Once the Pepakura model was assembled, I glued several plastic drinking straws inside the head to act as vertical braces. This would ensure the head held its volume while being coated with a hardener, without adding the weight of a filler. I brushed on several thin layers of Bondo boat resin. It’s really magical stuff! It hardened the head model into a durable object; no more shifting around on the glued hinges. It also allowed me to keep the head hollow and lightweight for greater wearability.

ALWAYS work with resin outdoors, or in a well ventilated area. My boyfriend once tried doing a much smaller helmet in our downstairs bathroom and the fumes were so bad I was afraid our parrot was going to croak canary-in-a-coal-mine style! I went out on the balcony to use the resin, which not only dispersed the fumes, but I believe also contributed to quick and even drying. Once all the Bondo was dry, I used Free Form air clay from Smooth on to round out the dome of the head and some of the horns. I chose to keep the modern geometric look of the pepakura on the shield, but wanted the face to be smooth and organic. Adding water to the clay helped me get the look I wanted. Expect to spend some time sanding the resin and clay with a fine grain paper if you weren’t careful and smooth with your initial application.