The brain buckets are part of TMO. I figured out how to get helmets to appear when at battle stations when working on the "Nine Delta Two" project that i've abandoned. I then took what I learned while working on that project, and applied it when i was updating TMO.
While i don't remember the exact syntax, the gist of how it works is you add the helmet via a 3d accessory to the gun crew position while at battle stations, or while the station is actively maned in 3d. I forget which, probably whenever its manned, not just battle stations. You add this 3d accessory via what is tanatmount to a global command for that item. (meaning add all nine varations of this 3d item.)
However, to get it to work properly without clipping, you have to remove all other "hats" (for all possible ranks) from that position. There's a line for this in the UPC files. Or you get something that looks like
this. The funny thing is a global item command doesnt work when removing hats. So you have to specifiy, each and every single individual hat to be removed so you don't get clipping issues.
The end result, if i remember correctly, is that whenever that gun position is manned, the normal hats are removed, and the helmets are placed.
In defense of the RFB guys, how to do this wasn't discovered until after they had wound down on development. Had they still been actively working, I'm sure they would have added it. As an aside, its not hard to add yourself. In fact, i'll bet you could copy and paste the associated 4 lines of code from a TMO upc file into a RFB upc file, and it would work without a hitch.
The exact lines and all that, i don't have infront of me. But, look for the crew assiggnments while at battle stations, 3d rendering, accessories added and subtracted. it'll probably be in the UPCData/UPCUnits data, the uniparts file that define crew for conning towers and such. Look in there, and find the lines that extend waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy over to the right with a huge list of hats. That'll be the lines you need to copy and paste. Once you see them, i think it's self explanitory on what you need to copy.