Any tips for a noob?

[Abhorsen55]

So I'm completely new to the whole "Build your own armour" thing and wanted to know if you guys have any tips for a first timer?

I'm hoping to eventually build my Spartan from Halo: Reach as seen below

I'm planning on building out of EVA foam

 

[RobotChicken]

Yeah, read the stickies.

 

[edwardjlw]

Hello, welcome to the forums!

First of all, whilst your enthusiasm is great, what you're asking us is a little vague. Generally it is frowned upon when noobies ask questions like "I want to make armour where do I start". This forum is full of awesome people who are willing to help, however it is you who must take responsibility for learning the different processes of armour building.

So, best advice I can give? Read, read , and just when you think you've done enough reading... Read some more! There are plenty of tutorials located in the stickies, and around the site. I also find reading through the build threads of others helps give me ideas, and serve as great inspiration.

Wish you all the best with your armour building endeavors, just remember; it'll take you a bit of time and will require lots of dedication, effort and money. Just stick at it and in the end it'll be all worth it good luck

 

[Abhorsen55]

Let me rephrase that, any tips that aren't something obvious like reading everything I can about building?

I've read lots already and there's various different ways to build and different tools to use.

What would you guys suggest are the best tools for the job? I've seen people using scissors, stanley knives, hot knives for cutting. Hot glue gun for sticking them together, etc

 

[JayOneSeven]

Mmhm, the stickies are a really good place to start. But one question for you is will you be making your set from pep or foam? Because if pep then I may be able to give some little tips, but I know nothing of foam

 

[Idealdeathtech]

I'm pretty new to all this stuff myself but one thing I didn't learn from the stickies is that, although it would be nice to have your suit as screen accurate as possible, you have to take into account your own mobility. I just finished redoing my forearm and shoulder pieces because I scalled them to what most of the stickies recommended but never thought to myself "will I be able to move properly in this." Don't know if anyone has had the same issue as me but nevertheless it's always a good learning experience and it's one way to get good at pep, lol. Hope that helps.

 

[RYNO 666]

Tip whatever you decide start small and simple. That's the best way to get familiar with new media. Set realistic goals so you can always achieve success. Oh and listen to help because everyone here speaks from their experiences.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

[Carpathia]

With the questions you're asking, you're going to get a lot of different answers, since people use their own methods/materials/tools and have their own opinion about what is "best," which is the reason you've seen all those different methods. You will then be no better off than you are right now. My suggestion, stop asking, and start doing. Figure out what's best for yourself. Try a few different methods. Then, when you reach a point in the process where you need help with a specific issue, ask about that (in the proper "Help!" thread, which you should have seen if you indeed have been reading the stickies). Until then, this thread isn't going to do you any good.

 

[Abhorsen55]

^ Oh sorry, I wasn't aware that asking a forum for their suggestions meant I was gonna get lots of different opinions :|

Right at this very moment I can't start building cause I'm broke and payday is still a few days away so I thought I'd get some tips while I wait for my monies to come through, you know, see if there are any methods or tools that are more popular than others. (Which is how I decided to use foam since, among what I've read and watched, foam seems to be the more popular choice for building armour)

Idealdeathtech and Ryno_666, thanks for the tips

 

[JayOneSeven]

I'm broke and payday is still a few days away-- I decided to use foam)

Foam, although being very popular, and in some ways a little easier to do, generally is more expensive than Pepakura. If you're like some of us (myself included) who aren't yet in a great job with plenty of money to throw at your project, I'd suggest using Pepakura before foam, simply because of the cost.
My biggest overall tip though (more for pep than foam) is that foil is your friend. I've found that you can use foil in so many ways in modeling it's crazy. From a drip sheet, to a disposable resin/ glue bowl, it really is a versatile, but cheap material.
Another cost tip is check Walmart! I've found stuff at Walmart I really didn't expect to, but you never know what they'll have in stock. Before buying something at a specialty store such as Hobby Lobby, check Walmart :]

I do agree with Carpathia though. In modeling like this only 20% of what you learn will be from forums, videos, and people. The remaining 80% will come from trial and error. Don't expect your first build to be your final, and always anticipate the fact that you may spend hours, even days on a certain piece then have to throw it in the trash and start over. Although infuriating at times, this is well worth it in your final product.

One final tip, more of an opinion of mine, is don't go overboard with battle damage! I see some builds that just go way over the top, and people get the feeling that every single little piece they made must have some form of damage on it. Sometimes less is more. I don't want my armor to look like it was thrown into a giant blender for ten minutes, so rather than scrape and scuff every single edge, perhaps focus on one or two very specific and detailed battle damage points. If you haven't already, head over to the Elite forum and check out Cereal Kill3r's Halo build, and the damage he put on it, it's pretty impressive and doesn't look like it was kicked down a hill.

 

[Monk358]

Carpathia gave me the best link....

Take a look at Cereal Killl3r's video thread...

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php...-Chief-**-A-Step-By-Step-Tutorial-(My-Way)-**

 

[Cereal Killl3r]

So I'm completely new to the whole "Build your own armour" thing and wanted to know if you guys have any tips for a first timer?
I'm hoping to eventually build my Spartan from Halo: Reach as seen below

I'm planning on building out of EVA foam

As I'm sure you've heard to the point of nausea; "Read the stickies". Any question you could possibly ask (yes... I actually mean "ANY") has been answered at least half a dozen times within this forum alone. So let me clarify, research what you don't understand, then execute what you've learned. In my opinion it's crazy to sit and read, read, read and try to comprehend the complete workings, components and methods that go in to building an entire set of armour (either foam or pep). Instead, concentrate on the task at hand, whatever it may be. You've already decided to pursue the route of foam.

I would start by asking myself a series of questions:
- What Model (pep/foam) am I using and where can I find it?
- Is my scaling correct and have I left room for cloths and under-suit?
- What are the different types of foam I could use?
- What are the different thicknesses, dimensions it is available in?
- Are there any health or dangers I should know about the product?
- What materials will break-down or damage the product I'm using?
- What is the best way to form and sculpt the material?
- What kind of adhesive am I going to use.
- What piece (Notice 'piece' is not plural!) will I start with?
- How much material will I need?
- How much will it cost me?
- How long will it take me?
Finally...
- Do I still want to do it now that I know what I know?

When all this is answered, begin.

I'm pretty new to all this stuff myself but one thing I didn't learn from the stickies is that, although it would be nice to have your suit as screen accurate as possible, you have to take into account your own mobility. I just finished redoing my forearm and shoulder pieces because I scalled them to what most of the stickies recommended but never thought to myself "will I be able to move properly in this." Don't know if anyone has had the same issue as me but nevertheless it's always a good learning experience and it's one way to get good at pep, lol. Hope that helps.

You are correct!
The Spartan armour is NOT known for it's anatomical correctness or it's wear-ability. That being said, just because something is measured to fit... doesn't mean it'll fit. A good example of this is the Cod Piece of the Mk VI armour. If you scale it to fit anyone who's waist is greater than 16" (side to side) the piece will come out comically large. There is indeed a trade off for sizing and comfort/mobility. If you're going for accuracy, don't plan on being all that comfy or plan on being able to spend an entire day in it. Thus is the reality of all high end "accurate" costumes you'll find.

With the questions you're asking, you're going to get a lot of different answers, since people use their own methods/materials/tools and have their own opinion about what is "best," which is the reason you've seen all those different methods. You will then be no better off than you are right now. My suggestion, stop asking, and start doing. Figure out what's best for yourself. Try a few different methods. Then, when you reach a point in the process where you need help with a specific issue, ask about that (in the proper "Help!" thread, which you should have seen if you indeed have been reading the stickies). Until then, this thread isn't going to do you any good.

Well put.

^ Oh sorry, I wasn't aware that asking a forum for their suggestions meant I was gonna get lots of different opinions :|
Right at this very moment I can't start building cause I'm broke and payday is still a few days away so I thought I'd get some tips while I wait for my monies to come through, you know, see if there are any methods or tools that are more popular than others. (Which is how I decided to use foam since, among what I've read and watched, foam seems to be the more popular choice for building armour)
Idealdeathtech and Ryno_666, thanks for the tips

I myself, would at no point say that working with foam is the most popular method. However it is the most "cost convenient" method and by far friendlier to the younger prop/costume maker. That being said, at the end of the day... Foam is foam, despite being cheap to work with and light to wear, it has several drawbacks such as lack of longevity, durability, overly flexible (paint will crack and peel quite easily) However what ever material/method/process you end up using; Figure you're cost, then multiply it by 3. This is what you're costume will more than likely cost to build.


Welcome to the 405th!
Cheers and Good Luck,
I'll be watching
Dave/Cereal.

 

[Ghost Bear 027]

What C3real said.

And watch his videos on youtube. They will give you a good idea on the time, effort, and cost that goes into a piece, never mind a whole suit.

If you don't have the time or patience to read the stickies or watch the videos, making something like this is going to be a gigantic undertaking and whole new test of your patience and problem solving skills.