Paper Stormtrooper Helmet
by pocdragon in Craft > Costumes & Cosplay
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Paper Stormtrooper Helmet
This instructable will show you how to make a scale stormtrooper helmet out of paper.
i made mine for halloween
it took me almost 40 hours
and only cost me about 16 dollars.
(more or less for you, i had some things already, you might be abe to make it for less!) (or moar, beware!!)
thanks and enjoy!
lots of feedback pleasee!
i made mine for halloween
it took me almost 40 hours
and only cost me about 16 dollars.
(more or less for you, i had some things already, you might be abe to make it for less!) (or moar, beware!!)
thanks and enjoy!
lots of feedback pleasee!
Gathering of Matierials
*Pepakura viewer (the english version is best, unless you want to translate japanese to navigate it found here
*this stormtrooper helmet 3d pepakura file.:
found here
*a printer with at least 27 sheets of paper.
*2-3 sheets of posterboard (i used #180 drawing paper)
*scissors
*a razorknife/utility knife
*a glue stick
*super glue
*bondo or sheetrock brand drywall filler
*assorted grits of sandpaper from 60 to 600
*white gloss spraypaint
*black sharpie/ black marker
*silver/grey marker
okay, lets get started.......................
*this stormtrooper helmet 3d pepakura file.:
found here
*a printer with at least 27 sheets of paper.
*2-3 sheets of posterboard (i used #180 drawing paper)
*scissors
*a razorknife/utility knife
*a glue stick
*super glue
*bondo or sheetrock brand drywall filler
*assorted grits of sandpaper from 60 to 600
*white gloss spraypaint
*black sharpie/ black marker
*silver/grey marker
- a square foot of aluminum window screen
- two sink aerators with screens (yaknow, the things on sinks that makes the water come out nice)
- about 40 hours of spare time
okay, lets get started.......................
Download
step one:
download and install Pepakura viewer 1.03
download and open the Stormtrooper template.
learn how the viewer works.
i.e. learn how to spin/drag the model
how to zoom in and out with your mouse's scroll wheel
how to pick individual pieces
basic navigation controls
(and play around with the settings when you right click in the helmet's window)
download and install Pepakura viewer 1.03
download and open the Stormtrooper template.
learn how the viewer works.
i.e. learn how to spin/drag the model
how to zoom in and out with your mouse's scroll wheel
how to pick individual pieces
basic navigation controls
(and play around with the settings when you right click in the helmet's window)
step two:
print out the 27 pages of the model.
dont worry, it uses a very veryy minimal amount of ink.
Keep them in order!! and keep them some place safe where they wont get creased ormolested in any way. i used a simple pocket folder.
print out the 27 pages of the model.
dont worry, it uses a very veryy minimal amount of ink.
Keep them in order!! and keep them some place safe where they wont get creased ormolested in any way. i used a simple pocket folder.
The Build:
step three:
start to assemble the helmet
i started with the large round flat surface on the top of the helmet, and worked my way down
lets say you do too
take page 1.1 (seen in the top left of all the sheets in the right window)
coarsly cut out the semi-oval and leave the other parts attached to eachother
using the GLUESTICK glue the whole thing (dotted side up) to the poster board (keep in mind the shape of the part your gluing to the board, you want to make as little waste of the poster board as possible)
give it a minute to set
CAREFULLY cut out the piece on the poster board, keep in mind that the SOLID lines mean CUT and DOTTED lines means FOLD
i.e. DONT CUT THE DOTTED LINES!
(some solid lines may look dotted, when in doubt check out the 3d model)
if a part confuses you, refer to the 3d model in Pepakura, it is the master plan and viewing the individual parts can greatly help remedy a situation
start to assemble the helmet
i started with the large round flat surface on the top of the helmet, and worked my way down
lets say you do too
take page 1.1 (seen in the top left of all the sheets in the right window)
coarsly cut out the semi-oval and leave the other parts attached to eachother
using the GLUESTICK glue the whole thing (dotted side up) to the poster board (keep in mind the shape of the part your gluing to the board, you want to make as little waste of the poster board as possible)
give it a minute to set
CAREFULLY cut out the piece on the poster board, keep in mind that the SOLID lines mean CUT and DOTTED lines means FOLD
i.e. DONT CUT THE DOTTED LINES!
(some solid lines may look dotted, when in doubt check out the 3d model)
if a part confuses you, refer to the 3d model in Pepakura, it is the master plan and viewing the individual parts can greatly help remedy a situation
The Build: (cont.)
step four:
now that you have this jagged, polygonal piece cut out locate all of the glue tabs.
this program includes tabes that are ment to be glued behind another piece or another location of itself to achieve the desiered shape.
score all of the dotted lines with your razor blade, be very carfull not to cut through. i cannot stress that enough.
fold the scores and assemble the part to itself without glue
if a part needs to attach to itself the glue tabs will line up perfectly into eachother
it is usually helpfull to notice the patterns that emerge as you assemble the project.
now, using small drops of super glue, glue the tabs to the tab spots.
KEEP IN MIND
1. the tabbs are always triangles
2. the tabs can be EXTREAMLY small
if your finger accidently gets glued to the back of te tab as you hold it to dry, DO NOT PULL your finger off, twist it.
annd remember, if you mess up, print out another piece of paper (you can print individual sheets)
now that you have this jagged, polygonal piece cut out locate all of the glue tabs.
this program includes tabes that are ment to be glued behind another piece or another location of itself to achieve the desiered shape.
score all of the dotted lines with your razor blade, be very carfull not to cut through. i cannot stress that enough.
fold the scores and assemble the part to itself without glue
if a part needs to attach to itself the glue tabs will line up perfectly into eachother
it is usually helpfull to notice the patterns that emerge as you assemble the project.
now, using small drops of super glue, glue the tabs to the tab spots.
KEEP IN MIND
1. the tabbs are always triangles
2. the tabs can be EXTREAMLY small
if your finger accidently gets glued to the back of te tab as you hold it to dry, DO NOT PULL your finger off, twist it.
annd remember, if you mess up, print out another piece of paper (you can print individual sheets)
Fill and Sand
step five:
spend a few days repeating the last two steps for the rest of the parts of the helmet, till all the parts have made a crude helmet, if you decided to opt for the non-posterboard model, congratulations! your done!
but if you want to wear this as a costume prop, or just for fun, its time to move on to bondo/filler.
the point of the filler is to:
1. smooth out the sharp polygons into rounded features
2. fill gaps left by the paper
3. increase redgidity in the whole structure
crack open your container of filler matierial
if your using bondo or another two-part filler matierial, you need to follow the instructions on the side to properly mix the filler, if your using a one part, dont worry about mixing and dip two or three fingers across the top (like its frosting on a cake and you want a taste, but DONT eat it haha)
and then smear it onto the model into crevices, around pointy parts, give the whole thing a nice even coat. dont try to smooth it out, thats what the sandpaper is for.
let it dry
the longer the better
but im impatient and i got mine to dry completly under heat lamps in about 6 hours.
then start sanding
start with the coarsest to remove large bumps, and gradually go down to the lowest grit (mine went from 60 to 600)
KEEP IN MIND
1. do not directly sand sharp edges, its easy to sand through them
2. if you over-sand or sand through the filler, you can always add moar.
3 spend alot of time on this step, this is what your final product is going to look like, if theres a line, you will see it in the paint, i neglected to pace myself with this step, and had a deadline to meet, so mine was half-assed on this step, and could have come out much, much better.
4. a dust mask would be a VERY good idea, unless you want white boogers, or to have an asthma attack.
spend a few days repeating the last two steps for the rest of the parts of the helmet, till all the parts have made a crude helmet, if you decided to opt for the non-posterboard model, congratulations! your done!
but if you want to wear this as a costume prop, or just for fun, its time to move on to bondo/filler.
the point of the filler is to:
1. smooth out the sharp polygons into rounded features
2. fill gaps left by the paper
3. increase redgidity in the whole structure
crack open your container of filler matierial
if your using bondo or another two-part filler matierial, you need to follow the instructions on the side to properly mix the filler, if your using a one part, dont worry about mixing and dip two or three fingers across the top (like its frosting on a cake and you want a taste, but DONT eat it haha)
and then smear it onto the model into crevices, around pointy parts, give the whole thing a nice even coat. dont try to smooth it out, thats what the sandpaper is for.
let it dry
the longer the better
but im impatient and i got mine to dry completly under heat lamps in about 6 hours.
then start sanding
start with the coarsest to remove large bumps, and gradually go down to the lowest grit (mine went from 60 to 600)
KEEP IN MIND
1. do not directly sand sharp edges, its easy to sand through them
2. if you over-sand or sand through the filler, you can always add moar.
3 spend alot of time on this step, this is what your final product is going to look like, if theres a line, you will see it in the paint, i neglected to pace myself with this step, and had a deadline to meet, so mine was half-assed on this step, and could have come out much, much better.
4. a dust mask would be a VERY good idea, unless you want white boogers, or to have an asthma attack.
Paint!
step six
Paint.
coat the helmet in the gloss white spraypaint in a ventilated approved painting area.
let it dry
KEEP IN MIND
1. the filler is thirsty, it soaks up alot of the paint
2. once the surface looks shiny the filler is full
3, dont get too close when painting, this can cause drips and then you would have to sand again.
Paint.
coat the helmet in the gloss white spraypaint in a ventilated approved painting area.
let it dry
KEEP IN MIND
1. the filler is thirsty, it soaks up alot of the paint
2. once the surface looks shiny the filler is full
3, dont get too close when painting, this can cause drips and then you would have to sand again.
Markers!
step seven:
using pictures of stormtrooper helmets, use the silver and black markers to fill in the appropriot markings vents and needed areas. (paint can also be used in this step, its just easier with markers, and still comes out well. a good alternative is paint markers)
KEEP IN MIND
1. white out works well on mistakes, just cover 'em up.
using pictures of stormtrooper helmets, use the silver and black markers to fill in the appropriot markings vents and needed areas. (paint can also be used in this step, its just easier with markers, and still comes out well. a good alternative is paint markers)
KEEP IN MIND
1. white out works well on mistakes, just cover 'em up.
Eyes and Chrome Thingys
step eight:
take your square foot of window screen, and fold it in half twice.
this will leave you with a square of screen four layers thick
stapel the edgs to keep them in place
cut diagonally across the square, so you have two screen triangles, four layers thick.
Hot glue the screens in for the eyes (if you were religious about making your helmet, you probably made the paper eye inserts. Cut them out before adding the screen)
The large part of the triangle should be towards the bridge of the nose.
Then glue the sink aerators in the front bubbles
(again, if you made the paper versions, cut them out, it looks a lot better with the chrome sink parts.)
EDIT:
oh, its been brough to my attention that the neck opening on the bottem is wayyy to small for somones head to fit through. you have two options:
A: the easiest and simplest way to fix this problem is to do as i did, and cut out a good section of your helmet on the bottem, as seen in the attached picture.
this simple solution is not noticeable when its on, ands its also alot easier to get the thing on and off.
B: you can make it fit very snugly, and give it a very professional look, if my make the helmate a two-piece. clamshell style having the "mask" part of the helmet seperate from the top and back. Darth vader style. i did not attempt this style because it was just a novelty halloween helmet, if this was a genuine one, it would be a clamshell. i do not reccomend this way but if you are adventurous enough, and dont have the heart to take a pair of scissors to your finely crafted helmet, (even though both ways requier cutting, this method doesnt lose any matierial) go for it. but you have been warned
also, if when your wearing the helmet, your eys dont quite meet up with the holes, try wearing the helmet with a beanie on it will raise the helmet a bit and keep it steady as you move.
Done
Yay!
thankyou everyone for learning from my instructable!
take your square foot of window screen, and fold it in half twice.
this will leave you with a square of screen four layers thick
stapel the edgs to keep them in place
cut diagonally across the square, so you have two screen triangles, four layers thick.
Hot glue the screens in for the eyes (if you were religious about making your helmet, you probably made the paper eye inserts. Cut them out before adding the screen)
The large part of the triangle should be towards the bridge of the nose.
Then glue the sink aerators in the front bubbles
(again, if you made the paper versions, cut them out, it looks a lot better with the chrome sink parts.)
EDIT:
oh, its been brough to my attention that the neck opening on the bottem is wayyy to small for somones head to fit through. you have two options:
A: the easiest and simplest way to fix this problem is to do as i did, and cut out a good section of your helmet on the bottem, as seen in the attached picture.
this simple solution is not noticeable when its on, ands its also alot easier to get the thing on and off.
B: you can make it fit very snugly, and give it a very professional look, if my make the helmate a two-piece. clamshell style having the "mask" part of the helmet seperate from the top and back. Darth vader style. i did not attempt this style because it was just a novelty halloween helmet, if this was a genuine one, it would be a clamshell. i do not reccomend this way but if you are adventurous enough, and dont have the heart to take a pair of scissors to your finely crafted helmet, (even though both ways requier cutting, this method doesnt lose any matierial) go for it. but you have been warned
also, if when your wearing the helmet, your eys dont quite meet up with the holes, try wearing the helmet with a beanie on it will raise the helmet a bit and keep it steady as you move.
Done
Yay!
.
thankyou everyone for learning from my instructable!