Prop Making Nub

Hi guys, I'm pretty new here and to prop making in general. I lurk over at the RPF (I'd post there, but registration is clocsed =/ ) and I've read the wiki here for any tips or tricks I can find, and obviously I've been lurking here as well.

Anywho, I got into this mess originally when I joined hte R2 Builders club (www.astromech.net) and visited one of hte local guys here around the DC area. I mentioned to him that I was doing an MSE-6 build and I was wanting to do Boba Fett armor as well in addition to teh R2 I'm doing.

He then busted out a Mystery helmet and asked if I wanted it. Well, of course I did. It's a nice helmet, it's in great shape, I still need to do some finishing on it before I begin painting it, but first, I want to make a mold or cast, or whatever of it, so I can do another helmet for a custom Mando I have in mind as well.

So, I guess this is all a bit of backstory to my question.

Any tips or tricks on making a cast/mold (I'm really a nub to all of this) that I should know? I did buy a book, the Thurston James book (the same one with the vacuform table that TK-560 re-created) but it won't be here until next week sometime.

Also, this is good conversation, I think, heh.

Thanks!

-Ron

welcome to TDH. please brace yourself for the flamefest that's about to commence.

it is generally frowned upon to recast someone else's work. the mystery helmets are one of the "grey areas", since the lineage isn't clear, and there are so many copies out there. but even still, it's often best not to ask questions like "how can i recast this here helmet"

if you're looking for tips and tricks on propmaking in general, take a look at the section in the wiki here. there are lots of good links to suppliers, video tutorials, and other fun things.

Not really the thing to do bruv...

If you want to build a custom but don't want to drop the cash for a helmet to do it with I would suggest scratch building it from the WOF templates. Then if you like, you can cast that. As mentioned casting someone elses work is frowned on. Besides, to make a cast chances are good that you will come pretty close to the price of a new mystery helmet in prep work and materials in the attempt to recast the first one.

welcome to TDH. please brace yourself for the flamefest that's about to commence.

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Doh, thanks for the warning ^^

Hmmm, I see where you all are coming from, and I certainly don't want to dis-credit the makers of all of this stuff. I just figured since I had one, I could re-cast it then modify it for what I wanted for my custom Mando.

Besides, to make a cast chances are good that you will come pretty close to the price of a new mystery helmet in prep work and materials in the attempt to recast the first one.

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That does add a new perspective on the direction i was going as well.

If you want to build a custom but don't want to drop the cash for a helmet to do it with I would suggest scratch building it from the WOF templates. Then if you like, you can cast that.

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Economically, that doesn't make sense. I've already got a halmet I could make a cast of. Why pay extra for the materials, then pay for the casting materials when I could jsut pay for the casting materials?

I think what I might do, so as not to make anyone mad (the last thing I want to do, lol) is do what you said at the end, anyways, just buy a new helmet.

That said, now on to more questions!

Making the armor! Ok, I've got the WOF templates, etc, and I've seen tutorials on painting, weathering, even using the sintra on a mold in a pillow. My question, then, is how do you go about making the shape of the armor (ie, the inital mold for the armor).

That's a question I've seen pop up more than once, but with no clear answer that I can find.