First Build - ODST Tacticool Armor

[Rigel17]

Part 6 of the build! Forearms are both done! This is a big milestone cause all of my main foam base armor is now complete.

Still waiting on printing the helmet, and the visor wont be here till mid march. So next step is to accessorize! Which i think will be the most fun part. Im looking forward to making my odst unique from the hundreds of others, and im hoping to give him a bit of a story and character.
Im also going to be prepping to paint, still need to get the colors, likely a black for primary, and silver for secondary ( like the base metal color beneath the black).

To help with deciding on where to put accessories and just for my own display later on, let me introduce you to Manny the Mannequin. I love manny, but not everything fits perfectly on him like the thighs. or legs, but i love him.

Next Update will probably be when helmet is done or i begin painting. still alot of work ahead, but proud to be at this point so far! this community has been a game changer for putting this all together.

 

[N8TEBB]

Woo congrats on getting to this milestone! Your foam work is lookin cleann. Say hello to Manny for me XD

 

[EmmaSpart88]

wow your build is looking so nice and clean! Still a beginner foam builder. I'm making a ODST spartan build out of foam. I'm from Midwest, Wisconsin. can't wait to see the results.

 

[Rigel17]

Part 7.
Oh boy are we getting close or what?? pretty big update today, lots of exciting things in the works, and i project my suit to be done by the end of March! there are still a few things that i will have to do in the future, for example, printing the SOCOM pistol and painting it, Mayyybeee printing a sniper rifle (will need alot of time for that with current setup) and then other little things that i may or may not do like a rucksack backpack, pouches, and other accessories. i expect this armor to be something that evolves as i use it, maybe adding little details over time. but the bulk of it should be done here soon...

here are the big updates:

1. the helmet is printed! just need to print and glue the attachements, and of course the wonderful process that i have never done before of sanding, prepping, and painting. I have had lots of help from mountain regiment who have been an amazing resource and a confidence boost. Here in the picture i used a recommendation from DeltaAlphaZulu to use super glue gel and plastic bonder for the seams.

2. the decals are done! had my graphic designer friend help clean up the reference sources from the aforementioned forum post (see part 6) and even created some custom stickers and graphics! my only concern is these are all vinyl stickers, and for ease of printing and placing, they all have a small white border. this is most noticeable on the letter decals. so likely, after painting, when i place them, i may need to use my knife to trip off the white borders so they dont stick out like a sore thumb on the black armor. we will have to see how that goes...

for those interested, i did print quite a few extra of all the stickers so if i ever meet any of you in person, you are welcome to have some! just let me know. currently planning on attending LVL UP expo: vegas in april.

3. made a combat knife with a functioning sheath! i love how it turned out, it is mostly game accurate, but took some creative liberty as well. this was a BEAST to bevel and sand, (around 5 hours, my neck hurt after lol). i used chopsticks to add some rigidity to the whole blade. (i also heard that if you add hot glue to the tip it will help the tip not bend, but when i tried it looked horrible so i just sanded it off and went without it lol) he sheath i will attach to my L thigh piece and it functions very simply with friction sliding in and out.


4. weather finally got better down here in southern utah so i was able to plastidip all of the armor, (used 2-3 light coats, took 3 cans, i would have liked more but not in the mood to buy more cans haha)

today i was able to put on the first coat of silver. my idea was to keep this silver very subtle and reserve it for anything that resembled a strap or buckle. i still want most of the armor to be black and stealth like. i did decide to paint the chest crests silver so that the chest pops a bit more, but i might change this later if i dont like it.


once this coat of paint dries, ill try and get the rest of the black base coat on there, then i will set to rigging the armor, adding all the straps, buckles, and smaller details, and then its on to weathering! while all of this is taking place, ill likely be sanding and prepping the helmet for paint. though im still waiting on a few supplies to come in.

thats all for now. if you have any other questions let me know. ive realized at this point that i now have a good idea of how this all works and id love to help others along with their own armor if i can!

 

[devuljuice]

Solid detail in the foamsmithing. Looking great brother!