Halo: Reach EOD Helmet Prop
Overview
Completed Fall 2022
This prop is a full sized wearable helmet based of the EOD armor in Halo: Reach, using files were designed by NerdForgeDesigns. The helmet was 3D printed using FDM and SLA resin. I sanded the helmet smooth and then painted it to look weathered and battle damaged. The visor was cut out of a PETG face shield then tinted gold. The hexagon pattern was laser cut out of vinyl and stuck on to the front.
3D Printing
The majority of the helmet was printed out of PLA. I used a JGAurora A5 printer and sliced the model in Cura. To fit on the printer the helmet was split into three sections, which were printed separately then glued together for painting. For more detailed pieces like the respirators on the front I used SLA resin so I would not have to do as much sanding. The resin parts were printed on and Elegoo Mars and sliced in Chitubox.
Painting
After printing, all of the helmet pieces were glued together and sanded smooth to prepare them for painting. I used filler primer, Bondo spot putty, and superglue to fill in all of the layer lines and seams from the printing and assembly process. Then I sanded that all down until the helmet was smooth, up to 220 grit sand paper. I used spray paint for most of the helmet, and some water based acrylics for the final weathering pass. The paint process started with a layer of primer then a silver base coat. I masked off the silver with some liquid latex to achieve a really cool chipped paint effect all over the helmet. On top of the silver I did a coat of gray, which I then masked off some small details. Next was a coat of black for the main color of the helmet. After that came more masking and then a coat of green. for some more details across the helmet. After removing all of this masking tape I decided I wanted the helmet to have a little more pop so I re-masked the whole thing to add some final details in a nice bright yellow. After demasking for the final time I gave the whole helmet a wash with some dark and light brown acrylic paints that were diluted with some water. This makes the helmet look a little dirtier and feel more like a real piece of equipment rather than a prop. I also went through and added some small silver details using a paint pen on some of the fasteners to make them stand out a little bit more.
