Black Series Darth Vader Helmet Mod Thread!

[Bigbat23]

So glad I found this thread. I got one for Christmas and now I know what I need to do to improve the look of it. You guys stuff looks great.

 

[DarkLyte]

where is everyone grabbing the eye upgrade lens from?

I got mine from eBay from Vaderpainterstudios. He makes them in red and smoked. They definitely require some trimming and don't match the curvature of the existing lenses in the helmet so it requires a little modding to fit, but I'm a fan of them! I also contacted the seller and found out his metal tusks are just a hair smaller than the ones on the Black Series helmet (which should be slightly more accurate looking) so I plan on using them for my build.

Star Wars Darth Vader Custom Red Thermo-formed Bubble Lense Set | eBay

 

[Halliwax]

I got mine from eBay from Vaderpainterstudios. He makes them in red and smoked. They definitely require some trimming and don't match the curvature of the existing lenses in the helmet so it requires a little modding to fit, but I'm a fan of them! I also contacted the seller and found out his metal tusks are just a hair smaller than the ones on the Black Series helmet (which should be slightly more accurate looking) so I plan on using them for my build.

Star Wars Darth Vader Custom Red Thermo-formed Bubble Lense Set | eBay

Awesome!! Thanks!!

 

[zjunlimited]

Looks like there is a direct replacement here. But at $41 after shipping vs the eBay link DarkLyte posted with free shipping at $26, its pricey but may be a good option for those who don’t want to or can’t mod. That said, anyone want to try this and report back?

Hasbro Black Series Helmet Darth Vader Monitorlense Helmetlense lense blackseries cosplay slightly bulbed darthvader visor

 

[DarkLyte]

Looks like there is a direct replacement here. But at $41 after shipping vs the eBay link DarkLyte posted with free shipping at $26, its pricey but may be a good option for those who don’t want to or can’t mod. That said, anyone want to try this and report back?

Hasbro Black Series Helmet Darth Vader Monitorlense Helmetlense lense blackseries cosplay slightly bulbed darthvader visor

I saw those as well but it's just one flat piece of acrylic that was bent to a curve. The ones I got are "bubble" lenses and are individually thermoformed so they look like they should. The guy on Etsy isn't telling you that you'll need to mod for his to work as well. The inside of the helmet is not one continuous curve.

 

[zjunlimited]

I saw those as well but it's just one flat piece of acrylic that was bent to a curve. The ones I got are "bubble" lenses and are individually thermoformed so they look like they should. The guy on Etsy isn't telling you that you'll need to mod for his to work as well. The inside of the helmet is not one continuous curve.

Ah good to know. Thanks.

 

[StephenMG]

Great job! That seems a lot easier than what I had planned. Might have to steal that idea.

Go for it! It was a very quick and easy mod and, using the glass marble to get the curves perfectly smooth and consistent, means it looks very effective.

 

[Halliwax]

Looks like there is a direct replacement here. But at $41 after shipping vs the eBay link DarkLyte posted with free shipping at $26, its pricey but may be a good option for those who don’t want to or can’t mod. That said, anyone want to try this and report back?

Hasbro Black Series Helmet Darth Vader Monitorlense Helmetlense lense blackseries cosplay slightly bulbed darthvader visor

Those look great!

 

[Halliwax]

I saw those as well but it's just one flat piece of acrylic that was bent to a curve. The ones I got are "bubble" lenses and are individually thermoformed so they look like they should. The guy on Etsy isn't telling you that you'll need to mod for his to work as well. The inside of the helmet is not one continuous curve.

Aaahh!! Lesson learned!

 

[Unfated]

Just finished my efforts to improve the nose from the squared-off original to the more accurate rounded shape.

Starting point scuffed up to help key the filler,
View attachment 969380

Milliput added and rounded off using a glass marble rolled around the inside,
View attachment 969381

Hardened, sanded and cleaned up,
View attachment 969383

Painted and re-assembled,
View attachment 969384

A simple mod but a big improvement I think.

Rolled around with a marble? Clever.

 

[DarkLyte]

Just finished my efforts to improve the nose from the squared-off original to the more accurate rounded shape.

Starting point scuffed up to help key the filler,
View attachment 969380

Milliput added and rounded off using a glass marble rolled around the inside,
View attachment 969381

Hardened, sanded and cleaned up,
View attachment 969383

Painted and re-assembled,
View attachment 969384

A simple mod but a big improvement I think.

I'm now considering taking my mask apart just to do this mod. Now whenever I look at it, it doesn't look right. I BLAME YOU! Hahaha

 

[DarkLyte]

Collar progress! Just a few spots to touch up and it’s ready for paint. Metal tusks should be here next week.

 

[StephenMG]

I'm now considering taking my mask apart just to do this mod. Now whenever I look at it, it doesn't look right. I BLAME YOU! Hahaha

Ha ha ha! I know exactly how you feel! I keep looking at your modded chin vent, then looking at mine, then looking back at yours, then looking at mine, then looking back at yours, then looking at mine...

I blame YOU!!!!!!

 

[StephenMG]

View attachment 972559 View attachment 972558 Collar progress! Just a few spots to touch up and it’s ready for paint. Metal tusks should be here next week.

Outstanding.

 

[ABE]

looks beautiful

 

[DarkLyte]

Ha ha ha! I know exactly how you feel! I keep looking at your modded chin vent, then looking at mine, then looking back at yours, then looking at mine, then looking back at yours, then looking at mine...

I blame YOU!!!!!!

Hahahaha! Let me know if you need a laser cut insert for yours. I have plenty of styrene left to make more.

 

[DarkLyte]

Tusks from Vaderpainter Studios came in and I think they’re a winner! Slightly smaller than the ones that came on the helmet but I think they look 10x better.

 

[badges2nz]

I'm looking to replace the plastic grating underneath the mouth with actual metal grating. Anyone have any pointers on what to use?

I have found metal mesh on various items that can pass quite nicely, the first one was an old wall mounted hair dryer like back in the 50s & 60s.
The next and probably the best and maybe easiest to get is the aluminium filters from range hoods or cooker hoods, preferably new as the old ones stink with grease and fat.
I hope that helps to some small degree.

 

[DarkLyte]

I have found metal mesh on various items that can pass quite nicely, the first one was an old wall mounted hair dryer like back in the 50s & 60s.
The next and probably the best and maybe easiest to get is the aluminium filters from range hoods or cooker hoods, preferably new as the old ones stink with grease and fat.
I hope that helps to some small degree.

This is the one I used for mine. I got the "Tough Guard" filter.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LVIV0C/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[StephenMG]

Hahahaha! Let me know if you need a laser cut insert for yours. I have plenty of styrene left to make more.

Sorry for the late reply and thank you so much for your kind offer, much appreciated. I've been thinking hard about this chin vent because I I do need to do something with it. As it stands it's too big and the chamfered edges just don't look right. I think I may go for an ESB look though as I quite like that size of vent. I just need to build up the courage to pull my neck section apart again...!