The Mandalorian helmet is one of the most iconic helmets in the whole Star Wars universe. And it’s one of the more popular items for Star Wars collectors.
Why not make your own Mandalorian helmet? Whether it’s for a Mandalorian costume, or to display in your home, custom helmets are conversation pieces and a fun project.
There are different ways of constructing helmets, with resin casts and 3D prints currently being the most popular. The video below shows the various helmet materials, construction methods, and sizing tips. For most people and especially beginners, I recommend buying a resin cast from a quality helmet vendor. While 3D prints are cheaper, you will have to deal with the notorious visible print lines, and quality varies greatly. For children, I recommend either a 3D print that has been scaled to the appropriate size or ABS helmets since they are more affordable. Lastly, you may also want to consider the Hasbro “Black Series” helmets if you just want a shelf display piece; or if you don’t mind making alterations to them for MMCC approval.
Helmet sizing is a bit tricky since you usually can’t try them on. And if you are a smaller female or wear eyeglasses it complicates things further. But helmet vendors will have measurements you can use as a guide. In general, the helmet’s width should not be more than half of your shoulder width when in costume. While the helmet may look like a large bobblehead over normal clothing, when in costume it tends to look better proportioned. So measure your shoulder width from armor shoulder plate to armor shoulder plate. Don’t worry too much about the interior space since you can always add padding if it’s too large.
The helmet is usually the most expensive part of the Mandalorian costume (along with jetpacks and gauntlets). And helmet vendors vary greatly in reputation, quality, and customer service. Note that most helmets are sold as a kit needing assembly. Unfortunately, they don’t come with assembly instructions but most helmets are assembled in a similar manner. When deciding to buy a helmet for Mandalorian Mercs Club approval, I recommend that people look in the MMCC forum for vendors. There you can do a search for comments on specific vendors to get a sense of their wait time, customer service, or reputation in the Mando community.
While you are waiting for your helmet to arrive in the mail, you may want to start planning your paint color scheme. Mandalorian helmets tend to have a 3-4 color palette. Similar to Mandalorian body armor, the painting process usually consists of a base metallic silver with colors on top and weathering. This MandoCreator website is helpful for planning your helmet color layout. The main parts of the classic Boba Fett style helmets include: t-visor, range finder, dome, back key slots, earcaps, mandibles, and cheek areas.
Ready to start with your helmet build? Check out my 3-part Helmet DIY series.
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