My Early Disasters pt 2 - A Biker Scout Helmet - How hard can it be?

I think I've been scared off using Bondo for the time being. It gives a better finish, but it's harder to work in my "minute here, minute there" availability. Maybe I'll reserve that for the Mk2 and push on with regular filler. I now have a new can of white and a new can of black spray paint, ready for finishing, I have clay for the detail around the eye sockets and to soften the lines on the detail under the eye sockets. I spent ten minutes last night while overseeing my youngest on her Heritage Fair project, cutting out the rectangular pieces the jut out from the helmet at temples and the top of the head. I don't have any new pictures from this, but I think I might have a reasonable shot at the deadline again. My confidence wavers depending on how much stuff stacks up in between times. Right now I have four scripts I have to read and report on, the Heritage Fair project (because yeah, that's my job) and preparations for my wife's birthday. It can be done.


Unless I screw up. Oh, and I have to prepare all the other elements of the display - info boards and helmet stands and maybe some kind of background....
 
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The close up shows the amount of surfacing work still to be done.
 
I know that somewhere, someone has found the right greeblies for making the little metal piece on the bottom left of the faceplate. I went out and found these:
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They're finishing washers, whatever they are. I stacked up four of them and glued them together to get the depth I wanted. Then I had to carve out the aperture on the faceplate because, naturally, things did not match up. I had another few minutes of frustration where I couldn't get the right angle on any f my reference photos - is the damn thing completely recessed? Yes, no, partially.... Hell with it. I only have four more days, and I ought to spend all of them sanding and filling.
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So it's placed, and I have more making good to do. There remain two more critical elements: The textured layer that comes between the beak and the chin section....
Texture.jpg
And the eyepieces. The eyepieces I will fix after the display, since I'm not planning to wear this helmet anytime soon, or let anyone else wear it. I have a plan for those, and it's not brilliant, but it'll work, and in the meantime I can smooth the eyes out and gloss paint them for effect. The textured area is another question altogether, and I don't have long to solve it. A friend 3d printed his, but that's not an option for me. Right now, I'm thinking I find some material, since I noticed my shoes have something very similar. I can cope with wearing my slippers to work, I guess.....
 
If you're getting tight for time it certainly gives the impression of the texture that would be there (if you repaint the drill holes black that is).
TBH considering what you started with it's starting to look pretty good.

Also good if it means you get to keep your shoes intact, lol!

Roughneckone:cool
 
Aaaaargh! Running out of time if I want this thing involved in the display (which I have to set up on Sunday - that's the day after tomorrow!) I can't get the hang of sealing the tape properly for spraying, and I get paint leaking through. That said, it makes a real difference having several layers of white gloss, and the black inlaid too. I have to put in the vents along the cheeks, and the greeblies on the side, plus putting back the black lines around the neck again. I don't have work today, or tomorrow, though I do have scripts to finish reviewing and tedious housework and cookery to accomplish (why does my family insist on being fed regularly? It's so inconvenient!)

Anyway, for paper-based MK1, I'm pretty happy with it. Do I have any lessons to take forward to the MK2? Well, I'm going to be more careful with the bondo, both in application and sanding. The surface results are so much better, and it feels much more solid. In the past, the drywall filler has given weight, but it feels brittle, like a drop would shatter it.

Working with a deadline has been a blessing and a curse, because I've resented not being able to take my time, but I've definitely grabbed opportunities to work that I would otherwise have ignored. One more day, a few more details....A bit more hiding the mistakes....

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I know you said this a few weeks ago but I love your attitude towards all your efforts
"I'm concentrating on getting the MK1 good enough for show, bearing in mind this will be behind glass, and labelled as "amateur effort". I'm hoping to inspire other people to try, not dazzle them with my brilliance. Luckily."
When I see something awesome I want to make one, not buy one, and make it from anything too.
Great work :)

Can you just touch up the bleeding paint lines with a brush to get finished in time?
 
Thanks Spacebob!

Yes, touch up with paintbrush and final details added with Sharpie for now. Many pans laid for the Mk2.

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I admit, I cheated on the beak - couldn't get the damn thing smooth enough, so I glossed a card shape and glued it on. I cut corners to make my deadline, and there's still things I could have done, but it's been a useful journey. Thanks for not calling in the hitmen for besmirching the name of the rpf. I love coming here.

- - - Updated - - -

Dtrasler said:
Thanks Spacebob!

Many pans laid for the Mk2.
Click to expand...

Oh good grief.
 
...And they're up! I was delighted to get a nod from the Commanding Officer of the Outer Rim Garrison of the 501st, who passed through today.
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It's going to be a while before my next project, but I have several on my bucket list (That's a helmet joke, in case you missed it.) I have a visor I want to build a Mjolnir Helmet for, a bad craving for a Republic Commando lid, and my Eldest really needs a Cyberman head to carry around, "Handles" style. Also, those Shadow Troopers from Rogue One look a bit interesting.

This has been a fun gallop, and thanks to those of you who have been dropping in with encouragement - it's sincerely appreciated. There are so many amazing projects on here, and all I'm trying to prove is that ANYONE can give it a go. It gets better every time, especially if you make the effort to learn from your mistakes.
 
That display looks brilliant Damien, the FA stormie looks like it turned out pretty well considering what you started with, you should really be proud of yourself.
I can't wait to see what you do next, sounds like you have a few projects lining themselves up though, lol!

Roughneckone:cool
 
Okay, look, I'm definitely moving on, and my next project is certainly going to be the Cyberman head (and incidentally, should I post that here or start a thread in the Doctor Who Section? What's the etiquette?) but it just so happened that we are using a lot of lacquer on the bathroom reno (Japanese-style baseboard - don't ask) and I spilled some on the MK2 helmet. Four coats, so far.

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Not sure which one I'm doing.... I have a full suit pattern, but I'm just working on the head. I have seen Wondersquid's patterns, though, and they're excellent.

Right, separate thread it is. Though any progress on the Mk2 will appear here.
 
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Proving that no model is too good to muck up, I'm experimenting with widening the cheek sections of the MK2. It's going to be a long, slow process, because I'm having more fun with the Cyberman head on my other thread.
 
So, it's a busy time at Casa Trasler: We're prepping for Halloween (naturally, with all these Star Wars Helmets at my disposal, I'm dressing as Doctor Strange), and only a fortnight after that is Fan Expo Vancouver, the closest we ever get to Comicon. Add to that, I'm being called in for extra shifts at work, and the work I do from home has also tripled for this month.

I certainly don't have time to begin a new project. So, I've started a new project.

6ac0ca6c-8cd0-4a11-8c12-606400c9b747.gifBecause who has seen these and NOT wanted one? And I found this interesting video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-7gDYJnpa0&index=17&list=PLB1d3opKaF6X8NL3XXGnJXtYW6fHvHIL9
and thought that the only thing better than a new project I don't have time for is a project with new techniques I've never tried before. Besides, I finally got a heat gun for my birthday, and I can finally shape foam. Probably.

This afternoon I had an hour before i had to go to work, and the house was empty. I should have vacuumed, made a lunch, sorted the laundry and washed the kitchen floor. Instead I printed out the basic helmet patterns from William Jakespeare's Facebook page (link available on request, because I'm too lazy to look it up right now...) and made a dome shape to begin with.

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It looks weird because it hasn't been glued. If you're a pro at this, you'll wonder why. If you're a regular reader, you won't be surprised.
 
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