Stormtrooper/Tie Pilot Bubble Lenses
- Thread starter Zoltar
- Start date
TazMan2000
Master Member
Zoltar
Well-Known Member
I've already taken a look at these two.
I could only see flat lens material on Trooperbay.
Fenixprops + shipping pushes the price up to over £40! and I've got pair of Vader lenses from them a while back and ended up not using because they weren't good enough!
Also asked Walt at the Trooper Factory but disn't get a straight answer.
Any other suggestions?
I could only see flat lens material on Trooperbay.
Fenixprops + shipping pushes the price up to over £40! and I've got pair of Vader lenses from them a while back and ended up not using because they weren't good enough!
Also asked Walt at the Trooper Factory but disn't get a straight answer.
Any other suggestions?
Last edited:
geordietrooper
Sr Member
you could try RS propmasters here in the uk they do bubbles
banthapoodoo
Active Member
Those hard plastic color gels unfortunately aren't available in grey or smoke colors which would be what you want for the Tie Fighter
kristen jones
Master Member
Vader Painter Studios.
Finest bubble lenses I've ever seen. Very heavy yet crystal clear molded acrylic. I use them in the making of my Rey Goggles:
Im sure that he can make them in smoke as well as green.
He is a member here, but it's much easier to get in touch with him on his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/vaderpainter?pnref=friends.search
Also, here is is ebay profile:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/vaderpainterstudios?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754
Tell him I've sent you!
Finest bubble lenses I've ever seen. Very heavy yet crystal clear molded acrylic. I use them in the making of my Rey Goggles:
Im sure that he can make them in smoke as well as green.
He is a member here, but it's much easier to get in touch with him on his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/vaderpainter?pnref=friends.search
Also, here is is ebay profile:
http://www.ebay.com/usr/vaderpainterstudios?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754
Tell him I've sent you!
cyclocrosschris
Active Member
WTF. Aka walts trooper factory, he's on Facebook. And recently completed a run. 25 bux IIRC, he's just been vetted on whitearmor. And pulls suits as well.
Dao2
Well-Known Member
by odd coincidence I just had someone whose doing something for me get some bubble lenses from his ebay shop and we were wondering how good they are, this helps alleviate my fears a little
humperdingle
New Member
I got a pair of (green) bubble lenses from Mark at CfO. £20 posted in UK. Check his FB page (Cast from original)
cyclocrosschris
Active Member
Walts are double bubble IIRC....
Zoltar
Well-Known Member
Marks going to sort me out :thumbsup
Reshaping the lenses I had with a heat gun and pair of thick leather gloves worked a treat too!
banthapoodoo
Active Member
Always glad to see the experienced craftsmen on here offer not just the big ticket items and services, but also the various odds and ends we may need, like bubble lenses, at a reasonable price.
I'm updating my Don Post Classic Action Darth Vader helmet and wanted to try my hand at making my own replacement bubble lenses.
I found this product I bought from amazon.com for around $10 was a good material. Be sure to get TRANSPARENT not translucent.
Smoked Tinted Transparent Cast Acrylic Sheet 12" x 12" x 0.118" (1/8") Gray
Brand Name AbleDIY
Part Number Gray #2064
UPC 723175404557
It's thicker than the typical bubble lens material, and more heat is needed for it to become workable and trimmable (around 225°F). But I found it stood up to several reshaping iterations without much distortion.
You'll also need a heat gun, gloves, and (preferably curved) lexan or other snipping scissors. I used a sculpting wire to capture the outline of the inside of both eye sockets to shape a single visor to cover both eyes.
I pulled the heated plastic over the short coffee mug shown to provide the bubble shape (worked better than a tablespoon I'd first tried!). It's not a perfect flush fit, and I know there are better ways to make it so, but it's good enough for this DIY project and looks fine to me.
The tint will not look very dark with backlighting, but once the helmet is worn or the dome is attached, it has the appropriate darkness and good reflectivity.
I'm updating my Don Post Classic Action Darth Vader helmet and wanted to try my hand at making my own replacement bubble lenses.
I found this product I bought from amazon.com for around $10 was a good material. Be sure to get TRANSPARENT not translucent.
Smoked Tinted Transparent Cast Acrylic Sheet 12" x 12" x 0.118" (1/8") Gray
Brand Name AbleDIY
Part Number Gray #2064
UPC 723175404557
It's thicker than the typical bubble lens material, and more heat is needed for it to become workable and trimmable (around 225°F). But I found it stood up to several reshaping iterations without much distortion.
You'll also need a heat gun, gloves, and (preferably curved) lexan or other snipping scissors. I used a sculpting wire to capture the outline of the inside of both eye sockets to shape a single visor to cover both eyes.
I pulled the heated plastic over the short coffee mug shown to provide the bubble shape (worked better than a tablespoon I'd first tried!). It's not a perfect flush fit, and I know there are better ways to make it so, but it's good enough for this DIY project and looks fine to me.
The tint will not look very dark with backlighting, but once the helmet is worn or the dome is attached, it has the appropriate darkness and good reflectivity.
