Halo Reach Emile - London 2013 Comicon foam build

[S272]

Hey everybody, so I've been lurking for a while, and have decided it's time to get started on my first project. In London, in October, Comicon is happening, and from the title you already know who I want to go as. Comicon's always been a dream for me ever since I was a kid, and now the opportunity has finally presented itself and I have the go ahead for funding and transport, I can finally make my mark on the cosplay society.

Emile was and always has been my favourite Reach (and Halo) character, (who could resist that awesome helmet!), so I decided it would be fitting to recreate him for the event. I'm a relatively tall guy, standing at 5"11/6ft, and with the foam soles on the boots, I'll come to about 6"2, not too bad of a height for a Spartan and a well built stocky frame will help me improve the realism of the suit (workout time for summer ). My girlfriend will be accompanying me, and she's quite the shorty, and when I told her I'd exceed 6ft she said it'd just look like I'd brought my daughter along to the event! (I don't have a daughter I'm far too young ._.)

Anyway, I've slowly been comprising a kitlist, and before I dive in head first, I'd like some opinions, and suggestions (keep in mind I am doing it completely out of foam, excluding the visor which I will explain, and need some help with shortly.) along the way.

Also keep in mind I am from the UK, so a lot of these are equivalents for American products.

Here's the list-
http://www.office365.co.uk/P/279652...miumhttp://www.bzpaintball.co.uk/product.php?
http://www.bzpaintball.co.uk/product.php?p=Armoured Full Finger Gloves&t=Gloves
http://www.amazon.co.uk/66FIT-Inter...&qid=1371465682&sr=1-10&keywords=EVA+foam+mat
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-to...l-with-15-Accessories-12389440?skuId=12910144
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-to...CTITE-Hot-Melt-Glue-Gun-9254454?skuId=9262153
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/handtool...Dual-Temp-Glue-Sticks-12758651?skuId=13269357
http://www.diy.com/nav/fix/power-to...r-with-27-Accessories-12327505?skuId=12848211
http://www.papercraftsformen.co.uk/...2id=2452&subxgroupid=2452&xgroupid=53&id=2452
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Impact-Armo...id=1371633890&sr=8-1&keywords=Thor+Impact+Rig
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Proskins-Moto-Tube-Neck-Gaiter/dp/B004S6DUOU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_auto_11
http://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/V/Demon_FLEX_FORCE_LONG_Crash_Pants_Medium_Black-(17906)

I would really appreciate an alternative to the upper body undersuit, as £109 is a lot to spend on one item which I'm sure I can get cheaper somewhere else but I have no idea where to look.

Now, the visor; I plan on vacuum forming a sheet of plexiglass around the foam mold of the visor (I don't know if I can do that..?) and then applying it to the helmet. Now, the only problem is, Emile's visor has a gold tint, but I've looked around and I have found no way of applying a gold tint to a surface (I gather it's called a gold-iridium tint). Any help, or directions to resources and methods would be appreciated.
As for the skull on the front, I can simply scratch that in with a craft knife carefully.

I hope to get some good feedback from this, I don't think I've ever seen Emile's full suit built on here before.

Signing off,

S272.

 

[S272]

Hey everybody, update

I buy materials tomorrow, and I will be starting work on the chest, at which point the build will become pic-heavy, as I will be recording almost every step of the process

A shout-out for anybody else going to the 2013 London Comicon to step forward?

Signing off, S272.

 

[S272]

I have the stuff

Soon, it begins
(The foam is in the post.)

Signing off, S272.

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

Looking good, I'm building emile myself, I'll be following this one.

 

[S272]

Looking good, I'm building emile myself, I'll be following this one.

Thanks, I've also seen your noble team build, it looks good! (I'm actually following it). If you're building Emile, how are you planning on tackling the visor. I was going to go with the vacuum forming to iridium tint film/black tint spray.

Look forward to seeing your team done.

Signing off, S272.

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

I'm going to vac- form it out of PETG then tint using Redshirsts visor tinting method, using metalizer airbrush acrilycs to tint it. I though of using RIT dye, but it should be hard to keep the gold off the skull part that I want to be silver when you boil the dye. My only other idea was to cut out the eyes and mouth of the skull and put in a regular gold motorcycle visor is the gaps, but I'm only resorting to that if I really run out of time, because it out be hard to see out of.

If you need some help getting a vacuum formed visor, I could probably hook you up with a pull of my Eva helmet once it's done (because I know very few people have access to their own vac-former).

 

[S272]

Redshirt's method does seem like the best for the classic gold visor tint. RIT dye, after a little research, does seem like a good idea but having looked it also kinda looks like quite a messy thing to work with on a smooth surface, and being in the UK, it's not reachable without lot's of shipping costs and not much use without a good understanding of how to use it. I'm planning on using PETG as well, there's a good UK company which does sheets for a reasonable price, and I really appreciate the offer, trying to save costs and all, but fortunately I've got the vac-former issue sorted. (I may come back to you on that )
Thinking about it, although I know Emile has the gold visor, I've always rolled with the black tint on Reach, and generally just prefer the way it looks. Which is fortunate, because VHT tint spray is really easy to get my hands on over here, and cheap too.

Something else which decided it for me is this;

As for scratching his skull onto the front, I can scrape away the layer of PETG with the spray on it to get the scratched up/battle worn effect.
A question for the RIT Dye- If you took the time to draw the basic shape onto some good quality electrical tape, could you cut out the shape and stick it on where appropriate, or would the heat from the boiled dye just peel it off?

Hopefully it'll turn out ok.

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

I see what you mean. It's personal preference I guess. It depends on if you want to go full on game accurate, or do your own take on it, because that's just concept art. I'm trying to go for the most accurate noble team out there, so I'm going with Redshirt's method.

Personally, myself, I always try to factor in things that seperate that character from other characters in games and movies, because I always hate it when people call me a character that I'm not (my red mark vi gets called IRONMAN ). For example, I always try to make sure I won't get confused with other characters, like how green reach armor would get called Master Chief, or any white armor would get called a stormtrooper.

Like with Emile, people would recognize him by his skull on the helmet and the grenades on the chest and the shotgun, so making a black visor would change the iconic features of the charactor. So I'd say go for it.

I dunno. That just what I always think when I make decisions like this.

 

[S272]

The only change I want to make to the recreation of the concept art is I will not be handling a grenade launcher, I'd probably be arrested the second I set foot outside my front door, haha.

And Ironman? Seriously? D: The only similarity is the colour.

As for changing iconic features, I always thought the gold visor made him look more like a circus freak, a running gag, than anything else. The black visor just seems to portray a more serious, deadlier side to his character. And yes, it bugs me when people mistake people in costume for someone they're obviously not. For all of that time and effort to be put into perfectly recreating something to only be confused with something else entirely.

I'll do it, see how it turns out.

But before anything else, I need to get the rest of the suit made. I start with the torso.

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

Good luck, I can't wait too see how the chest turns out.

 

[S272]

I have another question- as for the grenades on Emile's chest, I've ordered two sets of these:

Which allows for a backing strip, and one to go over the top, and around the grenades, securing them in place. As for the attachment, I'm going to try and find some old seatbelt clips (the metal parts not the black boxes), and thread them through there. As for attaching the fabric over the grenades, I plan on making a small cut into the underside of the strap, and stapling it to a piece of foam, which'll be hot glued to the torso. That, or I'll get some plastic/metal food bag ties and shape them around it and spray them black or with silver primer and a little brown to make them seem grimy.

Fortunately, the grenades around the cod piece don't stretch the entire way around his waist, but I've got one of these;

Which will allow me to clip them on accordingly. It'll rest underneath and slightly behind the codpiece, also painted black/brown.

I was wondering how you were planning on attaching the grenades.

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

I was just going to use soda cans as grenades and use a long strip of nylon strapping along the back of them to hold them together and hot glue them to the chest and cod.

It'll make more sense when I actually make it in a few days, I'm still trying to find enough soda cans around my house and I'm on vacation in New York right now, and I live in Arizona, so I don't have access to my supplies until I get home Thursday. I'll show you what I mean then.

 

[Courage]

If I may jump in here, an idea that I've been entertaining for awhile is getting some PVC piping, and cutting a short length out. From there, I would take two end caps, one flat, for the base, an one round for the top. Some good pvc cement would mean they never fall off, and can be painted easily. It would look nice, like a a grenade shell, and would be easy, cheap, or durable. (You could also use two flat end caps depending on preference.

 

[Jason 078]

If I may jump in here, an idea that I've been entertaining for awhile is getting some PVC piping, and cutting a short length out. From there, I would take two end caps, one flat, for the base, an one round for the top. Some good pvc cement would mean they never fall off, and can be painted easily. It would look nice, like a a grenade shell, and would be easy, cheap, or durable. (You could also use two flat end caps depending on preference.

Because the PVC end caps are generally larger than the piece they fit on (by about 1/8"), you might be able to get away with also getting a piece of the next size up PVC and cutting it into squares for the "pineapple" feel of the grenade. Glue them around the body to mask the look of the larger end caps.

 

[S272]

I was just going to use soda cans as grenades and use a long strip of nylon strapping along the back of them to hold them together and hot glue them to the chest and cod.

It'll make more sense when I actually make it in a few days, I'm still trying to find enough soda cans around my house and I'm on vacation in New York right now, and I live in Arizona, so I don't have access to my supplies until I get home Thursday. I'll show you what I mean then.

I like the sound of soda cans (here we just call it a " " can, according to what's in it, like coke, pepsi, fanta, etc.), but to me they seem a little too bulky and short, but cans like ones Monster Energy comes in, are just too long, unfortunately, I can't for the life of me find an alternative which occupies the middle ground.

If I may jump in here, an idea that I've been entertaining for awhile is getting some PVC piping, and cutting a short length out. From there, I would take two end caps, one flat, for the base, an one round for the top. Some good pvc cement would mean they never fall off, and can be painted easily. It would look nice, like a a grenade shell, and would be easy, cheap, or durable. (You could also use two flat end caps depending on preference.

Because the PVC end caps are generally larger than the piece they fit on (by about 1/8"), you might be able to get away with also getting a piece of the next size up PVC and cutting it into squares for the "pineapple" feel of the grenade. Glue them around the body to mask the look of the larger end caps.

After seeing these, I'm inclined to agree that PVC does sound like a good idea, but I'd rather use the cans, and just hot glue some domed foam over the top of the end which you open, and then coat them both with plasti-dip and put a band of electrical tape/rubber seals for piping around the join, then just paint them over with a matte gray.

Thanks for the input though, the PVC will probably be used at some point in this build anyway, there's other tiny details to be done, and I plan on making a shotgun for the Emile suit!

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

I've been thinking of using mini soda cans. I don't know if you have those over in the UK but they're just like soda cans but about an inch shorter.

But anyway.... Hows the foam armoring goin'? We need to see some pix!

 

[S272]

I've been thinking of using mini soda cans. I don't know if you have those over in the UK but they're just like soda cans but about an inch shorter.

But anyway.... Hows the foam armoring goin'? We need to see some pix!

You mean kinda like this?

And as for the pix... because the postage service in the UK is sometimes slow, and I ordered from an independent company who supplies through Amazon UK, it hasn't arrived yet and I am sitting on my doorstep in high anticipation!
I got an email earlier today saying three items had been dispatched, so hopefully I'm in luck!

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

You mean kinda like this?

Yup, that what I mean. It would be easier to use those because then my Emile guy can hold his shot gun a bit easier, because there's not as much bulk on his chest.

And as for the pix... because the postage service in the UK is sometimes slow, and I ordered from an independent company who supplies through Amazon UK, it hasn't arrived yet and I am sitting on my doorstep in high anticipation!
I got an email earlier today saying three items had been dispatched, so hopefully I'm in luck!

Ah, I see. I've heard before that you guys across the pond have to have supplies shipped out to you. I guess I never realized how lucky I am that can drive 5 min to my hardware store for foam whenever I want.

 

[S272]

Ah, I see. I've heard before that you guys across the pond have to have supplies shipped out to you. I guess I never realized how lucky I am that can drive 5 min to my hardware store for foam whenever I want.

Oh boy, you are lucky, hahaha. 5 minutes? It can sometimes take 5 days to get things shipped across the pond, and when we can get stuff from nearby, the shops don't always stock what we need or what they said they did, and the huge hardware stores you guys seem to have literally everywhere are a hard thing to come by over here. I have to drive for an hour to get to my nearest one, and it's only a small warehouse!

 

[S272]

Guess what came in the post this morninggg~

It begins!