"Help!" for: Papercraft or Pepakura

[Carpathia]

Wow,thank you so much that really helps!

Oh! And you'll see in my Halo 3 MarkVI build in my signature, I've made my thigh piece WAY too big, the height is fine, but the depth and width are bigger, how could I fix this?

Take a look at my reply in your thread, I've got a little advice regarding the shin size.

 

[Gray]

Oh Yeah, that's the thing. I made them both at about 485 mm each, (Shins), I am about 6 foot, so, Yeah, I was wondering how to fix it when they are pepped already :$

 

[VeeEight]

Where are you all getting your faceplates from?

 

[misfitjh]

Well VeeEight it comes down to what look your going for and how much money you are willing to spend. Some people myself included use replacement motorcycle visors they come in a variety of colours and are about $30 there are cheeper ones that are clear if you want to paint it yourself. Others use sheet plastic and paint ot tint it to the colour they want. I've even seen people use a 2L pop bottle as a visor.

 

[VeeEight]

Well VeeEight it comes down to what look your going for and how much money you are willing to spend. Some people myself included use replacement motorcycle visors they come in a variety of colours and are about $30 there are cheeper ones that are clear if you want to paint it yourself. Others use sheet plastic and paint ot tint it to the colour they want. I've even seen people use a 2L pop bottle as a visor.

Have you knows of anyone that has fabricated their own?

 

[misfitjh]

I know of a few guys that vacuum formed theirs but I think most of those were for ODST helms. A few members have heated up plastic sheet to shape their visor then painted it to what they like. I can't think of any names right off the bat though.

 

[TutlarAce06]

I dont full understand on how to size the pep files for printing to get the proper size for me, is it just trial and error to find the right size or is there a "zone" i should be inputting to get around the proper size for me?
If anyone rides motorcycles they could help me out for the helmet because my motorcycle helmet size is a large to extra large depending if i wear icon or hjc.

 

[TheRabbit]

For helmet sizing you want to measure your own head from jaw to crown and then add an inch or so for padding. For a large-xl helmet size you should be in the 32-34cm size if I had to guess, but make sure you measure first, it also depends a lot on the specific helmet model.

 

[TutlarAce06]

OKay thank you very much but just for a little more clarification, when adjusting the scale in the pepakura program its giving me a number like 242.2..... what would be the general scale zone and from there i can get it and not waste a lot of paper, money and time. Again thankyou for your help.

 

[TutlarAce06]

Never mind Im just being a newb lol i figured out what you ment

 

[Katsu]

Where are you all getting your faceplates from?

A lot of people looking to save money get this:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Mo...d=1343972061&sr=8-1&keywords=motorcycle+visor
It's not a great one, but at 8$ it's a lot safer to mess with it because you won't be out 30-60 dollars if you break it.

Have you knows of anyone that has fabricated their own?

I am among those who have fabricated their own. The only way to do it is vacuum forming, or heat forming. They're similar methods, but heat forming is a lot sloppier, easier, and uglier. It boils down to this:
Vacuum forming requires a vacuum forming machine, but gives very crisp results.
Heat forming is done in an oven by heating the plastic and laying it on the buck, it's the same concept as the vacuum forming but doesn't get as good results since it's not fully pulled down.

You can check out my quick vac-forming here:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/36142-Reach-for-the-Front!?p=603769#post603769

The downside is, you have to color it yourself, and will NEVER get iridium (that metallic mirrored look) with self made, since it requires a metallizing machine that costs a few thousand dollars.

I dont full understand on how to size the pep files for printing to get the proper size for me, is it just trial and error to find the right size or is there a "zone" i should be inputting to get around the proper size for me?
If anyone rides motorcycles they could help me out for the helmet because my motorcycle helmet size is a large to extra large depending if i wear icon or hjc.

Also, this is a great resource for sizing for noobs:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31627-HaloGoddess-quot-How-To-Scale-quot-and-More-Tutorial

 

[MjolnirGraphics]

So I've made several paper helmets so far, FINALLY gotten around to taking one into the later steps, so I need to get the scaling right for once.

I just finished a Pep of the Halo: Reach - Mjolnir Mk V helmet, however, just found the Halo 4 pep files, so I'd like to use them for my helmet instead.
Can I use the V paper helmet as a scale reference to get the Halo 4 helmet scaled "just right" ?

The Mjolnir Mk. V nearly fits just right, I have to kinda 'warp/stretch' the opening to get my head in. [Click for reference image]
Height:
- My hair is enough to hold up the weight of the paper about an inch above my scalp.
- This puts the visor right about at the correct level.
- My chin barely scrapes the bottom edge of the chin if I talk (See red dot)
Width:
- There is about half an inch gap on both sides between my temple and the corner of the visor (See green dot)
- There is about 3/4 of an inch gap on both sides between my ears and the sides of the helmet (See blue dot)
Depth:
- If I move the helmet forward and back, I can move it about 2 inches between my nose touching the visor and my head pressed against the back of the helmet.

Looking at other people's builds, it looks like the internal layers (between the paper and the airspace inside, without padding) are between 1/4 and 1/2 an inch thick. So, just to maintain the current fit, I'd have to add about an inch in size to the pep. For padding, would that be about another half inch layer inside? So, seems like if I were going to use the same pep, I should scale it up by 2 inches approximately?

Ok, now, how do I figure out that scaling with the new helmet?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Model Refence Info:

Halo: Reach - Mjolnir Mk. V {B} Variant
Source: 405th Fourm (Can't find the thread right now)
Filename: "Reach Helm unfolded by BMcClain"
Print Dimensions:
Height: 286mm
Width: 256mm
Depth: 328mm
Scale: 225

Halo 4 Helmet
Source: 405th Fourm Thread - Halo 4 Pepakura (Files within)
Filename: Not sure which is the best file to use yet...
Print Dimensions:
Height: -TBD-
Width: -TBD-
Depth: -TBD-
Scale: -TBD-

 

[TheRabbit]

Ok, now, how do I figure out that scaling with the new helmet?

Estimate it.

Flip back and forth between each model a couple times and look at where the height protrusions are because the scale that pep gives you would be the size of a rectangular solid that would fully enclose the object in question. Once you have an idea of how much of the height number is actual space for your head to fit you should have a pretty good idea for the size you need.

Nobody is going to be able to give you a "this is the exact size you need to build." I'm pretty sure you realize that, but I'm just stating the obvious. Also, realize it doesn't need to be 100% accurate. The 95% solution is going to be indistinguishable as long as it's still comfortable to wear on your head (in other words err on the side of roomier).

 

[Shrouded Maribel]

Hi everyone...

I've been pepakuring soldier helmet from Tribes Asend and I've got to the flaps on top of the helmet. I want to know if they are going to be a trouble when strengthening, because I'm worried they might fall off or bend. My current plan is to pepakure them then fiberglassing the start "root" and fill it with resin from inside (and outside ofc). My biggest concern is that they might snap off at some point after finished build. Or should I leave the bottom side open? Need some opinion on that

Pic.:

 

[Noble9360]

Hi everyone...

I've been pepakuring soldier helmet from Tribes Asend and I've got to the flaps on top of the helmet. I want to know if they are going to be a trouble when strengthening, because I'm worried they might fall off or bend. My current plan is to pepakure them then fiberglassing the start "root" and fill it with resin from inside (and outside ofc). My biggest concern is that they might snap off at some point after finished build. Or should I leave the bottom side open? Need some opinion on that

Our you could use expanded foam inside the fins.

 

[TheRabbit]

I wouldn't use expanding foam inside them, it has a tendancy to adhere to the paper really well, and then shrink, sucking all the paper in with it. What I would suggest doing is after you've resin'd the outside of it to give it some strength, is carefully line the inside of it with fiberglass that is long enough to protrude into the helmet and adhere it down to the inside of the dome as well, so it looks like an 'L'. Then fill the fin with resin or rondo and resin down the root of the fiberglass cloth. That will give you some incredible strength to them.

 

[Carpathia]

Rabbit's method is a good one. I fill deep fins (like the brim on my Mk VI helmet and the elbow tips of my Mk VI forearms) with either rondo or resin. Resin is easiest since all you have to do is mix up the resin and hardener and pour, but if the pour is too deep it can crack creating deep faults (though this will not affect the integrety of the armor itself). Rondo is nice because it's a bit lighter than the resin (but not by much) and has less of a chance to crack.

Avoid expanding foam in enclosed or mostly enclosed areas. It will make your fin bulge out if there is not enough area for the foam to expand out (with a fin like yours, there is only one way out, and if the foam at that escape point stops expanding before the rest is finished expanding, it will try to push out of the model).

 

[TMC]

Hi 405th. It's cool to see such a helpful community. I've been working on a model of a Mk VI helmet by ROBOGENESIS. I followed the scaling directions on this website and changed the scale to my height plus an inch and a half. I constructed the top of the helmet and discovered the it was ultimately going to be too small to fit on my head. I'm 5'9" (I forget if ' is feet or inches) but I have a ton of hair, and my head is slightly larger than normal. So with my scale at 71 instead of 69.5, my helmet was still too small. Also, I was getting some warping of the helmet, so that it was kind of crooked. I'm not sure else how to describe it. Anyways, I was planning on adding 3 inches to the scale and repepping, but I wanted yall's help. So basically, my questions are "How should I correctly scale the helmet?" and "How do I pep the helmet without getting the warping effects?"

Sorry for the long question

 

[TheRabbit]

Don't worry about asking questions here, that's exactly what this thread is for. I'd say you're on the right track for scaling the helmet. As for warping, it's usually caused by a few things, you could have your folds not lining up perfectly, too much weight on a certain part (happens often with people using school glue or hot glue), missing a total bond between pieces, or any number of other minor details. The best advice I can give you is cardstock and glue is cheap, just keep cranking on it until you get one perfect.

Also, the FlyingSquirrel MkVI helmet has built in support structures that help prevent warping and hold the helmet to its shape. However, it's also a much more detailed model, and has a lot more areas you can potentially mess up on.

 

[Carpathia]

Hi 405th. It's cool to see such a helpful community. I've been working on a model of a Mk VI helmet by ROBOGENESIS. I followed the scaling directions on this website and changed the scale to my height plus an inch and a half. I constructed the top of the helmet and discovered the it was ultimately going to be too small to fit on my head. I'm 5'9" (I forget if ' is feet or inches) but I have a ton of hair, and my head is slightly larger than normal. So with my scale at 71 instead of 69.5, my helmet was still too small. Also, I was getting some warping of the helmet, so that it was kind of crooked. I'm not sure else how to describe it. Anyways, I was planning on adding 3 inches to the scale and repepping, but I wanted yall's help. So basically, my questions are "How should I correctly scale the helmet?" and "How do I pep the helmet without getting the warping effects?"

Sorry for the long question

As for scaling, the helmet is kind of a special case, since the height of your body rarely helps in determining the size of the helmet. What you need is the vertical height of your head (measured from the bottom of your chin straight up to the top of your head), then add an inch or two for paddding and you're good. For example, my head is 28 cm in height (about 11 inches), I add and extra 2cm for padding (about an inch), so my helmet is 30cm in height. HaloGoddess has a great tutorial for scaling, here is the link...

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31627-HaloGoddess-quot-How-To-Scale-quot-and-More-Tutorial

Rabbit gave good advice about the warping. Flying_Squirl's model is by far the most accurate one I've seen, and the fact that it has all those supports makes it top notch.