EOD Recruit Custom Build

Hey everyone!
I’ve reached the point where my EOD helmet thread no longer encompasses all the work I’m getting done, so this will be the place where I document my progress on the entire custom build.

Here’s the breakdown:

Helmet
Reach EOD - In progress

Shoulders
H4 EOD - In progress

Gauntlets
H4 Recruit - In progress

Handplates
H4 Recruit -

Torso
H4 EOD -

Cod/Buttplate
H4 Recruit -

Thighs
H4 Recruit -

Shins
H4 Recruit -

Boots
H4 Recruit -

Undersuit
H4 -


Progress table:





I had today off work, so I made the most of it before I leave town for Thanksgiving.

First off, I’ve got the cutting process for the Cameo 3 down to a science. I was able to mark/cut one entire gauntlet in 40 minutes. Yep, I timed myself. That same gauntlet cut by hand would have required hours of time and painful fingers by the end. Not anymore!

Since I’m not spending all that time on cutting, I’ve gotten a lot better at assembly. In the future I will document and share specific tips I have discovered, but for now here’s the most helpful I have used today.

Long tabs can be sliced into shorter sections to make them easier to glue. I use super glue gel and it can be a hassle making sure the edges are aligned when the tab is really long, so I snapped a closeup:



My first attempt at sizing the gauntlet was hysterical. It was huge. This is the size comparison, with the smaller gauntlet being my second attempt that actually fits correctly.



I had the same problem with the first shoulder I assembled. (I'm starting to notice a pattern.) Slowly, I am getting the smaller one put together. They’re pretty simple, so I don’t have to refer to the pepakura viewer at all while building, but looking at the first one does help speed things up.



I wondered how much of the floor would be covered by the pages I cut out today. This isn’t even all of them, I threw a bunch away before I did this.



When I got into the handplate pep file, I knew right away I am going to make it out of foam. It is far too simple to make with cardstock, so I created a template by removing all the tabs and 1mm raised edges from the original. Then I exported the DXF file and opened it with Silhouette, where I created 2 versions - one for the sketch pen and the other for the blade. Here’s the resulting template cut out and laid onto 3mm craft foam.



I pinned it all down...



...and traced all the edges. Note the extra pin marks. I used them to create reference points for the foam layers.



Then a little slicing and dicing.



Some glue and a size test. Looks good! This is just a mockup, I’ll be putting a lot more care into the actual assembly, but I wanted to try my hand at some foaming! (See what I did there? Handplate, foam… :facepalm)



Lastly, a table full of my day’s work. I created sleeves of parts ready for assembly, and the sketch is a rough list of measurements I’m using to size the pep files. The extra bicep and tricep assemblies are either failed size tests or pieces I just screwed up one way or another.



It’s tough because I have to size the shoulder separately from the bicep/tricep pieces. When I got the bicep the correct size, I assumed the shoulder would be fine, but that just didn’t happen. That’s how I ended up with the giant EOD shoulder, haha. You should have seen my face when I finished putting that thing together. It’s practically the size of my helmet. Anyway, I plan on being very productive over the holidays, so keep your eyes open. Cheers!

Subscribed Wolf!
Excellent looking progress! Could always repurpose that large shoulder for something else!

Those forearms are looking vaguely low-definition - if you like, I could spend a half hour in Blender and knock up something a little nicer for you to save you some effort down the line with adding detail?

HydratedFormula said:

Subscribed Wolf!
Excellent looking progress! Could always repurpose that large shoulder for something else!

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Thank you! Yes, I was thinking along the same lines. Might make it into a helmet of some kind, who knows.

Chernobyl said:

Those forearms are looking vaguely low-definition - if you like, I could spend a half hour in Blender and knock up something a little nicer for you to save you some effort down the line with adding detail?

Click to expand...

I agree, the gauntlets are pretty low-def. By all means, send me a better version I'll unfold it in a heartbeat.


Speaking of unfolding, I have finished a small project that I'm excited to show all of you. The EOD torso is still being optimized for tabs and Cameo cutting, but when I first got the file there was a note that the exhaust vents on the jets had not been unfolded due to their complexity.


I'd like to present this:



This took several days, but I enjoy this kind of work. It's literally like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Once I finish optimizing the rest of the file, I'll offer it to the Archive.

Finally finished optimizing the EOD torso file.



Pep files for the Cameo cannot include any instances of overlap, even if it's just tabs, because the machine cuts all cut lines, and if those lines overlap onto the body of a piece, you'll end up with problems. This means the optimized file will generally have more pieces than something you would design to cut out by hand, where fewer pieces is best. In this case, I was able to save page space, but the part count is misleading because the vent fragments were outside the work area in the original, which increased the total quantity.

Original file contained 71 pages with 361 parts.
Optimized file contains 61 pages with 343 parts (how appropriate )

Next step is to resize and cut some tests to get the fit just right.

Test fit went very well!

Isolated 11 pages of parts to determine if the measurements were correct, cut them out and assembled within 3 hours, and here are the results. I am very pleased with the outcome. I'll be moving forward with this scale and assembling the torso ASAP.

Nice work so far! I haven't actually finished a chest piece so take my advice with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that paper bends and bondo does not. You'll end up with bruises after a few hours if it is too tight. Also keep in mind that the paper test piece is the outside of the armor. The paper is thin, the pep pieces will be about 1/8"-1/4" thick after you fiberglass depending on layers and if you rondo as well. I'm saying all this because the paper looks just big enough. You might want to consider giving yourself a little wiggle room. I like what you've done though, keep it up!

PerniciousDuke said:

Nice work so far! I haven't actually finished a chest piece so take my advice with a grain of salt. Kind in mind that paper bends and bondo does not. You'll end up with bruises after a few hours if it is too tight. Also keep in mind that the paper test piece is the outside of the armor. The paper is thin, the pep pieces will be about 1/8"-1/4" thick after you fiberglass depending on layers and if you rondo as well. I'm saying all this because the paper looks just big enough. You might want to consider giving yourself a little wiggle room. I like what you've done though, keep it up!

Click to expand...

You're feedback is actually quite encouraging, Duke, because you are reinforcing a lot of the forethought I put into the project.

The test fit in the picture is made exclusively from the pieces that form the interior shell of the armor. I plan on accounting for the thickness of the armor and implementing a degree of padding on touch points to minimize wiggle and maximize comfort while wearing. As it stands, the test fit does allow for the extra space needed to accomplish that goal. Of course, only time and experience will truly reveal the outcome. This whole project is a huge learning experience as I've never done anything like this prior to joining the 405th.

Thanks for chiming in!

Well for someone who never did this before......you dong Fantastic!!! Great job.

Godwolfen said:

You're feedback is actually quite encouraging, Duke, because you are reinforcing a lot of the forethought I put into the project.

The test fit in the picture is made exclusively from the pieces that form the interior shell of the armor. I plan on accounting for the thickness of the armor and implementing a degree of padding on touch points to minimize wiggle and maximize comfort while wearing. As it stands, the test fit does allow for the extra space needed to accomplish that goal. Of course, only time and experience will truly reveal the outcome. This whole project is a huge learning experience as I've never done anything like this prior to joining the 405th.

Thanks for chiming in!

Click to expand...

Glad to. I do want to reword what I said.. Your test pieces can be the inside or outside, what I meant was that when you resin a paper model you build more thickness inwards than you do outwards. You'll have a couple layers of resin and a little bit of bondo on the outside, so it will increase in size, but not by much. On the inside you will have quite a bit of resin, and the fiberglass and possibly rondo and like you mentioned padding. So when looking at your paper model you have to account for the thickness on the inside to increase a decent amount, roughly 1/8" - 1/4" plus padding. I think you're doing a great job, I just wanted to clarify my thought. Sub'd

I'm really liking your progress table. Are you trying to keep track of the hours it takes to complete everything?

Noomicorn said:

I'm really liking your progress table. Are you trying to keep track of the hours it takes to complete everything?

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I should, but since this is my first project things have been pretty haphazard. Maybe I'll get on the ball as things roll forward.

I am still around, just had a bad combination of holidays and being sick. Christmas vacation starts on Friday, so I will be settling in to assemble the torso and shoulders while listening to Christmas music and Skyrim soundtrack.

This is my last day as a new recruit!

To honour your last day of New Recruit status I will sing you a song of old...

huh, huah, hur. Dovahkiin Dovahkiin, nall ok zin los vahriin. Wah Dein vokul mahfaeraak asht vall! Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindra zaan. Dovahkiin, Fah hin kogaan mu draal!

Hey all, back from break. I have to admit this new site format is pretty jarring, but I'm sure I'll settle in eventually. Rather than make a huge update like I wish I could, I'll just point your attention to my avatar. You can see that the EOD helmet is now wearable, and I got my hands on a BoomCo needler which I am very impressed with and cannot wait to customize.

A lot has happened in the past month that has kept me from being as productive on the custom build as I would like, such as helping my parents move, starting viola lessons, and buying a Kawasaki ZRX1200, but I have still been sticking to it. Looking forward to sharing my progress with you.

Here's a quick text update, I have photos but I'll have to upload them later.

Today's accomplishments:

• Began a 400 grit sanding of the entire helmet
• Etched a lot of the details into the helmet
• Trimmed out the space for the visor
• Cut the visor to size
• Installed t-nuts with epoxy putty
• Drilled holes for machine screws
• Test fit visor to helmet
• Attempted to dye the visor red, without success. Will try a different brand of dye next time.

Not a bad day at all. I'm more than satisfied with that kind of productivity. Things are moving forward!

I need more!!!

Your progress sounds great! I can't wait to see some paint on it.

Working on the neck piece.

PerniciousDuke said:

I need more!!!

Your progress sounds great! I can't wait to see some paint on it.

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Me too, getting very close. I will definitely have it where I want it by the end of the month, then it's onward from there.

Eventually I will upload a mega-update with photos, but all I have is my phone at the moment and it's a pain to make longer posts with it.

Definitely following!