Mk 6 suit part 2

[Hickeydog]

Okay then. Since my first suit (which I just barely got done for Reach) wasn't that great, I'm going to be building another suit. Things I am doing differently this time around

1) All HD parts. I got a Silhouette SD so cutting the little pieces out isn't a huge deal

2) LOTS and LOTS of hardening material. I plan on using both Rondo and fiberglass to harden my suit. 2-3 layers of Rondo plus 2-3 layers of fiberglass. This suit is going to be heavy, but it will NOT fall apart like my first one.

3) Use Rondo for detailing instead of strait up Bondo. I was so sick of sanding by the time I got done with the suit. Plus, I'm going to start out with 40 grit on the mouse sander and work my way up to 250 or maybe 300.

4) Deadline for suit completion is Dragon Con 2011, so I won't be in such a time crunch as I was for the first suit.

5) Work on 1 piece until it is absolutely finished, and then move on to the next one. I found myself moving from piece to piece and I wasn't getting the results I wanted


My goal here is to try to come close to the awesomeness that is Thorsolli's MK6 build. I may not get the level of detail that Thor has, but I'm going to try.

So.......PICTURE TIME!!!!!!

Lots and lots of pink boot parts. Yay. Oh yeah. Since I started with the helmet on my previous suit and worked my way down, I'm going to start with the boots and work my way up. Lots of sanding in my future. But that's okay.

As soon as I get my camera fixed, I'll be able to post better pictures. For now, I have to use my Droid.










mmmmmmm...nice little pile of toxic boot parts. Yum.

[Hickeydog]

Hmm....edit function doesn't seem to like me.

Well, first boot was too small. Scaled it to a height of 170 cm, and it's way too small. Anyone who wears a size 8 want a half-finished boot? My size 12 won't fit.

So......I built a new boot. And in my brilliant wisdom, I scaled it too big. I'm beginning to feel like Goldilocks here. First one was too small. Second was too big. Third one WILL be just right.

But, I'm getting some good practice with gluing HD parts together.



This boot pretty much goes half way up my calf. Anyone wear a size 33 on this forum? Kidding. It will probably be Monday before I can build a new boot. I have too much homework (stupid college) to do tomorrow to work on my suit.

[Hickeydog]

Okay then. Long time, no update....fortunately, this update has a ton of update.

After the first two failed boots, I built 2 more boots. 2 layers of Rondo and 3 layers of glass to harden them. Heavy, but very strong. Too strong as a matter of fact. However, not nearly heavy enough to warrant scrapping them. However, I wasn't happy with the way the top pieces met with the heel. Inherent warpage due to them being 3 piece boots. I liked the idea of the three piece boot because of the way I have planed for the whole boot assembly. But you will see what I have in mind when I get around to mounting them, which should be later this week.

So, due to the grand total of 4 failed boots, I have built two more. One of which is almost done. Just need a few touch ups on the paint job (another coat, a little sanding, and scratch marks, not necessarily in that order). Other boot has a layer of Rondo for hardening and a layer for sculpting. I will be adding more fiberglass and Rondo tomorrow, once my resin warms back up. I left it out in the garage overnight, and it now has the consistency of soft ice cream.

In addition, I pepped one shin, turned out to be WAY to small, so I pepped another. On my first suit, I scaled the shins to 420mm. I had a terrible time getting my feet through them, so I scaled these at 450mm. I'm 6'4" with freakishly long legs. You can see in one of the pictures, my fingers are right on the top of my knee cap.

Enough typing. Time for the pics.

[Waynehead]

LOL..........for one nice work man keep it up i will def be following this thread.
i have had the same problem with the scaleing of it all my first helmet came out big enough for 3 people my second one waf just alitle small but workable and my armor i have 4 hand plates 1 low def forarm 2 hd forarms and 2 sholders but it just makes me keep going i dont get discuraged. Quick question how do you like the craft cutter i have been thinking of getting one but am unsure because of some complaits with it not working properly? and where did you get yours? and for how much if you dont mind me asking??

WEEZY

[Hickeydog]

Quick question how do you like the craft cutter i have been thinking of getting one but am unsure because of some complaits with it not working properly? and where did you get yours? and for how much if you dont mind me asking??

WEEZY

I absolutely love it. I did a thigh last night (of course, it was WAY too small), from nothing to finished, in just under 3 hours.It's a little tricky to get set up and working properly, but once it's up and going, it's a real finger/blood/time saver. I got mine from Amazon.com for $200.

No picture update (sorry), but I got a sample of Smooth-Cast 320, and I'm quite impressed with it. It hardens FAST. Much faster than resin or Rondo, and it's REALLY strong. It's a little more flexible than I'd like, but it doesn't crack like rondo and fiberglass will. You have to bend it REALLY far to get it to break.

I did 2 shins and used up that pint of Smooth-Cast. Definitely going to get the gallon size once my job starts. I got let go in August due to the company shutting down, and money is getting a little tight. Fortunately, I can still build up pieces because I have a nice stock of cardstock and resin, so I can still build up pieces and get a few layers of resin on them while I wait for the new job to start.

Oh yeah. Speaking of the shins, I learned a very important lesson about Smooth-Cast. It WILL leak through your armor if you only do one layer of resin. First time I poured the stuff into the shin, it went through the cracks and ALL over my work bench. I probably lost half of it to leaks. So, lesson learned. Do a LOT of flayers of Resin before attempting to smooth-cast. It will work out much nicer.

I'll have pictures (and hopefully a correct sized thigh) by tonight.

Edit: I forgot I had a few pictures of the smooth-cast fiasco.

[Waynehead]

ya i thought about trying that stuff. prolly will now and will also be buying a cutter as well i get paid on friday and will prolly order it then well good luck on the build

WEEZY

[OptimusWang]

How is the smooth-cast on weight vs rondo? Maybe I went too thick on my first suit but everything weighs a ton.

[Hickeydog]

How is the smooth-cast on weight vs rondo? Maybe I went too thick on my first suit but everything weighs a ton.

It's a lot lighter than Rondo for equivalent strength. It is a little more flexible than Rondo, which is a good thing because it will bend instead of crack. It takes a lot more layers of the stuff to harden a piece, though. It's a LOT more viscous than Rondo. It pours almost like water, so each application leaves a small layer. But, it hardens VERY fast. I was adding a layer every 15 minutes. It takes about 5 layers to get a piece hardened to the point where it will be very durable, but it's a lot lighter than Rondo. Maybe even fiberglass.

I'm going to crunch some numbers and figure out which method (Rondo, fiberglass, or Smooth-cast) is the cheapest after I do some more pieces and figure out just how far a gallon of Smooth-cast can go. But from what little experience I have, I think Smooth-cast may be the cheapest way to harden a piece. You will still need resin and Bondo, but I think it may be cheaper overall.

[Road Kill]

prwtty sweet armor man , it is looking awesome

[OptimusWang]

Thanks for the head's up. So are you doing layers of resin to just the outside, or both sides? I'm just trying to figure out how to work with it without making a giant mess... The joys of armoring on an apt porch and all that