Seventh Sister helmet lights

squirk

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
I am about to place an order for one of these raw casts (http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=256140). However, I am wondering what to do about the little oblong red lighted areas at the top of the helmet, as seen in this pic:

Seventh_Sister.jpg

My first thought was to cut out those areas and put red/orange lightsheet under the holes inside the helmet (disclaimer - I've never worked with lightsheet, so I am not even sure that would work). Nonetheless, upon looking at more screenshots, it appears that those oblong lights are actually raised, not recessed, as seen here:

24535342f583f8260ac152acff9c43fa.jpg

So I am not sure how to tackle the lighting. I'm not just going to paint the areas red, so I am fine cutting those areas out. But what to fill them with? I need clear or at least translucent pieces to replace the bits I am cutting out. How would I do that?

And assuming I manage to solve that issue, how do I go about the lighting? Stick with lightsheet? Red LEDs with some manner of diffusion?

Any helpful suggestions would be most appreciated. Please and thank you!
 
Total newbie here... but one idea... cast them with red resin and put red leds in them? Second (cheaper simpler) idea...make them with a hot glue gun?.. better yet cut them out from the glue sticks and glue them from the inside with some red leds


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Hey squirk ! Are you familiar at all with how Fiber Optics work? Or edge-lighting acrylic? If yes, GREAT!, this will make sense to you and I won't have to type as much. ;)

You're familiar with the shape of Luke ANH/ESB/TFA lightsaber T-track grip strips? Fantastic!

Cut out your holes, model some T-trackesque, slightly curved (to follow the contour of your helmet), shapes in translucent red polymer clay, bake 'em, glue 'em in place, back-light them with LEDS.

VOILA! ~You're done!

Or, get all fancy and mold your modelled shapes and then cast them in red-tinted acrylic, run curved acrylic rod out to all 4 shapes with a centrally mounted LED lighting them all.

Either way, GOOD LUCK!!!
 
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Thank you! I actually had been thinking about casting the cutout pieces in acrylic, but was hoping there was a simpler way.

I had not heard of the translucent clay until you mentioned it, but I am intrigued. If I am following you correctly, I just smoosh it through the cutout holes, allowing it to fill in/conform to the hole's shape, then cure it for a "perfect match"?

Assuming that is correct, I am wondering how to best diffuse the light from the red LEDs to make the lighting uniform across the entire cutout (i.e., vs. having a noticeably brighter spot in the middle of the cutout where the LED bulb is situated. Or it perhaps EL light sheet a better option?

Hey @squirk ! Are you familiar at all with how Fiber Optics work? Or edge-lighting acrylic? If yes, GREAT!, this will make sense to you and I won't have to type as much. ;)

You're familiar with the shape of Luke ANH/ESB/TFA lightsaber T-track grip strips? Fantastic!

Cut out your holes, model some T-trackesque, slightly curved (to follow the contour of your helmet), shapes in translucent red polymer clay, bake 'em, glue 'em in place, back-light them with LEDS.

VOILA! ~You're done!

Or, get all fancy and mold your modelled shapes and then cast them in red-tinted acrylic, run curved acrylic rod out to all 4 shapes with a centrally mounted LED lighting them all.

Either way, GOOD LUCK!!!
 
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I helped redo the first approved 501st Seventh Sisters lid, and what I did was cut out oval slots in the lid and then cast raised inserts that were slightly larger and epoxyed them over the slots once the helmet was painted.. I then rigged two sets of LED lights (left and right) with the flat watch style battery packs in the top of the lid both to prolong battery life and keep everything nice and compact
 
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That'd work too!

As for the uniformity of the lighting, Google image search "Edge Lit Shelf"

Here's a really elaborate idea that popped into my mind...

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums...quirk at TheRPF by Ridire Firean.jpg~original


Thanks. Yes, the EL tape is looking like it's definitely worth investigating!

I helped redo the first approved 501st Seventh Sisters lid, and what I did was cut out oval slots in the lid and then cast raised inserts that were slightly larger and epoxyed them over the slots once the helmet was painted.. I then rigged two sets of LED lights (left and right) with the flat watch style battery packs in the top of the lid both to prolong battery life and keep everything nice and compact

I'd love to see pics of your completed helmet, if you'd be so kind.
 
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Somebody help me out, if you'd be so kind. It's been bugging me for a few days. I have been watching eps of "Rebels" S2 in HD on my laptop, and I still can't tell if the helmet (the "dome") and the face mask are the the exact same color and sheen.

Can we agree that the dome is a uniform matte or satin black? Or would you describe it differently? There are some shots where the top of the dome seems to pick up a reflection of light that makes me wonder if the finish is supposed to be at least a semi-gloss.

Also, while I am pretty sure the face mask is supposed to match the dome, there are shots where the face mask looks a shade or two lighter, like it's a very dark grey.

I know I am splitting hairs here, and nobody will ever notice if I get it wrong. But if I can't indulge my prop OCD here, where can I?

Please and thank you!
 
From my little research I feel its a satin finish on both and they are the same colour, BUT in the paper work for the model I can see there is a gloss or colour difference in the front of the helmet to the sides and back.
Seventh_Sister_Concept_Art.jpg
I bet that is not helping! but just putting it out there in case its worthy of though.
You can also see that there is a colour or glossier finish to the front. Im tempted to say its a semi gloss finish on the top front part of the helmet and the rest is satin.
cap 7sister.png
 
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From my little research I feel its a satin finish on both and they are the same colour, BUT in the paper work for the model I can see there is a gloss or colour difference in the front of the helmet to the sides and back.
View attachment 735925
I bet that is not helping! but just putting it out there in case its worthy of though.
You can also see that there is a colour or glossier finish to the front. Im tempted to say its a gloss finish on the top front part of the helmet and the rest is satin.
View attachment 735928

Thanks. Yeah, I see what you are saying, but take a look at this shot, where it seems like the back of the dome is glossier than the front:

0c481fa7f9b24747f9d1bb03cbcd5b38.png

I think the discrepancies we are seeing might just be artistic license in the lighting and the sheen of the helmet? I.e., it looks cool to have some reflection off the front of the dome in one shot, and it looks cool to have no reflection at all in another shot.

But I am glad you agree that the odds-on favorite is uniform satin black for both pieces. :thumbsup
 
Mmmm maybe there is a colour change then for the front section? Black at the top front and a almost black for the rest? I defiantly see that there is difference in all the images.

I do agree satin all over.
 
Mmmm maybe there is a colour change then for the front section? Black at the top front and a almost black for the rest? I defiantly see that there is difference in all the images.

I do agree satin all over.

I was on a Disney Cruise Star Wars Day at Sea earlier this year, and she was a live character appearing in one of the stage shows. It was pretty cool as I had no idea they were using her in live appearances and I wasn't expecting her at all.

It looked uniform satin black then, and it looks the same in the photos from Hollywood Studios I found on Google, However, as we all know, sometimes the folks around here nail props with far more accuracy that what you see in the theme parks.

Satin black, it is. Thanks!

Also, I never noticed until just a few days ago that you can see the bottom edges of the face mask near her temples after the halves retract up into the dome.
 
You may be my salvation. I'm currently making a Seventh Sister but I have no idea what padding/chin strap setup to use as I want my faceplate to be magnetically removable. Can you tell me the setup used in the one you did?
I'm going to light the helmet, chest plate and bracers powered by a battery pack hidden in the back of the chest armour.
 
I was on a Disney Cruise Star Wars Day at Sea earlier this year, and she was a live character appearing in one of the stage shows. It was pretty cool as I had no idea they were using her in live appearances and I wasn't expecting her at all.

It looked uniform satin black then, and it looks the same in the photos from Hollywood Studios I found on Google, However, as we all know, sometimes the folks around here nail props with far more accuracy that what you see in the theme parks.

Satin black, it is. Thanks!

Also, I never noticed until just a few days ago that you can see the bottom edges of the face mask near her temples after the halves retract up into the dome.

The disney seventh sister costume has accuracy issues, which unfortunately carried over into fan-made armor creations. Attention to detail is hard for some folks, but oh well.


I think some LEDs with the interior/bottom of the red pieces being frosted would help to diffuse that light better. Did that for a republic commando pistol I put together a few years back and while the brightest point is slightly noticeable here, it's remarkably "even" should you see it in person, considering it's a single LED contained.

976121_10201269346591539_609426127_o.jpg
 
Worf is looking a little... unreasonably content, for a Klingon there... what exactly is going on in that scene?

warf.JPG

anyways, I'd suggest getting red acrylic rod, and any sort of LED (red or not) to hook next to it, and use that to get the effect. you can use individual LEDs that come with their own battery, and just change that out whenever you wear the helmet. or you can go full bore and solder wires and hook up a battery pack to all the LEDs.
 
Thanks. Yeah, I see what you are saying, but take a look at this shot, where it seems like the back of the dome is glossier than the front:

View attachment 735929

I think the discrepancies we are seeing might just be artistic license in the lighting and the sheen of the helmet? I.e., it looks cool to have some reflection off the front of the dome in one shot, and it looks cool to have no reflection at all in another shot.

But I am glad you agree that the odds-on favorite is uniform satin black for both pieces. :thumbsup

I'd say that it is a uniform satin black. The reason why it appears to be 2 different shades is because the back of the helmet is in the light while the front is in the dark, thus giving a duo-tone appearance. I don't think that they would turn the reflections on and off from scene to scene, those settings would usually be set on either the texture or in the render engine and just left that way; they could change it at will but that would be a bit more effort than I think that a TV show would bother with. It wouldn't be difficult but with a TV production schedule it's time consuming enough, esp. if you forget to reset one way or the other, and only realize it after it's finished rendering.
 
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You may be my salvation. I'm currently making a Seventh Sister but I have no idea what padding/chin strap setup to use as I want my faceplate to be magnetically removable. Can you tell me the setup used in the one you did?
I'm going to light the helmet, chest plate and bracers powered by a battery pack hidden in the back of the chest armour.

I've not touched the raw helmet yet, so I have not tackled the mechanics of securing/removing the faceplate to the dome, or securing the dome on one's head.

But a strap doesn't seem to be in the cards, as that would be grossly screen-inaccurate, no? I was thinking a hard-hat suspension for the dome. As far as magnets go, I was thinking that rare earth would be too strong - at best, making it too hard to remove the faceplate; at worst, eventually cracking it by repeated stress of separating the magnets.

As a forty-something male who could stand to lose 20 pounds, I'm never going to wear this thing. It's a display piece, so this stuff isn't high on my priority list.

If someone was making an Eighth Brother helmet, however......
 
Here's how i built my lights..
I 3d printed in transparent PLA the painted them and use either RED led strips or white led strips
IMG_20170327_203050.JPGIMG_20170327_203131.JPGIMG_20170410_170752.JPGIMG_20170410_195033.JPGIMG_20170411_115145.JPG
 
Thanks for posting! Yep, this is pretty much what I was planning - only difference is that I just asked to have a second casting of just the portion of the dome with the lights made with red resin.

I was looking to use EL tape instead of LED in order to diffuse the light.


Here's how i built my lights..
I 3d printed in transparent PLA the painted them and use either RED led strips or white led strips
View attachment 777267View attachment 777268View attachment 777269View attachment 777270View attachment 777271
 
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