JFO helmet build work-log (Satchmo III)

[Satchmo III]

Greetings four-oh-fivers! This build thread will contain information and updates related to a JFO helmet currently being constructed by me and my younger brother (call-sign: ionHighlander (XBL), not currently listed in the 405th roster).

As a brief introduction: My brother and I live about 300 miles from one another. Since January 2011 we've been playing Reach together which allows us to hang out often despite that we're not even in the same state. Near the time we started gaming together I happened upon these forums and began a Noble Six build (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30987-Noble-six-build-%28Satchmo-III%29). I've been discussing what I've been learning and making with him for the last six months. About a week ago he began a two week stay with me (totally cool) and we decided we would work up his in-game helmet (JFO) while together.

We're already on the path to completing the helmet before his departure. The general plan was to harden and detail pepakura and (hopefully) mold/cast. Progress entries begin below. Thank you to IroniumCostuming for the excellent model. I couldn't find an original thread with the model so have uploaded a copy of the file to my 4shared should anyone wish to check it out (http://www.4shared.com/file/40WJtHRk/Reach_helmet_JFO__Ironium_.html).

WEEK #1 PROGRESS SUMMARY...

01) Printed out and assembled helmet pepakura
02) Applied resin to helmet's exterior
03) Applied thin rondo layer to helmet's interior
04) Applied fiberglass to helmet's interior
05) Cut face-plate opening
06) Rough-detailed with bondo and rondo

WEEK #1 PROGRESS DETAIL...

"Jump for oddball."

ionHighlander put together the pepakura in about six hours. He scored the folds, cut the pieces, and assembled them with hot glue. It's his first paper model and he's taken to it quite well...he's been working on a Halo pistol he found that I printed out some time ago.

We applied resin to the outside and rondo to the inside. Rondo was selected to give the helmet a bit more structure prior to fiberglass as well as to fill in any tight spaces (which for the JFO were minimal).

Since I live in a third-floor apartment I work outdoors, and I don't always have a non-public outdoor area to leave resin and rondo pieces to cure. In the past when I couldn't maintain a safe area for pieces to cure I either waited outside (sometimes annoying) with them or brought them in and opened a window and wore a respirator at home for a couple of days (always annoying).

Thanks to ionHighlander a solution to these issues was presented. When we had a piece curing but were otherwise done working for the day and wanted to go home (resin and rondo stages) we placed the curing piece outside a window on a small sill. This way with the window closed a barrier was maintained between ourselves and the potentially still harmful curing piece. As a note, when we had a curing piece we were going to continue on we passed the time honing our ultimate frisbee skills.

After resin and rondo we applied fiberglass to the helmet's interior and prime-painted the piece to see what it looked like. This was both of our first time glassing a helmet...it was relatively easy and not too time-intensive to complete one layer of cut-up matting. Having done a couple of rondo-only helmets I'd have to say I feel more confident about avoiding break issues with the fiberglass installed.

After glassing we removed the face-plate material to make the opening and applied preliminary bondo to work on some shaping issues with the pepakura.

With the general shape achieved we considered reference images for the in-game model and sketched out a plan on the helmet for detailing. This gave us a good idea of what we needed to complete and how it might look.

We raised some surfaces by using thick foamy (poster) tape to create a barrier into which small amounts of rondo was poured. We decided we wanted the ear areas to stick out more so we followed the same general process but used painters tape to create a higher barrier and allow for a deeper rondo pour. We also trimmed some of the face-plate opening.

Finally we added the knobs to the ear areas by using a ring-shaped form we created from a plastic end cap we found laying around. The helmet was turned on one side, the ring form was placed where desired, and rondo was poured into the form. Just as the rondo began to cure (we threw in quite a bit of hardener to expedite the process) we applied pressure to the rondo to hold it down and removed the form by pulling up...worked like a charm. With the knobs and other raised surfaces installed and rough sanded the piece was prime-painted again to assess aesthetics.

As the sun was getting low in the west today (Sunday) we snapped a few photos wherein the helmet looks blue (which happens to be the primary color intended for it...though a bit darker).

And that's where we sit after a week. Sorry for the lengthy initial post but we completed much this week and I wanted to log it in. With a pressing time-frame to complete I am expecting pace to continue. We are hoping to paint and then mold (would be each of our first time molding) near the end of next week before ionHighlander heads back to the motherland (Wisconsin).

Thanks for your interest. Any and all input, criticisms, or suggestions will be welcomed and appreciated.

Summer is moving along quickly and the armor-related coals are building up in the fire. I hope every ones projects are going well. Keep at 'em, 405th! Out.

 

[Zero Prime]

Dang that is amazing for a weeks work keep it up i would love to see this finished Good luck

 

[Hyperballistik]

Nice job, looks like you got the body work and detailing process figured out, that JFO helmet is going to turn out really nice, at the rate your working on this helmet, you should have it done in no time, keep up the great job

 

[thorn696]

Looking great as always. Keep us posted

 

[Jonus]

Man, I wish I could work this fast. Looks fantastic so far.

 

[noble 1]

i hope my jfo turns out as good, what did you use for the little circles on the sides?

 

[Satchmo III]

WEEK #2 PROGRESS SUMMARY...

01) Applied second layer of fiberglass to helmet's interior
02) Detailed face-plate opening and installed face-plate
03) Cut in detail lines
04) Applied final primer and began painting

WEEK #2 PROGRESS DETAIL...

"Juliet-foxtrot-oscar."

My brother and I began the week laying a second layer of fiberglass matting to the interior the helmet. Though the first layer seemed sufficiently strong we wanted to be certain. With the helmet all tough and stuff we moved to install the face-plate. We used the same mounting hardware (weather-pane spring-clips) as I did with the Mark V(b) helmet so we needed raised surfaces above and below the face-plate opening to screw to. Using tape dams we poured rondo to make the surfaces.

Once the spring-clips were mounted and the face-plate was installed the gaps between the squarish opening and the roundish plate were dealt with. On the inside of the helmet we taped off around the face-plate, then we poured rondo in the gaps from the outside (the front of the face-plate was also taped so the rondo didn't come into contact with its actual surface). The poured rondo conformed to the shape of the face-plate and after carefully removing the tape and face-plate we were left with just some clean up grinding for a perfectly fitted face-plate opening.

We were very happy with how the face-plate came out. After a few days of bondo, sanding, spot-putty, and detail-cutting we were able to prime paint and apply a couple of metallic silver coats to the helmet.

We'll be painting over the next couple of days. ionHighlander decided he'd like a pristine paint scheme (though there will be a metallic undercoat if he decides to scuff it up later to achieve some battle-wear). Material for molding came in last Friday so we'll be ready to move with that following paint. We'll be at the helmet after work this week and I'm taking Thursday off to hang with the brother (and finish the helmet) before taking him home on Friday. The project's deadline is just on the horizon.

I hope everyone's projects are going well. Until next time, Nobles!

WEEK #2 POST RESPONSES...

Thanks everyone for the comments and support! We're excited to see the helmet all painted up and look forward to sharing the final result with you.

...what did you use for the little circles on the sides?

As mentioned in the week #1 post, we used a cylindrical form (made from an end-cap we found around the apartment) to pour rondo into to make the knobs on the ear areas. At either side of the helmet the form was placed on the ear area so the rondo was applied directly to the helmet's surface. The form was removed just as the rondo began to solidify so the knob adhered to only the helmet's surface and not the walls of the form.

 

[Jonus]

I always love how pieces look with just the metallic paint on them. Looks like it's fresh out of the armory.

 

[thorn696]

Helmet is coming along nicely, I can't wait to so what you do to it next.

 

[MissingSpartan7]

wow, wish my jfo helm would hurry up and look that good
the week 2 pics at the end look like they have been cast! if they haven't, well clearly they are PERFECT!
if i can't tell that the helm in the last pic isn't a cast, then you must be doing something right!

keep up this AMAZING work
CJ

 

[R3Dracoon]

That's a really nice JFO helmet you have there

 

[Clarkalot]

Aw man. Now I hate my JFO helm. The detail is so crisp, its fantastic.The visor looks great as well and the pouring into tape method will be very handy for me. Cant wait to see it in colour.

 

[Satchmo III]

Satchmo III

WEEK #3 PROGRESS SUMMARY...

01) Installed vent-louvers
02) Painted base colors
03) Detailed face-plate
04) Created glove-mold and mother-mold
05) Created initial cast
06) Began padding and neck-seal construction

WEEK #3 PROGRESS DETAIL...

"John-117's firepower is omnipotent."

At the head-end of this week we were satisfied with the shape and detail of the helmet. After gluing in louvers to the vent areas (made from balsa wood scrapes) and sanding to 400 grit we applied paint in four steps. Step one: reapplication of silver color, step two: tape off silver areas and apply blue color, step three: tape off blue areas and apply grey color, and step four: apply clear matte finish. We did this over the course of two days and found ourselves with some minor, localized areas of paint separation (the instructions for each color suggested waiting 24 hours between painting applications but we went with 12 hours in order to hit our schedule). It's not too bad but next time I paint I'll take more time.

I installed a taped-off face-plate into the helmet and marked in the face-plate detail (with a marker). ionHighlander used an exacto-knife to cut out the marked lines and then, running a circular wire brush attachment on a rotary tool over them, etched the lines into the face-plate. It looks great and really adds depth to the piece.

With the bucket shaped/detailed and painted we moved to mold and cast it. We set up a sweet work area in the kitchen including a cardboard flooring system and used a cardboard pedestal to hold the helmet (ionHighlander kicked arse making with the pedestal). Before applying the rubber (Rebound 25) we used modeling clay to seal around the face-plate and around the neck area. We then applied several rubber layers, registration keys, and a built-up area for a cut-seam over the course of about seven hours. We could have smoothed the final layer more in order to negate rough divots (and minimize the chance of ripping the rubber on a mother-mold) but we were happy with our first attempt using the material.

Using the mohawk method and fiberglass we created a two part support shell (mother-mold). With two layers of fiberglass the mother-mold is pert strong. After the support shell was cured we cracked the two parts open, removed the original (we were elated to see it come out from under the rubber and fiberglass unscathed), outfitted it with joining hardware (nuts, bolts, and washers) and rolled around some plastic (Smoothcast 320) to create an initial cast.

The initial cast came out great, though not perfect. The only real defect can be seen at the forehead area (which is a bit wavy). When the cast was made I noticed the rubber in this area seemed thinner and not fully cured. Since then the area has cured more and is more solid although I think additional casts may yield similar results. Not too bad in my opinion, it will need to be filled in and sanded with bondo though. I attribute the flaw to inexperience with using the material.

The bucket work complete and the mold created, we began the neck-seal. Although the neck-seal wasn't included with the pepakura model, with how high the bottom of the helmet is we found it necessary to add. Using the floor-mat foam and hot glue we created a flat C-shape to fit within the bottom of the helmet and extended a strip down from that and glued it around which will shield the neck. We left the chin area open to allow for breathing. We routed a line into the rounded area which the lip of the helmet's neck opening will fit into (pressure and glue will hold it). Some detail was added around the base of the neck-seal using thin craft foam. Unfortunately we ran out of time before I had to bring ionHighlander home so he will seal, paint, and attach the neck-seal by his lonesome within the coming weeks.

Using strips of high-density foam we temped up some padding. This will be attached later by ionHighlander or he is going to look into the feasibility of installing the padding from a bicycle helmet.

ionHighlander's stay with me has lapsed, he is now home and the original is in his possession. Although not 100% complete we did excellently for the 19 days he stayed with me (given some delays due to down-pours and heat-advisories). ionHighlander will be bringing the original to full completion and I will be finishing the cast at some point. I'll be sharing updates for both helmets as they play out. Left to complete with the original is to...

...apply detail/decal paint to helmet.
...apply black-wash to achieve the look of grit/grime in the helmet's recessed areas.
...finish the helmet padding.
...seal, paint, and attach the neck-seal.

It was great working alongside my brother on this build and I want to thank everyone for their interest and comments. Keep building four-oh-five!

WEEK #3 POST RESPONSES...

I always love how pieces look with just the metallic paint on them. Looks like it's fresh out of the armory.

I agree! All shined up and ready to go to the ball (or, more likely, Covenant head-bashing session).

Helmet is coming along nicely, I can't wait to so what you do to it next.

Thanks for checking it out, Thorn696. She's almost there.

wow, wish my jfo helm would hurry up and look that good
the week 2 pics at the end look like they have been cast! if they haven't, well clearly they are PERFECT!
if i can't tell that the helm in the last pic isn't a cast, then you must be doing something right!

keep up this AMAZING work
CJ

Thanks for the vote of confidence, MissingSpartan7. Although the helmet will never be perfect, it cannot be perfect, we got it to where we wanted to get it.

That's a really nice JFO helmet you have there

Thanks R3Dracoon...it's a bit difficult to read the dark red font color with the grey background.

The detail is so crisp, its fantastic.The visor looks great as well and the pouring into tape method will be very handy for me. Cant wait to see it in colour.

Thanks Clarkalot! It'd be great to see you effectively use the pour-method (I've found it very useful). I am looking forward to seeing your progress with the JFO helmet. If you keep at each process until you are satisfied you will have an awesome build.

 

[Roceifin]

looks beautiful.

 

[Satchmo III]

SUPPLEMENTAL WORK (WEEK #4.1)...

ionHighlander has sealed and painted the neck-seal. I think he'll be black-washing the helmet's edge recesses sometime later this week to get the dirt/grime aesthetic.

He also did some of the detail painting on the helmet. Apologies for the poor lighting...we'll upload better images at the next update.

POST RESPONSES...

looks beautiful.

Thanks, man!

 

[BLACKULA727]

Awesome work. It looks amazing! I knew you had skillz when I saw the pep work on your Noble 6 build. I believe I was the first post in there. lol! Anyways, great build.

 

[Kadus27]

Wow! Absolutely fantastic and great inspiration for my build. Really, there's nothing to gripe about here, it's perfect. Only question is, where'd you get that visor? I was gonna do blue for mine as well, and was trying to find a good visor that could fit the giant JFO visor. Thanks for any help and letting my eyes feast on this beauty!

 

[Satchmo III]

SUPPLEMENTAL WORK (WEEK #4.2)...

Brother has been busy. After reviewing Adam Gumbo's tutorial to pick up the black-wash method (

) he decided to forgo the pristine aesthetic and add in some wear and tear. I believe he made the correct decision.

All that remains is a final clear coat, the gluing in of the neck-seal (which turned out great), and the padding. Since the game model has no lights I don't think they're on the docket but depending how stuffy the bucket is with padding a fan may be added.

If I may speak freely, I'm floored at how this project is turning out. Thanks everyone who has shared their time, work, and experience with the community and me (and, by extension, my brother), without these things I do not believe the yield of this build would be near where it is today. I look forward to seeing what we all can achieve as time progresses.

POST RESPONSES...

Awesome work. It looks amazing! I knew you had skillz when I saw the pep work on your Noble 6 build. I believe I was the first post in there. lol! Anyways, great build.

Thank ye, sir. Your molding walk-through helped me a lot with my attempt here (though I feel it went well I still need to improve my ability in this). I've actually not forgotten the first response to my first 405th post. I appreciated the input then, now, and whenever you may provide it in the future.

Wow! Absolutely fantastic and great inspiration for my build. Really, there's nothing to gripe about here, it's perfect. Only question is, where'd you get that visor? I was gonna do blue for mine as well, and was trying to find a good visor that could fit the giant JFO visor. Thanks for any help and letting my eyes feast on this beauty!

Thanks a lot Kadus27, though I cannot claim the build is perfect (little truly is). I grabbed the face-plate from Fay Myers Motor through through Amazon.com (Product info: HJC AC-11/CL-Max/CL-14 RST Mirrored Shield Blue 847-450). I don't know that it's any larger than normal...the pepakura model is slightly off with regard to the face-plate and its opening. There should be a lip around the opening that's not in the model, which decreases the required size of the face-plate. Good luck with your build! Looking forward to checking it out.

 

[ka5p3r]

wow dude this helmet is amazing looking great job

 

[thorn696]

That is one sweet looking helmet you have going there. I like the neck concept allot, And the detail work turned out looking great.