TheDeadPixel helmet rebuild

[snowvac]

Hello 405th,

For those unfamiliar, TheDeadPixel is Machinima's gaming news anchor. For live events, he wears a Mark IV helmet (Stock Microsoft) that was repainted red to match his in-game avatar.

The helmet fell into serious disrepair and was in need of some love. I was able to get my hands on it, refurbish it a bit, and give it a new paint job to be more in-line with the look of Halo Reach.

I want to give a big thanks to the 405th for all the tips / techniques,
Thorssoli for setting the bar unreasonably high, and Billy Mays for bringing us Mighty Putty.

If the vid doesn't skip ahead for you, jump to the 5:40 mark or click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrpzWvKHtl0#t=5m40s

 

[Cobbatron]

AWESOME!!!
Dude I freakin love DeadPixel's videos! before I found the 405th I wondered how he got that helmet, then I found it, and still wondered! you sir are really lucky!!!!

 

[snowvac]

Pic of the final helmet

 

[snowvac]

Thanks Man,

I'd like to pep-out a recon helmet since it's what he uses as his avatar, but he may be switching looks come Halo Reach. I'll see if I can get the company to comp me some more cash and time to do a full build =D

 

[rundown]

Don't post in the elite section. This is reserved for the best finnished things that are selected by mods.
Moving to creation discussion section.

 

[snowvac]

My bad, mods please move, then.

 

[Shade88]

Hey Snowvac, is the visor see through? And if so, what did you use for the silver?

 

[snowvac]

Hey Snowvac, is the visor see through? And if so, what did you use for the silver?

Yes, but just barely. It's enough to see where the cameraman is. I used good ol Krylon spraypaint, chrome.

I wanted to use a motorcycle helmet visor, but I couldn't find any nearly cheap enough ($80 plus). I don't have access to an airbrushing kit, either, so it was just a quick job done with spraypaint. Definately the weak point of the piece.

 

[MikyVengeance]

I could give you a link to a motorcycle visor I got off ebay for $22 with shipping to Canada. I works great.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360236980412&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

 

[snowvac]

I could give you a link to a motorcycle visor I got off ebay for $22 with shipping to Canada. I works great.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360236980412&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Sweet, thanks for the heads up!

I may use that for the next build. What I'm trying to accomplish is a way to create a brushed-metal look. If the visor is too mirror-like, it will reflect the cameraman and too much of the on-site lights.

 

[Devious]

Could you not give the faceshield a light sand to help reduce glare?

Excellent project by the way, lovin the paint.

 

[Carpathia]

What was done on that last step right before it went into the plastic bag?

 

[snowvac]

Could you not give the faceshield a light sand to help reduce glare?

Not a bad idea, though I'd probably want to use a sandblaster of some sort, to avoid swirling. Maybe some sort of acid etch?

Another thought was some sort of window tint, but I couldn't find any in time (Had to wrap up for E3)

 

[snowvac]

What was done on that last step right before it went into the plastic bag?

That was the 2nd part of a 2-part rusting effect. The first was an iron-based paint, followed by what I sprayed on.

I picked it up at my local craft store. Be wary, though, it's nasty stuff. Odorless, but leaves your sinuses and lungs feeling a bit sore. I can only imagine it's trying to rapidly oxidize your soft, fleshy, insides.

 

[Shadow1336]

I can only imagine it's trying to rapidly oxidize your soft, fleshy, insides.

Lol, that's going in my signature.

But, Sweet helmet! Great job!

 

[darknemisis]

this just inspired me to maybe take on that project with my helm