Thanks for the comments guys. Blackula, thanks for the advice; I considered applying Bondo to some inside corners for more material to shape, but so far I haven't felt the need to. However, I might to be able to even if I wanted since I have to admit my fiberglassing wasn't perfect, so the cloth doesn't lay down in the corners completely. It doesn't take away from the structural integrity (I think), but it does make rounding corners a little more problematic (there are some air voids in some corners).
Well, I've been chipping away at some work, taking advantage of the few and far-between nice weather days we've had. I'm pretty sure the weather is not usually this bad during Spring around here. :confused Today, it's been pouring rain all day with tornado warnings....but I still got some work done! haha! It was comfortably warm today, so I just worked in the garage with the door open.
A few days ago, I decided to work on the detail pieces for what I will call the "exhaust" vents on the shoulders of the chest piece. The low-def chest I'm using really has poor shaping in that area, so I decided to remedy this.
Using some plywood, I built a frame, then I layered it with cardboard and screen mesh.
Both pieces all put together.
With a coat of primer to bring it all together. Once the chest piece is mostly finished (all Bondo-ed and sanded), I'll cut out the existing area and replace it with these pieces.
I started working on finishing the boots too. First, I tcut off about 1 centimeter off of the bottom so they don't scrape the ground. I finished sanding only one of them so far. To be honest, I didn't spend too much time getting them absolutely perfect for several reasons:
1. They don't get as much attention as the rest of the suit.
2. They have a high risk of getting damaged or destroyed (I'm imagining people stepping on them by accident...)
3. Any sanding imperfections will most likely get washed out from the paint and weathering process.
I created the cardboard detail pieces, glued them on, and applied the preliminary coat of primer. You may also notice some detail grooves I grinded in with the Dremel per my reference photos.
I also added some detail pieces to the front. These are simply strips of square wood split diagonally, glued on, then layered with a coat of epoxy to strengthen them.
Finally, I finished sanding one of the thighs I had started on a looong time ago. It was one of the first pieces to be Bondo-ed and sanded. I finally finished it. Cardboard detail piece, grooves grinded in, primer (the process I'll use for all the remaining pieces).
That's all for now. I will continue the Bondo + sanding process, I post updates as more and more pieces get finished. Thanks for stopping by and following my build!
