Halo Reach: ODST Mk I

[KIsmay]

Excellent attention to detail on your ODST build there! Looking good so far!

I might borrow some of your alterations on mine. ;-)

 

[OTSDerpy]

Starting on the ODST helmet while using 3mm foam. It's very flexible, but also light at the same time. So far it's going good: got a helmet foam-file, scaled it, printed and cut. I glued most of the pieces, but some are missing, as well as not fitting like a puzzle. I really have to move and shape to get it the way I want, then there are others in which I improvised. So far...it's looking okay from my point of view. I'll get a pic soon.

 

[OTSDerpy]

Bad news: The back of the helmet seemed to to be missized, so I had to scrap it and start a new. Also, Here's a tip: Don't cut out a piece, unless you're going to trace it on the foam and cut it right afterwards. Because it you cut out all the pieces then you're going to get very confused on what piece goes where. they all look the same when cut out of the paper and it creates a huge mess.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

You can avoid the jumble of pieces by numbering/lettering them 1 to 1 or A to A. This way you can cut all the pieces and assemble by matching the number/letter.

 

[OTSDerpy]

You can avoid the jumble of pieces by numbering/lettering them 1 to 1 or A to A. This way you can cut all the pieces and assemble by matching the number/letter.

That's a good idea, but I already printed out the second wave. I'll keep this in mind, But I think I'll cut one piece at a time, as goes for gluing right after the cutting.

 

[combinestrider]

lot of little details to keep track of but you're really getting em well

 

[Dirtdives2424]

That works also......

 

[OTSDerpy]

kay, I'm about 3/4 done with the 3mm foam helmet. I'm doing this through pepakura and going a little smoothly. I had to make this a 3rd time because of some measurement errors with the gluing. But it's going like everything's fitting like a puzzle.

 

[TurboCharizard]

kay, I'm about 3/4 done with the 3mm foam helmet. I'm doing this through pepakura and going a little smoothly. I had to make this a 3rd time because of some measurement errors with the gluing. But it's going like everything's fitting like a puzzle.

How are you liking 3mm foam for a pep build? It seems like a kind of fun way of doing things but I always worry about the stability of the finished project.

 

[OTSDerpy]

How are you liking 3mm foam for a pep build? It seems like a kind of fun way of doing things but I always worry about the stability of the finished project.

That's the thing, it's flexible and Malleable, but it sacrifices stability. i'm pretty sure hot glue in the insides with some sturdier foam might work, but that's only a temporary thing. i'm gonna have to do some more research to find the answer. But it works just fine in terms of cutting, shaping, and gluing. Though I wounldnt recommend scoring, too thin.

 

[OTSDerpy]

The helmet looks to be almost done, Just need a few tweaks on it. I will get a picture up as soon as the assembly is completed.

 

[OTSDerpy]

Here are the photos of me and the helmet. The speaker and visor will be here with the week and will be installed a week after that. Helmet is a little big but with some sponges to full dome space, it will fit perfectly.

 

[StayFrosty]

Helmet looks nice! Are you going to resin/bondo it?

 

[BDUB]

Ah, StayFrosty there's actually a better technique for hardening foam.

you brush multiple coats of PVA glue (Elmer's school glue), then brush on (multiple coats) of smooth-on casting resin. It's a lot easier, cleaner, and produces a sandable, bondo-able finish.

perfect for this sort of thing.

Well, good luck on your build ACbrotherhood. looking great! I see you've got talent!

 

[StayFrosty]

Ah, StayFrosty there's actually a better technique for hardening foam.

you brush multiple coats of PVA glue (Elmer's school glue), then brush on (multiple coats) of smooth-on casting resin. It's a lot easier, cleaner, and produces a sandable, bondo-able finish.

perfect for this sort of thing.

Well, good luck on your build ACbrotherhood. looking great! I see you've got talent!

Thanks, Trevor! I'm actually familiar with that sort of technique, albeit not on foam helmets/armor, as I've never even attempted building foam armor. When I do mdf guns, sometimes I use watered down wood glue to seal the entire gun because mdf gets "frayed" really easily. Always nice to learn new techniques that I can store in the back of my mind for when I need them.

 

[collinE83]

I've used the watered down wood glue method with pretty good success rate, too. I tested out the Smooth-On 45D method with mixed results.

On small, smooth pieces, it works fairly well, but its pot life is so short that it's not that good for large pieces. It also starts filling in details, so if you have a piece with a lot of angles and holes, you'll lose all those sharp edges and details. I'm sure if you get good with it, it's very useful. I didn't have a lot of success and it has a very steep learning curve.

I've had more success using two-part wood glazing epoxies from home improvement stores, but usually the cure time is too long, something like 24 hours or more. I end up falling back to wood glue in most situations. Like always, test a few method out and see which you like best.

 

[BDUB]

yeah, it takes a little bit of learning to get it right. (I haven't yet, but I'm getting there) so far, the trick is to use very thin coats.
as for resins, I used Smooth-cast 300. still, not a long pot life. some resin thinner helps a lot, though.

anyways, we should probably get back on topic, but I've learned some methods today. although my preferred method is 3D printing, I'll try the watered-wood glue on some foam test-armor.

see-ya

-T

 

[OTSDerpy]

I have done some more tinkering with the torso and am fully happy now that i removed 2in from the side. now onto straps, buckles, and elastics. Now you may be wondering why I'm doing that rather than sealing the armor in glue and paint, its because straps don't glue well after said process.

 

[OTSDerpy]

I also went shopping last night for elastics and straps and turns out that 2.5in is the measurement between foam pieces of shoulder pads and torso. I just added .5in for more of an attachment on both sides and hot glued it.

 

[OTSDerpy]

Okay, so I started cutting and gluing the elastic straps Like the here.



I also bought some army pouches and this little bag for the stomach but didn't have the photo for it. here's the photo that doesn't have stomach pouch.

I will be in the process of putting on woodglue for better adhesion. this will take about a month because of space and time.