Naga's Mark Vi Progress Thread

[NAGA]

I think it looks great but you could use some more bondo and smooth it out even a bit more.

I certainly agree, as I haven't used any bondo yet. I absolutely plan to, though. My ideal end-state is to have armor that looks as smooth as the real thing would, regardless of how polygonal the actual in-game models are. I have zero experience with bondo right now, and my work is certainly cut out for me, so I'll probably start with a fairly simple piece like a thigh or shin. That way, if I'm working with it and my bondo-noob hands get possessed by stupid, the mistakes will be reversible.



(I know my signature status says "bondo", but the input category for the sig-maker says bondo/glass, and there's really not much I can do about that.)



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Question on the bondo for anyone, actually: Is there anything wrong with applying primer before bondo? It seems like I would be able to get a better idea of what parts need smoothing from the outset that way. I feel like I've seen it done both ways and was curious if there was a reason not to.

 

[Adam Anderson]

that is what you are supposed to do. you lightly buff the peice with sandpaper, then you put a coat of primer on it, let it dry, the use that to find"imperfections" in the armor peice. hope that helps

 

[NAGA]

that is what you are supposed to do. you lightly buff the peice with sandpaper, then you put a coat of primer on it, let it dry, the use that to find"imperfections" in the armor peice. hope that helps

That does help. Reading various differing accounts just added a level of uncertainty to that step. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[pilotpapakilo]

Here's a good tutorial by crackhead09(i think) ...

 

[Spartan 051]

dont worry about the bondo it is easy to get the hang up an crackhead did a very good tutorial

 

[NAGA]

Here's a good tutorial by crackhead09(i think) ...

Wow, there's sound now! I had found that way back when, but the sound was disabled, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Thanks for bringing it back up - it certainly is a good tutorial.

 

[spartan062]

Where can you get a chest tester? Sorry, I'm extremely new to this.

 

[NAGA]

I think this would be a good place.



You can also find that one and a whole bunch of similar files right here, in the Wiki.



[Please let me know if either of the links are bad, and I'll fix them.]



Something to keep in mind on the chest size tester is the difference in dimensions between the the tester and the final HD torso. It has a big impact on what dimension you should use for 1) your reference measurement and 2) your final size. The width and depth on the Size Tester is less than those on the HD Torso.



Therefore, I really think you should really use the height as your reference measurement, and take into consideration the slight increase in overall width when trying to get the size right for when you move on from the tester to the HD Torso. It took me two separate size testers to finally settle on the right size, and I was really fortunate. This is one area that might require a lot of patience if you want to get it right.



Hope that helps.

 

[coolguy26]

is your helmet a good fit? what scale did you put in height?





btw: nice progress!!

 

[JediStumpy]

Yah instead of using FB resin you could use a SmoothCast product. One you can use it indoors and second it is a lot easier to work with as long as you have a good prep for it when applying it to you parts. I used that method for my helmet and it worked great as well as for many others.

Cost: $78 for a gallon and that could do your whole suit almost. The trial size is the perfect amount for a helmet. If you are looking for a reference I have a link to a video at the bottom of my Sig that goes through the process.

 

[NAGA]

is your helmet a good fit? what scale did you put in height?





btw: nice progress!!

Thanks



The helmet looks to be a really good fit, and it looks like it's perfectly to scale based off of the reference points I have on the chest, as well. As far as scale, I couldn't tell you, to be honest. I don't mess around with "scaling" the armor per se. I measured the vertical distance from the bottom of my chin to the top of my head (251mm), and added some space for padding and what-not (29mm). So my overall height for the helmet was 280mm.



I'll be able to give a final impression on the fitment once I've applied the Smoothcast using JediStumpy's method and make the necessary trimming adjustments around the neck. Guaranteed picture update on that one.

Yah instead of using FB resin you could use a SmoothCast product. One you can use it indoors and second it is a lot easier to work with as long as you have a good prep for it when applying it to you parts. I used that method for my helmet and it worked great as well as for many others.

Cost: $78 for a gallon and that could do your whole suit almost. The trial size is the perfect amount for a helmet. If you are looking for a reference I have a link to a video at the bottom of my Sig that goes through the process.

Definitely planning to go this route. I actually hyperlinked that exact video in my initial post in reference to your method. In fact, I already have a trial set of the SmoothCast sitting at my friend's apartment. I just have to wait for my finals to blow over before I can even think of cracking that open. Either way, that should happen in a little over a week.



As far as doing the rest of the suit, it makes me a little nervous. I think I just trust the fiberglass more, having seen some mishaps that other people have endured due to uneven application. However, I doubt it would hurt at all to coat the inside of the pieces after they are past the fiberglassing stage - something I'm considering doing with whatever I have left after coating the inside of my helmet 4 or 5 times.



I think I thanked you way back when on Youtube for posting the video, but in case I didn't, thanks for the video tutorial - it's definitely going to come in handy.

 

[TheKennanator]

However, I doubt it would hurt at all to coat the inside of the pieces after they are past the fiberglassing stage - something I'm considering doing with whatever I have left after coating the inside of my helmet 4 or 5 times.

Eherm... Naga, what's left of that trial size after our helmets is going towards weapon experimentation. I still haven't given up on that for some stupid reason. I am looking into getting a gallon or so.



*you have no idea how hard it was not to reply in lolcatz*

 

[NAGA]

Eherm... Naga, what's left of that trial size after our helmets is going towards weapon experimentation. I still haven't given up on that for some stupid reason. I am looking into getting a gallon or so.



*you have no idea how hard it was not to reply in lolcatz*

Well, yes. But your helmet isn't even built yet, and I'm not sure how much we'll have left. Hence the "considering" part. Keep in mind, a tester set will do 4-5 coats for 2 helmets and still have some left over.



So dun wurry. u still can has smoovkast.

 

[Condor4]

As far as doing the rest of the suit, it makes me a little nervous. I think I just trust the fiberglass more, having seen some mishaps that other people have endured due to uneven application. However, I doubt it would hurt at all to coat the inside of the pieces after they are past the fiberglassing stage - something I'm considering doing with whatever I have left after coating the inside of my helmet 4 or 5 times.







I only use smooth cast 300 to get the spots that I cant fiberglass. like you said, If you do have any left over use it for a final coat after fiberglassing, it helps make the inside less prickly so it wont hurt when you put it on.



another thing you could do over the winter, instead of sculpting, is pep a couple HD weapons like a splazer or a carbine. or start on a new helmet like an odst helm. other than that I think you may have to just sit back and wait for better weather.



the armor looks amazing btw!!!

 

[jmoulton11]

i agree with condor on the weather. the cold makes the fiberglass take forever to cure, and it's just not fun to work with. If you could do the glassing and put it in well ventilated area and put the pieces near something like a portable heater, that might work. other than that you may jus have to wait for warmer weather. the armor looks great so far though. i can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[NAGA]

PROGRESS UPDATE: Smoothcasting the Helmet



So with my finals finished and death no longer staring me in the face, I braved a trip down to TheKennanator's apartment where we proceeded to smoothcast my Mark VI helmet. You can find a great tutorial from JediStumpy on this process here. The entire process, from start to finish, only took a couple of hours. I used a tester set of Smoothcast 300 and coated the inside 4 times with 4oz of each part of the solution. It's an amazingly simple process, and one of the most time consuming parts was just sealing the visor area and neck opening with tape in preparation. Of course, once that was done, it was really easy.



Mixing the solution:

Pouring it:

Sloshing it around, spreading the love:

A couple of hours, 4 coats, and an entire tester set later, I removed most of the tape and cut a square hole in the bottom. Here's the result:

(The white mess in the visor is actually plastic that formed on the back of the tape. Pretty neat if you ask me.)



I roughly cut out some of the plastic that hardened around the neck opening so I could show the plastic coat on the inside:

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So smoothcasting was a really, really easy procedure. I'm not really going to go into the details of it, since the tutorial hyperlinked above does everything I could hope to in that regard. However, I will certainly say that anyone wanting to strengthen their helmet should certainly go this route. It's easy, there's no mess, it's non-toxic, and it works extremely well. The helmet is ridiculously strong and has a comfortable weight to it, now. I've dropped it on the floor from chest level for its "moment of truth", and it bounced off like nothing happened. Win.



However, the opening around the neck was too narrow to fit my head in - by design. Thanks to Condor, I had some good specific information as to what areas to trim off so I could fit my head through the opening. After a little playing time with my Dremel this morning, I've successfully trimmed the opening of the helmet:

...and now it fits over my head...

Sometime later, I'm going to cut out the visor area and post a picture or two of that. That way, I might be able to see when I put it on....



[Thanks, Moulinator and Condor for the compliments, btw. ]

 

[kmiller]

Sweet job! Any idea what color you're painting it?

 

[NAGA]

Sweet job! Any idea what color you're painting it?

Thanks!



As of now, I'm planning on going for the original Master Chief look and painting it Italian Olive - I was torn between a few options, but ultimately settled on that one, as it's the closest match to the in-game look. However, that's still a long ways away; I have no illusions about how long bondo'ing the suit is going to take....

 

[Ender06]

Also a tip for bondo-ing is when you get the hardenertube, get the red stuff (the stuff that comes with the can is usually grey), when you get the red, you can easily vary the mixture and the color will determine how fast it is going to set, from 2 minutes (dark pink) - 30 minutes (barely any pink) after a couple applications you'll begin to find out what color and amount of hardener you'll need, and if you accidentally mixed too much hardener in or too little (so you have some warning as to how much time you have to work with)...

 

[TheKennanator]

PROGRESS UPDATE: Smoothcasting the Helmet



So with my finals finished and death no longer staring me in the face, I braved a trip down to TheKennanator's apartment where we proceeded to smoothcast my Mark VI helmet.

Uh, dude, I'm a Southy. I'm the brave one taking trips north to your place :sleep



It looks great. Good work with the dremmel. Please please tell me you did what we discussed before you took that photo!



@Condor - I'm definitely going to coat the interior of all my pieces with the smoothcast. It just makes sense, as the plastic provides a much better surface to mount velcro or whathaveyou to.



NAGA - we have to get more of that for all our armor. Think of it as a safety precaution. We want this to meet ANSI and ISO standards, as well as MIL-SPEC.