Project 2013: 2013

So for 2013 I decided I'm going to start a project that I can wear around to to events. So I came up with one... Here is my ODST helmet that I had started in January. Its turning out a lot better than I expected. This week is also Bungie week so I figured I would dedicate this post to them. (yes, I know 343i owns Halo now but it was bungie who created the series)

To viewers: I hope this motivates you if you ever wanted to make your own armor. I thought I couldnt do it until I tried. Thanks to google and youtube I learned a lot. Never give up before you try. The web is full of prop makers just standing by to help you out...

Enjoy!

It all begins with a form of art called Pepakura. Pepakura is like making a sculpture out of paper... sorta. It can require a lot of patience, believe me.
So what we do is go to Tamasoft.com and download pepakura viewer or designer. Designer allows you to rescale your model while in viewer all you can do is view the model.

After we have selected which one to download, search up some files on our best friend Google. Examlpe: Halo Reach pepakura files. If you are using google chrome all you have to do is click on a picture, click the visit page option and there should be a download link on the web page. It will download straight to pepakura designer or viewer.

note: you may have to sign up for some sights in order to downlad from them, such as 4shared.

If you are wanting to make a smooth looking model, avoid downloading files that have sharp edges like this one^

This is an example of a nice smooth file. Files like this will help your model be smooth when they are complete!
File: ODST helmet by kirrou

For further information on how to scale and print out your pepakura files visit the youtube bar on the right of this blog for tutotorials.(the videos are not of me or my channel) .

Lots of pep work- the piece petruding above the chin area is actually part of the visor. I had to remove it early on because it would have been too hard to cut out without cutting up the actual helmet.

Pepping takes a lot of patience... and I mean A LOT!

Ready for fiberglassing

Fiberglass cloth (after fiberglass resin is applied on outer helmet)- My method of installing this is by cutting the cloth into 2"x2" squares. I then spray the inside of the helmet with (elmer's) adhesive spray and stick the squares inside the helmet until the paperboard is no longer visible. Wait 10-15 minutes then coat the inside with fiberglass resin- 2 coats...

In this picture Fiberglass resin has already been applied to the outer helmet. It takes 2-3 coats of resin and a full day to cure before you can strenghten the inside using fiberglass cloth, "rondo" or both.

At this point I used a rasp to grind down those rough edges. MOST PEOPLE FORGET THIS!!! Nobody wants an edgey helmet! Dont worry if it's not perfectly flat, bondo will finish the job! Bondo will allow you to add in your own touch of detail. You can literally build pieces on to our finished pepakura model that were missing in the pepakura file.

Bondo time!!

Inside of the helmet is fiberglass cloth and rondo. Rondo is a mix between fiberglass resin and bondo. When mixed correctly, it should be light pink in color. Rondo does an excellent job at strengthening!!

Work in sections with bondo

After the bondo was applied (and cured), I coated the helmet with spotting putty. Spotting putty gives it a casted metal look and fills in any imperfections. Spotting putty is great! Without this stuff my helmet would have turned out pretty sloppy!

What I did here was traced on what I like to call "guide lines". I used a dremel with a cutting wheel attatchment and ground in some lines. WEAR GOGGLES!! When bits of flying bondo get in your eyes it does not feel nice!

Next was a shot of primer. This helps you catch any missed imperfections. Great thing about primer is that it can be sanded down.

Primer coat: Rustoleum automotive primer

After that was the base coat. (I covered the visor area and cheek vents in masking tape before I applied the paint.) This coat is to mimic metal for when you create battle damage. Where you want it to look like paint was chipped, scratched or burned, this coat will show making it look like actual metal underneath.

Base coat: Rustoleum Hammered metal silver

This is a helmet idea suggested by a member from Bungie.net. His idea was to add shark teeth around the chin area and make the helmet Bungie.net colors, (I added orange instead of blue) so I whipped up this color sketch. Sorry about the uneven visor design, It was an accident. On an actual helmet I would have made sure it was even first, but it gets the point across...