Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build - FINAL p.20!
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
Do you already have a sculpture> to mold > to make a positive cast of?
Have you sculpted anything before?
(I get nervous when I see people going out and buying all the supplies, when they haven't made the object of their intent yet. I'd hate to see a mistake, or under-estimation occurr and then the artist has lost $$$ of materials)...
It's also a nervousness that comes when people ask good questions, but completely out of order:
Example:
"Hi, I'm new... where do I start?...... [3 months later].... Ok, how much _____ do I need for my finished sculpture?"
VS.
"Hi, I'm going to buy a gallon of expensive casting compound mixture.... [3 months later].... Ok, so how do I do sculpt?"
Do you already have a sculpture> to mold > to make a positive cast of?
Have you sculpted anything before?
(I get nervous when I see people going out and buying all the supplies, when they haven't made the object of their intent yet. I'd hate to see a mistake, or under-estimation occurr and then the artist has lost $$$ of materials)...
It's also a nervousness that comes when people ask good questions, but completely out of order:
Example:
"Hi, I'm new... where do I start?...... [3 months later].... Ok, how much _____ do I need for my finished sculpture?"
VS.
"Hi, I'm going to buy a gallon of expensive casting compound mixture.... [3 months later].... Ok, so how do I do sculpt?"
Last edited:
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
I'm building the mold right now. I'm just looking at buying the casting mixture and I'm trying to get an estimate cost down do build this thing. This is my first build where I'll be doing molding. But I have created a cuple props but not like this. I've mostly just glued and screwed things together to make some sort of robot or space craft.
I'm following Volpin because he seems to know exactly what he's doing and if i follow him as close as I can, i can build a really nice prop and learn from the process.
Any tips and tricks would be amazing!
I'm building the mold right now. I'm just looking at buying the casting mixture and I'm trying to get an estimate cost down do build this thing. This is my first build where I'll be doing molding. But I have created a cuple props but not like this. I've mostly just glued and screwed things together to make some sort of robot or space craft.
I'm following Volpin because he seems to know exactly what he's doing and if i follow him as close as I can, i can build a really nice prop and learn from the process.
Any tips and tricks would be amazing!
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
So you are building the mold; that is good. I assume that means you have already sculpted the helmet? Or are you building a mold before you have a finished helmet sculpture. Sorry... I'm just confused as to what you have completed prior to the molding- casting process.
So you are building the mold; that is good. I assume that means you have already sculpted the helmet? Or are you building a mold before you have a finished helmet sculpture. Sorry... I'm just confused as to what you have completed prior to the molding- casting process.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
No I'm building the base helmet. The thing I'm going to make a mold of. I guess your calling it the sculpture. Basically I'm following exactly what volpin is doing here. He built the first part. made a mold of it. and now has a replica of that bucket.
No I'm building the base helmet. The thing I'm going to make a mold of. I guess your calling it the sculpture. Basically I'm following exactly what volpin is doing here. He built the first part. made a mold of it. and now has a replica of that bucket.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
A little light sanding is required around the top seam line, and also the opening around the bottom needs a fair amount of dremel work, but largely there's very little cleanup needed.
Nope, just making it up as I go along and things have been working out for the better! The insulation foam & MDF master sculpt was a stab in the dark, so too were the hollow cast ears and the MDF separation rings on the mold jacket. If nothing else, i guess my experiments are a success.
As for the 65D, I can get about 6 helmets out of a gallon. Not sure what the trial size of the resin is, but hopefully that will help somewhat.
A little light sanding is required around the top seam line, and also the opening around the bottom needs a fair amount of dremel work, but largely there's very little cleanup needed.
Nope, just making it up as I go along and things have been working out for the better! The insulation foam & MDF master sculpt was a stab in the dark, so too were the hollow cast ears and the MDF separation rings on the mold jacket. If nothing else, i guess my experiments are a success.
As for the 65D, I can get about 6 helmets out of a gallon. Not sure what the trial size of the resin is, but hopefully that will help somewhat.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
Did some testing last night with regards to the LED matrix. Mechanical, for the time being, just to have an idea about the eventual visibility out of this thing.
I started by taking an illustrator drawing of the LEDs and wiring routes scaled to the 2.5" window I'll have to see through. This drawing was plotted out on acetate, trimmed, and then affixed to a pair of cardboard backing pieces.
The idea here is that the pieces that block out your vision are so close to your eyes, you end up looking past them as your eyes focus. It would be as if you drew a black dot on a pair of glasses the exact size of your iris - it doesn't blind you vision, it just becomes a sort of gray blur.
That was the theory, anyways.
I took the #1 casting and set into it with a dremel tool. This is going to be a test bucket. Something I learned from the Guy build is that you don't want to figure out rigging and mounting points in a glossy, chromed piece. This time around, I'll figure out electronics, THEN send the helmet off for chroming.
Trimmed out the nose vents too, just to be thorough. These are a bit tricky to get clean.
Happy to report though that the proof-of-theory worked great! I realize this isn't a 100% accurate representation, as the LEDs will block out more area as they move along the curve and their depth comes into play. That being said, I'm fairly confident I'll be able to see a lot better than I'd anticipated inside this thing!
To answer some of the questions I might get, the LEDs will be built on the array into a piece of 1/16" clear PET plastic. This will be a "sub visor" mounted behind the actual, tinted piece.
Since this helmet visor doesn't have a compound curve, I should be able to source tinted stock elsewhere and cut it to shape, making visibility much better than on my spray-tinted Guy visor.
Did some testing last night with regards to the LED matrix. Mechanical, for the time being, just to have an idea about the eventual visibility out of this thing.
I started by taking an illustrator drawing of the LEDs and wiring routes scaled to the 2.5" window I'll have to see through. This drawing was plotted out on acetate, trimmed, and then affixed to a pair of cardboard backing pieces.
The idea here is that the pieces that block out your vision are so close to your eyes, you end up looking past them as your eyes focus. It would be as if you drew a black dot on a pair of glasses the exact size of your iris - it doesn't blind you vision, it just becomes a sort of gray blur.
That was the theory, anyways.
I took the #1 casting and set into it with a dremel tool. This is going to be a test bucket. Something I learned from the Guy build is that you don't want to figure out rigging and mounting points in a glossy, chromed piece. This time around, I'll figure out electronics, THEN send the helmet off for chroming.
Trimmed out the nose vents too, just to be thorough. These are a bit tricky to get clean.
Happy to report though that the proof-of-theory worked great! I realize this isn't a 100% accurate representation, as the LEDs will block out more area as they move along the curve and their depth comes into play. That being said, I'm fairly confident I'll be able to see a lot better than I'd anticipated inside this thing!
To answer some of the questions I might get, the LEDs will be built on the array into a piece of 1/16" clear PET plastic. This will be a "sub visor" mounted behind the actual, tinted piece.
Since this helmet visor doesn't have a compound curve, I should be able to source tinted stock elsewhere and cut it to shape, making visibility much better than on my spray-tinted Guy visor.
Agent RayBans
Sr Member
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
You probably already have a source lined up, but in the past I've dealt with a gentleman who makes smoked acrylic visors for Boba Fett helmets. I gave him the appropriate measurements for my at the time Thomas helmet, and he cut and curved a visor for me for about $20-25 shipped if I remember correctly. Back then he cut the pieces by hand, but apparently now all his visors are laser cut, also.
For all I know he is a member on here, but here is his site is you want to look into him. You could probably even go as far as to mail him the resin scrap visor ahead of time to ensure me matches the curve as best as possible.
And I can safely say LEDs shine through his visors just fine.
You probably already have a source lined up, but in the past I've dealt with a gentleman who makes smoked acrylic visors for Boba Fett helmets. I gave him the appropriate measurements for my at the time Thomas helmet, and he cut and curved a visor for me for about $20-25 shipped if I remember correctly. Back then he cut the pieces by hand, but apparently now all his visors are laser cut, also.
For all I know he is a member on here, but here is his site is you want to look into him. You could probably even go as far as to mail him the resin scrap visor ahead of time to ensure me matches the curve as best as possible.
And I can safely say LEDs shine through his visors just fine.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
Heya Volpin,
I have a few thoughts, take them with the requisite grain of salt, based on the hundreds of hours ThreeFN and I have invested in the Guy Sub-Visor.
Your sub-visors construction, to my understanding, will be a formed piece of clear PET. I imagine you're planning to drill the holes for the LED's? Consider that if you do that, every "column" of LED's will be orientated in a different direction radiating from the center of the helmet. You may of been planning this, but it does tend to reek havoc with your LED's FOV's. Viewing the helmet from the front, a large amount of the LED's won't be directing their light at the eyeballs of those standing infront, and as such, the columns out to the side may "appear" weaker.
Also, I hate to state the obvious, but the light emitted from these LED's, this close to your eyes, will invariably kill most of your vision either way. The light will also be fond of transmitting itself through your clear PET, sideways, giving any visibility you may have had a magnificent and intense red hue.
Also consider that the animations playing out directly in front of your eyeballs will be rapidly cycling where the brightness is coming from, and you'll likely become nauseous and disoriented easily.
I think there's a reason the originals only had tiny little pinholes to see through, the above is likely at least part of it. At the least I think you'll want to obscure the overwhelming majority of the matrix from the inside.
Heya Volpin,
I have a few thoughts, take them with the requisite grain of salt, based on the hundreds of hours ThreeFN and I have invested in the Guy Sub-Visor.
Your sub-visors construction, to my understanding, will be a formed piece of clear PET. I imagine you're planning to drill the holes for the LED's? Consider that if you do that, every "column" of LED's will be orientated in a different direction radiating from the center of the helmet. You may of been planning this, but it does tend to reek havoc with your LED's FOV's. Viewing the helmet from the front, a large amount of the LED's won't be directing their light at the eyeballs of those standing infront, and as such, the columns out to the side may "appear" weaker.
Also, I hate to state the obvious, but the light emitted from these LED's, this close to your eyes, will invariably kill most of your vision either way. The light will also be fond of transmitting itself through your clear PET, sideways, giving any visibility you may have had a magnificent and intense red hue.
Also consider that the animations playing out directly in front of your eyeballs will be rapidly cycling where the brightness is coming from, and you'll likely become nauseous and disoriented easily.
I think there's a reason the originals only had tiny little pinholes to see through, the above is likely at least part of it. At the least I think you'll want to obscure the overwhelming majority of the matrix from the inside.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
Not yet, no, this helmet is just a testbed though. I''m getting to that point.
Correct, thats my intent. This is how the original helmet was constructed. I know you guys are making all of your pieces unidirectional, but I don't think that look will work as well on the Thomas piece.
To combat the light spread as much as possible, I'll be using 60º LEDs in diffused packaging. I'm hoping this will soften the brightness discrepancy when viewed at an angle. Keep in mind also that the LEDs in Thomas' helmet aren't on a full 180º sweep across the front visor - they're actually contained to a much flatter spread. This isn't as evident in my test piece because, well, its just cardboard and acetate. I'll have something a bit more accurate soon.
All valid points, but there's little I can do to compensate for these issues until I know for certain what I'm dealing with. its possible that placing the LEDs in a tinted piece of acrylic will cut down on a lot of the glare and reflection, or I may have to mount them in an opaque black sheet and drill eye holes in the remaining spaces.
I do appreciate the concern for my vision and level of nausea. I would, ultimately, like this to be as comfortable as possible. To that end, I'm exploring a lot of options for the visor/illumination/vision route. A lot of people have mentioned putting a set of TV glasses and a camera in the helmet, but I would prefer not to do that if I can get away with it.
Oddly, for a guy who's made a Big Daddy costume and a Guy helmet already, I'm rather claustrophobic. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to wear the helmet for long if it included a set of screen glasses.
Not yet, no, this helmet is just a testbed though. I''m getting to that point.
Correct, thats my intent. This is how the original helmet was constructed. I know you guys are making all of your pieces unidirectional, but I don't think that look will work as well on the Thomas piece.
To combat the light spread as much as possible, I'll be using 60º LEDs in diffused packaging. I'm hoping this will soften the brightness discrepancy when viewed at an angle. Keep in mind also that the LEDs in Thomas' helmet aren't on a full 180º sweep across the front visor - they're actually contained to a much flatter spread. This isn't as evident in my test piece because, well, its just cardboard and acetate. I'll have something a bit more accurate soon.
All valid points, but there's little I can do to compensate for these issues until I know for certain what I'm dealing with. its possible that placing the LEDs in a tinted piece of acrylic will cut down on a lot of the glare and reflection, or I may have to mount them in an opaque black sheet and drill eye holes in the remaining spaces.
I do appreciate the concern for my vision and level of nausea. I would, ultimately, like this to be as comfortable as possible. To that end, I'm exploring a lot of options for the visor/illumination/vision route. A lot of people have mentioned putting a set of TV glasses and a camera in the helmet, but I would prefer not to do that if I can get away with it.
Oddly, for a guy who's made a Big Daddy costume and a Guy helmet already, I'm rather claustrophobic. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to wear the helmet for long if it included a set of screen glasses.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
is it going to be silver?
Having the bottom of the visor being clear and then silvered would help with seeing. Then there would be no real need for the slots.
If you do use a camera maybe placing it in the mouth slot would work.
is it going to be silver?
Having the bottom of the visor being clear and then silvered would help with seeing. Then there would be no real need for the slots.
If you do use a camera maybe placing it in the mouth slot would work.
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
I'd really, really prefer not to do the camera if I can get away with it. The batteries on this thing will be strained as-is.
Spent some quality time in EAGLE over the past few days. I've decided to make a single board with one 7221 chip on it, which can be daisy-chained together to make larger arrays of 8x8. These can be scaled across or down for other projects, so the goal here was to have a versatile, expandable board.
Each one has input and output headers to connect to subsequent boards, as well as the 8x8 LED outputs and all necessary places for resistors/capacitors.
V1 was a build with all SMD components. Though they're smaller, it was tougher to route all the traces efficiently and the board grew as a result.
V2 used all through-hole pieces. Traces were easier, but the components were much, much larger. It ended up being even bigger than V1
V3 was the final, using a hybrid of SMD and through-hole pieces. These are less than 1" square. Since I'll need 5 of them (and they'll all be stuffed inside the helmet!) this is a very, very good thing.
More boards to come soon!
I'd really, really prefer not to do the camera if I can get away with it. The batteries on this thing will be strained as-is.
Spent some quality time in EAGLE over the past few days. I've decided to make a single board with one 7221 chip on it, which can be daisy-chained together to make larger arrays of 8x8. These can be scaled across or down for other projects, so the goal here was to have a versatile, expandable board.
Each one has input and output headers to connect to subsequent boards, as well as the 8x8 LED outputs and all necessary places for resistors/capacitors.
V1 was a build with all SMD components. Though they're smaller, it was tougher to route all the traces efficiently and the board grew as a result.
V2 used all through-hole pieces. Traces were easier, but the components were much, much larger. It ended up being even bigger than V1
V3 was the final, using a hybrid of SMD and through-hole pieces. These are less than 1" square. Since I'll need 5 of them (and they'll all be stuffed inside the helmet!) this is a very, very good thing.
More boards to come soon!
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
aaaand more boards!
The side lights in Thomas' helmet are very similar to some of the elements in Guy. Since the main event is the front screen matrix, these side pieces will be a bit more simple. There will only be 8 channels driving the LEDs here, and the effects will be simpler as well - mostly an on/off and a couple of blinking animations.
The board here looks... well, like a horrible cluster. Its not this cramped, the matrices on the top & bottom are actually made up of 2mm x 5mm rectangular LEDs, not 5mm rounds. I couldn't find these in my Eagle libraries, so I just used the 5mm round package. The leads are the same.
This is the driver for those boards. Again, simple here - just one 595 shift register and the transistors to drive the LEDs. I know I could use a smaller package SMD 595 and transistor array chips, but I was going for ease of soldering here. This board will sit behind the LED boards on one side of the helmet, with the arduino situated opposite.
Should be putting in the order for the boards soon after I double-check a few things, then 30 days until delivery.
aaaand more boards!
The side lights in Thomas' helmet are very similar to some of the elements in Guy. Since the main event is the front screen matrix, these side pieces will be a bit more simple. There will only be 8 channels driving the LEDs here, and the effects will be simpler as well - mostly an on/off and a couple of blinking animations.
The board here looks... well, like a horrible cluster. Its not this cramped, the matrices on the top & bottom are actually made up of 2mm x 5mm rectangular LEDs, not 5mm rounds. I couldn't find these in my Eagle libraries, so I just used the 5mm round package. The leads are the same.
This is the driver for those boards. Again, simple here - just one 595 shift register and the transistors to drive the LEDs. I know I could use a smaller package SMD 595 and transistor array chips, but I was going for ease of soldering here. This board will sit behind the LED boards on one side of the helmet, with the arduino situated opposite.
Should be putting in the order for the boards soon after I double-check a few things, then 30 days until delivery.
Agent RayBans
Sr Member
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
All I know about this sort of thing is that its very impressive!
All I know about this sort of thing is that its very impressive!
Re: Daft Punk Thomas Bangalter helmet build
Unsure if you know this, on this video YouTube - Daft Punk - Something About Us (not interstella video) it appears he has a lighting arrangement in his ear, I don't know if you've left this out intentionally or not, but I thought I'd let you know. Beneath are some print screens of what I mean, and if you click through, it's a full size one, admittedly the quality isn't brilliant, but give it a watch for yourself!
Unsure if you know this, on this video YouTube - Daft Punk - Something About Us (not interstella video) it appears he has a lighting arrangement in his ear, I don't know if you've left this out intentionally or not, but I thought I'd let you know. Beneath are some print screens of what I mean, and if you click through, it's a full size one, admittedly the quality isn't brilliant, but give it a watch for yourself!
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