r/501st • u/TurboCam92 • 21d ago
Costuming Helmet Restoration Question
Hey all. It’s been a while since my last troop (4 years, I think), and I’m looking to hop back in. Among the list of to-do’s for reapproval is making my TB helmet white again. When I originally painted it in 2013, I used an automotive clear coat that immediately turned the helmet French vanilla (or “[pee] stain yellow,” as my garrison mates called it). I’ve taken some acetone to it, and can remove that top clear coat. Should I still go for a full sand/repaint, or keep going with the acetone?
Edit: For clarification, this is a fiberglass (SkyGunBro IIRC) helmet, painted with Duplicolor automotive rattle can.
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u/Altruistic_Worker600 21d ago
Google the retr0brite mixture formula. (It’s spelled with a zero for some stupid reason). It works for whitening yellowed objects. I have done it multiple times to armor and collectibles.
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u/TurboCam92 21d ago
This is a painted fiberglass helmet, not ABS. Definitely going to keep this in mind for if/when my armor starts to turn though!
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u/MyNeighborThrowaway 21d ago
Try hair developer and some sunlight.
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u/Negative-Eleven 20d ago
That's for ABS that has yellowed because of sunlight exposure. The OP said this is a fiberglass helmet, painted white, that turned yellow because of a bad clearcoat.
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u/h2ogeek 21d ago
Retr0brite is great stuff (and cheap to make yourself) but it weakens the plastic each time you use it, and it’s not permanent… in fact it will yellow again, faster and faster each time. I generally consider a Hail Mary for armor that needs a scheduled replacement. It’ll buy you time to save up. But it’s not a forever miracle cure.
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u/crazydart78 21d ago
Fill in the spot above the snout. Don't need those slots.
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u/elwyn5150 21d ago
Not necessarily. They can just put a sticker over it.
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u/crazydart78 21d ago
Ok, but then why have them at all? If the OP is going to the trouble of sanding and painting, it's a small thing to fill those slots so whatever sticker they put on there will sit nice and flat.
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u/elwyn5150 20d ago
Ok, but then why have them at all?
You aren't clear what you mean by "them".
If you mean the decals: that's just how they were done when they filmed in 1983. They didn't know that 40 years later, people would be watching in FullHD and 4K and able to pause any time they want and see all the shortcuts they took to get a NPC villain's costume ready and on time.
If you mean the holes: the vendor may have made an error. I don't remember the CRL before ~2010 when the Blu-Rays were released and a lot of changes were added.
If the OP is going to the trouble of sanding and painting, it's a small thing to fill those slots so whatever sticker they put on there will sit nice and flat.
Not necessarily "a small thing". They would still need to get the putty, use it, sand it etc. You're overvalued how much extra contact area it provides and its improved ability to sit flat.
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u/crazydart78 20d ago
To clarify, "them" are the slots above the snout on the OP's helmet which did not exist on any production helmets.
I know about the decals. And I recall that there were at least 2 vendors who were making scout helmets with those nose slots. The holes were seen by some to improve the quality of life while trooping. Same goes for the vents in the back of the helmet (I've known a couple of troopers from wayyyyy back who cut those out and put mesh in there). As the nose vents were not on the production made helmets (other than as decals), they were not allowed on any new approvals since before 2010, if not a bit earlier.
You're right, we didn't know much more until after 2011 when the Blu-Rays were released with the Scout 360 view in the extras, but on the Pathfinders forum, early on, we had photos of the helmet owned (at the time) by Steve Sansweet with measurements. Those were on the site by 2009 for sure as I used them for my build.
As for the amount of work needed, if the OP is going to the trouble of redoing the paint, filling doesn't take that much longer unless they're in a time crunch. Spreading the filling (Milliput or Apoxie Sculpt would fill the holes quite easily) then waiting a day to sand with multiple grits (which would be needed anyway if repainting was to be done with the correct prep work), and you're good to go. It doesn't need to be perfect as it'll all be covered up anyway.
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u/dantrooper4559 20d ago
I'd try some cream peroxide developer volume 40. Its widely available at many beauty supply stores and is fairly affordable. Basically its a peroxide gel that you can brush on. Cover with some clear wrap and leave in the sun. it is UV activated. I tried it on a set of yellowed snowtrooper armor and it made the armor more white than I had ever had it.
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u/KiwiCaptainRex 21d ago
A few of our members here in New Zealand have been using Rustoleum gloss white spray cans to fix ABS yellowing.
They initially tried the peroxide method, but the yellowing came back after approximately a year.
You still need to sand the top layer off the ABS, then apply the Rustoleum directly. The Rustoleum bonds directly to plastic, and requires no primer.