Starting a helmet.
- Thread starter WhyTho
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- first build helmet mark v [b]
WhyTho
New Member
I have a bit of an unrelated question but when should I move my posts to the halo costumes and props page?
N8TEBB
Well-Known Member
- Member DIN
- S410
Honestly I would just leave ‘em here. Since this is your first project it doesn’t hurt to keep it in The new recruits section. Besides, when I check the forums, I check the new recruits section first because usually that is where people want help. I think a lot of members do the same. It’s not a biggie either way though
SgtSaint
Active Member
Not the order I would recommend: See below
My regular 'new armorer' post:
The actual 405th website has a vast armory of files.
The Armory
And 3d model index
Free 3D Model Index
A curated list of tutorials:
Tutorial Index
One of many, many, many build threads:
https://www.405th.com/.../build-2-mk-vi-gen-3-with-some.../
Not saying: Don't ask
Am saying: There are so many experienced armorers that have poured collective man-years into really good build threads, articles and tutorials filled with do's and don'ts and wish-I-had-knowns that you're doing yourself a disservice by not reading them. A casual afternoon of reading the tales of those that came before you would put you MONTHS further ahead, save you time, money, effort, wastage and exasperation. Not to mention after all those people's hard work making the articles it would be a shame for them to not get read.
Helmet probably should be last, not first. Yeah yeah, everyone wants a helmet to drool over. But it's the thing everyone stares at so you want to do it AFTER you've developed a process, techniques and skills.
Personally I always recommend starting at the feet & hands then working up & in to the body.
• You're going to weather and distress the boots more than anything else... and they get looked at with the least critical eye.
• Then shins which have to ride on the boots.
• Then thighs since you have to avoid joint conflict so you can sit etc.
• See how this goes? Up from the boots, and inward from the hands to forearms to biceps to shoulders.
• By the time you get to the chest and helmet; the parts at eye level that everyone stares at, looks at first, is right there in your face in every photo - you can make them look stellar.
And if you start at the boots you're looking at parts that are only a day or two per part not 6 days per part. So you can hone your scaling skills.
If you are new to 3d printing or considering buying your first 3d printer just so you can make an armor:
3d printer have come a long way since I started with them in 2009. But they still aren't fully plug-n-play like a department store inkjet: But some of the newest & smallest ones are getting there. There's a lot more to 3d printing than just hitting print: Like knowing your different materials and when to use them. Or knowing when more walls and less infil, or more infil and less walls is the right choice. You should expect there to be a learning curve and at $20/spool that curve comes with a cost. I'm just saying walk into 3d printing with your eyes open.
"What's your printer?" thread on the 405th forum:
What's Your Printer?
Jumping right to armor is really not the best way to go when beginning 3d printing. You really want to work up to something this big and specialized. Work up to things so big that a 3% goof can mean added costs, joints that lock up and you can't bend your elbow etc. Little easy things first… Things with no supports to start. Move up to props like pistols. And keep moving upward over time.
• A few settings differences can be the difference between a part too weak to be used and printing your armor so heavy it's exhausting to wear. The difference between a $10 part and a $40 part adds up to a significant difference over an entire armor.
If it's your first printer taking a hybrid approach can actually save money. Get the small bed printer for home use and see if you even like doing this. Large 500mm machines aren't cheap and take up space and fails are proportionately expensive. If you love doing it and can justify the big printer as your second or third machine, go for it. But if you want to make the smaller things at home and outsource the big stuff to a print farm like www.starbase3d.com (mine for transparency) the extra-large printers mean being able to have big armor pieces like legs/chest/back done in single-prints instead of several seams to be glued and blended into invisibility.
WhyTho
New Member
This helps. but I just don't think I'm ready for spartan armor. So I was going to make this helmet and then make a separate set of ODST after because I don't think Mark V B is compatible with ODST
WhyTho
New Member
Another question (Sorry!) is there a way I can increase my height in armor? Because I'm a shorting standing at 5,2 but I want to be a tad taller in armor. Are there any ways to do that? Any ways you suggest?
N8TEBB
Well-Known Member
- Member DIN
- S410
Yes indeed there is! Personally, I'm 5'11" (180 cm) and was looking to get a bit of extra height out of my suit. I purchased tall shoes, also known as elevator shoes or platform shoes, which boosts my height 4" making me a grand total of 6'3" while I'm wearing my armour. Some members elect to add foam underneath regular street shoes, but I found from talking to members who had done that, that it's not as reliable nor comfortable as they would like. That's why I bought my shoes. I bought them from a website called tallmenshoes.com, and if you go to the clearance section, you're bound to find a good deal. I bought a hiking-style boot. It has a lot of cushion and doesn't hurt my feet - even after being in armour for 9 and a half hours. In fact, after a long day at a convention, I find my regular flat street shoes to be less comfortable than my tall shoes. I just had to cleverly make the shoe armour a bit taller to conceal the extra height. It's not obvious at first glance that I'm wearing them, however I still get asked at conventions if I am on elevators simply because I appear so tall, not necessarily because they noticed my shoes were abnormally large. I totally recommend incorporating tall shoes into a spartan or odst build. Not only do they give you a boost physically, but they boost your confidence as well!
SgtSaint has some good advice up there with some helpful links. I'd definitely recommend checking them out. Just a note on the order of operations - while I also tend to make my helmet last, there isn't anything wrong with starting with the helmet. You may find however, that once you eventually build your entire suit, that your skill level will have increased and you'll want to remake it. That's what happened with my first suit. It's really not a bad thing to end up with two helmets though! haha
Edit: I see now that you already mentioned you’ll be making two helmets. Seems you and I had the same idea!
rickrtickr
Active Member
- Member DIN
- S259
sure there are!
As N8TEBB said above getting a platform shoe or even making your own platforms can work.
Here is an example of how I achieve about a 3" lift for my spartan:
At the end of the day, it depends on the level of work you want to do on the shoes/boots.
N8TEBB
Well-Known Member
- Member DIN
- S410
Build whatever you want to build! That's the beauty of making things. If you want a heavily modded ODST, go for it! If you want a simplified spartan, that's great! If you want to put cavallino cat ears on a mkVII helmet, change an in-game coating to make you right shoulder the colour you want, and put a camera in your chestplate, then you should do just that! There's also nothing wrong with trying to stick to being game-accurate, if that's what you're going for.
My first build was a Spartan. I made a Mk6 from halo 3. It may seem daunting at first but if you commit time to learning the craft then it is very possible. If you really want a Spartan, I would definitely recommend going with the harder build because it will allow you to learn more.
SgtSaint
Active Member
Having gone straight to a Spartan MK-VI build I later realized that if I knew then what I know now and had to do it all over again, I probably would have done an ODST first. Only as a matter of practicality because the fit is less precise. You can be off size by a lot and not have joints locked up. Its also correct to have visible straps and so on. It becomes a pretty good platform for developing the skills and so on. Then with all that under my belt, a Spartan would be the next upgrade with its hidden attachments and tighter tolerances. In hind sight, I basically made 2-3 costumes anyway when accounting for reprints. It would have been nice to actually have 2-3 costumes out of all that work and expense.
