Stormtrooper pepakura helmet

[Klwl]

I started working on (I believe) Dungbeetle's stormtrooper helmet

Now I've come to the last part and that's the ears....I'm having some difficulties finding a decent reference to where they should be located. Can someone tell me if the placement in the image below is somewhat close to it's mark?

cheers!

 

[Foxw]

there pretty close Kiwi, domes are a little to high but not too bad

 

[Klwl]

Yeah this helmet is not screen accurate but like my previous project it is meant as a mantle piece.

cheers!

 

[tubachris85x]

First TK helmet I've seen in pep form! Good job! I know how hard putting together these kinds of things are

 

[METALLBOY]

Wow these PEP printouts are working just for about everything . I would like to see this trooper helmet with Bondo and resin, its probably very workable to bring it close. With time and patience it should be a nice masterpiece.

 

[Klwl]

next question would be should I resin the helmet prior to putting the ear pieces on? I guess if I waited I would get better coverage of the helmet.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[Klwl]

I'd really like some insight whether I should attach or not before resigning..... I'm chomping at the bit......

cheers

 

[tubachris85x]

I'd resin the main piece first, because there can always be slight warping (not too much) but noticable enough when putting the seperate ear on. That's what I would do.

 

[Dung0beetle]

I modeled it with the intent for it to be fiberglassed and bondo'ed. Smooth out the helmet and ears and then trim the sides of the ears to fit the profile. You can use the side pic of the efx helmet as a visual aid to align the ears since that was my reference.

The stormtrooper helmet is the one that got me wanting to do 3d modeling. It is hard to go off of references for it because for one thing it is white and shiny-ish and the subtle curves don't show up well in pics. I started modeling it with the intention of making it asymmetrical like the real thing, but I had so many problems trying to get the edge flow right and still work for pep that I just made it symmetrical and hit save. I used the efx helmet as a reference because the website had a 360 turnaround.

 

[Klwl]

Well hopefully with some luck I can do your model some justice, started resining it yesterday and depending on how things go I might just resin sand prime and paint. no real need to bondo since this is show piece. But again that's with some luck.......

cheers

 

[Trek920]

why no bondo? youll still need to use body filler to sand and fill, sand and fill, sand and fill. you cant really sand resin unless you used sanding resin thats used on surfboards.

 

[Klwl]

cause I'm lazy and aren't very good with bondo. Again I was hoping for a best case scenerio, but if I have to I will bondo.......

 

[rundown]

cause I'm lazy and aren't very good with bondo. Again I was hoping for a best case scenerio, but if I have to I will bondo.......

You can always use it as a clay sculpt base?

 

[Klwl]

You can always use it as a clay sculpt base?

This actually intrigues me, what would be the best clay to use in this instance? I've never used clay before but I think it would be easier to use than bondo.

And would I still need to reinforce the inside of the helmet with fiberglass?

 

[Klwl]

Ok I've since glassed the interior and now trying to decide what route to take to get this thing done.

1. clay, what is the best and easiest type of clay to use and find. (something I can use in multiple sittings.

2.bondo (I really suck at this...but i suppose practice makes perfect)



I really do want to try clay since it's easier to use and I can use my fingers to get the detail work done, I'm just not sure what type to use. I perhaps would like to cast this if it turns out decent enough.

thoughts / suggestions welcomed.

cheers

 

[Contec]

Use bondo, But remember to make small batches because its really easy to make a big one and have it harden before you have it on your helmet.

Small batch of bondo---sand-----bondo----sand---bondo---sand----Perfect.
Big batch of bondo-----sand----sand----sand----sand---curse words---sand-----sand----Crappy result

 

[Klwl]

problem with bondo is I'm no good at it and i really want this thing to turn out nice. The laying of the bondo is somewhat ok, it's the sanding and detailing I suck at..... least with clay you can maneuver your fingers a bit with it.

I just don't know what type of clay to use, since the supply around me is limited. (Michael's, Wallacks)

cheers

 

[Klwl]

Any Canadian members have a recommendation for clay? Again my art supply stores are somewhat limited to here and this will be my 1st time using clay for making a piece.

Is polymer clay better to use and more forgiving? I'm looking for something I don't have to have done withina few hours, I want to go back as many times as necessary to get the job done. (Or do I simply keep adding clay and the need arises?)

cheers

 

[Trek920]

clay is very hard. bondo is far easier. also not sure if clay will bond to the resin.

the direction youre going to two ways. youve almost finished it by glassing it. why start over with the clay, just bondo and sand the outside.

 

[dreaminspired]

you know that if you use clay it's not going to be wearable, right? that option is really only if you want to use it as a base to make a mold and then make a wearable resin copy from the mold. that's a pretty expensive thing to get into for this and you may be better off just grabbing a kit from someone.

the bondo and resin option on the outside of the helmet makes it strong, allows you to sand the helmet to the proper shape and dremmel in the details, and makes it wearable, and with proper resin coverage, weather proof too. it changes it from a papercraft piece to a functional prop.
hope that helps.