Learning to fly

[Chainer Cygnus]

Or something? I dunno.

Anywho, hi. I introduced myself in the introduce yourself thread, but I figure you all probably don't read that thread or if you do you nodded and moved along. I've been there, I understand. Back on topic though, I am new to cosplay/armor building/so on so forth. So I figured, let's jump in head first and make my MP Spartan from Reach, because why not!



This is me in Reach (colors are currently inaccurate as I change them regularly).

Helmet: ODST (pretty sure, but more on that later)
Chest: Default
Left Shoulder: Commando
Right Shoulder: Sniper
Forearms: Default
Knees: Gungnir
Thighs/Shins/Boots: Default

Additional stuff I will be building to go with:
Soft pouch for left leg (can't remember in game term for it, tac pouch or something?)
Weapons (probably BR/Pistol but maybe Shotgun instead of BR)
Whatever random thing I think can add to it and seems cool.

So, my plan. I think I am going to go the tried and true route (from my research) based on the extensive documentation available plus the outcome looking like I want. That's the pepakura / fiberglass method, by the way. I'm starting tomorrow when I have the fundage to spare to start buying what I need. To start with, I plan to make the helmet. Then work my way up from the boots. Any critiques on my plan are welcome, though. As for the helmet, as I said, I am pretty sure it's the ODST helm (as far as I can compare and tell and I am 99% certain) but I will be using the sizing information I come up with from that to make alternative helmets so I can swap it out in real life as easily as I do online. I plan on making a Scout and Commando helm to go with it, and after I do those and the full suit, I plan on tackling the Gungnir helm, I have some ideas there, but that's down the line.

So, that's my plan for my build, in as much as it's a plan. Kinda keeping it loose right now, because yanno, life. Tomorrow I will start pepping up the helmet and will hopefully have it ready for the next step by Friday. Wish me luck, and check back if you care to.

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

So I have a sizing question for anyone that is willing to answer. Based on Xtreme TACTICS 101's Method 1 scaling technique, I came out with a helmet height of 281mm, I see when I load the pep file that it is by default 290mm. Should I roll with the 290mm sizing or should I adjust it down to 281? Will 9mm make that much difference? Just looking for anyone's experience if they have any to share.

 

[HaloGoddess]

So I have a sizing question for anyone that is willing to answer. Based on Xtreme TACTICS 101's Method 1 scaling technique, I came out with a helmet height of 281mm, I see when I load the pep file that it is by default 290mm. Should I roll with the 290mm sizing or should I adjust it down to 281? Will 9mm make that much difference? Just looking for anyone's experience if they have any to share.

Well, convert it to inches. 290mm comes out to 11.4 inches. 281mm is basically 11 inches. You don't want a helmet too loose and you don't want it to be snug at the same time. If the measurement you came up with is what you got AFTER adding extra to include room for padding, then I would go with what you came up with.

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

Well, convert it to inches. 290mm comes out to 11.4 inches. 281mm is basically 11 inches. You don't want a helmet too loose and you don't want it to be snug at the same time. If the measurement you came up with is what you got AFTER adding extra to include room for padding, then I would go with what you came up with.

That's good info, thanks. I need to make sure I did add the extra for padding. Not sure I was 100% coherent last night.

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

So after adding a bit for padding (5cm) it ends up at 289mm, which is close enough that the extra mm is just padding, as far as I am concerned. There's definitely an argument for doing it exactly, but there's an argument that I am wanting to learn some on this build, so I may make 2, one at 289 and one at 290 and see what the difference is, overall. I just want to learn all the things!

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

Alrighty, no pic because I can figure out how to upload it on the mobile version, but I will upload it in the AM.

Got started on my build. Sorta. Life went ballistic today, so I only got a little time this evening to work on it, but I managed to cut and glue 3 pieces. Will be cutting more out at work tomorrow. I hope I'm doing it right but I guess I'll find out soon.

Also, another question. What method do you all use when pepping? Right now I am cutting out and scoring and folding just 2 pieces at a time (one "layer" of the helmet) and then gluing them. Should I cut them all out at once? No? I know it's mostly "find what works best for you" but I'm curious as to others experiences and preferences.

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

My amazing progress from last night. Will be dedicating more time tonight. Thinking ahead to next steps, I am looking into the visor. I want a black visor, but I want a more muted one, not as shiny as I seem to find. Does anyone know if they make such a thing as a Matte Black Motorcycle visor? I've looked and googled and not had any luck, even had a friend do some googling and they came up blank.

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

More progress. Damn this is more time consuming than I thought. But I love it. Very zen to sit there and cut the pieces out. At this point it is looking like it is going to be too small, as the opening looks to be a little smaller than my noggin. I'm going to complete it anyways (complete through painting) so I can get the experience and maybe give it to someone or have a cool decoration on my desk at work.

 

[Dante Nero]

More progress. Damn this is more time consuming than I thought. But I love it. Very zen to sit there and cut the pieces out. At this point it is looking like it is going to be too small, as the opening looks to be a little smaller than my noggin. I'm going to complete it anyways (complete through painting) so I can get the experience and maybe give it to someone or have a cool decoration on my desk at work.

In my experience with helmets, which is not much, I usually have to either leave out a few of the very bottom pieces of the helmet, or have a few parts of the rear of the helmet operate on hinges so that I can open them up to get my head inside, then close them after. As for the zen-ness of the pepakura process, I agree very much with that. It's a great way to calm down after a stressful day.

 

[entekoh1]

To answer your question about methods for pepping, I usually score all the pieces before cutting any of them out. This keeps from accidentally tearing them apart. Your progress is looking good.

 

[Chainer Cygnus]

@ Dante Inferno Thanks for the input on the helmet and getting my head into it. I suppose it shouldn't be too hard to secure a hinge for a piece to let it fit. Experimentation will be fun to find the best method for me.

@ enteko1 Thank you so much for that. I never thought to score it before I cut the piece out. Makes it so much easier and I have been moving a little quicker.

Update so far, no pictures, but I have 3 "sections" complete. I am calling them sections because they are independent groups with edges without numbers that I assume will all mesh together in the end based on looking at the 3D model and what pieces go where. Unfortunately I haven't had much time at all to work on it this weekend due to helping my girlfriends brother and his family move to a new house. Hopefully I can find some time this week to get the helmet done (now that I am more efficient and have a better idea of what I am doing), but with the whole family staying with us (9 people and 6 dogs total) I don't know that I will have time or space to work on it unless I clean out some space on the garage workbench. May end up doing that anyways since I will need it for painting when I get there.