Phoenix Top Gun Helmet

Phoenix Top Gun Helmet

This custom painted helmet was one of the coolest custom helmets I’ve gotten to do recently as it was a Phoenix Top Gun helmet. I dig working on Top Gun helmet designs because it gives me an excuse to re-watch the movies while I am working. Every time I do custom helmet painting design for a Top Gun replica helmet, it brings back memories of jets, speed, and memories. For this project, I was requested to custom paint a Top Gun Phoenix replica helmet with bright red, true logos, and a PPG show finish. Wanted it to look just like the one Phoenix wore in the movie, only a higher finished show-quality.

When I started the helmet painting process, the customer needed a streetbike custom helmet as the base. The custom paint and helmet airbrushing process required paint colors laid down with pin-line tape and masking. The reds, blacks, and gloss clear made the custom Phoenix Top Gun helmet clean.

The details, really the perfect BLACK is what really made this custom painted Top Gun Phoenix helmet stand out. Like the Top Gun Phoenix helmet replica from the movie. On the front, I added the name “Phoenix” just like from the film. Every stripe and shape was carefully masked and airbrushed to make sure it was clean. This kind of custom helmet airbrushing takes attention, but it’s worth it to make a helmet look right and not county fair cheesy.

Executing this custom painted Top Gun helmet was extra fun because everyone in the US was so excited about the new Top Gun 2 movie Maverick. My fiancé, Jeannette Bress and I even went to see Top Gun 2 at a drive-in theater!  First time I had been to a Drive-In movie.  We laid in the back of the Jeep and watched the jets zoom across the big screen. That night made this project feel even more special. Being a fan since my grade school days, it felt great to share that excitement with others and paint something that means so much to a personal Top Gun southern California fan.   I even got to deliver this helmet to him by hand, which is rare.  Usually they are shipped all over the states and the world, and I don’t get to meet the receivers.  But he said his wife loved her new surprise custom painted helmet.

Once the paintwork itself was finished, after the urethane, three layers of PPG Envirobase clear coat – to protect the artwork. This airbrushed street helmet had to be tough enough for street riding, but color sanded over and over for that show level finish, better than the hokey movie props. Every line was double-checked to make sure it matched the real Top Gun Phoenix custom painted helmet from the film. The result was a clean, sharp, and legit custom painted helmet that any Top Gun fan would love.

I dig working on custom painted helmets like this lid because they mix my paint, pop culture, and some backseat jeep fun. Whether it’s a Top Gun Phoenix helmet, a racing lid, or a wild street design, every helmet has a story. And this one was a tribute to a strong character, a classic historic movie, and the feeling of flying fast and free. That’s what custom helmet painting is all about—making something personal, exciting, and one of a kind.