Duke's Custom Reach Suit Pep +photos!! *COMPLETE*

[PerniciousDuke]

Hizah
"1. What, 2. Did you see that, 3. Check out my skills, 4. Awesome, 5. What happened"
-Urban Dictionary

For those of you following this thread, we will return to our regularly scheduled broadcast shortly. Oy vey.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

Yeah lets stick w/ Urban Dictionary definition #1. #2......... Commercial break please.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Update:

Nothing exciting. I've pepped enough of one forearm to determine that it is too big. Not a lot of wasted time, but at this stage of the build I really need some motivation and this is not it.

Not a great photo, but you can see that it presses into my arm and it is already at my wrist. I think I worried too much about fitting my arm through it and not enough about how it will be once it's on me. This time I will scale it practically for wear. This time I will be using my new program ArmorSmith. My next update I'll show more about the program. Thanks for tuning in!

 

[Schankerz]

Actually, I don't know its too big just yet, in the photo that piece you have built is supposed to be facing the opposite way and goes on top of your forearm, not underneath. But if you still feel like it's to big it looks like your at a good stage to try again and get it the way you really want it.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Actually, I don't know its too big just yet, in the photo that piece you have built is supposed to be facing the opposite way and goes on top of your forearm, not underneath. But if you still feel like it's to big it looks like your at a good stage to try again and get it the way you really want it.

While I understand your reasoning, I still think it is too big. Both sides are the same length. Both sides have a similar cut out to allow for bend-ability, one for the bicep and one for the elbow. Even with the cut out, it is still pressing into my bicep and into my wrist. Pepakura is as rigid as metal when it is done, so any parts that push into my body will leave bruises. I'd like to avoid that if possible, now seems like a good opportunity to redo it.

 

[StayFrosty]

Yay! I had thought that you must have quit this project after what happened. Great to see you back at it Duke!

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Yay! I had thought that you must have quit this project after what happened. Great to see you back at it Duke!

Glad to see you back on the (new) forum as well Frosty! I have to admit it really has been a challenge to get back in the swing of things. Two weeks ago I sliced my thumb open really bad, then two days ago I cut part of the same thumb off with a mandolin slicer. Yesterday I got hit pretty hard with a really bad cold. But, All I will say is that I know it could be worse and I am glad that at the moment I am still moving forward with this build, no matter how long it takes.

Update:

I'm starting to get more familiar with this new ArmorSmith program and I really think that once it steps out of the beta it will replace our use of pepakura.

Not only can it do pretty much everything that pepakura can, but it can load multiple files at the same time allowing you to scale your pieces in proportion to each other. This is done on a virtual mannequin (avatar) which can be inputted with your dimensions. I will restate that this program is still in Beta so there are some more features that it needs, but they will come. Right now I am very happy with it and you can download the Designer version (allowing you to save your work) for $15 which is much less than it will be once fully released.

Here is my project scaled to my needs. This took me about an hour and now I can print right from the program. (note: I won't have the shoulder guard or the helmet comm)

Any suggestions on changing the size of pieces would be appreciated.

One thing I've noticed is that the further from the chest you get the axis start to get skewed as you can see in this picture of the boots. Like I said, not 100%, but it is getting there.

For more information visit these links:
Article -
Download -
Facebook -

*Please note: I do not know the creator of this program nor I am I being paid to represent it. I have just used it and wished to share.

 

[StayFrosty]

Maybe you should always wear a thimble for thumb protection That armorsmith program looks pretty cool. Once it gets to be higher res (for the armor) and fixes the bugs, you might be right about it replacing pepakura.

 

[vivalablake89]

Wow that would be pretty awesome to scale all the pieces at once, Would fix the fact that I give away at least 5 pieces of armor away every few months because they didn't fit lol. We need to discuss this further on Saturday night cause this program has me very interested.

 

[Jurassic]

Hmm, this could be quite the innovation for us busty ones :O

 

[mblackwell1002]

Duke, your chest piece looks just a teensy weensy bit too small. it might be a bit hard to fit your arms through.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Maybe you should always wear a thimble for thumb protection That armorsmith program looks pretty cool. Once it gets to be higher res (for the armor) and fixes the bugs, you might be right about it replacing pepakura.

The resolution isn't that bad. The poor image is because I was taking a picture of my monitor with my phone. Fixes are coming out all the time. I messaged him on facebook about it crashing when I tried to change the pep colors and he fixed it that night.

Wow that would be pretty awesome to scale all the pieces at once, Would fix the fact that I give away at least 5 pieces of armor away every few months because they didn't fit lol. We need to discuss this further on Saturday night cause this program has me very interested.

Same here on making too many "test" pieces. Hopefully my cold heals up by then, I don't think you'll want to talk much to me through my layers of mucus.

Hmm, this could be quite the innovation for us busty ones :O

Circumferences on the avatar have not been added *yet. But, from my knowledge it is in the line up to add.

Duke, your chest piece looks just a teensy weensy bit too small. it might be a bit hard to fit your arms through.

Thanks for the input Blackwell! The Halo chest pieces are designed to be split. The side holes are plenty big enough for my arms, but not to put on like a shirt. Foam can get away with it, but peps are usually cut under the arms and over the shoulder then secured by magnets or buckles. Is your 3d printed chest one solid piece?

 

[mblackwell1002]

mine? uhhh...It's not 3D printed. the pic in my avatar is my OLD foam MC that I built in November of last year. but my future chest piece isn't going to be in one solid piece. it's going to be in...here, let me show you. a picture is worth a thousand words:

 

[PerniciousDuke]

mine? uhhh...It's not 3D printed. the pic in my avatar is my OLD foam MC that I built in November of last year. but my future chest piece isn't going to be in one solid piece. it's going to be in...here, let me show you. a picture is worth a thousand words:
View attachment 238514

That is a lot of pieces. Are you going to ABS slurry them together? I guess I just assumed your avatar was 3d built for how crisp and detailed it is. Nice foam skills!

 

[mblackwell1002]

why, thank you, kind sir! I always appreciate compliments on my skills!

as for 3D printing; yes, I plan on using ABS slurry. I'm planning on having the chest capable of breaking down into 3/4 pieces to replicate the Halo 4 end game cinematic, where MC takes off his armor. not only because it's cool, but because it would be easier to take on/off. I had a little trouble taking off my foam armor, and if that's hard to remove...well, hardened armor will only be worse. I don't want to be swamped in my armor after a con.

 

[TheBlueDragon25]

Looking like u are back on track to some extent with work on your costume pernicious duke I hope everything starts to go a bit better for u

 

[PerniciousDuke]

why, thank you, kind sir! I always appreciate compliments on my skills!

as for 3D printing; yes, I plan on using ABS slurry. I'm planning on having the chest capable of breaking down into 3/4 pieces to replicate the Halo 4 end game cinematic, where MC takes off his armor. not only because it's cool, but because it would be easier to take on/off. I had a little trouble taking off my foam armor, and if that's hard to remove...well, hardened armor will only be worse. I don't want to be swamped in my armor after a con.

You're welcome. That sounds like a good plan.

Looking like u are back on track to some extent with work on your costume pernicious duke I hope everything starts to go a bit better for u

Thanks Dragon! I would say I am rolling again and I hope to stay that way as long as I can most likely from now through summer.

Tip for extending blade life:

I've been using a trick to extend my xacto knife* life and last night I shared it with a couple others who said it worked for their foam cutting knives as well so I thought I would make a post.

It works using the self healing cutting boards that most of us use already, the ones with the grids on them. When my Xacto knife startS making rough cuts I pull the cutting board out to the edge of the table and lay the blade against it. I lay the knife's bevel flat against the cutting mat and pull back about one to two inches applying a lot of pressure.

Note that the knife is not flat, but flat to the bevel of the knife. It is important that you maintain this angle which is why I only pull it back in 1 to 2 inch motions. Repeat this 5-6 times. Then flip the knife over and go the other way to sharpen the bevel on the other side.

This is not going to make your knife like brand new, but it will get it cutting well again. I do this several times before I throw away the knife (be sure to dispose of safely). Think of it like shaking the ink cartridge a few times before it runs out. You have to do it more often towards the end of it's life. Hope this saves some money for you guys.

*If you use a different knife just make sure you are pressing the bevel flat against the table.

I work in an industrial sharpening shop. My guess is that it is the rough, grainy like surface of the mat that is able to sharpen the blade. I first noticed this because after several hours of using the mat my pinky knuckles start to blister. Why not use it to my advantage then?

Currently working on pepping the helmet and I will definitely have pictures tomorrow.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

As promised, picture update!

Prepare yourself, there is a silly picture ahead...


I have a new sun visor! High Fashion.

I glued popsicle sticks in again to help keep the shape.

This is the first piece I've scaled using the ArmorSmith program and I think it is spot on! Here it is on top of my Halo 3 legendary helmet, which is too small. And next to my Disguise helmet which is too wide for me. Goldilocks would approve.


I should have it knocked out on Saturday. And then I think I'll move on to the thighs.

 

[SavedbyGraceG12]

Hey Duke, I was thinking why not change the threshold to 165? Unless Armor Smith doesn't have that option yet to do so. Or is the Commando helm printed out from Pepakura? A lowered threshold would save you time. Less lines to fold, and most likely less Bondo work.

 

[PerniciousDuke]

Hey Duke, I was thinking why not change the threshold to 165? Unless Armor Smith doesn't have that option yet to do so. Or is the Commando helm printed out from Pepakura? A lowered threshold would save you time. Less lines to fold, and most likely less Bondo work.

I'm pretty sure a lower threshold for fold lines means more Bondo work, but I understand the idea. Most files are set at 180 degree threshold and I change it to 175 degrees before printing. There are often what I call "phantom folds" that don't even make it all the way across the piece if you print at 180. So the advice is appreciated. I've done 165 before and I like that too.

I still print from Pepakura. ArmorSmith does not have as many features, but I am also still not very familiar with it yet. So far I am just using it to get my scaling size and then I switch over to pepakura for everything else.