WIP - Fett263's TROS Kylo Ren Helmet with Proffieboard

I'm waiting on a few parts, so I'll be painting the helmet first, GEC Props did an awesome job with the Chrome so I had to meticulously tape off everything to prep for primer and paint.  This took FOREVER, note to self OCD and taping off small curved sections are definitely not a good combination, I have mad respect for the professionals that make it look so easy, this was a several day project just to mask off this small area.

Of course, the weather isn't cooperating so I need to wait for a clear and warmer day this weekend.

The Vellermans do this. So it cannot be that complicated. New inbound audio stream via microphone vs a wav from an SD card.

Then we need to apply the effects or pitch to the stream. However I think this is more simple application of the audio effects than trying to do real-time dopplers.

profezzorn, interesting idea, no? You think it would be difficult to add microphone support?

I also wonder how this would collide with or complement megtoothsith's MiCOM stuff....?

Progress, but still a way to go.  I haven't weathered the lower part of the chrome yet, wasn't happy with original approach so need to go to plan B.  I did however get a TON of wiring planned out and started.  I had to meticulously map out and wire up 22 individual neopixel strips (ended up using just under 2m in total).  The plan is to break it out as if it were two blades (for config purposes) and branch and connect accordingly once in the helmet to account for the curvature.

The little blue tape pieces are the numbers corresponding to the strip that will run under.





I need a break from soldering for a bit, 22 individual strips, end to end connections will be spliced once inside the helmet, I added some slack to each line for routing and splicing.







Board, kill switch, battery holder, buttons and leads for the strips are all wired up too.  The sled and battery holder will be mounted in the back of the helmet, the buttons will be under each ear for easy access, I used larger buttons so they are easier to find and trigger in costume if needed.



I began dremeling the "cracks" but it's slow going, starting at the back of the helmet to get a feel, need to cut in a bit to get through primer and paint coats and expose the resin, it pains me after spending so much time on the paint to then be cutting it, have to be slow and steady to minimize needing to touch up the paint.  Has tried scraping the cracks but the paint coats are too thick so I'll do a little at a time and get through it.

I've seen the film 3 times, I enjoyed it despite story issues, it is a fun Star Wars"y" movie. But after watching intently I'm tweaking a few things. I will be repainting with a more matte texture, there's definitely a matte appearance so the gloss doesn't fit. 

But first,  I'm actually filling and leveling the majority of the "cracks", and I added a few to GEC's for more accuracy, with a clear painter's caulk. The repair lines in the film are level (or mostly level) with the adjoining pieces and the cracks in mine are noticeably deeper. This will also be a piece of the diffusion as after testing a small sample I think it looks better. This caulk goes on white but dries clear, this will give me more of the look I want for the cracks. It's tedious and time consuming but worth it.

Now that's a helmet!!!

Just about finished the helmet, all of the interior work and finishing touches took a while as I only did a small bit at a time but I'm pretty happy with the end result.  I'll probably keep playing with styles etc for fun.

Absolutely awesome work Mr Fett,I'm a Kylo helmet nerd so been following your thread with great interest!
As far as I can tell there are no other good kits or even toy versions out there at all yet,& GEC is a guy I wasn't even aware of before so thank you for flagging his work up with this awesome build.
Regarding weathering- it was indeed very hard to tell in the movie due to the lighting & the finish did seem to vary in different scenes,so I agree that the wise choice is to wait for home release to make sure.
Looks amazing as is,great work sir!👍🏻👍🏻

I've added a library of styles I'm using for the helmet for anyone interested. fett263.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/proffieboard-os3-helmet-style-library.html

If you get a chance, would you detail which brand/model you used for the:

-Primer coat
-Matte coats
-Gloss texture (I know you changed it, but I love the look)
-Transparent Red
-Clear Painter's Caulk

I forgot to update, I ended up going back in and breaking the mouth out as a third blade so I could style it separately.  So now there are 3 "blades" in the helmet; right hemisphere, left hemisphere and mouth (the library has a separate style for the mouth if you go this route).  I also added a blinking sequence when off to the mouth to identify the style since I don't have a speaker to play the font.wav.  It just made it easier for now, not sure I'll keep.

I've had questions about the "branching" I used.  So way back in the very beginning I numbered every crack and I then hand wrote a mapping with the numbers to plan out the direction and branch, my notes aren't going to be helpful so I made this quick diagram of the general idea.  Since these are all really short strips I branched them multiple times without issue.  The direction and branching was based on proximity to each other but also how I wanted the effects to run, so effects like Tracer have a path but can also appear in multiple cracks simultaneously.  Everyone will probably wire a little differently, but there was a lot of thought and planning behind the madness, so I'd recommend thinking how you want effects to go when putting together.  As you'll see some branches then split again and others dead end, this is all part of the planning process.

This is just a rough idea for one hemisphere, it's not to scale or exact pattern, the helmet will dictate.  For the actual wiring I decided to prewire everything, test, then splice as I installed in the helmet to help keep track.  I did get mixed up from my own notes a few times so it was a slow tedious process but the end result was worth it.  Hope this helps some of you.

Hey Fett! I just started on mine, and am following your build, but what dremel tip would you recommend for the cracks?

Hey everyone!

Great work Fett! I am just starting my build and I am pretty proficient with paint and such, but need some help with the LEDs. Where do I get them and can you enlighten me on proffie board and how to set that up?
Thanks in advance!

Hey Fett, if it's possible, could you post your config.h file? I know it's easy enough to build up one, but I'm sure I'll find a way to mess that up several times before getting it right.