Classic Battlestar Galactica Viper Helmet Build

Unlike my prior threads, this helmet is not my sculpt.

A few years back, I acquired up a very cool resin and fiberglass Viper Pilot Helmet kit from "WeLuv3DFx" that I finally decided to build. It is a very nice kit as-is but it has an issue I felt needed correcting... noticeably concave sides. So while I am at it I decided to adjust a few other minor issues too.

First off, to fill those sunken sides, I need to rip down all the ridges with the Dremel. I won’t lie, tears were shed thinking of the effort to replace these. A layer of Bondo body putty levels everything out...



The front facing flat surfaces are thin and oddly tapered so filler is applied to fix that issue. Also, the visor's right side (wearer’s POV) is more shallow than the left. I mark those areas in preparation for more filler...



I'm sure you know the drill when working with Bondo body filler... sanding, sanding sanding. But things are starting to look better...



Another issue that bothers me is the back vent lines being out of square. To fix this I need to fill the existing vent holes and I worry about recreating them but at this point I'm committed...



TO BE CONTINUED...

After sanding and shaping the body filler, I spread 3M Acryl-Red over the helmet. This putty is quite hard and works nicely as an overall smoother. For the final details, I use Bondo Glazing & Spot Putty. This is a much softer putty and should only be used for small imperfections but it sands easily to a smooth finish.

The helmet is taking shape but my carpal tunnel syndrome is screaming out...



After a few coats of filling primer, I sand and buff the helmet as smooth as possible. But I am hit by the realization that I did not take careful notes on the ridge locations. Drat! I will need to carefully examine screen caps to plot out the position of the replacements...



Attaching the styrene ridges is more difficult than anticipated. Despite pre-shaping the strips to fit the curves, they had a tendency to drift while the epoxy set. I resort to tape which resulted in a few hidden blobs of epoxy that needed to be removed post cure. To ensure a good bond, I run CA glue along the sides of the ridges. This creates a softer corner than I hoped for but I don't want these pulling away down the road. Cleaning up the ridges was tedious work but the helmet is starting to look like it could be flight worthy...



This kit did not come with lights. They were an optional purchase but I elected to create my own. While measuring I dropped one of the clear resin light bars a few inches inside the helm and it broke. Drat! These things are fragile.



But the original production helmets seemed to suffer the same issue and you can clearly see a crack in Starbuck's helmet from "Murder On The Rising Star"...



TO BE CONTINUED...

The first layers of paint and clear coat are applied. A few additional flaws are revealed but the opportunity to correct those has passed. I've seen many who claim the correct production used color is "<insert color name here>". Honestly, none seem appropriate so I take a chance and use one that is recommended by a friend. In my eyes, the helmet is starting to look very Colonial...



Black accents and many coats of sealer are carefully applied. With the sealer, I wait several days between each coat to ensure a good hard cure. The final finish is one I worried about from the start. Not too flat or too shiny. This seems to be a good compromise and I'm looking forward to seeing how it shows on the inevitable spoof video...



The accessories that come with the kit are done well and require very little cleanup. For the black detail on the outer ears, I cannot find a painting method that I am satisfied with. I decide to use a tinted clear resin to fill the space and it yields a nice high gloss surface. This isn't screen accurate but I really like the way it turned out.I use brass rods to mount the ears to the front...



The final accessory is the Galactica eagle crest. The curve doesn't match that of the helmet. Perhaps it never did or my modifications changed the shape, but I fill the backside of the eagle to get a nice flush mount. As I'd like the helmet to support interchangeable crests, I install a pair of threaded brass inserts after filing but before cleanup. After a few coats of filling primer, it's ready for a base of black paint. Screenshots show the crest to be gold tone but not bright gold. I use an airbrush to apply a gold base over the black then create some shadowing and dull the overall gold color a bit. I think this yields a more screen accurate look than simply spraying gold from a can...



TO BE CONTINUED...

Final assembly is complete so it's time for the beauty shots. Theses photos were taken indoor under natural (cloudy) lighting with a black background. The "middle grey card" was included in the first shot as an effort to white balance the photos and show the true color of the paint. I'm not a professional photographer but these are very close to the actual helmet color...













I really enjoyed taking on this build. Even without the modifications, this is a great kit. Highly recommended for anyone who might need a Viper Helmet.

Of course, a Bionic Moon Labs spoof fan film using this helmet will be making its way to YouTube soon. I will post a link when released.

that's amazing work!! love it!!

Very nice work.

Frakking amazing. The love for that helmet shows in your work, great job.

I always liked the design of the classic helmet. It has class. Nice job.

Definitely a labor of love, that bucket turned out great

Let me know when you're ready to sell it!

Stunning, simply stunning!!!

I had one of those kits years ago. I too modified it with body filler but not quite to the extent that you did, BishopDonMiguel. Excellent work!

I sold mine last year before moving. Your build is making me want to get another kit.

Looking forward to your spoof film.

Cheers!

Ted.

It came out awesome. Your attention to detail is brilliant!

Thank you all for taking the time to post your kind words. It’s very nice to hear from people who remember classic sci-fi.

Fantastic job!!!

Mark (AP)

Well at long last, the spoof fan film featuring the Colonial Communicators is finished. As it also features a modified version of the Viper Pilot Helmet, thought I'd cross post here.

Enjoy!

Great build. What did you use for the helmet tan color?