Helmet Padding & Backplate Finished

Hey, folks! Here's the latest.  I've added the padding to the interior of the helmet.  I bought some foam from a fabric shop, trimmed it to size and super glued it in.  The brow foam is 1" thick.  All other pieces are 1/2" thick.  It's snug but comfortable, and I won't need a chin strap.  The helmet doesn't wobble when I turn my head. For the record, this is NOT movie accurate.  But no one is ever going to see the inside of the helmet but me, and I opted for comfort. (The real movie props used a chin strap and a liner similar to what you see inside a hard hat.)

And with that, the helmet is 100% DONE!

I've also finished the back plate.  This piece of armor will never really be seen by anyone since it will be beneath the jetpack, but I wanted to give it as much attention as the rest of the armor.  Since it was already primed, I sprayed it with Rusto Aluminum, then buffed it with 0000 steel wool, and added liquid mask for the "metal" that will show through...

Then I hit it with Rusto Line Painting Yellow, and a mist of flat black. When that dried, I peeled off the liquid mask...

I added another layer of liquid mask, and then sprayed the final Rusto Hunt Club Green, and a mist of flat black.  After that dried, I peeled the liquid mask, gave it one more misting of flat black, and then scratched the hell out of it with a screwdriver and gravel from my driveway.

Here's the final back plate:

This weekend I also went for a test fitting for the flight suit and the armor vest.  Some adjustments needed to be made, but we're on the right track.

Next up: The knee plates.

More after I come back from New York Comic Con this weekend.

~N

Helmet: Back Finished!

After the base silver layer, I lightly sprayed some of my faux primer color (Rusto Anodized Bronze) instead of doing a solid layer of the faux primer.  In my movie refs, you can see that the back of the helmet has sort of a faded gray layer over the silver. I tried to imitate that as much as I could.  But as always, I first added a layer of liquid mask for the pure silver areas that would need to show through later:

After this, I sprayed a topcoat of Rusto Dark Hunter Green, and a mist of Valspar Peacock green, then misted with flat black.

Finally, I peeled off the liquid masked areas and added micro damage with a screwdriver and gravel from my walkway...and we have the final back panels:

To complete the back, I liquid masked and then misted the keyslot panel in the appropriate places with Rusto Anodized Bronze, and then attacked it with sandpaper and a screwdriver.

In the movie prop, behind the keyslots, is a glued-in replica of an old Casio circuit board.  I've ordered a couple from ebay. I'll worry about that during final assembly.

Next time: The mandibles and ears!