Bolt Builds Commander Bacara + P2 ROTS Grunt

[Bolt_2112]

Time to brace ourselves for some heavy reading , looking forward to the quality work you always produce.
Really good example of using one kit to produce multiple approvals .

You don't have to read it all Bruce, just look at the pictures   

Today's update: Cleaning up the buckets and prep work

Helmets always have flashing left over from the two halves of the mould. This will need to be removed and cleaned up before paint work.



Using a dremel with sanding drum and two different grades of sandpaper, I removed the bulk of the flashing. If anything you want to make it flush, or just past flush.

  

It doesn't matter if the finish is a tad rough, we shall fix this at the next stage... note the locations of pin holes and dimples in the helmet

  

With all the flashing and excess material removed from the helmet we can move onto the next stage. This is CRITICAL to get right! 

Rotocast helmets will have mould release residue left on the surface from the moulding process. This stuff is essentially anti-paint and is as bad as silicone. 
You can quickly have your hard work turned into a nightmare if not removed correctly. Just take a look at my Shocktrooper from 8 years ago:



Beware incorrect surface preperation! 
How do you prevent this??

You want to get some wax & grease remover or a solvent (like metho) or even some soap and water (although this doesn't always work with non-water based mould release agents). 



My choice is Wax & Grease remover as my background is in industrial spray painting and it's what I'm familar with. 
Simply apply it in a wax on wax off kinda fashion. Wipe it onto the surface, into every nook and cranny, then wipe it off again with a clean wrag. Wear gloves.



Give the helmets a wash with the hose and dry them off, this will remove any dust. 
With that done, it's time to prep the helmet. 

I like to use a primer/filler spray, preferably in white. Today I'm using this brand, but almost any decent brand will do. 



Primer/filler does what it says on the tin, it primes the surface for paint and it gives you a layer to sand back to create a smooth finish. You can add more to areas as you go.
It dries fast and is easy to sand.

 All primed! My Phase 2 helmet painted well.

On the other hand.. my Bacara helmet became a prime example of what to watch out for. 



This is called "Orange peel" .. because it looks like an orange peel I guess haha. 
It means that there is still mould release on the surface. As you spray you will notice the paint seperating, stop painting and wait for it to dry. 
Sand back any areas that have orange peel and clean them again with Wax & Grease remover, maybe do it twice to make sure! 

After then give it another spray and see how it goes, if it doesn't seperate you are gold!

  

Next up I mixed up some fine filler, this is the brand I'm using. Again, if it's a good quality 2 part filler it should work fine. 
I spread it with a scraper and my gloved fingers into the pin holes and divits, along the seams and also in the sides of the aerators as they were a bit thin. 



Now to let all that dry. I'll be in for a bit of sanding next update!