Foam Helmets - Art?

[Ta Ta Toothy]

Hi, I've been trying to make Kamen Rider W with craft foams. No real purpose, maybe Halloween, but a hobby right now. Not done yet, but getting close.

Here's a few wip pics.

1. Foam with Glue


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2. Foam with Glue 2


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3. Sprayed with Gesso - 3 coats


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[Tiger]

Looking damn good, man.

 

[Vitor]

I REQUIRE MOAR!!!!~

Also, two questions

1) How affordable is said foam?

and

2) What are you using to mold it into your desired shape?

 

[KouAidou]

Wow, that's very impressive work. Great job.

 

[Ta Ta Toothy]

The foam I use is by creatology, it's your typical craft foam. I got a 36x60 inch roll for like 6 bucks. Glue is your dollar store super glue. Gesso spray is 8 bucks at Walmart. Kryon spray paint is 8 bucks at walmart as well.

I'm cheap and lazy to learn to use fiberglass/resin. This method I think it's really good in my opinion considering the cost and time and skills required. It's a variation on the Japanese Cosplay player using craft foams. I don't think anyone else is using this method. I can post a more detail tutorial/explanation if needed. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[Fox-Chan]

Whoa, VERY nice work. Can't wait to see the final product.

Also, I'd be eternally grateful if you did post a tutorial. I always wanted to try to make my own helmets, but was afraid of spending way too much. Well, that and simply not having enough skill to make one.

 

[Baltan]

Nice Work!

Too bad I can't sculpt with these claws...

 

[djmon25]

why didn't i think of just using all craft foam for my helmets... fuuuuuu!!! i had so many too.

i usually start off with a cardboard base, then wrap it with craft foam... how do you plan on doing the eyes/lenses?

 

[Ta Ta Toothy]

This is the method I used to make the helmet. Not the best, but definitely easiest/laziest, pretty cheap to make too.

Quick tutorial:

1.
Download Pepakura Viewer (free software)
Pepakura is a program use for making paper crafts. Print them out, fold and glue together to get a 3D object. An 'unfolded' wire frame object.

2.
Get the Pepakura File (Kamen Rider, Ironman, Halo, etc)
It's a '.ppa' file. Best Kamen Rider thread I've seen:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/22132-Kamen-Rider-And-Guyver

3.
Print out the file.
This is the testing phase. There are no 'scale' with the program/file, so print it out, fold and glue, then measure how many % you need to enlarge/reduce to fit you. Change the % with the printing option (enlarge/reduce when printing)

4.
Glue it to a bristol board.
I am super lazy so I only print out half of the file (ie just the left side). Cut and glue them to a bristol board to add strength and archive. After drying, cut. You only need one side cause you can always flip the pattern to the the opposite side.

5.
Transfer the foam.
Place the pattern on the foam, and cut with a blade. It's easy to cut the foam.

6.
Fold and glue the foam together.
Using super glue, just glue the foams together following the direction on the pepakura program. Tells you which edge matches which edge.

7.
Complete.
Depending on the detail of the file, you may need to add additional details. The KRW helmet file I got is not really detailed so I worked with the established/cut/glued foam helmet, made paper patterns of the details and transfer them to foam. Glue those as well.

8.
White Glue layer.
Mix white glue with water 1:1. Paint on the foam object with a paint brush. This adds smoothness and toughness. It also allows paint to stick on better. You can use white glue as a filler material too.

9.
Gesso.
Similar to white glue+water, its smooths and strengthens the foam even more. Do a few coats.

10.
Spray paint.
I use Kyrlon spray paint, cheap and durable.




Using the foams it allows for smoothness one cannot achieve with the Pepakura program with out resin/fiber glass and major sanding. You can also use this method for what ever pepakura files you find. I made a Pokemon costume (haunter) for the past Halloween.

I've tried vinyl covering the foam instead of spray paint. It works well, but more time consuming and expensive.

 

[Ta Ta Toothy]

why didn't i think of just using all craft foam for my helmets... fuuuuuu!!! i had so many too.

i usually start off with a cardboard base, then wrap it with craft foam... how do you plan on doing the eyes/lenses?

I am a small dude, so to make the proportion look right (assuming I'm gonna make the whole costume), the helmet is super tight on me. I actually have to see through the 'red eyes' part. I went to walmart to look for some clear plastic packaging. They have some egg shaped plastic (inside is some cheap Christmas ornament), and I cut the size/shape I want. I got some Clear Red paint by Tamiya. Going to paint them on the plastic. These are transparent paint and you can see through them. They have different colors too.