vshore100's CQB build (pic heavy)

[WandererTJ]

I've been using these two images as scaling references from the beginning. The knife covers most of the plate, but I thought it did need to come down some as well.

I didn't even realize you were wearing an ab plate.

You should make note that in those pics, they are both slightly leaning forward. So you might be able to get away with lowering it at least an inch from where it is sitting in those pics.

It also kind've looks like your torso piece isn't resting down on your shoulders in the pic you have above.
It looks like there is a gap, but I could be wrong.
Either way, lowering will bring it closer to your codpiece, making it look more like those above pics.

I'm sure everything will look better once you add all the strapping.

I'm hoping to get to see an undersuit from you to make this build stand out a lot more!

 

[Harri51]

I am with you on the Ab plate needs to be lowered. But the suit as a whole looks AMAZING!!!! it is really coming along great and I been following this since you had the shins built. Top class build for sure.

 

[vshore100]

I didn't even realize you were wearing an ab plate.

You should make note that in those pics, they are both slightly leaning forward. So you might be able to get away with lowering it at least an inch from where it is sitting in those pics.

It also kind've looks like your torso piece isn't resting down on your shoulders in the pic you have above.
It looks like there is a gap, but I could be wrong.
Either way, lowering will bring it closer to your codpiece, making it look more like those above pics.

I'm sure everything will look better once you add all the strapping.

I'm hoping to get to see an undersuit from you to make this build stand out a lot more!

TJ, I realize that they are leaning forward in the pics. I'm going to have to add a little more foam to the upper part of the ab plate, as it isn't long enough for me to pull it down, and still not see the end of it. (Hope that made sense)

You are right...partially....The torso is sitting on the part of my shoulder closest to my neck, (trapezius muscle) but my shoulders tape down quite a bit, so the outer portion has about an inch gap. I've been thinking about cutting a portion out of that area to help it sit flat, but I haven't actually done it yet. I believe with those twos things, it'll help in closing the gap. Also, the cod could move up just a little too.

I'll be adding little bits and pieces to the items I have to make them look a bit more like the in game suit, but it probably won't be a full fledged undersuit, unless I'm able to buy the H3 undersuit from Snakepit Studios.

- - - Updated - - -

I am with you on the Ab plate needs to be lowered. But the suit as a whole looks AMAZING!!!! it is really coming along great and I been following this since you had the shins built. Top class build for sure.

Thanks Harris! Thanks for sticking with me for so long.

 

[WandererTJ]

Sounds like you have a plan for everything. I'm glad to hear it!

Also, please note that I'm only trying to provide constructive criticism; just trying to be helpful where I can.


Is the knife real / does it come out of its sheath?

 

[vshore100]

Sounds like you have a plan for everything. I'm glad to hear it!

Also, please note that I'm only trying to provide constructive criticism; just trying to be helpful where I can.


Is the knife real / does it come out of its sheath?

No worries man. I appreciate your help in trying to make my armor the best it can be.

And yes sir...the knife is removable. However it isn't real per say, as in made of steel. It's a pep handle from the CQB chest file, and the blade was made by my buddy Tactonyx from here on the 405th.

 

[WandererTJ]

Okay, so image #5 of 7 totally looks like a teaser for LEDs!!!

The knife is extremely awesome. So if the blade is not metal, is it made from foam or a fiberglass pep?

I really like how you concealed the magnets on the inner/under/dorsal side of the sheath and the knife so that they aren't seen from the front.

 

[vshore100]

Okay, so image #5 of 7 totally looks like a teaser for LEDs!!!

The knife is extremely awesome. So if the blade is not metal, is it made from foam or a fiberglass pep?

I really like how you concealed the magnets on the inner/under/dorsal side of the sheath and the knife so that they aren't seen from the front.

Thanks man! Tactonyx actually scratch built the blade out of styrene. Oh yes...the chest does light up. I removed the old lights that were in it, because they were just a couple of those little book lights from the Dollar Tree Store....not very dependable. I'm going to remedy that soon with proper leds though. Here are two pics of the old lights, one off and one on. The new lights should be much brighter too.

 

[WandererTJ]

Thanks man! Tactonyx actually scratch built the blade out of styrene. Oh yes...the chest does light up. I removed the old lights that were in it, because they were just a couple of those little book lights from the Dollar Tree Store....not very dependable. I'm going to remedy that soon with proper leds though. Here are two pics of the old lights, one off and one on. The new lights should be much brighter too.

I'm not sure how they look in person, but they look plenty bright in the picture. I'm not sure if you are sticking with the white in terms of the color of your armor, but if you did a little blackwashing around the orifices the lights shine through, it would definitely make them pop out more visually.

Sometimes I feel as though people get really bright LEDs and they are barely visible during the day, but when you take a picture it almost looks overexposed (as if they are too bright).
Idk, I guess it might be good to allow for 2 brightness levels. Full/Dim/Off.

 

[Termhn]

Re: vshore100's CQB build - Partial Suit up!!!

Yeah our eyes have really high dynamic range compared to most cameras and they change sensitivity really fast as you look from one thing to the next.

 

[hangemhigh2o2]

[h=2]vshore100, just curious what is the scaling you use when making the helmet? was it just the default 300mm?[/h]

 

[vshore100]

I'm not sure how they look in person, but they look plenty bright in the picture. I'm not sure if you are sticking with the white in terms of the color of your armor, but if you did a little blackwashing around the orifices the lights shine through, it would definitely make them pop out more visually.

Sometimes I feel as though people get really bright LEDs and they are barely visible during the day, but when you take a picture it almost looks overexposed (as if they are too bright).
Idk, I guess it might be good to allow for 2 brightness levels. Full/Dim/Off.

Yeah our eyes have really high dynamic range compared to most cameras and they change sensitivity really fast as you look from one thing to the next.

Yeah true. I guess I'll just have to see what's what when I get to that point.

vshore100, just curious what is the scaling you use when making the helmet? was it just the default 300mm?

The scale is 22.524564, but the height is 300mm like you posted.

 

[hangemhigh2o2]

The scale is 22.524564, but the height is 300mm like you posted.

Ok sweet! you inspired me to go and try and make a helmet, and when I went to go print everything out, everything seemed small so i just want to make sure, thank you very much and keep up your awesome craftsmanship!! your great!

 

[WandererTJ]

Okay guys and gals, I have the thigh and shin both built in foam. I coated the thigh with two coats of plastidip but I didn't like how it sealed the foam, so I'm gonna use a method provided by Hyper using white caulking. Once that is done and dry I'll move on to painting the pieces then get started building the opposite side. Any who, here are some pics. let me know what you think as I always appreciate the comments.

1) Okay, I just went back through every page of the thread, and I have to ask, how did the caulking turn out for you? I'm not sure if I saw that you mentioned your results with it anywhere, but it is possible I missed the post where you reviewed it.

2) Also, I was just searching for Soldering Irons eariler to add to my Foam Guide List of Tools/Materials/Supplies and I was hoping you might know where to find it online. Could you provide a link to it?
I think it is great that you have one with such a short tip to allow for better control while cutting, which is one thing most people have issues with when it comes to hot knives; they just use a standard soldering iron that sticks out like 4" from the handle.

3) Also, obviously you have used many different methods throughout your project.
For cutting foam, do you prefer the hot knife or the laser cutter?
I just read Spacemeat's build thread recently, and he had used a laser cutter as well, and it was turning out to be somewhat inaccurate for him.

4) Did you do anything to your boots in order to deter wear and tear on them? Part of me feels like foam boots would just fall apart really easily and making them to have a decent longevity and durability is important to me.
Would you be worried you would damage them if you ran in them?

5) I've seen weathering on multiple pieces of your armor, I think I've seen it mostly on your helmet and your shoulder attachments, but I'm not sure if I've seen it elsewhere. Any chance you could post a close-up for each of your armor pieces?
I think you asked earlier to see if we thought the chest attachment had enough weathering on it, and from what I've seen, it looks pretty unweathered to me. Being able to compare it to your other pieces would be nice to help us judge our opinion.
I mean, it's ultimately up to you in the end, but I would at least love some more close-ups of your awesome armor!

6) Why the new shoulders? What was wrong with the last ones? I mean, it looked like the paint was somewhat cracked but from the pic it looked kinda rugged and cool.

7) The details on your helmet are absolutely gorgeous. I know that the helmet in the following pic is a casting, but how did you do those fine details on the buck/original? Those ribbed lines in the chrome are really clean looking; I think they are actually pretty breathtakingly amazing. The cleanliness of those lines really make it look like your helmet could be made from metal.

Cheers Vshore :cheers
Once you finish your armor, you totally have my vote for Elite/Legendary.

 

[vshore100]

1) Okay, I just went back through every page of the thread, and I have to ask, how did the caulking turn out for you? I'm not sure if I saw that you mentioned your results with it anywhere, but it is possible I missed the post where you reviewed it.

2) Also, I was just searching for Soldering Irons eariler to add to my Foam Guide List of Tools/Materials/Supplies and I was hoping you might know where to find it online. Could you provide a link to it?
I think it is great that you have one with such a short tip to allow for better control while cutting, which is one thing most people have issues with when it comes to hot knives; they just use a standard soldering iron that sticks out like 4" from the handle.

3) Also, obviously you have used many different methods throughout your project.
For cutting foam, do you prefer the hot knife or the laser cutter?
I just read Spacemeat's build thread recently, and he had used a laser cutter as well, and it was turning out to be somewhat inaccurate for him.

4) Did you do anything to your boots in order to deter wear and tear on them? Part of me feels like foam boots would just fall apart really easily and making them to have a decent longevity and durability is important to me.
Would you be worried you would damage them if you ran in them?

5) I've seen weathering on multiple pieces of your armor, I think I've seen it mostly on your helmet and your shoulder attachments, but I'm not sure if I've seen it elsewhere. Any chance you could post a close-up for each of your armor pieces?
I think you asked earlier to see if we thought the chest attachment had enough weathering on it, and from what I've seen, it looks pretty unweathered to me. Being able to compare it to your other pieces would be nice to help us judge our opinion.
I mean, it's ultimately up to you in the end, but I would at least love some more close-ups of your awesome armor!

6) Why the new shoulders? What was wrong with the last ones? I mean, it looked like the paint was somewhat cracked but from the pic it looked kinda rugged and cool.

7) The details on your helmet are absolutely gorgeous. I know that the helmet in the following pic is a casting, but how did you do those fine details on the buck/original? Those ribbed lines in the chrome are really clean looking; I think they are actually pretty breathtakingly amazing. The cleanliness of those lines really make it look like your helmet could be made from metal.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...3NLQ/w896-h505-no/IMG_20140507_111154_626.jpg


Cheers Vshore :cheers
Once you finish your armor, you totally have my vote for Elite/Legendary.

1) The caulking works pretty good if you're just starting out and need to cover minor imperfections, seams that were not glued together all the way, bad cuts, etc. I didn't use it on the shins, boots, or CQB shoulders that I made, as I didn't need it. I've gotten better at cutting and gluing, so I was able to just coat everything in straight plasti-dip.

2) This is an amazing tool. It also comes with some pretty handy tips for use with foam or wood.
http://www.michaels.com/walnut-hollow-creative-versa-tool/10327706.html#q=walnut+hollow&start=4

3) The only time I used the hot knife was to make the details on the boots, or if I needed to make an undercut on the back side of the foam. Otherwise, I just use a small retractable break away razor blade. I prefer the laser cutter because it saves you time with having to cut each piece out by hand. This way, you only have to make the chamfers to get the angles needed for assembly.

4) I didn't do anything special to the boots, other than use extra hot glue to hold the parts together better. I don't plan on doing any super aggressive in them, so they should hold up just fine. I personally wouldn't run a marathon in them, but for short sprints they should be fine.

5) I might take some close up shots later, but for now what I have posted will have to do. I went back and evened out the weathering a bit more to my liking.

6) I didn't like the look of the old cracked up shoulder attachments. Also, they were about four times as heavy as the new foam shoulders I made.

7) Using the link below, go to post #435 to see the process I used to get the heat sinks and side details so crisp. Also, the helmet in that pic is the master helmet. I have yet to make myself a cast. I just didn't see the point in it at this time.
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30966-vshore100-s-CQB-build-(pic-heavy)/page18

Thanks very much for the awesome comments and the vote for elite/legendary. They do mean a lot.

The fam and I went to the local Dollar Tree store yesterday, and shortly after perusing the aisles, I came across these little gems.

I proceeded to grab several boxes and head to the nearest checkout...They are clear led's covered in little rubberized flowers.Once I got home, I simply pulled the flowers off, bagged them up for my wife, then got to work...

I added these to the CQB chest attachment. I hot glued 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom of the openings, then two in the middle. I then layered hot glue over both lenses and leds to help diffuse the light, then covered it all in black duct tape to keep the light from shining through. I think they turned out quite nice...especially for $1.00!

I also worked on the pistol some more, and managed to get some paint and black washing done. The only thing left to do is add the magnets to the mag, and dirty up the grip a bit, then it'll be done.

That's all for now. Hopefully I can find some time soon to get some strapping done and add some more led's to the armor!

 

[JUSTINIAN 117]

Nice job.

 

[TheUX31EGuy]

Dear god, I'm totally subscribing to this thread... Amazing pep work, mate!

 

[WandererTJ]

I went back and evened out the weathering a bit more to my liking.

Thanks very much for the awesome comments and the vote for elite/legendary. They do mean a lot.

It looks like in the above pics you just posted/reposted that the pic with chest piece in the dark with the LEDs on looks a lot more weathered than the pic right above it. The pics you have been taking suited up look a lot more like the chest piece without any weathering, but it is possible it is just because the camera wasn't that close. I definitely do like the more weathered looking one, it seems to match your other pieces more. But you said you went in and did some weathering, so I guess I should hold my tongue till you post some pictures.
That being said....

I can't wait to see pics of the new weathering!
I really like the way you don't overdo the weathering. I do like the polished/classy look. My friends and I always took notice of Baird's pristine looking armor in Gears of War, and I actually really like it, even though we'd call him Princess Baird at times... but that's because he also somehow finds the time to bleach his hair in the post-apocalyptic world.


I just hope to see you finish the build sometime in the next 3 years haha.
You've done some amazing work for sure, now all you need to do is actually finish it.


EDIT:
Oh, I totally forgot to ask before, how are the magnets in the the shoulders that attach the front half of the torso to the back half working for you?
I've heard that magnets are great for keeping them lined up properly, but if you move around a lot that they come undone pretty easily.
I remember that Spacemeat also added some squeeze buckles in addition to the magnets which I think is a pretty decent idea. Give it a little bit of slack so if you need the piece to come apart slightly due to the pose you are in it isn't a big deal, and the magnets will reset themselves once you exit the pose/whatever you are doing.
I'm going to need to re-read Carpathia's thread to see if he ever mentioned whether or not his attempt with magnets was a success or not.

Post 435 didn't have info on how you did the Heat Sink.
This one has how you painted it which I think is helpful: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...ld-(pic-heavy)?p=524694&viewfull=1#post524694
EDIT 2: Okay, I feel dumb now, the Heat Sink is simply just from the Pepakura. I thought you might have made those delicious details from foam which is what I was looking for. I should have realized it sooner.

 

[vshore100]

Nice job.

As always, thanks buddy.

Dear god, I'm totally subscribing to this thread... Amazing pep work, mate!

Awesome Guy! I really appreciate that!

It looks like in the above pics you just posted/reposted that the pic with chest piece in the dark with the LEDs on looks a lot more weathered than the pic right above it. The pics you have been taking suited up look a lot more like the chest piece without any weathering, but it is possible it is just because the camera wasn't that close. I definitely do like the more weathered looking one, it seems to match your other pieces more. But you said you went in and did some weathering, so I guess I should hold my tongue till you post some pictures.
That being said....

I can't wait to see pics of the new weathering!
I really like the way you don't overdo the weathering. I do like the polished/classy look. My friends and I always took notice of Baird's pristine looking armor in Gears of War, and I actually really like it, even though we'd call him Princess Baird at times... but that's because he also somehow finds the time to bleach his hair in the post-apocalyptic world.


I just hope to see you finish the build sometime in the next 3 years haha.
You've done some amazing work for sure, now all you need to do is actually finish it.


EDIT:
Oh, I totally forgot to ask before, how are the magnets in the the shoulders that attach the front half of the torso to the back half working for you?
I've heard that magnets are great for keeping them lined up properly, but if you move around a lot that they come undone pretty easily.
I remember that Spacemeat also added some squeeze buckles in addition to the magnets which I think is a pretty decent idea. Give it a little bit of slack so if you need the piece to come apart slightly due to the pose you are in it isn't a big deal, and the magnets will reset themselves once you exit the pose/whatever you are doing.
I'm going to need to re-read Carpathia's thread to see if he ever mentioned whether or not his attempt with magnets was a success or not.

Post 435 didn't have info on how you did the Heat Sink.
This one has how you painted it which I think is helpful: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...ld-(pic-heavy)?p=524694&viewfull=1#post524694
EDIT 2: Okay, I feel dumb now, the Heat Sink is simply just from the Pepakura. I thought you might have made those delicious details from foam which is what I was looking for. I should have realized it sooner.

Each part of my armor has the same amount of weathering on it, but with it being white, it's hard to see if you're not close up. That's what I like about it. It looks great from far away, but when you get up close, you can see a whole new side to it.

I agree, I'm not much on over weathering a prop. But that's just me.

My completion goal is Halo-Ween...this year, lol. I'm making good progress, so I don't see it being an issue this time around.

Thanks again for the great comments.

I've had no issues with the magnets in the torso. They've held up great all this time. Mind you, I haven't worn it a great deal, but I see no issues with them as of now. Once I slide the pins into the lower holes, they want to grab hold quickly. It takes a bit of force to pull them from the metal plates.

Haha! No worries. Yeah, the heat sinks are good ole fashion pep. Nothing out of the ordinary about them.


I did a little more weathering on the pistol, but haven't had a chance to get pics yet. I'll do that tonight. Also, I've been working on a little side project. I'll do a build thread on it soon, but until then, I'll just leave this little teaser here...



Edit...Here are the pics of the pistol with a bit more wear and tear on it.



I also got the magnets and metal plates glued in the mag and mag well, so it's all set!

 

[Johnnybroskii]

Awesome work! Really enjoying how your armor is coming out!

 

[JUSTINIAN 117]

Weathering looks great now.