RobotChicken's Halo 3 Mk VI Master Chief, Ultra Detail, First Build WIP (many pics)

[RobotChicken]

that is some awesome detail. what I did for the bondo rounded edges was to get a flat and triangular files and a couple of rotozip cutters for my dremel and had a very slow and careful detail.

Thanks. I have a complete set of files and rasps, plus a set of diamond needle files. I currently don't have plans to cut in details with my Dremel, but that may change when I'm actually at the Bondo detailing phase. For now, I prefer to do as much detailing as possible before resining since Rondo/Bondo is brittle and heavier. Paper detailing is also easier to re-do if needed.

 

[shotgun rumble]

hopefully this moves it up to the top!

 

[RobotChicken]

I'm sure everybody's thought this at least once during their build..."if I only knew then what I know now".

Then these would have been installed more easily...

 

[RobotChicken]

The next detail has been added to the upper arms - a rounded notch cut in with mat board. Keep in mind this is only roughed out and will be blended with filler, as well as rounding the "floor" of the pocket after hardening. Two more similar notches are being added in the back.

 

[RobotChicken]

Gloves have arrived and they're much too large. I ordered the smallest size available (armored paintball gloves) and they fit my hands! So they get returned and after a few weeks of searching online with no decent results I've come to realize that custom-built gloves will be happening.

The upper-arms are nearly done with just a couple support struts and some additional surface details remaining. Photos will be posted when they're completed, and it's looking like I might start applying the first resin coats this weekend.

 

[rickrtickr]

Gloves have arrived and they're much too large. I ordered the smallest size available (armored paintball gloves) and they fit my hands! So they get returned and after a few weeks of searching online with no decent results I've come to realize that custom-built gloves will be happening.

The upper-arms are nearly done with just a couple support struts and some additional surface details remaining. Photos will be posted when they're completed, and it's looking like I might start applying the first resin coats this weekend.

see if you can find a set of MadGrip gloves they might be just what you want.

 

[RobotChicken]

Hey, thanks - there are black ones that look like they might be adequate and come in X-Small size. I'll see if I can find some locally on the weekend for a size fit.

 

[stryde]

This is incredible! And at such a tiny scale on top of that, my mind is completely blown.

 

[RobotChicken]

Upper Arms are Pepped

I won't really go into the details of their construction because that was already presented in earlier posts. Here are the photos.

This photo shows an extra support strut I added to keep the curved front part square with the piece, as it didn't want to hold its position reliably due to the disproportionately small attachment points on the sides. The extra support strut holds it in place so it won't shift during hardening (and by "hardening" I mean resin, Rondo, and glass). You can also see in this photo how I've glued in mat board panels behind flat areas that I want to have staying flat during the hardening process (giggity-giggity).

Here they are together and you can see the two notches added to the backside. I know they're a little large but that's intentional since their radius will decrease when bondo and paint are added (both of which will add thickness to the holes).

Here is a close-up of the backside:

Here is the front side (the creases in the lower shoulder are intentional to match the slight angle that exists in references - it will be refined better during finishing):

The added shoulder lower indents will be extended to the bottom corners during finishing (it wasn't practical to pep such a subtle edge near the corners) and all the thin line details will be smoothed and tapered:

These pieces and the handplates will get their first resin application on the weekend. Next up I'm returning to the forearms to add details with cardstock and mat board instead of later with bondo.

Thanks for looking.

 

[RobotChicken]

(Sorry for all the back-to-back posts, but it would seem few people are interested in commenting on this build.)

Resin was applied to the outsides of the upper arms and handplates today. I was prepared for a nightmarish task after reading the difficulties other people have with it, so it was surprising how easy it was to apply. I had a variety of brush sizes on hand, but ended up using only 1/2" shop brushes for all of it. They are $2.99 for 36 at Harbor Freight. At first I was wasting about half my 1oz batches due to hardening time, but by the end I was able to gauge the right batch size for using it all before it turns into a gelatinous blob. There is zero warping and although they're dry to the touch, I have them out in the sun right now to cure.

There are some brush strokes visible in the photo from when the resin started to gel up, but you don't really expect me to paint these without sanding them first, do you? Those will disappear. When I feel they've cured/degassed enough, I'll do a Rondo coat on the inside. Until then, it's time to start modifying the pepped forearms with details.

 

[RobotChicken]

Got a new source of reference photos today - the official Halo 3 game guide book. Comparing two of the main interest detail areas on the forearms between pep and photos, one will be easy and one will be difficult. The easy one involves tiny little "domes" added near the wrist opening (lower circled area in the photo) and will be cast in Rondo to be added later after sanding. (No, I'm not going to make smooth domes out of paper, and these things are tiny at the scale I'm building at.) The mold for casting these is drying at the moment and photos will be uploaded later.

The difficult one, well, this one is just going to be no fun at all (upper circled area). The pep detail is totally whacked and not at all like the real detail (and I do mean totally). The only fix is to cut the area out from the pep and build a replacement from scratch. I'm still chasing down clear close-up photos of this area, as the ones I've collected so far conflict with each other in the details and all are a bit blurry. Anything I do end up building there which resembles the photos will be far better than the original pep detail.

 

[Cheezmo619]

Wow, and I was looking for some ideas for scaling my 9yr old sons first Halo build. Great work. Do you have specific links to the pdo files you used? Hope it's no trouble.

 

[Fred617]

Did you hear that? That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor. Incredible detail. You, my friend, are a true perfectionist. I can't wait for your next post.

 

[RobotChicken]

Wow, and I was looking for some ideas for scaling my 9yr old sons first Halo build. Great work. Do you have specific links to the pdo files you used? Hope it's no trouble.

They're just the regular HD files from the 4shared database, and then I modify the pep and add custom details as needed to match photos.

Rondo is done on the handplates and upper arm pieces. They're so hard that I'm thinking they won't need more than one or two layers of glass. The concerning part now is hoping he doesn't grow too fast over the next year or the pieces will need further work (or resizing). They're still large on him now, so it may (hopefully) work out.

Dimpled domes were cast while doing the upper arms Rondo and they turned out okay. A little larger than I had planned, but I think that's good because instead of just gluing them to the surface I can drill a hole to recess them slightly which will give better anchoring. I finally found two clear photos of the forearms upper detail and will be working on that until the next update, so the thread is likely to be buried a little in the meantime.

 

[SirPalesAlot]

If you have the Halo 3 reference pack you could use this image since it is a bit larger than the one in the link http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/926632-halo-3/images/screen-18. Either way it is a good clean shot of the forearm detail you are planning on fixing.

 

[RobotChicken]

If you have the Halo 3 reference pack you could use this image since it is a bit larger than the one in the link http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/926632-halo-3/images/screen-18. Either way it is a good clean shot of the forearm detail you are planning on fixing.

Thanks, but that's one of the "poor" pictures I already had - it's not lit well and not high enough resolution to really see the details when zooming in on them. The Halo Encyclopedia has a good photo and so does the Halo 3 Game Guide. It looks like it would be one of the many clips distributed around the armor, but since no separation is needed there I'm just going to emulate the "look" of the detail and not the implied functionality of it.

Frustratingly, the MadGrip gloves that I was interested in are discontinued from the manufacturer and not readily available from retailers (everybody I've tried is out of stock and cannot re-order). They probably would have been too large again anyway, as X-Small is no doubt an adult size and not likely to fit my son's hands. So, I'm still probably going to dress up a pair of children's costume gloves with black foamies or neoprene for the desired look.

 

[RobotChicken]

Based on the discernible detail of available photos, here are the plans I drew up for the forearms detail. How do you like it? I think it represents the detail area fairly well and I plan to start building it from mat board and cardstock tomorrow evening.

 

[NayrDeath]

Might I say you're doing a spectacular job. I honestly do believe that you deserve an award for how crisp and beautiful your pep work is. At some point please try working with foam, as I'd love to see the finished product of your attention to detail. Also if you're looking for a different way to tackle the details of this suit, consider sculpting them with two-part epoxy putty, or "Green Stuff" as it's often referred to. Many modelers of miniatures (like myself) rely on it for a sculpting median because it's so easy to work with.
Here is a link to the product: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1380024a

-Ryan

 

[RobotChicken]

Thanks! I actually did consider sculpting the forearm detail and even picked up some clay on the weekend while getting molding supplies, but since the pieces I'm building are to be worn directly instead of cast, weight is an important consideration for a 9 year old and I'm going to make them from paper. The upper arms gained a fair amount of weight from the Rondo and I haven't even started bondo work. (Unfortunately, my scale modeling hobby has ended up being more of collecting unbuilt kits than actually assembling them, and I've run out of space to stack all the boxes!)

Foam is a very difficult medium to work with (for me, anyway) and I am just in awe at the results some people have with it. Here's the last thing I made from foam two years ago. The costume is made from different thicknesses of polyurethane sheet, with PVC sprinkler pipe hands (with the properly curved edges on the backside) and working LEDs in the eye openings. The crotch is reinforced with styrene so the "hoop" between the legs holds its shape. The face is the only thing I bought rather than constructed to get the best detail in the shortest time (this whole project was done in a month) and foam encloses the back of the head. Ventilation was an issue and will be remedied in the Master Chief costume. The photo doesn't show it well, but it's painted with metallic gold paint and is "glittery" in person.

 

[ShadoKat]

Excellent pep work right there! Your attention to detail is what many of us wish we could achieve in our own work. I really like how you are adding custom parts to the existing pep files (really wish I could do something like that myself). Also good use of the mat board, it looks like a big time saver. I do have a question, though... what are these grommets for? Looking back at your reference photo of this part, I don't see how they fit in.

Also, if you're interested in sculpting the detail directly onto the piece without casting, rather than trying to do it with body filler, you might consider an epoxy based putty, such as Magic Sculpt, Apoxie Sculpt, or Free Form. Free Form Earth is easier to work with, while Free Form Air is very lightweight... not the easiest thing to sculpt with, but it can be made to work.

Keep up the great work, I look forward to seeing more!!