Kicking it Off with a Stormtrooper!

007baller

New Member
So I fortunately came across the magic that is pepakura about a month or so ago. I wanted to do an Ironman mask to wear to the premier but I did very little research into actually doing pepakura, I printed the pages wrong, used tape...needless to say that failed. Then I came across Fierfek's Star Wars thread and almost drowned in my drool. Decided to wipe my slate clean and make the Stormtrooper my first ever build.

I started the helmet on May 7 and today, June 11, I've officially completed gluing together the ANH helmet. Unfortunately I've finally done my research on pep builds after getting to this stage. So to list the mistakes I've already made:
-Printed on regular printer paper
-Cut with scissors
-Folded by hand
-Been using rubber cement
-Spent WAY too much time on the details of the helmet (considering I plan to bondo it)

But anyway I'll start posting the pictures I've taken along the way up to this point as I plan to start the strengthening process.
 
Day 1 - 5/7/13
So like I said I used regular printer paper as I figured it's much easier to cut with a scissors (now I know about exacto knives) and also used rubber cement since it works well with that paper (has anyone else ever used rubber cement for the cardstock? Or do you just recommend using either super glue/hot glue?).
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5/15/13
As you can see by the dates I didn't run through the project in a few days, it ended up just being spread out over about a month. And as I said before I might've spent a little too much time on details like the vocoder. :$
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5/17/13
Completed vocoder and frown.
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6/6/13
Fast forward a bit (took some time off for an outer state trip) and I've got a partially wearable mask. :D
DSC04115.JPGDSC04116.JPG

6/11/13
My finished pepakura. And again maybe I spent too much time making the earpiece and vocoder perfect (I'm very meticulous/anal/borderline OCD).
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I'm actually really scared to strengthen it because, like I said, everything looks so neat and being this is my first build I'm not experienced with bondo so when I get to that step "I have a bad feeling about it". Anyone have tips on how to apply bondo as intricately as possible? Or do you guys maybe suggest I make a second one minus the vocoder/earpiece/depressions and try to incorporate those later in the piece after strengthening?
 
For the bondo phase, try to use as little as possible on each coat, don't just slather 3 pounds of the stuff on.

If this is your first time using Bondo, maybe do a few practice runs on some scrap wood beforehand to get the hang of it. Or cardboard.

Looks great, by the way!
 
bhodie: thanks, that's why I'm scared to even touch it, lol.
Crank729: good idea...probably be in the best interest of both myself and the mask to get some practice. Thanks! And for the intricate parts (i.e. vocoder/earpiece) do you have any recommendations as far as household products I can use to apply the bondo instead of using some giant scraper.
 
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This is one scarily gorgeous pep! That is beautiful precision that you have there.

Are you going to resin the piece first before applying the bondo? If so, it might just pay to test the resin on a small test pep. I'm not sure - could well be wrong - but I have an idea that resin might dissolve the rubber glue as it is setting. And it would be a great shame to see such a beautiful pep ruined.
 
Hey 007, great looking pep so far! If for some reason you might not feel comfortable using fiberglass/resin and bondo there are alternatives that work. On my blog I do a lot of pep files that I strengthen using plaster wrap, wood filler and other unconventional materials. It's worth looking into. As always, everyone here at the RPF are here to help!
 
Looks nice so far, though having used printer paper you definitely want to resin/fiberglass it before applying bondo. Just my humble opinion.
 
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Blaxmyth: I was asking my uncle about that (he's an automotive kind of guy so he's very familiar with resin/bondo) and at first he said there shouldn't be a problem with the rubber dissolving but as he thought about it more and more he suggested maybe we do a test run, lol.

Timbog1: I'd be very interested in learning about your "unconventional" wisdom. :D I was going through your blog (a lot of neat projects I must say) but couldn't find any threads about what kinds of wood fillers/plaster wrap/etc. you used. So if you have any good links to where I can read up on that stuff, like I said, I'd be very interested.

Arch27: Cool link... (Though this is so far into the future it shouldn't even be on my mind) I was wondering how I was gonna connect all the parts together (plan on making this my Halloween costume this year). Lots of good ideas on that page.

And thanks EVERYONE for the flattering comments (glad to know my effort is appreciated) but I've decided to leave this helmet alone and do a remake with the proper equipment (hopefully this one goes a lot quicker as I plan to take a page out of terra1's book and leave the vocoder/earpiece off until after bondo-ing the rest of the helmet).

Wish me luck!
 
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Wishing you luck! Although with the skills you've shown so far, you won't need it!

Please keep us posted with lots more photos.
 
Hey 007,

Ask and ye shall receive! Here are some of my alternatives, complete with photos:
Plaster Wrap. The brand name is ArtMinds and I buy this at Michaels Arts store. It's about $10 for the large roll.
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Wood Filler by Elmers. This you can buy almost anywhere, ie Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. 90% of the time that I mention wood filler in my blogs, and it's this stuff. Price varies from $4-$12 depending on the size you get.
IMG_20130614_065457_621.jpg
Another wood filler called Durham's Rock Hard Wood filler. This stuff is also quite good and a lot less expensive. It comes as a powder and you'll have to mix water with it. I have only found this stuff in Lowes. The 4 pound tin goes for about $4.
IMG_20130614_065552_766.jpg
Apoxie Clay or Apoxie Sculpt. This material is a must have. It's a 2-part clay that dries super hard and is quite sand-able and easy to use. The price for 3 pounds is around $30, so this stuff is better used more moderately than wood filler...unless you have money to burn. The company that makes this is called Aves, and you'll probably have to order it on line.
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I also use Spackling Paste - which is different than just plain spackle. Obviously it's more paste like and I can apply it to my models with a brush, rather than a knife. Can be found in any home improvement store. I think I paid about $16 for the gallon pictured. Spackling Paste is not as brittle or light as regular spackle, so it acts as a good filller.
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I hope some of this has been useful, and I can't wait to see your progress!
 
Really Nice and detailed work so far, but you may run in trouble at the bondo stage and loosing much of details of the fierfek-pepakura.

I always recommend the pdo created by spacecowboy when it comes to resin an bondo it.

It seems also to be more accurate in the basic overall shape

For my build I've also used a thicker printer paper an epoxy resin to strength it and apply the fiberglasmats.

Follow the link in my signature to visit my build-thread



.
 
Very cool stuff guys...definitely try to incorporate some of those in any future builds!

6/17/13
DSC04124.JPG
Finally had some time to work on my new bucket. Must say hot glue is a lot more efficient then trying to use rubber cement and the x-acto blade makes cutting the edges out a lot easier as well. As you can see the dome is complete...now to find some time to do the rest of it. lol
 
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