First build WIP - Halo 4 Recon Helmet / Halo 4 Mark VI Armor

[TWanderer]

OMG! That recon helmet is gorgeous!!! Absolutely stunning!!!

 

[U513]

This is awesome. For my next build I intend to use bondo and fiberglass method and go mental on the detail like your helmet. keep up the brilliant work. Ill continue to watch this!

 

[T086]

Really nice build on the helmet. Iam excited for the upcoming progress. but i really have to ask a a question.
i wanted to use the halo 4 recon helmet by monkeyfuj too, but i have a really big problem with the flat forehead near the top side of the visor. how did you managed this problem? ignoring it? the final helmet doesnt look exactly like the pepakura process pics.
can you describe was you did?


edit:
here are two pictures of your build.
pep version
http://www.flickr.com/photos/101928356@N07/9934595653/in/set-72157635880761835

finished version
http://www.flickr.com/photos/101928356@N07/9934595653/in/set-72157635880761835

the installed visior looks normal and but the pep version does have a flat visior and the the forehead is flat too... i want to get the forehead (not only the visior) a little more curvy and in my opinion you managed this.

Here is another picture of the 3D render of the original 343 recon helmet:
http://s.cghub.com/files/Image/351001-352000/351509/628_max.jpg

Thanks harican. The pep does have an issue near the top left side of the visor, I actually talked to monkeyfuj and forgot to mention this. I overcame it by mirroring the right side piece in question (which was perfect) in pepakura designer and reversing the tabs so it would work. Major credit to monkey for the unfold of course! I couldn't have pulled it off without his pep file.

Really the pep model is a VERY rough approximation of the final product, what you see as my final product basically was me just working and working the body filler until I had a shape I liked. The entire time I worked on it I always had my phone close by with reference pictures of recon helmets such as the 3d render you posted. I would look at that and shape a part, often as you can see adding my own personal touch to it.

I hope I answered you questions, if not please let me know.

OMG! That recon helmet is gorgeous!!! Absolutely stunning!!!

This is awesome. For my next build I intend to use bondo and fiberglass method and go mental on the detail like your helmet. keep up the brilliant work. Ill continue to watch this!

Thank you very much! Don't get me wrong, I love the foam builds I have seen around here but I also love the feel and weight you get from body filler armor. From the short time I wore my torso piece today I can tell you it feels extremely rugged... I can see why the Spartans in halo books say they feel naked without their armor on, its awesome.



Annnnnnnnnd here's today's update:
As you saw from my post earlier I had the whole day to work on it, I spent my time meshing the front and back halves of the torso as well as adding the final 2 latches for my custom "torso securing system". I could type it all out in boring fashion or I could just show you the pics and video. I even out on my undersuit top this time.

Video showcasing the securing system: http://www.flickr.com/photos/101928356@N07/9988646616/

 

[Darth Collison]

oh my god... that is the SICKEST helmet I've seen to date.

 

[robster]

very nice work, i hope ours comes out that nice

 

[Arlock]

This amazing, you're doing a good job with the torso of Master Chief
redesign a 3d model, pepakura, and then view it in construction by someone, it's amazing!!

greetings from mexico

 

[spartansonny]

i have been following your thread since you started and i must say that you are doing a great job man! I am happy to see monkeyfuj's excellent model that i unfolded came out so well. i remember unfolding that and thinkin wow, this is a tough project to unfold. now that i look at it, crimssons didact unfold was WAY harder than this one.
love your attention to detail, keep it up. that is a trait that most builders don't have. that is what will send you to infantry status in this build.
i will be following your thread to the end my fellow prop builder.

SPARTANsonny

 

[NoMaybeYes]

Dat Helmet. Its so amazing!!! Cant wait for more!

 

[T086]

oh my god... that is the SICKEST helmet I've seen to date.

very nice work, i hope ours comes out that nice

Dat Helmet. Its so amazing!!! Cant wait for more!

Thanks a lot!

This amazing, you're doing a good job with the torso of Master Chief
redesign a 3d model, pepakura, and then view it in construction by someone, it's amazing!!

greetings from mexico

I want to thank you very much for providing me those pep files and for taking the time to play with the 3d model and turn it into a pep in the first place. It's definitely one of the best halo 4 mark 6 unfolds!

i have been following your thread since you started and i must say that you are doing a great job man! I am happy to see monkeyfuj's excellent model that i unfolded came out so well. i remember unfolding that and thinkin wow, this is a tough project to unfold. now that i look at it, crimssons didact unfold was WAY harder than this one.
love your attention to detail, keep it up. that is a trait that most builders don't have. that is what will send you to infantry status in this build.
i will be following your thread to the end my fellow prop builder.

SPARTANsonny

Thanks, I really am putting all into this one, I tend not be be able to overlook the little things, if I see even something small that I don't like it gets changed. Adding the small details that make up a piece is one of my favorite stages to prop building, I think detail is what takes an ok piece and turns it into something extraordinary on a whole new level.

I didn't actually realize you did the unfold for that helm, I thought it was just monkey, in that case I owe you my thanks as well! Great job.

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Update!
Not a whole boatload of progress today but I tackled a rather difficult part, this crossmember on the lower front of the torso. Since I changed the lower half of the chest slightly I had to adapt the crossmember to fit. That involved cutting it in two places, supporting it, and finally using body filler, and some stainless steel rod to lock it into place. Here's my progress on that:

As you can see I'm not quite done on that part yet, more to come this week!

 

[sarlume]

That torso is shaping up to reeeeally look like metal - even without paint yet and clearly in progress, I can't believe the sharp details! This is going to be one epic final product in the end.

The helmet said so. ^___^

 

[T086]

That torso is shaping up to reeeeally look like metal - even without paint yet and clearly in progress, I can't believe the sharp details! This is going to be one epic final product in the end.

The helmet said so. ^___^

Thanks, I say the same about yours as well

Now looking back at the latest pics of me wearing the helm and unfinished torso I'm kind of worried that the scaling of the helmet is a little large, I want to avoid looking like "big head mode" at all costs. I'm hoping that when I do the rest of the parts this effect will be reduced. What you do guys think?

 

[Halex]

Helmets usually look large/wide until you get the shoulders in place. Wouldn't worry too much about it until then; the build is looking great!

 

[Motion26]

Thanks, I say the same about yours as well

Now looking back at the latest pics of me wearing the helm and unfinished torso I'm kind of worried that the scaling of the helmet is a little large, I want to avoid looking like "big head mode" at all costs. I'm hoping that when I do the rest of the parts this effect will be reduced. What you do guys think?

It does look a little big, but I wouldn't worry about it until you see what it looks like with the shoulders as Halex said. That chest piece looks perfect .

 

[T086]

Thanks guys, I'm going to forget about it till the shoulders are in place, not worth worrying about right now like you say.

 

[T086]

Sunday afternoon update, trying to keep you guys current on my build. So earlier this week I finished the chest crossmember I was working on and decided I needed to backtrack and tackle the thrusters that weren't quite done.

Progress is slower than I'd like but it's better than none at all haha.

More pics incoming as I slowly bang this out...

 

[T086]

Another weekend come and gone by too fast; not without progress though. I basically completed smoothing of the thrusters and worked my way around the back half of the torso smoothing away, after that I shot it with some primer.

 

[Chainsaw ninja]

Holy crap!!!!! How did you get it to look so good! How many things of bondo have you gone through?

 

[Largo Usagi]

Holy crap!!!!! How did you get it to look so good! How many things of bondo have you gone through?

Its not the bondo, its the glazing putty,

How much of that have you gone through.

 

[Chainsaw ninja]

Must have missed it when he mentioned it

 

[T086]

Holy crap!!!!! How did you get it to look so good! How many things of bondo have you gone through?

Its not the bondo, its the glazing putty,

How much of that have you gone through.

Currently I've gone through 2.75 gallons of Everglass body filler total with the helmet and the torso. At some points I've had to waste a little to achieve what I want. The red you see is glazing putty, it's actually only recently with the torso that I started using it; my helmet was done completely without it. I've just about used up my first tube, but there's still some left. I do admit I got carried away with it on the thruster packs. It looks like I over-use it in the pictures but really all I'm doing is squeezing very small amounts onto my finger (gloves on of course, it's nasty stuff) and spreading it like that. It makes the smoothing process much easier than just trying to smooth the everglass itself even though the everglass is pretty smooth without it anyway.