Make-A-Wish charity helmet project; HRG Trooper

[The Clone Emperor]

Good afternoon,

 

SW Celebration IV in Los Angeles saw the first SW helmet project in 2007;

66 Artists used raw Masterpiece Replica Vader helmets as their canvas to create original interpretations of the theme.

 

SW Celebration V hosted the TK Project in Orlando, FL;

This tyme around Stormtrooper buckets were re-envisioned with proceeds benefitting the Make-A-Wish foundation.

 

 

At Star Wars Celebration VI, Orlando Florida, the project will be returning under the title; As You Wish.

 

The As You Wish project will be featuring Clonetrooper helmets donated by eFX.

 

I am making a helmet for this show. My concept is a recreation of H.R. Giger's Alien, as made from the parts of Star Wars;

 

I have made a maquette to help visualize the full sized helmet as I work;

 

The full sized helmet will be large;

 

Please visit the As You Wish helmet project community on FB for updates;

As You Wish Helmet Project Community

To keep up on my progress visit;

HRG Trooer

 

Be well,

Thomas

[The Clone Emperor]

Good morning,

 

On the topic of project updates;

HRG Trooper Maquette, final master

The next image represents the progress of the maquette for my full scale contribution to the 501st and EFX's 2012 "As You Wish" Artist Charity Helmet Project at Star Wars Celebration VI. Proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation.

 

The full size helmet is progressing at a pace that is almost predictable. And though I have worked out much of the proportions and placement of elements with the maquette, new challenges arise in addressing the full scale.

My task at this stage of the project is two fold;

1. To make the audience believe the recognizable elements from different characters really were designed to go together.

2. To subtly tweak the form of each element to elevate a degree of fear when viewing.

 

I was mildly surprised and greatly delighted with artist Scott Zambelli requested reference images of the helmet in progress to include in his 501st Sketch Cards, part of a larger collection of SW artist work to be displayed at SW Celebration VI.

I love seeing artists work with and inspiring one another in chain reaction fashion.

 

HRG Photo Set on Flickr

 

Be well,

Thomas Spanos

[Guest Aysel]

this is going to be truly epic once you complete this and I can't wait to see it in person

 

Happy Building!

 

Katie

[Guest Sarah1968]

OMG!! This would be phenomenal to see IRL. Looking forward to seeing the end result. Awesome.

[The Clone Emperor]

Thank you,

I have some additional progress images to share;

 

501st and EFX's 2012 "As You Wish" Artist Charity Helmet Project at Star Wars Celebration VI. Proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish foundation.

 

Progress images from the weekend;

This will be big. But not this big. I estimate I will shave this block down to 40-30% of its current mass.

 

Working at full scale afforded me an opportunity to try out the shop's Japanese Razorsaw.

I have concluded that I need a Japanese Razorsaw in my life.

 

After several years of shaving away deli slices from my project, shop professional Jon Olimb took pity on me and offered the use of his cordless skill saw (with built-in project light and ammo counter.)

 

¿Who would have guessed that so many tools were missing from my life?

 

HRG Photo Set on Flickr

 

Be well,

Thomas Spanos

[The Clone Emperor]

Making pink snow.

 

Over and over I reshaped the main body of the helmet. It is now one foot shorter than when I started. I suppose I could have taken measurement from my maquette and scales up, but I prefer to feel the shape arrive. There is a long way to go yet. I look forward to it.

 

In preparation for colour scheme options, I have the maquette in a uniform white. I very much appreciate the way the uniform colour brings out the piece's details.

 

More soon.

 

HRG Photo Set on Flickr

[Guest Sarah1968]

Supercalafragilisticixpiallawesome!!

 

Really looking forward to seeing the end result. So much love has gone into that project.

 

Thanks for the update Thomas

Sarah.

[The Clone Emperor]

Thank you for the feedback. It is appreciated.

 

Progress from last week;

 

Here I use tape and a circle template to layout hours more work for myself. I had too because the Voice told me so. (There are tymes that I question the nature of the Voice's intent.)

 

Round two. My first attempt to rout out the “Death Star” lighting was unsatisfactory. For this attempt I filled in the previous attempt, and prepared the area a new with the elipses in 1/16" of craft foam.

 

Here I have added a new layer of Microlite filler and sanded it smooth to the same thickness as the elipses.

 

”Death Star hallway lighting" patterning solved and clone trooper "horn" reproduced to mimic spine. I have learned much by arriving at this point.

 

Be well,

Thomas

 

HRG Photo Set on Flickr

[Koda Vonnor]

I looked at the maquette and how the lateral head ridges flow smoothly into the center ridge and wondered how you'd get them to blend with the leading ridge point, then I saw that they'll follow along side the centre ridge. Was hard to see that at first glance.

 

Also, very fine solution on the recessed ovals. I can attest to the ofttimes necessity and measurable benefit of approaching a problem from another angle. I'm not surprised however, as you strike me as being about as comfortable in-the-box as a pacing tiger.

 

Do you envision jaw articulation or will it be fixed? It looks like hinge points there.

 

Really starting to look good now.

 

~ BC

[Scottrooper]

I just watched Alien and Aliens, and that things is just creepy nifty in all the right ways

[The Clone Emperor]

Good evening,

 

Sir Bill,

The jaw will be fixed in place. This has been designed as a sculpture.

 

Progress from third week June 2012;

 

I had wanted to use a fan-made kit for the thermal detonators on the full-sized helmet to reference the 501st costuming community. However, as tyme wore on without response from various boards I realized I would simply need to make them myself. They were fun to make after all.

 

Despite having to fabricate the majority of this helmet, I am striving to use as much of the original clone trooper lid as possible. Here I used a heat gun to reshape the vent on the back of the original helmet and affix it to the original helmet's forehead. Together these become the bottom of the back of the HRG Trooper helmet.

 

If it is not apparent already, I have purposely been shooting the same side and angle of the piece so as to best demonstrate progress.

 

It is moments like this that I can envision having my weekends back. I do love the process.

 

Be well,

Thomas

 

HRG Photo Set on Flickr