My Advice For Noobs

[AoBfrost]

[AoB]Frost Sets Mode: +(helpful)


I love this thread, someone sticky it right now, it makes things clear for begginers.

 

[guidwi]

I really think #5 is very untrue.

Either you are trying to stroke up yourself, or trying to keep others out of molding and making their own pulls.
Molding and casting is NOT rocket science. Nor is it difficult.

Start small, youtube has a plethora of video tutorials on it, just be safe with it.

That said, with silicone molding now a days, I really can't understand how you messed up miniatures.
I mean...they have developed 1:1 pour-able silicone that doesn't even need to be degassed anymore for christs sake. LOL

If however, you're a young-in, I'd suggest getting mom or pops to help you. It's something fun you both can enjoy doing together as a family craft.

Don't fear the molding. It's more afraid of you than you are of it.

 

[Ares]

Please sticky this.
Now.
Ares Seal of Approval™

 

[eventualchaos]

This is sooo true. I know some people who can get me most of my materials for free, and its still getting damn expensive. Im using pep and the worst part must be how time consuming it is. I love when my friends see it and go "oh it can't be that hard to make, im sure i could do it in a week". pshh.

 

[Deadandbroken]

What he said is true.I started my stuff back in November I heeded nobodys advise about protection because of lack of money and it was very stupid of me. Needless to say I have a ventalator now safety glasses after I got shards of fiberglass and shards of my visor in my eyes. So if you want to start it "buy the proper safety equipment before you start your build!!!"
So dont be an idiot like me. It will cost you much more if you get hurt.

Another issue money "whitch is an issue for me" here is a good idea of how it may go I built my helm the first pep model I built costed me over 300 all together and now I think it lacks detail so I need to start a new one but I
Dont care. It was a great learning experience.lol
Remember this takes plenty of patience so take your time.
And $800 for some good armor is a great price even if its not painted

 

[patalac122]

I started mine the cheap way. I got 12 sheets of posterboard (99 cents a piece at walmart), some spray on adhesive, printed out the patterns for the helmet/chest piece, cut them out, glued them to the posterboard, cut THOSe out, shaped them, glued them together, took off the printerpaper. Voila, cheap and effective. more effective than cardstock, I think. I Tried cardstock for the Bicep but it wasnt working too well for me, so yeah. Theres my 2 cents worth, haha

One thing that I would highly recommend for new people (such as myself) is to be very patient when doing things like Pepakura. they are a pain in the ass, especially when you are attempting the Halo 3 Pep... I started out simpler, with the Helm from Halo 2.

 

[Twitchfmx8811]

just my two cents "When in doubt read a sticky"

 

[silvercookie]

very nicely written.

but wtf is a fickle?????

 

[silvercookie]

What he said is true.I started my stuff back in November I heeded nobodys advise about protection because of lack of money and it was very stupid of me. Needless to say I have a ventalator now safety glasses after I got shards of fiberglass and shards of my visor in my eyes. So if you want to start it "buy the proper safety equipment before you start your build!!!"
So dont be an idiot like me. It will cost you much more if you get hurt.

Another issue money "whitch is an issue for me" here is a good idea of how it may go I built my helm the first pep model I built costed me over 300 all together and now I think it lacks detail so I need to start a new one but I
Dont care. It was a great learning experience.lol
Remember this takes plenty of patience so take your time.
And $800 for some good armor is a great price even if its not painted

thats going to be hard.

 

[stanvo]

also dont double post like cookie

 

[SagittariusArt]

1. This is going to be expensive.

Hmm...it´s relative, for my first finished Parts with Bondo i buyed Materials for about 50 Bugs, and it looks good to.

2. You WILL screw something up.

Maybe, but if you spend enough Time it comes not so hard and fast.

3. There are *no* step by step instructions availible for everything.

What exists already are good enough, same for Point 4.

4. What is availible is more than enough.


6. This is going to take a lot of time

Damn right, but if you have enough of it, you can do anything you want, and some Guys can use their Results and Experience for other Stuff, or even for a Job!

7. It's going to take a lot of space

Hmm...live in an Appartment, but Space is not my Problem, doesnt have any Problems with the toxic Materials, i glue on the Balcony

Ore do you mean Place for more than one Suits? *gg*

 

[James Falcon]

1. This is going to be expensive.
For some of you, $100-$200 isn't that much at all. For others, it's quite a bit and might break the bank. This figure is right at the line where the quality of the armor drops off dramatically when you start spending less for most people's standards (or at least mine anyway).

2. You WILL screw something up.
Not a matter of if, but a matter of when. If it's pepakura then I'm sure you'll print it the wrong size at least once. Or you'll screw up the fiberglass mixture and end up with a gooey mess, or maybe you'll screw something up with your silicone and end up with a bad mold casting. The name of the game here is baby steps. Start with a hand cover or a shoulder pad. Something small. Perfect your techniques on those before moving on to something like the helmet.

5. Don't start right off trying to do molded armor.
Don't give me that crap about starting with molded armor. Those that do the molded armor, have been doing similar work for years. It's hard to do well and requires a very high degree of skill. If after reading all the tutorials on the site about molded armor you're *STILL* unsure how to even start, please don't ask. I got started in molding with doing casts of tiny miniatures for gaming. I screwed that up all the time, and I had someone with me the entire time teaching/showing me how to do it. You're never ever going to get enough instruction on the forum how to do it from scratch, starting from zero experience or ability. You should really invest in some video DVDs on the subject due to it's complexity. If the DVDs are too expensive, then I think you need to re-evaluate your ability to afford the materials required. After that, do some extremely simple projects (like a soda can) to familiarize yourself with the materials and procedures involved.

6. This is going to take a lot of time
Just like any new skill, it'll take weeks even to get something you'll like. You're going to burn through materials like you wouldn't believe. Add 25-50% of the required amount to your supplies just in case. Even then, you're going to find yourself starting all over at least once because of errors. It's fustrating after you spent all that time carefully cutting out the pep and gluing it together, that you mess up with the resin and turn the thing into a gooey mushy mess. Print it out, and glue it all over again.

Yes folks, I am the #1 example of why those rules exist. While expenses admittedly aren't bad, you WILL learn to hate yourself when you invest about $200 into something you don't have initial experience with and end up screwing up so bad you gotta start over. And yes, this applies to me also, and I can admit that overzealousness is one of my weaknesses.

My advice - take it slow......and then cut your pace in half again....

Anyway, good idea addressing this stuff guys.

 

[arloman]

i made the rogue helmet and i just got into pepakura armor, and i didn't think it was too hard... It even came out pretty well. it might be because i've done other paper folding/glueing/taping... sonic the hedgehog's green hill zone.. good practice!

*edit* It wasn't too expensive

fiberglass resin: $16.00
110 lb paper: $11.00
scizzors: $3.00
Paint: $20.00 (roughly)

 

[MW Immortalking]

1. This is going to be expensive.

I spent $15 on 250 sheets of cardstock

so far $24 on 3 bottles of glue, probably need another

I already had the exacto and cutting board

I spent $40 on the respirator

$40 on a gallon of Resin

$16 on 2 packs of fiberglass, will need more

Then there's gloves and tinfoil

I still need to get bondo, paint, padding, strapping, a visor, and electronics for the helmet.

So far I've spent about $130 on my armor



2. You WILL screw something up.

Pep scaling is a pain.



5. Don't start right off trying to do molded armor.

I've looked into it, too expensive and looks like it'd take ALOT of practice to do well.



6. This is going to take a lot of time

I've been working on this armor relatively fast because I want to have it done by sakuracon but I definitely wish I had more time...



My advice to people wanting to do this is, be patient, peping alone will try to drive you crazy. Be safe, "because no one likes roasted nuts". And be ready to spend money. I'm expecting to spend about $200-300 on my armor.

 

[bwinks26]

So how much would you expect a pep suit to cost? (cardstock, resin fiberglass, moto shield, anything else)

Just generalizing here, Pep suits can cost anywhere from $30-$300. It all depends on what you already have and what you are willing to spend for quality materials. I, myself, only need to buy the fiberglass resin and cardstock, my dad already had the other materials from his other various projects.

 

[Drgnfyre4]

The original post here summed up so much so well! I am always reminded of the phrase "if you have to ask how much, then you cant afford afford it." My wife and I often sit and talk about so many of the threads and topics that make me shake my head in disbelief and she always has to remind me that most people only want to hear messages of hope..."yes you can make a movie quality suit for just ten dollars!" (yeah right!)



You get what you put into this endeavor...if you cheap out...Your finished product will look cheap to those in the know. Maybe your nieghbor or schoolteacher will praise your cardboard and toilet paper tube efforts, but have no illusion that the cheapest way possible is going to be viewed in the same league as those who are willing to invest in the right materials (of which there are many choices) and take the time and effort to get things done. I am always astounded by those who want a cheap alternative to the already cheap alternative.

 

[Nightshade]

2. You WILL screw something up.

Absolutely. And screwing something up includes having to recreate a pep model once, twice, even three times. This is especially true as the ODST files were slowly but steadily being released and redone. I built three ODST chest plates (not a major time investment, but worth mentioning) before finally resining my fourth and final. And it WAS worth it. I have thrown away three chest plates, a shoulder, two side plates, a knife, two thigh models, a belt plate and a center plate, etc, just because I (or another member) released a better model, or because I got the scaling wrong. Don't jump the gun and hit the print button as soon as you can. Take some time and measurements, and be sure to scale each piece as best you can. Never resin a piece that you aren't totally satisfied with. It's just not worth the time and money.

3. There are *no* step by step instructions availible for everything.

Exactly. The best (and wisest) thing to do before beginning your armor is to familiarize yourself with as many aspects of armor-making (Pepakura, fiberglassing, painting, weathering, etc) as possible, and then continue reading through tutorials until you are 100% sure what you are and will be doing for each step. Chances are, even when you think you know it all, you'll find something later which could help you understand a step twice as clearly. So take your time and keep reading. The members who write those tutorials are often those who have a lot of experience, and have run into the same challenges which they are trying to help new members avoid. It's worth your while to take advantage of thier wisdom and heed thier warnings.

6. This is going to take a lot of time

Amen. If the only part of armor-making you think you're gonna enjoy is the final product, then this hobby probably isn't for you. It is one which will have a considerable impact on your lifestyle and free-time, and if pepping or sanding seems like a miserable way to spend the weekend, it's just not worth that final product. The more work and effort you put into your armor, the better it will turn out. Period. Before jumping into the hobby in hopes of walking around as the Chief in a year, ask yourself, "Will I still be this committed when I'm staying up until 1-am sanding the same piece for three days?"



Don't get me wrong - armor making truly is an extremely satisfying hobby, but only if you enjoy the journey along the way



My other advice:



- Never start a suit off with the helmet. Ever. No matter how tempting this might be, just dont. Chances are, you probably won't finish the rest. However, don't start with a hand-plate either. I'd suggest a central piece (such as the torso) which you will want to expand on once it's complete. That's just my two cents.



- Start simply. I'd really advise you not to begin with a Mark VI suit (although, maybe the low-def version). The experience you can get from a simpler suit (such as a Marine, which IS cool, and can be completed in a much shorter time) will really help your Spartan armor shine later. I honestly regret beginning my ODST as my first suit (following a very poorly done Mark VI helmet. Yes, I wish I had read my own advice a year ago), although I'm still putting all my effort into it



- Be committed to the hobby, but don't let it get in the way of life itself. Learning to balance your time wisely is a crucial life skill, and one which certainly applies to this kind of costuming



- Truly, have fun



Thanks for starting the topic.



Shade

 

[0235]

you know i am soo pleased that i read this before i started my armour, because if i hadnt i would probarbly have destroyed everything, nothing so far has gone right, but because i was expecting this, it didnt matter, hell i had to pep the torso 3 times to get it right, and it still isnt! and as for the face plate that went so wrong, but because i was prepared for hiccups, it didnt matter.



and as said before, thanks for the topic, it should be mandatory that EVERYONE reds this!



but as for this point





6. This is going to take a lot of time



im a bit woried, i have to get this made by mid december, but i do have alot of money (well, not mutch, but i have nothing to spend it on!) and after 6 weeks i have all the time in the world (well until december). i have also alredy pepped everything, so do you think that it is enough time to make the pieces?

 

[MW Immortalking]

I've made my armor in about 3 months though I'd have liked more time. I'll probably end up redoing alot of it because the rush job kinda lowered the quality I wanted.

 

[KeXun]

Thanks this was really helpful i want to start a Mark VI and a Assault Rifle to go with that and i know its goin to take time and lucky for me i know someone who does molding the same way u started so i was goin to ask him to teach me a lil