Predator bio mask helmet !

Predators are bad-ass, I always wanted a Bio mask and dreads ever since I watched the first movie, so I decided to give it a shot

     My best friend is a wiz with pepakura and put together this pep model of a bio helmet for me

I made some temporary cardboard braces on the inside to make sure it held its shape while I applied a few  coats of resin on the outside

Then I took the braces out and lined the inside with fiberglass mat, I added an extra layer in the cheekbone area behind the eyes where i felt it needed reinforcement and dabbled in a generous layer of resin to the fiberglass on the inside, this made it REALLY strong, I even banged it on a table to demonstrate to a co-worker how durable it is now!

Once I had some solid coats of resin applied, I sanded down the ridges left by the joints of paper

After that I Marked as many high and low areas with a marker that I could to make applying the bondo easier. It really didn't take that much bondo to smooth it out due to preparation and the excellent pepakura work of my friend.

Here I am getting the shape pretty good, I gave it a coat of primer and made some final shaping adjustments, the onlt trouble I had was with the crown ridge area. I tried not to make it too perfect and smooth because it is supposed to look like a forged metal mask.

Final coat of primer before finsh sanding with a fine grit foam sanding block

I sprayed it with a mettalic silver paint first, Then I did the weathering/dirtying using some torn up kitchen sponges and black spray paint sprayed into a bowl. I would just dab the sponge into the black paint and dabble it quickly around areas that should be dark, the crown ridge, eybrows, cheekbones, around the laser housing etc. I would then dabble silver paint over that using the same method, changing back and forth several times until I had the right look.

Starting to look better ! I coated the whole mask in a clear coat to preserve the weathering, give it a little shine, and improve durability.

I carved the temple piece, witch I believe is a line for connecting the hoses the predator rips off before removing the mask in the movies, out of an air-dry sculpting clay that I found at Michael's craft store, It was ok, but something like Apoxie Sculpt would have probably been better. Once dry, I glued it in and painted it to match. I also rummaged through my junk and found a suitable peice of black mesh and glued it inside to cover the eye holes, visiblity is still very good.

 Next was the dreads, after researching "The Hunter's Lair", Replica Prop Forum, and youtube, I decided to try something called backer rod,  It is a foam rod, kinda like pipe insulation, that is used for gaps in concrete, wood, etc to fill in the gaps before sealing them. I cut the backer rod into 2ft lengths and used the heat from a burner to soften the ends, then rolling them on a tabletop quickly to taper the ends. I coated them in Plasti-dip spray rubber and hung them out to dry.

I cut a strip of Sintra and made it so it attached to the bio mask and wrapped around the back of my head, kinda making the mask into a helmet, also giving me a place to attach the dreads. I cut the end of the dreads at a 45 drgree angle and hot glued them making a row just under the crown edge, and another row under that, the hot glue actually holds it really well.

I took apart a 3 led headlamp I got from Lowe's on sale and installed the guts into the laser housing, They look blue here as I haven't yet tinted them red. For now, the "beads" are just chrome tape until I decide to fabricate some better ones.

Sport hunter vs. Bounty hunter, that would be epic !