About two months ago I decided to start on Subject Delta from Bioshock 2 with the goal of having the suit ready by D*con 2009. I have been posting pictures and updates to my face book account but realized I should put some updates here as well to allow the rest of the prop building community to see what I have been up to. All the pictures can be found here:
And now into the details. The helmet started off as a pepakura model that was trimmed to fit my mannequin. Once the shape and size reached a point I felt comfortable with I applied two layers of cloth and resin to support the helmet for additional sculpting and then applied several applications of bondo until the general shape was nice and smooth.
For the raised details such as the outer ring and camera, I used balsa wood and hot glue to achieve the desired shape and surface height, followed by bondo to blend everything in. I also made resin castings of a mag light for the chest lights and a smaller flashlight for the camera lens and control knob.
The rivets were added by pounding finish nails into the helmet. After the nails and other small details were applied, I made a silicon rubber mold of the helmet to produce a lightweight resin casting for the final product. With the casting pulled, the handles, weight supports, rear guard, made from PVC, and other small details were added to the helmet, followed by several coats of Krylon Hammered Copper Paint.
The wing nuts are actually castings. I took a ½” wing nut and grinded it to the proper shape, and then made a silicon mold. I then casted resin copies with a #8 nut inside so the nuts could be bolted to the helmet. The nuts were painted silver to provide contrast with the helmet.
The two main tanks were made from cardboard tubes coated in resin and bondo. The top of the tanks were sculpted from great stuff expanding foam and then coated in fiberglass and bondo. The rings are made from balsa and the rivets are once again finish nails. The tanks are designed with a flat surface so they can be bolted to the helmet without wobbling. With the tanks and helmet painted they have now been handed off to my friend for weathering.
The drill is still a work in progress. I started with several foam disk glued together and sanded to form a cone. The foam was then covered in a layer of paper mache to prevent the resin from eating it. I then used poster board to form the threads and coated the whole thing in several coats of resin to provide strength. At the moment I am sanding it down and should be applying primmer soon.
I will try to post updates a little more regularly as I move forward.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2954209&id=1921590&l=1a7c9427bb
And now into the details. The helmet started off as a pepakura model that was trimmed to fit my mannequin. Once the shape and size reached a point I felt comfortable with I applied two layers of cloth and resin to support the helmet for additional sculpting and then applied several applications of bondo until the general shape was nice and smooth.
For the raised details such as the outer ring and camera, I used balsa wood and hot glue to achieve the desired shape and surface height, followed by bondo to blend everything in. I also made resin castings of a mag light for the chest lights and a smaller flashlight for the camera lens and control knob.
The rivets were added by pounding finish nails into the helmet. After the nails and other small details were applied, I made a silicon rubber mold of the helmet to produce a lightweight resin casting for the final product. With the casting pulled, the handles, weight supports, rear guard, made from PVC, and other small details were added to the helmet, followed by several coats of Krylon Hammered Copper Paint.
The wing nuts are actually castings. I took a ½” wing nut and grinded it to the proper shape, and then made a silicon mold. I then casted resin copies with a #8 nut inside so the nuts could be bolted to the helmet. The nuts were painted silver to provide contrast with the helmet.
The two main tanks were made from cardboard tubes coated in resin and bondo. The top of the tanks were sculpted from great stuff expanding foam and then coated in fiberglass and bondo. The rings are made from balsa and the rivets are once again finish nails. The tanks are designed with a flat surface so they can be bolted to the helmet without wobbling. With the tanks and helmet painted they have now been handed off to my friend for weathering.
The drill is still a work in progress. I started with several foam disk glued together and sanded to form a cone. The foam was then covered in a layer of paper mache to prevent the resin from eating it. I then used poster board to form the threads and coated the whole thing in several coats of resin to provide strength. At the moment I am sanding it down and should be applying primmer soon.
I will try to post updates a little more regularly as I move forward.
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