Aztlan's Halo 4 Rogue + Binary Rifle + M6H + Exo-suit WIP, PIC HEAVY!

[cha0skn1ght]

::Jaw drops to the floor::
Please hold a moment while I pick my jaw up and reattach it to my face.
Seriously amazing work here.

 

[Apothacary]

Your foam work continues to baffle me. I really want to start practicing my own ability, especially since I ordered 42 sheets from Amazon (they're relatively expensive here in Canada, and Amazon.ca had them on sale for cheap + free shipping, so I bought the whole stock xD )

If only I weren't in the middle of 4 other projects...

But honestly, seeing your work is incredible inspiration. Keep it up.

Two quick questions if you done mind:

1.What kind of heat gun do you use? You posted previously that you use it on the lowest setting to avoid burning the foam. The one I have only burns the foam if I have it on high, and hold it in place for 3-4 seconds. I say one at Princess Auto here the other day, said it went up to 500 degrees. But it was 45$, so I hesitated on the purchase. I'd like to get that amazingly smooth finish you get with yours .

2. Where do you get a glue gun with a thin nozzle like that? I've looked everywhere, can't seem to find it.

 

[Harri51]

my mind...my mind!!!! she is blown so freak far away. teach us oh jedi master. lol

 

[AGENTREGENT]

I am thinking all of us Western Washingtonians should get together one day in the future and have a build pow-wow Still not Elite status, but that is a really rare thing nowadays. I checked all of the elite builds and it appears only one made it in 2013, and non so far for 2014... so I will not hold my breath! I definitely appreciate the kind comments!

A Washingtonian pep-day would be so fantastic. Maybe make a Seahawks themed squad?

 

[foxleader]

oh yeah if you do that go to a game and I'll post a video of it up.

 

[EVAkura]

Your foam work continues to baffle me. I really want to start practicing my own ability, especially since I ordered 42 sheets from Amazon (they're relatively expensive here in Canada, and Amazon.ca had them on sale for cheap + free shipping, so I bought the whole stock xD )

If only I weren't in the middle of 4 other projects...

But honestly, seeing your work is incredible inspiration. Keep it up.

Two quick questions if you done mind:

1.What kind of heat gun do you use? You posted previously that you use it on the lowest setting to avoid burning the foam. The one I have only burns the foam if I have it on high, and hold it in place for 3-4 seconds. I say one at Princess Auto here the other day, said it went up to 500 degrees. But it was 45$, so I hesitated on the purchase. I'd like to get that amazingly smooth finish you get with yours .

2. Where do you get a glue gun with a thin nozzle like that? I've looked everywhere, can't seem to find it.

Congratulations on your foam purchase! Just a quick note on that... I have now made two sizeable purchases of foam. The first was from an Amazon seller (WeSellMats.com) and was a true 3/8". It had a real nice density, and the surface was nearly flawless. For 24 sheets, I paid $90 (after their really high shipping charge of $31!), but it was very worth it. When it was time to resupply, I went on a search to find less expensive mats. I ordered from an Ebay vendor, DealGenius, 18 mats for $40. In their description, it stated it was 3/8" as well... it was not. It is 5/16" (1/16" less than 3/8") and not as dense. It also has quite a few flaws in the surface (little holes that look like air bubbles formed on the surface). With that said... it was still not a bad purchase as it still does the job quite nicely. I just wanted to let you know there is a difference even though they look to be the same.

The heat gun I have is a Black and Decker brand. Details can be found here. It was less than $30 (US) with free shipping and the dual temp ranges are 750 and 1000F. I guess I only use it on low because it works better for me, and does not threaten to trip my breaker (My studio's wiring sucks, and I tend to run too many appliances on a single circuit because I still don't know which outlets are on which circuit!).

The glue gun is a different beast all together. I believe you can purchase different tips for just about any glue gun (if yours has the ability to change them out that is). But, to answer your question, the tip (along with 3 other styles) came with my gun. It is a butane powered gun made be Master Appliance. Model information is: PortaPro GG-100 and the kit (carrying case and has the different tips + canister of butane) is GG-100K. It uses the standard butane recharge canisters (fairly inexpensive and lasts quite a while if you do like I do and turn it off between uses). Each charge lasts about 15-20 minutes and I get a bunch of charges, maybe 40 or so, from each canister. I bought mine after days of searching from some little hole-in-the-wall store in the town where I formerly lived. I found them on Amazon really easily and the price is about $55USD for the kit. One hint I will add if you or anyone else looks into purchasing this glue gun: The reviews I read on Amazon on this gun are deceiving. It seems most of the negative reviews came from ignitor issues. I will admit that the ignitor is not the best and does not light EVERY time the FIRST time, but if I angle it just right and look through the vent hole on the right side of it, I will see whether or not it is lit. I just keep pressing the igniter until I see the pilot light fire up (usually 3-4 times) and hold it for 3-5 seconds after it has fired up. I then make sure the coil glows red after that. It is a habit I have now, and is automatic... I don't even think about it when I do it. Also, we have had this gun for over a year without any issues.

Anyways... I am still planning out my live broadcast, as well as a few more videos... so I will update y'all when that happens

Edit for Photo update:

I have now glued all of the major pieces together. I still have a couple of pieces to craft, but they should be relatively easy. My only hurdle I have left to overcome is the visor. It fits, but it has to be bent so much that when it is installed in the helmet, it causes it to bow out too much. I am currently thinking of my options. So far, I have come up with the idea of an aluminum brace idea which will hold the visor in the correct position and not let it bow, or possible some form of fiberglass brace. Not sure yet, but I have a while to go with this before that point. Right now, I am just going to brace the helmet with a bit more heavy gauge wire to get it at the correct width before I go onto hardening with PVA. Anyways... here is a photo update:











I also have a couple of places yet to go back over and secure some seams that are a bit out of place... but other than that, I am really happy with the way this is progressing

 

[Guard1an]

I went through this entire thread 7 times, every pic is just more ridiculous then the last, beyond amazing detail with foam, you sir are truly gifted !!! please keep us posted on anything you decide to toss in this thread lol, and great tutorial videos as well !! thank you for teaching and inspiring us !!

 

[EVAkura]

I went through this entire thread 7 times, every pic is just more ridiculous then the last, beyond amazing detail with foam, you sir are truly gifted !!! please keep us posted on anything you decide to toss in this thread lol, and great tutorial videos as well !! thank you for teaching and inspiring us !!

Holy wow! I don't think I have gone through my own thread 7 times yet!!! LOL. Thank you!!!

Okay, I have not figured out how to notify my subscribers on my YouTube yet so my only way to reach out to everyone is through this thread.

I will be hosting a live web feed on this Friday, Feb 28th at 4pm Pacific time (UTC -8hrs). This is an open invitation and will be hosted on my YouTube channel (If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel, you should get a notification soon).

During this webcast, I will be starting the torso of the Halo 4 Master Chief. I have already printed out the converted for foam pep files, and have started mapping out the parts (this will be included in the live cast). There are a ton of modifications that I will be making to - what seems to be considered the traditional way - this template.

Giving credit (because it is important to acknowledge those that have put in their hard work), I will be using KingRahl's Model and Unfold, and Coolc's edit for foam file.

Now all I have to do is get the set ready, and go do a bunch of shopping for resupply (yay, I finally get the materials needed to complete the Exo-suit as well!!!)

Hope to see you there!

 

[elusch99]

Dang it! Every time I start to get proud of my own work, someone comes along and just blows it out of the water! But seriously, REALLY nice job. Excuse me while I fill in the crater my jaw just created on the floor.

By the way, whatever happened to the Rouge build?

 

[AWACS89]

Will this live feed be recorded? I'd like to watch it live, but I will sadly be working till 9 or later and will be missing this.

 

[EVAkura]

Dang it! Every time I start to get proud of my own work, someone comes along and just blows it out of the water! But seriously, REALLY nice job. Excuse me while I fill in the crater my jaw just created on the floor.

By the way, whatever happened to the Rouge build?

Thank you! The Rogue has been put on hold until the weather warms up enough to reliably cure the Rondo stage. I am keeping myself busy with these other builds and videos to maintain my sanity!! Next to be finished will be the Exo-suit, which is a part of the Rogue set... so I kind of still am working on it

Will this live feed be recorded? I'd like to watch it live, but I will sadly be working till 9 or later and will be missing this.

I believe it will be recorded. I did a test earlier and it did post it on my YouTube channel afterwards... but that was only a one minute test. I am not certain it will record hours worth of broadcast. I think I read somewhere that it will, but it will only be available for 24 hours after the feed is over. This is all new to me and I am kind of diving in head-first It is loads of fun, but the preparation is tedious and time intensive. It will all be worth it if people take away something new though!

Just as a push in case this reply takes it to the next page...


I will be hosting a live web feed on this Friday, Feb 28th at 4pm Pacific time (UTC -8hrs). This is an open invitation and will be hosted on my YouTube channel (If you are subscribed to my YouTube channel, you should get a notification soon).

During this webcast, I will be starting the torso of the Halo 4 Master Chief. I have already printed out the converted for foam pep files, and have started mapping out the parts (this will be included in the live cast). There are a ton of modifications that I will be making to - what seems to be considered the traditional way - this template.

Giving credit (because it is important to acknowledge those that have put in their hard work), I will be using KingRahl's Model and Unfold, and Coolc's edit for foam file.

Now all I have to do is get the set ready, and go do a bunch of shopping for resupply (yay, I finally get the materials needed to complete the Exo-suit as well!!!)

Hope to see you there!

 

[Mstruvmgc]

well righteous, i might be able to see like the first hour before i have bowling league lol.
Looking forward to it. Is there anything special that we need to click on to watch it or do we just go to your youtube channel? I am subscribed to it so i wasnt sure.
Thanks again

 

[EVAkura]

I believe you will need to go to my channel and click on the Live Event link there (My Channel can be found here)

I have a pretty good layout so I should get quite a bit done in the first hour (knock on wood!). I spend 12 hours prepping my foam for this, and let me tell you... it was a BEAST trying to decipher this file! But more on that later!

 

[Apothacary]

Thanks for the response EVAkura. I know all about different quality of foam pieces, the stuff my spartan suit is made from came from Walmart, and was full of air bubbles :/. The "we sell mats" page on amazon.com unfortunately doesn't ship to Canada, but 42 mats should last me a while, so I'll worry about it when I run ow haha.

Hope to tune in to the livestream and watch a master at work

 

[EVAkura]

Thanks for the response EVAkura. I know all about different quality of foam pieces, the stuff my spartan suit is made from came from Walmart, and was full of air bubbles :/. The "we sell mats" page on amazon.com unfortunately doesn't ship to Canada, but 42 mats should last me a while, so I'll worry about it when I run ow haha.

Hope to tune in to the livestream and watch a master at work

Um, yeah, 42 2'x2' mats should last a nice, long time! Too bad that they don't ship to Canada too, they just put their mats on a 50% off sale!

I hope you tune in as well! It's getting down to the wire for time right now.... just less than 2 hours 'till showtime!

 

[EVAkura]

Okey dokey,

First, I would like to apologize for the major SNAFU in yesterday's live feed for those of you who joined in. But, I learned a lot, and will be doing it again soon. I will be calling on a few of you who offered help, because not being able to see your chat was infuriating, frustrating, and to be honest, threw me off so bad that I completely lost my train of thought! Next time, I will have cue cards and a list of things to cover... as well as the chat function will be fixed! (I think Zoomer was correct in the fact that it was going through Google Hangout... at least, that is where I was with my chat!)

I hope that anyone that joined in at least learned something though And also, my theory WORKED! I have nearly completed the "jet packs" (or whatever they are) and did it in just FOUR pieces (two of which are minor detail pieces)! In the pictures, the light gray is the silicon I am using to seal the hairline seams left behind. They came out better than I expected. I was looking to have nice rolling curves like the item was made of stamped metal instead of hard angles.

Also, a little funny for y'all. Next time, I will pre-build the item so that I am familiar with it! I realized afterwards while looking at the file in Pepakura, I had glued some of the parts in reverse angles to what they should have been! MAN, I was freaking out trying to figure out why things were not aligning up correctly... I hope that didn't show too badly during the feed!

Anyways, here are a couple of shots of the parts I was "attempting" to work on!



And the reverse angle



I will keep you all up to date with when the next live feed will be.

EDIT: Ok, so it was not a COMPLETE waste of time to build those parts. At least I found out what I did and I have a decent scale. I did not do my research beforehand by looking at reference pictures and comparing them to the pep file.

This torso piece, to me, is completely unacceptable. I figured I would build it, then make the minor modifications and additions to make it accurate (at least semi-accurate). Unfortunately, within 5 minutes of comparing what I have to reference pictures I finally looked up, I feel I need to start over and do it on my own and freehand. I will keep you all up to date with this new venture. I will set the current ones aside and use them for size reference, then complete them later for someone's Halloween costume or something

 

[Shadowind]

Very nice build. I can only hope that my work with foam in the future turns out half as good as yours.

 

[Artifice]

The project looks really well done, I do have to say that the pepakura helmet ( orange lens ) must have sucked up a lot of ink ?

 

[EVAkura]

Very nice build. I can only hope that my work with foam in the future turns out half as good as yours.

Thank you

The project looks really well done, I do have to say that the pepakura helmet ( orange lens ) must have sucked up a lot of ink ?

Nope, not a single smidgen or drop! Toner on the other hand, I am sure it took up a fair amount, but we would have to ask the print shop about that. Joking aside, I started printing on my own printer, and the quality of the imagery took a serious nose dive. But, I can't justify the cost difference.

Anyways, I have taken a break with the Master Chief and bounced back to the Exo-suit. If you keep up with my posts, you may have noticed I do a lot of bouncing around with my projects. This is for several reasons. One of the main ones is that I need time to figure out how exactly I want to proceed with a troublesome part. I try not to just rush in, and give each challenge a good amount of thought. The others would be; lack of materials; and the need to have something fresh in front of me.

Today, I tackled one part of the Exo-suit that had me apprehensive. The upper thigh area, both front and back. I finished up the front of the left side, and have the parts cut out and formed for the right. Now all I will need to do is finish up the backs, then join them to the boots and the torso, then create the butt piece and it should be completed... minus paint of course.

Here is what I have for today... one simple shot

 

[gin tekidan]

I gotta say, your attention to detail is insurmountable. EVAkura is truly a perfect handle for you but I think you need a -Sama or Guru attached to it. I like seeing no detailed stone unturned in a project and the way you've taken a material like foam and made it form to your will is amazing. I'm still sticking with bondo for my first suit, but you've made this art a goal of mine in the near future. Looking forward to warmer weather to see what you do with that Rogue.