Thorssoli's Vacformed Warhammer 40k Space Marines
- Thread starter thorssoli
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No help from Lopez for the bolters. Given the simplicity of the shapes involved, I didn't really see any reason to wait for a raster carving of all of the faces when they're mostly just boxes with a few simple shapes here and there. The only thing with any real complexity is the pistol grip and that just made for a fun exercise in sculpting by hand just to remind myself that I can still do it.
About hiding the seams: I'm pulling the pieces in ABS plastic. The seams are all butt joints with a backing strip adhered to the inside using ABS pipe cement from the hardware store. The cement is basically a solvent with more ABS plastic dissolved in it. It chemically welds the parts together. Because it's fairly thick, it fills the seams in the process of joining them. If I end up with a visible seam, I use a syringe to run a bead of cement into the gap, wait for it to cure, and then sand it down flush.
Regarding liquid latex: it air dries. The thing that keeps it from drying in the bucket is the same thing that keeps paint from drying in the can or glue from drying in the bottle. As long as it's tightly sealed, there's no problem.
Nothing you're missing. Slipcasting latex is essentially the same as rotocasting resin. The only difference is that you can pour the unused material back into the bucket and use it again later. After you let each coat dry overnight, you can pour another one and repeat as many times as you like until you've reached the desired thickness.
On that subject, I went ahead and pulled the first copy of the neckseal:
Here it is with the eyeholes cut out and filled in with mesh fabric:
I still need to shine it up so it will be a bit darker and there will be less contrast between the rubber parts and the fabric parts. I'll also be making them quite a bit thinner. This one works, but it doesn't have as much stretch as I'd like, so it's a bit uncomfortable.
I know it looks goofy when you just see us idiots standing around wearing helmets as hats, but when it's in place in the armor, it makes a lot more sense:
On another note, I pulled the first copy of the bolt pistol:
Quickly taping it all together, it looks like so:
Here's an Imperial Gangsta Killshot:
Stay tuned. More to follow...
Lots of activity over the past few days, but I'm not really feeling like I've gotten a lot done. Most interestingly, I've been working on the new helmet. Here's the pep model next to one of my beaky helmets for comparison:
Here I am test fitting it with one of the neckseals:
More importantly, I also test fitted the new helmet with the chest armor:
Despite being about the same scale as the beaky helmet, it's actually got a fair amount more room inside and with the raised area around the backside, it's a lot easier to get onto my head. Satisfied that it would work, I went ahead and coated the pep model in resin:
In order to make it better match up with my beaky helmets, I modified it to fit the same lenses they use. This also saves me the trouble of making another mold for lenses. I also decided to make the whole face a bit bigger, taking elements I like from both the "Space Marine" video game version and the "Dawn of War" version. After half a day of fairing and sanding, it looked like so:
Here's a better shot:
It still needs a bit of work (and the grill slats in the face) but I'm pretty darned happy with it when you consider the fact that it was only a couple of days work.
In other news, I've re-configured the cutting plan for the diaper and the forming bucks are seeing some improvements as a result:
The new arrangement will result in shallower pulls, making the finished pieces stronger.
Finally, I've cast the first pair of hands, but I neglected to take any pictures. The closest thing I've got is a picture of the mothermold laid up on the mitts:
Stay tuned, I've got a pretty rigorous building schedule coming up in the next few days, but that means things will start to move along pretty quickly now.
Here I am test fitting it with one of the neckseals:
More importantly, I also test fitted the new helmet with the chest armor:
Despite being about the same scale as the beaky helmet, it's actually got a fair amount more room inside and with the raised area around the backside, it's a lot easier to get onto my head. Satisfied that it would work, I went ahead and coated the pep model in resin:
In order to make it better match up with my beaky helmets, I modified it to fit the same lenses they use. This also saves me the trouble of making another mold for lenses. I also decided to make the whole face a bit bigger, taking elements I like from both the "Space Marine" video game version and the "Dawn of War" version. After half a day of fairing and sanding, it looked like so:
Here's a better shot:
It still needs a bit of work (and the grill slats in the face) but I'm pretty darned happy with it when you consider the fact that it was only a couple of days work.
In other news, I've re-configured the cutting plan for the diaper and the forming bucks are seeing some improvements as a result:
The new arrangement will result in shallower pulls, making the finished pieces stronger.
Finally, I've cast the first pair of hands, but I neglected to take any pictures. The closest thing I've got is a picture of the mothermold laid up on the mitts:
Stay tuned, I've got a pretty rigorous building schedule coming up in the next few days, but that means things will start to move along pretty quickly now.
I'm going to quote Inigo Montoya here "I do not think that word means what you think it means."
Not only did you go from pep to almost-ready-to-mold in a few days, cast a set of hands, and cut up the cod forming bucks, but everything looks amazing to boot. This is moving along faster than several other builds I am following and some of those are using foam.
Best of luck in your busy next few days, don't forget to sleep.
Sleep? I'm sorry, but there just isn't time.
Helmet prototype is done:
Here's the backside:
Here's the angle it'll usually be seen from:
After a quick gloss coat, here it is propped up on one of the chests to put it all in perspective:
As promised here's a picture of the first cast pair of mitts:
I still need to sculpt and mold a couple more knuckles and all of the fingertips.
Finally, here's the forms for the belt parts coming together:
Today I'll be making the rest of the finger bits, molding the helmet, building the forms for the waist, and hopfully pulling the first copy of the new and improved diaper.
Stay tuned...
Helmet prototype is done:
Here's the backside:
Here's the angle it'll usually be seen from:
After a quick gloss coat, here it is propped up on one of the chests to put it all in perspective:
As promised here's a picture of the first cast pair of mitts:
I still need to sculpt and mold a couple more knuckles and all of the fingertips.
Finally, here's the forms for the belt parts coming together:
Today I'll be making the rest of the finger bits, molding the helmet, building the forms for the waist, and hopfully pulling the first copy of the new and improved diaper.
Stay tuned...
thomastattoo86
New Member
Looks awesome man!!
I'm pretty happy with the helmet. Since I never make just one of anything, I decided it was time to get started on a mold for the helmet. I'm making it a two-part mold with a seam that will run across the top of the helmet so it's clear of any of the details for ease of cleanup.
Yesterday evening, the new helmet mold began with the grape-flavored goo stage:
I added a bit of accelerator to the silicone so the print coat would set up fast enough for me to lay on a thicker coat of pink brushable silicone. Here it is in the pink frosting stage:
In other news, while I didn't take pictures of the moldmaking, here's the first cast of the pistol grip installed on a pull of the bolt pistol body parts:
Finally, I've started on the second chest sculpt:
It still needs some work. I was very tuned into the detailing for the feather texture on the main body and didn't notice the fact that I was sculpting such a ridiculous gut onto it. Somehow the imperial double-headed, lump-bellied turkey vulture just isn't intimidating enough. Today I'll cut off much of the beergut and make it so the bird's chest is the most prominent feature.
Stay tuned...
Yesterday evening, the new helmet mold began with the grape-flavored goo stage:
I added a bit of accelerator to the silicone so the print coat would set up fast enough for me to lay on a thicker coat of pink brushable silicone. Here it is in the pink frosting stage:
In other news, while I didn't take pictures of the moldmaking, here's the first cast of the pistol grip installed on a pull of the bolt pistol body parts:
Finally, I've started on the second chest sculpt:
It still needs some work. I was very tuned into the detailing for the feather texture on the main body and didn't notice the fact that I was sculpting such a ridiculous gut onto it. Somehow the imperial double-headed, lump-bellied turkey vulture just isn't intimidating enough. Today I'll cut off much of the beergut and make it so the bird's chest is the most prominent feature.
Stay tuned...
Starvinartist80
Well-Known Member
Ahh the joys of getting sucked into the details. I've been there man. I did a life size Raven sculpt and got 90% of the feather completed before I realized it looked more like a rooster than a Raven. 
I look forward to seeing the redone chest sculpt. In the meantime the new helmet is great. Now all you need is a nice Chaplin Helm. Nothing says intimidation like that skull face standing over you while he beats you to death with a religious relic. LOL
I look forward to seeing the redone chest sculpt. In the meantime the new helmet is great. Now all you need is a nice Chaplin Helm. Nothing says intimidation like that skull face standing over you while he beats you to death with a religious relic. LOL@Nessy: At least five chest sculpts. You've seen pictures of two. I've almost finished a third one, butr I have to keep that one under wraps until I'm ready to reveal my choice of chapter for these suits. I'll be making more if I find time and (more importantly) plastic. I placed an order with my supplier and it turns out their manufacturer has discontinued ABS sheets in the thickness I'm using. They'll be making a slightly thicker sheet that won't be available for a couple of months. Meanwhile, I've got them calling in every sheet from every store they have in the state so I can finish this project.
@ Starvinartis80: Chaplain?
I made a couple of these about a year ago:
In other news, the new helmet mold is done:
Here I am installing vacformed lenses into the first casting after I'd primed it:
Here I am trying it out:
Success!
Because I never make one of anything, here's the lineup I'm working on right now:
Here's a shot of my friend Matt trying it on with a chest and shoulders:
When we get the whole thing together, the chest will sit a tiny bit higher so there will be less neck showing.
Over the weekend I laid out the rubber pieces for the elbows and knees so I can slipcast them in latex as well. Here's the elbow sculpt:
It's a bit over-aggrandizing to call it a "sculpt" since it's really just a bunch of pieces of 5/8" backer rod laid out alongside each other and glued to some cardboard.
Molding them began with making a clay wall around the pieces so I could pour some Ultracal 30 over them:
The last thing I did yesterday was pull the stone molds and lay them out to dry. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of them.
In other news, I've called in the troops to crank up productivity a bit and start generating pieces. Here's my vacforming and trimming crew gearing up for an afternoon of making:
Most of yesterday's progress was just teaching folks how to do some of the things that will go into making the suits. We made a few pulls including the first two pulls from the new diaper forms. Here's one assembled:
I'm still working out how I want the abdomen section to come together.
Finally, because just one build at a time isn't challenging enough, I've started on some Imperial Guardsmen to escort the Marines:
When you're walking around in a rig like this, you really need someone dressed lighter to carry your wallet and keep punk high school kids from tripping you. I'm not really in love with the current Imperial Guard options, but they look simple enough to make, so they'll do the job. Here's the helmet with a coat of polyester resin:
And after some bondo and sanding:
The plan is to make it modular so I can cast the face, the helmet, and the goggles separately. That way I can mix and match as needed for style and comfort. I may throw in a few pictures of the Imperial Guard build here and there, but I don't want to lose the focus of this thread.
Stay tuned...
@ Starvinartis80: Chaplain?
I made a couple of these about a year ago:
In other news, the new helmet mold is done:
Here I am installing vacformed lenses into the first casting after I'd primed it:
Here I am trying it out:
Success!
Because I never make one of anything, here's the lineup I'm working on right now:
Here's a shot of my friend Matt trying it on with a chest and shoulders:
When we get the whole thing together, the chest will sit a tiny bit higher so there will be less neck showing.
Over the weekend I laid out the rubber pieces for the elbows and knees so I can slipcast them in latex as well. Here's the elbow sculpt:
It's a bit over-aggrandizing to call it a "sculpt" since it's really just a bunch of pieces of 5/8" backer rod laid out alongside each other and glued to some cardboard.
Molding them began with making a clay wall around the pieces so I could pour some Ultracal 30 over them:
The last thing I did yesterday was pull the stone molds and lay them out to dry. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of them.
In other news, I've called in the troops to crank up productivity a bit and start generating pieces. Here's my vacforming and trimming crew gearing up for an afternoon of making:
Most of yesterday's progress was just teaching folks how to do some of the things that will go into making the suits. We made a few pulls including the first two pulls from the new diaper forms. Here's one assembled:
I'm still working out how I want the abdomen section to come together.
Finally, because just one build at a time isn't challenging enough, I've started on some Imperial Guardsmen to escort the Marines:
When you're walking around in a rig like this, you really need someone dressed lighter to carry your wallet and keep punk high school kids from tripping you. I'm not really in love with the current Imperial Guard options, but they look simple enough to make, so they'll do the job. Here's the helmet with a coat of polyester resin:
And after some bondo and sanding:
The plan is to make it modular so I can cast the face, the helmet, and the goggles separately. That way I can mix and match as needed for style and comfort. I may throw in a few pictures of the Imperial Guard build here and there, but I don't want to lose the focus of this thread.
Stay tuned...
Out of all of the IG options, I was liking the Death Korps of Krieg the most. But since these guys will be out in warm weather, I figured trenchcoats and gas masks were probably a bad idea.
I considered the Elysian Drop Troopers, but the final decision was made when I stumbled across the Cadian pep files on Obscurus Crusade. I'll probably end up doing a gas mask sculpt sometime in the future that will work for the Death Korps, but that's a long ways out at this point.
I considered the Elysian Drop Troopers, but the final decision was made when I stumbled across the Cadian pep files on Obscurus Crusade. I'll probably end up doing a gas mask sculpt sometime in the future that will work for the Death Korps, but that's a long ways out at this point.
It's easy. I sleep very little, rarely pause to eat while I'm in the workshop, and never watch television. Those three things alone probably give me at least five hours a day that most people don't have.
But wait... There's more!
Here's the molds for the rubber bits inside the knees and elbows:
Here's the knee mold with the black mask-making latex poured in:
Here I am draining all of the excess latex from the elbow mold back into the bucket for future use:
These parts will get two pours and then I'll pull them. So I should have the first set tomorrow.
Moving on, I've made my first frag grenade body:
This is just a piece of 3" ABS drain pipe cut about 6" long and an ABS coupler cut into little blocks and shaped on the belt sander to make the pineapple nubs. I still need to prototype some caps for the top and bottom, but at least I'm off to a good start:
Last night we were also able to focus for a bit on the bolter parts:
I'm not sure what we were thinking by making the foregrip one big piece. It's really thin around the area where it will bond to the rest of the rifle. Next time I'll split it in half down the middle so it won't be such a deep pull. Still, the first pull looks the part:
It also weighs practically nothing.
Finally, I've got Lopez (my increasingly unreliable carving machine) making one of these:
Today I need to sculpt out the rubber bits for the hips, make any kind of progress I can on the Imperial Guardsmen, assemble another chest, and finish putting together a backpack.
Stay tuned for more updates....
I just saw this update after reading the last two posts in your blog. That is ALOT of gnomes. I can't wait to see some kind of halo combat gnome. Like a short fat Master Chief with a long beard falling out of his helmet...
Also, very glad to hear that you will be going back to the maker faire. I wish I could go, but I have two weddings to attend that weekend. And I live in Eastern Canada, but it is mostly the weddings keeping me away. I didn't know that you won the Editor's choice awards, so a belated congrats for that as well.
I really like that bolter, though it looks strange to see you holding something the size of your torso with one hand. I am looking forward to seeing a marine holding it in the nearish future.
Also, very glad to hear that you will be going back to the maker faire. I wish I could go, but I have two weddings to attend that weekend. And I live in Eastern Canada, but it is mostly the weddings keeping me away. I didn't know that you won the Editor's choice awards, so a belated congrats for that as well.
I really like that bolter, though it looks strange to see you holding something the size of your torso with one hand. I am looking forward to seeing a marine holding it in the nearish future.
Thanks. I'm not sure if the Editor's Choice thing was really all that big of a deal. If it was, maybe they would've noticed that they'd already given me one when they came by and gave me the second one. Either that or my Halo display was just twice as awesome as any of the other winners. Who knows? What I do know is that if this year is anything like last year, I'll be one of over 600 exhibitors, there will be around 150,000 visitors, I'll be completely swamped with people grilling me about every aspect of the build, there will be dozens of small children pawing at all of the things I lay out within reach, and I will talk myself hoarse two days in a row and love every minute of it.
In other news, here's the first rubber elbow insert being test-fitted:
I also made some forms for the lower vents on the backpack. I keep forgetting to take pictures of the forming bucks, but here's the first set of vents installed:
Here I am trying it on:
I still need to attach the ball vents at the top.
While I was working on the backpack, Matt was working on the bolter. Here it is actually glued together instead of just knocked together with tape and magnets:
When he went to fit the magazine in place, we discovered that it's about 1/8" too long from front to back. We'll need to adjust the forming buck for that one. Oops.
Today I'm going to be cleaning up helmet castings, making up more bolter details, and making forming bucks for the inside of the vent cutouts on the back of the backpack.
Stay tuned...
In other news, here's the first rubber elbow insert being test-fitted:
I also made some forms for the lower vents on the backpack. I keep forgetting to take pictures of the forming bucks, but here's the first set of vents installed:
Here I am trying it on:
I still need to attach the ball vents at the top.
While I was working on the backpack, Matt was working on the bolter. Here it is actually glued together instead of just knocked together with tape and magnets:
When he went to fit the magazine in place, we discovered that it's about 1/8" too long from front to back. We'll need to adjust the forming buck for that one. Oops.
Today I'm going to be cleaning up helmet castings, making up more bolter details, and making forming bucks for the inside of the vent cutouts on the back of the backpack.
Stay tuned...
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