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| Question about TX helmet | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 3 2008, 07:31 PM (409 Views) | |
| Raijlin | Jun 3 2008, 07:31 PM Post #1 |
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I received my TX kit on Monday, and began assembling the aerators. I then began on the Helmet, taking my time to follow the directions provided in the kit. (This is the kit that I won from SA, where everything was cut, trimmed, and deburred; ready to assemble). When I connected the front dome and rear dome together using the Comm. Assembly pieces, I noticed a large gap between the comm. assembly and the bulbous portions of the lower front and rear dome. I drilled everything where it was marked. If I lowered the comm. assembly so it comes in contact with the bulbous portions, then it will create a large section overhanging the lower ridge of the helmet. The kit was apparently good to go, ready to assemble. It is a beautiful kit that I'm thoroughly happy with. I'm just wondering if I am going to have to heat/sculpt/mold the helmet even though it said it was ready to assemble. I'll try and get some pics up to show what I'm talking about. Thanks for any advice. |
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| Raijlin | Jun 3 2008, 07:45 PM Post #2 |
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| blinki | Jun 4 2008, 02:17 AM Post #3 |
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TX 1531
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Are you pushing the face plate in so the rear "tube" overlaps the front one? That could be the problem. From the full view it seems that the ears are at the right height. Ive found its best not to be to concerned with where the dimples are to drill. It ends up most times that they didnt line up with what I needed or where parts needed to go. Keep in mind the sides of the face and the rear more then likley wont meet up as a butt joint. Thier will be a gap between the two. Can you snap a pic of it in profile? |
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| Raijlin | Jun 4 2008, 02:58 AM Post #4 |
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Well, I went back to the helmet after pouring over some threads at FISD and disassembled the helmet. I then changed it so that the front was overlapping the back. (Yes, I had it vice-versa before). It seemed to help a good deal, albeit there is still a gap that from what I read will have to have some filler put into it if I want to go the whole "environmentally sound" look, which I want to do. I'll get some more pics either later tonight or tomorrow of how I changed things. I've also seen where people forego the mouth decals and instead cut holes in the black areas to create venting and then put in some black mesh to give it the black look, while hand painting the silver parts. That intrigued me, but I think I would wait to do something like that with some guidance at an armor shop or something. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person. LOL. |
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| blinki | Jun 4 2008, 03:28 AM Post #5 |
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TX 1531
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Hey your putting your own set together! You figured out the problem so give your self some props! The mouth is not that hard just intimidating at first. Go slow take your time and remember "its easy to take it off, Its a lot harder to put back". Keep up the good work!! |
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| Raijlin | Jun 4 2008, 04:41 PM Post #6 |
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Blinki, should I just use an exacto knife to cut out the "black sections" of the mouth piece? I was thinking that might be the best bet, but if you have a better alternative, I'd greatly appreciate it. Also, if I understand my reading right, am I to use black cheese cloth as the meshing to go behind the openings then? Thanks! |
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| Raijlin | Jun 4 2008, 06:16 PM Post #7 |
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Blinki, here's some pics that I thought you'd like to see after I changed the helmet around. I think it looks MUCH better. You can't see any light coming through the gap now, so I think it's just a matter of using sponge and silicone to fill in the remaining gap. Thanks for the warm wishes also Blinki. It's great knowing I'm doing this on my own, but at times daunting cause I'm afraid of gumping it up. Here's the pics: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
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| Darth Emphatic | Jun 6 2008, 05:44 PM Post #8 |
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TX 5755
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Hey, good job so far. I am actually working on my TX armor right now and I ran into the gap issue to. I am going to be moving the ear pieces down some and then I already know I will have to use some filler to get rid of the gap. This is normal from everything I have read. I am not sure If I would have put the decals on before assembling the bucket just because there is the potential to nick one while working. Good luck. It looks like your bucket is coming a long well. Did you have a hard time getting your dome to fit inside the front and back mask pieces? Mine was a pain. |
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| Raijlin | Jun 6 2008, 09:49 PM Post #9 |
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Yes, my dome was a pain in the backside. It about was torquing my emotions the wrong way. LOL... I finally got the darn thing on, put the helmet inside my display case with the dome on it, and put the doggone sander and it's case on top of the dome to help shape the front and back a bit. Seemed to help a little bit the next day. Wasn't quite as much a pain in the butt. It's kind of weird...it almost seems like the oval of the dome from front to back clashes against the oval of the mask from side to side. Not sure if I explained it right, but basically the ovals are 90 degrees opposite each other. LOL... The decals, yeah I made a mistake there and screwed one up by nicking it. I guess it wasn't too much a problem however, because I was going to have to order more decals anyways since one in the back had stretched. I have also followed the tutorials on YouTube called Dave's Garage. It gave me some good tips with the ear pieces, rounding off the one portion so it sits flush against the bulbous portions of the front/back mask. Also using some of the extra ABS that comes in the kit to make some "washers" so that the pressure on the sides of the ears are displaced along a larger area. (It helped, cause I had noticed that the screws were digging into the plastic. I also went ahead and cut out the black portions of the frown to allow for breathing. Also started to put in the clips for the hard hat liner. I'll probably take some more pictures later tonight. |
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| blinki | Jun 24 2008, 07:50 PM Post #10 |
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TX 1531
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Sorry for getting back to you so late. Yes it looks much better a job to be proud of. Looks pretty nice IMO. How did the frown cutting go? Dont get to hung up on the gaps. Bear in mind the original movie TK's have them as well. You might want to go down to Lowes/HD and grab some small nuts & bolts as well as some epoxy for your ear caps and chin. Just fill up the ear cap or chin piece with enough epoxy & sink the bolt in. Let dry and drill another hole in the helmet to mount it. That way the stuff is bolted to the helmet no worries about losing them. Not my idea just a useful tip. Good luck on the rest look foward to seeing some completed pics ! ! |
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| Raijlin | Jul 12 2008, 08:19 AM Post #11 |
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Questions on the helmet. Hopefully someone will be able to give me some guidance. Some of the cement that was included with the FX kit got onto the helmet and pitted it. I was wondering if I go to the automotive store, if there is a specific compound i should get to fill in the couple of divits there are? Also, the color of black that would match the TX gear. I'm hoping that I'm not going to have to sand this whole thing down and repaint it, just for a couple of divits. I was thinking of leaving it as a "battle damaged" look. Guess I could do that, but one of the divits is on the nose area and kind of bothers me. thanks for any assistance. |
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| Raijlin | Jul 12 2008, 08:20 AM Post #12 |
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Also, I was looking around but couldn't seem to find the answer. What color grey is used on the frown? I would like to remove the decals and paint it fresh. Thanks! |
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| Darth Emphatic | Jul 13 2008, 10:22 PM Post #13 |
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For the gray you can use the Krylon Smoked Gray which is gloss, but looks fine, or the Rustoleum Hard Hat Gray (which I could never find). For your divits you can get some plumbers putty. This is a compound that you mix and then hardens when it is mixed. you can apply this over your divits, sand it down, then paint it match the dome. Also, I would recommend getting some Rockler sanding pads. This stuff is a pack that goes from 1500 to 6000 grit and will make your dome shine again. Its great for scratches. Use a rougher sandpaper to get the scratch out, then you step it up to 320 grit, 1000, and then go through all the rockler grits and you can get a shine again. Works really well. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=11435&TabSelect=Details |
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