Mando Mercs Costume Club
Mandalorian Armor => Helmets => Topic started by: Cyare Kebii'tra on Nov 06, 2012, 01:06 AM
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Alrighty, time to dust this thread off and make it my official bucket WIP. Again, this'll be my second helmet, but no longer a scratch build. I received the Intimidator from Hondo last week. My original design has changed somewhat, and I'll put that up in the next few days, but I figured I'd add a few pictures of what I already have. Skip to reply #14!
Original Thread:
Hi everybody! I'm really new here, but I've been lurking a bit because I'm really interested in building my own kit. I made my first helmet from scratch out of chipboard in a very constrained time frame (for Halloween), so it's not as good as I'd like it. Since I've been thinking of going light and eventually applying to the Spec Ops brigade as a recon specialist, I figured I'd try to incorporate a long-range scanner into my helmet design. I don't want a large bulky attachment though, and I'd like to keep the ol' rangefinder, so here's what I've come up with. What do you think?
(http://i.imgur.com/tH07x.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/UKVMK.jpg)
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That has definitely got possibilitys
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Messed around in Google Sketchup a bit. Much clearer idea than my drawings. The stalk is probably longer than it needs to be but this is still a quick mock-up.
Perspective
(http://i.imgur.com/c0dff.png?1)
Front
(http://i.imgur.com/EBtRI.png?1)
Back
(http://i.imgur.com/4nWD3.png?1)
Left
(http://i.imgur.com/8I3cI.png?1)
Right
(http://i.imgur.com/onem5.png?1)
Top
(http://i.imgur.com/tjb3v.png?1)
Bottom
(http://i.imgur.com/y20um.png?1)
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Looking really cool. Especially the rangefinder.
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I've been looking at the requirements list and was wondering if that visor shape would be acceptable for a modern era mando? It says "full T-shaped visor", but I'd like mine to be curved and split as shown in my more recent helmet design:
(http://i.imgur.com/355yf.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/kio2A.png)
Does it have to be the angular, strict T like Boba or Jango's helmet?
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Looks to me like a modern, legacy cross. I dig it :)
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Yeah you should be fine with that.
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Great to hear. And thanks! I wanted a little more visibility than the standard ol' T offered. Didn't realize I was getting closer to the legacy realm. I must say, the "cross" looks pretty sweet though. :P
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Hey the way I see it, legacy had to come from somewhere. Surely some mandos used trial and error to perfect the "traditional" armor, thus the full coverage of legacy. But I really do love the bucket. Now get building :P
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I'm gonna print out the templates this weekend. Another scratch build! Maybe my third helmet will be a cast of this one if I'm satisfied with the quality.
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like i said on your other thread: Looking Great!
-Kane
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I don't like rangefinders and I like the way that looks.
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I like the helmet, slightly modified T's always (well...usually) look cool in my opinion. :rolleyes:
My only complaint is the shin plates, it seems a little random to have brown plates when the rest of the armor is grey and blue.
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I like the helmet, slightly modified T's always (well...usually) look cool in my opinion. :rolleyes:
My only complaint is the shin plates, it seems a little random to have brown plates when the rest of the armor is grey and blue.
Oh, those are substitutes for boots that go maybe 3/4 up my calf.
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It lives! I'm finally ready to start. I have a couple exams this week so I won't do much work until the weekend, but I'll show you what I have so far and upload my new concept in the next couple days. It's not much different. For now, beware the mass of pictures below.
First off, the Intimidator from Skirata Arms. Great work by Hondo. I removed most of the flash today. (Also, in case anyone was wondering, it's just under 9.5" without ears.)
(http://i.imgur.com/iDxzkiu.jpg)
It's a good thick and fairly even helmet, but I after removing the flash I found that the vent areas are pretty thin in a couple spots. I'll reinforce those with fiberglass resin and cloth down the line.
(http://i.imgur.com/RKKGIad.jpg)
Here are the ears and RF I'm planning on attaching. Been slowly cleaning them up over the last couple months. Have a bit more work to do though. Yes, I'm still doing the left ear mounted macro, but I have a plan so that it'll still look good in the event that I want to go without it for a while. More on that in the future. The stalk and RF on the far right I won't use, and the ear piece between them may also be extra.
(http://i.imgur.com/PTpdEWb.jpg)
I've taped up some mock ups to see what it might look like. Ignore the left ear for a moment.
(http://i.imgur.com/SOGs6sm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/8veKX7O.jpg)
Okay, now about the left ear. Hondo did some amazing work with the vents and I'm not sure I want to cover them up. I've come up with three possible options, two of which are fairly similar.
Option 1: I don't use the left bottom ear piece, leaving the vents exposed:
(http://i.imgur.com/BEYGoe0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2TpHEf3.jpg)
Option 2: I mirror the right side as far as ear placement (Boba style), with the vents out of sight:
(http://i.imgur.com/DNRtlhN.jpg)
Option 3: Similar to option 2, except Jango style:
(http://i.imgur.com/bRGHNGE.jpg)
Any opinions? And like I said earlier, clear concept drawings to come tomorrow or Thursday.
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Since you aren't going for True Mandalorian, I'd choose an option that covers up the vents.
That said, I cannot wait to see you do this, always loved the Intimidator. :)
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I'd have to disagree. Its a new style and I think the vents should be shown off for how awesome they really are. But that's just my two creds.
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Alrighty, here's a concept for covering the vents and the macro! The gradient is supposed to symbolize bare metal. Credit goes to the MandoMaker for providing me a nice base. :)
(http://i.imgur.com/i8bQB3V.png)
Also, here's a quick alternate to see what leaving the vents might look like. So, any ideas which I pick? I like them both. :-\
(http://i.imgur.com/5pdZ8Yk.png)
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The cool thing about a "modular" helmet like this is designed to be is, you can put it together and keep it modular!
If you use small rare Earth magnets to attach the earcaps over the vents, you can simply paint over the magnets after you glue them in place and it will allow you to attach the pieces, remove them, move them around and give you all kinds of load out options for different events/photo shoots.
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I think I'll have to look into that then. The problem at the moment is that the ear pieces don't fit perfectly over the vents. There are small gaps on either side. So I'll have to find a way to make them sit flush and hide the vents underneath while still having them removable. Challenge accepted. I was leaning toward leaving the left vents uncovered anyway, but if I manage it I'll still have my second option, like you said. I'm more fond of the asymmetrical look.
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They were kind of done that way on purpose to allow for airflow and better hearing. If the vents are opened up (ie cut a small slit in each overlap and back it with screen mesh) and the earcap is put on over it, when it's centered, painted and weathered, the seam crack is nearly invisible. Those small seams along with the open vents would make a great palce to install fanse to bring in fresh air or push out old air, or leaving them open without a fan would allow for better hearing :)
I did something very similar on a couple of helmets I used over the years and it really makes alot of difference.
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Oh, I see. Can you recommend anything for cutting out those slits in the vents? They're a little thin. Think a regular reinforced dremel bit would do the trick? I don't want to ruin them or else I'll definitely have to cover them up.
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Holy cow I wanna see this thing finished its going to look Amazing.
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Nice concept, I really like how you are doing the LRRF.
For what it's worth I prefer option 1, if you do cover it I think the jango style looks cleaner than option 2
How are you planning to build the LRRF?
Looking forward to seeing the rest of this
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Oh, I see. Can you recommend anything for cutting out those slits in the vents? They're a little thin. Think a regular reinforced dremel bit would do the trick? I don't want to ruin them or else I'll definitely have to cover them up.
I would either use the carbon fiber cutting wheel or one of the micro drill bits.
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Thanks guys
Nice concept, I really like how you are doing the LRRF.
For what it's worth I prefer option 1, if you do cover it I think the jango style looks cleaner than option 2
How are you planning to build the LRRF?
Looking forward to seeing the rest of this
Well, if the modular thing works out I can have both. I'm going to make the macro out of a for sale sign, since that's all I have access to at the moment. Of course I'll still reinforce it. Maybe in the future I'll be able to upgrade to styrene or 3mm sintra.
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love the concept ;D
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Thanks. :D
Had a surprise visit from the girlfriend this weekend, so I didn't get much done. Nearly finished cleaning up the ear pieces though, just have one part left. This coming week I'm going to take care of the last ear piece and start prepping the helmet for the primer coat.
Also, this:
(http://i.imgur.com/l8CWnhD.jpg)
Sorry for the bad lighting. Nothing seems good enough indoors, not even 6 lights. Anyway, there were some bubbles in the holes there at the top, so I had the brilliant idea to just drill them out. Well my hand slipped and I messed them up (and sent some shrapnel towards my eyes, hooray safety glasses). I suppose I'll slather some bondo on and either leave it like that or try again more carefully.
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Itty bitty update. Only had enough sunlight after class and exams to remove the last bit of flash from the helmet, then sand and primer it so I could see the imperfections better. When the sun comes up tomorrow I should be able to apply bondo to start filling up dents, holes and the like.
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Okay the girl friend and classes are going to have to take a backseat are you serious about this build or what?
:P JK
Look forward to seeing your progress
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Okay the girl friend and classes are going to have to take a backseat are you serious about this build or what?
:P JK
Look forward to seeing your progress
Ha, well considering I've only seen her 2 weekends in the past couple months I think she'd kill me if I didn't spend time with her after driving 3 hours to be with me. :laugh: But yes, this weekend shall have much progress!
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Big update, lots of pictures. :D
First of all, I bondo-ed up and sanded all my ear pieces to fix the imperfections from the casting process. A few didn't seem to have enough resin, so I had to build up a lot. They're nearly perfect now, just need some more sanding and a little spot filling here and there. They aren't all perfectly flat... might be the way I'm sanding them. Anyway, I'll have to work on that later.
(http://i.imgur.com/a3u9JQE.jpg)
I also filled up the holes on the right ear that I had messed up. I think I'll leave it like this for now, but I might drill them out in the future with a proper drill, not my dremel.
(http://i.imgur.com/Eo3XNJw.jpg)
On to the helmet! There were very few issues, but some had to be fixed (and some I personally couldn't overlook :P) in order to get it all to fit right. The left ear area sort of dipped in and then out. This made it very difficult for the ear piece to lay flat. I used bondo to sort of reconstruct it and then sanded everything down flat. From the front it hardly looks like any bondo was applied, but it's now very wonderfully flat.
(http://i.imgur.com/jUNSTiI.jpg)
Only problem is with the ear piece, like I said before. A little more sanding and it should rest nice and flush. Still, it's barely perceptible.
(http://i.imgur.com/sOZGRiJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/L2Cr9Jv.jpg)
The right ear area was sort of rounded so I just sanded it flat, and also filled out the "brim" area back there because it was much more shallow than the rest of the helmet, if that makes sense.
(http://i.imgur.com/0ZdVQXY.jpg)
These pieces also sit nearly perfectly, just need a little more tweaking. It might not look it because of the vents, which I will not be filling.
(http://i.imgur.com/n9OtFAA.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ER6fyBF.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ROFxdGT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/H5tD8hu.jpg)
I built up the area where I wanted to split the visor with bondo, and also built up the brim on the front a bit as it was unusually flat there. It needs some filling on the underside but that's good enough for now.
(http://i.imgur.com/sQlxoCW.jpg)
As for the dome, it had some dips and sags, all very minor except one, and a sort of a valley along the center from the front to back. I just couldn't leave it like that, so I filled in the ones that I felt where major. Everything else should look like minor dents when everything's painted. I filled in the arrows too, as one wasn't well defined and I had no idea how to carve it out better.
(http://i.imgur.com/9C4lxcK.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SB6TpkP.jpg)
Then everything was wetsanded with a medium grit to make it all nice and smooth and to expose or get rid of minor imperfections. After that, I drew the visor split and got to cutting. Here's the result!
(http://i.imgur.com/ZpVU95u.jpg)
And after some filing. Unfortunately, the only file I have is that little one there on the table from my multitool.
(http://i.imgur.com/v02rJqx.jpg)
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Nice work,
Your attention to detail should pay off in the end result, thanks for posting your progress look forward to more updates.
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Yes indeed, that level of attention to detail will do you well.
A suggestion if you're going to be keeping the vents under the earcaps...
Glue the earcaps on just at the top and bottom. Where they pass over the vents, sand down a little bit so it actually allows airflow.
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Thanks. I'm actually going to try magnets, so I have to order some of those.
I'm pretty much done filing. I still have minor touch ups to do, but that can wait until I get some spot putty. I'm also out of primer now. So, I have a shopping trip ahead of me. :P
(http://i.imgur.com/QcEwpQ6.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/jIV0mGF.jpg)
And visor test fitting. Any advice for sanding the inside so I can get it to lie flush?
(http://i.imgur.com/TQE7A90.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zxSpvja.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/AJR2IbO.jpg)
I also tested some silver leaf rub 'n' buff on the top of the dome. Worked fairly well, but it's clear that I'm going to have to wetsand everything down to be extremely smooth if I want it to look good.
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I've never seen a visor that was perfectly flush with the helmet, actually. So long as it's not obviously off kilter, it shouldn't be a problem. Probable best to wait on advice from someone that has actually finished their helmet :D
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It doesn't have to be perfect, but as you can see in the first visor picture the thickness in that area varies pretty wildly and there are huge gaps.
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Yes.
http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=52872.msg743004#msg743004
(http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/2012-07-03094734.jpg)
The angles are REALLY annoying to work with using a dremel. Use the flex arm if you can. The object is not to get a perfectly flush surface - just a perfectly even thickness RIGHT on the edge. And then you cheat.
(http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy184/pointoforigin1/2012-07-05152946.jpg)
You paint the edge flat black.
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Helmet is looking good
Pointoforigin is right, use a Dremel on th really high bumps than a bit of hand sanding as needed. As long as the visor is larger than the opening then no one wil really see the gaps once it's in.
I used screws to secure my visor, this help pull the corners in tight to the visor
Good luck
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Lookin' awesome! How's the rub n buff going? Keep us updated ;)
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More exams and quizzes this week, unfortunately no time to work on my helmet. Won't be back at it for a couple weeks because I'll be in Colorado snowboarding for Spring Break. :-\
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Took a break from studying last night before my brain fizzled out. Sanded the dome a bit and tried the rub 'n' buff out on a spot the didn't completely sand through. Looks much better. Unfortunately I'm out of primer and spot putty as I haven't been able to make it to the store. Gonna have to do that after Spring Break. Going out of town in a couple hours. Anyway, when I can I'll do several steps of priming and sanding up to 400 grit wetsand after I fill in the last few pinholes. Then I'll embed some magnets in the ears so that they're not visible, add rub 'n' buff everywhere, and finally get to painting and weathering. Not too many more weeks now. :)
(http://i.imgur.com/ef6FgTQ.jpg)
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Hello! Long break. College sucks right now, ha. Been keeping me from doing any work on my bucket. However, I just received some spot putty and magnets for the ear pieces. They may be tiny, but I have 30 of 'em and they're strong little things. I'm going to try to even out the visor area right now. Hopefully later tonight I can ask a friend to take me to walmart for some primer. Won't be doing too much work until after finals. Then I'll be able to really get things rolling. I have pretty much everything I need for my kit except gloves and boots (and bolo for my girth).
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This Buy'ce is Mint ...... Keep Rolling ner'vod ... 8)
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Looks good. I am glad to see you are approaching the pre-paint prep work with care. Correct preparation makes painting infinitely easier!
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Thanks a lot guys. The visor area was dremeled as evenly as I could manage. Tomorrow I will start the final bondo/spot putty work and drill some recesses for the magnets.