WHS Red vs. Blue build (Very Pic Heavy)

[Starvinartist80]

In regards to your statement surrounding the folding method in the Meta build. What page can I find the method??

More importantly though, I would like to know what scale you used for the Mark VI helmet, i am trying to make a standard RVB Church suit, however, I started with the helmet and the scale is way too big, as you said......... its a bobble head. If I sent you the file I'm using could you assist me in the scaling method?

Page 3 of Sutekhian's meta build. As to the helmet scaling, I'm sorry to say that it is the only measurement I didn't write down, so I really don't know what scale I used.

Im loving this build the paint gives the armor and extra + to the A+++

Thank you. I always did enjoy the extra credit.

AHEGM *in a red canyon dweller's accent* "This is the best thing since Grifball!"

LOL nothing beats a good game of Grifball. I mean come on, you get points for shooting Griff. How much better can it get.

And yet AGAIN you and you're team have knocked it out of the park with this update. I looks wonderful and the detail work is great. Waiting for the the next update.

Thanks Thorn, I've been flying solo for the past few days so it was easy to loose track of time and get lost in the work. I focused on finishing the pieces we already had shaped up. That leaves the other half of the suit to shape and paint. Then it is on to mounting and straping everything. Oddly this is the part I am most nervous about.

This project is really coming together. I have to say, between you, Longshot and the announcement of Halo 4, I've been inspired to complete my own MK VI build.

I do have one question. What did you use for the tubes on the cheek sections of your helmet? I've torn hardware stores and the like apart but cannot find a suitable material.

Keep up the great work. You're nearly there! Oh, and how's that pistol coming?

Thanks Carpathia, it is always incouraging to motivate the veterans of the site. I picked up some random flexible plumbing pipe from Walmart. To be honest I don't really remember what it was called and I've thrown out the packaging. But it was pretty easy to find in the plumbing section of Walmart. The pistol is on hold for a bit. I got really motivated to finish up the suit now that I can really see the results piling up. Plus, I'm waiting to get a tool that will help flush up all the edges. Don't worry I will finish it once the suit is complete. I also have a SPANKR still to finish.

Today's Update:
I didn't get a ton of things done. The other half of the suit is in the bondo and shaping phase so it will be a while before I see major progress. But I did get some bondo on a few pieces and focused on shaping up the COD piece.

It looks like the chest will be the last piece finished. It is one of my favorite parts of the suit so it will keep me motivated till the end. In my down time I'll be searching high and low for all the straping and mounting ideas I can find on the forum. For some reason the mounting and straping has me nervous. The small bit of padding I have done so far has raised a few concerns; mainly finding the right way to secure the padding and straps to the inside of the armor. The velcro I used for the helmet padding tends not to stick. I'm thinking about pop rivets, but I need to figure out the best way to hide them on the outside of the armor. Ah well, I'll see what comes to mind.

 

[thorssoli]

Rivets are the way to go. If you're going to mold and cast parts of the suit, just make the parts thick enough to put rivets in from the inside wherever you need them.

If you're planning on wearing the pep and bondo parts, you can always build up some thickness with rondo, casting resin, or epoxy and bury the ends of your straps into the material as you layer it on.

 

[Starvinartist80]

Rivets are the way to go. If you're going to mold and cast parts of the suit, just make the parts thick enough to put rivets in from the inside wherever you need them.

If you're planning on wearing the pep and bondo parts, you can always build up some thickness with rondo, casting resin, or epoxy and bury the ends of your straps into the material as you layer it on.

Thanks Thor, that is just the advice I needed. I've got a plan now.

 

[Hyperballistik]

Wow I love the paint job, it really makes your armor stand out, excellent job.

The way I secured the straps on my Busa suit without having to use pop rivets, I took the nylon straps, used hot glue and glued them to the inside parts of my armor, I made them long enough so they stuck out further than I needed, once they were glued in place, I took Smooth Cast 320 and poured it over the nylon strapping, not only was the strapping never going to come out, it also added more strength to the area where I put the strapping, so it can handle alot of abuse. Once the suit was all finished, I added the buckles, put the suit on and adjusted the straps to where I wanted the armor to stay, then cut off some of the excess ( I left enough for adjusting) If your not using Smooth Cast, Rondo will achive the same results, with this method the straps will not ever come out, you don't have to repair pop rivet holes, and you don't have to worry about glue letting lose. Hope this gives you an idea

Here is a pic of one of my shins to give you an idea of what im talking about, if your asking why I put the strap in my shin, Because it keep the shin from spinning and hold it up so my thigh piece and shin align in the right spot

 

[Macattack64]

Can I just send you my cod piece to do too?

It looks really good! Nice job dude!

 

[Unity]

AWESOME JOB!!!! 5 stars man!

you get a cookie!

 

[Starvinartist80]

Wow I love the paint job, it really makes your armor stand out, excellent job.

The way I secured the straps on my Busa suit without having to use pop rivets, I took the nylon straps, used hot glue and glued them to the inside parts of my armor, I made them long enough so they stuck out further than I needed, once they were glued in place, I took Smooth Cast 320 and poured it over the nylon strapping, not only was the strapping never going to come out, it also added more strength to the area where I put the strapping, so it can handle alot of abuse. Once the suit was all finished, I added the buckles, put the suit on and adjusted the straps to where I wanted the armor to stay, then cut off some of the excess ( I left enough for adjusting) If your not using Smooth Cast, Rondo will achive the same results, with this method the straps will not ever come out, you don't have to repair pop rivet holes, and you don't have to worry about glue letting lose. Hope this gives you an idea

Here is a pic of one of my shins to give you an idea of what im talking about, if your asking why I put the strap in my shin, Because it keep the shin from spinning and hold it up so my thigh piece and shin align in the right spot

Thanks for that Hyper. Check below for how I did the strapping.

Can I just send you my cod piece to do too?

It looks really good! Nice job dude!

Haha, Mack check below and you'll see where I'm at with my own COD piece. There is a nice learning experience to be told there too. Keep reading.

AWESOME JOB!!!! 5 stars man! you get a cookie!

Don't tease me I'm hungry right now LOL. Thanks for the kind words.

Today's update:
So I got all the straps attached today and installed the clips for the COD piece and Chest plate.

Thanks to Thorsolli and Hyperballistik for their advice on attaching these. I ended up using their method of using rondo to attach the strapping. I used the Bondoglass mixture which bonded to the nylon strapping really well. Thanks again guys.

I got almost all the shaping done on the COD piece. I would have the front painted however, I made a rookie mistake and got in a hurry. I completely forgot add the vasaline to the edges between the silver and red coats. Then to make it worse I didn't wait for the paint to dry thoroughly enough before sanding it off. The result was that I had to sand the whole piece back down with 60 grit paper and start fresh. So lesson to all the new artists out there, even experienced artist make mistakes. Anyway here are the results of the shaping.

I split the COD into 4 pieces to prevent the bent areas from cracking.

Enjoy everyone.

 

[Mstruvmgc]

I split the COD into 4 pieces to prevent the bent areas from cracking. Enjoy everyone.

Thats a brilliant idea. The armor is looking fantastic man. *highfives* keep it coming! lol

 

[Starvinartist80]

Thats a brilliant idea. The armor is looking fantastic man. *highfives* keep it coming! lol

Thanks for the encouragement. I had only split it in two but as I was shaping the back of the COD I noticed it flexing dangerously right next to the hip boxes. Once I split it there on either side it no longer had any stress points. So yeah, it turned out to be the right thing to do.

Also in my boredom over the past hour or so I had an epiphany and began working on the harness for the thighs and shoulders. I had an old day pack that was all but scrapped due to some rough use over the years. A sharp pair of scissor and some careful surgery later and I ended up with a great rig for the thighs and shoulders. Nicely padded and it rides almost exactly where the chest piece will sit. The added bonus is that it will cusion the edges of the chest and the keep the upper portion of the chest from rubbing to heavy on my shoulders. Oh and just the small bonus of being completely free. YAY

Anyway here's the result:

I still have to attach the buckles for the shoulder/ Bicep armor. I left those at school so I'll get to it tomorrow. Let me know what you guys think

 

[Varsity]

This thread is full of so much win. Please tell your students cupcakes all around, free of charge.........in 2552

 

[B1TMAP]

woah wait, that Meta build piece, you are using a magnet to keep the 2 parts together!?

 

[Starvinartist80]

This thread is full of so much win. Please tell your students cupcakes all around, free of charge.........in 2552

LOL I'm putting it on our calendar right now. I will hold you to it.

woah wait, that Meta build piece, you are using a magnet to keep the 2 parts together!?

That was a pic from his Hyabusa build. He seperated the heel from the shin to make getting his foot in easier and used rare earth magnets to hold it in place. Great solution to a common problem.

 

[Toacrabman]

Normally I just pop my ankles out of place, but thats a good idea too. That and I can do my wrists too

 

[Starvinartist80]

Normally I just pop my ankles out of place, but thats a good idea too. That and I can do my wrists too

Just ouch....

Today's update:
Got the COD piece completed. It fits perfectly and just needs a few areas of padding for comfort.

 

[Hyperballistik]

Awsome job with your cod piece, the paint job looks excellent, now im jealous I want my cod to look like yours......... Keep up the outstanding job

 

[Macattack64]

Damn it.. You make me want to redo my paintjob but that would require sanding the current paint... And that's a lot of work when I love my helmet :O

 

[Starvinartist80]

Awsome job with your cod piece, the paint job looks excellent, now im jealous I want my cod to look like yours......... Keep up the outstanding job

Damn it.. You make me want to redo my paintjob but that would require sanding the current paint... And that's a lot of work when I love my helmet :O

Thanks to both of you. As always you are too kind and it keeps me very motivated.

Mack, if you do decided to redo your paint job you would not have to sand off all the old paint. If you go over the whole piece with about 100 or 150 sand paper just enough to remove the gloss and prep the surface you can then use SelfEtching auto Primer. Make sure to us Self Etching. It will actually eat its way into the old paint and create a new primed surface that won't peel or chip away. The end result is a brand new surface ready for paint without a ton of work.

Hyper, your Hyabusa build looks great. White is a tough color to get right and you did it so cleanly. Your build was one of the inspirations for our team starting this.

So I realized tonight that I have a major missing piece to completing my armor. I don't have anything for an undersuit. LOL It looks like it may take me longer to get a basic set of underarmour than it has to do all the armor pieces so far. I can't help but laugh at the fact that the easiest part will be the hardest one for me to get. Unfortunately my teacher's budget is tapped out for the near future.

But the good news is that I have until Halloween before the suit "Must" be completed. So I have time to plan out more than just the simple underaromour suit. I have very little sewing experience but I have some ideas that will make things simpler on myself.
I really only need to have details in the areas that are visible with armor on. So that means I need details at the neck, shoulders, elbows, abdomen, hips, and knees. The bonus of detailing these areas is providing areas that prevent the armor from rubbing holes in the undersuit (or me for that matter) and lengthens the life of the suit.

So after reading Hyokenseisou's under suit build I realized that the less sewing on the underarmour the better. The material is just too stretchy. I did some research and found that one solution is to use a second "less stretchy" fabric on the inside of the suit. Basically creating a sandwich of more sturdy materials to sew into. Also using a little spray starch in the area I'm working will help a tiny bit while I work. I'm pretty sure I only need to sew directly to the suit at the shoulders and the hips. I can make the elbows, knees, neck, and abdomen all as ad-on pieces. I plan to use inexpensive elbow and knee braces with some slight modification to fit those areas. The neck will be this underamor mask. I'm sticking with Heatgear to keep cut down on how hot things get.
The abdomen is a little more tricky. I've seen alot of different methods that give varying effects. Everything from custom molded panels to back braces. The brace would be the easiest and provide a nice little cosmetic surgery to the love handles as a bonus. If I sew up a pattern I can attache that to the brace. I think overall I will go for simplicity and price at the cost of game accuracy.

I have some time to work on it so things may change drastically as I get into but for now at least I have a plan.

 

[thorn696]

COD looks great, Paint turned out really good as always. As for the under suit we all know you can pull it off before you're deadline, But I'll wish you luck any ways.

 

[Starvinartist80]

COD looks great, Paint turned out really good as always. As for the under suit we all know you can pull it off before you're deadline, But I'll wish you luck any ways.

Thanks Thorn,
I haven't seen many really detailed under-suits completed so I like the challenge of creating something that stands out. But, I do wish I had a bit (read a LOT) more sewing skills, not to mention a decent sewing machine. At this rate I'll be doing all the sewing by hand. Man, I can't believe my grandmother used to make dresses for her and her sister that way. It makes me appreciate her skills more.

 

[Mstruvmgc]

Starvin,

Cod piece is look fantastic man. Keep up the great work! As far as the undersuit, im sure you will be fine no problem man. I was thinking about doing just a basic under armor as well. Keep up with the posts, i love em!

Oh and go check out my helmet. i finished painting for the most part :-D Let me know what you think Same for anyone reading this right now lol.