My Carter Commando armor

Realism is exactly what I'm going for. In reality the Spartan creates just as much damage to his own armor as being in battle does. Every time a Spartan sits and places is arms on is thighs, or climbs something, falls, or put his gun on his back etc. Those actions create damage to the paint. Plus Planet Reach was a hell hole and a lost battle. So I will put the weathering in the correct places. Now when it comes to the jetpack I wanted all plasma damage. In the game you don't own the jetpack, you trade it in for a different ability. So I don't want it looking like it its apart of my armor. The jetpack is all plasma and rocket burns on it

ErMaC said:

In reality the Spartan creates just as much damage to his own armor as being in battle does. Every time a Spartan sits and places is arms on is thighs, or climbs something, falls, or put his gun on his back etc. Those actions create damage to the paint.

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Correct. In typical circumstances, you would see chipped paint at the edges and some places in the field on "accent coloring." You would also see evidence of wear and scuffmarks on the raised portions of the armor. Other than a few scuffmarks in open, flat areas of the piece, it would be tough to find wear from age and use. Typically, weathering occurs from repeated use and not random outlying events. It seems the scuffing (drybrushing?) is applied in a random pattern or perhaps on any piece of the armor that doesn't already have weathering spaced 2" away. This is a bit too much for my taste. If the wear from drybrushing is not actually from repeated use and from battle damage (ordinance penetration, blast points), consider creating a different weathering scheme using black and earth tone colors (see attached Star Wars model for reference).



As for the jetpack plasma damage, it feels like you've created more of a tiger-like "stripe" effect you would see on armor from a residue such as oil or something a bit more oily. Since the pattern is carried from one face to the next, it seems forced. Keep in mind the "blast point" effect from before. If you need to physically carve into the armor for the desired effect, I would suggest doing it sparingly and in a similar pattern (see following Chief reference pic).



Furthermore, I feel the horizontal face of the jetpack wouldn't necessarily be weathered the same as the vertical face on the jetpack since the damage is being illustrated as coming in on two different planes. Unless plasma weapons were shooting at those two faces in the perfect manner to achieve that effect (a very unlikely occurance) and somehow only the jetpack sustained plasma damage, it seems a bit unrealistic. Add that to the fact that the damage on the horizontal face is directly behind the helmet, I would feel as if changes would be needed to achieve that top tier of realism. Plasma damage would seem to have a different weathering technique than colored streaks. Since it essentially "sticks" to the armor and would probably "melt" away at the armor, wouldn't the weathering pattern for that seem a bit more "blotchy" and corrosive than something illustrated through streaks in the finish?

Tron Paul said:

Correct. In typical circumstances, you would see chipped paint at the edges and some places in the field on "accent coloring." You would also see evidence of wear and scuffmarks on the raised portions of the armor. Other than a few scuffmarks in open, flat areas of the piece, it would be tough to find wear from age and use. Typically, weathering occurs from repeated use and not random outlying events. It seems the scuffing (drybrushing?) is applied in a random pattern or perhaps on any piece of the armor that doesn't already have weathering spaced 2" away. This is a bit too much for my taste. If the wear from drybrushing is not actually from repeated use and from battle damage (ordinance penetration, blast points), consider creating a different weathering scheme using black and earth tone colors (see attached Star Wars model for reference).

View attachment 11258

As for the jetpack plasma damage, it feels like you've created more of a tiger-like "stripe" effect you would see on armor from a residue such as oil or something a bit more oily. Since the pattern is carried from one face to the next, it seems forced. Keep in mind the "blast point" effect from before. If you need to physically carve into the armor for the desired effect, I would suggest doing it sparingly and in a similar pattern (see following Chief reference pic).

View attachment 11259

Furthermore, I feel the horizontal face of the jetpack wouldn't necessarily be weathered the same as the vertical face on the jetpack since the damage is being illustrated as coming in on two different planes. Unless plasma weapons were shooting at those two faces in the perfect manner to achieve that effect (a very unlikely occurance) and somehow only the jetpack sustained plasma damage, it seems a bit unrealistic. Add that to the fact that the damage on the horizontal face is directly behind the helmet, I would feel as if changes would be needed to achieve that top tier of realism. Plasma damage would seem to have a different weathering technique than colored streaks. Since it essentially "sticks" to the armor and would probably "melt" away at the armor, wouldn't the weathering pattern for that seem a bit more "blotchy" and corrosive than something illustrated through streaks in the finish?

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Ill repaint the jetpack then

What a difference.

holy cow man

A little test fitting and getting ready for C2E2

I know I keep popping in with negative things, but hopefully you take them as constructive criticism. I've followed this thread periodically and seen the attention to detail in the pepping and smoothing. I would hate for the finish work to be lacking. Good paint/finishing jobs can sometimes cover poor construction. It would be a shame to see the hard work of the build end up being wasted with a "subpar" paint job.

First concern is the strapping for the jetpack. I feel the straps would interfere with the shoulders on the chestpiece. I'm not sure how you plan on hiding the straps, but having the straps on underneath the shoulder pieces of the chest piece could push it up from your shoulders and cause it to sit too high on your chest. Consider using webbing, snaps, and parachute buckles to attach to the back part of the torso. Rare earth magnets are fun too.

I would also recommend to reconsider your weathering technique. I feel that you default to creating the drybrush effect everywhere on the armor that isn't already weathered. If you see typical "real world" weathering, "high traffic" areas often see heavy signs of wear while the nooks and crannies see residue from collected moisture. Try showing the blue finish chipping around the edges in some places by painting the entire helmet a chrome color, applying a resist to certain areas, painting as per normal, then rubbing off the resist for a "paint chip" effect. Drybrush in raised portions and in a few areas that might see some heavy wear. Ideally, spartan armor isn't finished with washable paint, but rather a high-performance mix. Its often better to show some discoloration and faint dirt residue in the "open" areas of the armor. Brown and earth-tone paint is usually good for this.

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as "too much weathering."

Thank you for your input it is a good idea to add a little brown here and there and chipped paint. This is my first suit of armor so im still learning a lot of stuff. This is also my first paint job. But I changed my mind about the jetpack colors. I will be painting the jet pack the colors its supposed to be. Dark iron with yellow. But thank you for your info and I will think positive about it

DAMN! that looks Beast! (Australian for 'GOOD')
Good on ya'

ErMaC said:

What a difference.

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It looks great in both versions, the new paint and the worn one. i prefer the new paint though.

I have 100% completed the helmet.

This is just so amazing! I have no words for the things you're building :lol

The items I have complete so far. Unfortunately, I broke a few things at C2E2. Mainly the knee guards. I'm figuring out a way to where they aren't touching the shins or thighs as I walk.

Omg omg omg omg omg
Jetpack!



I'm definitely curious about what you're going to do for the one that will be mechanical.
I've been thinking that you could make them spring loaded and have them pop out by pulling or pushing something, and to get them back in you just have to manually push them back in.

OH GOD.
I pity myself now, mine is going to be nowhere as detailed as that.:cry (BUT... seeing as the helmet is EOD, it's just as cool )


[INSERT FACEPALM HERE]

There's something about Reach armor that makes these builds come alive. :eek

I think there's something to be said for a known last product- the design team can throw everything they have at it, remix all the rejected ideas so far, toss in new ideas that they were keeping on standby, everything. They have the cumulative experience of the franchise to date and the freedom of knowing its no longer their responsibility. Everything to gain, nothing to lose. A perfect storm for artists. Good ones, anyway- since it's also the ideal conditions for laziness.

I haven't played it, even though I own the Legendary Edition; my 360 RRoD'd before I could get to it and I'm not doing consoles any more. But despite the progress that 343i is making and the accomplishments of Bungie prior, a lot of people seem repeatedly drawn back to that particular installment, it's interesting.

Also, can't wait to see this armour finished. The heavy weathering looks odd with normal surroundings, but once it's complete and the undersuit is distressed as well, it should look better and more cohesive.

I've seen a lot of excellent suit with very little weathering on them. I wanted something different. But thank you guys for the support

But despite the progress that 343i is making and the accomplishments of Bungie prior, a lot of people seem repeatedly drawn back to that particular installment, it's interesting.

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That is because, despite the steps forward, it's a major step back.

1. Master cheif forgot how to duel-wield AGAIN (Amnesia much?)
2. Cheif talks way to much for man who's 'Psychologically broken at his core' (seriously, the halo wiki states that the Catalyctic thyroid implant REDUCES social ablity)
3. Spoiler alert: WE SAW HIS FACE! (That is not good. It's bad, but really cool)
4. Cortana DIES (Again, good, but bad. *Thats what she gets for 'This cave is not a natural formation' *)

I must point out that Cheif Has no point now. All he can do now is pull the trigger.

Or buy a cat
Can't be dammed putting ALL the reasons reach is good.

I got a little sloppy with the torso but ill make it look good. I need a little break from my armor for a weak or so after I got the torso complete.