How to Make a Cardboard Mandalorian Helmet
The Mandalorians are a race of nomadic mercenaries portrayed in the "Star War" movies. Aligned at times to the evil Sith, and at others to the Jedi, the Mandalorians play a vital role in the history of the Empire. The most famous of the Mandalorians is Boba Fett. With his distinctive armor and helmet with a T-shaped faceplate, he makes a striking Halloween character. You can make your own Mandalorian helmet from cardboard and paper mache. Your helmet will take a few days to construct, so start early to ensure that you have enough time.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 cereal boxes
- Masking tape
- Newspaper
- Scissors
- 3 balloons
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp. salt
- Plastic bowl
- Spoon
- Small empty candy box
- Wire
- Wire cutters
- Fine-grit sandpaper
- Soft cloth
- Green, gold and red paint
Instructions
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1
Cut a 3-inch strip of cardboard from the cereal box. Wrap it around your head, just above your ears and secure with tape. Cut off any excess. Blow up one balloon to the size of your head. Fit the headband over the balloon.
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2
Cut out a pattern for the faceplate. The faceplate pattern is available on the Internet, but you can make your own. Practice on newspaper until you perfect it, then use the newspaper as a pattern to cut the shape out of the cereal box. The faceplate should be solid, starting in the middle of the forehead and extending down to the bottom of the chin. Cut a T shape that goes across the eyes and down the nose, all the way to the bottom. Both slits must be the same width. Hold the pattern up to your face to see that it fits before you cut it out.
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3
Cut out a second version of the faceplate for the back of the helmet. This will just be a solid piece with no T-shape cut out.
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4
Mix the paper mache. Combine the flour, salt and enough water to make a liquid that has the consistency of paint. Cut the newspaper into strips that are at least 2 inches wide. Blow up the two remaining balloons until they are as big as your head. Lay the face and neck plates over them so that they curve. This will help the helmet curve around your head.
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5
Dip strips of newspaper into the flour mixture. Allow the excess to drip off and lay them over the headband and across the top of the balloon. Do not lay the newspaper below the headband line. Leave the headband to dry overnight.
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6
Lay strips of dipped newspaper over the face and neckplates. Place them horizontally over the balloons so that they curve. Allow them to dry overnight. Repeat the process so that each of the three pieces has a double layer of paper mache.
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7
Pop the balloons and gather all three pieces of the helmet. Attach the face and neck plates to the headband and secure with tape. Try on the helmet to make sure that it fits. Adjust the face and neck plates accordingly. Tape the small empty candy box horizontally to the right-hand side of the helmet, over the ear.
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8
Use paper mache to cover the whole helmet. Allow it to dry overnight. Repeat the process so that the helmet has four layers of paper mache over the cardboard. Sand lightly with the sandpaper to create a smooth surface. Dust with a soft cloth.
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9
Paint the helmet green. Paint a red border around the T-shape slit in the front of the helmet. Paint the candy box gold. Stick a piece of wire through the top of the candy box as an antenna.
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Tips & Warnings
You can build up the cheek bones of the helmet if you are adept at paper mache. You can also add a layer of tape around the T-shape slit in the front to give it a border before painting.
Check that the paper mache is dry before adding another layer or painting. You can check for dryness by pressing your fingernail into the paper mache. If it leaves an indentation, you need to leave the helmet to dry for another couple of hours.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
