1st attempt at my own Rocketeer Helmet

whoami11

Sr Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
Hey everyone! Just a quick note to introduce myself before I begin. My name is Ryan and I have been making my own "props" since I was 10 (being poor can do that to you). I stumbled on this site back in March and have been addicted to the site ever since. The amount of information and the quality of all of your props is truly amazing. I also like the cooperation and friendship on here.
I've reached out to several people on here for some questions and help and have received a pretty chilly response. No big deal, I could see where people have legitimate concerns over revealing the tricks of the trade just to have it end up on ebay without their consent.
So I figured the best way I could establish myself as a true and honest prop guy is to post my own build. With success or failure on display, I can at least show I am here with genuine interest. And so, here is my first RPF submission: My Rocketeer helmet build.
Now I have seen every helmet built on here and have seen various techniques...all with varying levels of success. I've decided to build my helmet using primarily bondo. I know the concerns you all would have with that, but that's the medium I most comfortable with for this project.
I'll have pics up very soon with what I have so far. And I have thick skin, so any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!
 
Ok, I have some pics uploaded so I'll move on. I started with some standard sheets of white styrene I had with my vaccu-form kit. I took the sheet and about every 3/4 inch, I would create a seem. Each seem lined the horizontal sheet vertically. Once that was done I was able to make the sheet take a circular shape. I repeated this method with one more sheet and measured the approximate size I wanted for the helmet.
IMG_2689.jpg
These are the basic materials I started with (along with my Peevy blueprints for display).
 
Once I got the right size for my helmet with the styrene, I trimmed off the excess and taped it together with white duck tape. This created a sturdy hollow shell to work with. I also found a bucket that fit perfectly inside my shell. This was a great base to work with.
From there, I took 1 inch strips of styrene and went over the top of the shell and created my soft canopy for the top of the helmet (wish I had pics of this part). I tape that up with white masking tape, followed by white duck tape. I went back to the original shell and covered the lower part of the helmet with white masking tape.
Then I started with the bondo over the top of the helmet. I figured that would be the best place to start, as I could get the right shape and work my way down. Here are some pics:
IMG_2688.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n18/whoami11/Rockteer project/IMG_2687.jpg http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n18/whoami11/Rockteer project/IMG_2685.jpg Now I know it doesn't look very promising at this point, but I feel pretty confident and satisfied with my progress. More updates to come...
 
No mold. Solid bondo from scratch. I figure I'll give it a go and if it's successful I'll have 2 things: (1) a helmet that I can make a mold with and (2) a decent tutorial on how to build a Rocketeer helmet from scratch (haven't seen one of those yet).
 
Oh and Jay, went to your website and it's incredible! If you are ever in Orange County, Ca. let me know, there is restaurant out there that looks just like the Bulldog Cafe (interior wise).
 
Oh and Jay, went to your website and it's incredible! If you are ever in Orange County, Ca. let me know, there is restaurant out there that looks just like the Bulldog Cafe (interior wise).

what is it called? Im a socal finhead



No mold. Solid bondo from scratch. I figure I'll give it a go and if it's successful I'll have 2 things: (1) a helmet that I can make a mold with and (2) a decent tutorial on how to build a Rocketeer helmet from scratch (haven't seen one of those yet).


There are several...i can post them later when i have time to search for them......they may come in handy for you...


btw, welcome to the site......glad to have another finhead join our ranks
 
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The famous Evil Rocketeer has commented on my thread! I must say, I am a big fan! You have an awesome collection and know everything there is to know about the Rocketeer. Thank you for the help!

As for the diner, its called the Filling Station in Old Towne Orange. If you are ever in the neighborhood, let me know and I'll stop on by. I live 2 blocks from the place.

I'll post up some pics when I get them on another thread.
 
Bummer, I was just in Huntington Beach. Saw a bunch of dogs but no Bulldog Cafe. I second ER in welcoming you to the forum. I love seeing scratch builds, especially from the start. You may want to check out a product called Evercoat Kitty Hair. It mixes like Bondo, but will add a lot of strength and it's a lot easier to build up thicknesses. I'll be looking forward to more updates.
 
Thanks Jay! I'll look into that!. I'll be working on this thing late into the night, so I hope to have some visible progress done and new pics to put up.
 
Have you considered pepakura as a base for your helmet? Propzone which is a member here sells the best rocketeer helmet file in my opinion.
 
Ditto on the welcome to the forum! I'm a bit obsessed with Rocketeer helmets so I'm looking forward to seeing your helmet in development!
 
Dualedge,
Thank you for the welcome! I've seen your work on Rocketeer helmets in other threads. They are fantastic! I'm making progress, it's a bit slower than I anticipated, but I am happy with what I have so far.

Also, in the movie discussion area today, I'll have up some pics of the Bulldog Cafe look-a-like that I mentioned yesterday.

Thanks again everyone for the interest and input!
 
Bak55,
That's a great thread! If my current build goes downhill, I'll go that route! Even if my current project is a failure at least it will serve as a bad example! Haha!
 
Here's an updated pic of my progress. I've added a lil more bondo and have working on sanding it down. Slowly getting the shape at the top I want. Slowly but surely...
IMG_2696.jpg
 
So my current helmet is in pieces on my garage floor, courtesy of my wife's cat. I'm bummed but still gonna get this done. I know that pepakura and cardboard have been suggested on here. I really wanted to a 100% scratch build, using just a good eye and old fashioned ingenuity. However, I'm willing to any suggestions.

P.S. anyone want a free cat? :)
 
At least it wasn't near completion when the cat got to it. That really woud have hurt.
 
However, I'm willing to any suggestions.

P.S. anyone want a free cat? :)

You ever hear of how two problems can create their own solution? How about spray paint the cat gold and stick a fin on it's noggin'. Not sure it'd go over well with your wife or the cat and it may have some... er... accuracy issues... but it would theoretically solve two problems at once. :p ;)

But seriously, sorry to hear your work got destroyed that way. You know, if I were going to start sculpting a helmet, I'd probably start with a cheap mannequin head. That might help you get a better shape to the body of the helmet rather than the tube-based design (not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you.) Just a thought anyway.

I know they used a head cast to sculpt the original body shape... they used clay of course but you could still use bondo if you wanted to. I've got another friend that has sculpted with bondo and the stuff he's made is just ridiculously cool so it can be done.
 
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