While I may be currently studying in the land of the rising sun, I can still share the progress on my ODST Rookie costume. I decided to start with the helmet, since I need to have something impressive to show for my first efforts, right? I began the helmet by constructing it out of cardstock from a pepakura file made by RUNDOWN. This file is amazing, having the perfect mix of simplicity and detail. That said, there was one portion that could use some work. The little rectangle on the forehead is a complete pain to make, and I just flubbed it in the end.
After it was constructed, I applied a few coats of fiberglass resin to the outside of the helmet. This portion was fairly easy, despite the dry heat that day which ruined a batch of resin, and thus one of my brushes. Next I used the rondo technique as presented by Ben Streeper to harden the inside of the helmet. I probably didn't get this portion right, as the rondo wasn't quite liquid enough to properly spread, but I did finish it in the end.
Finally, I began the process of smoothing the helmet using bondo. This part proved to be very work intensive. Luckily, this is the hardest part of the entire helmet creation process. I'm having a little trouble getting a smooth curve on the top of the helmet, but it'll just be a matter of time before it's perfect. The top is almost done, with the sides and back to follow. The front hasn't been touched too much, but should go fairly quickly due to having a lot of flat segments.
That's where I was at prior to leaving on my trip. When I return, I'm going to finish applying bondo to the outside, then I will create the mold out of it. After that, I can probably completely finish the helmet in a couple days. I will be vacuforming a visor, but I need to research how to make a silvery tint without using a sheet application. Pictures of the current progress can be found in the ODST Rookie tab on the top of the page, check them out.
Until next time,
-Jake/Zaeldren
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