My wife and I have decided to embark on a Mark IV adventure, so after a week or two of research on here, I dived in and spent the entire day starting my build.
I'll be building two full suits, one for her and one for me... it's a lot to tackle, but it's really fun, and while this is the first full foam armor build I've done (I've done other more basic chest and arm armor pieces with Wonderflex) I have been using foam on other items for a long time now, so I feel pretty confident with how it's going to turn out.
I think at this point, I'm not expecting or planning for a perfectly accurate build. In the future when I have a bigger workspace and a more permanent home instead of just an apartment, I might tackle something more detailed and accurate. For now I'm happy with something a bit more rough-and-ready, and I know it's going to blow all of my friends away anyway. Plus, the build is actually kind of a memorial for a family member who was a huge Halo fan, and he always preferred fun above "omg perfection" so it seems like the right course!
I went with foam because I've been making props and weapons for cosplay with foam for a long time now so I have a good handle on how it works. I've done actual pepakura builds before but I don't have the space to do any kind of resin work right now, so pepakura would not be an option for me anyway! I am using Robogenisis/Demolition patterns for the majority of it, although some parts of it are definitely gonna be winged or freehanded! I'll be using 10mm and 5mm EVA foam for the bulk of everything, and I'm sure I'll end up with some styrene and other parts in there too. I live in South Korea right now so finding certain materials will be a challenge!
Here's the helmet so far! The upper visor/hood is curving upwards up a bit further than I'd prefer but I think that once I attach a faceplate, and finish the rest of the dome of the head that it'll tame itself a bit. I'm not looking forward to doing it all over again for my wife's helmet, but I think that it'll go even better the second time. I'll have a better handle on the bevel angles for all the foam pieces for sure.
This is the result of working solid from about 4 pm to 3 am. I can see a few places where there are problems to fix, and there's still a lot left to do, but it's been cool to have something so recognizable taking shape! Seeing a 3-by-5 foot sheet of foam turn into a real thing is incredibly satisfying. Don't mind the messy desk, haha...
I'll be building two full suits, one for her and one for me... it's a lot to tackle, but it's really fun, and while this is the first full foam armor build I've done (I've done other more basic chest and arm armor pieces with Wonderflex) I have been using foam on other items for a long time now, so I feel pretty confident with how it's going to turn out.
I think at this point, I'm not expecting or planning for a perfectly accurate build. In the future when I have a bigger workspace and a more permanent home instead of just an apartment, I might tackle something more detailed and accurate. For now I'm happy with something a bit more rough-and-ready, and I know it's going to blow all of my friends away anyway. Plus, the build is actually kind of a memorial for a family member who was a huge Halo fan, and he always preferred fun above "omg perfection" so it seems like the right course!
I went with foam because I've been making props and weapons for cosplay with foam for a long time now so I have a good handle on how it works. I've done actual pepakura builds before but I don't have the space to do any kind of resin work right now, so pepakura would not be an option for me anyway! I am using Robogenisis/Demolition patterns for the majority of it, although some parts of it are definitely gonna be winged or freehanded! I'll be using 10mm and 5mm EVA foam for the bulk of everything, and I'm sure I'll end up with some styrene and other parts in there too. I live in South Korea right now so finding certain materials will be a challenge!
Here's the helmet so far! The upper visor/hood is curving upwards up a bit further than I'd prefer but I think that once I attach a faceplate, and finish the rest of the dome of the head that it'll tame itself a bit. I'm not looking forward to doing it all over again for my wife's helmet, but I think that it'll go even better the second time. I'll have a better handle on the bevel angles for all the foam pieces for sure.
This is the result of working solid from about 4 pm to 3 am. I can see a few places where there are problems to fix, and there's still a lot left to do, but it's been cool to have something so recognizable taking shape! Seeing a 3-by-5 foot sheet of foam turn into a real thing is incredibly satisfying. Don't mind the messy desk, haha...