P-51 Mustang Custom Helmet

P-51 Mustang Custom Helmet

This P-51 Mustang custom helmet was designed and airbrushed for Keith Padgett of Oakhurst, California. Keith is not just a Red Bull ski athlete, but also an aircraft expert and a business owner. He needed a brand new custom painted motocross helmet to add to his helmet collection. We wanted this custom painted helmet to be bold, cool, and personal. It had to show off the things Keith loves—motocross, flying, and his ranch. So we got to work doing what we love—custom helmet painting with style and meaning.

The helmet started as a plain Shoei VFX Evo, which is perfect for the process because Shoeis are the best built helmets in the world. Eventually to become a sharp custom painted dirt helmet, Keith wanted a  P-51 Mustang fighter plane as the base look. That meant using silver metal colors, red and yellow highlights, and the classic shark mouth. Those teeth and eyes are a big part of the P-51 Mustang look. The helmet airbrushing was important to get the elements of the plane. That included painting metal panels with rivets and rust details to make this, like many of our custom painted helmets look aged and real.

Next, we added Keith’s name to the back of the custom painted moto helmet to make it his own. That’s one of the best parts about custom painted helmets—you can add anything you want, no rules. And for Keith, we added even more. He owns a business called Triple 2 Ranch, so I tweaked and improved their logo, and painted the ranch’s logo big on both sides of the custom painted MX helmet. We also added the old-school U.S. Air Force star logo from WWII. That made the helmet look like it came straight from a fighter plane—but this one was ready for dirt.

We used a high-end PPG clear for this custom painted dirt helmet. The base coat was silver and the details were all done by hand helmet airbrushing. We even made the metal look scratched and weathered, just like a real plane that had been through some battles, including bullet holes and damage. The red and yellow colors on the nose gave it a fast, bright look. When the sun hits this airbrushed custom helmet, it really dances.

Painting a custom airbrushed MX helmet like this takes time, as they all do, but it’s always worth it, and always surprises you once it is reassembled, just how cool they are. This custom painted motocross helmet  told the story of Keith’s life: flying, skiing, working on machines, and riding.

Keith’s new dirt bike custom helmet is not just something to wear—it’s something to be proud of.  At least I am, for how well it turned out. Whether he’s racing on dirt or just walking through his office at the ranch, this custom painted helmet will turn heads. It’s one of those offroad custom painted helmets that makes people stop and ask, “Where did you get that?” And the answer will always be—it’s custom hand painted, one of a kind.

Every part of this custom helmet painting project was fun. From the shark teeth to the rust to the ranch logo, it all came together in one bold piece of art. That’s why I love making custom painted helmets. Every helmet is different. Every person has their own story. And custom helmet airbrushing lets me bring that story to life.  Often that story can span decades.   Just too cool.

So now Keith has a custom painted motocross helmet that looks like a flying machine,  and shows off much that makes him who he is. This custom painted helmet isn’t just a Shoei anymore—it’s art, it’s history, and it’s made to last, until it’s retired and turned into a trophy.