Introduction: DeadM0rty
"Moooorty, check out this legally safe knock off of some DJ's head I made."
I based this project off of other projects such as the DeadMau5 head and spent a good amount of time planning and modeling this head in Blender. I based Morty's head off of the face in "Goodbye Moonmen" and "Mascot Morty" from the video game.
Step 1: Cut Head and Mouth Holes
I first cut the head hole by placing my head inside a pot and using said pot to trace an outline around the base of the globe. I then used an angle grinder to cut the base to the specified size and sanded off all the rough edges. For the mouth hole I used a sharpie to draw out an opening and then used the angle grinder to cut open a hole.
Step 2: Painting or Cloth
I then went outside to spray paint the rest of the head using a tannish color to match Morty's skin color. After setting the head to dry, I sprayed a coat of glossy acrylic sealer on the head to keep the paint on.
"Ugh Morty, I reeeally messed up here"
Since I messed up the paint job on Morty's head by spraying another coat of paint, I decided the best way to cover the blemish is by wrapping the head in cloth and repainting it. This results in more of a Mascot Morty head rather than the chrome finish. Anyways, to attach cloth to head I recommend using spray adhesive to attach the cloth on the head by stretching out the fabric so that there are no overtly visible wrinkles.
Step 3: Mesh and Foam
I cut out some mesh and sprayed some glue inside the head to make it stick and then used some foam sticky to outline the neck. In the end I scrapped the mesh and went straight for opaque plexiglass that I molded by heating it up to 290 F and pressing against part of the head.
Step 4: Morty's Hair
"Look at the big brain on Morty"
Now for one of the more difficult parts of this project. To make Morty's hair I followed the 3D model of Morty's head and attached foam sticky layers to outline his hair. I stacked around three layers of foam sticky layers to make his hair more pronounced. I then used some epoxy to attach the foam sticky to the head since the curves in his hair outline make it difficult to stay on. I then used some "Great Stuff" foam spray to make the filling of his hair which kinda looks like a big brain. I then sanded the dried foam to shaped it to the rest of his head and later applied cloth onto the head using spray adhesive.
Step 5: Fans and Head Mount
I cut out a square hole for a 12v computer fan that does a good job of keeping me cool and spliced some of the wires so it goes into a battery. This battery works well in that it gives around a whole night's worth of power to the lights and fans with a single charge. Afterwards I used some great stuff and cut the construction helmet accordingly to fit the head. The helmet does a good job of keeping the head steady and the great stuff foam keeps it in place.
Step 6: Electronics and Final Product
"Eyes Morty, Eyes"
I soldered some of these leds together to make the eyes in a spiral fashion to do some cool light tricks. I also added a mouth led part but decided to ditch it since it didn't look as good. Overall this project took a good 2 weeks and cost around $100 for everything.
Participated in the
Heroes and Villains Contest
Participated in the
Summer Fun Contest 2016