Finishing my first Spartan (sort of).

Nim · May 6, 2015

Hi everyone!

Back in October the boyfriend flew out to see me and in a crunch before a convention (~2 days) pulled together some pieces that were in the same style as his own suit (an original design of his own making, meaning I have literally no references to follow). So now I'm attempting to finishing up what he started. I figured I'd post what I've got thus far and update you as it goes along. That way you can all witness my poor attempt to be creative.

I mostly work wit fabric, and this is my first time working with foam, really. All but the thighs have been free handed, and I'd love some feedback.

I'm not usually one to simply slap a skirt on it and call it good, but this was what I'm starting with: Calf pieces (I'll be redoing the knees, as they didn't fit right), upper arms, and a chest plate.

So I started with a really simple sort of chest rig, it's by no means finished and I was intending to do a separate neck piece added to it. It's a bit hard to describe, but I'll post pictures after I've got it started. This would be the back of the main chest piece...

And the forearms.

Nim · May 6, 2015

I've since assembled the thighs, but the only available picture I have at the moment is just the pieces cut.

And a bonus shoulder that may or may not be used.

ghost778 · May 6, 2015

Not sure what you plan for the neck piece, but I suggest using a thinner foam or even silicon mat/pot holders. If its too rigid, it will be hard to look around and be quite uncomfortable. I don't really have any experience with foam, but that's one of the problems Ive seen people have. That's both an interesting and simple shoulder design. I suggest seeing how the rest of the armor looks if you are unsure whether to use it or not. If you decide to finish it/them and don't like it/them, you can easily not wear it/them, but if you don't finish it/them and decide you want to wear it/them, you cant. Sorry, the it/them is because I don't know if you want only 1 or 2 pauldrons/shoulders. Either way, looks good so far. Good luck.

Nim · May 6, 2015

ghost778 said:
Not sure what you plan for the neck piece, but I suggest using a thinner foam or even silicon mat/pot holders. If its too rigid, it will be hard to look around and be quite uncomfortable. I don't really have any experience with foam, but that's one of the problems Ive seen people have. That's both an interesting and simple shoulder design. I suggest seeing how the rest of the armor looks if you are unsure whether to use it or not. If you decide to finish it/them and don't like it/them, you can easily not wear it/them, but if you don't finish it/them and decide you want to wear it/them, you cant. Sorry, the it/them is because I don't know if you want only 1 or 2 pauldrons/shoulders. Either way, looks good so far. Good luck.

Thanks for the input! Yeah, I was going to use thin foam for most of the neck piece and add the details from there.
As far as the pauldron, I was going to only use one but it would likely mean I needed to get rid of / making a new arm piece as it fits really poorly with what I have currently. Since it isn't crucial, I ended up focusing on the other pieces that I was missing.

Nim · Aug 16, 2015

Belated update.
As usual, life gets crazy and I had to deal with some other things instead of focusing solely on my armor. I managed to get it to a place where I could get a few pictures of it, but I have some serious overhaul and design changes planned for this thing. Most of this was done the night before the con, including sealing and painting, etc. so I really can't complain about the finished product. However, I am looking to go with a more traditional Spartan build for my next project and already have some ideas coming together.

Meatwad · Aug 16, 2015

This looks awesome Nim. You and your boyfriend are always inspiring.

Dante Nero · Aug 20, 2015

Far be it from me to discourage a full suit, but that half-armor/half-clothed skirt thing you had there was quite unique. I liked it, and it seemed (at least to me) to fit together quite well. The rest is also coming along well. Can't wait to see more.

Nim · Aug 23, 2015

Dante Nero said:
Far be it from me to discourage a full suit, but that half-armor/half-clothed skirt thing you had there was quite unique. I liked it, and it seemed (at least to me) to fit together quite well. The rest is also coming along well. Can't wait to see more.

Thank you! I was working with what I had on hand since I apparently only get work done in the final few days before a con... heh. I'm definitely working towards having my suit completed, but it makes for lighter travel and wear, especially since Arizona gets hot as hell in the summer.

Nim · Aug 23, 2015

I actually made progress!
I'm going to be taking the front plate off of the torso I currently have and putting it on this thing once I get it finished. I'm really hoping to be done in the next few days and I'll post more pictures when it's completed. Given that this was about one day's work I'm pretty pleased with how it is turning out.

Dante Nero · Aug 24, 2015

So, from what I gathered of your writing, all of this you are doing is pretty much custom? The reason I ask is because I've looked at a lot of chest-plates and I don't recognize your design. If it is custom made, do you think you could get a few more pictures of it from different angles? It looks basic enough that my limited foam skills could probably use it as a reference, but complex enough to look pretty sweet. If you don't mind, of course.

NaasadTal · Aug 24, 2015

Looks Awesome!! We have an amazing group here in Arizona!

Nim · Aug 24, 2015

Dante Nero said:
So, from what I gathered of your writing, all of this you are doing is pretty much custom? The reason I ask is because I've looked at a lot of chest-plates and I don't recognize your design. If it is custom made, do you think you could get a few more pictures of it from different angles? It looks basic enough that my limited foam skills could probably use it as a reference, but complex enough to look pretty sweet. If you don't mind, of course.

Everything is definitely custom. I'd be happy to send you some more pictures and the pep file I'm using for inspiration for the torso if you want to shoot me an email at captain.corset@yahoo.com.

Meatwad · Aug 24, 2015

Nim said:
Everything is definitely custom. I'd be happy to send you some more pictures and the pep file I'm using for inspiration for the torso if you want to shoot me an email at captain.corset@yahoo.com.

You should definitely post more pictures to this thread. You and your boyfriend's work is always a pleasure to see.

Nim · Aug 24, 2015

Meatwad said:
You should definitely post more pictures to this thread. You and your boyfriend's work is always a pleasure to see.

Well, you asked for it!
Keep in mind several of these pieces have an extremely rushed paint job which I'm going to be redoing on Friday.

Bicep plates. I'll be making a piece to go in the middle of these at the top to cover my shoulder.

Thighs. Added the white inner piece and a strip to help reinforce the seam which had busted apart in storage.
The white will be solidly black once these pieces get a makeover.

Belt. Another piece getting a new paint job.

Nim · Aug 24, 2015

Here's the old chest piece next to new torso build. This is the front plate of the new torso I'm building.
View attachment 16809

And finally the shins. These ones are good to go as is. They're pretty much the only thing I'm not changing up right now.
Initially I had knee pads that were attached to these, but it was kind of poorly designed as they were a bit too bulky for my knees and took way too much damage. I haven't decided if I'll be remaking the same knee pads smaller or changing the design entirely.
View attachment 16810

Mstruvmgc · Aug 24, 2015

Wow looking great

Digging it

death1ink · Aug 25, 2015

wow small world! I met your bf at RTX2015! I thought I recognized that custom armor design! but keep it up cant wait to see the finished suit

Nim · Aug 26, 2015

Mstruvmgc said:
Wow looking great Digging it

Thank you!

death1ink said:
wow small world! I met your bf at RTX2015! I thought I recognized that custom armor design! but keep it up cant wait to see the finished suit

Haha, that's awesome! I really wish I could have been able to go this year, but it just wasn't possible, unfortunately. I think Ten was in his Spartan Link pretty much the whole time and his friend was wearing the suit that matches mine.

death1ink · Aug 26, 2015

Nim said:
Thank you!

Haha, that's awesome! I really wish I could have been able to go this year, but it just wasn't possible, unfortunately. I think Ten was in his Spartan Link pretty much the whole time and his friend was wearing the suit that matches mine.

yeah ten and your bf were geared up the whole time. I couldn't on sunday because I was booked with back to back interviews, I was working media for rtx

Nim · Aug 26, 2015

death1ink said:
yeah ten and your bf were geared up the whole time. I couldn't on sunday because I was booked with back to back interviews, I was working media for rtx

Haha, nah I mean Ten is my boyfriend. The one in matching armor is just a friend who was visiting him from Europe.

Finishing my first Spartan (sort of).

Jr Member

Jr Member

New Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

New Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

New Member

Active Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

Attachments

Jr Member

Sr Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

Jr Member

Similar threads

Similar threads