific areas you need help on maybe others more experienced then me can chime in and give their 2 cents.

Happy building!
 
Fit it altogether with masking tape. And try it on. If everything looks good then mark with a pencil.
Then use a real good gap filling Cyanoacrylate gel glue for a good bond. Also, get the fast spray set for the glue.And you will need some clamps to hold the piece together while glue sets. Once you have it altogether you can start refining the details of the helmet. Like filling and trimming. I recommend a auto filler(bondo) for resculpt or filling gaps.
Its really a pretty decent starting point for TK helmet. Ask question, take your time and have fun with it:thumbsup
 
Hi Guys,

Cheers for all the advice. So far I have managed to fit it all together, and join/fill the gaps using P40 & aluminium mesh, then using p38 filler.

I'm writing it all on a blog here:

http://lasttrooper.blogspot.com/


I have reshaped alot of the areas simply by a lot of sanding and filling, and think I have a good look going on :D

Can anyone offer some advice on how to paint it? I was thinking of using auto paint - grey primer, white top coat and then a clear laquer (with wet and dry sessions in between to get that 'uber' shiney look) but I've seen people using spray enamel paints, but I cant find any of these in the UK. The only ones I can find are plasti-kote and appear to be for plastics.... would this work or should I go the automotive paint route? (My only issue here is that I used automotive paint on a guitar body once and the colour coat moved under the laquer)

:D Cheers guys
 
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