Update: 1st helmet pull
So I spent Thursday night and most of yesterday working out my very first, very rough two piece mold. I'd like to say that I am happy with the result, but the truth is I am still teaching myself this stuff as I go. Aside from 3d work, everything else I've been doing this project, including pepakura, is completely new to me.
The mold itself wasn't difficult to make, just time consuming. And when you are anxious to see your first results (good or bad) you are likely to make mistakes. Anyways, On my final coat of silicone I added the keys I formed from an ice cube tray. Had a little bit of trouble getting them to stick but I got them on there.
After the jackets halves were complete I used a screwdriver and hammer to separate them. That part wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but trying to get a perfect seam line on the silicone was. Next time I'm going to try and set up a wall before I lay down the silicone. Especially for complex shapes like this. The silicone had pulled some primer off of the buck, but I expected that much. The master didn't have a terrible amount of damage done to it, but one of the side vents came off and part of the visor. No big deal, I decided when I tweak the helm I'm going to remove the vents and cast them separately.
So, this morning I got up and got to see my first pull. As expected some of the primer was in the pull, but it's not a big deal. I never said I was a pro :$
The casts are anything but perfect. There is a slight defect on the visor indent, even though that will be cut out it still bothers me. The flashing along the neck seal causes the helm to be a bit too small for my head to fit through, but that was easily fixed with a little trimming. And of course you have a seamline from flashing that needs to be addressed with some sanding.
I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I understand that this is an extremely complex shape and all of the changes in surface direction make it a nightmare to mold perfectly. I am happy with most of the pull. It retained it's symmetry, all of the deep line-work, vents with the holes, and the back of the neck trimming. It's very solid.
Here is a pic of some of the parts I have finalized and are ready for molding, except for the shoulder of course.
And here are some pep parts I have worked on. Still a ways to go on the gauntlets, but man do they build fast! The downside is they are very simple, but perfect for odsts from H3.