Elite Costume Project

[leegrisham]

Preface: I am going to start planning on a project to make an Elite Costume. I have done some research on these forums and there have been attempts but I didn't see anyone here who had actually competed the task. I don't need any - no pics no progress no post - responses. I just need a little help and opinions/suggestions from the expert costumers here at the 405th. While I am still currently working on MK VI I want to plan ahead on my next project of Elite armor.

First lets study the Elite itself.

Evolution of the Elite:
Halo 1 to Halo 3:
Red Line Represents Eras

Model stays pretty consistent.
One major thing I notice though is that it looks like the knee went from a backwards bend knee to a more human looking knee. Thus making a Halo 3 Elite more plausible for costuming without having to craft a special leg joint.
Elite w/o Armor:
This the Arbiter in Halo 2 the only reference I can think of with a de-armored elite.

Elite anatomy:
Large ferocious aliens. The only humans comparable are SPARTANs. The Elites are ~ 7ft tall and strong as all get out. Have a quadruple jaw, long neck, four fingers, hoof like feet, hunched stature (in armor, however the arbiter walks straight and upright in the cut scene above) and (less so now) oddly jointed knee.
Elite armor is in appearance just plates that cover the body - not powered suits like SPARTANs.
When you watch the Arbiter walk in the cut scene his knees look and function just like a human so I think the odd joint was evolved away by halo 2.

Breakdown of Elite Armor:
Helmet: Designed to cover the cranium, also has adornments to enhance the ascetic of the elite - varies depending on elite rank.
Chest: Looks like a vest - to put it simply. Large hump on the back - is unknown the purpose maybe it is shields and electrical housings.
Bicep, forearm, thigh: thighs - Just some plates over the body maybe small strip around back, forearms wrap around, biceps cover body. - Halo 3 ref. most of this armor looks similar to the chief's -
Shin: Wrap around plating
Hoof: Small armor piece between "toes"
No Butt/Cod piece and No Hand plates.

So now the "How To" to making it:
I want to focus on the armor and plating itself first off. If I could find some pep files it would be great. Just a basic elite pep pack. It looks like all the elite armor is build off the basic armor - just like MC. So a basic armor and then if I wanted to make a special helm that could come later.
I don't imagine there will be any pep available so I have all ready thought about just modifing the pep files for the chief.
Bicep: A few snips cuts, add some looking things and specialized smoothing and detailing will transfer a MC to an Elite.
Forearm: A little specialized smoothing and detailing.
Thigh: Flip MCs upside down turn it to where the majority faces forward - trim it up viola, then smooth accordingly.
Shin: Scale properly turn around backwards, snip and cut accordingly - then invoke magical smoothing and detailing.
Chest and Helm will obviously have to be custom made.
The Helm I hope can be made to include the mandibles and face.
The hoofs will also probably be custom creations.

I will not attempt to make a special knee joint because the elites no longer seem to have them.
I might attempt to increase my height, I'm not making my self a large SPARTAN so neither will I for Elite - I'll just be a short SPARTAN and a short Elite.
I might make working jaws.
I may attempt a neck modification and will look through fabrics to find something to make a nice skin/under suit.

Please feel free to comment. I look forward to planning and creating this.

Edit: Correct - incorrectness in my picture.
Edit2: Found Elite Pack in Download Database: Page 2 Posted by Garland
http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3144&st=20
Edit3: Changed what I will and wont be doing to what I might and might not be doing thanks to input and ideas from everyone.

 

[NuggetWarmer]

Just so you know, that first pic has both Halo 2 elites, not Halo 1 and Halo 3 elites. Good luck on the project.

 

[Zenzeigan]

I dont know about elites, but arbiter pep is available

 

[MysticLegend]

A fellow Elite eh? Awesome, and you will prob finish your costume before me since I keep getting new projects tossed in front of it.

So.....
1. Actually, the Elites still do have their digitigrade legs all the way through Halo 3. As seen below, every Elite in the picture except the Arbiter clearly bends in two directions. One thing that did change though is the hooves/toes. Whereas in Halo 1&2 they were hooves, the armor in Halo 3 makes it seem as though the Elites now have toes. Can anyone say weird?

As for everything else, you've done a lot of planning, so yay. I've done the same, so if you ever need any help, just let me know; I'll do my best. As for pep files someone was working on a combat Elite perm, so it may be finished by now.

 

[Bad Blood]

I dont know about elites, but arbiter pep is available

i thought he was doing elites not the arbiter. The arbiter has different armor doesnt he, or atleast some different variation. The arbiter is used for skin detail and stuff im guess. Good luck on the project, wasn't there someone that was also working on an elite costume?

 

[Zenzeigan]

i thought he was doing elites not the arbiter. The arbiter has different armor doesnt he, or atleast some different variation. The arbiter is used for skin detail and stuff im guess. Good luck on the project, wasn't there someone that was also working on an elite costume?

the arbiter armor is low detail, so if you did make it, you would have to bondo it like hell, and i mean, if the detail is so low, it could easily be edited to look like elite armour, it should be used for the base, then add extras on it to give it the elite look

his armour is different but technically, he is an elite, so his body will be the same shape as an elite, so the arbiter pep would be best for starting off, then working on it to make it look "elite"

 

[leegrisham]

Just so you know, that first pic has both Halo 2 elites, not Halo 1 and Halo 3 elites. Good luck on the project.

Made new pic for correctiveness. The white Elite that was in the first pic was a H3 for sure because he has flight shoulders.

I dont know about elites, but arbiter pep is available

Yeah I would really like some Elite pep but I can't make it so I'll probably have to use what is available.

 

[Zenzeigan]

elite armor is pretty simple though, maybe not to wear, but to make from scratch, i would make the arbiter armour, just so you can get the pieces the right shape, then add the details to make it elite, but personally, arbiter is my fav

 

[leegrisham]

@MysticLegend

I see that the arbiter has more human like joints which makes me believe the rest must have it too, looking at some of the photos it's hard to tell, some look that way some don't. I'm not sure what it is but either way with some creative armor making I believe I can make the back calf (lower leg) look how it should.

I'm going to be doing a lot of studying, homework and planning before I kick this off.

@All
I'm wanting to just a normal/combat Elite.
If anyone knows about those pep files please clue me in!

I don't particularly like Arby (as a character or the way his armor looks)

 

[Seno Ypsamee]

elite armor is pretty simple though, maybe not to wear, but to make from scratch, i would make the arbiter armour, just so you can get the pieces the right shape, then add the details to make it elite, but personally, arbiter is my fav

I agree, though I actually have the full set of low detail Elite armor. I think I found it in the download database. Though it's not really detailed, it'll be a good base. You see, us Sangheili need the armor we have for our odd shaped necks. Human necks aren't like ours, so you would have to find a way to make yours like ours...

 

[Zenzeigan]

well, i hope it comes out well, personally, im gonna make an arbiter helmet, just cos ive been inspired by videos on youtube for the last half an hour

 

[leegrisham]

Found the armor pack, the shins are very basic.

Thanks to everyone for their input!

I'm going to do some more study now that I have some models.

 

[Zenzeigan]

hey, just thought of an idea, seeing as the elites skin is like asll, reptile like n stuff, prehaps you could make the undersuit from sleeves n stuff, heres what ill do for the arbiter suit

get a hella of alot of socks (i have hundereds of black socks that i dont want because they have holes in them)

put them on me, and go over the whole thing with a glue gun, or using the hot glue mthod, (must think of a way for it not to burn me while i do it though)

then paint it black, or whatever the elite skin is,, the hot glue will give it the "reptile" skin look hopefully, and if its done well, the socks will stretch and be flexible, ill be using this

ill just cut up the socks that dont fit my arms and legs and sew them together to make one for my body

hopefully this works, im going to post this same thing on keegans topic on his arbiter armor too, if it works, ill definately be making a tutorial, hope i helped

 

[Skie]

Something a lot of people miss is that Elites armour actually includes an undersuit. You can see on the naked arbiter that his skin texture is totally different than when he is wearing armour.

Even more obvious in Halo3 is that he actually has a pattern on his suit.

So you dont need to bother trying to get the skin right, anything will do really.

Great to see another elite

 

[Zenzeigan]

Something a lot of people miss is that Elites armour actually includes an undersuit. You can see on the naked arbiter that his skin texture is totally different than when he is wearing armour.

Even more obvious in Halo3 is that he actually has a pattern on his suit.

So you dont need to bother trying to get the skin right, anything will do really.

Great to see another elite

ummm... really?


DAMN, oh well... ima try this anyway, does arbiter have an undersuit though, because im not making an elite suit, im making an arby one istead, i dont think he does have done because after he gets tortured or whatever, he puts the arbiter helmet on after that, and hes naked when he puts that helmet on, im pretty sure he doesnt have an undersuit, if he does however, ill just paint the skin that im mkaing black..., just to add the elite element to it anyway


EDIT, my technique = fail, i couldnt get it off my arm, had to melt it off, which hurt. alot.

 

[leegrisham]

It depends on the picture your looking at to me.
In My Opinion -
If you look at some of the H3 pics - especially the multiplayer models it looks like they are wearing a black pressure suit.
The majority of the models look like they just have the armor on top of their skin though.

 

[Zenzeigan]

my technique = fail, i couldnt get it off my arm, had to melt it off, which hurt. alot.

ill just use an undersuit,

anyone know what arbiter wears under his armor, is it an undersuit or what? i noticed it has random blue lines over it :/

 

[Hellbringer17]

which armor is the one in the pack? Is it h1,2 or 3? Is it low or high detail? also, i'd like to do this too, but i dont know how to make a manequin to put the armor on. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[NuggetWarmer]

Made new pic for correctiveness. The white Elite that was in the first pic was a H3 for sure because he has flight shoulders.
Yeah I would really like some Elite pep but I can't make it so I'll probably have to use what is available.

No, it's the Halo 2 elite. Check out his feet.

 

[leegrisham]

Ok so I studied some Elite pictures online and found some that I really like.
I think the armor I'm going to try and build is going to be an Elite Honor Guard or The Honor guard Councilor (which is a glitch from H2 but looks awesome)
Here is pic, I like the Honor Guard because of the vibrant colors, but the Councilor is bad a$$ cause of the head dress.

Left is Honor Guard, Right is Honor Guard Councilor.

By the way, can anyone provide some source pics of the H3 Elite foot/hoof