New Recruit here

Hello everyone! Name is Jessica, also known as Itoshii (ItoshiiKirai) on XboxLive

I've been an occasional lurker for a few months now, but now that Michigan is trying to escape the clutches of winter and I'm no longer in a townhome, I have the time/space to begin my own build! So I figured I'd introduce myself and get some tips!

A little about me: I live in Michigan (as you probably guessed from above), and live with my husband, daughter, dog, and 2 cats. I've been playing Halo since 2, though I began after 3 had come out (I was an xbox behind lol). I'm mostly a fan of SWAT, though if Im playing with others I'll usually go with whatever. I recently got employed at a restaurant on the waters to the north of Detroit. I have no experience in armor making, though I do have some costume making experience.

I attended the Spartan costume panel at last year's Youmacon put on by some lovely folks by the name of Michigan's Misfits, and loved it! A lot of useful information, and very awesome people.

Right now I'm looking to get my basic tools down- what are some essentials for armor making? I know a hot glue gun, exacto knives, and lots of patience are useful, but looking for some tips and tricks!

Howdy! Glad to have you :thumbsup
You already seem to have sufficient love for the universe, the key ingredient here, and that'll get you through the parts that might wear your patience.
It would probably help the community here provide better answers with relevant experience if you could mention which general method you are leaning towards, foam or plastic/resin? Either way though, I would say a rotary tool with an assortment of sanding heads is a big advantage. Dremel is the recommended brand but most of the tasks involved in costume making are fairly light duty and the couple of dirt-cheap rotary tools i own have never let me down. If you choose to work with foam then i'd also add a heat-gun to the list, and a hotknife if you're feeling confident.

Specifics will allow the more experienced members here to help you further though, sorry if this falls short for now.
PS, who doesn't love the adrenaline that goes hand-in-hand with SWAT!? haha

I'm leaning more towards foam to start with. Luckily for me I'm pretty sure we already own a rotary tool since my hubby does love his toys lmao We may even have a heat gun but if not I will certainly add it to my list!.

I know most foams and such can be bought at home depot or similar stores- but are there any sneaky stores that may sell it cheap that aren't usually on the radar for that sort of deal/

On a side note, this is my spartan from Halo 4, and would love to be able to reconstruct her. I have to go back and write down exactly which pieces I had made her from lol So if this helps get any advice that'd be fantastic!

I'm sure there are, they go on sale frequently enough if you peruse the usual hardware stores, but that's not something I can offer much helpful info on being north of the border, sorry :/
If you start taking on more projects though, there are great deals to be had online! Rather large rolls with bulk pricing and you can get the EVA foam in varying thickness with smooth faces on both sides that way.

While starting out I would look for those large roles of the thinner variety EVA. It's easier to work with and goes further most of the time because there is more surface area to logically lay out your templates. I've never seen a walmart that didn't stock these, like i said i can't be sure about much else though.

EDIT: for clarity, I meant ~1/4 inch by "thinner variety EVA"

Itoshii said:

On a side note, this is my spartan from Halo 4, and would love to be able to reconstruct her. I have to go back and write down exactly which pieces I had made her from lol So if this helps get any advice that'd be fantastic!
https://spartans.svc.halowaypoint.com/players/Itoshii Kirai/h4/spartans/fullbody?target=large

Click to expand...

...There's a person on the Facebook that has a very similar build. I think she also made hers out of EVA, but don't quote me. I'm heading on that adventure here shortly as well...

Itoshii said:

I'm leaning more towards foam to start with. Luckily for me I'm pretty sure we already own a rotary tool since my hubby does love his toys lmao We may even have a heat gun but if not I will certainly add it to my list!.

I know most foams and such can be bought at home depot or similar stores- but are there any sneaky stores that may sell it cheap that aren't usually on the radar for that sort of deal/

Click to expand...

A lot of the heavy duty structural work of a foam build is done with 1/2in EVA foam. I, personally, get this from Harbor Freight (advertised as foam floor mats). I've paid about $10 for four squares that are something like 3 or 4 feet to a side. They have sales frequently enough that you might look into that.

A lot of detail work is done with thinner foam, which I don't have experience using or buying. I've heard of yoga mats being used for certain things, like undersuits, but I think the generally accepted material is craft foam (from some sort of craft store - Michaels comes to mind, but you might know of a local place) in thicknesses ranging from 2mm to 8mm or so. This is good for places that can't afford to be so thick, where you don't need structural stability, and most importantly, all your detail work.