Domed Easel Back Helmet

[ScrewLoose!]

Just wondering, has anyone tried to fit any clear helmets off the newer repro Nomura Space Commando onto the original Linemar "Domed Easel Back" robot? Surely they must be close in size and would do for temporary display purposes. Or maybe there is another repro that would work?

[dratomic]

Haven't tried that... There's no really decent reproduction out there for the Domed Easel Back. The problem is that the dome is made of vacuum formed plastic, so it's tougher to manufacture -- it's not simply a matter of making a mold from someone's and then casting it in plastic. I've got a crappy repro on my Domed Easel Back that the previous owner made (not sure how -- I think they found two pieces of plastic from some other toy's blister pack and just glued them together).

It's also not simply a dome -- it's got that weird flared part at the bottom. So whoever does form the two halves of the sphere needs to also take that into account.

I managed to find a sphere that's about the right size, and a bit of cork to use as the flared out bit at the bottom. If I ever get around to it, my plan was to get it vacuum formed at one of the local art colleges, if I can find someone who'll do it for me. Short of that, I might make my own cheap vacuum forming machine (plans are online) which should do the trick. But I need to buy a vacuum... ;)

It's definitely a tricky piece to replace.

[martijn]

It's also not simply a dome -- it's got that weird flared part at the bottom.

this is the really hard part to copy. I tried making domes for the space commander (same sort of dome, 2 halves and the flared bottom)

used a lot of surprise eggs and stuff like that, tried with heating, ironing etc etc. but no succes on the flared part.

this company http://www.cleardomes.com/smalldomes.htm makes vacuum domes for relatively cheap money

(shipping to netherlands makes it again very expensive unfortunately, so I never bought from them)

dratomic maybe you can let them make your dome half.

maybe other idea is if you have the right form for the half, heat up a big piece of clear plasic in the oven or with a paint remover föhn, lay it over the half form you made and push with a sponge or soft foam.

same sort process I used for making racemotorbike windows.

you can experiment as much as you like and have no costs.

I never used a repro space commando dome btw, they are too big and too purple.

[duxastrogirl]

The repro nomura space commando dome is much smaller than the domed easel back...martijn suggestion seems an excellent one.

[dratomic]

While that site is incredibly cool, I don't think their domes will work for the Easel Back. For one thing, they only seem to make one sort of dome, and it's nothing like what the Easel Back uses. On top of this, it's made of a thicker acrylic than the Easel Back's dome, which is much more of a thin, blister-pack style plastic (very delicate, which is why they're so often missing).

I still think that vacuum forming the dome one's self is the best way to go (though certainly not the easiest).

[robothut]

Any one still have one of the old Mattel Vac-u-form machines, this part is small enough to make useing that machine also that machine was set up to run this very thin type plastic. I will think about this project some, I do still have the origional dome on my Easel backed robot, it does have a small crack on the back side. I do not want to harm my origional dome but if I could make a silicon rubber mold of the front half it could be used to make a resin master slug to vacumform over. I am sure that two fronts could be glued together just like they glued to parts together on the origonal. I will look it over and see what I think. Again if any one has the Matel vacuform machine with a supply of there plastic this would be a simple job. If not making a small table with a vacume is not hard. Could be that hobby shops might sell the real thin clear plastic, it would take some experimenting to heat the plastic just right as it is very thin, but it could be done. Clear styreen or PET would work best for forming , cuting and glueing. I do have a vacuform table I build years ago some place out in the shop . The table size 2 foot square kind of big for what we want to do but the unused area can be blocked of so as not to lose the vacume. Fond these Mattel Vac-u-form units on ebay.

[dratomic]

Well, obviously, that would be great if you could do it, John! At least that way we'd know it would come out right...

Aside from that, I did once find a place that was selling vacuum form kits online -- all the parts you need, minus the vacuum. They'd sell them assembled or as kits. They also had supplies of plastic in both clear and opaque white (if I remember correctly). Everything was reasonably priced, and I considered getting it. But I don't actually have a vacuum and don't really want to go out and get one, so I let it slide. I might reconsider, though, if I found that I had more things I wanted to vacuum form.

[martijn]

While that site is incredibly cool, I don't think their domes will work for the Easel Back. For one thing, they only seem to make one sort of dome, and it's nothing like what the Easel Back uses. On top of this, it's made of a thicker acrylic than the Easel Back's dome, which is much more of a thin, blister-pack style plastic (very delicate, which is why they're so often missing).

I found it while looking for daiya astronaut domes, they can make those.

the flared bottom is not in their line no.

but other beside the high cost shipping it to holland, my objection was also when you have a vacuum formed dome, it will be too perfect and in contrast with the old look of my astronauts,

so I searched for the perfect snowy shakers from the 60's/70's, which already aged nicely.

but because the easel dome is so thin you can easily experiment with heating up cheap thin clear plastic, you have the half shape so give it a try,

you might be surprise at the results.

in the meanwhile we all look for matel vacuumchamber sets, robothut do you have pictures and more info?

[robothut]

Here are pictrures and measurements from the original dome in both inches and millimeters. seems like a master could be made from these.

[dratomic]

Thanks, John! I'll poke around a bit, see what can be done.

[ScrewLoose!]

Hi, obviously lots of you have thought about this and I am confident a solution is eventually going to be found. I am fairly new to this forum and am amazed at these responses. Thanks!

[Grandpa]

John,

The Mattel isn't large enough for the job. I have to build a vacumn table for another project, so if you want to make a female mold of your original I'll make a set of plugs from that and mold a few sets for the members that has shown interest in this thread.

[David Kirk]

I need one too! I could turn a wooden one on my lathe from maple to match the schematic John posted. I'm not sure how I'd modify the pieces to fit into each other. Is the outside one flared to fit the inside, or is the inside recessed to fit inside the outer dome? Probably Grandpa could make a mold in some more modern way! In any case, let me know if I can help.

[Eagle]

What about the seam guys ? The piece has too much undercut to vacuum form it ??? Right ? So it might have to be formed in two pieces. Or attach the seam after forming. :(

[dratomic]

I'm not sure what you mean, Eagle... The helmet is a front and back piece. One side flares out a bit to receive the other side (they are then glued in place). Not sure where the undercut is that you're talking about...