CH252 Marine Helmet build

[celmor1785]

Hello! This is the first time I've really tackled a helmet (or armor for that matter) this in-depth, but I wanted to add some upgrades to my suit before C2E2 this year.

To start, I used the helmet model by moesizzlac scaled up to 103%, which then came in 3 separate pieces.

I just used regular hot glue to slap them together, and then a healthy coating of spackling paste to fill in the cracks. Any local hardware store should have it or something similar.

 

[celmor1785]

The armor really only uses three colors of spray paint:
-Rust-Oleum 2x Flat black primer
-Rust-Oleum 2x Oregano (satin)
-Rust-Oleum 2x Flat gray primer


I didn't get any photos of it when it was straight black, but after sanding everything down I applied the gray first, covered the ear cups in painter's tape, then covered it in black and covered the black accents in tape, and then painted the remaining area with the oregano.



After removing the tape, I just touched it up a bit by hand. While it's not perfect, I'm pretty pleased with it. Next step will be weathering applying padding inside.

 

[devuljuice]

Looks great! I would highly recommend using some adhesive or reinforcement inside the helmet to keep it together. My first helmet was a Reach Air Assault Helmet I hot glued together. The thing broke the next day while I was wearing it. Some hot glues can get hot enough to either warp or soften PLA causing some adhesion issues. Regardless, I love the look of this. Keep up the good work!

 

[celmor1785]

Looks great! I would highly recommend using some adhesive or reinforcement inside the helmet to keep it together. My first helmet was a Reach Air Assault Helmet I hot glued together. The thing broke the next day while I was wearing it. Some hot glues can get hot enough to either warp or soften PLA causing some adhesion issues. Regardless, I love the look of this. Keep up the good work!

That's a good idea, thanks! Got any materials/techniques you recommend?

 

[devuljuice]

There are certain adhesives that might work better you could try. Super glue/Gorilla glue is usually the go to. There are some special glues like 3D Gloop that was specifically made for PLA. While they work very well, they're a bit spendy. I have an alternative on amazon I'm gonna be using for a Helldivers 2 project I'm working on and I can report back!

Aside from adhesives. Welding is a good option. There's many ways to do it like using a soldering iron and some spare filament, friction welding with a drill, or using a heated hook to sink inside the print. This Tutorial by Frankly Built that has worked pretty well for me.

 

[celmor1785]

There are certain adhesives that might work better you could try. Super glue/Gorilla glue is usually the go to. There are some special glues like 3D Gloop that was specifically made for PLA. While they work very well, they're a bit spendy. I have an alternative on amazon I'm gonna be using for a Helldivers 2 project I'm working on and I can report back!

Aside from adhesives. Welding is a good option. There's many ways to do it like using a soldering iron and some spare filament, friction welding with a drill, or using a heated hook to sink inside the print. This Tutorial by Frankly Built that has worked pretty well for me.

I’ve never heard of welding PLA before. That might be just what the doctor ordered to fix some weak points in the armor!

 

[Parzival]

There are certain adhesives that might work better you could try. Super glue/Gorilla glue is usually the go to. There are some special glues like 3D Gloop that was specifically made for PLA. While they work very well, they're a bit spendy. I have an alternative on amazon I'm gonna be using for a Helldivers 2 project I'm working on and I can report back!

Aside from adhesives. Welding is a good option. There's many ways to do it like using a soldering iron and some spare filament, friction welding with a drill, or using a heated hook to sink inside the print. This Tutorial by Frankly Built that has worked pretty well for me.

Great suggestion, I recommend both adhesive AND welding/stapling, just be cautious of the fumes, do this in a well ventilated area! Look into plastic welder for a clean solution. I highly prefer the staple welding.

Amazon link to a plastic welding kit for reference. (I have not used this particular kit before, just referencing it)
Amazon.com

 

[devuljuice]

Yes! Be very cautious with any fumes or dust when working with adhesives or plastic. Any time plastic is being melted or chemically altered like with certain glues its super important to wear a mask or respirators. Thanks for picking up on that!

 

[Gordon]

Hello! This is the first time I've really tackled a helmet (or armor for that matter) this in-depth, but I wanted to add some upgrades to my suit before C2E2 this year.

To start, I used the helmet model by moesizzlac scaled up to 103%, which then came in 3 separate pieces.

I just used regular hot glue to slap them together, and then a healthy coating of spackling paste to fill in the cracks. Any local hardware store should have it or something similar.

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I would recommend in the future to fill your seams with body filler instead of plaster, then reinforce the inside with fiber glass resin. Looks good and I hope it holds together for a few cons!

 

[celmor1785]

Update time! I went ahead and got it to a pretty much finished state that I'm satisfied with.

I followed SSG Spall's weathering tutorial here, and I think it turned out really well for my first time!

For the chinstrap, I bought one from my local army/navy surplus store, drilled a hole on each side of the little cheek square, and followed the basic setup for the PASGT helmet strap with a 5/8 bolt, washer, and cap.

I'll probably add more padding on the inside, but this works for now. There are 4 magnets on the inside for a surprise tool that will help us later (It's the cat ears).

I also went back and welded the armor together, per devuljuice's suggestion, and that worked fantastically. So all in all, I think the armor is in a really nice place right now! Just about ready for action on the front lines of C2E2.