Making my first ever armor

[N8TEBB]

I actually just came across your video about your build the other day! I used some tips from that but since I don’t have too much of the software for scaling I’ve been making cardboard versions to test. Also- I kind of was going to use hot glue (impact props has had “bad” influence) cause I have a bunch of it and I did try and find barge before that but I just couldn’t find any in my stores but if I do end up wanting it I’ll buy some online.

Hot glue works too! I gave it a try a while ago for foam work and I just found it too pesky to deal with. Impact Props makes his armour a bit differently than a lost of us because he doesn't use a template. He starts with the base shape which is really rough, and then covers over the roughness with thinner foam. If you're following a template, you may find it a bit hard to try and avoid glue spillage because of all the butt-joints you'll be making. That being said, it isn't impossible. A lot of my canadian regiment friends use hot glue because good contact cement is hard to come by in canada. Personally, I buy contact cement online and get it shipped to the US, then bring it across myself to avoid shipping costs haha

 

[Akio202]

Hot glue works too! I gave it a try a while ago for foam work and I just found it too pesky to deal with. Impact Props makes his armour a bit differently than a lost of us because he doesn't use a template. He starts with the base shape which is really rough, and then covers over the roughness with thinner foam. If you're following a template, you may find it a bit hard to try and avoid glue spillage because of all the butt-joints you'll be making. That being said, it isn't impossible. A lot of my canadian regiment friends use hot glue because good contact cement is hard to come by in canada. Personally, I buy contact cement online and get it shipped to the US, then bring it across myself to avoid shipping costs haha

haha, oh I have a question I’ve thought about. What if I took the templates and used them to just make rough shapes instead then work on my own to try and get finer details instead of trying to follow the templates exactly at first? Would that work or just be a hassle

 

[N8TEBB]

haha, oh I have a question I’ve thought about. What if I took the templates and used them to just make rough shapes instead then work on my own to try and get finer details instead of trying to follow the templates exactly at first? Would that work or just be a hassle

That's what I usually do! The templates will give you a pretty good base for your armour, but some little details just wont be there. I use lots of reference pictures to look for details that may be missing so I can add them.

 

[Akio202]

That's what I usually do! The templates will give you a pretty good base for your armour, but some little details just wont be there. I use lots of reference pictures to look for details that may be missing so I can add them.

The template I got was also free from 405th. Pretty sure it’s like Fortnite master chief model lmao. Have you ever used 3d prints for any builds?

 

[N8TEBB]

The template I got was also free from 405th. Pretty sure it’s like Fortnite master chief model lmao. Have you ever used 3d prints for any builds?

I use 3D printing to do my helmet. Everything else is foam

 

[Akio202]

I use 3D printing to do my helmet. Everything else is foam

Is 3d printing weird for armor cause I’d imagine it’s clanky

 

[Cadet]

Is 3d printing weird for armor cause I’d imagine it’s clanky

No. 3D printing Full Armor and Foam are about equally popular in our Community. It's a matter of personal preference as no one method is "Better" than the other, its just what you are comfortable with, have the tools or access too, and have the personal preference for.

 

[Akio202]

No. #D printing Full Armor and Foam are about equally popular in our Community. It's a matter of personal preference as no one method is "Better" than the other, its just what you are comfortable with, have the tools or access too, and have the personal preference for.

I was trying to find photos of full 3d printed armor. Do you have any that I could see by chance cause I’ve honestly had no luck but then again I didn’t look to hard online since I’m busy.

 

[N8TEBB]

Well, there are pros and cons to each building method. I'll do my best to compare and contrast foam armour construction vs. 3D printing armour construction. Like Cadet said, they are both fantastic methods for building armour, but you may prefer one over the other depending on what you're looking for in a suit of armour, what you plan on doing with it, how much time you are willing to dedicate to it, etc.

Now, while I don't have a suit of 3D printed halo armour myself, I do have a 3D printed suit of mandalorian armour. Also, I've spoken to many 405th members who do have 3D printed armour and I've gotten a pretty good general idea of the advantages and disadvantages. So let's look at them:

Foam

• Foam is very lightweight. This is beneficial for many reasons. Firstly, because it allows you to wear your armour for long periods of time without becoming weary. The weight from the armour is almost negligible.
• Foam is flexible. It's not like wearing yoga pants, but it certainly has a lot more play than 3D printed armour. I am able to get my suit on and off without help from anyone mainly due to the fact that the armour can bend a bit. It really helps with getting my shoulder pieces on and things like that. It also allows you to bend more while in amrour. I don't have very much trouble at all getting down on my knees, laying on the ground, getting up by myself, all because my armour can bend just a little. This is a serous advantage.
• Foam is soft. This means that it doesn't dig in to your skin, cause rashes, or chip off nearly as much as hard plastic. One of the main struggles with my mandalorian armour is that I have to be so careful about where my knees are. If I bump a table or a wall, the brittle 3D print will clip off. Foam on the other hand would have just given way
• Foam is relatively cheap. Not only in terms of the cost of the material itself, but because there are very few tools required to get started. You need foam, a knife, and some good glue. 3D printing on the other hand, you need the printer itself, the knowhow to operate it, filament, and glue.
• You can build it however you want. Foam is very easy to modify. For example, when I made my suit, I realized my shin piece was soo short. Instead of having to remake it entirely, I cut it in half, added 5cm to the middle, and glued it back together. This would be exceptionally difficult to do with a 3D print, and would most likely require you to just re-print the piece.
• The main disadvantage to foam is how much time you have to spend doing attention-to-detail work. It takes practice. Nobody starts out perfect right away. You'll spend lots of time making armour that you're not happy with, remaking it, and remaking it again. But once you power through, you'll be left with a suit that you are very proud of.
• Overall, foam armour will give you armour that is a blast to wear, but can show signs of being hand-made rather that precision manufactured.

3D Printing

• 3D printing is very accurate. If you want the most amount of detail possible, 3D printing will be your friend. Printers will always make straight lines, replicate perfect patterns, and make every detail just as it is in the game.
• 3D printing lets the machine do the hard work for you. Foam crafting requires you to spend hours and hours carefully looking at reference material, hand-making parts, carefully gluing them together, whereas 3D printing doesn't require that much attention to detail. It still is quite a lot of work with all of the sanding you'll have to do to make the pieces smooth, but that's more of a repetitive task rather than an attention-to-detail task.
• 3D printing can give you the exact finish you're looking for. Foam will most always be rougher on the outside than a sanded 3D print. While most won't notice this on battle-damaged halo armour, foam won't take a mirror finish very well. 3D printing on the other hand can be made as smooth as you like
• The main disadvantage of 3D printing is the fact that the armour is rigid, and brittle. You will constantly be on the lookout for things you don't want to bump in to. Picking anything up off the floor or lying down without help is next to impossible. Even when you get yourself on the floor, the chances of you chipping your paint are quite high. The rigidity of the armour also means it's less comfortable to wear and can give you sore spots after a long day at a con.
• Overall, 3D printing gives you fantastic looking and accurate armour, but it can be harder to modify and less comfortable to wear

It's important to remember that both of these methods will require many hours of hard work, and lots of time and money investments. Personally, I prefer to make the majority of my armour out of foam for the comfort while wearing it. Some pieces however, I elect to 3D print because I just want that extra detail, such as the helmet. I'm usually pretty careful about where I put my head anyways (as in, I try not to bump it off anything), so the advantages of a foam helmet don't outweigh the advantages of an accurate helmet in my opinion. It's important to remember that everything I've said here is my opinion, and many members will do things differently. Hope this helps!

Here’s a group pic from galaxy con 2023 in Columbus Ohio, I’ve circled the members that 3D printed their suits (if I recall correctly)

 

[SgtSaint]

I was trying to find photos of full 3d printed armor. Do you have any that I could see by chance cause I’ve honestly had no luck but then again I didn’t look to hard online since I’m busy.

Elements of the undersuit panels are thin foam panels, but all the armor is printed. The MA50 is repainted Nerf.

 

[Akio202]

My back- hurts so much.. I have been leaning over for hours- ahhh

 

[Akio202]

Update: everything hurts, I have way too many glue burns lol and all I ended up with in the end was this. (For my first time with foam in a little proud of myself but idk if I’m too happy with how it turned out in the end)

 

[MicaHusky]

See if you never let yourself try the good stuff then you don't know what you're missing. Floor mats all the way babyyyyyy

Hi Akio202
Another foam guy here. Both of my builds were build with 12mm EVA floor mats from the hardware store. I also did some details with 4mm and 2mm foam here and there.

What kind of contact cement will you be using? If you haven't already settled on a brand, allow me to suggest Barge. That stuff dries very quickly and holds really nicely. I've tried LePage, that stuff might as well be water.

Allow me to repeat a tip that has already been said but I think it's worth saying twice. When you start to cut foam, make sure you keep that blade nice and sharp! You'll want a knife sharpener for sure, even if you have the snap off blades. I try to sharped my knife every 3-5 cuts and entirely replace the blade every new armour piece.

Interesting; I knew your knife had to be sharp but I didn’t realize we were talking “sharpen it every few cuts and replace for every part” sharp.

 

[SgtSaint]

Interesting; I knew your knife had to be sharp but I didn’t realize we were talking “sharpen it every few cuts and replace for every part” sharp.

I don't do much foam, but I have studied the *$*%& out of some of the major foamsmiths and this is something they point out a lot. The few things I tried in foam proved it to me. A few cuts, a few passes on the stone, {repeat}

Kamui Cosplay and Punished Props both bring this up and often you can see the wetstone on the bench in their videos. They both do amazing foam work. I've got all the foamsmithing booths (digital) from Punished Props and ... well... wow... just so much. I know Kamui has a book line as well, but haven't seen them first hand.