I first want to send out a big THANK YOU to the owners of this site and everybody here who contributes in one way or another. The ideas and pointers shared here are invaluable and have saved me hours of work. I was initially considering building stormtrooper armor, but MJOLNIR armor looks cooler, imo (and I don't have to build a vacuform machine). Anyway, I've assembled all the parts and finished the initial coat of resin, this week I'll be fiberglassing. Here's some photos of how I'm doing:
[attachment=480:helm1.jpg]
I'm really happy that I got a hot glue gun before building the helmet (been using glue sticks). It went a lot faster and I was able to make better seals. The visor wanted to pop up a bit (bowing from anomalies elsewhere in the helmet), but I was able to bring it back down by gluing a support from the top of the faceplate section to the helmet crown. I haven't cut out the faceplate section because I'm still waiting for my replacement gold ones to arrive, and I don't want to remove too much material.
The next couple of pictures have a legend to let you know what's what:
[attachment=483:group2.jpg]
A: The thigh pieces wanted to flare out and I was afraid of them drying like that, so I attached a couple of strips of cardstock from either side to hold the curve. It also helped to balance the piece while it was drying.
B: The debris on the side of this shin/calf section is what happens when you drop your newly-resined piece on your back step - which sits directly beneath a pine tree. Ah, well, something to sand off.
C: Cans do a great job of holding your pieces upright! I thought about unbending some coat hangers, but all I had were the plastic ones. Luckily, I didn't need to WD40 anything that day...
D: Plastic sheeting from Lowe's - about $5 for a 9'x12' roll. Easy to cut, great for covering your work table, protecting your carpet from curing resin, etc. Yes, the resin sticks to it, but not as much as it sticks to the cardstock, so your piece pops right off.
E: Didn't have to use this can of Lysol, but I included it because it looks older than a lot of the younger folks browsing these forums, haha. Ahhhh...I'm old...<sigh>
F: Expanded butt plate - because the orignal one would look like a poptart on a barn door...
G: Resin - the stuff nightmares are made of - be careful, this crap gets EVERYWHERE.
H: Fan for blowing resin fumes out the back door, because my condo doesn't have a garage, and drying outside beneath above-mentioned pine tree is out of the question.
This is what my kitchen table looks like. Good thing I'm single, no woman would put up with this crap for more than, say, twenty minutes.
[attachment=485:table.jpg]
A: Bag full of stuff to attach LEDs to the helmet.
B: Dremel kit borrowed from a friend.
C: Trusty pair of scissors.
D: Throwaway paint brushes for resin work.
E: Bag 'o Gloves
F: There's some black wire mesh in here I plan to use for the vents along with some PVC I haven't picked up yet.
G: Table salt. Hey, this is my kitchen table, remember?
H: There's a mouse sander in this bag.
I: Hot glue sticks. I think there's a bill under that.
J: Trusty masking tape for reinforcing pepakura, taping plastic to worktable, etc.
K: A big bin full of fiberglassing supplies.
L: More plastic sheeting
M: Hot Fuzz DVD. A must have.
N: Flashlight. 'Cuz you never know when the power is goint to go out, and you don't want to be stepping on your armor curing in the corner!
O: Pliers. For plying...something
Anyway, I'll post more pictures this weekend after I'm done fiberglassing!
Cheers!
[attachment=480:helm1.jpg]
I'm really happy that I got a hot glue gun before building the helmet (been using glue sticks). It went a lot faster and I was able to make better seals. The visor wanted to pop up a bit (bowing from anomalies elsewhere in the helmet), but I was able to bring it back down by gluing a support from the top of the faceplate section to the helmet crown. I haven't cut out the faceplate section because I'm still waiting for my replacement gold ones to arrive, and I don't want to remove too much material.
The next couple of pictures have a legend to let you know what's what:
[attachment=483:group2.jpg]
A: The thigh pieces wanted to flare out and I was afraid of them drying like that, so I attached a couple of strips of cardstock from either side to hold the curve. It also helped to balance the piece while it was drying.
B: The debris on the side of this shin/calf section is what happens when you drop your newly-resined piece on your back step - which sits directly beneath a pine tree. Ah, well, something to sand off.
C: Cans do a great job of holding your pieces upright! I thought about unbending some coat hangers, but all I had were the plastic ones. Luckily, I didn't need to WD40 anything that day...
D: Plastic sheeting from Lowe's - about $5 for a 9'x12' roll. Easy to cut, great for covering your work table, protecting your carpet from curing resin, etc. Yes, the resin sticks to it, but not as much as it sticks to the cardstock, so your piece pops right off.
E: Didn't have to use this can of Lysol, but I included it because it looks older than a lot of the younger folks browsing these forums, haha. Ahhhh...I'm old...<sigh>
F: Expanded butt plate - because the orignal one would look like a poptart on a barn door...
G: Resin - the stuff nightmares are made of - be careful, this crap gets EVERYWHERE.
H: Fan for blowing resin fumes out the back door, because my condo doesn't have a garage, and drying outside beneath above-mentioned pine tree is out of the question.
This is what my kitchen table looks like. Good thing I'm single, no woman would put up with this crap for more than, say, twenty minutes.
[attachment=485:table.jpg]
A: Bag full of stuff to attach LEDs to the helmet.
B: Dremel kit borrowed from a friend.
C: Trusty pair of scissors.
D: Throwaway paint brushes for resin work.
E: Bag 'o Gloves
F: There's some black wire mesh in here I plan to use for the vents along with some PVC I haven't picked up yet.
G: Table salt. Hey, this is my kitchen table, remember?
H: There's a mouse sander in this bag.
I: Hot glue sticks. I think there's a bill under that.
J: Trusty masking tape for reinforcing pepakura, taping plastic to worktable, etc.
K: A big bin full of fiberglassing supplies.
L: More plastic sheeting
M: Hot Fuzz DVD. A must have.
N: Flashlight. 'Cuz you never know when the power is goint to go out, and you don't want to be stepping on your armor curing in the corner!
O: Pliers. For plying...something
Anyway, I'll post more pictures this weekend after I'm done fiberglassing!
Cheers!