405th Complete Noob Guide

[Darkrider9]

Hello everyone, as you may or may not have noticed many people come here every day making threads like “How do I make armor/weapons/etc.” I’m hoping this thread may help to rectify that. Even though people tell noobs to read the stickies, I must say they are scattered around so I’m here trying to smush them all into one thread.

So, without further adieu, let’s begin.

First, you will want to learn about forum rules, etiquette and general forum knowledge.

Start by watching this video: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/15735-New-Recruit-Orientation-Video
EDIT: Here it is-

This gives you the basics on how this forum works.

Also feel free to post in the introduction thread, so people can get to know you better right off the bat: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/11765-Introduce-Yourself

To some, the forum setup may be confusing, so here I will highlight some of the important sections:
1. Elite Forum: This is where the best work is posted, and work is moved here by a moderator or admin who deems the work of sufficient quality to enter. You are not allowed to post threads here.
2. Noob Forum: This forum is where people new to the site post their WIP (Work in Progress) Threads. Here is where you will post your threads with your armor once you have begun to create it. Make sure you have pictures ready when you start your thread, a WIP thread without pictures is boring to most, and you will receive much more help, critiques, and comments if you have something cool to show us, even if it’s just a hand plate, it’s better than nothing at all.
3. Creation Discussion: This is where members who have been here for a while post threads. You must be an Infantryman to post here. (You must post and contribute to become an Infantryman, but make sure not to spam post or your count will be halved or reset.) You may have noticed there are four sections at the top of this forum.
-Molded Armor Discussion: If you have armor and want to learn and talk about making molds and casting it, post here.
-Pepakura and Cardboard Armor: This is where Infantrymen members post their armor progress threads, this sub-forum contains a lot of great work, so make sure to read the threads here to pick up even more tips and tricks.
-Weapons and Props: This sub-forum, as the name implies, is where people pot their weapon builds.
-Undersuit and Soft Armor: This is where people post progress on their undersuits, the suit that goes under your armor pieces.
4. Armor Related Videos: This is where members post videos containing how-to’s, progress on their armor, or just fooling around in armor, it’s all good fun. J
5. 3D Modeling: This is where people post about their 3D models and pepakura files they have made with programs like Blender and 3DS Max. Go here to see what cool new files may be coming your way.
6. This $#%^ Is Broken: If you are having issues with the forum or see any problems, post here. Try to only post very important problems here, not stuff like “I don’t know how to change my avatar”.
7. General Discussion: People come here to talk about anything and everything not directly related to armor or halo.
8. Halo Universe: People come here to discuss things not related to armor but related to halo.
9. 405th News Forum: People post about cons and events here that they are attending, and some try to organize groups that go to events together.

For further reading on forum rules and how-to’s, try these-
Forum Rules: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/11045-Forum-Infractions-Warnings-and-Offenses

This thread contains a very helpful tutorial on using the search bar, which should be the first place you look to when you have a question: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30542-NOOB-reading-list

It also contains other VERY helpful information that we will go over later.

So now that you have a basic idea of how the forum works, let’s go on to “how to make armor.”

Here is a handy list of materials you will need: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/14613-Complete-Noob-List

To start however, you will only need a few things.
-Cardstock: Most people use 110 lb cardstock so their creations don’t warp, as in lean to one direction or have squished areas.
- Cutting tools: Most people use razor pens and exacto knives and those are highly recommended for their ease of use and cutting accuracy. If you are not allowed to use knives, a nice sharp pair of scissors will work as well.
- Glue: You have a few options for glue. Some people like myself use hot glue, others use super glue, and I have even heard of some people using fabric glue. Basically you need something that dries quickly and strong.
-Pepakura Designer and Viewer: These programs are needed to open and use .pdo files and print them out so you can make your armor with them.
Link: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ (At the moment you will only need the free versions, you only need the paid versions if you plan to 3D model or get a CraftROBO machine, which I will go over later.)




Now that you have your materials you will need files containing the parts you want to build.
Halo Pepakura Files:
-Reach File Thread: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/24086-*The-Official*-Halo-Reach-Pepakura-Files-Thread
-All-in-One Halo File Pack: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/26285-All-in-One-Halo-Pepakura-Pack
-Other files can be found here: http://halocostuming.wikia.com/wiki/Pepakura_File_Index

Fallout Files:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/14524-Fallout-Armor-Pep-Files-References

Gears of War Files:
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/7160-Cog-Armor

Other files can be found in the 3D Modeling forum.

Still don’t have what you want? Don’t forget about your good friend, the search bar.
If you still can’t find it, you can request a 3D model or Pepakura file in the threads below, however it may take a while, or not happen at all.
3D Modeling Requests: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/24396-3D-Model-Requests
Pepakura File Requests: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/13671-Pepakura-Requests

If you really want that file you can’t find anywhere, you can try to make it yourself, or try to make files so others in the community can use them, here’s a great tutorial on how to start on 3D modeling: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/23517-3D-Modeling-For-Pepakura-(Basic-3D-Knowledge-Aquired)

Now that you have your files, you are probably ready to finally get started. First, open up Pepakura Viewer and go to File, Open. Find your file you downloaded and select it. Now you should see the model in the window and on the other side a layout of the parts on the paper. If you don’t see the parts on the paper the file may be an .obj file that hasn’t been unfolded, or taken apart so you can print it. You can look around for a helpful member that may be willing to unfold it for you. If it has come up, you can use the program to click pieces on the model to help you see how to put it together.

Now open Pepakura Designer and open up the file just like you did with the Viewer program. We’re now going to have to make the armor big or small enough to fit us, because everyone isn’t the same size.



Visit these helpful threads to learn how to scale the files you have to your body
Threads on scaling: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/25588-How-to-Scale-Your-Armour-Tutorial-V.2
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31627-HaloGoddess-quot-How-To-Scale-quot-and-More-Tutorial
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31620-Tutorial-Simple-Armor-Scaling

Make sure to scale correctly, it is such a pain to spend o much time on something just to find out it doesn’t fit.

Once you have scaled your file, print it and begin the tedious process of cutting all of the pieces out. It is also helpful to score (lightly cut) the dashed lines before you cut the pieces out.

Once your pieces are cut and scored you will have to fold them, mountain folds are usually gray and represented by a dotted line (………..) These you fold like this /\. Valley folds are the opposite, being folded like a “V” and are usually represented by a red dotted and dashed line (._._._._._._._.)

Now comes gluing. Take your glue and glue the pieces together according to the matching numbers, some files do not have numbers, for files like those using the Pepakura Viewer program to click pieces to see how they connect will be your lifesaver. Using Pepakura Viewer also helped even if files have the numbers, as there are usually many pieces.

Now you should be done with your Pep piece, feel free to post it in a progress thread to show all of us what you did.

If you need more help with the Pepakura Stage, check these threads.
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/8791-Tutorial-Pepakura-building-for-dummies-(or-noobs)
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/1368-Tutorial-How-To-Make-Good-Folds-For-Pepakura-Armor
http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/1034-Tutorial-How-to-use-Pepakura-to-make-your-Mjolnir-Armor

Hopefully this helps some people, I'll post the next part in a little bit.

Edit: Embedded orientation video as per request. If this is against the rules or something just tell me and I'll just have it be a link to the orientation thread.

 

[Darkrider9]

Part 2: Hardening

Now that you have your completed pep piece, it’s time to make it hard so it doesn’t flop around and rip while you wear it. Here I will discuss traditional hardening techniques and later I’ll go over other methods like hot glue and paper mache.

Fiberglassing:
First, you should put a few coats of resin on the outside of the armor piece to pre harden it so it doesn’t flop around as you do the actual hardening. For this step we will be using resin.

Items needed:
-Liquid Resin (Including tube of hardener)
-A bunch of old large paintbrushes
-Disposable gloves
-Disposable cup
-Disposable spoon
-Fiberglass cloth
-A surface to work on with a disposable cover
-A RESPIRATOR

First you need to estimate how much resin you will be using. I tend to use about 6 tablespoons per medium size piece. Measure that out and put in the appropriate amount of hardener, I use about 1/3 of a spoonful. Take your old paintbrushes and thinly paint on the resin across the whole outside of the piece, then simply wait for it to dry. It is important you do this step when it is hot outside, as the heat aids the curing time greatly, if it isn’t hot, your piece will be covered in sticky goo (the undried resin) until it is placed in a hot area again.

I CANNOT STRESS HOW IMPORTANT THE USE OF A RESPIRATOR IS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU HAVE A WORKING RESPIRATOR WITH FILTERS FOR AUTO BODY PRODUCTS AND ORGANIC VAPORS AND PARTICLES. IF YOU CAN SMELL THE RESIN WITH THE MASK ON, THEN IT ISN’T WORKING.

You then repeat this process again when it is dry until it is hard enough, I think 3 coats is a good amount.

Another tip: If the resin begins to gel up into balls in the cup stop using it, if the little balls get on your armor, they stick there and are a pain to sand off.

Now that the piece is resined correctly it is time to apply the fiberglass to do the real hardening.

Simply enough, in this step you take fiberglass cloth (or mat, I prefer cloth) and cut out about 2 inch by 2 inch or smaller pieces. Then you take them one by one, put them inside the armor, and paint resin over it. This however is much more complex than described here and more information can be found here: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/1572-Resining-amp-Fibre-Glassing-Tutorial-How-To

Rondo: Rondo is a mixture of bondo and resin that can be used in place of fiberglass cloth for hardening on the inside. There are different bondo to resin ratios people use, but a rule of thumb is the more resin you use the more of a hardener it will be and less of a detailing material, as rondo can be used as hardener and detailing/smoothing material. I tend to use a 1:1 ratio when using it for hardener. Make sure to add the appropriate amounts of hardener for each material, AKA enough bondo hardener for the amount of bondo you put in, and the same for the resin except with the resin hardener of course. You can then either paint it in your piece or slush cast it. To slush cast you must close up one end of the piece and pour in the rondo, then roll around the piece so the pool of rondo moves around t the different areas inside of the piece, then simply wait for it to dry. (Note: You will still need to resin the outside before you rondo the piece.)

Here is a great tutorial on how to use it in more detail: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/7215-Muddy-Secrets-Tutorial

Hot Glue: This method is not recommended if you are able to do either of the others above but if you can’t due to safety concerns this method may be used. As the name implies, you line the interior of the piece with hot glue.
Go here for more info: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...ally-Offical-quot-Hot-glue-Method-quot-Method.

Paper Mache: Not recommended, as it doesn’t make the piece as hard as the other methods do. However, it is very simple, and safe, just apply paper mache to the inside of the piece.

Wood Glue: Wood glue acts as a replacement for the resin in the fiberglassing stage.
More info: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30783-Tutorial-Wood-Glue-Pepakura-Method

 

[Darkrider9]

The next step in creating your armor is the smoothing and detailing step. This step is optional, but if done, it increases the quality of your armor piece drastically.

Simply enough, you apply bondo to the piece and sand it down, removing some of the flat faces left by the Pepakura model.

Now for the details.

What you will need:
-Bondo brand Auto Body Filler (With Hardener)
-Plastic Knives (Mixing Tool)
-A Smooth Surface, Not Made of Wood
-A RESPIRATOR AND OTHER SAFETY EQIUPMENT (Gloves, Eye Protection, etc)

First, you will need to add the hardener to your bondo, so scoop out about a 3-4 inch round glob of bondo onto your surface and prepare your tube of hardener. There are different amounts of hardener you can use, from a 1 inch line of hardener to about a 3 inch line. Basically the less hardener you use the more time you have before the bondo dries. If you need to round out a flat surface, use more hardener as this will take less time, but you will want to use less hardener when you are doing things such as detailing small parts of the helmet, as you need more time to apply the bondo carefully.

Now that you have your bondo and hardener measures out quickly mix them together. This must be done quickly or parts of the bondo will begin to dry while you are mixing and working with it.

Now use a tool to slather the bondo onto the area you need detailed, as thin or thick as you need, however I recommend doing thin coats (2-3 mm thick), as it is easier to sand down, and you can always add more later if need be.

Once it is applied to your area let it dry for a while until it is hard but soft enough to be scraped by a penny or your fingernail. Once it is at this consistency you can use a sure form tool or very low grit sandpaper to start sanding it. As you keep sanding work your way up to higher grits of sandpaper until you reach about 300 grit, at this point you armor should be smooth enough for painting.

A Mouse sander is VERY helpful for sanding down bondo, and a dremel is very helpful for sanding and cutting out small details, like lines across the helmet, etc.

Spot putty can also be used in small areas to smooth out cracks and other imperfections, and sanded down in the same fashion as bondo.

Remember rondo? It can also be used to detail and smooth out pieces, cool!
Tutorial: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/7215-Muddy-Secrets-Tutorial

Remember, don’t forget to use a respirator, the dust from sanding this stuff down can do serious damage to your lungs.

 

[Darkrider9]

Post reserved for painting.

 

[Darkrider9]

Post reserved for foam/armor strapping/conclusion.

Edit: Here is a video covering the basics of foam armoring. I'll add more later, however this is also a test to see if I can figure out how to embed videos in posts.

 

[Ghost2375]

Yes, this is indeed very helpful! Keep posting!

 

[Oak Man24]

Yes this is very helpful! I know how to do most of this because I looked through the stickies and spent tons of time looking through threads, but this condenses it all. Good work and thanks again!!

 

[Spitfire22V]

Wow, no way. I am actually currently working on a super in-depth "All-in-one Noob Introduction" myself. I feel like I should continue and finish it, but not sure if I need to...

 

[Darkrider9]

Glad I could help you guys, I'll probably have the next section done after my Regents exam tommorow.

Wow, no way. I am actually currently working on a super in-depth "All-in-one Noob Introduction" myself. I feel like I should continue and finish it, but not sure if I need to...

Ah, sorry to steal your thunder, however I'm sure yours has a ton of info that I left out, and I'd also like to read it, so keep working!

 

[Spitfire22V]

Ah, sorry to steal your thunder, however I'm sure yours has a ton of info that I left out, and I'd also like to read it, so keep working!

No worries! I will still finish it, and potentially add or remove things based on what is included in yours. Not sure it's possible to have enough information for noobs!

 

[Darkrider9]

Added the section on smoothing, as promised. Make sure to tell me if I am misinformed or leaving anything out so I can fix and add stuff.

 

[ventrue]

You should try to cut down on the bold and underlined text a little and bring in different kinds of formatting. Larger font size for headlines, one or two colours for really important parts (don't overdo it!), bulletpoint or numbered lists, indentations to indicate hierarchy, pictures. That kind of thing. Right now, it looks like one huge wall of text, and a noob who already went past the stickies will definitely not read it. He will look at how short the scrollbar on the right is, be shocked and then go ask for "any tips", hoping that there's a miraculously easy way that can be summed up in five words and that you are for some reason withholding.

Also, since we seem to have quite a few of these noob tutorials now, why don't you guys open up a document in Google Docs and collaborate? You can turn it into a forum post once you're done. One of the big problems right now is that there are ten tutorials on every topic, each covering a slightly different angle - making the same mistake with the document that is supposed to fix the problem isn't going to help

And finally, because I'm such a smart ass, here's a few mistakes you might have missed
I can remove it once you're done with it, if you want.

• Although your description of the Noob Forum describes the status quo, it somewhat contradicts what Adam says in the video. The question is, do you want to tell new members how it is, or how it's supposed to be?
• Pepakura Viewer is superfluous, the Designer contains all its features.
• The respirator should filter "organic vapours" and "particles" (of any kind). The gloves also need to be more than just disposable if they are supposed to provide any actual protection, and if someone wants to use a different type of resin, the requirements can completely change.
• Isn't the wood glue method used in connection with fibreglass?
• How does sanding dust cause brain damage?

 

[Jason 078]

Okay, the best part (to me) was the backyard effects video on the foam armor. I might even think about putting together a noob guide once I begin my Spartan Foam armor with a how-to in my WIP thread.

 

[Darkrider9]

You should try to cut down on the bold and underlined text a little and bring in different kinds of formatting. Larger font size for headlines, one or two colours for really important parts (don't overdo it!), bulletpoint or numbered lists, indentations to indicate hierarchy, pictures. That kind of thing. Right now, it looks like one huge wall of text, and a noob who already went past the stickies will definitely not read it. He will look at how short the scrollbar on the right is, be shocked and then go ask for "any tips", hoping that there's a miraculously easy way that can be summed up in five words and that you are for some reason withholding. I'll add color in a bit. Also with the pictures, I'll add some, but I think I'll do a piece and post step by step pictures as I go, good idea?

Also, since we seem to have quite a few of these noob tutorials now, why don't you guys open up a document in Google Docs and collaborate? You can turn it into a forum post once you're done. One of the big problems right now is that there are ten tutorials on every topic, each covering a slightly different angle - making the same mistake with the document that is supposed to fix the problem isn't going to help So should I stop working on this? I thought it would help stop some of the noob threads but it does seem others are making better versions of this.

And finally, because I'm such a smart ass, here's a few mistakes you might have missed
I can remove it once you're done with it, if you want.

• Although your description of the Noob Forum describes the status quo, it somewhat contradicts what Adam says in the video. The question is, do you want to tell new members how it is, or how it's supposed to be? I don't really understand what you are saying here, is the noob forum not a place where members post their first builds on this site?
• Pepakura Viewer is superfluous, the Designer contains all its features. I don't think you can click pieces of the 3D model in Designer to see where it is on the paper, I find that very helpful.
• The respirator should filter "organic vapours" and "particles" (of any kind). The gloves also need to be more than just disposable if they are supposed to provide any actual protection, and if someone wants to use a different type of resin, the requirements can completely change. I'm fairly sure I mentioned that about the respirator. As for the gloves I use disposable latex gloves and they seem to work fine for me. As for the last part, I realize there are other alternatives to the normal resin but I decided to just cover that one to save me time, as I don't think the others are used as much as "normal" resin.
• Isn't the wood glue method used in connection with fibreglass? I did not know that, could you possibly point me in the right direction so I could improve that section?
• How does sanding dust cause brain damage? Ah, I work a lot with spray paint and since the fumes from that damage brain cells I thought it would be the same case for bondo dust, as both are things that float around in the air when used and can be inhaled.

Says I need ten characters so I guess the ones in the quote don't count.

 

[ventrue]

Says I need ten characters so I guess the ones in the quote don't count.

Oh. No, they don't, they're supposed to be mine ;-)

I'll just turn the reply into another list if you don't mind:

• Don't "force" any pictures or formatting into the document. The key is to create something that is visually appealing and easy to read.
• I'm not saying the others are better or that you should stop working on yours. On the contrary, by all means, continue! I'm just saying that you might want to look into making one document to cover every possible angle. If that is possible.
• Of course, new members don't really have a choice, they have to post in the Noob Forum. But Adam says in the video that noobs are supposed to participate in what's already there before pumping out their own work. If that's still the idea, you would have to ask him
• Yes, you can, it's the Check Corresponding Face function.
• You mentioned "organic particles" (I'm such a quibbler, am I not? )
• I know only this one tutorial for the wood glue method, and it mentions fibreglass: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30783-Tutorial-Wood-Glue-Pepakura-Method
• The brain damaging parts of spray paint are actually the solvents. Of course, if you inhale a liquid droplet of solvent, it will damage both your respiratory tract and your brain, but a cured Bondo or resin particle is chemically inert and won't harm your brain.

 

[Dark Star]

Just saying that I'm glad to see tips on foam building in here since instruction on it isn't as prominent.

Back to your verbal duel gentlemen xD

 

[slawrence]

this may sound dumb, but i'm working on my armor, but it's almost done i have to bondo and spray paint and add led and fan, should i still post it on noob forum?

 

[Dark Star]

Is that where your progress thread is? If you've already started one there it's probably best to finish out there IM(humble)O.

 

[slawrence]

i haven't post it yet, I'm working on my armor and posted videos on youtube