My first "Halo Reach helmet and armor build"

[Renraku]

Man Renraku, i sure have missed a lot! Everything is looking fantastic as always. I have a question for ya though, well two actually lol.
1. for your chest armor, i noticed that a lot of the big parts (like the front for example) dont have seam lines or anything like where you had multiple pieces put together. Im guessing that those bigger pieces are just one piece, so i was curious as to how you went about doing that? did you just cut a crevice in the back of the foam and bend it?? if possible could you post some photos or how you went about it??
2. would you be willing to share that boot file?? its very nice and i would like to use it for a reach build when i get around to it.
Keep up the great work

Sure no problem, Put this together just now and I hope it helps.

I seem to remember EVAkura doing that in his exo suit build. He has instructional videos up on his thread which show you his process.

I have to say, this is an amazing build, after i finish my bondo suit, i plan on doing a foam ODST

You are correct sir EVAkura is doing an awesome job and understands foam far better than me lol He has videos etc.. on how to do curves and organic hard edges. The one thing he didnt cover is fixing mistakes lol I still suggest everyone go see his awesome tutorials and work for that matter. Here is the link http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...Rogue-Binary-Rifle-M6H-Exo-suit-WIP-PIC-HEAVY!

 

[Zoogami Snowfox]

I am going to have to try that next time I build a suit.
Those tips are very helpful.
Yours combined with Evakura's are going to help solve alot of issues people have with foam (including myself).
Oh and that boot of yours looks awesome

 

[Renraku]

Update time

Just completed the first bicep and wanted share with you all on how it turned out. I made a custom 3D model of the bicep since almost all "Foam" PDO's out there are not really good when it comes to foam construction. Meaning I wanted to make a template that was easy to do and foam friendly. The first image shows my template that fits on just three pages The second image is of the completed bicep along with the reference images I used when both modeling it in 3D and assembly. I still have to make the right bicep and then I plan on moving onto the shoulder plates and those will be my last pieces before my foam build is mostly done. that doesn't include fitting and alterations

Note: The scale if the bicep had to take into account the chest armor over hang and the should plates that will be added. I only had to add about 1/2 inch in the circumference to allow my bicep to fit comfortably

Thanks for taking a look and let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Mstruvmgc]

Thaks very much for the info, i think i understand now .
The bicep looks good and i can see better how you did it after your info. Thanks again

 

[Renraku]

OK update time,

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile I have been doing double duty trying to make a duplicate armor set for my youngest daughter. I promised her we could go to PAX this year, why did I say yes..why ....lol Any ways here is some shots of my progress. Let me know if anyone has questions and your feedback is always welcomed. The most difficult part to make so far cold be the Commando should guard, it has so many detailed parts and most are very small.

 

[Shirou]

Awesome man! This is looking really cool!!

 

[Ghost Bear 027]

Thanks for the advice on the rubber cement technique for stenciling. I will certainly have to give this a try.

 

[Apothacary]

Gaaaah. This foam work is amazing. So jelly.

Keep it up!

 

[Spartan214]

Wow, I don't know how I've missed this thread for so long but I'm glad I found it at last! lol Your progress is coming along great. I'm particularly awed by that chest piece, the form is so clean! Looking forward to seeing more

 

[Alkatraz]

Wow your work is amazing! I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to work foam like that.

 

[Leembell]

very very very nice!!!

i am looking at starting out soon so hope you dont mind me keeping a eye on what you do as a guide.

keep up the good work you a clearly very talented

 

[Renraku]

Hello every one, sorry for the long delay in my postings. I have been busy making two Halo Reach armor suits. One for me and my daughter. I will post more images later but wanted to show you all the chest pieces at least. Ill take more pictures of the entire two suits as the are both assembled and ready for sealing and painting. I am just waiting on the under-suits to arrive so I can figure out the strapping and Velcro. I actually like the version I did for my daughter better, I stream lined it more and it fits better. It shows I improved on my design and execution skills. With her armor I went back in to 3D max and redid the models with the thought of how they would work with Foam. The reach chest piece makes it hard to hold a rifle properly, I have seen many done where they tried to reduced its profile but then you lose the look of the original so much.

I still have to add something to the opening on her chest piece, I kept it open and stream lined to appear more feminine. Your thoughts and feedback are welcomed.

Thanks

Renraku / Dave

 

[Renraku]

Ok, quick post of the helmet, I made a cast <which I will redo before I sell any.> and want to show you all how it turned out. I took pictures of the process and learned a lot although it was an expensive experience . The mold and mother mold worked but I will be redoing it before I start to sell any casts. The silicon should have been much smoother and I needed more Keys that I thought to maintain the shape better. I will let you all know when that happens. I added the blast shield on top and it is from a friend from Stony Props a group I belong to. I will be making my own in a few months after I get my 3D printer. I made two pulls so both my daughter and I could have one to wear. Ill be taking both my daughters to Pax Prime this August. Both helmets are sanded and ready to be primed and painted. I think adding the attachment on top really adds a lot to the helmets profile and makes it more interesting. When ever you add micro details and layering it really helps. I will be using clear motorcycle visors and then behind that will be a mirrored material my friend Jim is selling. Its a really cool material that is 100% mirrored but only as think as 110 card stock. I want to protect it so I will be installing clear visors in front of it. Well let me know what you guys think and here is the link to Jim's visor material. https://www.etsy.com/listing/193364395/flexible-metallic-visor-material

Image of the mirrored product

 

[Mstruvmgc]

i think everything is looking good

 

[Cskippro]

This is an awesome build. I saw somewhere that you are using a hot knife. Do you use it on all of your cuts? I have been playing with one and it seems to burn the foam to quickly so I am about to resort to buying hundreds of blades and just doing it that way.

How do you do the beveled cut on your outside edges? Are you sanding them down?

And one last question, where did you get the foam template files? They almost look custom done and the screenshots look like a different program than pepakura.

Thanks ahead of time.... I am definitely subscribing to this one.

 

[Renraku]

Hello, Cskippro

This is an awesome build. I saw somewhere that you are using a hot knife. Do you use it on all of your cuts? I have been playing with one and it seems to burn the foam to quickly so I am about to resort to buying hundreds of blades and just doing it that way.

Actually I stopped using it rather quickly, the reason was yes if you don't cut quickly enough you get warping and bubbling. Its still useful for removing hot glue that makes a mess sometimes. I primarily just use an Xacto blade, but I resharpen it using a small sharping stone. I stop using if once the tip breaks off, by resharpening you will use less blades and it frankly is sharper I think.



How do you do the beveled cut on your outside edges? Are you sanding them down?

I use Loctite gel glue then yes use a Dremel to smooth them out. The gel glue soaks into the foam making it hard and sand-able otherwise it wont be as tight a seam. When joining two pieces together I use the gel glue to get the outer seam glued and tight then I back fill the inside with hot glue, this keeps your seams clean.


And one last question, where did you get the foam template files? They almost look custom done and the screenshots look like a different program than pepakura.

Thanks ahead of time.... I am definitely subscribing to this one.

Yes I am a computer game artist so for every piece I edited or modeled from scratch in 3D Studio MAX. Most of the models or pep files out there are not foam friendly and are not accurate in my opinion. In every case I altered the model so it was foam friendly and would fit a real human being. For instance the thighs were not wide enough for me so even though I got the height right the circumference was off. It always important to nail the length or height, simply because its easier to add more to the circumference. For my boots I made that from scratch and within the model file I color coded the different foam thicknesses I would be using. The more planing out you do for the template the easy the build goes. I have to say that no template I used completely survived the building process meaning I had to alter something on it to make it work or better. If its possble you should learn a 3D program so you are not limited to whats out there and you can improve on the quality of your build.

I hope I answered your questions let me know if you need more info.

Renraku/ Dave

 

[Artifice]

So many playing cards died to make this beautiful helmet....... meh worth it looks vary nice. Are you just going to make the one or make a few with a different color skims?

 

[Renraku]

So many playing cards died to make this beautiful helmet....... meh worth it looks vary nice. Are you just going to make the one or make a few with a different color skims?

Thank you Artifice. I actually have molded it and plan on eventually selling casts of it . Currently I made two casts for my daughter and I. When the cast are available I can let you if you are interested.

 

[Artifice]

Thank you Artifice. I actually have molded it and plan on eventually selling casts of it . Currently I made two casts for my daughter and I. When the cast are available I can let you if you are interested.

Sure, it may be a hit or miss just because I've have lots of things on the go but and idea what the going price would be ?

 

[Hobbyist]

I will be using clear motorcycle visors and then behind that will be a mirrored material my friend Jim is selling. Its a really cool material that is 100% mirrored but only as think as 110 card stock. I want to protect it so I will be installing clear visors in front of it. Well let me know what you guys think and here is the link to Jim's visor material. https://www.etsy.com/listing/193364395/flexible-metallic-visor-material

The stuff looks neat, if I understand you correctly you'll be using a clear motorcycle visor and then hot glue this behind the visor? I'd love to see the finished product (given that pic isn't it, I apologize if it is) because that sounds like a fantastic option especially for first time builders like myself.