The Build - Helmet
I did a ton of research on creating a lid and on buying one. Very quickly, I dismissed making one. Unless I was flat broke, I could never see making one myself, as it is very labor intensive and full of 'Nope' for me.If you decide to buy one like me, I suggest you poke around and figure out what will be right for you. Some are larger than others, some are more accurate, etc. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you get one from a reputable vendor - again, see the Facebook Group. If you go for a cheap lid on eBay, you could be buying a re-cast or getting a helmet that is just not right for you. I am a pretty big dude, so I was worried about fit. I found my helmet from Mr. Pinsky's Props. For me, this offered the best combo of price, size, availability and accuracy.
There is some significant trimming and sanding required to get the helmet ready for primer and paint. I would recommend some sort of power sander - your arm will fall off otherwise. I went ahead and added some damage to my helmet at this stage as well. I painted the whole thing with a couple of coats of grey primer before doing a few layers of aluminum paint. If I had to do it again, I would do a couple of more layers of the aluminum. The thinking is that if I get a chip, it should be metal underneath. Also, I can just sand off a little paint to reveal the aluminum below. This worked ok, but I did end up going back with a silver sharpie on a couple of spots.
Anyway, I did a couple of coats of Satin Black and let that dry overnight. I like the satin paint because is has a very slight shine and is also tougher than flat black. I am very happy with the way it turned out. I then masked that off an did the Rust-Oleum Colonial Red.
After getting this done, I went back with the Goldfinger and just rubbed it on to the badge. I think this looks great!
For the visor, I used the recommended Hobart 770580 Face Shield Replacement Lens, Shaded. I just cut the thing to size with some tin scissors. Make sure you use the templates from the Studio Creations site for your lining. I used some foam floor mat for the liner and covered it with a spray of plastidip. Use velcro to attach the visor and all lining parts so they can be removed for cleaning and upgrades.
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| The finished Lid. |
