not overkill at all. thats how i do my pep items. actually i go a bit of a different route with mine. here my usual process
1. Resin outside and inside (resion outside, let cure, resin inside, let cure.
2. some fiberglass MAT on the inside, i do 2 or 3 layers keeping everything as smooth as possible. also i dont cut my fiberglass mat, only fiberglass cloth. the mat i tear with my hands, so the rough edges overlap and sort of "interlock" making a very good strong first layer
3. i put a few extra peices of mat in any recessed areas to try to get everything inside as smooth as possible, then once cure i grind off anything poking up, "spikes" if you will.
4. 1 or 2 layers of fiberglass CLOTH. i try to use one peice to cover as much of the part as possible, not a ton of smaller pieces.
5.OPTIONAL- if i feel the part is still too flimsy i use a thin layer of BONDO brand fiber-reinforced filler, a 1/8 to 1/4" layer. its dark green, the cans are usually blue. there are usually 2 types. both are regular bondo with strands of fiberglass in it except one has long cloth-like strands, and the other has shredded mat mixed in it. i use the shredded mat kind.
6. final step is an EXTREMELY thin layer of BONDO brand lightweight filler GOLD series i belive its called. this filler is a brownish yellow.
the i use a sanding sponge with a slightly more abrasive sandpaper folded over it and attack the mountain folds of the model. dont go crazy, your just trying to round off the sharp folds. then dremel in any deeper detail you may need and cut out all areas you want open, visor, holes on cheeks for tubes, venting etc. Then a thin layer of bondo and the same with the sanding sponge until you get it all rounded off. then you can carve in any detail with a hobby file. i like to draw it on with a fine tip, scribe guide lines(with a dental pick or similar instrument) over the drawing and then use the file to carve them to desired depth.
WARNING-Step 5 can make your part incredibly heavy if your not careful, pay attention to how thick your layer is and how much filler your using. my helmet master im working on weighs 20 lbs easy and its not done yet, in fact, thinking about it now, i would recommend this method strongly to anyone wanting to build a master for a mold.
However my method makes your part incredibly strong and resilient to damage. and also gives your part a really nice smooth inside, you can then cover with cloth or vinyl or some type of liner and make it look really professional.
AOBFrost- i like your unfold, but how do i get the right one? i remeber there being a way to mirror the peices in pepakura designer, but i dont know how, and i only have the free version. i recently madethe HD right gauntlet, but its a bit too big at 33cm and i dont really want to make 2 more HD gaunts.
