Mass Effect Quarian Helmet (Tali Armored Varient) WIP

[StepIntoMyDojo]

Hey guys, I have been working on this Quarian helmet for the past couple of days and (seeing as this is my first real attempt at making a helmet) I was hoping to bounce some ideas off yall.

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So first things first, the thing doesnt fit around my noggin. Although I think the actual helmet part would fit, the neck hole is too small. I am thinking about either making the entire back of it hinge or something to that effect, or alternatively, i could just cut some off the neck hole. Most importantly, I have no idea when in the process I should make these changes (iie. now, after resining and fiberglassing, or after bondoing).

Another thing I am having trouble tackling is the visor. I am almost 100% sure that I will not be able to find a vaccumformed or otherwise fancy kind of thing, so I may have to get a little inventive. I am thinking I might go with the kind of look that the "Armored" DLC version of tali has, with the two slits of visor as opposed to the whole thing.

For that, I was thinking about using this purpleish lookin binder seperator (possibly a horrible idea).

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I was wondering, how dangerous is it to do resining with a regular particle mask instead of a respirator? I know most peole use them and i am very much pro safety but I may not be able to get one for a while adn i want to get started soon.

I will be updating this this with whatever progress i make in the future. Also, I AM new to this, so if this post is in the wrong place or if I happen to do something horribly wrong, just tell me and Ill fix it.


Finally, thanks to Dungbeetle and PepMaster for making the file.

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[Sluis Van Shipyards]

You might ask someone on here because they might be able to help you out with the visor. I've never seen the armored one; is it from a DLC or something? There are also several people who have done Tali so they can chime in on the helmet or just click 'search' then 'advanced search' and then click on this forum section and search for Tali.

I can't speak to the safety question other than that I know only certain masks can block that particle size. Usually it will say what it blocks so there might be some regular "dust masks" that will block resin particles. I'm not 100% sure. What you can do though is wet sand. That will keep all particles into a wet slurry on your sanding stick, block, or whatever you're using to sand with. You just have to keep the sanding media wet and then keep rinsing it as you sand.

 

[StepIntoMyDojo]

Yeah the armored version is from the "From Ashes" DLC in mass effect 3. From what I can tell, there are really only a handful of people who have actually made a tali mask, but they all used different more advanced approaches to do it. Ill still see if they can help though.

By the way, Im not so much worried about the dust from sanding, Im worried about the resin fumes

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

I don't think properly cured resin should give off fumes. The resin dust is what will give you major lung problems.

 

[StepIntoMyDojo]

Really? wow I guess need to do a little more safety research before i get anything started! What would I do without you guys...

By the way, i would really like to know what you guys think about the "purple paper divider" as a visor. I like the color and it is see through like a visor, but seems almost too easy. Im a little nervous about trying it, but i really dont have many other options at the moment.

 

[Pole04]

The resin will give off BAD fumes while working with it and while curing. Curing can take from 4-36 hours depending on the brand you are using.

I would HIGHLY recommend always wearing a respirator when working with resin and when sanding the resin and bondo (if that is what you will be using). A dust mask will not catch the fine resin dust that can easily eat up your lungs.

That being said, if you are working outside and there is plenty of circulation, you can probably get away with doing your initial coats of resin on the pepped piece. Take it slow and if you get a headache or feel light headed, stop and get that respirator. I wouldn't go about sanding your piece until you have the respirator though. It really isn't worth the risk.


And good luck with the mask! I will be following this with great interest. I want to do a Tali costume for my lady friend one of these days

 

[StepIntoMyDojo]

Thanks Pole04! Im really glad this might help someone out in the future
I will be getting that respirator asap before i get anything else started.

 

[StepIntoMyDojo]

Hey guys,

Well, its been a bit since the last update so i figured i would post some progress before i move on to the next bit

Since i last posted, i have done a few coats of resin. I found that after a day it was still tacky (i figure because its a little too cold out), so i took someones advice and put some baby powder on it. That was only a few minutes ago, so hopefully it works out

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Sorry if that was an unnecesary ammount of pictures lol, more updates soon to come

 

[Pole04]

Resin does tend to dry quite slow when it is cold out. I usually let the resin cure for around 18 hours and then bring it in and put it in the room with my washer and dryer to let it finish. It takes a bit longer, but you shouldn't see any ill effects from it drying slow.

I am working through the same problem myself. I want to finish fiberglassing one of my projects this weekend but the weather is in the 40-50 out. I may just decide to wait it out and work on something else.