First Foam Build

Sierra 3105 · Mar 30, 2015

Okie doke, So the fun part, or the funner part has begun, PAINT yay. Ive applied a few coats of primer, plasti dip and now the base colors of a military green and black. Hopefully Ill have a bit more done and some weathering very shortly, maybe even by today. Ive decided too that, I might wait until I have finished most of the painting and that before I figure out some damage details, I was going to do it before paint however I couldnt make a clean decision on where I wanted it. Maybe once the finished picture is a little closer to completion Ill add some. Most likely just use my soldering iron to melt some damage marks in, and just repaint those areas and apply weathering and stuff.

Sierra 3105 · Mar 31, 2015

OK, as promised I have now added all the weathering and damage details as of yesterday, The paint job came out better then I had hoped. I added about 3 layers of dirt and grime, by soaking a brush and paint with water and antiquing the surface, wiping it away and rubbing it in with a sponge, using slightly darker tones of brown and black as I went along. I then took my soldering Iron and melted in some damage effects, then painted over them and dry brushed some chrome scratching and edge wear and tear, over the top of this I added a light fourth layer of dirt and weathering effects just to take the shine off some of the chromed areas. Essentially the chest piece is done, I just need to add the rear lighting and possibly a cooling system. enjoy the pics. let me know what you guys think.

squibs · Mar 31, 2015

great job! the painting and weathering look fantastic.

Sierra 3105 · Mar 31, 2015

Thanks man, much appreciated, the helmet doesn't really match at the moment, but I'm making a new one soon anyway. might make the rest of the suit first, haven't decided yet.

FirstPick · Apr 3, 2015

Weathering is superb.

Jetskigunner · Apr 5, 2015

That looks fantastic.

Norco · Apr 5, 2015

Wow, this is absolutely amazing. As someone who wants to make their 1st built this is great motivation, but kinda intimidating at the same time.

Devishten · Apr 5, 2015

You know, I was convinced that going the Pepakura route was the only way I was going to get enough detail to be satisfied. You just laid that myth to rest with reckless efficiency. This looks absolutely fantastic! About how much would you say that you spent on the chest piece? Like, in comparison to Pepakura, resin, and fiberglass. What's the difference in cost to do it with foam? Also, you said you feel like it's moving faster with foam. Do you have any time comparisons, or is it just "feeling" faster?

Sierra 3105 · Apr 7, 2015

First up, thanks for all the encouragement and comments. As far as time, trying to put aside not having money to put into this project at times but over all it took aproxematly the equivalent of 3 to 4 days for construction and paint and I still have materials and things left over so a rough cost would be about $25 to $30 Aus on the chest. Not including the tools I bought specifically to do this project. Then we would be looking at about 60/70. aposed to pepakura, it probably would have Been upwoods of 100 bucks just for the chest piece and around a week or two to complete, but with the average budget and time available, it would have taken me about a 2 months to do it the pep way.

Merandil · Apr 9, 2015

Looks awsome, keep up the good work. :thumbsup

Sierra 3105 · Apr 9, 2015

, I had the lighting done a few days ago now so I thought I would post some pics.

chrisy159 · Apr 9, 2015

Wow, this build is really coming out fantastically. I can't believe it's your first time using foam! Really are motivating me.

Love the weathering and paint job. The details are great and really clean. Can't wait it see more!

Rushell · Apr 9, 2015

very nice!

NiRiX N077 · Apr 10, 2015

It looks very nice, I doubt my first build will go as well as yours...

Tron Paul · Apr 11, 2015

Great weathering approach. In the video games, the color scheme on the Chief is usually the typical "military green" across the board. By adding slight variations and brown "grime" in the raised and flat areas, you've achieved a great effect. The drybrushing is perfectly subtle and asymmetrical. I am impressed with not only the paint scheme, but also with the dimension added in the construction of the chestpiece by adding foam panels. Big fan of that.

The only thing I would suggest is to be careful to keep the weathering to a reasonable limit. I've seen a few people say in different threads that there is "no such thing as too much weathering." Although creating that "battle-used" look is important for realism, too much added breakdown can often lose the authentic appearance most people marvel over. A meaningful approach to weathering and correct technique can make all the difference. You seem to do a great job of keeping the weathering to a realistic level.

I love the two gashes on the back of the chestpiece. The front may be a bit too "knocked up" for my preference, but great job nonetheless.

Seems like you figured out the hard way one of the most overlooked mistakes you see in builds...Paint all pieces at the same time! It makes it easier to stay consistent with the color scheme and prevents different weathering schemes from clashing.

Sierra 3105 · Apr 13, 2015

Once again thank you for all the comments and constructive criticism. I would like to iron out the issue with the helmet not being the same colours and level of detail. The helmet is an old and separate project basically, the chest piece was the first piece of the new complete foam project. So the helmet although in this thread , is only for show, there will be a helmet made to match later in this thread. As far as damage goes, I wanted the look of the armor to reflect a bit of my personality and style of how I play the games, maybe a little rough around the edges but go hard, be a little risky and get in there and get the job done.

. And thank you for being honest with preferences, I find it refreshing and helpful.

Tron Paul · Apr 16, 2015

Sierra 3105 said:
As far as damage goes, I wanted the look of the armor to reflect a bit of my personality and style of how I play the games, maybe a little rough around the edges but go hard, be a little risky and get in there and get the job done. . And thank you for being honest with preferences, I find it refreshing and helpful.

I hear that. The weathering may be a bit too much for my preferences, but at least the pattern is consistent. Too many times people like to go overboard with the weathering which often results in unrealistic and random wear patterns. I like the fact that the pattern on the front of the chest piece is consistent and actually makes sense. If you were to have those "scratches" in different directions, it would have certainly been tacky. However, the pattern you currently display is practical and adds to the realism. The color variation and "correct" weathering pattern is a welcome change from most builds. Too often I see great pepped out pieces only to be painted a solid color or perfectly scaled armor with battle damage taken beyond what is "normal." Seems you avoided these all to prevalent practices. Well done.

Sierra 3105 · May 3, 2015

Ok guys and gals, I have made a start on the crotch piece/belt, 2 half days effort has already given me most of the main structure to this piece, THIS IS WHY FOAM IS AWESOME, so fast. anywho, I had to use green foam this time, as the hardware I go to was out of the dark grey and couldn't tell me when more was coming so I just grabbed the green, my thoughts are that its going to be painted anyway so no big deal. First off, I started by freehand sketching up some templates using tons of reference images. The next day I preceded to cut them out and make there foam counterparts.

This is my templates taped together as to test size and fit.

There will be more pieces that Ive not made templates for that I will have to add, Ive only done the main ones,I will do the rest as I go along or as I work them out. Oh and both of those pocket looking parts, are exactly that, Ive made them so I can stores my phone or cards of some sort, I will include a photo of them later.

BPipkin · May 4, 2015

Looking great! I'm amazed at the quality for a first time foam builder to the point that I'm a bit envious.

Sierra 3105 · May 5, 2015

Hi all. Thanks for the comments again, just a quick update. Most of the structure and bulk detail are done now, I would say it took me in total, a rough day and a half to get to this stage with this piece, I have been working on it for a few hours at a time after work. The more I make of the suit the more I want to make, just to see it all come together. So far the Belt/codpiece has been the easiest bit to make by far. today, I attached a clip and strapping to hold it all in place, similar to the bottom of the chest piece, gluing each piece to each other and then to the strapping to create the belt like function. Few more details then I believe this will be ready for sealing by the weekend.....Possibly. Thanks again guys for all the positivity, never in my wildest dreams did I think anyone would be envious of one of my projects, I have watched these forums for a few years, always being the envious one, so thanks a bunch.