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 Post subject: GoldenArmor.com Episode 2 Clone Trooper resin kit
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:46 am 
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Now again, many of you have seen my Vader kit and Fett kit and you're probably wondering what's wrong with me. This (and the Fett) was given to me by GoldenArmor which I consider a very nice gesture for having so many challenges with respect to the amount of work required to make the Vader kit wearable.

So since I got this free, I can't say I got bad value because I got a whole resin helmet for free. I'm currently calling it "resin" because while all fiberglass helmets will have a resin binder component, I don't see evidence of fiberglass sheeting. There are some irregularities that suggest a slight "cottage cheese" but I'm not entirely certain if the structure is reinforced with FG. So I'll say it's "resin" for now.

The good side is that the interior is mostly smooth with occasional areas that could be sanded down with an electric hand-sander.

Image

The downside is that it arrived broken from the left temple to the right chin. Also it is covered with white paint that obscures the details.

The good news of the downsides are:

1. The resin can easily be repaired with Aquamend or epoxy glue. In some cases, the epoxy can be stronger than the material itself.

2. The paint could act as a kind of primer for one to sand and refinish.

Some Aquamend or bondo may be needed to resurface some of the broken areas. I see some pink brick-colored areas underneath the white paint which is yet another layer on top of the original yellow resin. I'm confused why it's there.

Now, personally, I'm not a big fan of the Episode 2 Clone Troopers. I like Episode 3 a lot more. However, I have the trade paperbacks of "Clone Wars" and in this one particular volume, Obi-wan and Anakin encounter an Arc Trooper they ended up naming "Alpha".

So here is my Photoshop rendition of that Arc Trooper:

Image

At this rate, I'm kind of "kitted out" with respect to kits that need significant work. This is easy for me with a sander, but it takes time -- time that I'd rather spend on finishing my Vader helmets.

I'm not a Clone Trooper kind of person, and I might end up working on this anyway. But if anyone's interested in purchasing this off me, PM me, and I'll make this very affordable. For now, I'm sharing this for educational purposes rather than as a formal "FOR SALE" post.

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- Mac
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Last edited by CSMacLaren on Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:05 am, edited 3 times in total.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:57 am 
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The chin, interestingly enough, comes off. The chin piece also was cracked, but it's repairable.

The "microphone" thing has a screw. Also the microphone piece is resin, but not shown.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:59 am 
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Here's the chin. Again, the crack runs from the left temple down to the right of the chin. Some good expoxy glue can easily mend the crack, and some Aquamend can be used to blend the areas.

I'm not well studied on EP2 Clone Troopers so I can't comment on the mouth. I'd imagine it would have holes and a mesh like OT Stormtroopers.

Also, notice the bondo-looking layer under the white paint, to the lower right.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:59 am 
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Right temple view. Again, epoxy for the crack, and Aquamend to make everything nice and seamless.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:00 am 
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Side view. "Hey, look at those The Prop Den guys trying to mod Lord Vader!"

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:01 am 
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"Wow, look at that little green gnome and how fast he's going!"

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Back of the head, obviously.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:02 am 
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Now here's probably one of the most important shots:

The INSIDE....

Image

Not the cleanest but by far the BEST of the three Golden Armor helmet kits I own. No pokey parmesean cheese to pierce your skin. Many areas are smooth. Some areas are irregular and could use some sanding down.

The very top of the inside looks like Lt. Worf tried to cram this on his own head!! :lol

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:07 am 
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So there you have it.

It has potential depending on if someone has the right tools.

A Black and Decker "Mouse" hand sander can handle a great majority of the surfacing, and it has attachments that can smoothe out the eye "T" shaped area easily without you using a Dremel.

Some of the inside surfaces can be sanded.

It seems like a snug fit when I try to put it on. Even though it's large on the outside, the inset positions of the cheek walls actually reduces inside space.

Anyone want this? :as2

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 12:46 pm 
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Looks to me like this is a casting from a Kellogs helmet that has a modified chin piece attached to help shape out the helmet a little bit better. It has potential to be a nice lid, but it will be some work. Good luck with it!

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:44 pm 
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Mac.....whats wrong with you? Did I say that out loud.....crap. :toothy

Just kidding man.....I do agree with slasher x that it looks alot like the kellog's but keep in mind my knowledge on this subject is limited. I'm sure no matter how you decide to work it that it will turn out great.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:41 am 
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I'm not up to speed on the vendors of EP2 helmets, but I noticed that the thing on the top of the skull has a flat surface, whereas computer renders seem to have some bevels on the sides (i.e. it has a "trench" running down its length).

Did I make sense?

Is that a good indicator of whose helmet this may be descended from?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:11 am 
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Here's a link with some photos of the kellogs helmet (left),

http://badger.cx/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=37

That picture you have with the chin removed makes it look a lot like it.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:24 am 
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Yeah, I see some similarities but I'm still not fully sure. The skull's "fin" is of a different cross sectional shape. Did you notice that?

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:26 am 
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slasher x wrote:
Looks to me like this is a casting from a Kellogs helmet that has a modified chin piece attached to help shape out the helmet a little bit better. It has potential to be a nice lid, but it will be some work. Good luck with it!


So is there anything functional about the chin piece -- other than improving it aesthetically?

This chin piece is broken and I'd very much like to throw it away.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:33 pm 
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The chin piece is purely aesthetic. I am certain that this is derived from a modified Kellogs bucket. It has too many of the tell tale signs. I own one that I still have yet to try and mod, so I am quite familiar with the bucket.

The fin on this one appears to have been built up prior to casting from the original. I remember when the Kellog's first came out and there were mod tutorials on almost every prop web page you went to. This looks just like the helmet from one of those tut's.

Believe it or not back then (1999-2001) GA's quality was much better than today. I dont understand what happened. The helmet kits he used to offer were not the prettiest per say, but much better than what is there now. In addition he used to do full 3P0's full Fett armor, jetpacks, etc.

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