Iron Man Mark 2/3: are the "internal ears" really necessary? If so, why?

[razerzej]

Beginner here, on my second attempt at a Mark 2 foam helmet, using the JFcustom foam version of Dancin_Fool's Pep file.

I'm getting better at cutting and gluing, but the ears on the helmet are giving me fits. Not the visible part, mind you-- the area underneath them, that I refer to as "internal ears":



In essence, the internal ear sections demand more precision and detail than any other piece, and I'm having trouble getting them even close to correct. The scoring to make some of the folds is very difficult to execute without cutting pieces off entirely, and the gluing is in tight quarters and unforgiving. And the worst part is, none of this work is even visible in the finished product!

My question: if I were to ensure that other angles and distances are accurate (I take measurements in Pepakura, then glue bamboo sticks inside), is there a reason I couldn't just cut a flat circle to fit inside the ear hole area, and then glue my "external ear" to that?

 

[Psicorp7]

The flat part of the ears is for mounting the outer ear. The two outside ridges that are giving you fits are needed and will totally be seen.



If you don't want to pep them you can use a disc of plastic or other rigid material to create the ridges. Remember, Iron Man helmets are some of the most difficult pep files to create perfectly. Most people build three to four helmets before they create a "perfect" copy.

 

[razerzej]

Thanks for the reply!

Since I have you here, maybe you can help me with what is probably a very fundamental question. I've been printing my pep files with the 2D "Add Outline Padding" option turned off, because it obscures fold lines. This view also shows what appear to be a lot of very small cuts around the internal ear area. These not only give me fits in execution, but make me wonder how the finished product could possibly turn out right. Here's the difference between the two views:



I'm (very sheepishly) beginning to suspect that I was never supposed to turn off the padding option, meaning that the internal ears were meant to be cut as single semicircles, and not ~15 little flaps approximating a semicircle. Is this the case, or am I supposed to be cutting those tiny flaps and gluing them into a whole?

 

[George]

If the (significant) cuts are shown in the design (you can see them on the right as well,eventhough the gap is conceiled by grey),then you should use the cuts.Many millimeters added up make enough cm to screw up your helmet.If you have to zoom in infinitely to see the cutlines,then I would omit them.
Good luck with your build !

 

[Psicorp7]

Since you are using foam, the thickness of the foam itself should be enough to make the two ridges. Think of it more as sculpting with the foam instead of pep. Good foam technique is half carving and sculpting and half traditional pep.

What thickness of foam are you using? I would use 5mm for the large parts and 3mm or 2mm for the small detail pieces. You can even do the whole helmet in 3mm for better detail. Any larger and you will have fits that even the best meds won't cure. :lol