vader helmet fixing....

[irishamericanlad]

ok i got these vader props on a trade and i would like to know how to make them purdy!... i dont know much about them, like which movie and such, but i want to know how to clean them up... i dont know if the fiberglass can be heated up, there are a few parts that may be slightly warped...
(both of the face masks)

the closest to being finished with no markings and it looks a little caddywompus on one side...

and this one that says don post 1997

and heres the hood, its a little warped in the back and has a few thin spots but thats cool...

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Those are Don Post Classic Action recasts. Not really connected to the movies, but mostly a RotJ style helmet.

 

[defstartrooper]

The black one is a goldenarmor recast of the clasic action helmet he chopped the top down a bit.

 

[irishamericanlad]

cool guys thanks i have the what now to the how, i sanded down the dome a little bit and used a sandable primer and i found a bunch of imperfections, small divits and such, and this is my first helmet endevor so i am pretty sure i treat this like a any other fiberglass or vehicle job. i need to get some fresh bondo but the question is can i heat this up to fix the slight warpage of the back? oh and does anyone have one of these finished i can compare pics to? this is going to a buddy of mine whos unit is getting ready to make it back from afganistan for the 3rd time and i want it to be pimped out...

 

[irishamericanlad]

heres a better shot of the back of the dome on a more clean serface, its not just me right lol, its a little warped?

 

[irishamericanlad]

while i wait for sunrise i took some better shots of the already started black face piece, it also looks a little warped, and the tusks, are they supposed to be straight up and down or at an angle?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

It's the GA piece. His copy is just garbage. You can fix it if you know what you are doing. The problem with the CA is the dome sits high and forward. The only way to remedy that is to lose that mohawk on both.

As far as that tusk goes, you can fix that thing with a bit of work. The dome is just wonky like that on the CA lids.

 

[irishamericanlad]

i dont know who made it, but i am all kinds of happy to fix it. and your saying to let it sit right, i need to cut the center stripe off from noth the masks...
is it viable to heat up the mask to fix the warpage a little... im familiar with heat and forming plastic, is this close to being the same?
heres how the helmet sits on it...

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

I will be honest here, the best person to ask about rebuilding a GA mess would be CSMaclaren. He completely rebuilt one, basically, from the ground up.

 

[irishamericanlad]

can you fill me in on who GA is and is there history behind this helmet?

I will be honest here, the best person to ask about rebuilding a GA mess would be CSMaclaren. He completely rebuilt one, basically, from the ground up.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

If you are planning on restoring these pieces accurately, you need to research how the real Vader helmets looks, so you won't inadvertently "fix" something that wasn't even a flaw, but was an accurate representation of the real helmets.

The dome in the back is supposed to be warped - one side protruding further out than the other. Whether it is accurate on yours is a bit hard to tell, but looks to have that discrepancy.

The neck on the black mask seems very narrow, whereas the other facemask seems VERY wide. I don't know if it's because of the way you photograph your pieces - try stand back 6 feet and zoom in when taking a picture, that will certainly help people give better advice, if the photographing distance is consistent.

GA once did okay recasts and casts of several movie props, but basically, his pieces are not worth the trouble to buy now. Could be you got one of those from before he began doing crap-crap jobs. Though, the black one still looks a little greasy and odd.

Basically, what you are looking at amounts to as much or more restoration to a Rubies Supreme... that's the amount of work you should expect, if you are going for accuracy. If you are just going for "okay" looking Vader helmet... less is needed. Depending on what you want, people can adjust and guide you, if needed.

Don't remove the T-sections on the masks... though, you may want to sand them down a bit at the top to get the right angle of the dome.

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

Golden Armor (GA or Chaucer44 I believe was his name) was a member here, banned for recasting others work.

 

[irishamericanlad]

cool thanks guys and csmaclaren sent me the link to his work on it, and mentioned you nohumorman as a strong supporter... thanks for helping out and i look forward to getting this looking good... not specificly screen accurate but smooth and nice to look at...

 

[DARTH ANIBAL]

Don't remove the T-sections on the masks... though, you may want to sand them down a bit at the top to get the right angle of the dome.

I have to disagree here. You WILL NOT get it to sit right with that mount in place. Take the whole thing off.

The facemask is definitely a recast DPCA, but it's a Rubie's dome.

That ~ looking thing on the back where the dome begins flaring is supposed to be there.

 

[irishamericanlad]

and replace it with what?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

and replace it with what?

The funky thing is, the helmet is not "small" as some say. It just sits REALLY high up, higher than it should. Others have cut the plastic on their actual CA facemasks, which causes the helmet to sit where it should. Others still, like Mac, have completely removed the mohawk and resculpted the head, then placed a mounting ring onto the newly scultped face area. So, if you cut it down, use a mounting ring of your own choosing. I've seen your shields...jury rig something!

The user who did it to his actual CA Vader was Shabazz. Drop him a PM. His pics are no longer up so you could see how far he dropped it down.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

I have to disagree here. You WILL NOT get it to sit right with that mount in place. Take the whole thing off.

I re-created the T in a dome I have and it sits perfectly and secure on the facemask now, whereas it would wobble all over the place with a ring mount and require velcro on the forehead to sit secure, so I can't disagree more with you on the smart perfection of the T mount - if it had only been done correctly by the DP guys.

Don't remove it... just sand/trim down some of the height so the dome can sit lower on the face and in the right angle.

 

[Dann]

Why not check out the Prop Den? It's an invaluable resource for the work you're about to do..

 

[irishamericanlad]

thanks guys, and ive been researching this thing lots... i wanted to get the most information before i start cutting away parts of the mask, i guess i dont have as much faith in my skills as Qui-Gonzales does.... but thank you lol. any who im gonna start by cleaning out the inside of the mask, and getting a good fit test out of it, and go from there... by the by, whos a good source for the eyes?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

thanks guys, and ive been researching this thing lots... i wanted to get the most information before i start cutting away parts of the mask, i guess i dont have as much faith in my skills as Qui-Gonzales does.... but thank you lol. any who im gonna start by cleaning out the inside of the mask, and getting a good fit test out of it, and go from there... by the by, whos a good source for the eyes?

Thorsolli made some lenses for Fang's helmet, but I think he is still out to sea, so you are kinda on your own there.