This last summer, I began work on my first Pepakura project - the Mjolnir Mark VI armor (Halo 3). It's typically said that you shouldn't begin a project with HD pieces, but I believe that as long as you're comfortable and know what you're doing (and you're armed with enough patience...), they're as good a starting point as any other piece. I began the whole project with an HD bicep, worked through the arms and legs, and saved the chest and helmet for last. I felt that the hardest, most critical parts should have the greatest foundation of knowledge and skill to build upon in order to ensure success.
It has been really slow work, having to work around 1) getting married, 2) National Guard obligations, and 3) law school, but dangit, this is important too! So while it's been slow, it's also been steady, and as of now I've finished all the Pepakura work for my suit. At this point, everything has at least one coat of resin, with some parts already fiberglassed. I'll go ahead and stop writing now and just throw down some of the pictures I took up to this point:
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Here's a shot with the last chest size tester I constructed. I couldn't decide between a 45cm tall and a 43cm tall piece, and ultimately built a 44cm piece and called it good.
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And finally I moved on to the helmet, which was a weird experience. The helmet, while much easier than the chest, took at least twice as long because I was so burnt out by the long hours I had just put into the chest. Eventually, it started coming together. Here's a shot I took of the helmet before finalizing it, just to confirm that my helmet size tester (not pictured) wasn't some strange anomaly of fitment:
And with construction complete:
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Here's a comparison shot that I really just can't get over. Mad props to the guys who design these models (Flying Squirrel, in this case). The accuracy of the models that they make possible for us to build is astounding. This is placed next to Kennanator's Legendary helmet (that's your shout-out, Kenna):
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And all laid out (I got so excited taking this picture):
(The AR next to it is undersized by 3 inches or so, I know.)
As far as scaling goes, I used custom measurement based on pictures and reference points. If anyone here had the chance to see Abrant3's Youtube tutorial series, that's exactly what I did. To be honest, I really don't like a lot of the other scaling methods, as they will get you close, but the end result will not be perfect. In my opinion, this is the best method for scaling any piece, hands-down.
MY QUESTIONS:
- What do you guys think I should do for the boots? I'm torn between cutting out the bottoms and allowing my boots to be in direct contact with the ground (though practically invisible), and rubber-coating the bottoms of the boots and just using them as they are. I'm open to suggestions.
- With the weather getting as cold as it is, is there anything I can reasonably make progress on between now and warmer months? I'm really at a loss, here. If I get desperate enough, I'll build a heating box. I'm really wishing my apartment had a garage.
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So that's my suit thus far. I'll be making progress posts as progress is made, but I'm not sure how quickly that progress will come now that winter is upon us. As far as the future goes, I fully intend to bondo every piece and smooth them down to perfection. Also on my list is the inclusion of neodymium magnets for weapon attachment, LEDs, fans, and maybe an in-helmet microphone... but that's a long way down the road. Oh, and I'm planning on using JediStumpy's method of strengthening the helmet with about 4 layers of Smoothcast casting resin (which should be in the mail right now).
Other than that, I can't think of much else to write about this at the moment. Like I've said, I'm open to comments, criticism, and suggestions. As well, if anyone has any questions about any of the methods I've used or anything of the sort, I'll be happy to answer them. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this! Let me know what you think
It has been really slow work, having to work around 1) getting married, 2) National Guard obligations, and 3) law school, but dangit, this is important too! So while it's been slow, it's also been steady, and as of now I've finished all the Pepakura work for my suit. At this point, everything has at least one coat of resin, with some parts already fiberglassed. I'll go ahead and stop writing now and just throw down some of the pictures I took up to this point:
---
Here's a shot with the last chest size tester I constructed. I couldn't decide between a 45cm tall and a 43cm tall piece, and ultimately built a 44cm piece and called it good.
---
And finally I moved on to the helmet, which was a weird experience. The helmet, while much easier than the chest, took at least twice as long because I was so burnt out by the long hours I had just put into the chest. Eventually, it started coming together. Here's a shot I took of the helmet before finalizing it, just to confirm that my helmet size tester (not pictured) wasn't some strange anomaly of fitment:
And with construction complete:
---
Here's a comparison shot that I really just can't get over. Mad props to the guys who design these models (Flying Squirrel, in this case). The accuracy of the models that they make possible for us to build is astounding. This is placed next to Kennanator's Legendary helmet (that's your shout-out, Kenna):
---
And all laid out (I got so excited taking this picture):
(The AR next to it is undersized by 3 inches or so, I know.)
As far as scaling goes, I used custom measurement based on pictures and reference points. If anyone here had the chance to see Abrant3's Youtube tutorial series, that's exactly what I did. To be honest, I really don't like a lot of the other scaling methods, as they will get you close, but the end result will not be perfect. In my opinion, this is the best method for scaling any piece, hands-down.
MY QUESTIONS:
- What do you guys think I should do for the boots? I'm torn between cutting out the bottoms and allowing my boots to be in direct contact with the ground (though practically invisible), and rubber-coating the bottoms of the boots and just using them as they are. I'm open to suggestions.
- With the weather getting as cold as it is, is there anything I can reasonably make progress on between now and warmer months? I'm really at a loss, here. If I get desperate enough, I'll build a heating box. I'm really wishing my apartment had a garage.
---
So that's my suit thus far. I'll be making progress posts as progress is made, but I'm not sure how quickly that progress will come now that winter is upon us. As far as the future goes, I fully intend to bondo every piece and smooth them down to perfection. Also on my list is the inclusion of neodymium magnets for weapon attachment, LEDs, fans, and maybe an in-helmet microphone... but that's a long way down the road. Oh, and I'm planning on using JediStumpy's method of strengthening the helmet with about 4 layers of Smoothcast casting resin (which should be in the mail right now).
Other than that, I can't think of much else to write about this at the moment. Like I've said, I'm open to comments, criticism, and suggestions. As well, if anyone has any questions about any of the methods I've used or anything of the sort, I'll be happy to answer them. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this! Let me know what you think
