First Timer. Mark VI Pep Build!

kdbar · Jun 18, 2013

Hey guys! I posted at RPF, but realized that I would probably get more advice and tips by posting here. I'm currently in the process of building my Mark VI pep armor. It's my first time working on anything like this so please bear with my noob questions! Here are pictures of all the pieces that I finished coating with one layer of resin on the outside. I just need to finish pepping the two boots as well as the helmet that I'm saving for last. I wanted to ask if they look okay so far. I'm a little worried that the thigh piece is too large, but I'm not sure about that.

Other than that, I plan to put a second layer of resin on the outside, then put a layer on the inside, add fiberglass cloth via adhesive spray, then put a final coat of resin on the inside to cover the cloth. Would this plan be okay?

Cod piece (not resin'ed yet) I plan to add a support to pull in the front plate so so it is not as wide.

Chest piece (not resin'ed yet). Still need to add in supports before starting the resin.

Bicep piece (one layer of resin)

Forearm piece (one layer of resin)

Thigh piece (one layer of resin) Worried about it being too big. What do you guys think?

Shin piece (one layer of resin) I sized it just enough to fit my feet through it so I don't have to cut any pieces. Doesn't look too big so I'm happy with it!

Hand plate (not resin'ed yet) Had to size it down a lot since I have tiny wrists/hands. Looks to be ok. Thoughts?

I used the leftover cardstock paper, rolled them up, and used them to support the pieces with masking tape. It's been a pretty good way to keep the structure rigid as I resin

Do I detach the chest piece after I do all of the resining and fiberglassing?

Thank you for taking the time to look through my progress! I'll update with more pics when I finish pepping the helmet and boots. This weekend I plan to at least have all my pieces with one layer of outer resin.

Gamma442 · Jun 18, 2013

When using resin, rule of thumb is 2 coats on the outside and at least one coat on the inside with fiberglass cloth or rondo mix.
Great pep work!

Carpathia · Jun 18, 2013

Ok, first off, your pep skills are pretty good. You've definitely got the process down (I'd actually like to see you tackle some higher def files when you get these sized right, I think you'd do fine).

Now, the critique. Your forearm, handplate and thigh are too big (thigh and forearm just a bit too large, but handplate way too large). The torso and bicep looks ok, but it's hard to tell with it not on your body, and I have no idea if the cod piece is scaled right. The shin also looks a bit large, but, again, it's tough to tell when it's not on your leg.

Don't be discouraged, however, it took me quite a few tries to get everything scaled correctly (I pepped 6 different-sized low def thighs and two high def thighs before I found the right size). Keep it up, I see promise in this project.

kdbar · Jun 18, 2013

Thank you so much for the advice! I'll definitely redo the handplates and thighs. I'll just use the current ones as practice for bondo. Good thing I only did one thigh haha. It's inspiring to have someone like you who has made a complete (and awesome) set already. Hope to learn a lot from you!

kdbar · Jun 18, 2013

Update!

Wanted to do both boots tonight, but didn't realize that they are actually a bit difficult to glue together properly. I was able to get one (right foot) done though!

Side:

Front:

My shoe fits perfectly! THANK GOD!!:

It's not perfectly symmetric, but I think it will be ok once I add in support and resin. How does it look to you guys?

Thanks for looking!

kdbar · Jun 22, 2013

Updates!

Decided that I will re-pep my cod piece as I noticed a lot of really shoddy connections, most likely since it was the first piece I had ever pepped. I also put the first layer of resin on my other calf piece, both hand plates, and both boots. Just have to put the first layer of resin on my chest and, cod, and helmet to get all my pieces done on that stage. Other than that, I spent the last few days pepping my helmet!

Here are some pictures:

As you can see, it looks pretty good from the sides, but there is a slight imbalance on the bill of the helmet. I tried various ways to support it, but couldn't get it to straighten out. Any ideas?? If not, is it fixable on the bondo stage?

Thanks for the help!

MuffinMICHI · Jun 23, 2013

Hi kdbar
Your pep work Looks realy clean

...and to straighten your helmet a bit more I would recommend to insert the visor. That gives the whole thing much more stability and after you resined the helmet (and is hard enough so it can't warp anymore) you can remove it again.

kdbar · Jun 23, 2013

Thanks for that tip! I added the visor part in and it helped a bit. I also had to add in a support beam to pull it even a little bit more. It's not perfect, but I'm satisfied with this much better than before:

Pyronari · Jun 24, 2013

your work looks good so far. I like the clean pep its good you have that down early. I would like to see you try a hd piece I think you could do it. as far as sizing goes I know some one already told you what pieces to fix. I think however the codpiece is going to be to big as well. think of how it is going to fit when you wear it. when worn as well the pouches will be cut from the front and back free floating on the belt so if whe. you size it it isnt big enough around its not that big of a deal. you just want to insure that the cod piece and butt plate are the right size. also you can always cut a piece and add extensions to it to make it wider if you have the length right. I had to do that with my thigh pieces.

I really think you are off to a good start. a clean pep takes out a lot of work later so you should do fine. depending how detailed you want the suit I recommend doing hd I think you would do a good job with it.

PhilliBilliful · Jun 24, 2013

Wow! It's looking great!! Good job! I can't wait to start on my very first Halo build! You all inspire me!:$

kdbar · Jun 25, 2013

Thanks! I sized down the cod piece and I actually can't put it on from the bottom so I will have to cut it like you said after it is done hardening. It should be pretty snug and tight to my body though. BTW, for the cod piece, do I need to harden the bottom area between the thighs or is that piece just there for support?

UPDATE! Finished putting two layers of resin on the outside of most of my pieces (excluding helmet and chest). For hardening the inside, I plan to put a thin layer of rondo first and let it cure. Then put a layer of resin on that and put a layer of fiberglass cloth on top of it before it finishes curing. There will be some areas I expect I won't be able to fit fiberglass cloth (helmet bill, etc.), where I plan to put a thicker layer of rondo and a cover it with a layer of resin. For all the other sptos, when that is done, I will put one layer of resin on the inside to cover all of the rondo and fiberglass. Sound like an OK plan? Should I use two layers of fiberglass instead of one?

Thanks for stopping by and the tips/encouragement. It really helps! Can't wait to get to the bondo/detailing stage!

Halex · Jun 26, 2013

Looking good so far, nice clean pep work. As carpathiavh99 mentioned, I'm sure you'd do fine on HD pieces if you so desired. To answer a couple of questions from your last post...

BTW, for the cod piece, do I need to harden the bottom area between the thighs or is that piece just there for support?

That piece is just there for support. Once the main cod is resined you should be safe to take it out, though you could wait until after your first layer of rondo/fiberglass if you want to be absolutely sure that it holds shape.

UPDATE! Finished putting two layers of resin on the outside of most of my pieces (excluding helmet and chest). For hardening the inside, I plan to put a thin layer of rondo first and let it cure. Then put a layer of resin on that and put a layer of fiberglass cloth on top of it before it finishes curing. There will be some areas I expect I won't be able to fit fiberglass cloth (helmet bill, etc.), where I plan to put a thicker layer of rondo and a cover it with a layer of resin.

Putting another layer of resin over the rondo really isn't necessary, as the rondo will already be a hard and relatively smooth surface (unless you were using it for another reason?). If you wanted to tame down some of the fiberglass edges, just do a light sanding over the inside once its finished to take care of prickly edges. I've heard Plastidip also works well for that, but haven't tried it myself.

Be careful not to add too much rondo in the brim as it has some weight to it and can make it pretty front-heavy. This happened with mine and it's a pain to remove material from that area once it's in there.

For all the other spots, when that is done, I will put one layer of resin on the inside to cover all of the rondo and fiberglass. Sound like an OK plan? Should I use two layers of fiberglass instead of one?

I would definitely advise using at least two layer of fiberglass cloth. In higher-impact areas that will see a lot of abuse (joints, boots, etc) 3-4 layers isn't uncommon. Once you're done, no need to add another layer of resin unless you have pieces of fiberglass that didn't get completely soaked the first time through, as you have to saturate the cloth with resin to get the desired reinforcement effect.

You're on the right track though, keep up the good work! I look forward to seeing more progress from you!

SamoanThor · Jun 27, 2013

Dude your work looks amazing!! I hope I can do this well when I start my build!!

kdbar · Jul 19, 2013

Update time!

There has been quite a bit of progress since last time. I have all of my pieces rondo'd and fiberglassed finally and have started smoothing out the edges where the leftover fiberglass was. I have also separated the torso and codpiece! Here are some pics of the aftermath. How do you guys think the fit looks? It felt good to me, maybe just need to smooth the edges out a bit, but everything else felt comfy, which was a HUGE relief.

How the torso rests on my body with the front part of the torso removed:

The back of the torso piece:

Placing the front part of the torso in its proper spot using my hand:

The front of the freshly cut out codpiece:

Thanks again for the positive and helpful comments. After smoothing out the edges, I will move onto the bondo/sanding stage. Hoping to make it in time for Halloween!

kdbar · Jul 20, 2013

And here are all of the pieces trimmed and ready for bondo!

dean the her0 · Jul 20, 2013

looking good so far. i will be watching your progress as im building the same suit but am quite a bit behind you. i would suggest starting with the smallest/easiest piece to pep when doing bondo/painting incase you make a mistake so the least amount for heartache is felt. (not that you will make a mistake) just better safe than sorry. practice makes perfect so doing the hardest bits last would make sense as you will more experienced.

madmax355 · Jul 21, 2013

Good job on the pep work it looks so clean. looking great

kdbar · Aug 3, 2013

Hi all! Update time! Since my last post, I took my files and raft to knock down all of the edges on my pieces as well as any stray resin/hot glue. With the pieces smooth, I tried my hand at applying bondo for the first time.

This is the result after a bit of hand sanding on my glove:

I have a question and would love some help. As you can see in the picture, even after sanding, there are a bunch of little valleys and canyons where the bondo didn't spread evenly. So I would like to ask if I need to sanding everything down to the same level as the valleys or will another application of bondo fill the tiny gaps?

Also, How much bondo do I need to apply? I notice that The edges (dotted-lines) from the pep file show up. Is that ok or do I need to add bondo to cover it?

Thanks for all the help!

DaSlacker · Aug 3, 2013

kdbar said:
I have a question and would love some help. As you can see in the picture, even after sanding, there are a bunch of little valleys and canyons where the bondo didn't spread evenly. So I would like to ask if I need to sanding everything down to the same level as the valleys or will another application of bondo fill the tiny gaps?

From how it looks, I would sand down to take out the valleys. No need to add any extra bondo that isn't needed.

kdbar said:
Also, How much bondo do I need to apply? I notice that The edges (dotted-lines) from the pep file show up. Is that ok or do I need to add bondo to cover it?

The amount of bondo needed really depends on what you're trying to accomplish, you'll need more bondo to round out areas to remove the polygon blockiness and just a thin skim coat to remove a small dent in the pep work. There's no reason to worry about seeing the pep work, only put bondo where you need it to get the piece to look how you want it.

kdbar · Aug 19, 2013

Hi all! Another update!

In the process of applying bondo to all of my pieces. I figured I would go futher on one of the smaller pieces and see how it would look. So I bondo'd, sanded (60 grit, then 120), and primed a piece from the cod piece and this is the result:

As you can see from the circles, those are areas where I sanded down to the cardstock portion. So the primer looks funky on top of it and not smooth. Is there anything I can do to fix that or do I just have to apply a layer of bondo on top of those areas?

Thanks!

First Timer. Mark VI Pep Build!

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