Cobra Commander: Retaliation

GIjoeFan197 said:
... So you have your Facebook linked here. Would it be okay for me to try, and friend request or do you have a Fan page?
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Sure. I'm not a frequent poster on Facebook, but by all means, please do.

And here are the most current pics.





What I'm doing now is fine tuning; sharpening all the lines with epoxy putty and wet sanding, correcting any asymmetries that I missed, tweaking the fit between the mask and helmet, etc. I'm also going to be adding in the overlapping areas for the magnets and the strap mounts to hold the mask on.

Once I've got all that done, I'll remold the face mask so that I can then cut a clean cast apart to make the face shield and breather mask separate with the appropriate mounting areas added in. Then it all gets remolded once again and final casts made and the visor vacuum formed. :rolleyes

Right now, this little project is functioning kind of as my "happy place". I'm swamped with so much other work that working an hour a two a week on this lets me unwind and do something I want for a little while. That, and I absolutely cannot stand to leave a project unfinished.
 
Thanks sooooo much! For being cool with the friends request :)


Woo! woah! wow! What the!

This is a Amazing! This is fill in the blank! This is beyond what words can describe!

Wow you sure are a lucky Guy!

This is so beautiful! I could say something else, but i'll keep that to myself as not to sound weird :D just know it's a good thing :)

Thanks for sharing all this! I have to admit when you said you would have updates i had no Idea it would be this great! Gosh so many steps :)
How great that this is your "happy place". Even better that you cannot leave a project unfinished!
 
This looks amazing! Also if you don't mind me asking, what did you use for the base armature. I'm working on my first helmet and waiting on a life cast and am curious about what methods people use to start their sculpt.

To put it simply, where do you start? What's at the base of the helmet?
 
Ozymandius said:
There is no real world tubing that I know of for this, so it has to be a sculpted piece. I am planning on making the vents functional though with metal mesh inserts.
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i'm very much a detail freak hahaha which is why it takes me forever before I troop a costume with the 501st hahaha .... I was going to ask if you were planning on using the metal mesh, very excited to see that you are going as close to exact as possible ! makes for an even more exciting build.
 
KidHaru said:
This looks amazing! Also if you don't mind me asking, what did you use for the base armature. I'm working on my first helmet and waiting on a life cast and am curious about what methods people use to start their sculpt.

To put it simply, where do you start? What's at the base of the helmet?
Click to expand...

In the past I've used the foam armatures from Monster Makers, but their armatures are so damn small that my helmets kept coming out undersized. So for this helmet I went in a totally different direction and did a clay pour into an old Rocketeer mold. Once I had the clay built up about 2-3 inches thick I then laid in a few layers of plaster bandages. That gave me a nice hard core that could rest on the steel pipe on the sculpting stand without punching through, and enough clay that I wouldn't run the risk of carving too deep that I ran into the armature.

If you are starting with a life cast though, I would use the two-clay method to insure you get it sized correctly. This means that you first lay down a layer of a contrasting clay over your entire life cast that will act as a visible boundary, warning you not to carve past. For instance, I would lay out a 1/2" thick layer in Kleen Klay over my life cast so that I know I will have room for padding, etc, and to correct for an overly small armature. You then lay out a layer of your working clay (in my case NSP Med) and begin building up your sculpt.

The key is that your two clays need to be starkly different colors. That way, you can tell if you've carved down too far if you hit the clay underneath.

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SovereignOne said:
i'm very much a detail freak hahaha which is why it takes me forever before I troop a costume with the 501st hahaha .... I was going to ask if you were planning on using the metal mesh, very excited to see that you are going as close to exact as possible ! makes for an even more exciting build.
Click to expand...

For the prototype, definitely. Whether or not I include metal mesh with kits will depend on whether or not I can find a reliable supply of it.
 
KidHaru said:
This looks amazing! Also if you don't mind me asking, what did you use for the base armature. I'm working on my first helmet and waiting on a life cast and am curious about what methods people use to start their sculpt.

To put it simply, where do you start? What's at the base of the helmet?
Click to expand...

Nice that you gave the more complex comment, and the comment i more understand :)

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Ozymandius said:
There is no real world tubing that I know of for this, so it has to be a sculpted piece. I am planning on making the vents functional though with metal mesh inserts.
Click to expand...

Gosh that sounds incredible.
 
Oh very goods :) oh yes i see a member of the 501 st i can see where that comes from.

Very much a exciting build! But for me also a gut aching build.
 
Ozymandius said:
In the past I've used the foam armatures from Monster Makers, but their armatures are so damn small that my helmets kept coming out undersized. So for this helmet I went in a totally different direction and did a clay pour into an old Rocketeer mold. Once I had the clay built up about 2-3 inches thick I then laid in a few layers of plaster bandages. That gave me a nice hard core that could rest on the steel pipe on the sculpting stand without punching through, and enough clay that I wouldn't run the risk of carving too deep that I ran into the armature.

If you are starting with a life cast though, I would use the two-clay method to insure you get it sized correctly. This means that you first lay down a layer of a contrasting clay over your entire life cast that will act as a visible boundary, warning you not to carve past. For instance, I would lay out a 1/2" thick layer in Kleen Klay over my life cast so that I know I will have room for padding, etc, and to correct for an overly small armature. You then lay out a layer of your working clay (in my case NSP Med) and begin building up your sculpt.

The key is that your two clays need to be starkly different colors. That way, you can tell if you've carved down too far if you hit the clay underneath.

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -



For the prototype, definitely. Whether or not I include metal mesh with kits will depend on whether or not I can find a reliable supply of it.
Click to expand...

I have lots to learn to understand all this. Yet great seeing all the questions. And seeing them being answered!
 
Ozymandius said:
In the past I've used the foam armatures from Monster Makers, but their armatures are so damn small that my helmets kept coming out undersized. So for this helmet I went in a totally different direction and did a clay pour into an old Rocketeer mold. Once I had the clay built up about 2-3 inches thick I then laid in a few layers of plaster bandages. That gave me a nice hard core that could rest on the steel pipe on the sculpting stand without punching through, and enough clay that I wouldn't run the risk of carving too deep that I ran into the armature.

If you are starting with a life cast though, I would use the two-clay method to insure you get it sized correctly. This means that you first lay down a layer of a contrasting clay over your entire life cast that will act as a visible boundary, warning you not to carve past. For instance, I would lay out a 1/2" thick layer in Kleen Klay over my life cast so that I know I will have room for padding, etc, and to correct for an overly small armature. You then lay out a layer of your working clay (in my case NSP Med) and begin building up your sculpt.

The key is that your two clays need to be starkly different colors. That way, you can tell if you've carved down too far if you hit the clay underneath.

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -



For the prototype, definitely. Whether or not I include metal mesh with kits will depend on whether or not I can find a reliable supply of it.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the great notes! I've been thinking about slush casting a base with clay to get started. Did the plaster bandages render any of the clay unusable? The note on the color change is a great one I'll keep in mind. I currently have 6lbs of NSP Medium and think I'll go grab another (oil based?) clay as well.
 
KidHaru said:
Thank you for the great notes! I've been thinking about slush casting a base with clay to get started. Did the plaster bandages render any of the clay unusable? ...
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that molten clay is seriously hot and dangerous. In fact too dangerous to slush cast. Best to pour clay into the mold and then use spatulas to splash it up the sides of the mold to build thickness.

And no, nothing really makes oil clays unusable.
 
Ozymandius said:
Keep in mind that molten clay is seriously hot and dangerous. In fact too dangerous to slush cast. Best to pour clay into the mold and then use spatulas to splash it up the sides of the mold to build thickness.

And no, nothing really makes oil clays unusable.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah. I won't forget the feeling on my first sculpting day when I microwaved a brick for 3 minutes and accidentally sunk my fingers into the middle where I realized it was basically Lava Cake. Looks like I'll be needing some Spatulas haha
 
Yes, been working on it steadily. I'm just not big on posting constant picture updates, especially when it is fine tuning subtle details that don't show up well on camera.
 
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