First Full Build - ODST Corpsman

[BinaryHe1ix]

Hey there all! New poster and first time builder, so comments and advice is definitely welcome.

So a bit of backstory, my first cosplay experience was Dragoncon 2022. I had an absolutely fantastic time, but my costume was basically all purchased pieces (went as Ghost from CoD Modern Warfare). While home visiting family I messed around with my dad's 3D printer and was hooked almost instantly. Not long after I got myself an FLsun Super Racer and started working on random props, just teaching myself how everything worked. Decided not long after that to get started on a full suit that I'd always wanted - Rookie's ODST armor from Halo 3: ODST. I didn't document the beginning stages of the build, but here's where everything is at for now. Ran into issues here and there (obviously, it's a 3D printer!) but so far nothing too major. The last bug I had was driving me insane for about a week, couldn't get anything to stick to the bed without instantly curling back onto the nozzle, but finally have it figured out and part production is back on track. The majority of the larger, longer prints are done minus the upper calves and thighs. Getting close enough to assembly and finishing that I've ordered the webbing and buckles for strapping and done some concept work on how everything is going to buckle together. After all the effort of getting things to print properly and the headaches, it's starting to feel like part one of the whole journey is coming to a close. Really excited to be able to start wearing pieces!

For those interested, the files are from FromTheBrink's store on Etsy. I've been extremely impressed with the quality of the models and the attachment methods he uses, and I've had no issues with them. The only thing I would say is that the models are DENSE. You can see in the chest plate picture just how thick these pieces are. You're going to use a lot of filament and they're going to be heavy, but I haven't seen anything that comes close to how solid these things are. Which works for me because I wanted something that felt/looked heavy duty and was willing to deal with extra weight, but might not work for everyone.

Thanks for reading, hopefully have some assembly updates before too long!

 

[ReservedTaco]

Those prints look mighty clean! Keen to see another ODST build

 

[Hikuro]

I definitely think Brink's got a pretty good design going for the armor. And I do like how he's done the backpack. I myself have Sean Bradley's ODST suit, it's fairly light weight and sadly I'm no where near finished with mine and I"ve had it almost a decade. So keep up the work and push ahrd.

 

[DeltaAlphaZulu]

Hey there all! New poster and first time builder, so comments and advice is definitely welcome.

So a bit of backstory, my first cosplay experience was Dragoncon 2022. I had an absolutely fantastic time, but my costume was basically all purchased pieces (went as Ghost from CoD Modern Warfare). While home visiting family I messed around with my dad's 3D printer and was hooked almost instantly. Not long after I got myself an FLsun Super Racer and started working on random props, just teaching myself how everything worked. Decided not long after that to get started on a full suit that I'd always wanted - Rookie's ODST armor from Halo 3: ODST. I didn't document the beginning stages of the build, but here's where everything is at for now. Ran into issues here and there (obviously, it's a 3D printer!) but so far nothing too major. The last bug I had was driving me insane for about a week, couldn't get anything to stick to the bed without instantly curling back onto the nozzle, but finally have it figured out and part production is back on track. The majority of the larger, longer prints are done minus the upper calves and thighs. Getting close enough to assembly and finishing that I've ordered the webbing and buckles for strapping and done some concept work on how everything is going to buckle together. After all the effort of getting things to print properly and the headaches, it's starting to feel like part one of the whole journey is coming to a close. Really excited to be able to start wearing pieces!

For those interested, the files are from FromTheBrink's store on Etsy. I've been extremely impressed with the quality of the models and the attachment methods he uses, and I've had no issues with them. The only thing I would say is that the models are DENSE. You can see in the chest plate picture just how thick these pieces are. You're going to use a lot of filament and they're going to be heavy, but I haven't seen anything that comes close to how solid these things are. Which works for me because I wanted something that felt/looked heavy duty and was willing to deal with extra weight, but might not work for everyone.

Thanks for reading, hopefully have some assembly updates before too long!

Welcome to the 405th!

Your prints looks really smooth and you gotta love WhenInMaine's files!

Best of luck with your build and I can't wait to see how you finish it up.

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Small update! After months of printing, failures, reprints, slicing, wondering what 3D printing deity I angered to cause my first layers to fail, and all other sorts of issues, I was finally able to wear a piece of my armor! Got the left leg completely printed, minus one small detail piece below the knee. The knee is just loose fit in the shin armor for now, but it's a tight enough fit I was able to cram some shirts in there to keep it more or less in place while I walked around a bit with it. It's heavy but I'm beyond happy with how it turned out. If you check out the close up picture there's a random seam line near the bottom where the lower shin print just randomly stopped 3/4ths of the way through. I was able to figure out more or less where it stopped and slice a new print that started there, and it worked out pretty seamlessly. The upper calf was too large to print on my Super Racer so I chopped it in half vertically and it worked out great.

I've moved onto the shoulders now, and the thigh armor will be the last big step after that. The thighs needed to be chopped a couple times to fit but I'm pretty confident it'll print well. I realized the other day that I made a terrible choice printing left, right, left, right for everything because if something didn't fit, I'd have to reprint both sides instead of just one. So for now I'm doing the left leg, left shoulders, then moving to the rest once I confirm everything fits. In progress print of the upper shoulder plate as well, should be done in about 8 hours or so.

Couple questions for folks that I've been pondering...

1) For deployed status, do you have to have the same color scheme as a character from a game/official art to qualify or do you just have to have base armor from them and you're free to color at will? I originally thought you did, but I saw mention of graffiti in there so I was confused a bit. I don't imagine I'll qualify for deployed status outright but it is a long term goal for sure.

2) Anyone done cosplay medic stuff before at cons? I stumbled on an ODST medic concept for a fan movie I believe and I really liked the look. The idea of playing medic for others at a con always appealed to me, and since I'll have a pack with storage already with this suit it would be a pretty easy thing to pull off I'd think. My idea was to finish making my Rookie suit first, then print another set of shoulders and chestplate. One would be painted up as Rookie, one as a medic. That way I could just swap them out as desired. Was curious if anyone had done anything like this and if they had recommendations for tools/supplies to carry with.

Hope to have more updates soon, thanks for checking it out!

EDIT: Added a pic of the casualties of my 3D printing learning experience. Not all of them, just a corner of the graveyard so to speak

 

[DeltaAlphaZulu]

Small update! After months of printing, failures, reprints, slicing, wondering what 3D printing deity I angered to cause my first layers to fail, and all other sorts of issues, I was finally able to wear a piece of my armor! Got the left leg completely printed, minus one small detail piece below the knee. The knee is just loose fit in the shin armor for now, but it's a tight enough fit I was able to cram some shirts in there to keep it more or less in place while I walked around a bit with it. It's heavy but I'm beyond happy with how it turned out. If you check out the close up picture there's a random seam line near the bottom where the lower shin print just randomly stopped 3/4ths of the way through. I was able to figure out more or less where it stopped and slice a new print that started there, and it worked out pretty seamlessly. The upper calf was too large to print on my Super Racer so I chopped it in half vertically and it worked out great.

I've moved onto the shoulders now, and the thigh armor will be the last big step after that. The thighs needed to be chopped a couple times to fit but I'm pretty confident it'll print well. I realized the other day that I made a terrible choice printing left, right, left, right for everything because if something didn't fit, I'd have to reprint both sides instead of just one. So for now I'm doing the left leg, left shoulders, then moving to the rest once I confirm everything fits. In progress print of the upper shoulder plate as well, should be done in about 8 hours or so.

Couple questions for folks that I've been pondering...

1) For deployed status, do you have to have the same color scheme as a character from a game/official art to qualify or do you just have to have base armor from them and you're free to color at will? I originally thought you did, but I saw mention of graffiti in there so I was confused a bit. I don't imagine I'll qualify for deployed status outright but it is a long term goal for sure.

2) Anyone done cosplay medic stuff before at cons? I stumbled on an ODST medic concept for a fan movie I believe and I really liked the look. The idea of playing medic for others at a con always appealed to me, and since I'll have a pack with storage already with this suit it would be a pretty easy thing to pull off I'd think. My idea was to finish making my Rookie suit first, then print another set of shoulders and chestplate. One would be painted up as Rookie, one as a medic. That way I could just swap them out as desired. Was curious if anyone had done anything like this and if they had recommendations for tools/supplies to carry with.

Hope to have more updates soon, thanks for checking it out!

EDIT: Added a pic of the casualties of my 3D printing learning experience. Not all of them, just a corner of the graveyard so to speak

They're are several grades of deployment with different levels of attention to detail in each. For example if you were going for a certain in universe character and the color didn't match the character, you'd probably get a lower deployment tier.

Here's the deployment FAQs for more detailed assistance!

Deployment FAQ

Congratulations on building your first Halo costume! You've taken your first step into a larger world. If you wish to delve deeper into your passion, your next step is the Deployment system. RandomRanger is the current Division Membership Officer if you have any further questions not covered...

www.405th.com

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Update finally! Had a bit of downtime waiting for some replacement printer parts to ship, but finally back to printing. Only parts left of the base armor are the right thigh, everything else should be good to go minus a few detail parts I may have missed on the forearms. Got my hands on a basic vacuum forming setup and took my first stab at the visor today. First pull was on an opaque piece that came with the vacuum former, and it came out basically perfect first try. I was extremely excited so I loaded up my transparent PET and took another run, only to run into nothing but issues. Every time I'd get the sag starting to form, the PET would contract back on itself and start to turn white for whatever reason. I figured I might be able to buff it out, maybe it's a surface issue or something, so I tried a pull. Not even close, barely got the point of the buck to form before the sheet popped out of the frame. Made another 5 or 6 attempts at it, all failed in pretty much the same way. I'm guessing the material I got wasn't the correct stuff? Possibly wrong thickness? If anyone has a link to a tried and tested source of visor sheets I'd be extremely grateful. Being out of the States for the next few months means any orders take about 2 weeks to get to me, so trial and error is time consuming at best.

On another note, I need to change the title of the thread because I've decided to change the design a bit. Instead of going as Rookie, I'm designing it as an ODST corpsman. I mentioned it before, but I've loved the idea of a cosplay medic since I saw them at work at Dragoncon and being able to cosplay as a medic while being able to help if needed would be a perfect matchup. It gives me a bit more leeway in terms of color and overall design too so I can make it more my own. Been working on coming up with some nicknames, right now I'm leaning towards Flatline, Patch, or Reboot. Flatline is currently my favorite but I'd love to hear if anyone has other ideas as well.

Next update I should be working on sanding, priming, and finalizing a paint scheme. More or less have the strapping and padding figured out in my head but reality has a way of messing with things. I took a few days off of work in a week so I'll be hopefully spending a lot of time getting solid progress in.

EDIT: Did a bit more reading on here. I'm an idiot, I figured PET and PETG were basically the same thing. Joke's on me, back to Amazon!

 

[Cadet]

The PET and PETG mix up is very common, so don't feel bad about it. Just glad you figured it before you sank too much time and effort into it.

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Really quick post but I was just too excited about this to not share. While I wait for my PETG sheets to arrive I decided to work on my M7... didn't bother to scale it beforehand and it's shaping up to be MASSIVE! I thought about scrapping it and scaling it to 90 or 80 percent, but after a little bit, it's really growing on me. It's ridiculous and I love it.

 

[DeltaAlphaZulu]

Really quick post but I was just too excited about this to not share. While I wait for my PETG sheets to arrive I decided to work on my M7... didn't bother to scale it beforehand and it's shaping up to be MASSIVE! I thought about scrapping it and scaling it to 90 or 80 percent, but after a little bit, it's really growing on me. It's ridiculous and I love it.

Looks about right to me!

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

On vacation for the next week or so. Gives me a good bit of time to get some work done on sanding, priming, and possibly working on the foam parts of the armor. Finally put the thigh pieces together to test fit and they look good! My Super Racer is great but I am definitely regretting not having a 300x300x300+ print bed at this point. I've mentioned it before elsewhere, but had I known what I know now I'd have gone with something like a Kobra instead. I was drawn in by the advertised print speed, and deltas are awesome to watch printing, but having to slice everything gets old after awhile. Anyway, on to the update!

SMG is basically completely assembled, I left the stock apart for painting and I'm still waiting on some springs for the stock adjustment button. Definitely big, but I'm overall very happy with it. So far the only issue has been with the magazine. Maybe it's how I printed it (I go heavy on infills and walls) or maybe it's the magnets, or a combination of both, but the mag won't stay in place. It just ends up sliding off. More than likely going to just glue it in place, but I have some full size 5x10mm magnets coming in soon instead of the 5 1x10mm magnets I used. Even if I end up having to glue it, it still looks awesome and I'm quite pleased!

Now that I have the left thigh assembled I've officially done a rough test fit of all the pieces and can move on to sanding, priming, painting, and strapping. I just have to print the right thigh and some fast minor detail pieces for the armguards and whatnot. Might end up having to use a heat gun and bend the back side of the thigh around a bit more for comfort but the overall size is good. Excited to get more of the suit on at one time and start seeing the final product.

Last little side note, I actually didn't realize there was a canonical ODST-ish corpsman in the lore! I found out a day or two about Gruss, the hospital corpsman of Sunray 1-1 from Halo Wars 2's Operation: SPEARBREAKER DLC. So now that I'm aware of that, I'll be painting my suit up in a similar fashion. Nice to have a paint job settled on finally!

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Finally was able to get a good visor pull! Took 8 of the 10 sheets of PETG I had ordered but finally got it. In hindsight I probably should have wet sanded the buck down more before trying to do a pull on it. It's quite clear still but there's a lot of imperfections that make it hard to see anything clearly. You can definitely see through it, but in terms of detail you can't see much. Going to try using a car headlight polishing kit on one of my failed ones and see if it's able to smooth things out. Worse comes to worse I'll use it as-is or sand the buck down more and give it another go.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Best part of doing the corpsman is lots of pouches and that white will add a bit of color to make the overall suit pop!

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Best part of doing the corpsman is lots of pouches and that white will add a bit of color to make the overall suit pop!

Absolutely! Between pouches and the ruck I'll have tons of carrying space. And I have an idea to take Skookum's biofoam canisters and make them hollow so I can screw the top on and off and store more things inside. Most likely just drink cans and the like but never hurts to have extra!

 

[Rock Lobbster]

I am always a fan of more storage. Your wallet, phone, and friends will thank you

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Finally got the guts to start sanding and doing the first layer of Bondo. After having spent so much time assembling and printing, this part is proving daunting to me! Fortunately the Bondo turned out to be extremely easy to work with which alleviated a lot of my fears. Used a combination of Dremel and sanding drum and palm sander to get the major join lines out and the larger layer lines knocked down before applying a layer of Bondo by hand on the larger gaps and seams. After that dried I hit the seams with the palm sander again to see if it needed another coat, but fortunately I didn't see the need to reapply. Next step will be doing Bondo on all of the rest of the parts with airbrush, a la Darkwing Dad's method. I have a decent amount of airbrush experience having done Gunpla before so the more I can do with an airbrush, the better in my book. Just have the last piece of the right thigh printing and that'll be the last large piece. Still have the rucksack, the thigh clips, some SMG detail pieces, etc. to print but the vast majority of it is complete. Getting there, slowly but surely!

 

[BinaryHe1ix]

Welp, Darkwing Dad didn't lie. The airbrush Bondo technique is ludicrously easy and ludicrously fast! Having not done it before I tried it out on a failed print from one of my calf pieces and the result is amazing. Forgot to snap a picture after a coat or two of the Bondo, but you can see from the filler primer how well it smoothed everything out. I did 2-ish layers of Bondo, sanded very lightly with 600 grit, then did two layers of filler primer. All in all, probably only took me 20 minutes start to finish. The primer left a bit to be desired having come from a spray can. Considering decanting it into a container and thinning it out and running it through my airbrush as well. Not a huge issue though, I'm not going for 100% perfect, aiming for more of a 5 foot away level of quality. Plus the little imperfections are totally fine for something that's supposed to be combat worn.

Only issue I ran into was nozzle clogging with the Bondo when I had to stop and mix up another batch - I would highly recommend going somewhat acetone heavy on the ratio and mix up a larger batch than you think you'll need. Once I stopped to mix the next batch it immediately clogged the nozzle and I had to stop and clear it, which wasn't difficult - Q-tip with acetone, swab around a bit - but it was inconvenient. Overall I'm absolutely going to be using this method for the suit, highly recommend it. Just make sure you have a .3mm or .5mm airbrush nozzle - anything smaller and you'll be spending AGES on getting coverage.

 

[Hikuro]

Even with a cheap airbrush with one of those electric compressors I had way to many issues with the bondo spray method he suggested. Plus it did a lot of damage to the airbrush in the end cause of the acetone. What I actually do instead is use a cheap chip brush. You can get a handful of those suckers for 97 cents a pop and 1 brush can apply on your entire print, then just clean it off really good and you can reuse it again.
I'll typically do about 2 coats of this method, sand by hand with 220, apply a single coat of filler primer, and 1 last coat on top of that with the bondo, sand at 400. By then I'm pretty much good to go.