Hi guys! Borderlands is one of my all time favourite games, so I’ve always wanted to make a Psycho mask. Therefore, I thought I would share how I eventually made my own.
The materials you will need:
– Monster clay or any other sulfur free clay
– A dremel
– Rice
– 1 3/4 PVC pipe
– 1 small piece of MDF
– Cardboard
– A box
– Hot glue gun
– Thin craft foam
– A black sharpie
– A head bust (to sculpt on)
– Rebound 25
– Smooth-cast 65D
– Plaster and Paris
– Mixing cups
– Some paint brushes
– Mesh
– Elastic straps
– Foam
– White primer
– And some acrylic paints
Step 1: References
I started by getting as many references as I could find. I used the in-game models, Pepakura files and some pictures I found on the internet. Keep in mind, the more references you have, the more accurate you can make your mask. The zip file and photos that I’ve attached have the Pepakura files.
Step 2: Sculpting
With all of the references I gathered, I felt like I was ready to sculpt my mask. This is the most difficult part. At this point, I had sculpted 3 versions until I got it to look pretty close to the mask in game. the last four pictures are of the final sculpt. For the stitching on the mask I originally just carved lines into it but then later on wanted the stitch marks to be raised, so i used rice and it gave it a great effect. For the fan in the mouth i used a 3/4 PVC pipe, cut it down and pushed it into the clay. Then I added a piece of Mdf in the center to hold the fan blades in. The fan blades were just pieces of cardboard cut out and glued into place. the little center part is just a small pvc pipe with clay on top. Now onto molding.
Step 3: Molding
Now it was time to start the molding process. to start the molding you are going to need to make a trim around the edge of the mask with some extra clay. next you need to mix rebound 25 in a mixing cup, pour only a small amount to do a thin detail layer. Now brush on this layer to get all of those details you made on your sculpt. Then its on to a thick layer (which is also brushed on). You are going to want to repeat this about 6 times; switching between thick and thin layers then waiting for each layer to dry before applying the next layer. Next I made the mother mold using plaster. This is simply just by mixing a bunch of plaster and putting it on the mold. This is just a simple one part mold, I could have done a two part for the mother mold but the one part works just fine for this mask.
Step 4: Casting
casting for this step we are going to need to slush cast. This is the method of pouring your plastic in the mold and rotating/slushing it around until you get a nice even coat around the whole mold. 1st layer is a thin layer then a thick layer then a thin one until it is nice and even around the entire mold, then wait about 10-15 minutes and pull it out and your got yourself a perfect copy of your mask. Here is a great video showing you how to slush cast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jmh74ti_Rk . Slush casting is quite tricky it took me 3 times to get it right so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t come out right the first time. I did 3 layers of smooth cast 65D. I was able to get two casts out of the trial kit. Then use your dremel to sand down those rough edges on the mask and cut out those eye holes. Onto painting.
Step 5: Painting
This is probably the best part and the most satisfying part of the whole process, as this is where you get to add that artistic flare onto your mask and make it your own. the first step of this process is to spray paint a quick coat of primer on the whole mask. I like to use a white primer. Next put your mask in a box, this will collect all of the extra paint and have a bunch of rags with you. Now mix up a nice light brown wash (a wash is paint that was been watered down) and start pouring little amounts of the paint on top of your mask. This lets the paint dirty up your mask and collect in the parts were dirt and grime would be, then dab your whole mask down so only a little bit of paint is still there. Then repeat this process with darker shades until you are happy. color the leather strips and add black on the stitching and in between them, then add grey and silver on the fan, the eyes, and the bolts. next step is to get a sparpie and draw on the mask to give it that borderlands outlined feel. (the cosplay community calls it “cell-shading”, but it really isn’t.) don’t be scared to accidentally ruin your piece, if you don’t like it you can always prime it again and restart painting.
Step 6: Finishing
This is the finial stage where you add the mesh, the straps and foam. we are going to start with the mesh. The mesh is very simple to do all you need to do is get spandex fabric, and cut out enough to cover the eyes. Then use your hot glue gun and glue the mesh on the back of the mask to cover the eye holes. For straps you can get elastic straps at any fabric store. now measure about the length for one side of the mask to the other with the mask on your head then add about a 2 cm this will make it fit better on your head. now glue that in place and for the top strap measure out how much of the strap that you are going to need to get it to connect to the other strap and add 2 inches so you can loop the strap around the other one then try it on. and finally the foam trim and padding. For the padding you can use any type of foam like the stuff on a bike helmet or 3mm floor foam mats. For this just cut out a few rectangles then place them in the spots that need padding. then get your craft foam and cut out a long rectangle out of it that will go around the rim of the mask then hot glue it down and add some gray paint. Use your sharpie again to do the outlining then you are done. Now you have yourself a finished borderlands psycho mask. Thanks for taking a look at my build.
To check out some of the other things i make go check out the links below;
https://www.facebook.com/pages/OctoProps/320070494…
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/OctoProps?ref=l2-shop…