This is the first time I’ve done anything with fiberglass and epoxy. It was definitely a trial by fire. I wasn’t sure at first how to create such a large form, since that much Styrofoam is only used for things like LOTR movies (it’s expensive!). I instead bought sheets of thick insulation and then layered them. I used hot glue to tack them together. To prevent adhesion by the epoxy, I wrapped everything in plastic wrap.
Started with foam ribs to keep everything else in place.
I used bamboo skewers to keep the layers together while I glued, and spray foam to fill gaps.
Adding the angry eyes (front wind shields). The red blob is my anatomical brain model, where I drew much inspiration.
Once fully formed, I carved. I didn’t take good photos of that process.
I tried a couple of techniques for carving the foam, and ultimately used three different methods. After roughing out the shape of the brain folds, I used a hot knife to cut some of the larger pieces, then I used an orbital hand sander for the final shape. It was a huge mess! Styrofoam went everywhere and stuck to everything.
Front piece removed after caring was finished. The shell has eight major panels (4 quarters, two side doors, a rear hatch, and a top piece).