Daft Punk Guy Helmet: Final p.16, TRON p.20

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Thanks for all the kudos, guys! Glad I can help some people out with the how-to side of things too - I've learned a ton from the forum and its a good feeling to give back a little.

Minor update - glove back handplates pulled and awaiting trimming.

On a completely unrelated build here, but I just have to say that I LOVE having a vac-former! If you have the means to build one, definitely give it a go - it has quickly become one of my favorite tools in my shop.

 

[JinnRadical]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Absolutely brilliant work never ceases to amaze! Keep it up!

 

[Getoninja]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

so cool

 

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

The beginning:

The middle:

The End:

Started by rough-cutting the pieces on my bandsaw, then shaping to within .25" with a pair of tin shears. After that I clamped my dremel tool to my bench to make an ad-hoc stationary drum sander. After hunching over for far too long and trimming everything to shape, the edges were finished with 220 grit sandpaper. I'll do another pass of 400 before they go off to chroming.

I need a more comfortable stool in my shop.

 

[Tommyfilth]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

The beginning:

Started by rough-cutting the pieces on my bandsaw, then shaping to within .25" with a pair of tin shears. After that I clamped my dremel tool to my bench to make an ad-hoc stationary drum sander. After hunching over for far too long and trimming everything to shape, the edges were finished with 220 grit sandpaper. I'll do another pass of 400 before they go off to chroming.

I need a more comfortable stool in my shop.

Does the chroming cause any problems with gluing adhering to it, or is it easy enough to scratch it away to get a good bond?

Tommy

 

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Does the chroming cause any problems with gluing adhering to it, or is it easy enough to scratch it away to get a good bond?

Tommy

I've never had any issues getting stuff to adhere to the chrome - both superglue and 3M weatherstrip adhesive worked wonders (the visor is attached with the latter)

So my client had a layover in Atlanta yesterday, and we met up for the very first time to do a fitting. Its kind of a moot point now, but keep in mind that we live on opposite coasts, so doing any fittings before would be mostly impossible.

I'm happy to say that the helmet is scaled PERFECTLY. Despite me having his height wrong (the man is freaking 6'5" tall, not 6'2" like I had recalled) the size fits his frame precisely. I'm pretty pleased with the result.

I shot a quick vid of a test fit while he was paying for the check at dinner. You can see it here:

YouTube - Daft Punk helmet at dinner

I also made the parts trees for the glove plates to be painted on. These are shipping out tonight.

 

[Agent RayBans]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

"Two guys and a Daft Punk helmet walk into a bar..." :lol

Now all he needs is a red leather trench coat and a pirate shirt!

I can't believe how light that looks on his head, the fit IS perfect. I'm sure hes very happy.

I'm somewhat curious, what is he planning on doing with it? Is he a DJ, a costumer or...?

 

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

"Two guys and a Daft Punk helmet walk into a bar..." :lol

Now all he needs is a red leather trench coat and a pirate shirt!

I can't believe how light that looks on his head, the fit IS perfect. I'm sure hes very happy.

I'm somewhat curious, what is he planning on doing with it? Is he a DJ, a costumer or...?

Its actually pretty light and comfortable to walk around in, provided you're indoors. Outside, it gets hot in a hurry.

He's not a DJ and as far as I know not really a costumer either. Just a guy who wanted a helmet.... and eventually both helmets, but we'll get to that later.

 

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Crummy pic, but this is the last of the last! Finished the interior helmet "liner" as a last request from my client. If this thing was hot before, I can now say it should probably never be worn outside in summer... However, it'll be nice and cozy come wintertime!

I'm going to be doing a small shoot of the helmet around Atlanta this week and posting up the final update on my blog soon. It feels so very weird to be done with this thing after nearly 16 months of working on it.

 

[Yellowjacket]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

I've been watching this from the beginning. It's a fantastic piece of work, both as props and as a time line of the work itself. Fantastic.

 

[Decipher]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

*jaw hits the floor* It's been fascinating to watch it all in progress. Top notch work!

 

[Moonshine777]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Firstly, I want to congratulate you sir, on an incredible display of craftsmanship. I have been following your helmet build since it began, and I really must say I'm jealous of your client and his new piece.

I joined this forum to seek help for my own project, and this thread is undoubtedly the best place to get advice it seems. Being a huge fan of Daft Punk myself, I've been dying to get my hands on a Guy helm for years now, and after I came across your blog at Volpin Props, I've discovered it is actually possible to make one of these babies (if you're willing to put in the hours, looks like :eek).

I am no expert prop designer myself, and since your project had already been hassled by a few hundred other people wanting to get copies made, I decided to scour the net looking for other attempts like this. Luckily, I found some fellow in Florida making kits for the Guy helm, and purchased a resin cast and visor from him.
Here are some images:

(Sorry about the quality of the photos, I took them with my phone)

It's not a bad cast. The size and proportions are great, but as you can see, the ears aren't quite right. The contour of the frame surrounding the ear is not symmetrical, getting thinner around the top, and the bottom ridge does not slope towards the chin. You might notice too that the bottom of the jaw is not aligned with the tip of the ear. Other than that, it just needs a bit of sanding.

Now, I am a costume enthusiast, but I've never had to work with polyethylene resin before. I picked up some varying grades of sand paper and a dremel, but before I go to work on this, does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to correct this? I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so it would bother me too much to leave it as is.

 

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

It's not a bad cast. The size and proportions are great, but as you can see, the ears aren't quite right. The contour of the frame surrounding the ear is not symmetrical, getting thinner around the top, and the bottom ridge does not slope towards the chin. You might notice too that the bottom of the jaw is not aligned with the tip of the ear. Other than that, it just needs a bit of sanding.

Now, I am a costume enthusiast, but I've never had to work with polyethylene resin before. I picked up some varying grades of sand paper and a dremel, but before I go to work on this, does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to correct this? I'm a bit of a perfectionist, so it would bother me too much to leave it as is.

Ah, thats one of Sporgo's buckets. His visors are in much better nick than mine, so you've got a pretty good piece there.

For the ears, I'd pick up some styrene plastic. The dremel will serve you well also. The upper curve can be done in styrene to fill out the area for symmetry, then you can backfill the resulting cavity with resin or apoxie sculpt and sand it even. Same would go for the lower ear lines. The styrene will make sure you have a nice even edge and will reduce your sanding time dramatically.

Thanks for the compliments on my work, glad the thread has helped out!

 

[booshman]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Just watched your video and i'm very impressed!

All the guys at work think it's great too.

Can't wait to see you with the full outfit completed.

 

[Moonshine777]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

For the ears, I'd pick up some styrene plastic. The dremel will serve you well also. The upper curve can be done in styrene to fill out the area for symmetry, then you can backfill the resulting cavity with resin or apoxie sculpt and sand it even. Same would go for the lower ear lines. The styrene will make sure you have a nice even edge and will reduce your sanding time dramatically.

Fantastic. Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate the thumbnail, too. I'm guessing fresh resin adheres to cured resin pretty easily? I only noticed now the rounded corners on the lower ear line of your piece. Damn. I can probably fill those corners with the styrene after filling in the slope, I suppose?

Anyway, I can't wait to get my hands dirty. This will be my first venture into resin forming. Any precautions about the stuff?

 

[jojo]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

i've been following this build for a while, even before i discovered the forum and i have been trying to create my own version of the helmet for about a year now. i'm pretty far along in creation of an extremely cheap template but my final hurdle is the creation of the clear face shield. i was wondering if anyone had any alternative suggestions besides vacuforming. this is pretty much the only issue i'm facing at the moment. once i find a way to get a clear dome, the frame is pretty much a piece of cake for me.

 

[Volpin]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Fantastic. Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate the thumbnail, too. I'm guessing fresh resin adheres to cured resin pretty easily? I only noticed now the rounded corners on the lower ear line of your piece. Damn. I can probably fill those corners with the styrene after filling in the slope, I suppose?

Fresh resin *can* adhere to cured resin, but never as good as uncured to uncured will. If you do this with resin, scuff up the surfaces it will be sitting on a bit with some sandpaper first.

You can also look at adding thickness with apoxie clay. Thats heavier, but not as runny and difficult to control as uncured resin. Depending on the thickness, you might also be able to fill the cavity with bondo.

i was wondering if anyone had any alternative suggestions besides vacuforming.

I searched for a long time for a cheap and easy alternative, but never found one. Sorry, wish I could help.

I really hate doing "teaser" posts, but this is the best I can do to restrain myself from spilling all the info on the final part of this build. I want to get everything up on my blog before I post it everywhere else. There's more to come very soon (hopefully by tomorrow if my photographer gets back to me!) but here's a sneak peek:

The helmet left for San Diego this morning. If anyone is going to ComicCon on Saturday, keep an eye peeled for this golden bucket wandering around.



Edit:

Minutes after posting this, I got an email from my chromers (another shout-out, Creations n' Chrome in Valencia, CA) with a few pics of the gloves. These things are beautiful.

 

[Agent RayBans]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

I can see your better half in that pic of the helmet, haha

The glove pieces look great. I would feel bad wearing them and risking scratching them up.

 

[SiR-ROUND]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

Shiny!!!

Wow, that bucket looks great.

Hmmm, how can a person wearing it still see though?

 

[Qui-Gonzalez]

Re: Daft Punk Helmet Build

This has been one of the great builds posted here. Good job, Volpin!