Jet Fighter Helmet: Finished

Picked up the helmet this weekend and was pleasantly surprised with the finished product. The entire project was done by Jeremy Grayson of AirbrushOC. I basically told him I wanted a World War II themed helmet with a pinup and a chainring somewhere on there. I grew up with this guy and it’s been amazing seeing an artist progress through an entire, well, part of a lifetime. On to the helmet. First went the base coat. Pretty simple.

The beginnings

Obviously, simpler designs would take a lot less time but I wanted to explore his abilities so this one required lots of different techniques to achieve the different designs. As you’ll see from the finished helmet, this was a highly detailed design. Fully custom and completely from scratch.

First designs

I also mentioned I wanted a worn look(like a World War II plane) so the scratches, dings, and burn marks were put on to give the helmet some character.

Taking shape

Next the visor went back on.

Visor detail

Front view

Right detail

As I previously mentioned this was an XL helmet so it’ll probably never be worn, so less expensive paints were used. This was the reason for the white blotches on the pinups’ calf. Normally he uses House of Color paints which are top of the line, but this was just an experiment so there was no point. Also you’ll notice there isn’t any clear coat. Helmets would always get clear coats for protection but it’s just easier to take pictures without the hassle of clear coat reflection.

Finished

Dig the ghost chainrings.

Top detail

If you’re interested in a helmet give Jeremy a holler, via his site. This was a completely custom project with intricate details so, to give you an idea, this would run you top dollar. Then again he charges less than half what Troy Lee Designs does. For TLD’s base models(they use various stencils) they charge $400 a pop. Full detailed graphics they charge $1,200. I inquired on the price and Jeremy mentioned this one(with House of Colors paints and clear coats) would be around $500. Custom helmets aren’t everyone’s cup of tea but if you absolutely gotta have a one-off helmet, AirbrushOC will hook you up. Obviously simpler designs will run much cheaper and, in this case, you get to work one on one with the artist, throughout the process, and dictate exactly what it is you want. Plus your working with an easy going, down-to-earth artist. Cool stuff.

Jet Fighter Helmet