How To : Harry Warden 1981

[🪦 b47 ●]

Hello everyone,

I got some days ago my mask that replicate the one in My Bloody Valentine 1981. I've been asked about how to get one and I wanted to tell everyone how to look out for one and how to properly modify it.

I think I was the first one to gather the My Bloody Valentine 2009 outfit before the movie went out without proper references. My thing were not 100% accurate, but I was still able to build something very very nice at the time. I had the proper mask, cap and battery though. The things that were not accurate were little details about modifications and belt that I wasn't able to see at the time.

First, I wanna say that I grew up with MBV. It was one of the movies that I watch hundreds of time as a kid along with Friday, Nightmare and so on... So getting this thing was one of my goal when I first started to collect stuff. This killer is for me as iconic as Jason or Michael.

I will explain how to look for it and how to modify it to look like the movie. For those who has the remake mask, YES your fingers will hurt again after you'll modify this one hahah

So to start simply, the mask that you need to find IS NOT a gas mask. Its a breathing apparatus, but I think some might already know that. So, if you search for "gas mask" like the remake one which is a GP-7, you will never find the proper mask used in MBV 81. The name of this breathing apparatus is the "MSA Chemox". If you just open up google in the image tab and type the name you'll see quickly enough this picture:


Now, I think everyone will notice that the mask is pretty close to the real thing LOL But, MOST of the time, you'll see this mask in auction and on various site:


As you might have the notice, the front mouth grid is not there... But DON'T WORRIES, the grid IS under the black cap. Everything is VERY VERY easy to remove and place correctly... It can be done in 10 secondes without any hurt to your fingers hahaha What I didn't do, is to clean up the grid and the metal rim around it. In the movie, the thing is sharp clean. I prefer the "vintage" look even if its not 100% like the movie. I might clean it some day, but not now. So after placing correctly the grid, the thing will look like the first picture from google.

Okay, now the thing that mostly defines the mask is the gas hose that for now is not accurate at all. The modification is not THAT hard to figure out... its pretty simple. You need to turn the mouth pipe to the left till the right hose is right on the middle of the grid. To do so, there is a hinge at the back of the mouth pipe, you use a screwdriver to remove it and you turn up the thing till its in the middle of the mask. The thing that will hurt is turning the thing. You need to play with the hole in the mask and it can be pretty harmfull to you fingers to place the thing correctly. Once the thing is placed, you just have to place the metal rim back with the screw. That's it. You now have one hose on the front and one in the back.

At this stage you will notice a small extension of the metal pipe that is now at the left of the mask (which is PERFECT)

This metal extension can be seen in this shot:


Now you just need to remove the hose that is now behind. THIS might hurt your fingers too LOL After you remove it, cut the rounded end of the hose and tape it with the other one (to have only one long front hose).

Technically, the mask will be the same as mine after those mods. The thing I did not do as of now it to take a saw and cut about 2 inches of the metal pipe that is now behind... In this shot, you can see that the behind pipe is shorter than mine. I'm pretty sure they cut it. Since the thing is pretty heavy it might be for that purpose... to be lighter. I will cut it someday, but not now (this is stressfull to cut something SO freaking old and hard to find).

Here's a shot that you see it from a side point of view:


Here's mine (longer pipe behind cuz I didn't cut it):


So that's about it for the mask!

You need to gather a MSA Comfo Cap (just like the 2009 one) and a Koehler light (again, just like the remake one... be sure to take one with the metal cap on the battery... because the black plastic one are more recent and remember that the thing is from 1981 lol)

I know NOTHING about the coverall and belt used... Maybe someone could provide me that info that would be nice.

I plan to build a life-size mannequin of Harry Warden 1981

This is kind of long, so here's some quick shots of the display I now have for those who hasn't seen them (I used the cap and light from my 2009 display for the pics)

[🪦 -Room237- ●]

I might need to bust one of these out soon.

[🪦 crypticcreator ●]

Really cool what you put together so far. :thumbsup: Would love to see you do a life sized of him. Good luck with the rest of the costume.