Hey everyone! Realized that I never made a post for the Master Chief build I did for the 2021 DragonCon parade and 405th meetup! Unfortunately I did not have many pictures taken of the actual process, and this one definitely had the Con crunch at the end. This was my first real dive into 3D printing too, and everything that was printed was done with an Ender 5 and PLA filament.
Firstly, the files came from MoeSizzlac , who always does great work, and were easy to print out.
They were printed and assembled, with bondo and filler primer for the gaps and print lines. They were then hit with coats of rustoleum Oregano, followed by sponged on acrylic olive green. Olive mixed with black was used for shading, and a gunmetal was used for the scuffs and weathering. The suit was then sealed with some semi gloss clear coat
This photo shows the weathering up close, and is from the first full suit up and test. It was also taken on August 30th, just two days before DragonCon started!
This picture from August 28th, 2021 shows the suit in pieces, with many parts still waiting for the glue to dry on the strapping. I was definitely feeling the con crunch here
I used a large elastic strip for connecting the upper chest to the back piece, so that there would allow for ease of breathing and movement. The bottom was connected with a nylon strap and clips.
Because we ran out of time, most of the legs were painted EVA foam. The knees and shoes were 3D printed.
I attached the boot covers to the shoes simply with elastic. The heel and toe were held together in such a way that the elastic tension held them on the shoe, while the piece that went across the top was held on with an elastic band that went around the bottom of the shoe.
Because I was walking in the DragonCon Parade, I wanted footwear that was going to be comfortable, so I used an old pair of sneakers that I already had broken in. I painted them up so they wouldn't be noticeable.
I used an inexpensive motocross vest for the undersuit. It made attaching the armor easier, plus the back protection looks like the back of Master Chief's suit.
The mesh also allowed for more airflow, and I used a black drifit long sleeve top with black leggings for underneath.
The arms stayed on with friction and some velcro pieces attached to the undersuit.
For the gloves I used some green armored paintball gloves that I glued on the 3D printed hand plate to. Here you can also see the foam thigh piece. I used an elastic strap that looped around the belt that I used for the codpiece to help keep the leg armor up.
The codpiece was just attached to the belt with velcro. The way I did this works for being stationary, but as I found out while walking in the parade, it did not hold up well to constant movement. This is something I changed in the future.
