CroftRaider08: Fallout T45D Power Armor WIP

[CroftRaider08]

I began crafting my T45D helmet mid-August of this year and not soon after decided to further the project by creating the entire suit. This is my first time constructing a Pepakura costume and like so many others that enjoy Fallout, thought it would be the perfect way homeage to such a great game. This costume is going to be worn next June at AnimeNEXT in Somerset, NJ. Along with the armor, I am building a Pip Boy to go with it. I've seen some really great work posted on the forums and decided to post my progress to get some insight.

This is after I printed and glued the Pepakura file for the helmet:

Two coats of resin on the outside:

With fiberglassing the inside, I thought I might try gluing the fabric in w/ a spray adhesive and then coating it w/ resin:

 

[odst fng]

With fiberglassing inside, I thought I might try gluing the fabric in w/ a spray adhesive and then coating it w/ resin:

That is a great idea. If you haven't looked into "rondo" check it out. It saves a huge amount of time...

Ben Streepers guide to helmets is very very helpful and it shows the rondo process

That helmet looks amazing my friend, can't wait to see more

 

[CroftRaider08]

Thank you very much for checking out my work and for the positive comments. At this point I have tried gluing in the fiberglass cloth first and then resining and also wetting them with a brush and pushing them in place.Gluing in the fabric first takes a bit of extra time but its less messy. Thank you for the rondo suggestion. I'll definitely check it out.

 

[CroftRaider08]

Just a few shots of my progress with the bondo. This was my first time using it. I wasn't entirely sure if I should cover the entire helmet but in the end that's what I ended up doing.

After the bondo I gave it a good sanding, a coat of primer to get a better feel of how it was going to look and a bit of spot putty.

 

[Naughty Lemur]

it looks so beautiful! you did a marvelous job!

 

[odst fng]

wow great work with the bondo/spot putty, very smooth already. may I ask what you are using to apply the bondo, cause I can't seem to get it on that smooth...

 

[CroftRaider08]

wow great work with the bondo/spot putty, very smooth already. may I ask what you are using to apply the bondo, cause I can't seem to get it on that smooth...

Absolutely! I'm hoping that by posting my work I might help others as well. I used a 1 1/2" wide putty knife and in some spots I even just used my fingers. I'll be honest, the bondo did not go on smooth from the start and the photo with the spot putty is one from one of the last times I applied it. There were a lot of pockets and I had to fill quite a bit. I am very happy with how smooth it did turn out though.

 

[odst fng]

Absolutely! I'm hoping that by posting my work I might help others as well. I used a 1 1/2" wide putty knife and in some spots I even just used my fingers. I'll be honest, the bondo did not go on smooth from the start and the photo with the spot putty is one from one of the last times I applied it. There were a lot of pockets and I had to fill quite a bit. I am very happy with how smooth it did turn out though.

Thanks for the info, I felt like I was going at my helmet all wrong, but the more pics I see of Helmet WIP's i see that I'm really not, except for what I am using to apply it with....

Thanks again for the info and can't wait to see more

 

[norox190]

Outstanding job its beautiful.

 

[CroftRaider08]

Beginning the finer details

After I was satisfied with the main exterior of the helmet I began adding some of the "decorations" on to it. First I did the bars on either side of the eyes. I used thin metal rods that I bent in a vice and found some finish washers knocking around in the garage. I used Bondo to hold them on as I felt it would be stronger than any glue.

I mainly use game artwork for most of the details and thought regular phillips head screws would look most like the screws scattered throughout the helmet. I hacksawed the heads off and glued them on using Locktite.

I glued four larger on the "bridge of the nose", two rows trailing down the recess in the top and twelve around each of the "ear" pieces.

 

[dreadfall]

I really like this build. Fallout is one of my favorite games. Keep up the good work!

 

[CroftRaider08]

More Details

Here are some more shots of other details I've added to my t45d helmet. For the light I used the shell of an old flashlight, cut it and attached it with bondo. I added a strip of cardboard to attach the gap that would be left between the light and the helmet surface.

Here I started to hollow out the bumps near the nose and began to detail the mouth area a bit more. I'm not sure which type of washers these are that I used for the nostrils but they worked out perfectly.

You can also see here that I've cut down a hasp lock and took the hige part and glued it in between the eye area. I think it looks pretty close to the actual design. I also added attachments where the smaller hoses will hook into (one below the right eye and the other on the left side of the face)

 

[carlino]

Wow, for being the first time you've worked with bondo that is amazing. The first time I tried a helmet was nowhere near how smooth yours came out!

Very nice work, looking forward to seeing more progress.

 

[CroftRaider08]

Wow, for being the first time you've worked with bondo that is amazing. The first time I tried a helmet was nowhere near how smooth yours came out!

Very nice work, looking forward to seeing more progress.

Thanks a lot. I wasn't too sure how this was coming along or if I was even doing it correctly. I had a lot of doubts at first but seemed to pick the whole process right up. Thank you for having a look.

 

[CroftRaider08]

More Details Cont.

A few more details I've added: I've detailed the mouth area, added the knob to the ear piece of the helmet and rigged up the scope and arm that will be attached to the right side of the helmet. For the scope and sight I used an aluminum bar, drilled holes in it and mounted a flashlight that I gutted to make it a lot lighter. The housing for the piece that would go down over the eye is a ring from a pvc fitting. I have another piece that will go inside of this ring later and create the sight.