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I make toys for kids who don't want to grow up. I'm on the lookout for new projects. If you're interested in commissioning me to build something ridiculous, shoot me an email.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Project Updates: Mask, Armor, etc.

A while back I posted this picture:
MaskStep1
I suppose it needs explaining.

Ana and I went and watched the new Star Trek movie a couple of times back in May and if you saw it too, I'm sure you spotted the brief appearance of this character:

I have a pretty extensive collection of science fiction movie helmets and masks and figured this one would look good mixed in with the lot. The problem is: nobody makes it. The good thing is, this problem isn't a problem for me.

In order to make it though, I wanted to start with a base that I could sculpt on that would ensure it would be roughly proportioned to fit on a person's head. Since I've learned (painfully) that I really can't lifecast my own head, I used wire mesh to get the shape about right. Once I'd formed the mesh to fit closly to my face as in the first picture above, I pulled it off and layered over the inside with oil-based clay to make it smooth:
mask mold
Once that was done I built up a few layers of fiberglass on the inside to build a rigid shell. You can see it here next to my latest HALO armor build:

Glassing Torso

Once the fiberglass was cured, I peeled off the wire mesh and the clay and had a sculpting base that was roughly the same size and shape as my head:
mask base

It's a bit warped, which I suppose doesn't say much for my head.

Speaking of HALO armor, I've done a bit more work on the details around the neck opening:
sternum details

The plan is to match the look as seen here in a screen capture from the video game:
I suppose it still need a tiny bit more work.

Then I went ahead and cut the front and back halves apart to make it easier to get in and out of:
cut apart
It also makes it a tiny bit easier to store:
nested halves
The next step will be to clean it up a bit, do a bit more reinforcing, then spray some primer on it and start shaping and smoothing the outside with Bondo.

Stay tuned.

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