3d Printed Bo Katan Helmet || Finishing and Painting 3d Props

This year for May the 4th I decided to make a Bo Katan Helmet from The Mandalorian. My dad and I have been watching the series together and are loving it! I was excited to see Bo katan in the second season as i haven't watched Rebels in the past. So I decided to distress this helmet based on the version she wears in The Mandalorian.

I have included the video I made on this project in case it is easier for you to follow.

Supplies

STL: Galactic Armory

3d Printer: https://amzn.to/3ti5DLq

Filament: https://amzn.to/3ti5DLq

UV Resin: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

IPA: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Emery Board: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Sandpaper: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Sander: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Spot Putty: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Filler Primer: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Base Blue: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Dark Blue: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Metallic: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

White: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Black: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Files: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Visor: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

Scissors: https://amzn.to/3xMkNfG

*some maybe affiliate links*

Step 1: 3d Printing the Helmet

I bought the stl files for this project over at galactic armory. I printed this in one piece on my artillery sidewinder x1 3d printer. This does require a larger format printer but you could slice up the stl files to print on a smaller printer like the ender 3.

I printed this at a .3 layer height with 10% infill and custom supports that I added in key areas. I did print this sort of fast at 70 mm/s since I was gonna sand finish this print anyways.

Step 2: Removing the Supports and Coating It With Resin

The helmet took just under 2 days to complete. Once it was done I used needle nose pliers to remove the supports from the print.

I decided I wanted to try a finishing technique i have seen floating around the internet. So I painted on a thin coat of uv resin onto the helmet in an attempt to smooth it out. I just used the resin that I had left over from the resin printer. This technique didnt really work well for me and I think it is because I didn't shake the resin enough before use.

Once I finished painting it on I left it in the sun to cure. Since it didnt cure properly I used some 91% ipa to wipe off the parts that didn't fully cure. This worked really well and made the surface of the helmet not sticky.

Step 3: Adding the First Coat of Filler Primer and Putty

Once i managed to get rid of the sticky residue from my helmet it was time to start adding the filler primer. Even though the uv resin didn't work as well as i wanted it did cut off a good chunk of time from the sanding process.

I sprayed a generous thick coat of the filler primer to the helmet and let it dry. Then I took some wood filler and started to apply to the helmet with a small metal spatula. That was taking forever so I just used my glove hand to add more at a time and was able to smooth it out easier.

Step 4: Wet Sanding and More Filler Primer

Once the wood filler was dry I proceeded to start the wet sanding process. Wet sanding 3d printed props just makes life a lot easier and if you use a power sander it will help prevent the print from melting. I used a 60 grit sanding sponge to get off the majority of the heavy spots.I then worked my way up to 220 grit sandpaper to get the helmet smooth.

For the small to reach areas of the helmet I used an emery sanding board that you would use for doing your nails to get the small crevices. There ended up being a small crack in the eye seam after all the sanding so i used some more uv resin to fill it and sanding it down. Luckily I was working in the sun so it cured quickly.

Once the sanding was done I used a tack cloth to remove the dust and sprayed another coat of filler primer.

Step 5: Spot Putty and More Wet Sanding

If you are gonna finish any 3d printed prop to make it look more realistic rather than a toy then be prepared to do a lot of sanding!

Once the other coat of filler primer was dry I decided to coat the whole helmet in a spot putty glaze that air dries quickly. This sands super well and I used my sander to quickly get through this step. I wet sanded this coat from 120 grit up to 220 grit.

After i finished the sanding I sprayed the helmet with a black coat of spray paint.

Step 6: Finally Spraying the First Base Primer and Base Coat

Now we are finally ready to start painting this prop! I sprayed a metallic silver metal spray paint to use as the overall base primer for the helmet. For this step my intern Elsa decided she need to an inspection of the project before I could move on to the next coat of paint.

Once the silver paint had dried I decided to use a masking fluid to cover up some certain parts of the helmet where paint would chip if you would be using this helmet on a day to day basis.

When the masking fluid had dried I was finally able to put down the first coat of blue! I was so excited at this point since it was finally starting to look like an actual prop. I just sprayed light even coats so that the paint wouldnt drip and I would have to sand it again.

Step 7: More Painting!

Once the first coat of the base blue had dried I was able to use some detail painters tape as well as regular painters tape to mask off the areas of the helmet for the other two blue colors.

Step 8: Adding the Night Owls

Once the paint had dried I removed all the masking tape and started working on the night owl artwork that Bo Katan has on her helmet. I ended up drawing the design in adobe illustrator and using my cricut to cut it out on vinyl so that I could use that easily and cleanly paint in the details. I printed out a few different sizes and just eyeballed which one I thought looked best. In the end I could have gone a bit bigger.

So I taped off the helmet again and sprayed the top front of it with a gloss black. This will end up making the triangles at the tope and the V in the middle of the owl eyes. I placed the vinyl down for those two parts and then proceed to paint a dark gray paint over that same section. Once the gray paint dried I added the eye vinyl down and then sprayed it with a white/light gray paint.

Once it was all dry I removed the masking tape and the vinyl to reveal the night owl design. This ended up working out really well and looks a lot better than if I tried to freehand this part.

Step 9: Weathering and Adding Detail

Now that al the colors were right and the nightowls were in place I was able to start weathering the prop to make it look more like it came from the show rather than a toy.

I used the same blue paints that I used for the helmet to start adding in the battle damage. I just kept referencing a few photos I had on my phone of the helmet from the show. I constantly checked to make sure I was getting it as close as I could to the real thing.

Once I had that in place I watered down some black paint and proceeded to do a black wash over the whole helmet. This is a easy way to add a dirt look to the recessed areas of the helmet and the nooks and crannies of the helmet. The weathering process ended up making this helmet really come to life!

Step 10: Making the Visor and Clear Coating

I ended up using a welding visor to make the front plate of the helmet. I placed a piece of paper inside and traced the opening and then taped it to the visor. I used some scissors to cut out the shape. I made sure to leave some wiggle room to attach it to the helmet.

Once the visor was attached I put a couple coats of spray lacquer over the helmet to protect the paint job.

Step 11: Enjoy You New Helmet!

I seriously love how this helmet turned out!!!! It took awhile to sand and finish the helmet but it was totally worth it in the end. I cant wait to make more props in the future. Im not huge into cosplay but I thought it would be cool to start making some of my favorite helmets and weapons from various shows and movies.