Halo Infinite Armor Build! 3d Printed (Custom Silicon Mold/Cast Under-suit)

[Bulbxsaur]

Build Progress -----> https://www.instagram.com/bulb.xsaur/
Hey guys thanks for stopping by, i just recently bought a Bambu labs x1c and now making a Halo infinite Chief suit. Iv gotten some progress done and thought i would share and hopefully get some good tips and maybe help other also! so far on the helmet i went ahead and scaled it to 100% from instinct creatives Master chief files. This particular helmet is the Halo series helmet. (i might make the infinite one also not sure)

I then began the process of weathering the piece with some watered down black acrylic paint, patting down to get rid of the excess and the helmet started to get its final look. Likewise i used a cheap brush and spraypainted some chrome spray paint and brushed it on the corners to give it that scratched look. after i went ahead and sealed it all with a matte clear coat.

Then i went ahead and ordered a "Master Chief light kit" from a seller on etsy which ill paste the url for anyone interested https://www.etsy.com/listing/1268483575/master-chief-led-kit
the quality was great and since I'm not the best with wiring i opted to purchase this kit. I secured it to the inside using hot glue just finding a place to put the wires so there not in the way nothing special here.

ill be cleaning up the inside of the helmet later, i also purchased a vac forming box from a great seller on etsy also from PVWoodshop. I then started to give vacuum forming a shot. I had purchased what i thought was PETG, that turned out to be PET and once i started heating it turned white and had no clarity. I then ordered some actual PETG .06mm and the problem went away. I first had a mold with 15% infill and 2walls and when i began to form over it, my buck began to melt (printed in petg)
After reaching out to N8TEBB and doing some digging I printed a new buck with 8 walls and 10% infill which solved my problem and the buck did not melt. Before forming i placed the buck in my freezer for about 5min and once the plastic was placed over, and vacuum sucked, I misted with a spray bottle to cool it faster along with hitting it with my air compressor.

Then again i followed N8TEBB's tutorial along with the galactic armory for tinting the visor using yellow idye poly, turns out i only had one packet, but it worked none the less. Then polished with some plastic polish scratch remover i got at my local AutoZone.

I then sprayed with my airbrush and used a chrome spray and this was the result.

So that is the Helmet so far! I do have a few more pieces that I'm finishing up, which i will post soon! I'm hoping the helmet is not too big i don't think it is but i might have to remake it at 95% for a really snug fit, but not sure yet until i have a few more pieces done to see how it looks. i did make one at 90% and it was too tight so it will be my sons lol. worst case i need to make another one at 95% and ill just sell this one. although i will make it using the exact same process. Thanks for stopping by yall, looking forward to more progress coming soon!

 

[Drew]

That's looking amazing! The lights add so much to it. I'll have to look into that kit for future helmets too

 

[SgtSaint]

Man you are off to a really strong start - Nice enough to forgive the Chevy keychain. LMAO. Just kidding ya, I'm a Ram man.
Seriously though it looks terrific

 

[Bulbxsaur]

Man you are off to a really strong start - Nice enough to forgive the Chevy keychain. LMAO. Just kidding ya, I'm a Ram man.
Seriously though it looks terrific

Haha thanks I got a few more pieces done will post a update hopefully soon!

 

[Broadsword]

Dude, thats epic! a huge congrats on the final product. he lights look epic and something i might pick up for my build!

 

[Bulbxsaur]

Update, So far iv gotten most of the 3d printing completed for the suit and have started on a harness that i will post at a later date. for the legs i went ahead and fastened them with a harness buckle system i found on the tutorial section of the 405th. These are only printed for now i still need to sand, prime and paint.

So i have a buckle from the harness to the thighs, and a buckle from the thighs to the shins. I need to add some padding to prevent shifting on the shins, because when i walk they start turning and not staying forward. Also the shins were printed at 90% and the thighs at 95%. i know it probably doesn't make a huge difference, nor would anyone notice unless i mentioned it. Although I'm still tempted to reprint at 95%. ill be making a full silicone casted under suit, and might run into problems with the slight % difference. the problem being the parts that tuck "into"/"under" the armor pieces. OKKKK so i stop rambling i plan on adding eva foam conjunction with my boots to have a "Height increase" im 5'10 but this puts me at about 6'3-4

I still need to clean up the boots, so these are still a work in progress. After i got some time and did more of the upper body, since my harness is still incomplete some of the pieces are just hot glued so they don't fall off like the shoulder pads, so that's why they look kind of weird. i scaled most of my armor at 95% of the files i have from instinct creative. (great files) but the chest rig and cod piece are scaled to 100%. so here is a picture with me wearing most of the armor!

Well after all that ranting, that is what i got so far. like i said, the "FIT" is not 100% there because my harness and under suit are still incomplete. also I'm not wearing the boots in these pictures, because i made them after. Once i start getting pieces of the under suit going it should change the look a lot. ill be casting it out of silicon. This should give it a "Fuller" look. Also i wont be wearing normal clothes taking away from the look of the suit. Anyways if you guys got any tips leave them below, and let me know what y'all think about the scaling also!

 

[SgtSaint]

That's coming out great! Keep up the fabulous workmanship

 

[Bulbxsaur]

That's coming out great! Keep up the fabulous workmanship

Thanks! after putting things on like i said i might make the helmet 5% smaller, I don't want to look big headed. what do u think?

 

[Hype]

Thanks! after putting things on like i said i might make the helmet 5% smaller, I don't want to look big headed. what do u think?

Its hard to say exactly if the head is too big yet. When you start closing the gaps in the armor and wear an under suit it might look better. The transition from large armored chest to bare neck to large helmet may be messing with how you see it. I'm leaning on it being slightly oversized, but not to the point that it looks strange. Its always easier to see scaling issues when it a static picture, when you are in person and in motion its harder to see that stuff.

Even if you do have to redo it, the one you have looks great and will make a good display piece, or maybe you can find someone that has a larger head that might be able to use it.

Edit: Also keep in mind, how much room you need inside. In game sizes are rarely able to be matched. If you have room to go smaller then by all means, but don't go so small that you are uncomfortable.

 

[Bulbxsaur]

Its hard to say exactly if the head is too big yet. When you start closing the gaps in the armor and wear an under suit it might look better. The transition from large armored chest to bare neck to large helmet may be messing with how you see it. I'm leaning on it being slightly oversized, but not to the point that it looks strange. Its always easier to see scaling issues when it a static picture, when you are in person and in motion its harder to see that stuff.

Even if you do have to redo it, the one you have looks great and will make a good display piece, or maybe you can find someone that has a larger head that might be able to use it.

You know what you make a really good point. Great advice, i'm probably overthinking it too early in the process lol

 

[SgtSaint]

Thanks! after putting things on like i said i might make the helmet 5% smaller, I don't want to look big headed. what do u think?

In addition to Hype 's good advice: If you do decide you reduce it remember that you don't have to reduce it "uniformly". There's nothing wrong with keeping the depth if that feels right but reducing the width to avoid collisions with the cooling towers coming up from the back armor.
But mostly I'd use the amount of padding you added as a guide to reduction. If you had to had lots and lots to the back and front, then you know where you could reduce and by about how much. (While keeping power packs in mind of course)

 

[Bulbxsaur]

Update: So the boots have been a work in progress, i attacked some buckles to keep them together, although i might cast them in silicon dragon skin for flexibility, But for now these will work. Here is a picture wearing the lower half of the suit (missing kneepads), i have it painted, but have not taken a recent picture. so that will be soon. (yes i need to tie my shoes) this adds about 4-5 inches of height so in total im about 6,3-4 with helmet.

Now for the cool part, i have started with the under suit prematurely. Mostly because i wanted to test out the process, and man it it come out better then i expected. I have looked everywhere for this process on a custom molded and cast silicon under-suit and have found NOTHING on the 405th. if there is one out there i have not found it so unless I'm wrong this will be the first on the 405th (Like i said i could be wrong) i started out with the following materials all product from Smooth-ON Dragon Skin 10 Fast, black silicon pigment, and Ease Release 200.

I started by spraying Ease Release onto the mold, then using a chip brush, brushed the release into the mold. After i then did another light spraying over the entire mold again, and let air dry for about 15min.

I then put a 1:1 ratio of part A-B and added black pigment (Very concentrated) i mixed it all with the back of a plastic fork since i didn't have any other mixing stick (if it works it works)

I then started the pouring process, using a chip brush to spread the silicon to get good coverage. This was coat 1 sorry blurry picture i didn't notice till after the fact.

Coat 2 -----

Coat 3

After all 3 coats i then waited 75 min for the cure time, and began the demolding process which went better then i expected, so here is a picture of it freshly de molded, I was VERY happy with how this came out! amazing detail and extremely flexible.

So i went ahead and put it on over my head since it stretches a good bit and retains its form very well. I'm opting for that atm since i really don't want to cut it or put a zipper/Velcro. Now here it is with the Helmet on! There are a few pieces of lint on it so just ignore that.

Well that's it for now! ill be posting very soon another update maybe with the armor on also, ill also be hopefully making the shoulder pieces for the under suit soon (same process) let me know what y'all think, i know this way is a bit more challenging, although i think its well worth it for the accuracy and aesthetic. I'm also thinking about making a Instagram/TikTok sharing my journey on there also. So when that happens ill be sharing the profiles here first! Thanks for whoever stayed and checked out this update! Also if u like the build make sure to watch/follow this thread!

 

[Arithen]

Incredible work! Happy to see custom undersuits being repped. I'm looking into the same process with a few (much smaller) pieces for my ODST build, and your thread has been super helpful. We appreciate it.

 

[Bulbxsaur]

Incredible work! Happy to see custom undersuits being repped. I'm looking into the same process with a few (much smaller) pieces for my ODST build, and your thread has been super helpful. We appreciate it.

Thanks brother I'm glad it helps even in a small way!

 

[Ulfhedinn073]

I'm glad someone is going the silicone route! I'm gearing up to do the same thing myself!
So, some questions about the process and experience:
How do you feel about the choice of DragonSkin? I've worked with that, but I have a gallon of Rebound I was going to start with to see how it feels. I'm curious if you find it feels stretchy enough or flimsy like it might tear. (Thinking specifically about the midsection piece and sitting down.)
On the molds themselves - did you do any post-processing to the inside? (silicone side) I've seen someone do a layer of truck liner rubber (not sure where, you still might be the 405th first) - it gives a nice texture, but smooth might be good too. I just don't want the print lines, I think. I'm planning on using Instinct's Mk V, so I might have a bit more aesthetic leeway than the "newer" version you're using.
Either way, it's looking fantastic, especially the weathering. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

EDIT: It was Instinct's Insta I saw that used the truck liner. Looked pretty nice.

 

[Parzival]

Wow you're doing great work, that is amazing! And a great thread to catch up on. I would love to one day do an under suit with casted molds and you made it appear far easier than I expected. I look forward to seeing more as you go with it!

 

[Ben626]

Found this at the perfect time. I just got the files to attempt my own silicone under suit. Looking forward to seeing your progress Spartan!

 

[dougherty117]

did you get the file from galactic armory? I’m having trouble with putting the back and chest together if you have any info that would help it would be appreciated

 

[Ben626]

How noticeable are the layer lines on the casted part or did you smooth out the layer lines on the mold before casting?

 

[Bulbxsaur]

I'm glad someone is going the silicone route! I'm gearing up to do the same thing myself!
So, some questions about the process and experience:
How do you feel about the choice of DragonSkin? I've worked with that, but I have a gallon of Rebound I was going to start with to see how it feels. I'm curious if you find it feels stretchy enough or flimsy like it might tear. (Thinking specifically about the midsection piece and sitting down.)
On the molds themselves - did you do any post-processing to the inside? (silicone side) I've seen someone do a layer of truck liner rubber (not sure where, you still might be the 405th first) - it gives a nice texture, but smooth might be good too. I just don't want the print lines, I think. I'm planning on using Instinct's Mk V, so I might have a bit more aesthetic leeway than the "newer" version you're using.
Either way, it's looking fantastic, especially the weathering. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

EDIT: It was Instinct's Insta I saw that used the truck liner. Looked pretty nice.

I'm not too sure on rebound to be honest, although i have tested thin pieces of dragonskin to see the stretch before breaking and it is surprisingly VERY strong. I see no issues with sitting down and mobility in the future, but once i get to the point ill give a update! also i try to avoid post processing the inside of the print so i opt for printing in a much finer layer height. I did some sanding on one of the shoulder pieces and i felt that the time and energy spent trying to sand and smooth is not worth it. also the silicone sticks to the dust even after i cleaned the mold with water giving off a dirty look that i had to re blacken with silicon dye. Also yes instincts files are awesome and they did use truck bed liner. he told me it was more specific to halo reach's undersuit. Master Chiefs is more smooth so i just opted for that.

did you get the file from galactic armory? I’m having trouble with putting the back and chest together if you have any info that would help it would be appreciated

I purchased the files from Instinct Creative, he has amazing halo files and they work in conjunction with the 3d mold files for the suit. I highly recommend. And he has been a great help in the process also.

How noticeable are the layer lines on the casted part or did you smooth out the layer lines on the mold before casting?

the Layer lines on the casted part can be seen if you look REALLY close. its almost negligible, but it depends on the layer height you make the mold out of. So i recommend a small layer height. if the inside of your mold is choppy (needs a lot of post processing) that will be seen in the silicon. The silicon captures almost every detail from the mold. so make sure its good before wasting a lot of time and material!

Also i just created a Insta to follow the progress of the suit which i will be updating in the very near future, also might have a bit more in detail of the progress since ill be able to post stories and videos, so if you guys are interested in that shoot me a follow!

https://www.instagram.com/bulb.xsaur/