Vader Maker Australia

The Helmet

Buying the Helmet

If you want to get the Helmet from Australia, Steve Altmann from Adelaide is the only licensed producer of Star Wars helmets in Australia. Check the links page for his site, Altmann's Armour.

If you check out the Don Post masks, you'll see that they are very close to the real thing. They are made of plastic and come in two pieces (the face plate and the helmet) and they just stick together with velcro. The Standard Don Post Helmet costs approx US$30.00 (or about A$50.00 depending on how the dollar is going) and then there is postage on top of that.

There is the Classic Action Helmet which is larger and much more detailed, albeit it is much more expensive. These are about US$120.00, but I've been told they are worth it.

Alterations to the Helmet

You shouldn't really need to do anything to it. However, there are a few things you can do to make it look a little more like accurate and comfortable.

This is a list of the things you can do. I'll list them in order of easiest and most important to difficult and less important.

   1. Billet Sensors inserted
   2. The point between the eyes trimmed
   3. Neck trimmed
   4. Lenses replaced
   5. Grill cut out and replaced

It will get very hot under the helmet so you are best to buy a small fan from Dick Smiths. The smallest one they have is 4cm x 4cm x 1cm (12volt DC Rotary Brushless Fan). I'm not sure of the best place to mount it but as soon as my helmet arrives I'll start experimenting.

The Billet Sensors/Tusks

On the helmet there are two silver sensors/tusks. When you buy the Don Post Vader helmet the sensors that are there aren't crash hot. So if you're not happy with them, cut them off and drill a small hole into the helmet.

ONLY DO THIS IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STUFF IT UP.

These are the billet sensors you can probably buy. However you can make a pair of sensors that will look reasonably OK.

Vaderkinde came across these little gems.

These are the ends from IV tubing (used in hospitals) and I sure hope these weren't attached to patients at the time. If you know someone who works at a hospital, it might be best to ask them if they could get you some. I don't think it would be wise to rock up to a hospital and ask for the IV tube caps. Could be a tad embarassing.

Trim both ends of the tube. Cut the grooved end first. Easiest way to do this is to get a very sharp knife and place it on where you want to cut it off. Then gently roll the tube on the table with the knife on top. Continue to do this with advancing amount of pressure and you should get a neat, level cut. Now cut off the other end.

You should now a piece that looks like this.

I used 8g x 20mm self tappers for the ends. Simply screw them into the ends.

This is what you should have now.

Get some putty (either Selley's Knead-IT or Tamina Model Putty) and fill in the slots of the screws. Let it dry and then sand them down to a smooth finish.

Give them a spray with some grey primer and once that's dried, spray them with either chrome or silver.

Take the helmet and peel off the little silver stickers that are on the tusks. Drill a hole in the exact centre of each tusk.

Now all you need to do is screw the sensors in place. Try not to touch them much so use a paper towel to hold them while screwing them in. If you need to, you can stuff some Selley's Knead-IT inside the mask behind the tusk. This will just give it a little more security.

Trimming the 'pointy bit'

You'll notice that the bit between the eyes has a rather severe point there. This needs to be trimmed or rounded off. You can use a sharp knife or even a file, however sandpaper works well and there's less chance of causing scratches. You will have to neaten it up so use a small bit of damp sandpaper to get a smooth finish.

Trimming the Neck Line

Trimming the neck line takes a bit of courage but it's a must.

Get yourself a Dremel tool. I wish I had one of these when I started making this as it would've saved me a heap of time. It's very accurate and you have more control over it than you would a hacksaw.

Tape the neckline with masking tape and draw a line where you will want to cut.

Use your Dremel tool with the cutting wheel and very carefully, start making the cuts. Best thing to do is to cut about 10 cm, then cut that section off.

Below is a photo showing the before and after shots. I only took off about 2cm from the neckline and already it's easier to wear. I'll probably end up taking a bit more off afterwards.

Making the Helmet (instructions by GypsyBoyl)

GypsyBoy over at the Sith Training Temple has done a fabo job of making a helmet. You can check out his site for more instructions.

Project Vader - Helmet

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Updated: 06 August 2002

Trim both ends of the tube. Cut the grooved end first. Easiest way to do this is to get a very sharp knife and place it on where you want to cut it off. Then gently roll the tube on the table with the knife on top. Continue to do this with advancing amount of pressure and you should get a neat, level cut. Now cut off the other end.
You should now a piece that looks like this.
I used 8g x 20mm self tappers for the ends. Simply screw them into the ends.
This is what you should have now.
Get some putty (either Selley's Knead-IT or Tamina Model Putty) and fill in the slots of the screws. Let it dry and then sand them down to a smooth finish.
Give them a spray with some grey primer and once that's dried, spray them with either chrome or silver.
Take the helmet and peel off the little silver stickers that are on the tusks. Drill a hole in the exact centre of each tusk.
Now all you need to do is screw the sensors in place. Try not to touch them much so use a paper towel to hold them while screwing them in. If you need to, you can stuff some Selley's Knead-IT inside the mask behind the tusk. This will just give it a little more security.