Re: Custom Commissioned Helmet: Build *FINISHED PICS PAGE 3*
Thanks Athanasios!
Well, the third instalment is now finished!
Like I said before, the idea was to produce a standalone version of the existing helmet that was easily recognisable but without having to recreate another piece from scratch. To achieve this I made a number of add-ons that would be attached to the base helmet.
The first add-on was a variation of the visor. The idea was to create a toughened, segmented form that suited the reinforced look. This was achieved by cutting a base form from some scrap timber and gluing it into a blank casting of the helmet visor area. I then cut slots from the corners of the form out to the edge of the visor. I glued plastic strips into these slots.
After trimming some of the excess material away from the base of the helmet I discovered the casting was a little thin and had to fill the hole with some extra resin. A lot of filler, sanding, filler, sanding, filler, etc and I had a buck that was ready to be prepped for vacuum forming.
The next add-on was a series of plates to achieve a reinforced look as the helmet is for a 'tank' soldier.
These were made by using a copy of the helmet, creating some paper templates and then spraying over them to leave their impression on the helmet. The helmet was then cut up into sections and the painted areas dremelled out. The sections were then reinforced with fibreglass and wooden support structures.
I then vacuum formed some 2 mm ABS over these which left the impressions of each piece on the inside of the formed shell. Using a multi tool I trimmed out each plate, pre-drilled some holes and then attached the plates to the helmets with some hex head screws.
More to come.....
