DIY Iron Man Helmet
This is tutorial on how to build and paint your own iron man helmet!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
1
Download Pepakura and the Pep file for an iron man helmet. Whatever you think looks the best. I made this so long ago I don't know where I got the file.
2
Build it.
Use dabs of hot glue to put it together.
No tape because it will show up at the end if you aren't using bondo to smooth it out.
If you are using bondo, that's requires more time and work because you will then need to make a mold and cast it.
Use dabs of hot glue to put it together.
No tape because it will show up at the end if you aren't using bondo to smooth it out.
If you are using bondo, that's requires more time and work because you will then need to make a mold and cast it.
3
I used a liquid plastic from smooth-on to make my helmet hard on the inside.
I even brushed some onto the outside to help with strength and even to make it a bit smoother.
You can also use fiberglass and fiberglass cloth. Which is a lot stronger but a little more complicated to work with.
I even brushed some onto the outside to help with strength and even to make it a bit smoother.
You can also use fiberglass and fiberglass cloth. Which is a lot stronger but a little more complicated to work with.
4
Make hinges.
I made the first ones (prototypes) out of foam and little pieces of wood sticks.
It works but wasn't very strong, and the motion wasn't very sturdy.
So I made a second pair out of plastic I cut out from a plastic jar thing......
And drilled holes.
And then I used some short screws, washers, and some nuts to put the pivot points in.
You should end up with 4 parts: two curved and two straight.
You can look up pictures to see were to place these parts . The curved parts should go above the straight parts when being attached.
I made the first ones (prototypes) out of foam and little pieces of wood sticks.
It works but wasn't very strong, and the motion wasn't very sturdy.
So I made a second pair out of plastic I cut out from a plastic jar thing......
And drilled holes.
And then I used some short screws, washers, and some nuts to put the pivot points in.
You should end up with 4 parts: two curved and two straight.
You can look up pictures to see were to place these parts . The curved parts should go above the straight parts when being attached.
5
Wiring is not needed to make this a cool project or anything, but it will give that extra aspect of realism and hard work.
I just wired up two blue LEDs to a AA battery pack (runs off of two AA's). You shouldn't need resistors or anything. You can find tutorials on how to do this..
Things needed:
-two blue LEDs
-wires (black and red)
-battery pack
-switch
-hot glue gun/sticks
What you can choose to do with the LEDs is up to you but I'll tell you what I did.
I just grabbed a hot glue stick and cut it in half.
Then I melted a hole in one end of each of them. Before it drys, stick the led directly into it.
This will then cause the whole stick to light up when the led is lit.
It might not be perfect but it still looks good for what it is?!
I just wired up two blue LEDs to a AA battery pack (runs off of two AA's). You shouldn't need resistors or anything. You can find tutorials on how to do this..
Things needed:
-two blue LEDs
-wires (black and red)
-battery pack
-switch
-hot glue gun/sticks
What you can choose to do with the LEDs is up to you but I'll tell you what I did.
I just grabbed a hot glue stick and cut it in half.
Then I melted a hole in one end of each of them. Before it drys, stick the led directly into it.
This will then cause the whole stick to light up when the led is lit.
It might not be perfect but it still looks good for what it is?!
6
To make this helmet really pop and get attention it needs to have a good paint job.
The first thing I did was spray paint it with a grey primer that can be sanded.
After that, I sanded it smooth.
You can use multiple coats to get it smoother and to take out the flaws in the texture and finish.
Next, I used a black paint/primer and put one coat onto the helmet, not the faceplate.
It doesn't have to be primer, just paint.
I left the face plate with straight primer.
Here is where is gets messy.
I didn't want my helmet to be all shiny, bright, and clean.
Since my helmet had a rough texture and wasn't very smooth, (downside of not using bondo) I decided to go with a weathered and battle damaged look.
I started with the faceplate.
I got black acrylic paint and mixed it with water until it was slightly thick, but thin enough so that it could run off the helmet. I basically just dumped it in the faceplate!
Lol
Then you need to (within the next 10-15 seconds) grab a rag/towel and dab and rub off most of the paint.
You should be left with a slightly darker color and some of the paint being thicker in crack and thinner at high points on the surface.
It kinda acts as dirt, where it gets built up in the small spaces and holes, but thinner on the large surfaces.
Since I wasnt happy with the color or amount of dirtiness, I did two more coats of it (letting it dry in between).
At that point I was done with that part.
Next, I did the rest of the helmet.
Since it was already black I used a mixture of white and grey acrylic paints mixed with water. I made it about the same consistency as the black.
For this part you just do
the same thing, but it's a little more difficult because of the larger surface area.
Once your feeling good about the color, don't forget to add back in, the black to the cracks and detail lines. So you get that dirt build up look. You don't want a dirty helmet with white/grey detail lines ha.
If you want too, you can add more detail using a file.
Spray a file with a sliver/ metallic paint and brush it onto the helmet.
It should give scratched look to the helmet. Add it to areas that are the most likely to get scratched.
Ex: edges.
The first thing I did was spray paint it with a grey primer that can be sanded.
After that, I sanded it smooth.
You can use multiple coats to get it smoother and to take out the flaws in the texture and finish.
Next, I used a black paint/primer and put one coat onto the helmet, not the faceplate.
It doesn't have to be primer, just paint.
I left the face plate with straight primer.
Here is where is gets messy.
I didn't want my helmet to be all shiny, bright, and clean.
Since my helmet had a rough texture and wasn't very smooth, (downside of not using bondo) I decided to go with a weathered and battle damaged look.
I started with the faceplate.
I got black acrylic paint and mixed it with water until it was slightly thick, but thin enough so that it could run off the helmet. I basically just dumped it in the faceplate!
Lol
Then you need to (within the next 10-15 seconds) grab a rag/towel and dab and rub off most of the paint.
You should be left with a slightly darker color and some of the paint being thicker in crack and thinner at high points on the surface.
It kinda acts as dirt, where it gets built up in the small spaces and holes, but thinner on the large surfaces.
Since I wasnt happy with the color or amount of dirtiness, I did two more coats of it (letting it dry in between).
At that point I was done with that part.
Next, I did the rest of the helmet.
Since it was already black I used a mixture of white and grey acrylic paints mixed with water. I made it about the same consistency as the black.
For this part you just do
the same thing, but it's a little more difficult because of the larger surface area.
Once your feeling good about the color, don't forget to add back in, the black to the cracks and detail lines. So you get that dirt build up look. You don't want a dirty helmet with white/grey detail lines ha.
If you want too, you can add more detail using a file.
Spray a file with a sliver/ metallic paint and brush it onto the helmet.
It should give scratched look to the helmet. Add it to areas that are the most likely to get scratched.
Ex: edges.
7
All I have left to say is about the wiring setup.
Just try your best to make it fit and look ok at the same time.
If your going to put in hinges, try to work the wires around the attachment points.
And most importantly, make sure you can fully open the faceplate while having the lights stay attached and working.
This make take some trial and error, because some wires may be too long or short. As long as you have extra wire and/or shrink tubing/solder you should be fine.
I hope you have success in building your own helmet and I hope you are happy with the finished product.
P.S. - you can paint it whatever color you want, and still weather/battledamage it.
Bye and have a nice day.
Just try your best to make it fit and look ok at the same time.
If your going to put in hinges, try to work the wires around the attachment points.
And most importantly, make sure you can fully open the faceplate while having the lights stay attached and working.
This make take some trial and error, because some wires may be too long or short. As long as you have extra wire and/or shrink tubing/solder you should be fine.
I hope you have success in building your own helmet and I hope you are happy with the finished product.
P.S. - you can paint it whatever color you want, and still weather/battledamage it.
Bye and have a nice day.