Oh my.
Looking back at the previous updates I was very hopeful and completely unaware of the incoming... situations that'd basically bring this project to a grinding halt on the physical side of things. The last updates were in March with sanding progress and a goal date in mind. April just didn't exist for me outside of working double my usual hours on a rush set of tests that were physically and mentally demanding which left me drained. I also lost access to my normal workshop space which kind of made things difficult to progress.
This basically forced me into the digital side of things again with limited work on other physical projects that were mostly experimental and practice of techniques. Thankfully I've learned a lot, found some new methods that will work well on the various pieces of my Rookie/Sparks equipment and it wasn't all just sitting in idle for enough time to get necro warnings on the build thread I love the most.
To show a few components that will be added to my main ODST kit that haven't been included in this thread or on the forums yet, I've created a new helmet and a new prop to make a tech nerd like me very happy.
First up, the helmet. Lance Corporal Sparks has a classic H2 ODST helmet as opposed to the H3/H3:ODST variant that I've shown previously. The extra bonus for a dork like me is the SinoViet Sight Augmentation module which funny enough blocks the normal line of sight quite well with a big box. I've set up a small camera and screen to tack into the box as a blind spot checker to supplement the limited view. Everything is powered off my standard 5V with a step up to 12V for the screen which makes for a simple suit power system.
And obviously since I have this helmet and add-on, there's a very specific very large prop needed that is the Stanchion.
It's big and dumb and I love it. To scale it's as tall as I am. If everything goes well with the in-helmet camera and screen system I also want to implement an IR spotlight and camera to make a cheap and easy "night vision" screen inside the very large and goofy optics setup of this thing. Is it a bit overkill? Most certainly. Will it be cool as well as easy to scrap and toss into other projects later if needed? Also a big yes.
Hopefully I'll be back in my workshop in the next week or so and getting ready to progress pieces of this to a wearable state.