Trial By Fire - Sangheilioz's Custom Reach Build

[Sangheilioz]

Hey all! I'm a long-time lurker here, but due to a lack of funding and space/time limitations I haven't been able to build anything until recently. My goal is to create a set of my in-game Halo: Reach armor, pictured here:

I've already made the handplates as an introduction to pepping:

After this, I made a forearm, but I didn't like the model I used and I also scaled it WAY too large, so it's been scrapped. I then decided to move on to the helmet...

While the helmet build was a success, and I *CAN* wear it, it's too small for me to wear if I add any thickness to it, so I'm in the process of rebuilding it at a slightly larger scale. As for the rest of the armor, my original plan was to do pep/fiberglass for the whole suit, but I've seen a lot of good work with foam on here lately. What would you all suggest?

Files used:

Helmet: jtm1997's HD EVA unfolded by Primal Weyland (thread)
Handplate: Ruze789's Spartan Handplate (original link not working, can be viewed here)

 

[theTavernKnight]

Looks good. I just did hand guards as an intro to pepping as well. Looks like yours came out a lot better than mine; makes me want to re-pep it now. The hand guard looks like it might be a little big but it could be just the angle of the shot. I'll defer to someone more experienced to know for sure.

Keep it up.

 

[Sangheilioz]

Looks good. I just did hand guards as an intro to pepping as well. Looks like yours came out a lot better than mine; makes me want to re-pep it now. The hand guard looks like it might be a little big but it could be just the angle of the shot. I'll defer to someone more experienced to know for sure.

Keep it up.

Thanks! The handplate should be about the right size and maybe even a little small when I have the gloves for it. This picture isn't a great indicator because I had my thumb bent in under my hand...

 

[mrmikeman]

Looking good so far. It seems you have said what so many have before you: "It doesn't FIT!" Good pep work though.

 

[Sangheilioz]

Looking good so far. It seems you have said what so many have before you: "It doesn't FIT!" Good pep work though.

Thanks man! And technically it does "fit," it just won't fit if I fiberglass it. I knew it would be too small after I got the front part of the visor done, but decided to finish it anyway so I would know what areas I needed to watch out for when I rebuilt it. So far it's paid off, as I've had much better success with the second helmet!

 

[TJX62]

Looks good so far. It was a smart idea finishing the first helmet and finding the trouble areas. It helps build up your pep skills and be able to find those kinda spots in other parts even before you start building. Keep up the good work!

 

[Sangheilioz]

Looks good so far. It was a smart idea finishing the first helmet and finding the trouble areas. It helps build up your pep skills and be able to find those kinda spots in other parts even before you start building. Keep up the good work!

That's exactly my thinking. I learned a lot from the handplates, and even more from the first helmet, and when I finish the second helmet and upload pictures I think you'll see the benefit of that experience!

 

[mrmikeman]

Trial and error is the key to success. How can one learn from their mistakes if one does not make them?

 

[Sangheilioz]

Trial and error is the key to success. How can one learn from their mistakes if one does not make them?

Truer words have never been spoken. xD

 

[Sangheilioz]

Sorry for Double Post, edit button is acting up for some reason...

UPDATE!

I've completed re-building the helmet in a larger size!

As you can see, it's quite a bit larger than the previous one, which should leave me plenty of room for fiberglassing, padding, and fans/lights/etc. There are a few pieces left that form more of a collar, but I've left them off for now so I can fit my head inside. I will be adding them later, and have an idea of how I can still put the helmet on with it, but you'll have to wait until I get there to see what I'm planning!

I'm glad I finished the first helmet, it let me see where the problem areas would be, and I did a much better job this time around.

 

[Jaskah]

It looks like your helmet is coming along nicely. What is the next piece you plan on working on?

 

[Sangheilioz]

I'll probably do the chest next, but I need to decide if I'm going to do pep for the rest of my armor, or switch to foam... I have some time to decide since I'm putting things on hold until after christmas but I'd appreciate feedback and suggestions regarding what route I should take!

 

[Sangheilioz]

I'm baaaaaaaack!

We finally had a day that was warm enough, and with low enough humidity, that I was able to do some fiberglass resin work, so my Armor project is officially "unshelved." I've also made a decision regarding the armor, and decided to go with foam. I'm planning on wearing this a lot, and possibly for some high-activity... erm, activities, so having the flexibility and durability of foam will be advantageous. I've also established a goal for finishing the armor and helmet: August. I'm hoping to have the armor ready to wear for GenCon, as a friend of mine is cosplaying Cortana there!

Housekeeping out of the way, it's time for an actual update! I resined the test helmet, and then while I resined the actual helmet afterward, I went ahead and tried two different techniques for the fiberglass cloth on the inside of the test helmet. First I tried brushing a thin layer of resin, then applying the cloth, then brushing more resin over it. Then I tried dipping the cloth in the resin directly, getting both sides saturated, then wiping away excess before laying it onto the inside of the helmet. When I get home from work today I'll see which technique is stronger, and what the weight tradeoff is.

So, without further ado, pics (cause it DID happen!)

^ Resining in progress!

^ that neck guard is omitted on the test helmet, and will probably be sanded back a bit later for easier wearability.

 

[Tenebrus]

Very clean pep you have there sir, do you plan on vac forming a visor or have some other method in mind?

 

[Sangheilioz]

Thank you sir! I really tried to take my time and pep it as cleanly as possible to cut out as much bondo detailing as possible. It also helps that I had a practice run at it with the smaller helmet! Regarding the visor, yes I am planning on vac-forming it. As far as I know, I'll be the first to do a full, 1-piece visor for the EVA helmet. It'll be an adventure, but you know what they say, "Go big or go home!"

 

[daduk]

good luck very nice

 

[NoTagBacks]

Looking good so far dudeman! So are you going to be pepping much of anything else, or is the rest of your armor going to be foam?

 

[Sangheilioz]

good luck very nice

Thanks!

Looking good so far dudeman! So are you going to be pepping much of anything else, or is the rest of your armor going to be foam?

Thank you, sir! I'm planning to do pep for the knife, but I won't be doing so for awhile yet. I think everything else will be foam though, for now. That might change if I come across a piece that really doesn't work well in foam.

I am, however, considering doing some kind of outer-shell hardening technique on certain parts of the armor, kind of a fiberglass/foam hybrid if you will, but I'd have to find a way to seal the foam so the resin doesn't dissolve/melt it away, and it's really not too high a priority that I do so.

-----

I started fiberglassing the test helmet last night, when I realized it was leaving air bubbles around all edges. Rather than have to do a ton of bondo work later to fill in these holes and sculpt the details back in, I decided to use a layer of Rondo to make sure everything was filled in. I mixed a little too much for the test helmet, though, and it's thickened and hard enough that I don't think I'll need to do any more hardening. On the actual helmet, I did a thinner layer of bondo, and I'm planning on doing a layer or two of fiberglass over it for added strength, followed by a final thin layer of Rondo to smooth out the interior. Is this going to be too much? Should I just add some more Rondo and be done with it?

 

[daywalker1623]

What did you decide when fiberglassing the inside? Thin layer first or just dipping the cloth in resin?

 

[Sangheilioz]

What did you decide when fiberglassing the inside? Thin layer first or just dipping the cloth in resin?

I found that they ended up being about the same strength, but there was a lot more trouble with air pockets, etc. when you dip the cloth in resin, so I went with painting on some resin, adding the cloth, then brushing more resin over it. It also ends up using less resin that way, which makes the final product lighter weight. Like I said though, I ended up using Rondo for the first coat so that I was sure to strengthen all the edges up.