Friday, May 8, 2009

B-Wing Pilot helmet begun

I've started working on a B-Wing Pilot helmet (B-Wings were one of the Rebel spacecraft in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi). This may mean that I'll have a whole B-Wing Pilot costume at some point in the distant future.

It's just the basic shape right now, laser-cut from sheets of styrofoam insulation. These helmets are pretty goofy-looking, and don't seem to afford much protection for the pilot's head -- unless they incorporate force-fields or some such thing. The movie is 26 years old, and only now does it occur to me to wonder if the designers intended this helmet to recall Princess Leia's hair. I think they were definitely trying to come up with something unfamiliar that would still look like it fit the aesthetic of the Star Wars universe.

From Drop Box

This is a top view. Since I took this picture, I've sanded down the parts that stick out on the sides behind the ears. I imagine there'll be plenty of sculpting by hand still to do.

I'm quite pleased with what I've done so far.

There aren't too many good photos of these helmets -- not even in the movie -- but here's one.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very cool! How does one come across the laser to create laser-cut styrofoam? Just curious.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Thomas Atkinson said...

Ah, the lasers. I have access to amazing computer-controlled laser-cutting machines at work, where I mostly make geometrical puzzles out of sheets of brightly-colored acrylic plastic. That's our laser workshop in the background of the pictures. A little more information may be found here.