BATMAN HELMET- First Ever Build

T

TChiu

New Member
Hey everyone. I've been a big batman fan all my life and thought after stumbling onto a youtube video about pepakura,thought I'd try my hand at it.

For me the main problem was that I live in an apartment with a toddler, so it had to be as non-toxic as possible. So after doing some research I found a video that stealth (huge thanks to stealth on all his awesome tutorials) did about the product epoxamite as a non toxic alternative to resin. I still resined it outside just to be on the safe side but it was great. No fumes, no bad smell, nothing.



Next was the bondo process. Rpf user MightyJohn (big thanks to you sir) wrote a very in depth post about using joint compound as a alternative to bondo and was gracious enough to answer some questions that I had. The joint compound worked out great and I highly recommend it to anyone who can't work with bondo for some reason.



I actually used 2 separate pep files. Im sorry that I can't give credit to the designers cause I don't know who they are (if you know who they are please let me know).



The original files were great but I messed up quite badly on some parts while peping so I performed 'pep surgery' and merged the salvageable parts of each to form one helmet.



Also while the size fits perfectly when on, the hole for you head was much to small for my head to fit in so I decided that instead of having a gaping hole showing the back of my head, I would cut out a piece and have it reattached by rare earth magnets.



So after close to 6months of nights working on this along with 8cans of primer and a ridiculous amount of sanding, I'm quite happy with the result. It's not perfect but I sure learned a lot that will help me for my next project. Hope you enjoy.



View attachment 128230View attachment 128231
I ended up using the face of the first file and the ears and back of the file on the right
View attachment 128232View attachment 128233

View attachment 128234View attachment 128235
I used Epoxamite insted of polyester resin
View attachment 128236
First layer of joint compound
View attachment 128237
Attemped to carve the scowl in with a file..... not too impressed with it.
View attachment 128238View attachment 128239
Here i used a 2 part putty and i think it did the trick pretty well
 
Looking good! I first thought when clicking on this thread that it was going to be a Batman motorcycle helmet.
 
Nicely build!
How does it do when wear it? Batman mask need a bit flexibility, especially near the jaw/chin area. How do you overcome that?
Thank you.
 
Nice job on this build, I love that you added a wrinkled brow to it. Maybe you can mold this and cast it in foam rubber for flexibility.
 
That's amazing work! I don't think I've ever seen a Batman Helmet.

Kinda makes more sense than a rubber cowl.
 
The helmet looks awesome. Curious though, using joint compound was it tuff to work with? I have lots of experience with it skim coating flat walls, but would think it had to be a bear with all those curves.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2
 
not going to lie, when i first saw it i was it is ok. Once you sprayed it black it turned me around, great job it looks really good.
 
Hey TChiu,

I actually modeled/unfolded the file you used for the front of your helmet. You helmet looks awesome! Much further along than I've gotten. My question for you is with the helmet being hard how did you manage to get it on your head? I had always planned on making mine a 3-part helmet that could clip together but yours looks like one solid piece. Is the hole on the bottom big enough for you to get your head through?
 
IMIM2 said:
Nicely build!
How does it do when wear it? Batman mask need a bit flexibility, especially near the jaw/chin area. How do you overcome that?
Thank you.
Click to expand...

Its mostly for display but i did have to dremel the chin/jaw are to make it fit. When its on its not the most comfortable things. I guess its about as comfortable as a big peice of fiberglass wrapped aound your face can get though lol

td2253 said:
Nice job on this build, I love that you added a wrinkled brow to it. Maybe you can mold this and cast it in foam rubber for flexibility.
Click to expand...
I was thinking about that. Im not sure it would fit then though because there are gaps inside the helmet when i wear it, so i think those area would collapse if it were rubber. Always something ill keep in mind though.


STEALTH said:
That's amazing work! I don't think I've ever seen a Batman Helmet.

Kinda makes more sense than a rubber cowl.
Click to expand...

Stealth! I want to say thanks to you personally! Your videos were the thing that got me into this hobbie. Honestly, your stuff is inspiring and its awesome to have your praise!

MaddMaxx82 said:
The helmet looks awesome. Curious though, using joint compound was it tuff to work with? I have lots of experience with it skim coating flat walls, but would think it had to be a bear with all those curves.

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

Actually i have no expereience with bondo so i couldnt realy compare. all i can say is that joint compound is great to work with. The corners posed no such problem. The key thing is to make sure you use thin layers or it will crack. Also prime before adding each layer. Mightyjohn wrote very in depth instructions about how to use it and ill try to find the link cause its worth trying. But really, dont be shy with the primer.. I used about nine 200ml cans on it:)

rsmith said:
Hey TChiu,

I actually modeled/unfolded the file you used for the front of your helmet. You helmet looks awesome! Much further along than I've gotten. My question for you is with the helmet being hard how did you manage to get it on your head? I had always planned on making mine a 3-part helmet that could clip together but yours looks like one solid piece. Is the hole on the bottom big enough for you to get your head through?
Click to expand...

Wow! First off thank you! Your pep was great, i wish that i could have done the back of it justice but it was just too far gone for me to attempt to fix. As for my head fitting in, I actually cut out a portion from the back that is reattached with rare earth magnets. Its hard to see if you are looking straight at it and that was intenional. I tried to make the cut look as "part of the design" as possible. Though the detachable part doesnt look perfect, i think it is forgiveable.

zend said:
looks good. what brand of compound and putty did u use?
Click to expand...
The putty I used was a no name (litterally sent to me in ziplock bags with no markings whatsoever) taht i found on the interent. I just look ed at the description and the price. It was like $10USD for a kilo of it so i gave it a shot. As for the compound, I used a local (Korean) brand that i found on the interent called terraco. It was cheap (5kg for about $6.00 USD) and I havent even put a dent in it. If it doesnt dry out, it would probably last 20-30 helmets (no joke). I doubt you will be able to get the same brand, bu i dont think it matters either. Im no expert but I cant imagine to much variation between compound in my country versus yours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

liracosplayer
Batman beyond Arkham Knight Do3D helmet
Replies
0
Views
492
liracosplayer
liracosplayer
Sp33dB00st3r
Batman Arkham City Gauntlets
Replies
0
Views
431
Sp33dB00st3r
Sp33dB00st3r
S
My The Batman 2022 Cowl Build
Replies
2
Views
1,137
BlackScorpion
BlackScorpion
MattMunson
Paragon FX Group Keaton Batman Spear Gun Review video
Replies
0
Views
227
MattMunson
MattMunson
zach2098
City of Ember Maps/Props
Replies
4
Views
389
TheMechanic
TheMechanic
Back
Top