BDUB
Sr Member
Hi all!
Been lurking for a bit — I’ve been wanting to get back into Halo stuff for a while now. This will be my third suit (last one was my Guardian from Destiny), and I’m finally diving back in with something I’ve always wanted to tackle: Reach-era MkV.
I’m notoriously bad at finishing projects, so I’m posting here for accountability. But also to share some progress and maybe even help some folks out along the way by sharing some of the files I make and anything else of use.
It’s been a few years since I last built anything, so it’s good to be back covered in contact cement and foam dust again. I’ve been making decent headway, but held off on posting until I had something worth showing.
I’m building a Reach-style MkV suit — mostly inspired by Isaac Hannaford’s concept art. A bit more tactical and grounded than the final game assets.
I’m swapping in the Air Assault helmet (personal fave), and I’ll probably keep adjusting small details as I go.
Here’s the rough idea / aesthetic target:
#1: Proper scaling.
That’s been the weak point in my previous builds. Everything looked just slightly off — like I was wearing cosplay made for a bobblehead. So this time I’m laser-focused on dialing in proportions. If I have to rebuild something (and I already have), so be it.
The ultimate goal is to end up with something movie-quality. Not screen-accurate necessarily, but solid enough to pass for a prop on camera.
That means I want your feedback!!! If something looks slightly off - let me know! I want this thing to be the best it can be!!!
Bonus goal: build this thing completely in secret and surprise friends/family next Halloween with my Spartan reveal.
Started mocking things up in Armorsmith to get my scaling in the ballpark. Love the tool. Great for layout and visualization. I am, however, very dumb, so user error is a recurring theme here. (More on that when we get to the chest piece…)
Because logic is dead, I started with the thighs. I didn’t love the available pepakura models and preferred the shape of the Infinite-style thighs, so I freehanded a set of thighs based on my dimensions in armorsmith to get something rough.
I’m happy-ish with the look, but I think they’re a little underscaled. Might rebuild. Still on the fence. At least I saved the paper mockups and might digitize/scan them for templates.
Printed the Air Assault helmet. Two and a half times. For sizing. Yeah.
Finally nailed a snug-but-comfy fit. First time trying the plastic welding seam technique with a soldering iron (bought a cheap one just for this). Worked surprisingly well. Solid seams. Should clean up fine... once I finally stop putting off sanding. (I will continue putting off sanding.)
So. I made a chest piece. It was 5% too big. I made another chest piece. This is that one.
Honestly, building the too-large version first helped — good practice, and I’ll use it for sealing/paint tests later. This newer one feels right, and I’ll be building out the lower rib armor next to nest underneath.
Once that’s done, I’ll move on to the biceps and ODST-style shoulders — templates for both are sitting here on my desk, judging me.
One thing I’m doing differently this time is building and refining my own templates as I go — especially where I’ve freehanded or modified designs based on concept art or in-game models.
If I can get clean enough versions of my paper patterns and foam cuts, I’ll be scanning them OR turning them into pepakura-friendly files for others to use. Especially the Infinite-style thighs, which I haven’t found solid templates for yet.
So if you’re into custom Reach builds with a slightly more infinite feel, stay tuned — I’ll be uploading my files once I clean them up.
The build’s coming along. Fitment is feeling good. I look professionally awkward and i'm here for it.
Thanks for looking — more soon.
Been lurking for a bit — I’ve been wanting to get back into Halo stuff for a while now. This will be my third suit (last one was my Guardian from Destiny), and I’m finally diving back in with something I’ve always wanted to tackle: Reach-era MkV.
I’m notoriously bad at finishing projects, so I’m posting here for accountability. But also to share some progress and maybe even help some folks out along the way by sharing some of the files I make and anything else of use.
It’s been a few years since I last built anything, so it’s good to be back covered in contact cement and foam dust again. I’ve been making decent headway, but held off on posting until I had something worth showing.
The Plan
I’m building a Reach-style MkV suit — mostly inspired by Isaac Hannaford’s concept art. A bit more tactical and grounded than the final game assets.
I’m swapping in the Air Assault helmet (personal fave), and I’ll probably keep adjusting small details as I go.
Here’s the rough idea / aesthetic target:
Priorities
#1: Proper scaling.
That’s been the weak point in my previous builds. Everything looked just slightly off — like I was wearing cosplay made for a bobblehead. So this time I’m laser-focused on dialing in proportions. If I have to rebuild something (and I already have), so be it.
The ultimate goal is to end up with something movie-quality. Not screen-accurate necessarily, but solid enough to pass for a prop on camera.
That means I want your feedback!!! If something looks slightly off - let me know! I want this thing to be the best it can be!!!
Bonus goal: build this thing completely in secret and surprise friends/family next Halloween with my Spartan reveal.
Starting in Armorsmith
Started mocking things up in Armorsmith to get my scaling in the ballpark. Love the tool. Great for layout and visualization. I am, however, very dumb, so user error is a recurring theme here. (More on that when we get to the chest piece…)
Thighs First (For Some Reason)
Because logic is dead, I started with the thighs. I didn’t love the available pepakura models and preferred the shape of the Infinite-style thighs, so I freehanded a set of thighs based on my dimensions in armorsmith to get something rough.
I’m happy-ish with the look, but I think they’re a little underscaled. Might rebuild. Still on the fence. At least I saved the paper mockups and might digitize/scan them for templates.
Helmet Time
Printed the Air Assault helmet. Two and a half times. For sizing. Yeah.
Finally nailed a snug-but-comfy fit. First time trying the plastic welding seam technique with a soldering iron (bought a cheap one just for this). Worked surprisingly well. Solid seams. Should clean up fine... once I finally stop putting off sanding. (I will continue putting off sanding.)
Chest, Version 2
So. I made a chest piece. It was 5% too big. I made another chest piece. This is that one.
Honestly, building the too-large version first helped — good practice, and I’ll use it for sealing/paint tests later. This newer one feels right, and I’ll be building out the lower rib armor next to nest underneath.
Once that’s done, I’ll move on to the biceps and ODST-style shoulders — templates for both are sitting here on my desk, judging me.
What's Next — And Helping the Community
One thing I’m doing differently this time is building and refining my own templates as I go — especially where I’ve freehanded or modified designs based on concept art or in-game models.
If I can get clean enough versions of my paper patterns and foam cuts, I’ll be scanning them OR turning them into pepakura-friendly files for others to use. Especially the Infinite-style thighs, which I haven’t found solid templates for yet.
So if you’re into custom Reach builds with a slightly more infinite feel, stay tuned — I’ll be uploading my files once I clean them up.
And Now, A Weird Pose from Yours Truly:
The build’s coming along. Fitment is feeling good. I look professionally awkward and i'm here for it.
Thanks for looking — more soon.
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