Friday, June 08, 2012

ESB Helmet Version 3.0

This is the fourth Helmet that I have purchased so far for my Fett Costume (refer to earlier posts for Version 1, 2, and my Aluminum Bonus Helmet). Hopefully this helmet will be one of the last ones that I will purchase for myself. A brief history of the lineage of this helmet is that it was cast off a casting of the Pre-Production 2 Helmet. You can read more info on the helmet here. I purchased this helmet back in October or November of 2011, and after long production delays, I received my helmet on March 26, of 2012. Quite a wait there. The helmet is a slush cast in resin making it lighter and more flexible, however I fear that it will also be susceptible to warping. All the original helmet were cast in fiberglass which holds its shape better over time, but can be brittle and crack easily if mishandled or dropped. I would like to add some fiberglass to the inside of the helmet to help hold its shape, and keep it from flexing too much or warping due to moisture or heat. Along with the helmet came a set of resin "ears", that I will switch out with a machined aluminum set. Time to purchase an Air-Brush to get this baby painted.

Thursday, June 07, 2012

New ESB Blaster Greeblies Part 2

For Boba Fett's ESB blaster there are three known Hirschmann LMK/AM Aerial/Earth Connectors (Model No. 730 851) attached to the stock. Two on the front face and one on the back face. These connectors are old wire covers used to plug in an antenna to a vintage UK style radio. These plugs have been coveted by Fett collectors as they have been hard to come by. I have signed up with vintage UK radio forums seeking these plugs, but the word is out that only Fett costumers are looking for them, so they raise the price to a small fortune or you get banned from the forum pretty past. Which is what happened to me. One post saying I wanted a plug, and bam, immediate ban. Luckily, someone on The Dented Helmet was able to locate a box full of these plugs being stored in some basement, so I was able to purchase three from him. These are vintage plugs, and identical to the ones used on the original blaster. Once these little guys arrived, I drafted up the plug and uploaded it to Shapeways.com so anyone who wants a 3D printed copy, can buy one cheap. You can pick one up here.