Pilot Helmet 1:1 Scale WIP

[polo]

So I recently learned about Pepakura and how fun it could be, so here is my first VF Pilot Helmet. It is a work in progress but I should be done folding/gluing by tomorrow and Resin soon. This is about 3ish hours of work and a small .07 oz tube of super glue. Only reason I'm taking a break right now is to cut more pieces.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

You're off to a great start!! You are going to reinforce it with resin?

[polo]

I do plan to use the liquid resin to coat the inside and out to give it a stiffer build, then I'd like to end up using Bondo as well before re-detailing with a dremel. I actually messed up cutting 2 pages last night to haha so I've got to reprint and fix.

[Jasonc]

NM, I was gonna ask what this is, but now that I know, it's pretty interesting. That seems like a lot of work if you're gonna make a hard version. Good luck to you, and look forward to seeing the finished project.

Edited March 23, 2011 by Jasonc

[Hikuro]

There a pep file? I do this stuff as well, got a few halo helmets pepped but never went any further due to weather and time restraints.

[polo]

Yep Hikuro I found a pep file while scavenging the net. Only had this helmet though in Roy, Max, Hikaru colors though. I have seen the halo peps at 405ths website also, some great works of inspiration there to.

[Hikuro]

Yep Hikuro I found a pep file while scavenging the net. Only had this helmet though in Roy, Max, Hikaru colors though. I have seen the halo peps at 405ths website also, some great works of inspiration there to.

Yep, board member there myself but I don't go there to often these days due to lack of time. I was doing some great pep work on an Ironman MKVI helmet, and I've completed a Nobel Six pep build and a MKVI helmet. I did some looking around and I did find the Macross helmets, very cool, I got a lot of reference material for them too on making them since I got the big ol Hikaru doll, and the lil mini figures. I also have got a ebay site saved on the classic flight suits but they're missing gloves and the thrust pack. Still, this is a challenge to build, I will give it a shot.

[Hikuro]

So I downloaded the files, but discovering some of those pieces don't fit on page because Pep Designer requires a passcode in order to edit the pieces...thus I'm kind of screwed on some of these pieces : /

[polo]

So I downloaded the files, but discovering some of those pieces don't fit on page because Pep Designer requires a passcode in order to edit the pieces...thus I'm kind of screwed on some of these pieces : /

Yes there was one page where two pieces overlapped but i MacGuyver'd the tabs a bit. I disliked the idea that he password his work though i don't blame him, only wish I had the talent to CAD some models for peping.

How did your spartan peps turn out? I've hitten a small wall and missed glued a piece and have been debating how to go about fixing it now or in Bondo phase.

[polo]

So after i hit a creative wall and realizing this is my first time building pep, I've continued working on the helmet haha. Couple of pics of what I did in about half hour and I realized I should have printed it all out in Black and white instead of colored as a guide to painting later.

Also since the creator of the pepakura file I am using locked it I couldn't scale or adjust pages to make the helmet fit. I'm starting to think it may be unwearably small but not by much. Curse my larger than life head hahaha.

[Hikuro]

Yes there was one page where two pieces overlapped but i MacGuyver'd the tabs a bit. I disliked the idea that he password his work though i don't blame him, only wish I had the talent to CAD some models for peping.

How did your spartan peps turn out? I've hitten a small wall and missed glued a piece and have been debating how to go about fixing it now or in Bondo phase.

Spartan peps turned out good. I've done 2 Masterchiefs at Normal detail, and I had one HD style that was 80% complete until I moved and it didn't survive the trip. After that happened I worked on the noble six variant and I finished that one which turned out very nice, and did a couple more body parts but lost interest.

I had 1 ironman helmet completed but didn't like how that turned out so it got junked. Before calling it quits for a while I had another ironman helmet that was in HD in progress, but some of the parts needed multiple fold angles, one side needed like two or three on the flaps.

The over lapping is going to be a problem...I thought I could just mirror the twin parts that did come out right and trace them so they'll be pretty close, but nope that didn't work out. It's usually not recommended to try and "fix" the parts t hat didn't print out as it'll screw with your measurements.

Also, scaling is a bitch, I never like it, but that helmet should be fairly correct for a normal size head, even the 1:1 collector helmets from Yamato were reported being a lil small themselves.

But as a tip if you're a first timer it's best to do the Edge ID's to line up parts right....I don't care to much about the detail if it's gonna get resined, bondo and molded into a good looking helmet.

[polo]

Spartan peps turned out good. I've done 2 Masterchiefs at Normal detail, and I had one HD style that was 80% complete until I moved and it didn't survive the trip. After that happened I worked on the noble six variant and I finished that one which turned out very nice, and did a couple more body parts but lost interest.

I had 1 ironman helmet completed but didn't like how that turned out so it got junked. Before calling it quits for a while I had another ironman helmet that was in HD in progress, but some of the parts needed multiple fold angles, one side needed like two or three on the flaps.

The over lapping is going to be a problem...I thought I could just mirror the twin parts that did come out right and trace them so they'll be pretty close, but nope that didn't work out. It's usually not recommended to try and "fix" the parts t hat didn't print out as it'll screw with your measurements.

Also, scaling is a bitch, I never like it, but that helmet should be fairly correct for a normal size head, even the 1:1 collector helmets from Yamato were reported being a lil small themselves.

But as a tip if you're a first timer it's best to do the Edge ID's to line up parts right....I don't care to much about the detail if it's gonna get resined, bondo and molded into a good looking helmet.

I defiantly used the edge IDs for the same reasoning that if its gonna get bondo'd anyways why worry what the pep part looks like. As for the 'fixing' part of it I think its more my tab folds not being exact or as close as they should be. I'm going to refer to this helmet as the Mk. I learning lesson haha.

I'm working on the Jaw line now paying more attention to the fold quality and gluing accuracy. Pictures posted after I've finished that part.

[polo]

Sorry if it feels like I'm posting to much on this but I've got to say I'm very excited about this regardless of outcome.

This hours update.

[chillyche]

Your thread, dude! Post as much as you want!

[Hikuro]

Exactly, the helmets looking good for a first attempt of it...I always felt like you learn a lot from the mistakes you make on the first peps...I had an ODST that took 3 attempts to get right...first was a scale issue, second were some vent pieces I didn't cut right and third which was the keeper until the failed fiberglassing which only issue was on the top end didn't mesh right but was good enough. but the fiberglassing, ugh what a pain!

[polo]

Exactly, the helmets looking good for a first attempt of it...I always felt like you learn a lot from the mistakes you make on the first peps...I had an ODST that took 3 attempts to get right...first was a scale issue, second were some vent pieces I didn't cut right and third which was the keeper until the failed fiberglassing which only issue was on the top end didn't mesh right but was good enough. but the fiberglassing, ugh what a pain!

Fiber glassing for me will be mid next week when i get paid haha. Your so right about learning from mistakes on first peps, this one will be a solid lesson all around from start to finish for me. I'm sure like your ODST I'll end up make a few of these helmets until I'm 100% happy.

Only thing I'm debating on is the lens and how i will go about it.

[polo]

Turned out better and worse than I expected if that makes sense haha. Next I'm going to resin inside then out and work towards bondo'ing. Also have been doing some reading on vacuum forming a lens. Just the finished pictures are posted here, the rest of the WIP pics are in the gallery.

[Hikuro]

at least we know what you like to do while you pep, you like some clone wars yo

Either case good effort, you could probably get away with a light blue tinted motorcycle helmet and a little drilling. But I see a lot of sanding and smoothing on this helmet, a lot of it. You did good though, if you could do it then i should be able to nail this puppy as well soon. Ugh, I wish I could stay home on my vacation versus going all the way to see some family...I wont have anything to do but I can't work on this : /

[polo]

at least we know what you like to do while you pep, you like some clone wars yo

Either case good effort, you could probably get away with a light blue tinted motorcycle helmet and a little drilling. But I see a lot of sanding and smoothing on this helmet, a lot of it. You did good though, if you could do it then i should be able to nail this puppy as well soon. Ugh, I wish I could stay home on my vacation versus going all the way to see some family...I wont have anything to do but I can't work on this : /

I was watching Gundam Unicorn and Macross Frontier to over the last few days of peping but there is more Clone Wars to cover more time haha.

Yeah lots of work in the bondo stage but for my first time I cant complain yet.

[Hikuro]

Well dunno how your progress has been going but I did find something interesting about the scale of this helmet. The paper scaling on this is set at an A4 versus a letter size. However, unless the password was made available, even using A4 sheets of paper (which I wouldn't recommend) would be useless to print out I think.

Of course, I don't have A4 sheets to test this theory, so I'm having to go and make corrections after print outs to the best of my ability. So far I've had to fix up 4 pages worth and I'm sure more to come.

[Hikuro]

So it's a bit of necroposting but I did come up with an idea I'd like to share.

We know, that the file is password protected, doesn't matter which helmet scheme you pick it's protected. By choosing the no adjustment scale for printing the parts will certainly go over the page and you'll have to come up with clever ways to fix the pep pieces.

HOWEVER, by selecting adjust before print when it comes on, 99% of these parts will scale appropriately to the page and yuo wont have really any problems getting everything to fit to the page.

I went with this recently and I'm nearly done with my helmet. It's a very tight fit but it does work in realitive scale to the design aspect of the helmet in the anime. It should be a little large and padding will help fix that easily. It's a tight fit to place the helmet over your head and I've come up with a solution to that.

I was recently inspired by the designing of the BSG helmets of the new series, there are hinge/sliders at the jaw structure connecting to the chin that slide open giving an extension to the front making it much easier to get a helmet on and off your head.

I'm looking for a way to incorporate that into my helmet once the casting is done. Currently I'm still in the pep process but it's going VERY well! I've also decided that this will be divided into 2 portions, the main helmet, and the top visor. Because resin will warp light weight items, I felt I could possibly ruin the top visor if it stayed connected to the main body of the helmet. And if something fails all I have to do is repep the top visor versus the entire helmet.

[Hikuro]

Well sadly today I was fiberglassing and it started to collapse even though I did the insides first. Very sad day

[pablov]

On 3/22/2011 at 9:14 PM, polo said:

Yep Hikuro I found a pep file while scavenging the net. Only had this helmet though in Roy, Max, Hikaru colors though. I have seen the halo peps at 405ths website also, some great works of inspiration there to.

can you help me whit the pep file please?