The Expanse Big Build - Holden EVA Helmet added 04/22

[QuinnPrime]

Obviously this is not personal, as you are a new member, and I don't know you, but unfortunately I don't share graphics files any more. The RPF has long had a community of sharing and sadly this has lead to a lot of digital recasting and seeing your work turn up on Ebay generating profit for those who have no creative skills making profit for work that was intended to shared for free. For that reason I only share files with friends now.

That’s totally fair, and I understand completely! I have no interest in stealing designs, but I totally understand a need to protect them, for exactly those reasons. That being the case, is there a way that you could either laser-cut the graphics I’m interested in, or just print them on adhesive vinyl, which I could cut? Obviously I’d happily pay for any production and/or shipping costs involved.

Apologies again for my noob manners. If that shouldn’t be discussed here, but needs to be in The Classifieds, we can move the conversation over there or PM if need be. Thanks again.

 

[ajaxjones]

oops, wrong thread

 

[sstnickg]

Holy crap!
I look away for a few days [months} and you deliver this lot?
Gobsmacked Birdie.
beautiful work.
I can only look on with envy.
bring on season 3!

 

[Euphemios]

Are you willing to sell a sheet of the stickers you used for the MCRN pistol? As I would like to buy some for my own replica pistol

 

[Birdie]

I can do the silver and red ones. The others were painted on using laser-cut masks.

 

[Euphemios]

I can do the silver and red ones. The others were painted on using laser-cut masks.

How much would the silver and red ones be?
And how did you work out what the text on the "Taser Module" was? I can't find any clear images of it

 

[Birdie]

And so, the end is near, nearly a year after this project started. Good grief.

My last two builds are helmets. Helmets have curves, which complicates things. Guns are easy. They're sorta square. But helmets...no wonder all those SW helmet guys are so uptight

First is the MCRN Marine Helmet:

This is the Season 1 version, which is better. They apparently decided it didn't show enough of the actor's face, so it was re-designed with a full face plate, which is a bit rubbish, imho, but since they continued with the originals in S2 as well, in universe the second version comes across like a pilot version, since it's mostly seen in cockpit scenes. Anyway, I'm rambling.

The base is a Ruroc snowboard helmet:

The visor on my replica, and the original, is a welding eye screen. Thanks to the guys at the MCRN Costuming Facebook group, who contacted Walterklasson Studios, who created the helmets, in order to get the right model.

The visor connector wheels are camera tripod thumbscrews. Pretty much everything else is scratch-build. There is a red LED strip inside, but I found it pretty ineffectual at illuminating the goggles, so it isn't switched on in these pics.

 

[Birdie]

This one was pretty fun.

Miller's Belter space helmet from the end of the 'Leviathan Wakes' plotline in S2.

The base is a Chinese Mig high altitude helmet, as with all the S2 belter helmets. Like this, only not in crappy resolution:

So, just as I started working on this, my laser tube crapped out AGAIN! The upside of this, was that it gave me plenty of time at the computer creating the seemingly endless stickers on Miller's helmet in Illustrator. I screen-capped the hell out the bluray episodes the suit appears in, but it was still a best-guess at many of the graphics. The lights are a pair of led cycle lamps in a custom shell. I made a display placque based on the malfunctioning bomb panel, and there you have it. The end!

Really, that's it. Go home.

 

[Mike J.]

Fantastic work!

 

[Birdie]

Fantastic work!

Thanks Mike!

I think I need to do something else now

 

[Powdercake]

Those look great! Do you plan on wearing them? Or are they display pieces?

 

[Birdie]

Those look great! Do you plan on wearing them? Or are they display pieces?

They are display pieces only, I don't do cosplay at cons.

 

[Powdercake]

They are display pieces only, I don't do cosplay at cons.

Gotcha! Still, very cool-- excellent work on these.

 

[properRocket]

Love that Belter helmet. That one's been on my short list of props to build for a while now.

 

[sstnickg]

This one was pretty fun.

Miller's Belter space helmet from the end of the 'Leviathan Wakes' plotline in S2.

View attachment 1050148

The base is a Chinese Mig high altitude helmet, as with all the S2 belter helmets. Like this, only not in crappy resolution:

View attachment 1050149

So, just as I started working on this, my laser tube crapped out AGAIN! The upside of this, was that it gave me plenty of time at the computer creating the seemingly endless stickers on Miller's helmet in Illustrator. I screen-capped the hell out the bluray episodes the suit appears in, but it was still a best-guess at many of the graphics. The lights are a pair of led cycle lamps in a custom shell. I made a display placque based on the malfunctioning bomb panel, and there you have it. The end!

View attachment 1050195

View attachment 1050196

View attachment 1050197

View attachment 1050208

View attachment 1050214

View attachment 1050213

Really, that's it. Go home.

Birdie-I dont have the words.......exquisite does not cover it.
Incredible.

 

[johnojodo]

Looking good Birdie
Really like the concrete gray on the MMC lid, Gonna do a colour swap on mine now.

And Miller's Belter space helmet looks awesome

 

[PropsToHistory]

That is beautiful. Is there any "surgery" that needs done to the high altitude helmet, or is just add ons essentially?

 

[SpartaWorkshop]

Would you be willing to share how you made the visor trim?

 

[Birdie]

That is beautiful. Is there any "surgery" that needs done to the high altitude helmet, or is just add ons essentially?

It's pretty much strip down then add-on. I guess with the amount they had to produce, that makes sense, though the detailing varies from helmet to helmet. I tried dyeing the material part, but couldn't get the dye to take, so I just lightly sprayed it with matt black paint, which worked fine.

 

[Birdie]

Would you be willing to share how you made the visor trim?

Yeah, I used laser-cut and engraved 4mm EVA foam. I played around with painting it, but eventually the original colour (sold as black, actually grey) worked best. Each segment is individually cut and then glued on. The large section at the top was made from multiple pieces, layered and glued together.