Good materials to Pepakura with

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hiya! I'm actually planning to walk into school on one of the Homecoming spirit days wearing a suit of Mjolnir armor. I intend to get started on this ASAP, but before I do, I have a few questions:

1. What is a good, sturdy material that is durable to wear around once the suit is finished but is on the easy side to work with?
2. How long will this take?
3. Does anyone have a tips on precision cutting?
4. What kind of paint should I use to paint it after I'm done to give it that Halo-esque look?
5. How would I do a visor on a Pepakura helmet?

Thank you!

EDIT: Isn't the cardstock poster paper a bit flimsy? Is there like stuff you can spray on afterward before the paint to make it more solid?

Another thing, should I glue the printout to the building material before cutting, or tape it? or what?

and, what about making it fit me? Are there significant adjustments I need to make to the directions in the stickies above have it fit the average male (176cm, waist 32, shirt size medium)?

*EDIT TWO*: Also, I was wondering, the Pepakura template for the Left Foot (and Right I presume), as well as that of the Left/Right Thigh has patterns that overlap between two pages. Is there a remedy to this or is it okay?

ALSO, does anyone have any folding tips Like how to fold it well and stuff? Sorry for being paranoid. And what kind of glue should I use to make sure there's no bumps and how should i apply it?

$*$*$*EDIT*$*$*$ - In Pepakura terms, what is the difference between a Valley Fold and a Mountain Fold?

!@*!@ ^$EDIT THREE( @!&$
"Oh so mountain folds and valley folds are just opposites of each other?

And for the Mtn fold, u would see the dotted line on the peak, and for a valley fold, u would see the dotted line at the bottom of the valley, right (fold it so you can see it)?"

**@*@*@*Do I need to compensate, and how would I, for the slight length loss incurred by the piece being split over two pages and cutting it?

Also, should I try out cutting, fold, then painting resining, and fiberglassing before putting it all together?

Also, how do I know how far to bend or fold a piece?
 
hey dude. k

1.cardstock or poster paper... trust me

2. if your building the whole suit and really working on and not just work a bit and watch tv... then not very long.... maybe about 2-3 weeks...

3.if you really want to cut carfeully then use an X-acto knife.. you can find em at dollar stores... google it

4.well... you might want to cover it with resin or fiberglass it.. just to be proffesional and to come up with good result.. after that... spraypaint it

5.hmmmm.... http://mjolnirarmor.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2365
 
Does anyone have any pics of some really good looking Pepakura armor? I'd really like to see what a finished product could look like.

And would the cardstock/poster paper provide enough durability for if I were to bump into something or sit down? Also, isn't there like stuff you can spray on after you're done before the paint or something that makes it more solid?

Another thing, should I glue the printout to the building material before cutting, or tape it? or what?

and, what about making it fit me? Are there significant adjustments I need to make to the directions in the stickies above have it fit the average male (176cm, waist 32, shirt size medium)?
 
InsolenceAndHeresy: Regarding material. No, you cannot make something out of cardstock, and have it solid. Cardstock is basically like paper, just a bit harder, I wouldnt put its durability up against anythng.

To solidify it, you would apply resin/fiberglass. Depending on age, some parents wont allow their kids to have that chemical, tends to be dangerous.
As for spray.. I'm not sure, maybe some sort of spray plastic? Not sure how durable that would be either.
 
im scratchbuilding my suit from cardboard, then i have filled the cracks and solidified it with spackle putty(its like putty that hardens, works amazingly, well for me at least). Im tryin to get pics but my arm piece is finished and its pretty strong and looks good.
 
Long Shot's:
MVC-304F.jpg


drgon47's:
halo001.jpg


smilie120's:
1dc589da6b.png

d7c27638ea.png

6bb1b533f5.jpg
 
IceTray said:
InsolenceAndHeresy: Regarding material. No, you cannot make something out of cardstock, and have it solid. Cardstock is basically like paper, just a bit harder, I wouldnt put its durability up against anythng.

To solidify it, you would apply resin/fiberglass. Depending on age, some parents wont allow their kids to have that chemical, tends to be dangerous.
As for spray.. I'm not sure, maybe some sort of spray plastic? Not sure how durable that would be either.

Oh resin, okay, sounds great. Resin/fiberglass makes it far more durable than cardstock alone? and does that come before or after the paint?

Also, is there any good way to add LEDs to the helmet, or an external audio projection system (to pump out some Halo music for cinematic effect)?

Also, do I print directly onto cardstock or print then paste then cut?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
print directly to cardstock. use it like regular printer paper. For an external audio system, PM Sean Bradley. He had one in his suit. For LED's, im not sure. someone posted a link w/ some, so i go look for that. And resining comes before painting. wonga.
 
Also, for scaling, I read the excellent scaling guide posted, is it okay if different parts are scaled differently? I mean like the left and right biceps, etc will be scaled the same, but like the helmet and the biceps won't be scaled the exact same.
 
Well I meant, like, it wouldn't look awkward if some of the stuff was scaled differently, right?

Also, I was wondering, the Pepakura template for the Left Foot (and Right I presume) has one pattern that overlaps between two pages. Is there a remedy to this or is it okay?

ALSO, does anyone have any folding tips Like how to fold it well and stuff? Sorry for being paranoid.

And what kind of glue should I use to make sure there's no bumps and how should i apply it?
 
In Pepakura terms, what is the difference between a Valley Fold and a Mountain Fold?


Also, I was wondering, the Pepakura template for the Left Foot (and Right I presume) has one pattern that overlaps between two pages. Is there a remedy to this or is it okay? This happens in a lot of other templates too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top