yet another noob making a helmet...

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sybrfreq

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hey ive been lurking around here for a while and finally started resining/fiberglassing my pepakura helmet. I wanted to just do the helmet first to try before i do the rest of the suit, because im not a very artistic person and im concerned that it would look like crap.

so heres some pics before the resining:
http://pohl.ececs.uc.edu/~mark/DSC07522.jpg
http://pohl.ececs.uc.edu/~mark/DSC07523.jpg
http://pohl.ececs.uc.edu/~mark/DSC07524.jpg

and heres some while im waiting for the resin to dry:
http://pohl.ececs.uc.edu/~mark/DSC07536.jpg
http://pohl.ececs.uc.edu/~mark/DSC07537.jpg
http://pohl.ececs.uc.edu/~mark/DSC07538.jpg

if anybody cares, im 6'1" and 190lbs. kind of a string bean compared to master chief but im using a scale of 26 and at least the helmet looks about right.
 
ok well i finished all of the fiberglassing, so maybe soon ill be able to start sometime next week with the sanding and painting and other beautifying.

oh this is amazingly durable. i accidentally squished it in between the cars back glass and a package of bottled water and it was fine... it seems incredibly sturdy. i used 2 coats of fiberglass cloth and some really thick coats of resin on the outside.

NOTE TO anybody else who tries this:

1) take your time cutting and folding and gluing. don't use scotch tape like i did, the resin doesn't stick to it very well (well it sticks ok but doesnt soak into the paper underneath). maybe try rubber cement or hot glue (not crazy glue because your just going to get yourself stuck to the piece... or worse)

2) read all the instructions on the chemical packaging. I used the bondo fiberglass resin and fiberglass cloth, which are found in the auto repair section at walmart, maybe try auto zone, parts plus, etc. its green with a picture of a white suburban pulling a white motorboat. it worked nicely. make sure that you use a DUST MASK when working with fiberglass resin and cloth/mat, one that says on the package it was made for fiberglassing. microscopic particles of the cloth/mat can be hardened by resin fumes and become imbedded in your lungs. also wear safety GOGGLES, not glasses (remember highschool chemistry? yeah... like that) also the fumes themselves will knock out a few brain cells, so work on the porch, in the garage, etc. anyplace with good ventilation is fine.

3) maybe this should be first... plan ahead and think about the final project. if you want a perfect close-up quality suit of armor then you probably shouldnt be taking my advice, because i just want something fun to wear around and make people gawk. all i can really say is that that takes real time and dedication and talent, which i do not have.

on the other hand, if you are like me and you just want something fun to have around, or maybe a haloween costume, or something like that, then by all means, go print out the pepakura of what you want to do first onto CARDSTOCK, not regular paper, and put it together. pick a weekend and go get the previously mentioned fiberglass materials and follow all the instructions in the fiberglass tutorial. What should you do first? well if you want a whole suit start with the upper torso part, because if that fits, your golden. unless you just want the helmet, arms (idk why!), etc, you should just do that part

4) speaking of the fiberglass tutorial, if you need information about how to make this stuff, before asking me (or anybody else) or posting a question like "how do i make a pepakura helmet", scroll up to the top of this page. on the right hand side click on "search". type in pepakura and hit return. read through as much as you can. the more you read and learn before you begin, the less headaches you will have along the way, and the better your project will turn out. let me repeat that: the more you read and learn before you begin, the less headaches you will have along the way, and the better your project will turn out. nothing worse than fitting your brand new helmet over your head and realizing that its made for a 6'6 spartan and not a 5'6 adolescent. if you can fit your head right through the hole, its too big. (no i was smart enough to not do this, but i did print out the patterns :) ) hint: im 6'1 and 190lbs. master chief naked is 6'6 and 270lbs. an unscaled version would fit my cousin joey (well maybe scale up a bit, 6'8 and 276lbs as of last summer), but it sure as hell wont fit me.

i took pictures but since you've already seen what it looks like for the most part i wont post them. i dont feel like looking for the camera right now.


also, im thinking if i can make a mold somehow, and form one of these babies out of abs or polycarbonate or something and stuff it with polystyrene foam, i could have a real motorcycle helmet fashioned after master chief!! thoughts on that? ohio has very lenient laws regarding helmets so it would be legal, and it would be better than the crap they sell out of the harley place around here. oh! i could make the whole suit out of that stuff! just think how cool it would be if master chief rolled up beside you at a red light!!! (im buying a yamaha r6 this winter for next year, so no i do not have pictures of it yet, so don't ask). maybe i could find somebody who has the proper tools and make multiples, probably cheaper that way... but not right now.

heres some info about motorcycle helmets in general:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ped...pages/page2.htm
 
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@ironcobra: sorry, fixed.

@lane: well i consider myself a noob because one week ago i had never seen a good picture of master chief, never used the pepakura program, never fiberglassed anything before, etc. i dont consider anything ive done so far to be special, just take your time and you will be OK. after this point is where things get interesting, bondo and paint and all that to turn your piece of crumpled up paper into a work of art.

i dont even own an x-box, for christ's sake. the only way i play halo is with a pentium 3 that i installed windows on (yes, just to play halo) that somebody else was throwing away. ive read the books and the movie script and im seriously tempted to get one of those xbox 360s just so i can play halo 2 and halo 3. i have a sega cd, a playstation, ps2, and computer. if microsoft released halo for linux (HAH!), id be in business. as for now, i use project torlan's skins for ut2004 so i can be master chief at lan parties (they changed their name, i think its called spartan something or other now. google for project torlan and im sure you'll find it). all fps's are basically the same, its the halo *story* that i love. and how on earth would you play a fps with a controller anyway? ive tried ratchet and clank in fps mode once and i gave up in like 5 seconds. practice i guess :) anyway, long off topic rant over!

edit: yes, its spartan7. www.projectspartan7.com is down, just my luck. at least they have a snazzy flash animation to tell me :rolleyes
 
one suggestion, dont use a dust mask unless your really too brok to buy a respiratior, 20-25 busks at harbor freight or lowes, these have proper filters and their made to keep out not only dust, but the toxic fumes from the resin, and paint. it looks like you did it in the garage, you should be ok with the garage door open tho.. its just a good idea to have one,
theres lots of different kinds to choose from, just make sure its for pestiside, or paint,,, NOT JUST DUST. thats why god gave us nose hair.. lol

heres one i found $19

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_0...20070515x00003c
 
something like that will only protect you from the particulates, not the fumes. if you work outside you should be OK.

thats what i used, only it said that it was for fiberglassing on the packaging. i got a package of 2 for 5 bucks
 
sybrfreq said:
something like that will only protect you from the particulates, not the fumes. if you work outside you should be OK.

thats what i used, only it said that it was for fiberglassing on the packaging. i got a package of 2 for 5 bucks

I got that kind too... It was like $7 cuz I bought it at ace and not menards... :(...

I been working in my garage with the garage door wide open...
 
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ok, so after OVER A YEAR of not really doing anything with this except for looking at it once in a while, once again there is progress!!! (I got 'a bit' busy)

I finally got it reasonably smooth with bondo, threw on some paint, and installed some led's. Close enough for rocket science :D

I spent a long time adding foam to the inside and at this point it fits perfectly. However, I installed some scrap plastic to see how it would feel with a proper visor and I am going to have to cut some vents in (in the chin area... I wasn't greatly pleased with the way that spot came out anyway) or otherwise I will stuff up the visor and maybe suffocate.

I chose flat black for a nice stealthy look.

[attachment=7007:DSC08087.JPG]

The paint went orangepeely in a few spots so I will be sanding and respraying it yet again. I recommend radioshack #276-080 led holders.

[attachment=7008:DSC08090.JPG]



added:
ok I've got a plan for a visor, I'm going to get a 100-pack of blank cd's and use the plastic from that (what I used here but the case was old and scratched and only a 50-pack so not big enough).

I've seen some car window tinting around that's mirrored... hopefully I can find some of that.

I plan to use this while drumming (among other things). Also I have an analog devices midterm on halloween and our prof wants us to wear a costume :)

After about 10 minutes I had to take it off, so it definitely needs a vent. The visor fogged up after 20 seconds of moderate physical exertion and I couldn't see a bloody thing (!)
 
sybrfreq said:
ok, so after OVER A YEAR of not really doing anything with this except for looking at it once in a while, once again there is progress!!! (I got 'a bit' busy)

I finally got it reasonably smooth with bondo, threw on some paint, and installed some led's. Close enough for rocket science :D

I spent a long time adding foam to the inside and at this point it fits perfectly. However, I installed some scrap plastic to see how it would feel with a proper visor and I am going to have to cut some vents in (in the chin area... I wasn't greatly pleased with the way that spot came out anyway) or otherwise I will stuff up the visor and maybe suffocate.

I chose flat black for a nice stealthy look.

[attachment=7007:DSC08087.JPG]

The paint went orangepeely in a few spots so I will be sanding and respraying it yet again. I recommend radioshack #276-080 led holders.

[attachment=7008:DSC08090.JPG]
added:
ok I've got a plan for a visor, I'm going to get a 100-pack of blank cd's and use the plastic from that (what I used here but the case was old and scratched and only a 50-pack so not big enough).

I've seen some car window tinting around that's mirrored... hopefully I can find some of that.

I plan to use this while drumming (among other things). Also I have an analog devices midterm on halloween and our prof wants us to wear a costume :)

After about 10 minutes I had to take it off, so it definitely needs a vent. The visor fogged up after 20 seconds of moderate physical exertion and I couldn't see a bloody thing (!)

you might want to add a small 9 volt fan and add that in your vent it might stop the lack of air i don't know haven't built my helmet yet just an idea
 
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skittle84 said:
you might want to add a small 9 volt fan and add that in your vent it might stop the lack of air i don't know haven't built my helmet yet just an idea

here's what I'm thinking.. cut out the areas highlighted in red and replace them with a black air filter material. I also have some steel mesh to go in front of that. I have to be able to breathe!

Wow the pep models on here are way nicer looking than what I used a year ago... might have to make another :unsure: Now that I know what I am doing...
I was looking at others on here and was thinking "how the hell did they do all that with pepakura!?!?!" but I found the new models and omg they are awesome :)

[attachment=7014:DSC08094.JPG]
 
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yes! done! at least for now... I'm going to have to order something in a blister pack and use the package from that, I can't see too well with the cd package. The window tinting looks excellent imo and once I get clear blister-wrap plastic I will be able to install it properly and the slight wrinkles will go away. Plus, you can't beat the price.



Looks like I'd better shave...
[attachment=7039:113_5259.JPG]

[attachment=7038:113_5254__Small_.JPG]
 
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