Okay. I'm seeing a ton of threads on here from people wanted to know how to get started doing this.
I'm one of them.
But here's some advice from someone who knows just enough about this to really understand just how hard and difficult this can be at the worst of times. Okay sure, you'll eventually get that cool armor and anyone here who's made one will tell you that it's sooooooo worth the time and effort, but I always like to start with all the negatives first. Here are some cold hard FACTS that you won't be able to escape if you are starting with nothing like me.
1. This is going to be expensive.
For some of you, $100-$200 isn't that much at all. For others, it's quite a bit and might break the bank. This figure is right at the line where the quality of the armor drops off dramatically when you start spending less for most people's standards (or at least mine anyway).
2. You WILL screw something up.
Not a matter of if, but a matter of when. If it's pepakura then I'm sure you'll print it the wrong size at least once. Or you'll screw up the fiberglass mixture and end up with a gooey mess, or maybe you'll screw something up with your silicone and end up with a bad mold casting. The name of the game here is baby steps. Start with a hand cover or a shoulder pad. Something small. Perfect your techniques on those before moving on to something like the helmet.
3. There are *no* step by step instructions availible for everything.
A lot of these tutorials are printed to give you the basic concepts that will allow you to finish the rest of the pieces yourself. You're not going to see assembly instructions, only theory.
4. What is availible is more than enough.
What I found on the site before I even registered was more than enough for anyone to get a decent start in this. You have to actually get up off your bum and attempt the simple tutorials here. There is no absolute "right" and "wrong" way. The directions you do get on the site, especially about safety handling some of these materials MUST BE ADHERED TO OR YOU COULD SERIOUSLY INJURE YOURSELF OR OTHERS AROUND YOU. We're not kidding. As someone said, these things don't kill you right away, but twenty years from now when the doctor gives you the bad news about a cough that just wouldn't go away.
5. Don't start right off trying to do molded armor.
Don't give me that crap about starting with molded armor. Those that do the molded armor, have been doing similar work for years. It's hard to do well and requires a very high degree of skill. If after reading all the tutorials on the site about molded armor you're *STILL* unsure how to even start, please don't ask. I got started in molding with doing casts of tiny miniatures for gaming. I screwed that up all the time, and I had someone with me the entire time teaching/showing me how to do it. You're never ever going to get enough instruction on the forum how to do it from scratch, starting from zero experience or ability. You should really invest in some video DVDs on the subject due to it's complexity. If the DVDs are too expensive, then I think you need to re-evaluate your ability to afford the materials required. After that, do some extremely simple projects (like a soda can) to familiarize yourself with the materials and procedures involved.
6. This is going to take a lot of time
Just like any new skill, it'll take weeks even to get something you'll like. You're going to burn through materials like you wouldn't believe. Add 25-50% of the required amount to your supplies just in case. Even then, you're going to find yourself starting all over at least once because of errors. It's fustrating after you spent all that time carefully cutting out the pep and gluing it together, that you mess up with the resin and turn the thing into a gooey mushy mess. Print it out, and glue it all over again.
7. It's going to take a lot of space
This is not apartment friendly. Heck, I'd even say it's not exactly wife friendly either. If you don't have a garage and/or a nice back yard to spread this stuff out in, then don't start, for safety's sake. See part of #4 for more details. The last thing anyone wants is exposing people who have nothing to do with your project to potential harm. We especially don't want you hurting yourself. No set of armor is worth that.
There you go. Some simple cold hard facts about making your own armor starting from zero experience and zero materials. There are no short cuts around these, period. Don't ask for them. On the plus side, this can be an extremely rewarding hobby, as once you learn how to make Halo armor, the sky is pretty much the limit on these sorts of things. You'll find that you can make all sorts of cool costumes and other things. If you even take the time to start making your own designs, you could even sell them for others to enjoy (on your own site of course.
)
I'm one of them.
But here's some advice from someone who knows just enough about this to really understand just how hard and difficult this can be at the worst of times. Okay sure, you'll eventually get that cool armor and anyone here who's made one will tell you that it's sooooooo worth the time and effort, but I always like to start with all the negatives first. Here are some cold hard FACTS that you won't be able to escape if you are starting with nothing like me.
1. This is going to be expensive.
For some of you, $100-$200 isn't that much at all. For others, it's quite a bit and might break the bank. This figure is right at the line where the quality of the armor drops off dramatically when you start spending less for most people's standards (or at least mine anyway).
2. You WILL screw something up.
Not a matter of if, but a matter of when. If it's pepakura then I'm sure you'll print it the wrong size at least once. Or you'll screw up the fiberglass mixture and end up with a gooey mess, or maybe you'll screw something up with your silicone and end up with a bad mold casting. The name of the game here is baby steps. Start with a hand cover or a shoulder pad. Something small. Perfect your techniques on those before moving on to something like the helmet.
3. There are *no* step by step instructions availible for everything.
A lot of these tutorials are printed to give you the basic concepts that will allow you to finish the rest of the pieces yourself. You're not going to see assembly instructions, only theory.
4. What is availible is more than enough.
What I found on the site before I even registered was more than enough for anyone to get a decent start in this. You have to actually get up off your bum and attempt the simple tutorials here. There is no absolute "right" and "wrong" way. The directions you do get on the site, especially about safety handling some of these materials MUST BE ADHERED TO OR YOU COULD SERIOUSLY INJURE YOURSELF OR OTHERS AROUND YOU. We're not kidding. As someone said, these things don't kill you right away, but twenty years from now when the doctor gives you the bad news about a cough that just wouldn't go away.
5. Don't start right off trying to do molded armor.
Don't give me that crap about starting with molded armor. Those that do the molded armor, have been doing similar work for years. It's hard to do well and requires a very high degree of skill. If after reading all the tutorials on the site about molded armor you're *STILL* unsure how to even start, please don't ask. I got started in molding with doing casts of tiny miniatures for gaming. I screwed that up all the time, and I had someone with me the entire time teaching/showing me how to do it. You're never ever going to get enough instruction on the forum how to do it from scratch, starting from zero experience or ability. You should really invest in some video DVDs on the subject due to it's complexity. If the DVDs are too expensive, then I think you need to re-evaluate your ability to afford the materials required. After that, do some extremely simple projects (like a soda can) to familiarize yourself with the materials and procedures involved.
6. This is going to take a lot of time
Just like any new skill, it'll take weeks even to get something you'll like. You're going to burn through materials like you wouldn't believe. Add 25-50% of the required amount to your supplies just in case. Even then, you're going to find yourself starting all over at least once because of errors. It's fustrating after you spent all that time carefully cutting out the pep and gluing it together, that you mess up with the resin and turn the thing into a gooey mushy mess. Print it out, and glue it all over again.
7. It's going to take a lot of space
This is not apartment friendly. Heck, I'd even say it's not exactly wife friendly either. If you don't have a garage and/or a nice back yard to spread this stuff out in, then don't start, for safety's sake. See part of #4 for more details. The last thing anyone wants is exposing people who have nothing to do with your project to potential harm. We especially don't want you hurting yourself. No set of armor is worth that.
There you go. Some simple cold hard facts about making your own armor starting from zero experience and zero materials. There are no short cuts around these, period. Don't ask for them. On the plus side, this can be an extremely rewarding hobby, as once you learn how to make Halo armor, the sky is pretty much the limit on these sorts of things. You'll find that you can make all sorts of cool costumes and other things. If you even take the time to start making your own designs, you could even sell them for others to enjoy (on your own site of course.
)
but seriously)
