Doctor Who Handles Foam Pep Disaster

You know, I can't help looking back and forth between the reference picture and the model and thinking "This is not right." It's a familiar feeling - I'm making things match as closely as I can, working on the model, gluing, folding, cutting, then I step back and compare the two and I'm way off. Except...except... I can't see HOW I'm way off. This bit is too wide? I cut it down, and now it's too narrow, or the edges don't meet.

These things are all indicative of fundamental flaws in the initial stages. The main one being me, I think.

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Compare these two to the ref pic again:
Handles crest closeup.jpg
The gap's too wide, the angle's too steep....Arrrgh! As always, the logical thing would be to stop, reconsider, measure, tear down and rebuild.

But this is me, and this is a project I get five minutes on here and there, even less often now that summer is here and the schools have given up trying to educate my weasels. Before long my folks will be here for their visit, and that's two weeks of getting nothing done (except, you know, family interaction and quality time with my parents from another continent...Sentimental stuff.)

So I'll crack on, whenever, and make the best of a doubtful job, leaving the precision to other, better prepared folks.

Not a role model, more a dreadful warning....
 
Hey D,

Fortunate lighting or not it' is starting to look like 'Handles'!
And lets face it even the original 'Handles" was never going to win any prizes for Cyberman good looks was he?

I like it!

Roughneckone:cool
 
Every now and then my schedules work out - I don't have a shift at the library, I get my paid work done, and I can do some fun stuff without feeling guilty. Today I am that guy, and I started my loading up "Time of the Doctor" and screen-grabbing some new reference photos to really show up my errors.
Handles face right.jpgHandles overhead.jpgHandles rear quarter.jpgHandles right profile.jpg

These are important because they give the all-around view of Handles that I've been missing. My crest goes all the way down the back, where his actually cuts off. There's detail in the cheek area that I haven't seen til now. Plus, of course, all the damage on his right side that wasn't clear in my original ref pics.
So, now I know there's a lot more work coming down the line, but today I was just aiming to get the big pads on the side of his head so I can press on towards the pipes. Which I still don't have.
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So I carefully marked out the target area....
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...drew up detailed plans....
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...and cut things out with machine-like precision.
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It took a little while to set in place, even with the glue gun.
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A round of paper mache helped get it sorted.

Now I have both pads on, though the other side still needs more paper mache. Next clear day I'm taking the dog to the vet, so I'm not sure when I'll get another crack at this - maybe not until my folks have been and gone. That's probably just as well, since I need to figure out getting the pipes and filling them with the greeblies I don't have. Interesting how much of a difference those pads make - pretty sure with the pipes in it'll look even better, unless I really, really screw those up....
 
Hey D,

Handlebar pipes ohhh goody, more progress,lol! Lots of ways you could do it, different diameter stacked washers that fit inside the main tube, smaller pipe with the details machined into it, piece of wood of the right size with the details lathed into it (use a drill to spin the wood it if you don't have a lathe), lots of ways really.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Roughneckone:cool
 
Ok, so...Pipes.
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Almost immediately, a chicken and egg situation has arisen. Until I get the pipes in place, I can't tell where the openings should be cut. But I can't fit the pipes in place because I need to put the inserts in BEFORE then.

So I'll ignore that and figure out the inserts.
Rouchneckone's suggestions are good but I don't have a lot of washers that size. Nor do I have a machine for machining. Using the drill as a rudimentary lathe is appealing, but so is keeping all my fingers and my eyesight, so I'll go with plan D.
Plan D was using kids' beads.
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Plan D sucks. For one thing, they're all the same size. For another, I'll always know they were pink, no matter what colour I spray them.

A trip to Michaels (your friendly neighbourhood craft store!) provided me with some dowel. Ok, I was going there for other stuff, but I got the dowel for me. Some test cuts with a saw produced this:
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And if I wasn't leaving for work in....YIKES! TWO MINUTES! Then I'd have done all the lengths of dowel like this and be ready to move on to the next stage.

As it is, the library beckons, and I have folks to entertain thereafter. May get back to this before August begins, but no promises. Also, I saw a great youtube video on making a Shoretrooper helmet from Rogue One.... Another one to add to the list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cF4ZJfAQgQ&index=81&list=WL
 
OK, the folks have returned to Blighty, and I grabbed some time to move things along. Me being me, I didn't continue the work on the pipes, because that is not dramatic enough, oh no. See this:
Handles right profile.jpg
It clearly shows the crest does NOT go all the way down the back of the head, like the model I was working from. So today I went from this:
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...to this:
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There will be progress on the tubes later, but the weekend is spoken for.
 
Hello again, good to see you back at it!:D

Looks like you are getting the basic shapes there slowly, you have a ways to go yet, but if anyone will persevere with it I know it will be you. :thumbsup

Roughneckone:cool
 
Ok. moved things on, made a new mistake....

Firstly, I wanna point out that I almost measured the pipes. A bit. I mean, I held them up against the helmet and they looked about right, with the vertical ones being a little longer than I needed.

So I went ahead and fitted the new wooden inserts, then had a sudden inspiration for how to fit the two pipes together: Mitre cut!

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I even made sure the inserts would be visible when the two parts were put together BEFORE I made the cuts. Thinking, you see, always thinking. Sort of.

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Because now they are cut and glued together, so there's no going back.

NOW I remember that the horizontal pipe is the right length, but I've mitre cut it, so I've lost the width of the pipe, haven't I? It's got shorter. Now it doesn't quite reach the helmet.

Bugger.

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Really cross now. Glued it in anyway.

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Hey Damien, :thumbsup

Cross or not I think he looks great, he has what I'd call Character! :p

Props don't always have to be 100% accurate in fact I don't mind if they are a little wonky, as long as they reflect the original prop's screen presence (and your version of 'Handles' certainly does that) . :D

Roughneckone:cool
 
There have been multiple interludes of odd work sessions, but it's mostly been slapping on more mache to try and get a better finish, or smooth out some of the problem areas. Mostly I'm going with Roughneckone's reassurances that this is a battle-damaged head in the first place, and people will be forgiving. I mean, it's not something important like a HALO helmet, or getting the magazine shape right on an ODST's weapon, right?
Thought not.

Anyway, the second set of pipes got made this morning.
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Well, this is shaping up to be a classic.....

Let's press on regardless, shall we?
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Huh. At least we can all be grateful I haven't given in to the urge to paint this too soon...

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OK, THAT'S LUNCH EVERYBODY!
 
Starting in on the deliberate damage. The big question, how do I do the glowing internal piece? I mean, I have the LED set, but what material to make the actual plate from? I have some ideas...bad ones, naturally.
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OK, really rocking now!

Solving the internal piece problem - Milk carton! Here in Canada we have these big plastic things. They're translucent, not transparent, just what I need.
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Proof that it'll look awesome?

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I also worked on the battle damage itself. Needed to remove some of that "Cut by a scalpel" look, so I re-sprayed everything black and added some hot glue around the edges. Then I re-sprayed more silver.
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Next I'm drawing out the cogwheel design on the plastic and fitting it inside, then attaching the lights.
 
Argh.

Been a while since I've posted, because renos and parties and being rich and famous without the rich or famous bit. Anyway, having spent several hours composed of multiple iterations of five minutes here and there painting the stupid plastic blue and drawing the design on in various marker pens, I found this:
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Yes, a translucent blue plastic folder. When you put the LEDs behind it, it looks like this:
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So, I shall re-draw the design again, and fit THIS stuff instead. The speaker for the audio will arrive at the end of the month. Big plans. BIIIIIIG plans....
 
Thanks Snow Builder! Good to see you again!

Hey, look, more stuff! I must have work I'm avoiding....

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Also risked life and lung to add some Bondo to the surface around the neck ring. Needs reinforcing and I hadn't finished the attempt at making a smooth mache surface. Oh, ok, and there was one more type of surfacing I hadn't yet added to this build....
 
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