Reach Trooper/Marine

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Halex

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So, here I go, violating one of my rules again... don't do concurrent builds. Try as I might, I was powerless to resist when I got the urge to do a Reach build. I've tried (unsuccessfully) for two years now to get to Dragon*Con, despite living only a few miles away. Besides a fear of large crowds, I had major issues with overheating in the MkVI, plus the general clunkiness. In an effort to both solve that and pay homage those hard-working marines on Reach, I present the Reach Trooper/Marine build!

One of the things I learned right away about the Troopers is that there are a ton of variants, with the Marines having even more possibilities. The first order of business was to determine which ones I'd use.

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This particular resource was very helpful, though there's even some things that were left out. What does seem consistent is that the Army Troopers have an open helmet with several available attachments, one or two EOD shoulders, one or two of the "Trooper Shoulders", NxRA thigh plates and standard knee pads. The Marines use the Military Police setup noted above, with the closed helmet, "Trooper" shoulder, UA-BaseSecurity shoulder, up-sized kneepads and the additional collar around the top of the torso armor. Anyone can wear the shin armor as shown in the ODST loadout as well.

After pouring over about 40 reference pictures, I decided on a marine loadout, but with an open helmet to help stay cool.

Construction began soon afterwards:

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You can see the NxRA and UA-Base Security in the background. The NxRA warped during hardening, but I think it'll be salvageable once I secure it to a board and apply a few heat treatments. If not, it's a relatively simple piece to rebuild.

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The helmet has the right shape to it but lacks a few of the details I wanted to include. Once it's completely hardened I'll get to cutting those into the bondo.

The torso armor presented a bit more of a challenge. I hadn't been able to find any pep models of it that had the detail I was looking for, so I decided to go another route and try to freehand some foam. It's strange working in a different medium, but I'm starting to appreciate some of the advantages that foam has. I started by printing out one of the better reference pictures I had and measuring the body, scaling those measurements up to match my own and comparing them with the ones I'd taken of my body. Most of them came out fairly close and from those I was able to draft some templates.

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With the under-arm and chest parts added...

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And finally cut out and curved appropriately...

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If I did it all over again, I'd cut down the inner edge of each shoulder "strap" and curve the outer part correctly from the start, but for a first attempt it's not too bad. The overall shape is right and it fits pretty well, with most edges coming out about where I'd expect. This will form the under layer of the armor, with the brownish plates laying in layers over the top of it. The edges will be covered with craft foam, so all those nasty cuts will disappear in the end (though I won't do this until I can say for sure that everything is the right size). By this weekend I should receive a set of ACU coat/pants in universal digital camouflage, which was the closest pattern I I could find to the grey/green that the Reach Marines wear. Once those items arrive I'll suit up and see how it looks and fits with the additional clothing underneath.

One of the other aspects of this costume that I found exciting is that I can build storage right into it! Rather than go for 100% accuracy on the entire suit, I substituted in some tactical gear that I was able to find on Amazon. Besides being exceptionally durable, it should lend a fairly authentic feel to the costume while providing a place to put my phone, wallet, and any overpriced trinkets I purchase at any convention. One pouch will go on my belt, while another will be modeled after the soft case that can often be seen on the left thigh of Troopers and Marines in Reach.

That's it for now, but hopefully back with another update soon.

Comments/criticism/sarcasm welcome; thanks for looking!
 

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Quick update as work continues...

Did the detail on the back armor plate. It's made of several layers since there were varying levels of depth in the various channels on the piece. Have to find some way to bend it to conform to the under piece without heating it too much and letting the glue loose.

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Next up are the two shoulder straps. They're only made of two layers and should shape much more easily, since the top layer was glued down with the correct bend already made. There is one missing piece on each, under which the nylon webbing passes before coming to its attachment point on each shoulder. That'll be added once the proper webbing length is determined and it's sewn up.

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Two shots of the chestplate template, one before cleanup and one after. This will also end up being several layers of foam, but hopefully a bit easier to form. The chestplate has a noticeable bend at the lower edge, so I've gone ahead and cut out a section that should allow the finished product to bend in a similar manner.

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Lastly, got out the old sliced M6G that had originally been a part of the MkVI costume. Should fit in nicely if I can finish it up. As an added bonus, the M6G magazines fit into the magazine pouches I purchased for use with the costume, so I may make a few extras if time allows.

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Thanks for looking!
 

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Getting more of a feel for this foam stuff... not too bad! Remains to be seen how well I can seal/finish it, but for now it's working out pretty well.

The first order of business was to connect the lower layer into an actual vest so I could start to get a better feel for how it'll fit. Once that was done, I went back to the reference pictures and took a closer look. The "padding" layer looks to have a raised edge, then raised plates on the face as shown here:

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Following that model, I added the necessary parts to the vest. They're not 100% accurate as the edges aren't parallel, but they get the point across without having to cut each one individually. There's a buckle and a smaller velcro closure to keep the seams together on the upper portion, whereas the bottom will have... something else I haven't figured out yet. I also added in the armored plates that go under the arms, although they're just tacked on with some glue in the back.

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A shot of the back, showing similar construction and the rear of the under-arm armor.

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Also put in some time on the chestplate and have it nearly complete. The edges may need a bit of reinforcement, but other than that it's done.

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Lastly, I wanted to see how everything looked together before I started adding fasteners to each of the pieces. Overall pleased with the result, though I may have to tweak it a bit to get the shoulder straps to line up correctly. The layering gives the effect I was hoping for, adding some bulk while still remaining mobile.

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Next up is sealing each of the parts individually, then attaching them all together in a way that I can actually get in and out of the armor with relative ease. After that come the two buckles directly below the chestplate that trail down to the ab plate, then hold the final piece in place below the belt. I'll be using the same combination of 2" webbing with a 1.5" piece sewn over the top below foam "buckles" that aren't actually functional. Once it's all constructed and sealed, I'll move onto the painting.

Definitely going to need some gap filler... heard about using silicone caulk but the last time I tried that it was awful. Any other suggestions that more experienced foam users have would be appreciated!

Thanks for looking!
 

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Looking really good :)
So what helmet file are you using if you dont mind me asking?
 
Looking really good :)
So what helmet file are you using if you dont mind me asking?

Thanks man, and of course I don't mind =D It's Lee Anderson's model; looked at a few of them and it seemed the most accurate. I believe this one's from the Dawn Under Heaven library, but I also seem to recall seeing another copy floating around somewhere.

looks boss ( like all troopers )

Thanks Noble!

--

Quick shot to cap off the weekend progress update!

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It might be a bit short... hard to tell for sure until I get the ab plate built (and can remove my hand), but it looks a little short. Even so, with the ab plate, belt + pouches, and bit of an undersuit I plan to try my hand at making, it should fill out pretty well. Nearing the end of the foam work now though, so soon enough it'll be back to garage shots of the bondo pieces.

As always, thanks for looking, and any comments or constructive criticism is welcomed!
 

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Looks really GOOD!


Pat-

Thanks Pat! The 405th ratio of Marines to Spartans seems a bit off... gotta do my part!

--

Completely forgot to put these up the other night. Took a few shots of how the various pieces are put together... not quite traditional for foam, but I couldn't find a better way to hold the layers together in a set position. Velcro is not quite what I was looking for, since I wanted everything in a very specific position. Buckles became inaccessible as the number of layers grew, so those were also out. In the end, I reverted to what I know and trust... good old-fashioned nuts and bolts.

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It actually works much better than I thought it would! Each of the holes was drawn and punched using a large wood screw, then cleaned out with a wood burner. Most of the screws heads are on the inside, but the two shown in the top picture will hold down the back of the shoulder straps. I'll be using round-headed screws instead of the hex bolts (as well as some cap nuts to reduce the poke), but they'll fasten through a finishing washer on each of the straps (as seen in the pic below) and end on the inside. The receptacles for all of the screws that start on the inside are glued to the foam and seem pretty sturdy. You can see one in the upper right, prior to me bending all the little tabs down.

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Also featured are the two buckles that run down the center strap, meaning the next foam piece is the ab plate. I've gotten it traced out but am debating on the scaling still.

With the arrival of my sewing machine today, I hope to finish up the shoulder straps by the weekend. Shouldn't take long, but I have no idea where I left my thread or if I'll need different needles.
 

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That looks really good :)

Thanks man, appreciate it!

This looks awesome. Really love the details. Keep it up! :]

Thank you! Still getting used to foam but the detailing is coming along =D

--

Couple photos from the weekend. Focused on getting the rest of the torso connection points finished up so I could wear it around and feel awesome. The webbing straps that go over the shoulders turned out exactly how I had hoped they would, making me instantly glad I went ahead and purchased a sewing machine. Also wrapped the back plate edges with craft foam since the three layers looked a little tacky. I'll have to fill around the red wrapper layer with something, but that's no big deal. In addition, I went around the edges of the pieces with a heat gun to clean them up a bit, especially on the foam shoulder straps that had been sanded down.

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Decided on standard webbing buckles to hold the shoulder straps down in the front, but the chestplate itself is still up in the air (literally...). I may end up gluing down the top edges with Velcro on the bottom, assuming I can still reach the buckles underneath. Could also do Velcro all around if I wanted it to be less permanent... undecided, but any suggestions are welcome.

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The last little bit I need to work out with the torso is the bottom fastener. In hindsight, I shouldn't have made a major seam down the middle of a material like foam. Unfortunately, that doesn't help me now, so the search continues.

Overall very pleased with how my first major foam project is turning out. Will definitely consider this stuff for more pieces in the future. Putting the armor on over top of the jacket again, it fits about right! Nice to finally let go and not have to hold it together for a picture =D

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I already have the middle strap cut, along with the two buckles that go on near the torso. The ab plate is sized, just not cut into a template from the initial poster board rectangle. Once that's complete, I'll have the small plates that hang below the belt to go, along with the knee pads. That should be about it for foam, leaving the pep helmet/shoulders/thigh pieces still to go.

Still a lot to do, but for just over a month into the project, foam is definitely coming out as the faster route. May even venture into making foam shoulders, should the urge arise. Just have to wait and see!

Thanks for looking!
 

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Dang dude, this is looking awesome! Save those templates! I for one would love to have a marine in my collection.
 
This looks Great bud. Funny thing i remember you saying that there were not enough troop/marines compared to spartans. And after seeing that helmet file i decided to build a reach marine too lol. I also like the helmet because its a version of the military police helmet from the game. The MP helmet is my favorite from reach, so i figure if i build the marine i can also add a front piece and visor to it to make it the MP helmet. :)
I look forward to seeing this finished. Keep up the great work.
:)
 
loos great

Thanks man!

Dang dude, this is looking awesome! Save those templates! I for one would love to have a marine in my collection.

Definitely will, ideally I'd like to scan all of them and have a PDF file that I can post in case anyone wants to try and use them.

This looks Great bud. Funny thing i remember you saying that there were not enough troop/marines compared to spartans. And after seeing that helmet file i decided to build a reach marine too lol. I also like the helmet because its a version of the military police helmet from the game. The MP helmet is my favorite from reach, so i figure if i build the marine i can also add a front piece and visor to it to make it the MP helmet. :)
I look forward to seeing this finished. Keep up the great work.
:)

Hah, good memory! That was the basic idea I had going too... build the base trooper, then add in marine parts as I could. Helmet, as you said, seemed modular enough that a chin/visor could be added later and match up pretty well. Looking forward to seeing your build too!

--

Been so swamped with work lately that when I had a few minutes to work on the costume, my first thought was "What did I forget to do before I left the office..." Putting those thoughts aside, I managed to get a little bit done on the ab plate. Initial sketch, post-cleanup, and first two layers cut out.

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Top layer will be craft foam with a combination of burn lines and cutout portions for the various relief lines. There's a small part that sits below the belt as well, but from the reference shots I have it appears to be a separate piece.

Hopefully back soon with more interesting things to show.
 

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Ab plate is ready for sealing! Couple shots, nothing too fancy:

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Originally planned to do the gray raised portions as cutouts, but forgot to add them before the gluing. No big deal, I'm sure they'll look fine once they're painted up, and if not I can always cut it out and redo that portion. Otherwise it turned out well, just need to apply some heat to make sure it keeps that shape while trying to not let all the glue loose along the way.

Moving onto the shoulders now... I have an idea on how I want them to turn out, but the feasibility remains to be seen. Starting by trying to do them from a rough sewing pattern rather than in foam, but my sewing skills may not be up to the challenge. Have one pinned up at home, so hopefully by the weekend I'll have something more to show on those.

Thanks for looking!
 

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Wow, this is some great foam craftmenship, it looks really clean. And those straps just make it. This build is top notch, keep at it :thumbsup
 
Keep up the good work

Wow, this is some great foam craftmenship, it looks really clean. And those straps just make it. This build is top notch, keep at it :thumbsup

Thanks guys, really means a lot! Always glad to get feedback on a build.

--

So, been awhile since the last update, but then again when do hobbies ever continue on schedule...

Couple pics to keep things rolling though. As I mentioned in the last post, working on the shoulders a bit. The sewing turned out pretty well, at least on the second one. I'm planning to put the worse one underneath the larger pauldron so it shouldn't be noticible...

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Here is the method I'm using to attach the pauldrons to the shoulder pads (and the strap to help keep the pads attached):

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Not shown, but between the base and the grommet is a spacer about 1" long. Gives a bit of space and allows it to sit a bit more naturally, as well as looking more like the in-game model. The combination of the bicep strap and velcro on the back of the pad should keep them attached pretty well even with movement, but I'll have to give it one more test when they're closer to complete.

Did some work on the pauldrons themselves, as well as rebuilding the NxRA thigh plate. Wasn't happy with the original one and it's so simple to rebuild, so why not.

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Last but not least, random kneepad, sans circles.

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Be back with more when I can. Till then, thanks for looking!
 

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