Elite (Sangheili) Wip

This is the official start of my Elite WIP. I've been deep in thought for the past few weeks, and I think it's time to show what I have planned for this. First, however, this project will be a VERY slow going project right now, so don't expect very many quick updates. Now, onto the actual project.



AESTHETICS:

This is strictly how it will look, not I am not talking about moving parts just yet. I plan on doing a bit of a mix and match with this project, taking many appealing attributes/characteristics from the elites that I have come to know and love... sort of... First we start with the head: I plan on doing a fairly generalized elite head, no actual noticeable details from any ONE elite. The torso, which is basically the same as the head as generalization goes, is also a "melting pot" of things. With any elite, the torso has a large chest cavity with a skinnier abdomen. The arms: again, generalized. I don't think I have to explain that again. Though, it should be taken into consideration that the "reach" arms are a tad thicker. You'll understand the need for this later. The legs: this is where stuff gets weird. With the "halo 3" elites, the legs are much thicker and spacier. The "reach" elites, however, have longer. more realistic legs, meaning when I'm in the suit, it won't look as awkward. My plan is going with a 'Ripa Moramee' look, the legs are thicker and longer, fitting myself in the ways that I need it to. The undersuit: this is more of an arbiter look, because it has the pattern from the "halo 3" elites, but combined with the straps specific to "reach" elites. Armor: I LOVE the look or Ripa Moramee's armor, so that is what will be used for this suit.

Reference:




INNARDS:

Again we start with the head. Note: we will get to my ability to talk, see, and hear later. The head will have realistic eyes, but they will not move, for now at least. The mandibles, though, will move. For now I'm working on getting a rig put together to open and close the mandibles, it will be cheaper than servos especially since I don't know all the parts and accessories I need to get it to work. Also, I'm working on a way to make the head move, from the neck, side to side. The torso, this is where the majority that is of me will occupy. My head will be in the upper chest, with the neck of the costume sitting on my shoulder, or at least close to that point. The arms: I've begun drawing up hand extensions, but again, this is all manual, since I don't quite understand servos. Luckily, I don't have to figure out the thumb, since elites only have 4 fingers. This is also where the spacier arm comes in hand, no pun intended. The legs, this may be the hardest part, because I have to build stilts specific to me, and I will not settle for crap. They have to perfectly fit the elite leg form, while giving me enough height. This could make or break the costume. Here are my plans, I took the inspiration from diagrams and perfecting it by closely observing professional stilts.

Reference:


I will go slightly more in depth on the stilts, since I actually have something drawn up on them. The stilts will obtain the majority of its strength from a fiberglass core, overlaid by a vacuformed cover, mainly for aesthetics and protection for me, others, and the suit itself. Sandwiched between the fiberglass and plastic will be velcro straps aided by elastic support. The connection pieces will most likely be a form of sheet metal, jointed at the ankle and knee. Elastic bands connect to the heel and right above the knee to give stability and strength. Lastly, the extension will be made from spring steel that we produce ourselves, much like that of a prosthetic leg.




THE SENSES:

Yes, this gets it's own section. First off I plan on making a full HMD, similar to this one: Head Mounted Display, but with several mods. Let's begin with sight: I plan on mounting a micro-camera almost dead center of the head, connecting to a personal media viewer. For hearing, I plan on putting to corresponding microphones on wither side of the head, connecting to a pair of headphones, probably skullcandy, on the HMD. Lastly, speaking: my plan for this is to set up a microphone near my mouth, which is connected to a small speaker placed at the back of a "throat". The throat possibly being made of tubing that slowly reduces into a funnel shape starting at the mouth. This will not only hide the speaker, but also amplify my voice. I also plan on a voice changer, so it doesn't sound like a standing oxymoron if you catch my drift.



OTHER:

The skin and tissue I hope to make out of a firm foam that is carved with a hot wire. If all goes to plan then that will NOT be seen. It will be covered by a latex overlay this is the undersuit. The latex I plan to be cast from a huge mold or several medium-sized ones. Not COMPLETELY sure how that's going to work out, so we'll see. It may end up that the undersuit is a cloth-like material. The armor, will be scratch made, possibly out of cardboard, then fiberglassed, smoothened, and painted.



As of RIGHT NOW, I'm not sure what weapons to go for. I'm thinking the classic energy sword, but also maybe some new "reach" weapons. Expect more drawings to come, those are easy updates.

I have a lot of plans for this build, and it could possibly fail completely, but I'm interested in where this could go. Comments would be AWESOME!

wow, it looks like you have gone in to alot of detail here, i think this is going to be amazing!

the stilts youve got are perfect for the legs, im really looking forward to seeing more progress on this

Looks like a great start. If you have the cash Weta sells Digigrade legs. Here's a link Weta Legsif nothing else it's some more ref for you.

NO! No weta legs! They tend to upset me for unknown reasons...



I did use them as a bit of reference, but they're not set up in the way that need them. The only thing that they would truly benefit is getting that cloven hoof/foot that the elite has. Still, though, I'll find my own solution.



Btw, update coming later when I get home. I have plans to show for the hands and legs. Plus, I've changed my plans about the undersuit. I did a few quick calculations, and if they're correct (which they probably aren't) the cost of the amount of latex required would be over $1000...

WRising said:

NO! No weta legs! They tend to upset me for unknown reasons...



I did use them as a bit of reference, but they're not set up in the way that need them. The only thing that they would truly benefit is getting that cloven hoof/foot that the elite has. Still, though, I'll find my own solution.



Btw, update coming later when I get home. I have plans to show for the hands and legs. Plus, I've changed my plans about the undersuit. I did a few quick calculations, and if they're correct (which they probably aren't) the cost of the amount of latex required would be over $1000...

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The cloven foot really shouldn't be a problem with any stilts. Just have the load bearing point behind the cleft and you can sculpt the toes to just be cosmetic, not load bearing. It would mean you can't tip-toe like the Elite in the second picture, but I wouldn't consider that a necessity.



I'm curious to see your calculations for the latex costs/amounts. $1000 would give me about 150 lbs of latex, and if you're in the US you could probably find cheaper latex than me in Europe.



Anyways, it looks like an interesting project, I'm hoping to see you go through with this.

Digigrade legs? Goodluck with that! If you're looking for a few different methods on making those, i've seen a few good tutorials on Youtube worth checking out.

Too cool. There aren't enough covenant costumes being made! How else will the great journey take place? :unsure



As for a weapon: If you want to make the energy sword transparent to glow, expect to spend a lot of cash. Acrylic/Plexi Glass sheets cost a lot. I've always wanted to make a Halo 3 Plasma rifle as well. (But you can easily get those laser tag ones, which saves a lot of time and effort but costs a lot... as well...) Or a carbine?



I bet you could somehow come up with a plasma rifle that can switch between Halo 3 and Reach versions, with the different attachments. Either way, good luck! I see a lot of spending ahead

AceHigh said:

The cloven foot really shouldn't be a problem with any stilts. Just have the load bearing point behind the cleft and you can sculpt the toes to just be cosmetic, not load bearing. It would mean you can't tip-toe like the Elite in the second picture, but I wouldn't consider that a necessity.



I'm curious to see your calculations for the latex costs/amounts. $1000 would give me about 150 lbs of latex, and if you're in the US you could

probably find cheaper latex than me in Europe.



Anyways, it looks like an interesting project, I'm hoping to see you go through with this.

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The problem with the cloven foot is that my idea for the apparatus puts the spring steel extension halfway in the heel and halfway in the cleft. Though, you are right, the toes are solely cosmetic. Again no pun intended.

The calculations are probably wrong. I did them in my head only with the help of a calculator. I also couldn't find latex prices so I substituted smooth-on rubber costs.

RoxyRoo said:

Digigrade legs? Goodluck with that! If you're looking for a few different methods on making those, i've seen a few good tutorials on Youtube worth checking out.

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I'm hoping they work! Make or break with those babies. The reason for my design is that I want them to look semi pro, and not to use wood and tension springs. They tend to be messy and noisy when made like that.

Ahhhhh....

At last someone who likes the Ripa's design!

Your project looks awesome,and I look foward to hearing more about it!

Good Luck!

Finally, I am home. I can now address things the correct way. First off, an official THANK YOU to those with the compliments and support... which is all of you.

BTW, Capestranus, Ripa is a bad @$$, how could I not?

mustang2500 said:

Too cool. There aren't enough covenant costumes being made! How else will the great journey take place? :unsure



As for a weapon: If you want to make the energy sword transparent to glow, expect to spend a lot of cash. Acrylic/Plexi Glass sheets cost a lot. I've always wanted to make a Halo 3 Plasma rifle as well. (But you can easily get those laser tag ones, which saves a lot of time and effort but costs a lot... as well...) Or a carbine?



I bet you could somehow come up with a plasma rifle that can switch between Halo 3 and Reach versions, with the different attachments. Either way, good luck! I see a lot of spending ahead

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I know! I wanted to do something different and unique but could still be pulled off without looking like crap.

I'm thinking about using a clear thermoplastic that will be vacuformed into the shape of the sword. A design will be lightly airbrushed onto the inside back-lit with super-bright LEDs. It shouldn't be too expensive, and will hopefully look good. I like the idea of the plasma rifle (or plasma repeater!) but I don't have a good way to mount it when not holding it.

That last idea... is awesome. Though, I have no idea how to do it.



Once I'm done here, I'll start drawing up first, hand animatronic/extension and second, the head plans.

WRising said:

I know! I wanted to do something different and unique but could still be pulled off without looking like crap.

I'm thinking about using a clear thermoplastic that will be vacuformed into the shape of the sword. A design will be lightly airbrushed onto the inside back-lit with super-bright LEDs. It shouldn't be too expensive, and will hopefully look good. I like the idea of the plasma rifle (or plasma repeater!) but I don't have a good way to mount it when not holding it.

That last idea... is awesome. Though, I have no idea how to do it.

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The energy sword sounds sweet! Glad you like the plasma rifle idea. What I would do is make each main part separate, which attaches together to make the gun. (Like in my MA5C) What you could do from there is not only have the Halo 3 parts, but have stuff like the Reach version's back, the firing mech and the bottom attach to the top portion (most likely where all the electronics would go).



They're fairly similar. I could see it work.

mustang2500 said:

The energy sword sounds sweet! Glad you like the plasma rifle idea. What I would do is make each main part separate, which attaches together to make the gun. (Like in my MA5C) What you could do from there is not only have the Halo 3 parts, but have stuff like the Reach version's back, the firing mech and the bottom attach to the top portion (most likely where all the electronics would go).



They're fairly similar. I could see it work.

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I could see it work. I'm thinking a Plasma Rifle core, with Plasma Repeater attachments. If done right, you could even have complete electrical connections built in. Some pieces on the plasma rifle would need modded, but you'd get the general idea. This is a sort of mix-and-match/melting pot project. So I see nothing wrong with the plan.

I expected this update to come a whole lot sooner. That didn't happen though because I broke my tibia at soccer practice...

I did some quick and dirty sketches of the hand extension. They are not proportional in any way, but ya'll should get the gist of it. Chances are that this image will be replaced by another, cleaner one.



human hand

apparatus

elite hand/undersuit

protective cover

The apparatus will be maid primarily of metal parts, or at least that's the plan. There are rods (bones), connected to hinge joints (knuckles), that will make up the finger itself. To give it movement, the muscles -in this case for extension- are tension springs connected to "loop" screws on the top, for lack of a better term. In the case of retraction, there is a wire that is threaded through loop screws on the bottom connected to my finger. As I pull, it retracts; as a release, it extends. Luckily, elite's have only four fingers, so I need not worry about solving the whole opposable thumb problem. The protective cover will be made from a formed plastic that is mounted over the extension. This will be put in place to give the hand more shape, while protecting foam from flexing parts, and vise-versa. The exact design of the cover, however, has not been completed.



Criticism is welcomed, especially if you find a fault. Next update will include head specs.

Wow. This looks so freakin cool. Im gonna be watching this thread.

about the hand... what about your thumb?

llinformerll said:

Wow. This looks so freakin cool. Im gonna be watching this thread.

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Thanks, llinformerll!

gingersnapples said:

about the hand... what about your thumb?

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Hopefully, if space permits it, my thumb will be tucked under my palm and will control something... else. But, I'm tearing apart my controllers to figure it out.

I would be very interested in seeing if you can pull off the hand contraption. I have plans to do something similar for a Grim Reaper costume in the future.



Where in the arm would your hand be hidden? Would it be located in the palm of the Elite, or further back in the forearm?

Another idea for the hand is to do something like that Star Trek thing: Use your first two fingers for the first elite finger, your second two for the other, and use your thumb to control the two others. (Which most likely would be fixed together)

AceHigh said:

I would be very interested in seeing if you can pull off the hand contraption. I have plans to do something similar for a Grim Reaper costume in the future.



Where in the arm would your hand be hidden? Would it be located in the palm of the Elite, or further back in the forearm?

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From the pictures that I've looked at, it seems that my hand will probable be directly behind the wrist. I haven't gone extremely in depth on that part yet, so it is hard to say. The palm is a possible place for my hand, though, due to just how BIG their hands are. Now that I think about it, having my hand in the palm, assuming that can be done, would give me the ability to move my wrist, just as an elite should.

mustang2500 said:

Another idea for the hand is to do something like that Star Trek thing: Use your first two fingers for the first elite finger, your second two for the other, and use your thumb to control the two others. (Which most likely would be fixed together)

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I understand what you're getting at, but I don't think that is plausible. First off, I need my thumb to control something else, as I said earlier. Second, if I did set it up like that, I wouldn't know how. This could possibly be a fall back plan, but I don't think its my first option.

Double post but it is an update.

Drew up some rough head sketches, there's three different sketches all pertaining to specific objectives.



The first, or the left one, shows the basic set-up of the support structure. I plan on it having simple support rings connected by a vertical support much like a spine. There will be several joints, shown as circles, on the vertical support that will allow the neck to move. Every-other hinge will move in the x direction, and the others in the y, assuming a 2D view. Then there are the mandibles, rigged much the same as the support, but in only one direction.

The top sketch corresponds to the different electrical components. There will be a long throat that curves back into the neck and at the end there is a speaker. My voice, after modifying, will come through the speaker, and possible be amplified by the funnel shape of the throat. There will also be mics on either side of the head, that will lead to the headphones. Lastly, there is the camera, on the front of the head, which will lead special glasses.

The final sketch is the armor. I feel that that one is fairly self explanatory...