Achilla137
Jr Member
I've begun work on making a FEMALE commander shepard armor suit out of EVA foam and I'm hoping to have it done for March 6th (release of Mass Effect 3). If I can't then I'll definitely have it done in time for comic con
Materials Needed:
- EVA foam
You can get it at sport stores or some auto supply stores. For my armor I'm using 1/2" think pads, got a 4 pack of 4x4 with a cross hatch pattern for $20. You will definitely need more than 4 pieces, so maybe buy 2 or 3 packs of these.
- Hot glue gun with glue sticks.
Any kind will do but I recommend the thicker one since u get more glue which makes it easier for putting together seems.
- Exacto knife.
Again, doesn't matter so long as you have quite a bit of extra blades.
- Heat gun
Now before you start thinking "oh that's gonna be expensive etc etc" i bought a cheap one on ebay for $20 with free expedited shipping. There are more expensive ones out there, which I wouldn't say no to spending more than I did, but just know that you don't need to spend a lot if you only plan on using the gun for this one armor project.
- Dremel
I will list the parts later when I get all my pieces found in my garage, but the dremel will be used for fine details and smoothing out the edges of the armor. I already have one, so I didn't need to buy one, but the dremel will probably be the most expensive part of this project. No need to buy one with 100+ bits, you only really need 2 or 3 bits which I think the ones you will need are included with the most basic of dremels. Again, I will edit this later with a picture and names of the bits.
- Paint
I haven't bought the paints yet, or thoroughly looked into what paints work best with the foam, but i know for detail work I will be using Acrylic paints which you can get at any hobby store (JoAnn fabrics, Beverly's, Michael's, etc)
- Strapping and Buckles
There are 2 cheap ways to get these:
1) go to the Dollar store and buy a bunch of satchel bags or back packs that have the straps and buckles and cut them off
or
2) buy the straps and buckles in a pack on ebay
- Needle and Thread *optional*
You may need this for sewing on the buckles to the straps depending on what method you prefer. I've seen people sew, and some use hot glue, so it's whatever you're comfortable with.
I believe that's all, if I think of anything else I'll edit and add it in later. Now for the BIG question.
THERE ARE NO TEMPLATES! I will try to maybe make some and scan it into my computer and upload them for you all, but I'm still unsure of how I would do the measurements for templates. My method is simply having 360 degree view of the character, taking one piece of armor at a time, and drawing out a rough sketch of what it would look like if it wasn't curved and such. Essentially, I'm guessing and hoping for the best.
If you have any questions feel free to message me or email me at Achilla137@yahoo.com. I get emails on my phone so I'll see that sooner than if you leave me a message on here.
Pics coming soon!
Materials Needed:
- EVA foam
You can get it at sport stores or some auto supply stores. For my armor I'm using 1/2" think pads, got a 4 pack of 4x4 with a cross hatch pattern for $20. You will definitely need more than 4 pieces, so maybe buy 2 or 3 packs of these.
- Hot glue gun with glue sticks.
Any kind will do but I recommend the thicker one since u get more glue which makes it easier for putting together seems.
- Exacto knife.
Again, doesn't matter so long as you have quite a bit of extra blades.
- Heat gun
Now before you start thinking "oh that's gonna be expensive etc etc" i bought a cheap one on ebay for $20 with free expedited shipping. There are more expensive ones out there, which I wouldn't say no to spending more than I did, but just know that you don't need to spend a lot if you only plan on using the gun for this one armor project.
- Dremel
I will list the parts later when I get all my pieces found in my garage, but the dremel will be used for fine details and smoothing out the edges of the armor. I already have one, so I didn't need to buy one, but the dremel will probably be the most expensive part of this project. No need to buy one with 100+ bits, you only really need 2 or 3 bits which I think the ones you will need are included with the most basic of dremels. Again, I will edit this later with a picture and names of the bits.
- Paint
I haven't bought the paints yet, or thoroughly looked into what paints work best with the foam, but i know for detail work I will be using Acrylic paints which you can get at any hobby store (JoAnn fabrics, Beverly's, Michael's, etc)
- Strapping and Buckles
There are 2 cheap ways to get these:
1) go to the Dollar store and buy a bunch of satchel bags or back packs that have the straps and buckles and cut them off
or
2) buy the straps and buckles in a pack on ebay
- Needle and Thread *optional*
You may need this for sewing on the buckles to the straps depending on what method you prefer. I've seen people sew, and some use hot glue, so it's whatever you're comfortable with.
I believe that's all, if I think of anything else I'll edit and add it in later. Now for the BIG question.
THERE ARE NO TEMPLATES! I will try to maybe make some and scan it into my computer and upload them for you all, but I'm still unsure of how I would do the measurements for templates. My method is simply having 360 degree view of the character, taking one piece of armor at a time, and drawing out a rough sketch of what it would look like if it wasn't curved and such. Essentially, I'm guessing and hoping for the best.
If you have any questions feel free to message me or email me at Achilla137@yahoo.com. I get emails on my phone so I'll see that sooner than if you leave me a message on here.
Pics coming soon!