Is It Too Big?

DeadMau5 Halloween Helmet Gone Wrong

This has been a busy year for me. I didn’t think I had the time to create a helmet, but I finished another one-day build…again. I was hoping to create something simple, but what I realized was that I didn’t plan this build too well.

I started with 3D modeling, but I sized up the sphere as I needed to fit through the bottom. However, I may have oversized it—everything felt a bit loose and flimsy compared to previous years, even though I’m using the same materials.

The many layers of the mask.

So, I returned to the drawing board and modeled in some ribs. Since I didn’t have access to the laser cutter after the initial cuts, all the ribs were cut by hand via printer overlays. It worked, and the helmet was stiff. However, it also got a bit heavy (and top-heavy), especially after I glued down the ears and eyes (made of Christmas ornaments).

Foamcore ribs and Christmas ornament sphere eyes

So, the obvious thing was to weigh down the lower part. The best thing I can think of is metal clips, as I can attach them to the ribs. I can add more by stacking the big ones on smaller clips. That worked, and the helmet no longer wanted to flip off my head.

Initially, I had the idea of using EL wire like my Guy Manual build last year to go around the ears, mouth, and eyes. But since my order never arrived after a week, I decided I would use something less than ideal to light it. LED candles. Since everyone was using them for their pumpkins, I went to three different hardware stores before I could find them. The added benefit of using candles, though they aren’t white, is that they flicker just a bit. I figured it would make the eyes more engaging.

I learned from the last two helmets. I decided to use a mesh for the front so that I could breathe. I also left a few holes at the top so the moisture had somewhere to go. Here are the results:

We’ll see how it goes next Tuesday when I walk around the neighborhood on Halloween. I hope it doesn’t roll off my head.

Edit — It didn’t fall off my head!

I plan to write more so that each update is not just for Halloween.

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