ShadoKat's Samus Aran (Metroid Prime 3) helmet sculpt - WIP

[ShadoKat]

Woohoo!! I FINALLY got the rough-sculpting done and I'm ready to start smoothing it, refining the detail lines, and sharpening and cleaning up the edges. I will try to post videos of my smoothing techniques while I'm doing this part.

Step one: Re-applying the curvature template, starting.... NOW!!

 

[ShadoKat]

OMFG! At long last! The shoulder bell is FINALLY done with the sculpting and the smoothing and the tweaking and the agonizing! Remember that one time, back in like October, when I thought I was almost done with it? That was funny. Anyway, in the interest of "pics or it didn't happen," I give you these...

As well as the obligatory video

I have a whole NEW set of things to worry me! First off, I still have that same half-used bucket of Rebound 25 silicone and before I went all throwing it away and spending 200 bucks on a new kit, I figured I would see what exactly happens to silicone when it gets old. I mixed up a small batch and poured it into these little divided acrylic boxes.

First off, it seems to be a lot thicker than I remember it. I don't know if that's the silicone showing its age, or if its my memory showing my age. The idea was that, if it didn't work, I'm wouldn't have to clean bad silicone off of the sculpt, and if it did work... well, I didn't use that much silicone, and I'll have made myself some nice registration keys. Biggest concern, of course, is that it wouldn't cure. Fortunately, that does not seem to be the case!!!

The "C" stands for "CURED!!!" And now I got myself some registration keys!! YAY!!!

Because of the viscosity, I decided to get me some silicone thinning agent for at least the print layer. Should be here in a couple days, along with a trial kit of Foam-IT 5 and some silicone pigment for every other layer. Then I be start the molding! Yeah, the sculpt isn't perfect, but hopefully I can clean it up in the cast. Hah! There I go, saying funny things again... wish me luck!!

 

[BLACKULA727]

Good luck!! I can't wait...lol!

 

[golem95]

omg dude your sculpt is so smooth :O how'd you do it? i must know your secrets

 

[ShadoKat]

Thanks, golem95! That's a super-awesome smoothing technique I learned called "soft focus" LOL!!!

Seriously, though, the curvature template did a great deal of the work, then it was just slapping on little of clay bits here and there where I found scratches, divots and imperfections, and going over it endlessly with a triangle head tool, metal scrapers (CAREFUL with those, they cause MORE scratches!), and rubber kidneys. Then I applied a very light layer of Vaseline with latex-free cosmetic sponges, more work with the rubber kidney, and finally a whisper of a ghost of a coat of mineral spirits.

After that it's just a couple months of repetition, agonizing over it, doing the same things over and over again, and finally coming to a point where I realize I'm not really progressing. That, I think, is the hardest step for me, figuring out when to stop (note I said "stop" not "quit"). You just start thinking, "Okay, one more pass and I'm done." Then you do that one more pass and you think, "Okay, I still see the lines... maybe just one MORE pass." It's a vicious cycle. Xtreme TACTICS just posted what might be a great technique in Morphen Jar's thread, but I am steadfastly resisting trying it on this sculpt, and patiently waiting for the next one. If I don't, I could just keep working this piece forever... MUST MOLD!!!

I did, however, get my hands on some Magic Sculpt two-part epoxy clay, and I've started testing out something I've been wanting to try. I took one of my test helmet casts, slathered on some of the epoxy clay, scraped it off, and am trying to fill in the low spots, bubbles, pits, imperfections, etc. Stuff is MESSY! And kinda hard to work with, for that matter. After it cures, I'll try sanding it down and we'll see what happens.

 

[golem95]

if you want to take out pot holes from a helmet cast try using a tiny bit of bondo or wood filler and scrape it into the holes using a pallet knife ive been doing that loads for my solid eye prop loads of tiny scratches and pot holes oh also i tried putting mineral spirits on my sculpt but it doesnt seem to have any effect :/ it also doesnt make clay more difficult to add on, do you have to rub it in or mist it on and let it sit? Ive tried both and neither have little to no effect

 

[ShadoKat]

Round one of molding is complete. First half of first layer of silicone applied! Just nooks and crannies for right now, will get to the rest of the first layer once this has cured. Oh... I certainly do hope it cures! Experimenting a bit with the silicone thinner, and I used some small artist brushes to try to paint it into the corners and what little details there are, hoping to reduce bubble entrapment. The downside is that it's supposed to increase the pot life. Probably increases the cure time, too.

Ugh... this part makes me SOOOOOO nervous!!!

***UPDATE***

It seems to have cured just fine! OMFG YAY YAY YAY!!! And added the rest of the print coat...

IT CURED TOO!!! I don't know why, but I'm always just

thrilled to the gills when it works the way it's supposed to LOL Seriously, when I don't screw it up, this stuff is frickin' MAGIC! Gawd, I love this hobby! Anyway, I'll start adding the thickened support layers of silicone tomorrow. I bought some green tint for every other layer of silicone, and I'm super excited to see what that will look like! Stay tuned!

 

[PaigeMaster]

This is absolutely phenomenal. I'm seriously blown away by the quality of the work and if I had the money, I'd be right at the front for a cast if they were ever offered up.

That said: I have game-ripped files for the Varia, Light and Dark Suits from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, as well as files for each of the Arm Cannon's Beam variants, if you ever feel like tackling those. If you ever want these files as reference/study material, or even to use as Pepakura models, I'd be more than happy to pass them along.

 

[BLACKULA727]

Looking good. Love watching this come together. Keep us posted!

 

[ShadoKat]

This is absolutely phenomenal. I'm seriously blown away by the quality of the work and if I had the money, I'd be right at the front for a cast if they were ever offered up.

Awww, thanks, PaigeMaster! I really appreciate that! I have offered casts in the past of the helmet (even managed to sell a couple) and I'll probably be doing so again in the future.

That said: I have game-ripped files for the Varia, Light and Dark Suits from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, as well as files for each of the Arm Cannon's Beam variants, if you ever feel like tackling those. If you ever want these files as reference/study material, or even to use as Pepakura models, I'd be more than happy to pass them along.

Ooooh!!! I'd LOVE to see the Varia!! I found one Varia model while I was working on the helmet sculpt, and used it as a reference for both the helmet and this piece. I don't know if it was a game rip or not, but it certainly was an awesome reference! Couldn't have gotten this far without it.

Looking good. Love watching this come together. Keep us posted!

Thanks, as always, BLACKULA727, your kindness and your inspirational work keeps me going! I will certainly do that! I'm probably getting WAY ahead of myself here (like two months ahead, at least), but I've been thinking about what piece to do next. I probably should do the fins and the bottom-band first but, truth be told, I am just SO SICK of the shoulder bell right now!! I really need take a break from this piece and come back to it after I've cleared my head with something else. I kinda want to take it easy, and maybe do something that doesn't require so much symmetry!!! Maybe the left forearm (is there really any other piece that doesn't)? Then again, maybe I should finish and perfect one of my helmet casts all the way to painting and lights and then re-mold it into a better final product? What do you think? Thanks, all! See ya tomorrow! I hope!!

 

[Zero Prime]

OMFG THAT IS AMAZING i cant wait to see this finished METROID ROCKS

 

[PaigeMaster]

Awww, thanks, PaigeMaster! I really appreciate that! I have offered casts in the past of the helmet (even managed to sell a couple) and I'll probably be doing so again in the future.

Ooooh!!! I'd LOVE to see the Varia!! I found one Varia model while I was working on the helmet sculpt, and used it as a reference for both the helmet and this piece. I don't know if it was a game rip or not, but it certainly was an awesome reference! Couldn't have gotten this far without it.

Check your PM inbox. I've sent you each of Samus' Suit variants from Prime 2, as well as the Arm Cannon files and something a little extra - the Hunter-class Gunship model. As soon as I've converted it, I've also got a model of Dark Samus as well if you'd like to tackle her at some point.

Glad I could help! Just shout me if you need *anything* else.

 

[ShadoKat]

This is not the green I was going for, but it will do for now... especially since it's all I have

Didn't get to do the thixo tonight, but I'm hoping to have the mold done this week... Ooh, did I just speculate on a time frame? I really need to not do that. Thanks for watching!!

 

[ShadoKat]

Applied thixo layer 1, I'll edit this post with pics later tonight if I can. Oddly, I didn't get as much coverage as I was expecting, and wasn't able to fill up that bottom band undercut. Sucks that I can only do one layer per day. Wish I had more time. And money. Oh well, at least I'm doing it, and having a marvelous time!

 

[ShadoKat]

Last night's layer...

And tonight's... got the bottom band undercuts mostly filled in... hopefully that will prevent the mother mold from catching on those hanging bits that I'm going to refer to from here on out as the "sideburns."

I think I only need one more layer of silicone before I apply the shell, but I'm not sure... I can't really gauge the thickness of what I already have. Then there's the registration keys. Anyone have any thoughts as to the best place to stick them? In case you missed it, you can see the keys I'm working with above, and I plan to cut a few of them into triangles...I don't know why, but I have a thing for triangles. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks much!!

 

[MissingSpartan7]

Check your PM inbox. I've sent you each of Samus' Suit variants from Prime 2, as well as the Arm Cannon files and something a little extra - the Hunter-class Gunship model. As soon as I've converted it, I've also got a model of Dark Samus as well if you'd like to tackle her at some point.

Glad I could help! Just shout me if you need *anything* else.

would you possibly be able to copy me in on those files?
especially the dark samus model - more 'cos i want to see how different it is to the model i currently have

@ShadoKat
this build is truly a tribute to how samus should be built to the highest standard!

CJ

 

[ShadoKat]

Finally done with the silicone, now I just need to build up the mother mold. I wasn't sure what to do with the registration keys, so I just slapped them on in places where I thought it would help keep it from sagging and hold its shape, and where I thought it wouldn't catch on the mother mold. What do you think of the shoulder bell katamari? LOL!!

Ugh... and then THIS happened!! Apparently I didn't have the lid very well on the pigment...

Fortunately I got most of it put back, and it spilled onto a piece of foam matting that I've been using as a drop cloth, so it wasn't that bad.

So, now, on to business... I really need some help here for this next part. Does anyone see any problem with my key placement? You think they may need to be trimmed at all? Saturday morning the S.O. and I are taking a road trip to Vancouver B.C. for our 15 year wedding anniversary, then hitting PAX on the way back (WOOHOOO PAX!!!) I need to get packed and everything, so I probably won't be able to start on the mother mold until I get back. Please do comment, and let me know if you see ANY trouble spots that my untrained eyes and hands are missing!

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate it!!

 

[Sky Dragon]

As I have no real experience with molding, I'd say that the keys look pretty good. BLACKULA727 did pretty much the same thing as you are doing, but I'd think that adding a little more silicon around the keys will help them to stick.

You may want to check out his thread: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31312-Halo-Reach-Commando-Helmet-Build-(Picture-Heavy)/page21

 

[ShadoKat]

Okay, PAX is over and I think I'm fully recovered. Seeing everyone's suits gave me some renewed vigor! Some of the keys looked a little loose, so I did apply another layer of silicone around them. It didn't behave the way I wanted it to, but I'm hoping it's good enough. It's curing right now. Mother mold starts tomorrow.

 

[ShadoKat]

Okay, maybe mother mold doesn't exactly start today. I wanted to try doing the parting shim out of clay, like so many others have done, thinking it might save me a bit of time. Not so much. After tonight's two hours worth of work I have only this to show for it...

An interesting note about silicone... clay doesn't stick to it very well. Not sure what I'm going to do about this. Should I press on, or start over with a better parting shim? At this point I'm inclined to press on. Hope the wall is high enough... What do you think?

[UPDATE] This didn't deserve its own post so I'll just edit this one. While working the clay I somehow tweaked my hand and wrist REALLY hard! Taking the night off, so no progress today... My right hand is almost entirely useless right now, and in a brace. I'm pretty cheesed about it. Stirring up Plasti-Paste requires a measure of torque that I don't think I'll be able to muster without copious amounts of pain. Three day weekend, though, so even if it's not completely better I hope to be able to at least try again by Monday. Time for more Advil!