I decided to make a Roman gladiator helmet after binge-watching Spartacus last weekend. Total impulse project, but figured it’d look killer on my bookshelf. Grabbed some cardboard, masking tape, and cheap craft foam from the dollar store – didn’t wanna blow cash if it turned out awful.
The messy start
First, I traced my giant melon head on cardboard and cut out two identical oval shapes. Taped ’em together at the edges like a taco shell, leaving a gap for my face. Already looked like a wonky cyclops mask. Then I hacked up a cereal box to roll into the crest holder thingy – glued it straight down the middle top with hot glue. Half the glue ended up on my jeans though.
Foam hell
This part sucked big time. Used craft foam for the brow guard and cheek flaps. Cut rough shapes with scissors but they kept curling like bacon. Had to weight ’em down with coffee mugs overnight. Next day:
- Stuck brow piece above face hole with gorilla glue
- Poked brass brads through foam for fake rivets
- Cut ear holes super crooked – had to patch with extra foam
Looked so busted I almost trashed it.
Salvation by spray paint
Covered everything in three coats of gesso to hide cardboard seams. Then came the fun part:
- Sprayed entire helmet bronze
- Dripped watered-down black acrylic into crevices for "grime"
- Dry-brushed silver on edges like it got scraped in battle
Magically hid all my crappy cuts! Added red yarn plumes to the crest holder using leftover Christmas ribbon glue. Done!
Total cost: maybe 15 bucks? Looks rad on my shelf now despite all the screwups. Pro tip: just power through the ugly phase – paint hides murder.
