edwardjlw's Halo 4 Master Chief - Scratch build

[edwardjlw]

Had a couple spare hours and decided to throw together some boots. I really like how they turned out - they look good, and because I built the boots using an old pair of running shoes as a base, they're very comfy and just slip right onto my foot I realised after I finished them that I will have to mask off the actual shoes when I paint the armour plating green, but that shouldn't be an issue anyway.


Anyway here they are:

The running shoes they are based on had some slick looking patterns on them already, which I left showing on the un-plated parts of the boots.

And on an unrelated side note, the electronics for my helmet have all arrived, except for my other battery holder. Not sure why that one's taking so long.

That's all for now, I'm hoping to buckle down and finish the left thigh this weekend. Once that is complete, I will just have to assemble the right leg, then the building phase will be over (save for some minor detailing and modifications of earlier pieces). Thanks for takin a look

 

[edwardjlw]

Time for a minor update.

I'm slowly nearing the end of actually putting the armour together and I'll begin resining soon. Until then, I have to finish the right leg, as well as a few touch ups on the pieces I've already done.
I spent a good 4 or so hours today working on the thighs, I think they're shaping up pretty well. The left one is complete, and the right one is in the process of being assembled as I type this. I'm really satisifed with the detail in this piece, especially the thicker bits of foam which give the armour a bit more depth and complexity. Anyway here it is:

Here's what they started as.

And finaly I found this pic and thought I might as well post it here, I think this is the old helmet but whatever

I've gotta say I really love working with foam. If I ever do an ODST build down the track (or even something outside the halo universe D: ) I'd love to have a crack at an all foam build.

Anyways that's all for now, hoping to be finished building by next weekend

 

[Kamatize]

Cant wait to see the finished build next weekend. I will be on the look out.

 

[edwardjlw]

Kamatize, I should have clarified; I intended to have all the armour pieces built this weekend, ready to resin by next week. There's no way the whole build will be finished (much as I'd like it to be )

Woooh! Currently waiting on the first layer of resin on my helmet to cure! First time I've worked with the stuff, but it seemed to go smoothly. I also slapped some resin on a quick test piece of foam and hot glue, to see how it interacts with these. I've heard horror stories of peoples work falling apart because the resin melted the hot glue D: . Quick question, I was using a respirator at all times, though I could still pick up the smell of the resin. Was just wondering if this is normal, or something to be worried about. Sorry this might sound dumb but I'm very paranoid about this stuff.

Anyway, while it's curing I figured I can make some progress on the rest of the suit. I'm planning to get started on either the assault rifle or magnum this weekend (probably the magnum) and I intend to scratch build both of them. I'm actually quite keen for this as I've made quite a few prop weapons before. There's also some bits of armour here and there that I want to modify slightly. The biceps and shoulders, in particular, need a little work building up a bit more depth. Oh. And the knee pads. I'd better get those done as well. Can't have Master Chief dawdling around without anything covering up his knees D: Anyway once these are done they'll be ready to glass next week when the holidays start.

Will hopefully get some pics up tomorrow or Monday when the helmet's glassed and the armour's done, so I guess I'll see you then :cool

 

[edwardjlw]

Time for a big update

The helmet's complete!

Here it is, the finished helmet. Hard to believe that this time last week the helmet was a just flimsy paper model. I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out, especially the paintjob. The photos really don't really do it justice IMO, but what can you do? Let me know what you think of my first ever halo bucket

First I had to pick up some supplies

Then I moved on to resin, fibreglass and body filler. This was my first time working with this stuff, and I was amazed how stiff the fibreglass gets.

I was really excited when it came time to start painting. I may be a newbie at halo armour, but painting is something I'm real comfortable with. I began with primer, followed by 2 coats of the base green colour. I then did a black wash all over, scuffing and smudging with an old rag. finaly I dry-brushed all the metallic paint around the edges to give it that worn look. I mean, the Master Chief's saved the galaxy on numerous occasions, right? So I wanted his experience to show in the armour

And then there was LIGHT! I went for blue LEDs for style rather than clear, but they're still quite bright.

A bit of an insight into the wiring and padding. The LEDs are all wired in a parallel circuit with they're own switch, while the fan in the front of the helmet is wired to the same power with its own switch.

Also, the school holidays have arrived! Hopefully I'll have enough time to get this armour finished over the next two weeks, but there's no rush.

So, where do I stand with rest of the build? Well, the helmet's now completed. The torso has been fibreglassed, and the second main coat of paint is drying at the moment. Tomorrow I'll weather and detail the torso, and also split it and install the buckles and padding (if I have enough). As far as I'm aware, the helmet is the only piece of the Halo 4 suit with lights. At some stage in the next few days I'll be able to fibreglass the remaining pieces and will paint them throughout the week. I also have the templates for my assault rifle and magnum ready to print.

On a final note, only 49 days until supanova. Thanks for looking

 

[U513]

this build is motoring along mate! Loving the helmet! ...still cant believe you built that chest piece out of card.

 

[morkar78]

Great work!

 

[Motion26]

Love your helmets paint job, it really looks authentically worn.

 

[edwardjlw]

Update timmme!

So, before I start, I'd like to say that I had this entire post typed out, then chrome crashed. And Auto save... ugh... didn't save... sad face

Anyway, time for some good news! I've got all the armour done, including paint! Yay! At the moment, I am fitting the armour to my body, filling it with padding and whatnot. I also put together a simple belt system to hold the thighs in place. Once all this is done I'll begin work on the undersuit. On top of all this, I've been working on my AR as a fun little side project. Wow. I've been busy O_O

Anyway, here's some pictures of me wearing the armour. Sorry for the poor quality, I'll shoot some decent pics in good light when this things done, I promise!

So uhh... obviously that's not me in the suit... moving on...

The Assault Rifle seen in these pics can be seen in more detail! Click here!

A close up of the spine, templates were requested so I'll get some up for everyone to use if they wish

The thighs, with the belt attached

So, that's all for now. Tomorrow I'll try and finish up fitting the suit, and maybe even begin on the undersuit. Also would like to finish my AR.

Until next time guys

 

[tabris89]

this build is absolutely amazing man the level of detail here is waaayyy up there with the pro's btw, reckon you could through up a diagram or something of how you got your helmet wired? i just picked up some stuffs myself from jaycar, but its been forever since i did electronics and im in need of help
hope your ready for Supanova im hoping to have mine done for next years Supanova, and the Comicon headed to NSW

happy building man!

 

[edwardjlw]

Thanks man, it means a lot

In regards to diagrams, I'd be happy to draw some up, but I'll have to wait till tomorrow, I'm a little on the tired side right now and I don't wanna screw it up haha

 

[lizerb]

Wow man that looks amazing! I would totally love to have the wiring diagram as well.

 

[SIKAXIS]

Wow this looks really Good . I am very impressed with your foamwork. I like your visor but it looks like you used some kind of spray paint on the inside . if visibility is an issue you could try using krylon looking glass paint on the visor which would give it a mirror-like effect and the color would just be the color of the plastic of the visor. I have seen some videos that have proved looking glass' effeciency .

 

[edwardjlw]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, it really helps keep me motivated

No big update, just posting some wiring diagrams and spine templates for those that requested them

First up, here are the wiring diagrams. Not the neatest things but they give you an outline of what I did. Keep in mind there are a lot of factors that will affect which bits of electronics you will use and how it will be wired up, so take this as a general guide (I used 4 x 3.2V Blue LEDs, each with it's own 68 ohm resistor, a battery pack holding 3 x 1.5V AA batteries, and a 5V fan). Everything is wired up as a parallel circuit.

The first pic's a bit of a general guide (note: with only one LED wired up, more can be added in a similar fashion). The second pic is a somewhat "proper" wiring diagram. Here is a link to a website for figuring out the resistance required for your setup.

Next up, the spine templates. I freehanded the pieces then traced the template, as such these won't be 100% accurate. This is more of a combination of accuracy and what I think looks cool, but it looks very similar to the actual spine detail seen of the back of the chief. I had someone request these but I thought I'd just post em here. Keep in mind the templates are just a basic outline, so you will have to add detail yourself, but if you look at the picture of what I came up with it's pretty easy.

So that's all for now. If you have any questions about any of this I'd be happy to help. Hopefully someone can make good use out of these things.

 

[Levity]

Good to see another fellow Australian on the site. Great build, looking forward to seeing your progress.

 

[tabris89]

PERFECT!! those diagrams simple as they are, are exactly what i needed thanks man!! maybe ill PM you and you can get my switches working for me

@Levity - Sup Sydney Sider

 

[robospartan]

comes together very nicely

 

[edwardjlw]

Hey guys! Just a quick update on my progress!

First of all, I just wanted to bring something up. I was looking through the threads in the noob forum and saw that my post had gone down from a 5 to 3 star rating. No biggie, everyone has their own opinions. But I looked further, and the thread only had two ratings. One had to be a five star, which means to get an average of three, someone would have had to have rated my thread as one star (terrible). Now, that's fine, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and such, but if you are going to call my piece of work that I have poured hours of my time into "terrible", I would appreciate it if you at least had the decency to tell me what was wrong so that it could be improved. I appreciate feedback, but if you don't tell me what's wrong, how can I make my work better?

Now that that's out of the way, progress will be a little slower from now on. I'm now back at school and as such study and assignments take first priority. I'm also going away next weekend and will not be able to do any work on the suit. The rowing season's also starting back up, which takes up a significant chunk of my life. To make matters worse, I just ordered GTA 5 -_- .

Anywho, I still have 3 weekends before Supanova (excluding the one I'm away) and I'm confidant I should be able to finish before then. All that's left is to do my undersuit. I found a piece of mesh with a nice hexagonal pattern, which I will use as a stencil to spray on the pattern to the fabric of my undergarments. From there, I will sew it together with foam and other fabrics to achieve the look of the halo 4 undersuit (Well, that's the plan, here's to hoping it all works out). Apart from this I will have to spray up my Assault rifle. If I have time, I'm also hoping to get my magnum done, but getting the costume done takes first priority

Officially less than one month until my deadline, wish me luck guys . Let's hope I can pull this thing off!

 

[DD117]

This is very impressive! And to think cardboard is and option too! How did you get it to look accurate when you put it on, I mean up to scale.

 

[DoctorFang]

Wow, haven't been to over to look at this build in a while... And man does it look good! When I first saw your build, I seriously questioned to use of cardboard, as it can get really flimsy or bad looking when it's painted, and if it isn't done right you can still see the texture. Looking at it now, I can't even tell parts of it are cardboard. It's looking great, and I hope you have a good time at supernova. Keep up the good work!