Destiny Helmet: Skull of Dire Ahamkara

[LancLancDoubleD]

FINISHED :
Skull of Dire Ahamkara with the Dead Orbit Revenant shader coloration, aka silver metal and a darker bone color.



------------------------------------------------- Original Thread Below -------------------------------------------------

So this is my first time doing Pepakura, and I chose to do what seems like a pretty complex model to start with. The Skull of Dire Ahamkara warlock helmet from the game Destiny.


I had always liked this design, and wanted to try my hand at making a Pepakura based helmet but I run all Apple computers. After wading through the RPF I found a thread by sketcherdan on his build of the helmet and felt I needed to find a way to get Pepakura up and running. After some research I finally found a free program WineSkin for Mac and was able to install and use Pepakura Designer, and Viewer on my computers. I utilized Pep file from Crimson over at the 405th (thanks sketcherdan), and scaled the model to X,Y,Z measurements of my head. My first time Peping and I think I have gotten myself one of the more challenging helmets with so many under cuts and small angles. This took a few days of a few hours here and there but it was worth it. I used a poster board heavy stock, and gel super glue which kept my seams very clean.


Next I resined the inside with a brushed layer of EpoxAmite Epoxy Laminating Resin from Smooth-On. Then I fiberglassed the inside using 3M fiberglass cloth and the EpoxAmite. A piece of a popsicle stick was used to brace the mandibles so they wouldn't deform during the resining process. I rolled some more resin around the inside of the mandibles and filled the cavity inside with Great Stuff expanding insulation foam to give them a little more interior strength, as I was unable to fiberglass inside them.


The photos are a little out of order now but I cut the back of the helmet off to create an opening large enough for my to head to squeeze into it. I formed magnet brackets on the inside of the main helmet by putting a glob of Aves Apoxie Sculpt, pushing in a rare earth magnet, and sculpting the shape of the bracket around it. When these cured I placed the opposing magnets to these and taped the helmet back together temporarily. I molded brackets onto the back panel by pushing Apoxie Sculpt over the opposing magnet and forming it to the interior of the back panel. I cut out the portions that would eventually be replaced with translucent black acrylic for the visor, and test fit the helmet. With some temporary padding, it fits like a glove.


My brain is kind of all over the place as to where to start so I started sculpting some of the bone on top of the helmet. I outlined some base details on the helmet with a sharpie. Using Apoxie Sculpt I molded a thin layer over the helmet and sculpted the detail into this.


From my reference images I took from the game I noticed a lot of detailing that was not in the pepakura model.
Screws that go into the Bone pieces attaching them to the base helmet. I got some 1/2" Nylon screws from Lowes, cut off the threads, and added a bit of Apoxie Sculpt to create
the proper look of the screw heads.


Two respirator tubes coming out of the bottom chin piece. To start a base for these I cut up some dollar store markers on an angle and hot glued them in place temporarily to get an idea of how they will sit. I will add the rivet and extra layered detail to these.


The back of the helmet and neck hole of the helmet is wrapped in leather and has some padded detailing. I picked up some some black pleather and eyelits to prepare for this later on.


More to come.

 

[made007]

You got this bro!
looking forward to see it completed

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

Thanks made. Yeah its been a fun process so far. Learning some new skills and finding some skills I haven't used in years from school. Making stuff is so friggin relaxing after some crazy days at work. Considering doing a full costume build for a Con in September.

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

So I started on the back of the helmet. I didn't take any pictures as this stuff is new to me and I was more focused on the process of learning and trying to figure out the best way to accomplish the leather work. But I sketched the blocks of leather on the back panel of the helmet and made card stock templates. I wrapped the templates in faux leather using hot glue and then hit eyelets into the corners. I used Dap Weldwood contact cement to wrap the faux leather to the back panel then hot glued the leather blocks on top of that, wrapping all the leather around the edges to the insides of the helmet.


I then taped up the back panel (so not to mess it up), and started working up from there building the bone on the back of the helmet using Apoxie Sculpt. The bone would overlap and cover the seam of the back panel along the top, while the ear cups cover the seam of down the sides making it look like a solid helmet.


Got some 1/8" bronze transparent acrylic and tested out shaping some pieces with a heat gun, and now have a base idea of how the visor will be made.

 

[made007]

It says invalid attachment, cant see the pics, im also doing a warlock

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

I got a little more done. I kept moving up the back of the helmet and sculpted the back section of the the skull.


During the whole process I am also slowly layering Bondo and sanding that across the mechanical parts of the helmet to eventually get a smooth finish very different from the bone plates.

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

Still truckin along when i get the time. Sculpted some more bone plating with Apoxie Sculpt including the mandible teeth. Got a lot of the mechanical pieces shaped and smoothed with Bondo and spot putty sanded up to 200 grit. I have a few more details to put into the back band, and visor frame which is a pain in the rear to get into to sand under and around the mandibles. I added some rivets which are temporarily set until paint. The respirator tubes off the chin have been hollowed through the helmet. I plan to put small fans inside the helmet in front of each of the respirator tubes to draw in fresh air to fight visor fogging, as I hear that becomes an issue with many cosplay helmets.

 

[CheesyKNB]

Absolutely love your build of this helmet! This is one i would like to try my hands on also but Will you by chance offer these as cast kits? I would be happy to commission one for my warlock costume (my old helmet smashed in)

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

Absolutely love your build of this helmet! This is one i would like to try my hands on also but Will you by chance offer these as cast kits? I would be happy to commission one for my warlock costume (my old helmet smashed in)

Thanks. It's been fun building so far. I won't be making I any kits of this. This is really my first prop build, or helmet at least (I made a sword of Crota). Though I have a lot of knowledge of making molds after watching so many videos online, my experience is limited to a few very small, simple 2 part molds back in college. With all the overhangs of the mandibles and other under cuts, I think this would have to be cut up and cast as sections to be reassembled, and that is out of my comfort level at this time. Your helmet got smashed in? What happened? Titan fist of Havoc?

 

[CheesyKNB]

Thanks. It's been fun building so far. I won't be making I any kits of this. This is really my first prop build, or helmet at least (I made a sword of Crota). Though I have a lot of knowledge of making molds after watching so many videos online, my experience is limited to a few very small, simple 2 part molds back in college. With all the overhangs of the mandibles and other under cuts, I think this would have to be cut up and cast as sections to be reassembled, and that is out of my comfort level at this time. Your helmet got smashed in? What happened? Titan fist of Havoc?

Understandable,I may try to replicate your technique if you dont mind for a build or just sculpt bones over the remains of my original one (which is similar to the base model of the one your building)

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

Understandable,I may try to replicate your technique if you dont mind for a build or just sculpt bones over the remains of my original one (which is similar to the base model of the one your building)
View attachment 501366

That's a pretty solid looking helm you have there. I like the painting and weathering. I can't wait to get to painting mine. Yeah absolutely take any technique. Most everything I have been doing is learned from watching what other people do on these forums and learning. That's what it's all about, helping each other out.

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

In the home stretch now. I got everything I wanted Bondo'd, shaped and base sanded. The whole helmet was primed, and I sanded the mechanical parts to be smooth while keeping the light texture on the bone pieces. I used JB Weld KwikWeld epoxy to attach the respirator tubes over the holes cut in the helmet. I have a pair of small 25mmx10mm fans ordered that I will attach inside the helmet at these respirator holes.


I just need to spot putty some defects here and there and then it will be ready for paint. The rivets will be put in after painting as well I plan to redo the visor as this one was a test of the material, and is a little more warped than I would like.

 

[MrAtombomb]

I can't believe no one has commented and told you how awesome this looks mate.
GREAT JOB! This is gonna look fantastic when it's painted.

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

I can't believe no one has commented and told you how awesome this looks mate.
GREAT JOB! This is gonna look fantastic when it's painted.

Thanks bud. The comment in much appreciated.

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

Painting has commenced, but is not complete. I started by masking off all the bone, and sprayed the mechanical parts with a metallic rattle can paint. I was able to hang the helmet with wire through the respirator tubes, then this was gloss clear coated prior to unmasking.


I then reversed the mas to cover the newly painted mechanical pieces and used an air brush for the first time since my parents got me one when I was a kid and was impressed by the guy painting t-shirts at the mall. I started with a white spray over the entire bone to give me a light base. A transparent chocolate brown was layered over that and blended to start to get some depth and emphasize the highs and lows. I mixed a little bit of white to the brown to add a little more dimension in a third pass.


Then I went to hand painting for weathering and further detailing. Black, Tan, Burnt Umber, and Olive Green acrylics were all used and dirty washed into the bone then wiped away to bring out the details in the creases and crevices. After all the corners and under hangs of the bone were finished up it was all clear coated in a matte finish. Prior to unmasking everything I masked around the bolts that hold the bone to the helmet and sprayed them with a chrome rattle can to match up with the rivets that will be on the helmet.


I still have to detail and weather the metal parts of the helmet, and continue the black leather around from the ear pucks under the chin piece. Then the outside will be complete, and the interior work of padding, fans, and final visor will begin.

 

[The Schlitzie]

So awesome!

 

[xdmray]

Man i really like how this turned out.

 

[WereDrelf]

What an awesome build! Thank you for writing out all your steps in detail. Very helpful for someone wanting to try this for the first time.

 

[Predatormv]

Wow that came out awesome. Too bad your not casting it and offering kits, I would jump on one in a heartbeat.

 

[LancLancDoubleD]

So awesome!

Man i really like how this turned out.

What an awesome build! Thank you for writing out all your steps in detail. Very helpful for someone wanting to try this for the first time.

Thanks for the praise. Glad to see other people like it as much as I do. And not a problem WereDrelf. Good luck with whatever you attempt to do. I hope you have as much fun as I'm having on my first build here.

Wow that came out awesome. Too bad your not casting it and offering kits, I would jump on one in a heartbeat.

Thanks Predator. Yeah I would've liked to make a kit of this, it would definitely make the helmet lighter. This was my first attempt at using pretty much all the materials involved Pepakura, resin, fiberglass, Apoxie Sculpt etc. Now that I know how they work together I will probably plan builds to make molds with.