ReclaimerODST
New Member
Hello all! This is my first post for my first ever attempt at a cosplay. I’ll be working to put together a very game-accurate Halo 2 Anniversary ODST with a small Sunray twist in the paintjob. Shoutout to CYNE 739 for encouraging me to start my own thread here and being a great wingman for this build, as well as SpartanSweed for inspiration and some kind words. Check them both out if you haven’t already!
My major goals are to maintain the most details from the in-game model and cutscene renders as possible, namely through making all of the “undersuit” details myself. This includes the waist and shoulder drapes, the ribbing along the arms and legs, hand-making every bag on the uniform, and a number of other tiny details throughout. I do say this as a complete amateur with very little 3D printing OR sewing experience, so temper expectations lol.
I’m making this thread after already doing a portion of the costume, so I’ll go ahead and drop some of my progress pictures here for all to see. (Apologies for the vertical photos, these were mostly taken with Instagram in mind!)
The Uniform
Jumping straight in, I needed to make the uniform underneath all the extras. A lot of consideration was put into making the BDU completely from scratch, since the camo used in-game basically doesn’t really exist. Based on my lack of skills, I eventually gave into the easy way of starting with a ready-made uniform, and this will hopefully be the biggest compromise of the build. However, this dark green camo isn’t incredibly far off, and will pair nicely with the eventual orange accents, so I’m not terrible unhappy here. Maybe one day I can return and redo this part, since it’s the easiest step of the process anyways.
Here, I simply took an Army style BDU, removed all the pockets I wouldn’t be needing, and added the cosmetic ribbing along the sides. Although in-universe it’s likely a leather material, for ease of care and comfort I opted for a simple pleated polyester that I think looks the part very nicely.
I drew out the shapes as best I could with a chalk pencil straight on the arms and legs, then used permanent fabric adhesive to attach them. For added support and to enhance the appearance, I then hand-stitched around the perimeter. This was a pretty long process, but not difficult at all.
The Drapes
These are still a work in progress, and now we’re catching up to where I’m currently at in the process. There isn’t much to say here different than the uniform. I put everything together, drew out the shapes, and after a lot of cutting and shaping and recutting, I was able to find a result I’m happy with.
After cutting the flat shape seen below, I realized I’m a dummy and hadn’t accounted for the bend at the shoulder, so I split the design and re-sewed it, and I think it looks great! The best hexagon material I could find only came in white, so I’ll be dying it the proper shade of grey once it’s all finished and sewn up.
The hip drapes are a bit of a different story, as I don’t have the bags as reference, but I compared their shape and location to other details on the uniform and features of the body to get the form right. I kept these as one long piece of material to stay true to the reference, and in the photo I’ve pinned on a buckle to see how it sits.
Eventually, this will connect with somewhat of a harness that will carry multiple parts of the costume together for easier suit-up. (At least that’s the plan so far!)
The Armor
Of course, an ODST needs its iconic armor. The whole reason everyone loves them, their iconic introduction to the franchise as badass, beefed up soldiers dropping down side-by-side with the chief!
I’m 3D printing all of the armor, using the files from TitleWaveDesigns. He makes absolutely gorgeous models that are incredibly accurate, and have a lot of detail put into them to emphasize ease of construction and comfort. He’s also just a really nice guy! Everyone should check him out for any models you need. The only “custom” work I’ve done to the models was cutting out a hole in the helmet flashlight to fit a real one inside, done simply inside OrcaSlicer.
I’ve currently finished printing the helmet, shoulders, and the entire chest piece. Within a week I should have the shins finished, and I’ll get started on the long journey of sanding, finishing, and painting it all.
Thank you to anyone that’s read through to here! I’ll try to keep up with this thread, as well as continue sending updates to my instagram @reclaimercreations. ✌
My major goals are to maintain the most details from the in-game model and cutscene renders as possible, namely through making all of the “undersuit” details myself. This includes the waist and shoulder drapes, the ribbing along the arms and legs, hand-making every bag on the uniform, and a number of other tiny details throughout. I do say this as a complete amateur with very little 3D printing OR sewing experience, so temper expectations lol.
I’m making this thread after already doing a portion of the costume, so I’ll go ahead and drop some of my progress pictures here for all to see. (Apologies for the vertical photos, these were mostly taken with Instagram in mind!)
The Uniform
Jumping straight in, I needed to make the uniform underneath all the extras. A lot of consideration was put into making the BDU completely from scratch, since the camo used in-game basically doesn’t really exist. Based on my lack of skills, I eventually gave into the easy way of starting with a ready-made uniform, and this will hopefully be the biggest compromise of the build. However, this dark green camo isn’t incredibly far off, and will pair nicely with the eventual orange accents, so I’m not terrible unhappy here. Maybe one day I can return and redo this part, since it’s the easiest step of the process anyways.
Here, I simply took an Army style BDU, removed all the pockets I wouldn’t be needing, and added the cosmetic ribbing along the sides. Although in-universe it’s likely a leather material, for ease of care and comfort I opted for a simple pleated polyester that I think looks the part very nicely.
I drew out the shapes as best I could with a chalk pencil straight on the arms and legs, then used permanent fabric adhesive to attach them. For added support and to enhance the appearance, I then hand-stitched around the perimeter. This was a pretty long process, but not difficult at all.
The Drapes
These are still a work in progress, and now we’re catching up to where I’m currently at in the process. There isn’t much to say here different than the uniform. I put everything together, drew out the shapes, and after a lot of cutting and shaping and recutting, I was able to find a result I’m happy with.
After cutting the flat shape seen below, I realized I’m a dummy and hadn’t accounted for the bend at the shoulder, so I split the design and re-sewed it, and I think it looks great! The best hexagon material I could find only came in white, so I’ll be dying it the proper shade of grey once it’s all finished and sewn up.
The hip drapes are a bit of a different story, as I don’t have the bags as reference, but I compared their shape and location to other details on the uniform and features of the body to get the form right. I kept these as one long piece of material to stay true to the reference, and in the photo I’ve pinned on a buckle to see how it sits.
Eventually, this will connect with somewhat of a harness that will carry multiple parts of the costume together for easier suit-up. (At least that’s the plan so far!)
The Armor
Of course, an ODST needs its iconic armor. The whole reason everyone loves them, their iconic introduction to the franchise as badass, beefed up soldiers dropping down side-by-side with the chief!
I’m 3D printing all of the armor, using the files from TitleWaveDesigns. He makes absolutely gorgeous models that are incredibly accurate, and have a lot of detail put into them to emphasize ease of construction and comfort. He’s also just a really nice guy! Everyone should check him out for any models you need. The only “custom” work I’ve done to the models was cutting out a hole in the helmet flashlight to fit a real one inside, done simply inside OrcaSlicer.
I’ve currently finished printing the helmet, shoulders, and the entire chest piece. Within a week I should have the shins finished, and I’ll get started on the long journey of sanding, finishing, and painting it all.
Thank you to anyone that’s read through to here! I’ll try to keep up with this thread, as well as continue sending updates to my instagram @reclaimercreations. ✌
