unique DARTH VADER helmet (WIP/scratchbuilt/pic heavy)

dasAdam

dasAdam

Active Member
Hello

I plan to build a custom DARTH VADER helmet. I got inspired by the fan made star wars helmets based on the Ralph MCquerrie designs so ireally wanna try to come up with something too :)

initial sketches!


this is my second build so far and my first time using non hardeing clay. chavant SOFT to be exact. i might shoot questions about waste molds , cheap casting materials for the first cast like bondo with fiberglass or what not :D

but right now i can show you my progress with the clay

















i am NOT sure if i should sculpt both lenses or actually leave them out for now :confused
much to figure out ^^

OH! i ...GUESS.... i might go for a more twisted darth vader. a dark sci fi version you might say so im excited about feedback and critique and of course tips and hints on how to get it done!

cheers =)
 
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this feels like a step back here. i covered up all secondary shapes and details to be able to fix the symmetry of the major shapes and lines. i also ditched the lenses for now









is it wise to sculpt the dome on top ?..then mold the helmet first, rip it off and sculpt the forehead area of the mask again? ive seen that process done by DARTH STONE.
im just a bit afraid since ive never ever casted anything...... doh .. this whole project will be exciting . hoprfully it wont end in a huge fail
 
SofaKing01 said:
I love it! Looking forward to more
Click to expand...
wow! a famous visitor :D (i love your falcon cockpit )
thanks SofaKing01. thats encouraging , i will try my best
ataru72ita said:
I really find this very promising!!:D

Regards,

Alberto
Click to expand...

many thanks alberto
hopefully it wont look like a silly attempt in the end :p

here is some progress. im enjoying the sculpting process so i changed lots. tried to find aesthetic lines and add some more hard surface feel to it

i got many shots to show you. tried to change the lighting as well to make the shapes readable


here we go






second batch










im ready for your input! :D
 
You're really welcome!:)

I would go for sharper corners on the cheecks and elongate a bit more the nose. Personally I would have kept the little cylinders under the eyes...:angel

Regards,

Alberto
 
Great project and idea! This is the first really unique approach to the Vader design, still incorporating a lot of the well known elements.
 
ataru72ita said:
You're really welcome!:)

I would go for sharper corners on the cheecks and elongate a bit more the nose. Personally I would have kept the little cylinders under the eyes...:angel

Regards,

Alberto
Click to expand...
sharper corners
indeed :) i shall do that.
the nose will surely change in appearance . the cut out for the nose grill has to be done again just like in the first post. but im stilll hesitant to be honest :D i went back and forth with the nose design and actually filled in the cut outs for the sake of fixing the symmetry. lets see how the nose will turn out . maybe i shall sculpt the dome first? and concentrate on the face more after having molded that dome.. hmm *heavy thinking*

the little cylinders will come back for sure! as goes for the inner edge ring. i just erased these details because i wouldnt be able to sculpt em porperly in clay. i wanted to work these details in later after having cast it in solid material ( i hope that makes sense :D)

DaddyfromNaboo said:
Great project and idea! This is the first really unique approach to the Vader design, still incorporating a lot of the well known elements.
Click to expand...
yay
im so happy to hear that :) thanks for visiting DaddyfromNaboo! now i really need to buckle up to not screw this up :D haha

i will start the dome the next couple days (maybe even this evening)

one thing i was thinking about.....
i didnt ever check the dimensions of the classic darth vader helmet and i never held a vader mask in my hands so im actually have no relation to the real deal here.
can you guys support me with some rough dimension ? it would be great to know if the original vader mask has a snugly fit or much room for padding.

i for myself have a big potato head and the mask im sculpting will be snugly for sure *random thoughts*


once again: thanks for the input guys!
 
@ dasAdam:

WooW!
That's absolutely great! Looking forward the updates:cool
Impressive...most impressive!
 
I can give You dimensions If needed, I posses an ANH EFX Limited Ed, and a Legend version is approaching Italy soon!
Send a photo with needed dimensions indicated and I'll gladly help.

On the nose to be specific I think that the top is a little starting short, more prominent would look more intimidating, obviously IMHO!
About culpting technical suggestions, I'm not the right guy at all, should be wise asking in the sculpting section of the forum, there is amazingly skilled people around there!!!
Here in the Vader Expertise section there are CsMclaren and Bookface, the fantastic duo that started the Darth Ugly project!

Regards,

Alberto
 
enrico said:
@ dasAdam:

WooW!
That's absolutely great! Looking forward the updates:cool
Impressive...most impressive!
Click to expand...

Thanks enrico! nah not that impressive you gotta take a look at the really talented people around here o_O
updates! ...oh well it took me a while


ataru72ita said:
I can give You dimensions If needed, I posses an ANH EFX Limited Ed, and a Legend version is approaching Italy soon!
Send a photo with needed dimensions indicated and I'll gladly help.

On the nose to be specific I think that the top is a little starting short, more prominent would look more intimidating, obviously IMHO!
About culpting technical suggestions, I'm not the right guy at all, should be wise asking in the sculpting section of the forum, there is amazingly skilled people around there!!!
Here in the Vader Expertise section there are CsMclaren and Bookface, the fantastic duo that started the Darth Ugly project!

Regards,

Alberto
Click to expand...

hey Alberto! =)
i hope you got your LEGEND version already hehe.

i sharpened them corners. dont know about the nose yet. i might leave it as it is and judge later when im sculpting the helmet on top of the casted piece. if the nose wont reach out under the helmet that much i will lenghten itfor sure :thumbsup



work kept me busy but im back! i GUESS i almost finished my initial sculpt. i did redo some, added some and worked some honest hours to get a clean finish . clean enough to save some major sanding+putty-time later in the process.

i ordered some smooth-on products as well. SOO all in all i might be able to mold it and slush cast it for the second stage until the end of next week. excitement! :eek


here are the shots:











so yeah its 2:24 am and im still awake to post here :D

im greatful for all input and critique as usual :)

PS: im truly sorry that im not the fastest builder around here :p
 
Very cool. I love seeing reinterpretations of the original trilogy designs! I look forward to seeing more.

-Vince
 
dasAdam said:
Thanks enrico! nah not that impressive you gotta take a look at the really talented people around here o_O
updates! ...oh well it took me a while




hey Alberto! =)
i hope you got your LEGEND version already hehe.

i sharpened them corners. dont know about the nose yet. i might leave it as it is and judge later when im sculpting the helmet on top of the casted piece. if the nose wont reach out under the helmet that much i will lenghten itfor sure :thumbsup



work kept me busy but im back! i GUESS i almost finished my initial sculpt. i did redo some, added some and worked some honest hours to get a clean finish . clean enough to save some major sanding+putty-time later in the process.

i ordered some smooth-on products as well. SOO all in all i might be able to mold it and slush cast it for the second stage until the end of next week. excitement! :eek


here are the shots:

so yeah its 2:24 am and im still awake to post here :D

im greatful for all input and critique as usual :)

PS: im truly sorry that im not the fastest builder around here :p
Click to expand...

I'm awake as well mate!

I got my legend and something even better meanwhile, a TM Tantive finished, I'm soo happy of them both, but the TM..... is soo close to the actually used that I'm stunned!:eek:D

Keep going man!!

Regards,

Alberto
 
Your sculpt has changed a lot from the first photos, and I think for the best. There are some concepts floating around already, and this one will look great since it's a meld of the drawings and your own imagination. Looking good, I've subscribed :D
 
Vince said:
Very cool. I love seeing reinterpretations of the original trilogy designs! I look forward to seeing more.

-Vince
Click to expand...
thanks Vince! hopefully you will appreciate the end result :D i for myself am not yet sure with what i will end up with

ataru72ita said:
I'm awake as well mate!

I got my legend and something even better meanwhile, a TM Tantive finished, I'm soo happy of them both, but the TM..... is soo close to the actually used that I'm stunned!:eek:D

Keep going man!!

Regards,

Alberto
Click to expand...
You crazy guy :D
ah that sounds pretty neat. i wouldnt have that much space to gather or even display so many models and props :)

since you suggested to help id like to ask you about the vader dimensions. only if it ok with you and isnt stressful for ya :)

i never saw a darth vader helmet in real life! like.. NEVER
i actually dont care that much about all the different screen accurate versions out htere. it would be nice to even get the numbers for one of them just to get a feel for the dimensions...thehehe (thats not meant in any ignorant or despiteful way! :) )

here is a quick sheet i photoshopped


if you would be so kind to fill in the blanks! that would be asesome :D


spoudastis said:
This is looking awesome, great sculpt.
Click to expand...

big thanks spoudastis! appreciated

BobasBounty said:
Lookin' pretty sweet so far. Can't wait to see the end result. Hurry up and finish it already! ;)

Andy
Click to expand...
i shall hurry ! =D many many thanks. you should stick around and give me some ass kicks if you see me slwoing down and loosing focus ;)

dday said:
Your sculpt has changed a lot from the first photos, and I think for the best. There are some concepts floating around already, and this one will look great since it's a meld of the drawings and your own imagination. Looking good, I've subscribed :D
Click to expand...

hi dday! thanks for the nice words here. yeah the concept helmet builds where the ones that motivated me to try building my very own :)

im glad you like the shapes so far. i for myself dont know what i will end up with. i shall do some digital overpaintings later in the provess to figure out the face details. will ask for input for sure :)


thanks for the comments guys!
 
dasAdam said:
...i never saw a darth vader helmet in real life! like.. NEVER
i actually dont care that much about all the different screen accurate versions out htere. it would be nice to even get the numbers for one of them just to get a feel for the dimensions...thehehe (thats not meant in any ignorant or despiteful way! :) )

here is a quick sheet i photoshopped
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v733/hidecki/darthvader_dimensions_zps989ed4b6.jpg

if you would be so kind to fill in the blanks! that would be asesome :D...
Click to expand...


I have in mind to sculpt a Vader dome myself one of these days and to get dimensions to do so would be greatly appreciated on my front, as well!
 
so i decided to just go for it
im ready to brush on some silicone






but.. errr..... i got some noobish questions id like to ask you guys.
Im using chavant soft clay here. its pretty expensive and i bought it for the promise of re-using it several times. will the clay be spoiled when i apply the mold release spray?
and what about the SONITE WAX. its toxic on top of that..... jeez id like to save as much clay as possible so im curious


and my last question is regarding the mother mold process:
can i use cheap clay for the support parting shims. will the dry silicone mold still react with the sulfur or not?


thanks in advance guys!
 
Well! im done with my silicone mold :)

i used brush-on silicone from smooth-on
the keys are made of OOMOO silicone. are these 2 actually...compatible? :D we shall find out. i can handle some fails since this is just the waste mold. sure i didnt use any cheap materials here . the reason for this is that i wanted to gain some experience first in order to not screw up when modling the finished prototype

ill let it cure over night and apply some plasti paste tomorrow. hmmm maybe i will shorten the keys a bit too

here are the 2 shots. nothing exciting for you to see i guess :D






oh! and i really hope that i didnt upset anybody with that " i dont care about all the screen accurate vaders" comment. i blame my english for that :)

cheers
 
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