SPIDER-MAN FACESHELL
A faceshell is the most essential part of a Spider-Man cosplay ensemble. It is a moulded piece of plastic that the user puts between their face and the fabric/spandex mask. Spider-Man has a very distinct smooth and rounded head, and when watching the films you will notice that when the actor talks, his moving mouth or other facial features aren't visible. The MCU hero also has a very unique small and round nose. Through using a faceshell, the wearer is able to obtain the facial structure of Spider-Man in order achieve cinematic accuracy with their costume.
For this project, the aim was to construct a movie-accurate faceshell shape referencing Tom Holland's MCU Spider-Man. I also needed to construct lens frames that reference the distinct MCU style moving lenses - these merely show the mechanical frame details and are not operable. The idea is that the shell sits on my face underneath the mask, with lenses that magnetically attach to the shell from the outside of the mask. This means that both the mask and the lenses require magnets strong enough to bind through spandex.
As for the lenses, white perforated vinyl window film was attached to the inside of the lens frames to appear white from the outside, but transparent from the inside.
PROCESS
Step 1
Modelling + Scaling
The faceshell and lens frames were modelled in Blender using reference images from Spider-Man Far From Home. I added multiple holes for breathing and ventilation. It was then scaled to fit me by using a 3D scan of my head. I then engraved multiple 6mm x 2mm magnet slots into the faceshell and lenses. This Blender file was then exported as two separate STL files (one for the faceshell and one for the lenses), ready to 3D print.
Step 2
Slicing + 3D Printing
The STL files for the faceshell and lenses were sliced using Ultimaker Cura and printed on my Ender 3 Pro. I used 100% infill to ensure strength/durability, and also used tree supports to save on print time. I printed the faceshell in standard quality and the lenses in super quality, as the fine details require more precision.
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Step 3
Sanding + Painting
After the 3D prints were completed, I sanded down the faceshell and lens frames to make them smooth. I then sprayed the faceshell with plasti dip to ensure it grips to the mask and the mask doesn't slip out of position. I coated the lens frames in primer to then spray paint them semi-gloss black.
Step 4
Gluing + Assembly
Axially magnetised 6mm x 2mm neodymium magnets were then glued into their designated slots with the north pole facing outward on the faceshell, and the south pole facing outward on the lens frames (as opposite forces attract). I then glued white perforated vinyl to the inside of the frames as lenses. It is now ready to Assemble with the mask!
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FINISHED PRODUCT
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