Pepakura clone helmet phase 2(comments welcome)

_______________________________________________
''all clones sound like brits,even when they don't''
 
Last edited by a moderator:
'nice work'??-thats a first.Thanks alot mate :lol:.$12.00 dollars ,so thats 6.00 quid.Thats preety cheap.Isn't there any bondo for a cheap price,cause imagine you owned a garage and was fixing up a car with dents (its a good car),and buying bondo for its body,it would cost you the world.There must be a cheap supplier somewhere:confused.

If you are fixing up a car, spending 20 - 30 pounds on it isn't a big deal I'd think.

I probably spent about $150 US on the materials to make my animated clone helmet, then another $200 US on the mold.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is that all you spent Brian? That lid has gone through so many changes I'd have thought the original cost you well over $500 to make? ;)

Yeah, building your own is not cheap bro. In fact, I'd say it can be cheaper to be one ready made in some cases.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
stormtrooper guy,was your helmet a conversion or a scratch-build?I didn't know moulding costed that much?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is that all you spent Brian? That lid has gone through so many changes I'd have thought the original cost you well over $500 to make? ;)

Yeah, building your own is not cheap bro. In fact, I'd say it can be cheaper to be one ready made in some cases.

hahaha... that's the cost per version. :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
stormtrooper guy,was your helmet a conversion or a scratch-build?I didn't know moulding costed that much?

both.

i started with a hasbro. filled the seams, fixed the visor, and made a mold of it.

then i took one of the castings and made a closer-to-accurate attack of the clones helmet out of that.

another casting was made into toon v1. i then reshaped the toon v1 and made the toon v2. the toon v2 was further refined into the toon v3.

overall, from the day i bought that first hasbro i've sunken probably a couple thousand into the project.

silicone is very expensive. it's around $180 US for the stuff i use, then another $25 or so for the material to make the mold jacket.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Have hand-sanded the bottom section(near the mouth) to try and see if all you guys were right.The answer was Yes.:Dpatience.The area is starting to appear shinier.But if i wanted a copy of it,i would have to make my own mould?
P1030989.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just a size comparason for my first attempt which didn't go very well to skips brilliant one.Thanks again (y).The design on the smaller one was a test run for commander fox,one of my fav clones.The paint was only watercolour as it washes away easily.
P1030993.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
that makes sense,but what do the guys who sell armour on ebay use to make copies,silicon?

armor and helmets are usually different.

helmets you usually make a silicone mold then produce the helmets out of some sort of resin.

armor is usually vacuum formed plastic, pulled over a positive that you make out of something durable (plaster, wood, etc...)

in addition to the numbers above, there's a cost for resin too... around 20 - 25 US a helmet.

it's a LOT cheaper to buy a helmet than scratch build / mold / cast. the latter only makes sense when you plan to make a bunch of helmets.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Do you guys thik i should continue with the build or just save some coins and get an efx helmet.But are there any shops,sellers that sell their casted helmet.I was almost excited when i found star fotress,but now distrust them from comments.By the way,why don't everyone vacuum form their helmet?(sorry abt asking too much questions).Ayway,back to the main topic,should i continue,or is it to sh~~ to continue
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You can't vacuum form clone helmets. vacuum forming doesn't grab hard angles, to do that you need to cast a liquid into a negative mould. There are a few people that sell copies of clone helmets. They usually start at around the 200 usd mark. If all you want is a clone helmet, just buy one and paint it. If you're interested in learning to make things, stick at it but bare in mind it can take years to learn. I've been messing around sculpting things for around 8 years, before my sculptures started looking right, I had a lot that looked aweful (not that there isn't still a lot of room for improvement)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
you don't really vac clone helmets because you can't get the same level of detail as you can with silicone. plus, you can make it all in 1 piece, rather than several. i've seen some vac formed clone helmets and they all have looked a bit marshmallowy.

stormtroopers / tie / at-at and the like are vac formed in pieces, just like the originals. but they have softer features than the clones anyway.

as for whether it's worth doing... that's up to you. are you having fun? if so, keep at it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
NZ's right bro. Sounds like you're alowing yourself to be defeated? Or put off by the cost maybe?

I get tempted to buy helmets, sometimes I do but I really get a buzz out of seeing something I created take shape. Then to be able to wear it and show it off after the hard work is done? Priceless!

But going back to what NZ said, it can indeed take years to become confident in your abilities and to build up the knowledge required. I still consider myself a newbie at building,sculpting and moulding and casting. I'm constantly learning new tricks and sometimes discovering a few by myself.

I can understand the financial reasons for wanting to jack it in but don't be put off by the challenge.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Alright,i understand mates.To buy a helmet is for people who want a helmet,but to make a helmet is for people who enjoy the helmet and have a passion.I think i will do both now,u lot has inspired me :cheers
 
Last edited by a moderator:
WOW!!(y)For a rookie thats amazingly good.To tell you the truth bro,it embarasingly high-level.I'm also new here, as i chill around clone-empire.net Wish i was that good :(.I'm more on phase 2 side, but phase 1 is nice.
 
sounds like u are getting all the right advice mate

build the helmet - its great fun. just dont think you will find it cheaper. aside from all the material cost already mentioned; also think abt the amount of YOUR own time put into it. Not only in terms of paid time, but time spent away from parents, children, girlfriends, wives, friends etc

in terms of buying a lid - there are good fan sculpts that are cheaper than the eFx (*sideways glance at stormtrooper guy*). most are US based - drop me a pm if u are interested in some info.

the bay has its uses, but for a newbie - its often a minefield, lots of cheap knock-offs on the bay, and also the steal from our true artisans (recasting is BAD!). you've already taken the correct 1st step by coming on here and doing some of your basic research.
 
This thread is more than 13 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top