Foam thickness for the chief?

[drowlandii]

I have made a lot of foam helmets and props and a few suits. Masterchief has been my dream since I made my first suit out of cardboard and then papercraft. I got into Eva foam but have always feared tackling master chief. I have made a lot of helmets

a few odst helmets and even tried a MC helmet out of foam once and it was so daunting I stopped halfway through. So to keep from getting a block in building again I e began making the suit first. I have made a chest peice just from photo references

, a calf from some template references without printing. Still haven’t touched it up or painted (I’ll get to that later

And recently the shoes from a pepekura file

And also the forearms glued to socks to make them fit around my hands while still being tight

Anyways I began making the thighs and made them from 4-8mm foam but it feels to thin (but fits much better

My issue is if you look at the calf it looks substantial and the thigh while fits better doesn’t look as impressive. What thickness of foam should I use for these parts. Or do different parts need different thickness? Especially the helmet. Would a thick foam helmet work? I’d love some feedback on these and any of the helmets in the beginning below are a few additional props and costumes I’ve made

 

[Creativity4ever]

I usually use 8mm foam for soft stuff like helmets and more. 10 mm EVA foam is also fine but you'll need a heat gun to heat form the foam to be flexible.
I used 5mm foam before for details but I think any foam less than that is good for details

 

[N8TEBB]

While I don't make my helmets from foam, my chief suit and mk7 are made from 1/2" EVA floor mats with the odd 4mm or 2mm detail pieces. The helmets are 3D printed so I can't give a thickness recommendation for that. I found that some pieces were a good scale in theory but because of the thickness of the foam they were actually soo tight. I ended up remaking those pieces and a slightly larger scale to make them fit better.

Many members have made helmets from foam, and I'm hoping they'll weigh in on this thread. I know Pixelcube personally, maybe by pinging him he'll add his own two cents.

 

[Pixelcube]

I would say to use a minimum of 8mm foam as a base and the thinner foam to use as details for any armor pieces including helmets. Using thinner foam would make the pieces more wobbly which could warp and tear the pieces with use. I personally used 1/2 inch foam for my armor and helmets and add 1-4 mm foam layered on for details. I would also suggest to build the helmet symmetrically meaning adding left and right pieces one after the other to keep it straight.

 

[drowlandii]

I would say to use a minimum of 8mm foam as a base and the thinner foam to use as details for any armor pieces including helmets. Using thinner foam would make the pieces more wobbly which could warp and tear the pieces with use. I personally used 1/2 inch foam for my armor and helmets and add 1-4 mm foam layered on for details. I would also suggest to build the helmet symmetrically meaning adding left and right pieces one after the other to keep it straight.

That was my biggest problem in the beginning was it seeming slightly unsymmetrical. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Pixelcube]

You can also try to use a heat gun to help shape the helmet if it is a little lopsided. And remember that even if it is a little slanted, most people won't be able to tell from 5 feet away when paint and the visor is also added

 

[WarWuff]

everything looking great! keep up the good work! <3

 

[RedRends]

I have made a lot of foam helmets and props and a few suits. Masterchief has been my dream since I made my first suit out of cardboard and then papercraft. I got into Eva foam but have always feared tackling master chief. I have made a lot of helmets View attachment 339007View attachment 339008 a few odst helmets and even tried a MC helmet out of foam once and it was so daunting I stopped halfway through. So to keep from getting a block in building again I e began making the suit first. I have made a chest peice just from photo references
View attachment 339009
, a calf from some template references without printing. Still haven’t touched it up or painted (I’ll get to that later
View attachment 339010
And recently the shoes from a pepekura file
View attachment 339011

And also the forearms glued to socks to make them fit around my hands while still being tight
View attachment 339012

Anyways I began making the thighs and made them from 4-8mm foam but it feels to thin (but fits much better
View attachment 339013


My issue is if you look at the calf it looks substantial and the thigh while fits better doesn’t look as impressive. What thickness of foam should I use for these parts. Or do different parts need different thickness? Especially the helmet. Would a thick foam helmet work? I’d love some feedback on these and any of the helmets in the beginning below are a few additional props and costumes I’ve made
View attachment 339014
View attachment 339015View attachment 339016View attachment 339017

I used high density 6mm stuff from hobby lobby thats real high quality on my most recent build and it's worked great