Mjolnir Armor Replication Help?

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KamikazePigeon

KamikazePigeon

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Hi All!

In the future, I plan on finishing the Mjolnir Armor from Halo 3 i'm working on currently and then replicating the pieces of said armor somehow without having to redo to whole process of pepakura and fiberglass and whatnot. If any of you have any suggestions as to how I would so that in a simple, cost efficient way?

Thanks in advance,

KamikazePigeon
 
Are you talking about replacing certain parts, or redoing the entire piece from scratch? In either case, if you're looking at a method that doesn't require fibreglass, more often than not it'll be foam you're looking for.
 
No, actually that's exactly what I DO NOT want to end up doing. I don't intend to remake all of my armor from scratch. What I meant was how would I go about making COPIES off of the Original Pieces. Doyou know how I would be able to do that with such complicated pieces in a Cost-Efficient way?
 
You can only mold and cast it and this is NOT cost-efficient way.
First you have to make good molds, so everything works out and then cast it... But silicone and resin are both expensive.

There is no other way.
 
Oh thats Easy ... VAC FORM. The combo of cosplay lightness and manufacturing .

A tad more work getting bucks set up but the HIPS is soo cheap.
 
peterthethinker said:
Oh thats Easy ... VAC FORM. The combo of cosplay lightness and manufacturing .

A tad more work getting bucks set up but the HIPS is soo cheap.
Click to expand...

For vac forming you have to make new forms because foam or resin+fiberglass will NOT hold the pressure and will just get destroyed.
(even if someone was so mad and wanted to try this, they'd have to destroy their current thigns to make 2-3 part forms)
 
CommanderPalmer said:
resin+fiberglass will NOT hold the pressure and will just get destroyed.
Click to expand...

Not strictly true. For costume-grade pieces, this might be the case, certainly - we only tend to use perhaps two or three layers of fibreglass to give out work the strength it needs to be worn. However, adding a few extra layers if you're intent on using that piece as a buck for vacuum forming will generally do the trick. You could even fill the interiors of the pieces with self-expanding foam to give it a little extra strength. Bear in mind that the average costumer won't have access to industrial-grade vacuum forming machines, so we're not dealing with machines that have immense pull values.

thorssoli has vacuum-formed from fibreglass pieces, I believe.
 
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Chernobyl said:
Not strictly true. For costume-grade pieces, this might be the case, certainly - we only tend to use perhaps two or three layers of fibreglass to give out work the strength it needs to be worn. However, adding a few extra layers if you're intent on using that piece as a buck for vacuum forming will generally do the trick. You could even fill the interiors of the pieces with self-expanding foam to give it a little extra strength. Bear in mind that the average costumer won't have access to industrial-grade vacuum forming machines, so we're not dealing with machines that have immense pull values.

thorssoli has vacuum-formed from fibreglass pieces, I believe.
Click to expand...

It will hold, but I meant if they are hollow. Normally you have to fill in the space underneath for it not to crack and break apart under pressure.
And if you want really good details, you need a lot of pressure.

But then, you can't use these parts anymore if you have filled them in and ready to vacuum form.
 
So, say I do have to resort to making Silicone Molds and casting every armor piece; what would you recommend for silicone and casting plastic, how much would both of them cost for a decent amount of both, and where could I find them?
 
KamikazePigeon said:
So, say I do have to resort to making Silicone Molds and casting every armor piece; what would you recommend for silicone and casting plastic, how much would both of them cost for a decent amount of both, and where could I find them?
Click to expand...

smooth-on products are very popular for this. Just do a google search and hopefully you can find a local supplier (or get it direct from them if you are in the US).
 
So I took a look at their website to see what they had to offer and noticed that they had a lot of different products available. Would I need a different silicone or casting resin for casting the helmet than the material I'd use for the chest piece?
 
I'm afraid I don't know the finer details there, so hopefully someone with more casting experience will chime in soon :) I'd imagine you could use the same, but there may be a stronger resin for the armour and one that is easier to get details with for the helmet? I'm not really sure. I am pretty sure that there are different types of silicone used for capturing finer details though
 
People prefer lots of different silicons and resins.
I recommend searching online and reading, There are many helpful videos on YT.

As far as I remember, many people preferer resin 65B or something.
 
There are many different types of silicons and resins. Both once cured can either be very rigid, semi-rigid or soft....."Floppy"......the higher the tensile strength, the less details can be captured......the same hold true in reverse, a softer material will capture more details as the viscosity allows it to flow into smaller crevices and cracks. The deeper crevices or even an under-cut while using softer silicone can cause damage to the silicone mold so you have to do your research and weigh the pros and cons of each material. And no matter how high the tensile strength of the silicone, resin will eventually eat it away. A great silicon material might yield 20-25 castings before it starts to break down from the resin curing.
 
Try heading over to the Halo Costumes and Armor section of the forum. They have a few tutorials specifically on mold making and casting.
 
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