Chainsaw ninja
Jr Member
Oh ok I'll keep going and see how it is and find out if it ends up any different thanks! 
"Help!" for: Misc...
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Not a question so much as something I came across recently and I'm curious to see what uses people can come up with for it. It's called Magnetic Primer. It's typically used for DIY magnetic message boards, but one thought I had was that it could be used under the paint on the back of a torso piece, then put a couple magnets in the weapon/prop to be able to "snap" it on. I've seen some builds that put magnets in the back and on the props and it works well enough, but you have to get the magnets to line up. Having a whole panel to attach to would certainly make that easier, plus you can have multiple props and won't have to worry about making sure the magnets are set the same distance (and same polarity) for each piece. It would be interesting to see what other ideas people can come up with.
RobotChicken
Well-Known Member
I'd be quite surprised if the magnetic paint has enough attraction to hold a weapon (especially one the size of an assault rifle), and motion would tax the attraction even more. I'm planning magnetized metal plates on one side and strong magnets on the other, possibly combined with or instead using a keyed socket to hold it in place. Same with the thigh for holding a pistol.
Could depend entirely on the build of the prop. If it's a pep-rondo, or fiberglass over a nerf/airsoft gun, that would probably be too heavy, but with the foam props, I'd imagine it would do well enough, and with a strong enough magnet inside it won't matter too much whether the surface is metal or magnetic primer I'd imagine.
One possible source woudl be Radio Shack, as many of their stores have a set of drawers full of LEDs, relays, resisters, switches, and all sorts of other electronic odds and ends. If they don't have a store located near you (not sure wherabouts in NY you are) you can also check their websiteand probably find a more broad selection than what they'd have in-store.
Ebay would be another semi-reliable source, and I say it that way simply because due to the nature of what Ebay is, you don't know exactly what you're getting ,or what condition it's in, until it shows up on your doorstep.
I would also advise heading over to the "Help for Electronics" board, if you haven't already. There's likely to be a few sources posted throughout the thread, and if not you're more likely to get answers from more experienced builders (I still haven't even finished pepping my current project, as finding out it's too small kinda took the wind right out of my sails). Plus you'll also find members there who can give you advice based on experience as to proper wiring techniques, tips and tricks for getting it all to work, opinions on the best power sources (and where to hide them), and so on.
Ebay would be another semi-reliable source, and I say it that way simply because due to the nature of what Ebay is, you don't know exactly what you're getting ,or what condition it's in, until it shows up on your doorstep.
I would also advise heading over to the "Help for Electronics" board, if you haven't already. There's likely to be a few sources posted throughout the thread, and if not you're more likely to get answers from more experienced builders (I still haven't even finished pepping my current project, as finding out it's too small kinda took the wind right out of my sails). Plus you'll also find members there who can give you advice based on experience as to proper wiring techniques, tips and tricks for getting it all to work, opinions on the best power sources (and where to hide them), and so on.
My manager (when I worked at Radio Shack) said on average, everyone in America lives within 2 miles of a Radio Shack.
Anyways, they are a good "Oh crap I need it today" source of electronics, but the prices are a bit much if you are willing to wait for the internet. If you are doing small orders (Like 1-2 LEDs) Radio Shack might be a good option because shipping doesn't always even out online unless it's a larger order.
Fry's is another good source of Brick and Mortar, or you could tear apart old electronics for their components. There's a guy at the TechShop who disassembled old printers for their limit switches and solenoids.
Anyways, they are a good "Oh crap I need it today" source of electronics, but the prices are a bit much if you are willing to wait for the internet. If you are doing small orders (Like 1-2 LEDs) Radio Shack might be a good option because shipping doesn't always even out online unless it's a larger order.
Fry's is another good source of Brick and Mortar, or you could tear apart old electronics for their components. There's a guy at the TechShop who disassembled old printers for their limit switches and solenoids.
A thing to watch out for with the "cannabalize existing electronics" approach is making sure you actually know what you end up with and what it needs to work properly. LEDs, like other lights, come in a variety of outputs and require different amounts of power as well as different resistors built into the wiring system to keep them from blowing ou, which comes back to the suggestion of going to the "Help for electronics" thread. You'll find helpful advise coming from al llevels of knowledge and experience, from hobbyists to electrical engineers. We got us some smart cookies here in the 405th, that's for sure. That wasn't too redneck, was it? lol.
I've just finished a build of Loki's helmet and I need some help with how to strengthen inside the horns as I cant get in to fibreglass the inside of them. This is the first build I've done where I've had areas I cant access to strengthen. What would be the best thing to use for this? I just want something strong enough to support the weight of the bondo on them but light enough so it doesnt weigh a ton. I dont know if either liquid plastic, or I've heard of the bondo/resin mix, would be right for this to just pour inside them. Rather ask from people who know what they're doing here than guess myself and get it wrong. Im still a noob to everything beyond the bondo stage and this is new to me too
If theres specific products to use it would be helpful to know UK brands as I cant get the US products or they cost a fortune to import, never sure if our alternatives are the same thing so always like to check from others first who know their stuff
If theres specific products to use it would be helpful to know UK brands as I cant get the US products or they cost a fortune to import, never sure if our alternatives are the same thing so always like to check from others first who know their stuff
The common technique is to cut a hole, fill it with rondo, cover the hole with tape and slush the rondo to coat the inside. Then make a small hole and get some expanding foam and spray it in (expanding foam I get comes with a thin straw to get into tight areas). This will harden the horns but keep them light. Remember though that rondo is still somewhat brittle, so don't expect it to survive a drop.
Edit: Rondo is a mix of Auto Body Filler and Fiberglass Resin, both of which are readily available at auto stores. There are a ton of UK builders here and there is actually a thread somewhere here for "UK equivalents for automotive products" or something to that effect.
Anyways, the idea is the rondo will "reinforce" the cardstock, and then the expanding foam will give a lightweight fill to solidify the inside. If you do JUST expanding foam, it will usually push the cardstock out for a "bloated" look. The rondo keeps that from happening. Also be careful as some expanding foams need air to catalyze and obviously there won't be much air inside those sealed off horns.
Edit: Rondo is a mix of Auto Body Filler and Fiberglass Resin, both of which are readily available at auto stores. There are a ton of UK builders here and there is actually a thread somewhere here for "UK equivalents for automotive products" or something to that effect.
Anyways, the idea is the rondo will "reinforce" the cardstock, and then the expanding foam will give a lightweight fill to solidify the inside. If you do JUST expanding foam, it will usually push the cardstock out for a "bloated" look. The rondo keeps that from happening. Also be careful as some expanding foams need air to catalyze and obviously there won't be much air inside those sealed off horns.
So having some issues getting used to the Pepakura Designer software. Is there a way to move your POV on the 2D view while zoomed in? I'm sure there is and it's probably really obvious. I have tried the search function on the forum to no avail. Having printer issues that requires me to write the Edge ID's on each edge of every part, and in order to do so I have to find out how to zoom in on individual pages on the 2D view, instead of zooming in on the center of the view. HALP!
The right click usually pans the camera, if that's what you mean.
As for edges, make sure your print settings are right... There is an option in "File -> Print and Paper Settings" for "Print page number", that should be checked. Additionally, "2d Menu -> Show Edge ID" must ALSO be checked.
As for edges, make sure your print settings are right... There is an option in "File -> Print and Paper Settings" for "Print page number", that should be checked. Additionally, "2d Menu -> Show Edge ID" must ALSO be checked.
/Face palm.
Panning was what I couldn't get... And it's my darn printer, black ink cartridge is being exceptionally lame. So changed edges to blue, ran out of blue ink, changed to red to finish printing out the mold (sniper rifle), but edge ID's were very difficult to see. Thanks for your help! Glad I can get it all started now.
Ah so its the rondo method. Thanks. I've never made rondo before, for this situation how should it be done? Should it be really watery? I dont know how much resin/bondo to make up though obviously more resin than bondo or it would be too thick to move around but I dont have any kind of idea on quantities. I have both, was incase it was something else used for this and I didnt know what it was. In this case I wont really need to cut a hole as I can pour it into the inside of the horns. Not personally worked with expanding foam before but my dad used it for everything. Seems to be hard to control it from what I saw and kinda goes everywhere. Cant think how else I could do this though. I can try using a small nozzle though
Any other ways of strengthening this type of thing?
I believe there are Rondo method tutorials in the forums for more experienced help, but I would wager that a 40 - 60 mix of body filler (Bondo) to resin will probably be fluid enough without being so much that it might oversaturate and warp the piece. Get the mixture fairly well blended and then add the hardener/curing agent and work quickly to spread it around. It's better in some ways to make too little than too much, as it's easier to add more once it dries and you won't run the risk of ending up with a mixing cup with a hardened lump of wasted material in it.
As for the expending foam, it's probably best to go slow and build it up a little at a time. Don't worry about it coming out of the opening. In fact you kind of want it to do that to make sure that it's completely filled the internal portion of the horn, then just trim away the extra with a craft knife.
As for the expending foam, it's probably best to go slow and build it up a little at a time. Don't worry about it coming out of the opening. In fact you kind of want it to do that to make sure that it's completely filled the internal portion of the horn, then just trim away the extra with a craft knife.
50/50 is a really fluidic mix. It's good for getting a thin coat over a wide area, but it pools at the bottom so you need to keep it moving.
25/75 is a thicker mix that is good for bulking out a specific area, say if you wanted to solid fill the brim of the visor, or just wanted a thick coat of rondo inside the armor.
You can mix it with either JUST red cream hardener, or do a mix of both red hardener and MEKP. I do the latter because I want to be sure to get the best catalyzation possible, but people who do just red cream don't seem to have problems.
Expanding foam is only really useful for filling in a gun or horns or something "not hollow" like that. If you are careful I have seen a member here who used it to fill the bottom of a shoulder piece so it could be vacuformed, but that's sort of beyond the "normal" use of expanding foam.
25/75 is a thicker mix that is good for bulking out a specific area, say if you wanted to solid fill the brim of the visor, or just wanted a thick coat of rondo inside the armor.
You can mix it with either JUST red cream hardener, or do a mix of both red hardener and MEKP. I do the latter because I want to be sure to get the best catalyzation possible, but people who do just red cream don't seem to have problems.
Expanding foam is only really useful for filling in a gun or horns or something "not hollow" like that. If you are careful I have seen a member here who used it to fill the bottom of a shoulder piece so it could be vacuformed, but that's sort of beyond the "normal" use of expanding foam.
RobotChicken
Well-Known Member
Many of the Halo .pdo files in the 405th Pepakura database include the 405th Infantry Division logo in them. Is this because they are "official" files in the database made by members? If I were to add a Halo Pepakura file to my 4shared account and post a link to it in the forum, should it include the 405th logo, should it not, is it a don't really care, etc? Basically, are there any protocols for creating and sharing Halo Pepakura files at the 405th Infantry Division? Thanks.
Carpathia
Sr Member
Some files have the 405th logo simply because the modeler decided to put one there. It doesn't necessarily mean anything. While there is no official protocol for sharing files, if the original work is someone else's (ie, you start with a model someone else has done and modify it), it's a good idea to give them credit within the file.
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