It must be wonderful to be the kind of person who performs a careful critical path analysis, then follows each logical step. I swear, I WANT to be that person.
When we last talked, I had slathered on unreasonable amounts of bondo to much of the back and neck of the helmet. This allowed me to take out the shaping materials inside that section. The best plan would then have been to carefully sand the areas until they were smooth, and add in more Bondo to the surrounding areas, making everything the same level. I would then allow that to harden and sand until the different areas were one.
I DID sand the stuff I'd done. I did remove some of the more ornate swirls and huge lumps. The final surface was not glass-smooth, but it was better. There's going to be some more surfacing work for sure. But obviously, I had to get to grips with this faceplate before I lost all my courage.
That thumbnail looks really good. Don't click on it.
I put in the pointless detail of the bars down the nose section because it seemed like the right time to do that. The piece at the bottom of the nose is a placeholder, because I think I'm going to sculpt that bit out of modelling clay and right now I don't have any of that.
STILL LEFT TO DO:
The remaining section of the faceplate, which goes under the eyepieces and over the nose. It's insanely complicated even just to think about. Measuring is probably not going to help me, especially if it's ME doing the measuring.
More bondo. Which may mean buying more bondo. I'm not good at the mixing ratio, and my tube of blue activator is more empty than my tin of glop. That's also a metaphor for my life right now.
Removing the side shaping materials and installing the LEDs. This is a final touch that I'm excited about because I think I'm going to make a simple circuit. I may be wrong about that, but right now, that's what I'm thinking.
The end is in sight. Trouble is, the road between here and there is very bumpy. And there are alligators lurking in the bushes, armed with automatic rifles.