I started this project with a basic stormtrooper helmet kit. I wanted this helmet to look like a screen used prop rather than a clean, perfect copy. The originals were hand painted, not symmetrical and looked quite rough close up so I needed to roughen up the surface a little and add a few minor dents and chips. E.MAIL

HOW I BUILT IT

1. First I used a 240 grade wet and dry sandpaper on both the out and inside of the helmet to take off the shine.

2. Next, I heated up the helmet gently in places and pressed in some minor dents... just enough to take away the perfect symmetry.

3. Then I strengthened the helmet on the inside by brushing on a coat of quick drying resin.

4. Once dry, I added some minor scratches and small chips to the outside of the helmet using a dremel.

5. Next I sprayed the whole helmet with a coat of grey primer.

6. Once dry, I then brush painted the whole helmet with a mustard colour water based acrylic to look like the HDPE material that was used on the original props. (I used a brush for this so that I will get the some brush marks showing through as seen on the original props).

7. Once the paint had fully hardened I painted small amounts of latex over the scratches and chips and let it dry.

8. Once it was dry I then sprayed the outside of the helmet using a white satin finish enamel paint.

9. When dry, I carefully peeled off the latex to reveal small sreas of mustard paint. I can still see a few brush stroke marks on the surface as I'd intended.

10. Now the helmet has all the basix colours I add the decals and paint the mouth using grey acrylic.

11. Now I can now weather everything, for this I sprayed acrylic paints (sand, brown, dark grey) with my airbrush, attacking mainly the crevices.

12. When dry I then used a cutting compound to remove a lot of the weathering, this makes it look more natural as I cant reach the paint that is caught in any crevices.

13. Now I add a very watery black wash of acrylic and sponge off before it dries, this dulls down the white slightly and helps it look more aged.

14. Again, I remove some of this wash using a cutting compound.

15. Now I need to add some shine back the helmet, For this I used a car wax, but made sure I left the weathered areas untouched (weathering should be dull).

16. Using a small amount of Silicone Rubber I made a mould of a Hovi-Mix mic tip and took two resin copies from it, I then paint these black and weather them slightly by dabbing a cloth very lightly in silver paint and carefully rubbing it over the edges of the aerators. Now I insert the wire mesh.

17. Finally I add the black brow and trim around the base, then glue in a set of my curved lenses and attach the aerators.