AC-20 Blargerblarg

I am planning to start doing commissions in the future, but currently am currently just doing them for friends. I will be posting progress on my projects here and in the Creation Discussion thread. Just a heads up.

HOLY POOOOOP!!!! Someone i know made a blog about something I said....lol. Glad you got it "sigurd' out. hope you like the insider pics of my build as well.

that's the truth man. i Sigurd out what i did wrong, i was referencing the wetting part on the full torso, which means Mt attachment came out about an eighth inch to wide. will be fixing and reprinting tomorrow.

Lengendary All Skulls On

you caught my eye but what is Laso?

Hello i am currently looking for a group of 3 more halo 4 players...you need to be the bad ass of the bad ass that or just completely insane like me....

Anyways what i want to do is do the Halo 4 campaign wait for it....on LASO a full LASO run

Message me on here or on XBL Nuke459

And i'd like to start today

Thank you,i hope i can get it glowing lol. Just need to find the 300 resistors.

Ah ok.Thank you for the offer,i appreciate it

Sweet build, let's see if we can keep it glowing

Nah. Not looking to sell items, really. I just figured I'd offer it up to you since you were working on that, that's all. I'm no vendor/seller, believe me.

Thank you for the offer but i found myself a visor today and installed it. If your a member of theRPF forum they have a place where you can sell items.Perhaps try there,i'm sure some one somewhere would be looking for a visor

TLDR.




Kidding. I do know how wonky weather can be though, so good luck with that! I look forward to watching the progress.

Looks good so far! If you need, I do have a few gold iridium motorcycle face shields/visors I'm willing to part with. I paid $12 each for them off of ebay. I'd only be looking to make my monies back (+ shipping) since I've long since abandoned my Noble 6 project before I even started it.

Well, it's been a dog age since I posted anything here at the 405th forums and the reasons for this are numerous, really. As the temperature in my garage/workshop rose to over 100+ degrees, I decided to put my ODST project on hold. Soon after that, I was hired on to work at the Scene Shop and also became the prop master for two projects at Glendale Community College's theater department, one of which, a Japanese story called Rashomon, got my prop work nominated and for me to attend the Kennedy Center American Collage Theater Festival for Region 8 (KCACTF). Add to that my recent acceptance of the job of Masquerade coordinator for Phoenix ComiCon 2013 as well as my Father's rapidly failing health and you can see that I've been busy.



I am currently in a position to pick back up the tools and resume construction of my ODST armor and plan on doing so with a renewed vigor, as my goal is to have it 100% complete by May 20th - in time for Phoenix ComiCon starting May 23rd. I have been playing around with paints and the like on various bits of the armor and thus far, I'm liking how it's coming along so far. I do think that I'm going to restart/rebuild the entire torso base from scratch, as I'm not 100% happy with how it looks so far. It just doesn't seem curved enough, and for me, the silhouette is important.

This means that as it stands, I have maybe three pieces of the armor completed that I'm satisfied with. Not very many, I'm afraid, but I want it to be as perfect as I can manage.

I'll be resuming updates to my original ODST build thread as they happen, as well as make mention of them here on this blog too.

Anyhow - keep up the great work, Spartans, Marines, ONI, etc....

For all who are interested and a place for me to keep on track this journal will be updated as progress is made on my yearly project my custom Spartan.

Process: Building - Smoothing - Detail - Coating - Painting - Painting details - Complete.

Helmet: Recon - Building Stage complete [build time = 1 week] (VISOR INSTALLED!!) (LIGHTS INSTALLED)
Torso:Warrior - Building stage complete...just needs a slight tweak nothing major. [Build time = 3 weeks]
Shoulders - N/A
Forearms - N/A
Belt - N/A
Upper legs - Building Stage Complete [build time = 5 days (i think)
Lower legs - Building stage complete [build time = 1 week]
Boots - Building stage Complete [Build Time = 3 Days)
[Total Build time= 4 weeks 3 Days]

Battle Rifle - On hold about 90 -95% built

Summary of monthly progress:
January


Febuary



Notice:Most work on the suit will be done on the weekends as I'm back to work.
Goal: I'm hoping to get this complete by late August as I'm hoping to attend PAX and wear it there.But overall i hope i can get this finished and this will be my first 100% build complete.
Pictures: Submitted to "Project 2013:Halo 4" Folder on my DA page.

Pictures added on DA!(2/19/2013) link above.

Hello all you 405rs, after a storage disaster I'm restarting my mk6 chief, so far I've rebuilt the helmet, chest, biceps, gauntlets, and a shin so got the thighs cod and other shin, after collecting materials over winter now all that's missing is some decent weather.

It is funny the things that we say when we're younger. Hope to see some pics from you in the future. Just remember, if you aim at nothing you'll hit it everytime.

good luck cayoke, i will be watching for a new build

Its funny how no one even seems to look at the blogs. Its funny how I look back at my posts from years ago and realize how immature I was back then. Regardless I feel slightly shaky about going back and doing armoring again. I'm just posting my mind here to calm me down, but tomorrow I will buy some hotglue and a new glue gun since I have lost my other glue guns. Then I am going to print out my first piece in a long time,and that piece will be some part of a Halo 3 marine's armor. Before I was not good at making armor, but now I feel I can be so much more patient and such. Hopefully within two to three weeks I will have a thread started and a few parts of my suit pepped and possibly resined and fiberglassed. Though with the weather here I will never know. Three weeks ago it was in the 80s and this week its in the 30s-50s. I hope this turns out well because if it does I will make a ODST. Wish me luck.

I was going to reccomend the same thing as you.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dafrontlinetrooper
Take a look through his videos and let me know what you think of my bro.

Here is the best example of weapons I have seen.

You may want to research where he got his files as it seems the were the exploded versions. I would therefore assume you're dad could import the files very easily to the Cnc program. Good luck.

I have begun to construct the helmet for a full suit of Daedric armour. I have a paint layout in mind already that should give it a look somthing like molten lava that has begun to go cold.

Pictures will follow in a thread with a basic description of the pieces as they come together.

I have not read the original post. I have not read the thread that ended with the above post. I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have neither the skill or ability to make models or unfold them. The only way I can contribute to this community is to comment and keep people both old and new inspired to continue their works. My ability only extends as far as making the suits and items and maybe the occasional resizing and reorganising of the pep file itself for A4 paper.

This community is one thing that lets me build and converse with people that are below my level, people that are on the same level and people that are far above my own level. We have all been inspired by people that we have never met. There are people out there that put so much time and effort into the 405th that it astounds me. People like zombiegrimm spend so much time and effort making and unfolding models. There are other people that put just as much time if not more into providing for us.

The best way for any of us to give back is to make their models and tell them what needs improving. That way they know just how many people admire them and respect them for they have accomplished and what they have helped us accomplished. Since I joined this community, I have seen several people start time and time again the same project just to get it right. To put some things on here that look like a bomb hit it to things that look like they came out of a professional prop construction facility.

I for one, have been given the inspiration from this community to approach certain things in my own life that helped things turn out smoothly rather than a total shit fight! All that just from reading how some people start off timid and cautious watch their suits and items start out as simple and boring, a little crude, but honest. Then the comments start pouring in. Try this..... should have done it that way....... Look at this thread it might help...... Check this video should help explain a bit.......

I will never leave this website. The 405th Infantry Devision is my place of refuge. I am ex-Military myself, although i was in artillery. Iv'e seen things that make me want to cry, laugh and shoot first. This website has the ability to do all of that as well. Sometimes you want to laugh at some, sometimes you want to throw a brick at them. But most of the time we band together and support them. We help them through their problems and the end result is nothing short of awesomeness.

To all the people out there, the noobs the infantry and the elite...

I THANKYOU

Yes. I used a cartoon image as references. http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6...c5go1_1280.jpg
I've got 2 painted silver on the top of one of my 3D printers.

That looks kinda cool. Did you make the model yourself?

I have been a member on here for a long time. I joined when I was a kid in 7th or 8th grade. I honestly do not remember. Around that time I started my first builds, however I never finished any of these builds and now they occupy space. I wish I could remove them from the site but what ever.

Recently my friend asked me about my old Facebook photos. Of me in my pepped armour. Apparently he wants to do a space marine from warhammer. Now I have a partner to work with. I am going to hop back into the muck and when I get home tomorrow I am going to start scaling a suit of ODST armour for my self. This time I will finish it and it will not sit in my closet.

405th Cayoke is back and ready to go reread all the tutorials!

Updated picture of Hood Ornament. Sanded and given acetone wash.

So, I've been working on my 3D modeling skills lately. I came accross Black Dynamite's hood ornament on Thingiverse.com and I thought to myself, "Self. You can do better than that". And so I think I did. It is available for order on Shapeways in my shop at http://www.shapeways.com/shops/force_it_in.

I printed it myself on my own 3D printer, with much less detail quality:

In Black


And In Silver

Really been a long time and by god it's been 3 years since I joined this site and I haven't done much of squat have I?! Well all that will come to a change! It's rather difficult to work on any replica and armor when I got such little space to work with and time. Usually takes me weeks just to find time to cut a couple of pages from some helmet I'd like to work on, then scoring, and folding, and gluing etc etc.

I've seen some people where they just go ahead and use a cutter machine which will do a good portion of the hard work and leave it to just folding and gluing so they can quickly move onto the bigger steps of bondo and such.

After doing a lot of research I heard that Craftrobo was the only real choice out there, but since the one I really wanted was out of production I had to go with this Cameo instead. But according to the description this'll do just nicely. But I'm not a complete fool so I made sure that Pepakura could support the program after watching a tutorial on the old SD cutter. And sure enough Pepakura supports the Cameo with a cheap 18 dollar CD Key purchase.

Luckily I've had a lot of experience with cutters as I've got about 30 grand worth of printing and cutting equipment at my work and use it daily. So this wont be difficult to figure out at all and I'm super excited to get it going! But i gotta wait on christmas.

I don't care if you see this or not.
I just didn't have the chance to post this in the other thread.

What is it that you want to receive? What is it that you so desperately desire? Praise? Recognition? You can still have these, but sometimes they take time.
Let me give you a more personal example.

I used have a bit of attitude, way back when I was still modding HCE, and I might have gotten an infraction or two on a couple of forums - but then I moved on, I didn't need them. I started focusing my interests into areas like animation and filmmaking, things which are still a passion for me. Eventually, I found my way here - it took a while, and I'm still not perfect at building armour (especially the glassing stage), but I settled in. Here was a community that was actually nice, where most of the members were polite and courteous.

After the announce of Reach, I fired up 3ds and started trying to contribute models based on what we had in the beta. Over time, that thread got ridiculously long, and many of the links were "dying off". People were posting about how "x link is dead" and "how come no-one has made x file yet?", and I have to admit - it is a bit annoying.
So here it is, a quote from a kids movie. Robots, to be exact.
I saw a need, and I stepped in to fill it.

Some people might remember the "405th Armoury" images back in the Reach thread, where I was just using coloured overlays to represent whether certain parts had been made or not - and it helped. People knew which files to stop asking for, and I'd post an updated one roughly every two weeks.

Eventually, there were too many dead links. I'd been "hoarding" them as they were released, and basically had all of them - and I knew I could help. I organised them all in folders, uploaded the lot of them, and posted a link to the directory.

Once again, I saw a need and stepped in to fill it.
That directory was the original Reach Database. That was two years ago.

Currently, the Database is in its fourth iteration, and has over seven hundred files, spanning every Halo game and then some.
The Database is me, giving back to the forums that have given so much to me already.
And do you know what? I ask for nothing in return. I admit, it does give me a warm, fuzzy feeling when new members point each other to the Database - even if they don't know the work, or even who is behind it. Why? Because that is enough thanks in itself.
It is a selfless act - the service of others, not a selfish one. You cannot serve others with only a mind for your own interests - it just won't work.

The mods and admins serve the community in a way you and I cannot fully comprehend - investing hours each day to make sure this place doesn't fall to pieces - and they receive as little in return as I do. It is the thanks and appreciation from others, and the little contributions that keep this place together - and keeps us going. It is the satisfaction of a job well done, even knowing that you are the one who gives the most, yet receives the least.

I don't want to bore you with my life story - just challenge you to see things from a different perspective.

It is this community that has helped me find HONOUR once again.
Along the way, I learned how to make some kick-ass ARMOUR.
Then I learned the value of the UNITY in community.

These are our tenets - our motto - our creed.
Best remember what they truly mean.

CJ

well i am in the planing stages for a new Reach Spartan III build. I have been out of the building scene for a long time and a lot has happened since i was in "build mode". My old partner in crime is no longer talking to me (long story that involves a girl) and i have a new team mate. She is my girl friend and has been into costuming for some time and is just now getting into the Halo Universe. So she is the one that got me back into the armor building mood. We will be building our armor from the game... well i will and she will be building hers from what she likes. She has not been playing much to unlock any of the really cool armor.

Well congratulations to you too, sir! Feels great, doesn't it?

Grats man! lol, Not long after you got promoted, did I get to join the group too! ^_^

Members of the 405th I am in need of someone with tech skills in web deigns / web programming due to the facct that I have ran into a person looking to do breast caner 5k run. The man’s name is matt j. carpenter and his web site is www.collegegirlagainstbreastcancer.org , he is looking for someone in that field to do work for him and there might be pay for you. If you want to help out with this PM me and let me know and I’ll PM you his personal info. Because at this moment you guys are the only ones I can hope for and answer for this.

So, almost a year now, I've been a member here, and now, finally, I reached 100 posts. Man, does this feel good! I wasn't really sure how long it would take. But now it did happen. I'm not going to keep posting a lot of stuff here, I will probably make the next post once I finish either my Carmine helmet or Chief's suit. But I guess I don't have anything more to say. Here's to next 100 posts!

I could not agree more with your process. That is a very detailed and easily understood procedure.
I really like your paragraph about how important the paint job is.
In fact, I'd like to stress that point more: The paint job is actually what the observer is seeing.

A friend of mine could not have said it better:

"Making costumes (in this case "Halo Armor") is such an art that you should be called illusionists. You make things out of stuff that I know nothing about and in such ways that it ends up looking exactly what I have seen in the video game. Take your armor. I look at the outside of the armor and then on the inside. The inside looks nothing like the outside. I expect to see REAL metal on the inside, not paper that has been reinforced with fiberglass. The paint job and detailing is what convinced me it was real metal. It really did." -- <a friend>

Best advice... Don't skimp out on the detailing of the paint job.

Thanks Jason-078 for taking the time to explain, in detail, the painting process.

The paint job is one of the most important steps that anyone can ever do. A good paint job can make poor armor look good. It can make a good armor look amazing. Or, it can make a great armor look like a pile dropped by a Grunt. In other words, you don’t want to skimp on the paint job.

I have been painting for a number of years. Not car or house painting, but painting armors and helmets for friends. Everything from Clone to Boba Fett, I’ve painted almost all of it. Not just painting, but also weathering. Compared to other paint jobs, mine have stood out as having a better look. I would like to share my secrets with you now.

Needed items:

Acrylic paint, black
Acrylic paint, brown
Acrylic paint, tan
Finish, semi-gloss or satin
Paint, aluminum color
Paint, flat black color
Paint, armor color(s)
Petroleum jelly
Primer, gray automotive self-etching
Sandpaper, 60-grit
Sandpaper, 100-grit
Sandpaper, 140-grit
Sandpaper, 180-grit
Sandpaper, 220-grit
Sandpaper, 260-grit
Sandpaper, 300-grit
Spray bottle
Windex (or other blue window washing fluid)

So, here are the steps for an amazing paint job. Remember to follow the instructions on your paint cans very carefully.

1) Sand down your armor with a 60 grade sandpaper to give it a not-smooth surface. Most people do not like to do this as they want their armor to be smooth; however this makes it easier for the primer to completely do its job. Don’t forget to do the inside of the armor too.

2) Wash the armor piece with warm water and a light detergent (dish soap) to remove all of the dust and grit. This is necessary to keep it from affecting the paint and to ensure the paint is bonding strictly to your item and not to the dust.

3) Mask off anything that you don't want to get painted. If you have already attached your straps or other non-hard part accessories, wrap them in a piece of plastic and mask them with painters tape. The plastic is meant to keep it dry and protected, as well as ensure that it is not hit with the paint.

4) Give it a layer of primer. I prefer to use an automotive self-etching primer. The self-etching primer ensures that your primer layer is strong and is able to take a beating. It is generally a good idea to primer the entire piece, inside and out. Another reason for the self-etching primer is for strength. Don't paint it until it drips, either. Just give it a single coat of paint and make sure it is dry before continuing (read the can for details).

5) Sand the primer with a 100 grade sandpaper. Be thorough, as this will ensure a professional look to your overall paint job. You should also not forget to sand down the inside of the armor piece as you aren't quite done with priming it yet. Don't sand all of the primer off, just sand down the item to make it look a little smoother.

6) Wash and dry your helmet again. Soap, water, you know the drill.

7) Give it another coat of primer. Yes, that is two coats so far.

8) Sand it down again. This time, you should up the sandpaper to the 140-grit mark. You should notice that the first sand job marks are already invisible and the item is looking rather smooth. Well, this is a good sign.

9) Wash it again. I bet you are starting to see a pattern here.

10) Three! Three coats of primer! Ah ah ah. This is your final coat of primer. Again, you need only one layer. You probably can see, as it is drying, that there are relatively no imperfections visible on your armor anywhere.

11) One more time sanding it down, this time I would suggest 180-grit. You can see and feel how smooth it has become now, can't you? Well, this isn't the best part… that comes later.

12) Wash, rinse, repe… I mean dry.

13) Now, it is time to lay down your first layer of paint. If your armor is supposed to be metal, then this should be a metallic color. Don’t use silver or anything like that, it is too bright. I would suggest a color like aluminum. However, you are actually going to paint now! Unlike the primer, you are going to put on one coat, let it dry, and then put on a second coat. Don’t paint it until it drips, just until it is covered. Oh, this time, only paint the outside and any visible inside or under parts of the piece. Most people don't want the paint fumes up in their helmet, so just do about 1/2-inch past the rim.

14) Now, you are going to sand down the first coat of your color paint. Use a 220-grit paper this time. See how smooth and soft it is starting to feel? Well, we are almost there!

15) Wash and let it dry.

16) Here comes the fun part. Take some petroleum jelly and use it to mask off any very obvious areas of battle damage. These are the kind that seemed to shoot through to the bare metal. At this stage, you should only need less than a ½” (2cm) area masked off for each piece of weathering. Look up some WWII fighter paint jobs for reference. Though the paint is ruined by a bullet hit, the actual bare metal is just the size of the bullet.

17) Now, spray your two layers of your base color paint. Most of the time, this layer will be a flat black. It gives a good contrast to your metallic layer and looks like a carbon-fiber based armored paint over the metal. Be sure to let the first layer dry before you put on the second.

18) Use a wet cloth to wipe off the masking agent. You will notice that the edges of the paint seem to want to come up with the agent, but don’t worry about it. If they do let them; it will help ensure the realism.

19) Sand it down again using the 260-grit sandpaper. That's right; you are upping the grit for this cycle again. You will notice that the edges of your impact points seem to be evening out and that the paint of the corner pieces of your armor are thinned in places to show the metallic color, as if it is highly used.

20) Wash and let dry.

21) Lay down the petroleum jelly around your original masked areas. This time give it another ½” around. If you wanted to add the realism, make one side a little longer and thinner than the other, kind of a comet-shape. This will give it a directional effect, like the shot came from an angle and struck. Also, mask off a couple of small places to show lighter battle damage that didn’t penetrate to the metal (again, smaller is generally better). Finally, use masking tape to section off anything you want to stay black, such as recessed areas, vents, control boards, etc. Be careful and use a hobby knife to make sure the edges are crisp looking.

22) This is your final coat of paint for your item. This time, use whatever color you want the world to see as your own. If you are a pink Spartan, then make it pink. As before, two layers. Make sure that each one is dry before applying the next.

23) Again, wipe off the masking agent. You will notice that the edges around the metal look a little more ragged and might tear back a little. Again, this is all part of the plan.

24) Sand it down using 300-grit sandpaper. You are almost done. This is your last time sanding your armor. Sure, the 300-grit is akin to rubbing your armor down with a piece of silk, but it is still necessary to give it the smooth-yet-lived-in look.

25) Remove all of the masking tape (including the inset areas) and wash it again.

NOTE: If your armor does not have any accent colors or stencils, skip to Step 32.

26) Mask off any spaces for your accent color and/or lay your stencil. If it is a stripe, then mask off the entire length. If your accent is two colors, then use the wider of the two colors as the first layer. Also, use the petroleum jelly to mask off any battle damage by at least 1/4-inch (1cm) but no more than 1/2-inch around any previous battle damage (or to weather the accent).

27) Now, you are going to use one or two coats of your accent color. Let each one dry before the next.

28) Wipe off the petroleum jelly from the shape, but be careful not to remove the tape/stencil.

29) Sand it down using the 300 grade sand paper just as you did with the primary paint. Be careful not to sand through the stencil or tape to the lower paint job.

30) Remove the stencil and/or tape and wash it, letting it dry before continuing.

31) If you have a two-color stripe (such as a red stripe inside of a white one—ala Mass Effect N7 armor) or multiple colors on your stencil (such as the Boba Fett shoulder with a white background and red skull), then repeat steps 26 through 30.

32) Take the black paint and a damp cloth. Spray a thin layer of the black across any grooves, indentations, and battle damage and wipe it off immediately after. This is called black-washing, and is used to accentuate the detail of your armor. Try to wipe it off as well as you can, as the lighter the look, the better. Let it dry.

33) Give it one last wash and let it all dry.

34) Use a semi-gloss or flat finish and give it two coats. Let the first dry before the second.

35) Stand it up as if you were wearing it (mannequin, hanging from a painting string, leaning on a door, etc.). Make sure each piece is situated as if it were on your body.

36) Take your spray bottle. For every one cup (8 ounces) of window washing fluid in it, add three drops of black acrylic paint, two drops of brown acrylic paint, and one drop of tan (or your choice) acrylic paint. Shake well.

37) Spray the armor down making sure everything gets a nice even coat of the spray. After that, let it dry. You will see some of the acrylic “grit” left behind after it dries. Repeat as much as you want until you get the look you are hoping for.

35) Spray twice as much on the boots and lower shins as you did on the rest of your armor. Let each set dry before spraying the next. This will give you the appearance of walking through more gunk than you actually got on the rest of your armor.

36) Using a damp cloth, wipe your armor down lightly. This will remove the dried alcohol from the window washing fluid, but will leave the acrylic weathering.

DONE!

Needs unfolding, but here it is.
Download

I know, hes the one who gave me the inspiration to do the BR in the first place, I've seen all of his work...fantastic!

Here's another one that was a request. It's the DCU mask without the hood piece.

you know dafrontlinetrooper has built one already, heck that's been months ago, plus you might want to take a look at his stragier shot and light rifle he built.

best movie ever if they do a remake i'll stop them.

Here's a Pep file for Shao Kahns Helmet that I did.