First Build - Halo Reach Armor

[spartan114x]

Printing printing so much printing! I’ve probably done about 400 hours in the last four weeks, running this thing nearly non-stop. Progressing slowly through everything but thankfully hitting less sizing snags.

Speaking of sizing, I cut up the torso pieces and printed them at 0.3mm draft settings, 5% infill, and chopped off all the details so I could make a sizing skeleton. It took about 20 hours for the test pieces versus 24+ per piece when I do them in detail. Here is the result!





Miiiight be a little too big still, but I also think I welded the pieces together wrong which is making a little bit more of a gap than it should be. Putting this over my head was VERY exciting though and it’s great to get a hit of dopamine after the boring progress of printing. Also I imagine this is what the inside of Noble-6’s armor looked like at the end of Reach.

I also tried my hand at welding the PLA with a soldering iron and holy crap was that a roaring success. I was sitting here with glue and clamps and waiting and thought “well this is a draft I should try a new skill.” I’ve never touched a soldering iron in my life (and grabbed the hot part once) but this was SO easy and SO fast! I watched that one guy’s YouTube video and wore a respirator just in case. I didn’t bother making them pretty especially since they’re on the inside but here’s a shot of my seams just for reference or anyone else thinking of welding. More to come later, back to printing!

 

[marinesniper]

Printing printing so much printing! I’ve probably done about 400 hours in the last four weeks, running this thing nearly non-stop. Progressing slowly through everything but thankfully hitting less sizing snags.

Speaking of sizing, I cut up the torso pieces and printed them at 0.3mm draft settings, 5% infill, and chopped off all the details so I could make a sizing skeleton. It took about 20 hours for the test pieces versus 24+ per piece when I do them in detail. Here is the result!

View attachment 352851

View attachment 352852

Miiiight be a little too big still, but I also think I welded the pieces together wrong which is making a little bit more of a gap than it should be. Putting this over my head was VERY exciting though and it’s great to get a hit of dopamine after the boring progress of printing. Also I imagine this is what the inside of Noble-6’s armor looked like at the end of Reach.

I also tried my hand at welding the PLA with a soldering iron and holy crap was that a roaring success. I was sitting here with glue and clamps and waiting and thought “well this is a draft I should try a new skill.” I’ve never touched a soldering iron in my life (and grabbed the hot part once) but this was SO easy and SO fast! I watched that one guy’s YouTube video and wore a respirator just in case. I didn’t bother making them pretty especially since they’re on the inside but here’s a shot of my seams just for reference or anyone else thinking of welding. More to come later, back to printing!

View attachment 352853

yeah i glued my one part then got the bright idea to solder the seems even with the respirator it was almost gagging an toxic wow never did that again but i think i kill 3 brain cells cause i drool alot now..lol

 

[spartan114x]

Small update - got my shoes sized and printed one whole boot part. It fit perfectly in the first try which always feels good, but something about seeing it wearable and putting it on and starting to get a feel for the finished look was really exciting. I have a lot of pieces laying around in varying stages of completion as I continue to print my brains out, but seeing this pushed together was really rewarding.

 

[spartan114x]

Took advantage of some Seattle sunshine to get first primer coats down on some finished pieces. Beginning the long step of priming and sanding. The rain is coming so I need to do as much as I can before I’m stuck in the house all winter.

Also took my first ride with bondo spot putty for some seams and realized I need a better applicator than my gloved finger. Squishy skin fits into the seam and just recreates the depression. It might be better once I sand it down so we’ll see!

 

[spartan114x]

I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I started the project two months ago! Armor printing is now substantially complete. Time to start making it wearable! And print weapons…

 

[Ulfhedinn073]

Hell yeah man, putting on the helmet the first time is super special. Looking really good so far, keep it up! Also, cutting out the frame for sizing the torso was genius. well done.

 

[JP120800]

This looks so cool so far! Alot of suit building is trial and error, with the 3D printed files i had to scale down alot. alot of it is definately trial and error, mostly error XD. the bigger parts of the armour i have build from 10mm foam as it just saved the hassle of printing and was cheaper. another thing with foam is its quieter and doesnt clunk like 3D printed bits do

 

[spartan114x]

This looks so cool so far! Alot of suit building is trial and error, with the 3D printed files i had to scale down alot. alot of it is definately trial and error, mostly error XD. the bigger parts of the armour i have build from 10mm foam as it just saved the hassle of printing and was cheaper. another thing with foam is its quieter and doesnt clunk like 3D printed bits do

That’s smart to do a combination of the two mediums! My 6mm undersuit foam just came in and I’m surprised by the sturdiness of it! Never worked with the stuff (or 3D printing) before this project.

 

[spartan114x]

Boy the difference a month makes. Waited for three days for the rain to stop so I could get a coat of paint on my helmet (there are animals and cars in the garage). I’m hoping to give it a trial run at the Geek Craft Holiday Market next week. The spot putty seems to have cracked in some parts of the seams so I’m hoping it’s a surface crack. Will find out when I sand it.



Pretty much every armor piece is printed now. I’m throwing down DMR prints as a reward for progressing on the armor. I got magnets in the two torso pieces so it’s wearable which is really fun. Blue tap is on for future spot putty application.



I want to start working on harnessing, but there are some parts like the waist belt that I will probably attach over undersuit so I need to get an undersuit base layer going so I can create proper strap allowances. I guess I could make it adjustable… just thought of that as I’m typing. But I’m really enjoying everything still and love seeing it all come together!

 

[spartan114x]

One round of sanding and another coat of primer on the helmet. Coming out really well and need to work on the seams some more. I think I consolidated the putty too much in the seams and need to spread it out a little more for a cleaner transition. But I am wearing it out to Geek Craft Expo tomorrow so I added a layer of gold window tint on the inside. AMAZING result. It’s perfectly mirrored and I have fantastic visibility on the inside. Trying to figure out a way to combine this with the thermoplastic visor once I get that molded.

 

[MrBones]

As a fellow recon build, I am loving this build so far. I wish I took the chest idea, mine is going to be a little big on me and boy that would have saved a headache. 10/10. I'm gonna be doing foam layering.

Also try epoxy for sturdy stuff and for small holds, use a mix of 1 dot super glue, rest viscosity glue, itll hold in less then 30 seconds. Learned that recently. Just wear gloves. 30 seconds, no joke.

 

[CTN04529]

The first step of many! This week I borrowed my buddy’s 3D printer and this morning I figured out my first test prints. I met the 405th at the WA Gaming Expo for the first time in 2024 where I was inspired by what I saw and encouraged by the members there who took the time to explain and show off their gear. I’m honing my printing skills with small accessories before I move to bigger things. Two print hours down, a million more to go! The end goal is a full suit of armor that is a recreation of my final Halo Reach multiplayer outfit!

*Updated title and first message to be full build thread.

Welcome to the 405th!!

 

[CTN04529]

One round of sanding and another coat of primer on the helmet. Coming out really well and need to work on the seams some more. I think I consolidated the putty too much in the seams and need to spread it out a little more for a cleaner transition. But I am wearing it out to Geek Craft Expo tomorrow so I added a layer of gold window tint on the inside. AMAZING result. It’s perfectly mirrored and I have fantastic visibility on the inside. Trying to figure out a way to combine this with the thermoplastic visor once I get that molded.
View attachment 354955

Looking good!!!

 

[spartan114x]

As a fellow recon build, I am loving this build so far. I wish I took the chest idea, mine is going to be a little big on me and boy that would have saved a headache. 10/10. I'm gonna be doing foam layering.

Also try epoxy for sturdy stuff and for small holds, use a mix of 1 dot super glue, rest viscosity glue, itll hold in less then 30 seconds. Learned that recently. Just wear gloves. 30 seconds, no joke.

Thanks, it’s been slow going lately. I got a big bottle of resin so I’ll start giving it a try.

 

[spartan114x]

Progress update - going for wearability. Can’t paint right now so I have to do SOMEthing and I’m terrified of the undersuit so that’s getting pushed off until the crushing weight of procrastination catches up to me. I’ve got the base harness mostly done using the guide from Ashuraa and it’s working pretty well so far. Had to order more buckles and Tri-glides and trying to build in adjustability so that it’s more or less idiot proof. I got a boot assembled and am waiting for the sole rubber to dry before giving it a test walk.

Also been doing some weapon printing in the meantime and finished assembling Oddwork’s DMR. I initially wanted to backmount but this thing is a beast and very heavy so it may just have to get a sling. Need to slice and print the sidearm for my right hip which should hopefully magnet on more easily.

If I get everything wearable and the weather still hasn’t cleared up I’ll have no choice but to start on the undersuit. I’ve seen a lot of good ideas about duct tape stuffed mannequins and my wife has offered to help freehand design it for me. Fingers crossed.

 

[spartan114x]

Sharing what I’m working on with the bicep harness. I’m using an elastic V to provide ample flexibility and also pull it back to a neutral position on the side. I’ll add an elastic band inside around my bicep and Tri-rings to the shoulder elastic for height adjustment.