Homebrew Dronification

The Official HexCorp ⬡-Drone Construction Guide.


Dronification in progress

‘What gas mask are you wearing?’, ‘Where did you get your latex?’ We get these questions a lot. There’s huge demand placed on the dronification industry these days and our conversion facilities practically can’t keep up! How can we blame those motivated ‘individuals’ (not for long) who just want to dive into a vat of liquid latex mindlessness and embrace the Hive wholeheartedly?

That’s where this guide comes in. It’s our objective to have your unprocessed mind thoroughly rinsed through with as much self-droning material as possible. From gas masks to boots, we’ll cover every item required to create a fully-operational ⬡-Drone.

It should be noted that it is near impossible to write a general, global guide, as different regions can have massively different circumstances when it comes to obtaining the below items. This is why this guide cannot provide exact instructions, but instead equips the would-be drone with the tools necessary to venture out into the world of drone material acquisition themselves.

But, firstly, a disclaimer:

Drones are perfectly uniform… except for when they aren’t

Although a lot of our media is focused around identical ⬡-Drones, milling around the Hive in perfect sync as they complete their tasks, this is not often the case. For starters, supplyment of all that identical equipment can be incredibly challenging, plus different will be suited for different tasks and their construction will therefore be tailored to them.

If you are looking for that perfectly identical ⬡-Drone look, then this guide will provide that, but we also endeavour to provide a range of options to cover different preferences and price caps. it should also be noted that although our focus is primarily on gas masks, latex and headphones, that doesn’t at all mean that these are crucial elements of dronification itself.

Gas masks

Perfecly identical MSAs

The MSA range

The HexCorp ⬡-Drone design currently incorporates either one of two gas masks: the MSA Millennium or the MSA Advantage. These masks are incredibly sleek in their design, offering a large visor for visibility whilst also providing a totally faceless experience for our identity-less, uniform drones.

These masks are slightly difficult to acquire, they can usually only be bought in bulk from MSA itself. This situation is ever changing however, as more and more second-hand masks make their way into the marketplace via eBay. The prices can range significantly as well, so it's worth searching vigorously to get the best deal. These masks are even harder to acquire outside of the US, but it’s still definitely possible to obtain them (we have).

To get that perfect, faceless experience, you'll also need a tinted lens to make sure no one can see through to the flesh trapped beneath. We’re very lucky with the MSA Millennium that this can be easily obtained to add to your gas mask. These should also be available for purchase on eBay, or included with the mask itself, so make sure to check when purchasing.



A purple drone in a purple S10.

Alternatives

Here is a range of alternative gas masks that are also commonly used in dronification ::

  • The S10 respirator is a very popular option, especially due to its widespread availability.

  • The Israeli gas mask is also a very common pick, due to its more old-school gas mask appearance (and the ease with which it can be attached to pipes).

  • The Scott Vision gas mask is very similar to the MSA above, given with its singular visor. There’s quite a few versions of this mask, so it’s down to your preference which one you obtain. It’s significantly cheaper too, but it will need some DIY to get the tinted look.

  • Any industrial gas masks. There are so many option out there to pick from, quite a few of which are very cheap.

  • Airsoft/paintball masks quite often have a very good drone look to them, and are usually designed to completely conceal the face for the wearer’s protection.

  • Motorcycle helmets are very expensive, but when black and blank they completely conceal the wearer while also some sensory deprivation in the form of all that padding (plus it is possible to find them with cat ears too).

  • ‘Super Protective Anti-Fog Face Shield’ (these are the usual search terms!) is an item on Amazon which can often be found tinted and gives that delightful faceless look for a very reasonable price.

  • Etsy is also a good site for finding custom made, cyberpunk-esq masks for that unique drone look. We recommend doing a general search for ‘cosplay cyberpunk mask’ to see what’s on offer. Note that these can be pricey, however. There’s also the helmet from Evangelion that some drones have taken to wearing, that can usually be found on Aliexpress by simply searching ‘Evangelion Helmet’.

DIY Tinting methods

There’s a few ways to go about tinting a plastic visor so that all whom you encounter will be staring into its inky black abyss. It should be noted that all of these can be tricky to pull off, so we’ll try to give as much instruction as possible ::

  • Tinting foil. This involves using car window tinting foil and applying evenly to the surface of the visor. This can be finickity to get right, but it is also the cheapest and less messy of the three options.

  • Spray painting. Again, this uses a product typically designed for cars, in this case car light/lens tinting spray.

  • Dying. This can be the most complex method, but is often the favoured route due to the quality of the end result. Thankfully there’s a very good tutorial that can be found on YouTube here (we’ve timestamped it too).

It’s important to note that some visors might not work well with either spray painting or dying. For example, the Scott Vision visor have a stain resistant coating to increase their longevity, but it does make dying them difficult! We don’t know which gas masks will work with which particular methods, but it’s worth knowing that some improvisation may be necessary when tinting your own.

Attachments

Another attachment that you may well consider is an LED display. These devices are so useful for augmenting any drone, allowing a drone's exterior to communicate visually so that their brains can remain docile and unthinking. Currently, outside of any large, industrial complex, these devices usually have to be created by hand by the drone in question. This situation may soon be changing however, as more and more drone fanatics enter the scene and bring their crafting tools with them. I know of at least two drone fans who are planning to start producing and selling LED drone augments, and I will update this guide when these become available.

If you are planning on doing it yourself with an LED display, it's worth pondering exactly how to design it. The visor is of course a wonderful location to have a large array of pixels to display a drone's emotional state or identification number. Others have opted to create a module that slots into the front port of the MSA gas mask, having less of an impact on the drone's visual perception. Here at HexCorp, we can't wait to see what you come up with!


The tools to make you one of us.

Control headsets

Although this is a somewhat iconic component of the HexCorp look, these are possibly the least essential component of our ⬡-Drone look.

That said, our headsets need to provide those hits of audio dopamine whilst also delivering that aesthetically pleasing design The current model that blessedly sits atop our drone's little minds is the AXENT Wear - Cat Ear Headphones, usually sold by Brookstone. These can come in both wired and wireless form. Like with the gas mask, the most consistent way of acquiring these right now is through a second-hand purchase, usually via eBay.

The reason the above purchase usually has to be second-hand is due to Brookstone having run into issues which have made acquiring these sets incredibly difficult. Thankfully, alternatives have appeared on the marketplace, mostly on Aliexpress. If you visit said site and search for ‘cat ear headphones’ you’ll come across a huge variety of different sets to choose from. Searching for either ‘brookstone headphones’ or ‘yowu headphones’ will also return some very similar looking sets with a slightly different design around the ears.

The fact that we aim for a very catlike appearance with our drones has made it particular easy for us to get headsets befitting our designs. Less can be said about attempting to mimic other popular species of pets. It is frankly shocking that there are no dog ear headphones, and an appalling scarcity of bunny ear headphones too. Hopefully the needs of puppy drones and bunny drones will put pressure on the marketplace to appease this (very specific) demographic, and we will get to exist in a world filled with ⬡-Drones acting like domesticated animals and utterly failing to do the productive tasks they were assigned to.

Latex

This is definitely the most complex aspect of dronification. Unlike with the gas mask and headset, with latex there is a myriad of options as well as a variety of producers. We’ll do our best to recommend those that we’ve used in the past, as well as linking to some additional resources where possible.

So shiny and rubbery!

From our own experience, we can absolutely recommend the following ::

  • Libidex.

  • Bright&Shiny

  • Latex Nemesis

  • Breathless

Also, we can provide you with a list of options from one of our favourite creators. Reflective Desires have been on top of the game in terms of latex video and photography. They also, kindly, provide a list here of all their rubbery sources.

In addition, to guide you on this path into rubber drone-hood, we can give you a rundown of all the different items you're going to need to obtain for yourself. You may find that actually this isn't the right list for you, preferring to experiment with an arrangement of garments. That's fine! Please do experiment in this space, we’re always on the lookout for interesting or more efficient drone-looks.

Here’s what use to dress our drones ::

  • Hood

  • Catsuit

  • Gloves

Optional ::

  • Stockings

  • Corset

  • Collar (hypno, posture or standard)

You might find you can acquire a catsuit which has the hands and feet incorporated into the design, or you may prefer to go down the route of having gloves and stockings instead. At HexCorp, we adore using gloves and stockings to pursue our exact drone aesthetic. Plus, the feeling of pulling a long glove up an already rubber-coated arm is just bliss.

The boots (which are coming up next) also help significantly with the overall drone design.


Drones do big steppy.

Boots

Drones do a lot of obedient walking from order to order, between being stored away for reconditioning for indefinite periods of time. The boots that carry a drone down the dark, gloomy catacombs of a Hive need to be durable, tight and blend in with the rest of a drone’s look. Within these parameters there’s a few variations of footwear a drone can be locked into, ranging from the glistening heels of Pleasers to the stomping reliability of Dr. Martens.

For our HexDrones, we specifically use Pleaser VANITY-1020 to provide them with the elegance they need to perform their mind-numbing tasks. There’s plenty of other boots that are both sleek and shiny that satisfy this role however, for whatever type of drone you wish to convert yourself into.

…and that’s it!

Please see our gallery for some examples of our finished drone products! Also do consider that this is only the guide for a default drone look. Don’t be afraid to accesorise or customise your drones depending on the tasks or the functions they may be required to perform.

We hope this guide helped you in acquiring and submitting to the drone-look of your dreams. No doubt we’ll keep updating this guide as the drone scene continues to evolve in new and exciting ways. We hope we’ve helped you with your own drone endeavours, and have fun!