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My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)
http://thepropden.aokforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=4582
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Author:  locitus [ Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

Fener wrote:
I don't know about RS helmets, what I know (heard) is that the original stunt helmets were made of hdpe.

That's actually just a rumour that Andrew Ainsworth started, and has never been confirmed.

Author:  banthapoodoo [ Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:12 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

That is a very nice lid/bucket/helmet. I'm soooo on the fence about getting an RS Stunt Trooper helmet (mainly because of cost). These pics make me want to jump off that fence into the side that says "buy" sooner rather than later!

Author:  firebladejedi [ Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

I would most certainly recommend an RS Prop Master stormtrooper helmet - they are simply the best..

Author:  Fener [ Sun Nov 20, 2016 11:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

Guys the brow trim of my helmet is a little low on the eyes. What do you think? Is this ok? Should I raise it? And how?
Thanks for any suggestion!


Image

Author:  Turrican [ Mon Nov 21, 2016 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

As each helmet was different in shape and assembly, i would let it as it is.
Looks absolute right as it is. :thumbsup

Author:  Fener [ Mon Nov 21, 2016 4:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

Turrican wrote:
As each helmet was different in shape and assembly, i would let it as it is.
Looks absolute right as it is. :thumbsup


OK! Thank you! :thumbsup :cheers

Author:  dcarty [ Mon Nov 21, 2016 5:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

I agree, I think it looks fantastic as it is :thumbsup

I know exactly how you feel though. I had similar issues when I assembled my RS Helmet.

Author:  Fener [ Mon Nov 21, 2016 5:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

dcarty wrote:
I agree, I think it looks fantastic as it is :thumbsup

I know exactly how you feel though. I had similar issues when I assembled my RS Helmet.


Thanks! :hello :cheers

Author:  banthapoodoo [ Thu Nov 24, 2016 10:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

The low brow height is fairly common in many RS helmets, and there are some on-screen helmets that have it.  But I too prefer a brow height somewhat higher as I think it is more typical of most on-screen stunt helmets. But all things considered, I agree better to leave it as it is. And as you read through this post, you'll probably agree.

The brow height and shape is determined by a combination the points of assembly of the faceplate (front half) and cap&back (back half) secured by the screws in the ears and the trim of the cap&back plastic to which the brow trim is attached.

There are a number of ways to raise the brow height.  Some easy some not so easy.  And shortcut methods which might stress the plastic and the risk cracking the plastic and/or the paint.

A not so easy method but probably the best from a purist perspective is to disassemble the helmet by removing all trim and screws and adjust the positioning between front and back.  Brow height can be raised by either increasing the vertical separation between them or by tilting the back half backwards or a combination.  A tilt will induce an upward curve in the brow at the center.  The downside of this reassembly method is you need to drill new holes perhaps not in the ears but certainly in the helmet, and the ear fit will change and may induce more gaps and/or require ear trimming.

Another thing you could do is trim the cap&back at the front higher where the brow attaches.  I'd be hesitant to do that though because it looks like it's already trimmed high enough.  And in any of these modifications you need to be careful that a higher brow height doesn't result in it extending forward too far in front of the top of the faceplate. 

The shortcut method that I have used on several of my helmets (ABS Anovos, ABS SDS Battle Spec, and HDPE Dan Laws) is to simply increase the separation between the front and back from the inside at the top and install a brace between them to secure that separation.  I use molded instamorph as the brace, once it's hardened then added a strip of industrial strength velcro to it and to both front and back helmet halves at the seam.   This allows me to adjust the brow height.  The downside of this method is it can induce stresses and cause cracks in the plastic or paint.  A particular stress point is at the top of the ear so I loosen that top screw and often all three screws just to be sure.  And yes I have caused a small 1cm crack in one helmet doing this (to the battle spec, no great loss) in the cap&back above the left ear.   The ear screw was pretty tight at the time it cracked, and I've since repaired it with some ABS paste (mixed from scrap ABS and acetone).

Here are some pics of my white HDPE Dan Laws helmet with this shortcut modification.

Image

Image

Author:  banthapoodoo [ Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

Here's one such production stunt helmet example that looks very much like yours, one in fact I thought for a while could be the RS helmet.

Image

Author:  Fener [ Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

banthapoodoo wrote:
The low brow height is fairly common in many RS helmets, and there are some on-screen helmets that have it.  But I too prefer a brow height somewhat higher as I think it is more typical of most on-screen stunt helmets. But all things considered, I agree better to leave it as it is. And as you read through this post, you'll probably agree.

The brow height and shape is determined by a combination the points of assembly of the faceplate (front half) and cap&back (back half) secured by the screws in the ears and the trim of the cap&back plastic to which the brow trim is attached.

There are a number of ways to raise the brow height.  Some easy some not so easy.  And shortcut methods which might stress the plastic and the risk cracking the plastic and/or the paint.

A not so easy method but probably the best from a purist perspective is to disassemble the helmet by removing all trim and screws and adjust the positioning between front and back.  Brow height can be raised by either increasing the vertical separation between them or by tilting the back half backwards or a combination.  A tilt will induce an upward curve in the brow at the center.  The downside of this reassembly method is you need to drill new holes perhaps not in the ears but certainly in the helmet, and the ear fit will change and may induce more gaps and/or require ear trimming.

Another thing you could do is trim the cap&back at the front higher where the brow attaches.  I'd be hesitant to do that though because it looks like it's already trimmed high enough.  And in any of these modifications you need to be careful that a higher brow height doesn't result in it extending forward too far in front of the top of the faceplate. 

The shortcut method that I have used on several of my helmets (ABS Anovos, ABS SDS Battle Spec, and HDPE Dan Laws) is to simply increase the separation between the front and back from the inside at the top and install a brace between them to secure that separation.  I use molded instamorph as the brace, once it's hardened then added a strip of industrial strength velcro to it and to both front and back helmet halves at the seam.   This allows me to adjust the brow height.  The downside of this method is it can induce stresses and cause cracks in the plastic or paint.  A particular stress point is at the top of the ear so I loosen that top screw and often all three screws just to be sure.  And yes I have caused a small 1cm crack in one helmet doing this (to the battle spec, no great loss) in the cap&back above the left ear.   The ear screw was pretty tight at the time it cracked, and I've since repaired it with some ABS paste (mixed from scrap ABS and acetone).

Here are some pics of my white HDPE Dan Laws helmet with this shortcut modification.



Bantha thanks for the suggestions. Yes after reading this I think I will leave the helmet as it is. I don't want to crack or damage the helmet as I can't buy another one! I saw some low brow stormtroopers in a lot of movie stills, so it's ok I think.

Image

Image

Author:  craigjohn [ Fri Nov 25, 2016 7:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

I always preferred the lower browed TK helmet, as they look a bit less surprised. LOL

Author:  dcarty [ Fri Nov 25, 2016 7:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

locitus wrote:
Fener wrote:
I don't know about RS helmets, what I know (heard) is that the original stunt helmets were made of hdpe.

That's actually just a rumour that Andrew Ainsworth started, and has never been confirmed.


Just to split hairs -- strictly speaking that piece of information comes from Matt "Trooper Expert" Gauthier. Back in the early 2000's before he had been banned from pretty much every forum on the interwebs he was describing one of the screen used helmets he'd had access to and noted that it was made from a flimsy cheap plastic kind of "similar" to what plastic milk containers are made from. Someone chimed in with the fact that plastic is called HDPE and the rumor mill did the rest.

Keep in mind that at the time this information was something of a bombshell.

You are correct, though, that the exact plastic has never been confirmed at least that I'm aware of. RS Props original run done in vintage plastic is probably the closest we'll come to the real thing :thumbsup

Cheers,

Dave

Author:  dcarty [ Fri Nov 25, 2016 7:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

craigjohn wrote:
I always preferred the lower browed TK helmet, as they look a bit less surprised. LOL


Same for ANH Vader over ROTJ, lol :wink:

Dave

Author:  Vadernsons [ Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: My RS stormtrooper helmet. :-)

the suit front left is thought to be the RS suit. Telltail sign is the holster is attached back the front.
This was posted on their Facebook in a post where they were trying to identify it.

So if your helmet matches this... well it's very close to perfection

Image[/quote]

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