Shadow Scout bucket options?

[CRex[TX]]

Alright Shadow Scouts, I’m looking for a comparison of the different shadow scout helmet options out there. 

[762s[TX]]

you have plenty of options ...

what are you looking for? 
just to get approved or screen accuracy?

with some of the kits they way they are put together i suggest dont get caught up in the extra cost of having black plastic ... its not worth it since you have to paint them anyways!

scout bucket options ... (not all ?)
~ EFX and RS ... these are the most screen accurate although RS is more screen accurate do to EFX using fiberglass and has a flairing out issue with the cheek area on the visor and huge gap on the top of the buckets visor ... these are abit pricey too!

~ CFO (who uses Lonewolf molds now) i would say is the next in screen accuracy ... euro based vendor ... the new  molds are sharp ... trusted vendor
~ Chef Creations ... euro based vendor and great guy, his soft parts are top notch and his helmet looks great too ... trusted vendor
~ Altmann ... nice guy, australian based vendor bigger bucket for bigger heads ... trusted vendor
~ Studio Creations ... another great guy ... US based vendor ... nice lightweight helmet, different construction than most which doesnt require painting after its built ... trusted vendor

~ WTF ... US based vendor ... decent helmet once its built ( i suggest letting him build it though) ... trusted vendor
~ MonCal/Far Away Creations ... US based vendor ... his kits looks good ... trusted vendor

all these buckets are nice and they each have their own look as they are fan sculpted (except the EFX an RS helmet)
and all the "trusted vendors" above make scout armor too

CFO --- uses Strider molds for armor and Lonewolf molds for the helmet ... this combo is a nice screen accurate look
RS makes armor --- very pricey and their claim of being screen used is well, they cant/wont prove it (thats a whole other story)
EFX doesnt make armor

also, this is not a costume i would worry about getting glossy, shiny black plastic like a Shadow Trooper or DeathTrooper, a matte black finish is a better option for the scout, imo.
if you do want to go shiny though ... then i suggest you go with the studio creations kit, you will have to contact Jeff directly(use FB) as he doesnt have the Shadow Scout armor on his website but, he does make it.  and with his kit its complete and requires no paint.

im not sure if chef creations and moncal/faraway creations helmets are built like studio creations where they wont require painting. 
all the others though, will require painting of the helmet to match your armor!

~ i have built 10 RS buckets and they are of white plastic. 
after primer and painting 2 of them matte black you would never know that they where white, i even painted my armor to match my bucket.

hope that helps !

btw ... im working on my 2nd shadow scout. retired my 1st one.
with white armor and a white helmet all from CFO ... will paint it all matte black.

[RAIDER[COTG]]

That's about as good a summary as you can get from @762s

To add...I have a Chef bucket/kit and I've helped a few build theirs.  I like the look and always recommend Chef...good bang for your buck though you do have to consider customs fees and shipping when ordering any of the non-US kit.  It's a 5 piece helmet with a split dome and visor that will require painting.  In general, that's the toughest part of the armor build...the other armor pieces are essentially just trimming and strapping.

I have also assisted a WTF bucket build.  It too was a 5 piece kit.

[CRex[TX]]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I’m going for basic on this build.  I’ve built 4 scouts so far, working on the 5th one for a Garrison member. Glad to hear painting a white kit is okay because I do have an older one I don’t use. ? Yeah RS is way outta my price range. Anyone know around how much a WTF helmet kit costs? I’m leaning towards purchasing that one if the price is right. Thanks for the tip on the black finishes too. I planned on doing more of a matte finish. 

[762s[TX]]

@Raider -- glad to know the chef helmet is 5 piece like most.  i could not remember how he made his.

and i never had any extra fees with my euro orders ... i ordered from RS, Chef, CFO and never noticed any extra charges.
 

2 hours ago, CRex said:

Thanks for the feedback guys. I’m going for basic on this build.  I’ve built 4 scouts so far, working on the 5th one for a Garrison member. Glad to hear painting a white kit is okay because I do have an older one I don’t use. ? Yeah RS is way outta my price range. Anyone know around how much a WTF helmet kit costs? I’m leaning towards purchasing that one if the price is right. Thanks for the tip on the black finishes too. I planned on doing more of a matte finish. 

his kits are:
$450 armor only + plus shipping
$600 complete + shipping

i dont want to assume but, it looks like his helmet would be $150 +shipping

his helmet is abit difficult if you never built a 5 piece helmet due to the lack of cut lines or mold marks of any kind ... last i saw, which was a couple weeks ago they dont pencil in anything like trim lines to work with. 
but, it is like all 5 piece builds which require some test fitting and trimming to get the pieces all lined up.


also, with the matte finish, maybe think of doing some extra steps and adding several base layers, primer grey, then step that up to several silver or chrome layers before you spray the black.  if you do catch a rub or scratch it will show the depth of the layers and look like metal underneath the black paint if the surface paint is rubbed away.





 

[RAIDER[COTG]]

58 minutes ago, 762s said:

@Raider -- glad to know the chef helmet is 5 piece like most.  i could not remember how he made his.

and i never had any extra fees with my euro orders ... i ordered from RS, Chef, CFO and never noticed any extra charges.
 

his kits are:
$450 armor only + plus shipping
$600 complete + shipping

i dont want to assume but, it looks like his helmet would be $150 +shipping

his helmet is abit difficult if you never built a 5 piece helmet due to the lack of cut lines or mold marks of any kind ... last i saw, which was a couple weeks ago they dont pencil in anything like trim lines to work with. 
but, it is like all 5 piece builds which require some test fitting and trimming to get the pieces all lined up.


also, with the matte finish, maybe think of doing some extra steps and adding several base layers, primer grey, then step that up to several silver or chrome layers before you spray the black.  if you do catch a rub or scratch it will show the depth of the layers and look like metal underneath the black paint if the surface paint is rubbed away.





 

Yea I got hit w/ a customs fee once for my first pair of boots (made my own the next go around lol).  Fee was like $75 to have the package released.  Can happen.

[CRex[TX]]

Great info and tips! Thank you both chimming in!