First intro; first build! Dr. Doom: Off to Comic Con!!

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Bondo is a brand name auto body filler. The reason it's used is to round out the seams and geometry created by the pepakura build.
Be sure to get your alignment straight before you resin/fiberglass it. Use extra strips of paper, or whatever it takes to properly adjust. After a light resin coat on the outside, it should be robust enough to remove the bracing.
The bondo is used because it is more workable than straight resin. That being said; it's somewhat fragile without a solid foundation.

Thanks for the compliment and interest. This was also my first pep build, but I worked very slowly to ensure a decent result. I probably got lucky...

Bottom line: If you can't get your build to where you like it, you may want to consider a rebuild. I'd hate to invest a lot of time into something you'll be fighting with all the way through to make right. Just don't give up on it, and feel free to ask me (a fellow nOOb) or any of the many extremely talented people on this site for help. They are very helpful to those with genuine interest and passion for the hobby.

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Getting the details cut back into the helmet..

 

[SDUK]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

looks great dude!!!

have you not found the body filler as made it real heavy and hard to put on?
that's where I stumbled.... it got too heavy and too rigid to fit on my head after I put the filler on, so I tried to cast it which I failed miserably at.... I am gonna try a power sander to take it right back down and see what I can do with it....
I started making another but in card this time but I am struggling to get it to stick and hold, and struggling to bend the thinner pieces :/ my just try again with paper

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

What paper are you using? Honestly, the stiffer, the better. You just need to score all your bends first. It makes it much easier.

As for the bondo weight, I don't have a lot on there. I'm using as little as possible so I can maintain the overall size, and all I'm looking to do is hide the hard edges where they are supposed to be round.

Did you split your helmet? I did, because I knew there would be an issue putting it on. If you have to flex the paper to get it on your head, start planning. The fiberglass removes 90% of your flex.

If you are still working on the Britain helm, I'd consider seperating the jaw. You could still get it on, most likely, and use earth magnets to reattach the two sections.

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Question:
Has anyone ever put sculpey over bondo?

I'm looking for more control in my final adjustments, and the build up/cut away method could go on forever if I can't get into a medium I can better control.

I'd love to finish this in sculpey, then paint it. At least the detailed areas...

 

[SDUK]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Dude the seperation idea is GENIOUS!!!! I never even thought of that!!
I may jst give that a try

 

[EvilSnow]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Here are some pics of my Doom mask. It's not as well put together as yours (like I say, it's a touch off here and there, and I've left the eyes a big wider, as I preferred them that way), but nevertheless, here it is (see attached pics).

It's a bit of a tight fit trying to get it on all in one go, and I'm not sure how thick the fiberglass is when it's dried, so I will probably go the way of separating it like you have, but need to find a method of reattaching it.

I'll put the mouthpiece in later, and find some gauze or fine mesh to act as a backdrop for it, and something else to fill in the holes in the jaw.

View attachment 109266 View attachment 109267
View attachment 109268 View attachment 109269

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

It's a bit of a tight fit trying to get it on all in one go, and I'm not sure how thick the fiberglass is when it's dried, so I will probably go the way of separating it like you have, but need to find a method of reattaching it.

I had to widen the back a bit to get it on; even then I knew it would need to be split once fiberglassed.

I plan on using rare earth magnets, as suggested by others on this site for their incredible strength to size ratio.

I picked up two packs of ten, for 2 dollars a pack.

For my test fittings, I glued plastic tabs into the helmet for positive placement when joining the halves, and some basic ceramic magnets. These were only superglued, so I can snap them out later.

As for the fiberglass thickness; that's up to you. I did one coat of resin and fiberglass, then one additional coat of resin. I'd say the maximum thickness is around 1/8 to 1/4 inch, depending where you measure it.

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Anyone have any idea about the Sculpey/bondo question?

 

[EvilSnow]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

I had to widen the back a bit to get it on; even then I knew it would need to be split once fiberglassed.

I plan on using rare earth magnets, as suggested by others on this site for their incredible strength to size ratio.

I picked up two packs of ten, for 2 dollars a pack.

For my test fittings, I glued plastic tabs into the helmet for positive placement when joining the halves, and some basic ceramic magnets. These were only superglued, so I can snap them out later.

As for the fiberglass thickness; that's up to you. I did one coat of resin and fiberglass, then one additional coat of resin. I'd say the maximum thickness is around 1/8 to 1/4 inch, depending where you measure it.

Ok, cheers. I was only planning on a single layer of fiberglass inside, so may not make much of a difference. Will have a try on a practise sheet so I get a general idea though, so I don't cock it up on the actual helmet.

Ideally, I'd like to keep the helmet in one piece, so it might be easier for me to lengthen the helmet by 1/2 an inch or so (doesn't need to be much to be honest), then compensate inside with some thicker padding at the back of the cranium.

I'll figure something out =P

 

[BSD]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Its looking awesome! Keep up the good work!

 

[EvilSnow]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Have finally come up with a solution. The back of my helmet curves in a bit, so I've cut part of it off in a curve, starting from just where the jaw meets the cranium, around the back on a gentle slope to about 1 and a half strips up the back of the helmet, and back down again on the other side, and it fits without any bother at all now.

 

[NcognitoMagneto]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

I have done art all my life, but never have I done a pepakura project. Challenging, but fun to do. My buddy, BSD, turned me onto this art form. I am pumped about doing this same dr doom build and body armor with minor variations. Doom and Magneto are my all time favorite villains. Tasty burger, your build is looking awesome and I can't wait to see your finished product. Are you planning on doing any variations from the basic pep build structurally with the bondo? Is it even possible to apply thicker layers of bondo in places without it cracking? Never worked with bondo before. Thanks

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

I'm going to keep the bondo as thin as possible, while still masking the original angles.

I will stay with the design as best I can, but I will likely embellish a bit to get more "Doom" into it. If I choose to do that with bondo; I have yet to decide. There may be some real metal elements worked in, just for ease and truer shapes. I'll be back to work on it soon. I had to pause for a PC rebuild.

I think the key to bondo not cracking is having a strong base and not going too thick. It's not real hard when cured, so I wouldn't push the thickness, especially where sharp edges are needed.

 

[LordRevos]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

The helm is looking really nice, I hope mine looks as good as yours.

I'll be watching this thread closely!

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Well, it's official!
I hate all Bondo products!

I bought some glazing putty to "help" with the finishing stages. It's just a more liquid bondo with a faster cure time. Absolutely NOT what I want for finishing! I guess I spent too many years sculpting with my fingers. I HATE excessive sanding!

So:
Anyone use 2 part epoxy putty for finish work? I figure since it's malleable for 5 minutes, and actually a putty, I could use that. Then, I can treat it like a real sculpting media, not pretend bondo is.

Anyone use the stuff?

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

I decided to forgo excessive sanding/bondo/sanding cycles, and go with what I know.

So, I bought two sticks of 15 minute epoxy putty, so I can sculpt my final details and smooth surfaces into place with less runny mess.

Here's a current pic, with a quick primer and some minor glazing putty experimentation. Most of that will go the way of the dodo tomorrow.

I glued two sheets of card stock temporarily to the mating edges of the helmet, for a retaining wall. Inside, I ran a bead of quickset epoxy, which will be cut, trimmed and countersunk for earth magnet placement. I wanted to build a flat mating face between each half without adding a lot of material.

It may seem confusing, but it will make sense after I get the paper off and the magnets in..

I promise!

I also threw in a shot of the magnets I bought, for a visual reference. I had several questions about them.

 

[BSD]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Well, it's official!
I hate all Bondo products!

I bought some glazing putty to "help" with the finishing stages. It's just a more liquid bondo with a faster cure time. Absolutely NOT what I want for finishing! I guess I spent too many years sculpting with my fingers. I HATE excessive sanding!

So:
Anyone use 2 part epoxy putty for finish work? I figure since it's malleable for 5 minutes, and actually a putty, I could use that. Then, I can treat it like a real sculpting media, not pretend bondo is.

Anyone use the stuff?

I know I hate to sand that much as well.. As far as using what your talking about I never have. You could try using rondo. Rondo is bondo mixed with fiberglass resin. I have started to try this but I only used the bondo hardner and it didn't cure all the way. So ill try adding some resin hardner as well on my next try. You could try to do a rondo search on here and see if that is something you might try.

 

[Tastyburger]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

So, here's what I was doing with the paper:
I removed the paper, and used water to wash most of the remaining bits out of the glue. (A little left makes no difference)

I then tapped some areas to countersink my magnets in. A couple dabs of epoxy, and one side was set. I placed the two halves together once the glue set, and marked where the mating magnets needed to go with a marker. I then repeated the process on the other side.

Important notes:
Confirm magnet polarities when setting your matching pairs. It would be embarrassing to mismatch.

I probably could have skipped one whole set of drilling if I had glued one side's magnets to the paper before running the beads of epoxy. In hindsight, it would have saved about 30 minutes.

Anyways, once I confirm everything still lines up and 4 magnets are enough, I'll slim out or remove a lot of the epoxy left over. It doesn't interfere with the fit at all, but I'd like to pretty it up.

At this point, the only thing that could be an issue is if the magnets pull the two halves out of alignment a little. If it's minor, I can hide it with putty. If it's a bigger deal, I can put in some tabs to force proper alignment.

 

[BSD]

Re: First intro; first build! Dr. Doom Pepakura

Your build is moving right along! Are you going to make his armor as well?