First Pep build and it's an ODST

[demo084]

No pics on this update. So since I'm away from my own house and gear (overseas tour), I have to share a room with an Army noob fresh out of boot. Well, he and some others decided it would be fun to play around with my helmet and they destroyed it. So I'm having to restart from scratch.

 

[MSgt N161]

demo084,

Subscribed to your thread, good to see another late ODST on the boards. My own is put on backburner til I move into my new place. Saw you were EOD, and saw you had Calvin in your avatar so I had to check out your ODST build! Your first two helmets looked pretty good, from what I remember of pep myself (going on 6 years ago now, StarWars C-IV) I bet the shapes were off because of the poster board. Your second helmet looked downright amazing, I actually at first thought it was foam until I saw the printing on it. So your third helmet should be an amazing breeze!

BTW, coming from someone who's been there in a barracks with a boot, I'd ask him if he was interested in making a set of armour too. Who knows, could be a nice thing for the fng. Beyond that, worst case it'll give you an excuse to let him pull extra duty on the sanding and prepping!

fair winds and following seas,

stay safe out there

MSgt

 

[demo084]

MSgt N-161

First was poster board, second was craft paper, and the third is 110lbs cardstock. So far it's coming along nicely. I'm a slight perfectionist (comes with the job), so the few misalignments get me. Yet, once I resin, rondo, fiber, and sand I can work those imperfections out. I will put some pictures of the latest bucket up once the peping is done.

She will be a mix of EOD, ODST, and Mandalorian. Possibly some mjolnir in there but that's for future me to decide.

 

[demo084]

Slightly angry. The latest helmet was coming together amazingly when the chin section decided it didn't want to play nicely. Should be able to work out the issue later.

Here's my tools and work area.

This little guy came in a dental kit.

Top of the bucket, looking good.

Front view

Side view

And the rebelious chin area. Which caused me to attempt a quick fix with the visor area that didn't work.

Next up will be the bicep armor, and starting on the torso armor pieces.

 

[demo084]

helmet and bicep resined up and ready for rondo.

let me know what you guys think so far.

 

[MSgt N161]

Helmet looks great! Bondo and rondo will fix that rebellious chin it has no problem. If you hadn't mentioned it, I doubt many of us could have even picked up the problem with it.

The biceps look like the right size too. ODST Dare I like to use Dare as my reference for the underarmour and arms since she doesn't have any shoulder armour. I have a question for you though, do you think the bicep armour is hard plate like the shoulder or soft like the flak vest?

You being EOD have experience in heavy body armor, it's why I'm asking. I've worn armor too, and I've been having a time figuring out what the modelers meant as hard plate armor (like the helmet, upper chest, shoulders, and shins obviously are) and what would be flak-type armor or even just padding.

Looks good bud from my angle, keep up the good work and most importantly stay safe.

MSgt

 

[demo084]

I have a question for you though, do you think the bicep armour is hard plate like the shoulder or soft like the flak vest?

You being EOD have experience in heavy body armor, it's why I'm asking. I've worn armor too, and I've been having a time figuring out what the modelers meant as hard plate armor (like the helmet, upper chest, shoulders, and shins obviously are) and what would be flak-type armor or even just padding.


MSgt

I've got a template for a shoulder base and chest base that I'm going to make out of foam (aka stitched kevlar). The pieces I have done will be hard plate. I'm having to wait on fiberglass cloth and mat to show up before I can really continue with the pieces beyond resining the paper. I know all my armor pieces will be solid with a fiberglass, resin, foam, and bondo mix.

I'd say hard armor would be more of the ceramic plates we use today, and soft would be more like the sewn kevlar mats we use today. So you could say the under armor vest that you hang the hard plates from would be soft armor. If that puts a little more clarification to your question.

 

[MSgt N161]

That's what I was thinking too. Just wanted to see what someone else thought that's been in the real thing. I've always seen the vest part as a cross between the interceptor and cop's class 3 vest, same with most of the thigh. Then the rest would be hard plate.

Thanks for your help on that.

Stay safe,

MSgt

 

[demo084]

UPDATE of awesomeness. So through out the week I finished up my Hugh's Chest assets.

Here they are all nice and neat. Some parts don't quite look good to me, but easily fixed.

Here's the upper chest plates. The center and sides will possibly be hindged or hung in a manor that allows them to flex. A physical capability that is seen on the "We Are ODST" commercial.

Today, I shall resin the chest assets and start working on my first boot cover. Pretty amazed though, I've only had to scale the bicep pieces so far.

 

[herotrooper]

Looks good, dude. Wanting to make the whole suit as well. I got Hughs files ready to print off. Just want to get my bucket done first, .

 

[demo084]

Looks good, dude. Wanting to make the whole suit as well. I got Hughs files ready to print off. Just want to get my bucket done first, .

Thanks, your helmet is coming along nicely. My helmet and chest assets are curing right now. Helmet has Rondo and chest assets are taking their inside coat of resin. Helmet weight is definitely noticeable now. Will start sanding once I bondo the outside, but I have to wait for more resin and fiberglass cloth to finish the inside.

 

[demo084]

Update no pictures.

Chest assests are done with their inside and outside layers on resin. May have to change to aqua resin for the time being due to the fumes that fiberglass resin puts out.
Beginning work on a boot cover.
Helmet has been rondoed but will take quite a bit of sanding on the inside due to it setting up too fast (too much hardner) and making awesome waves with huge clumbs of rondo in places. Will add pix but for some reason I can't transfer from my iphone to my computer today.

 

[demo084]

Long time no post. Getting ready to head back to the states, and that's taking up the majority of my time.

So I officially hate RONDO. Just kidding, but it definitely makes me want to throw my helmet since I've got a ton of sanding to do on her insides now. Since I got fiberglass clothe I can start glassing the inside of my armor (still wondering why some people spell it armour). Then my boredom found this http://grammarist.com/spelling/armor-armour

I digress into my update.

Here are all the pieces that I've finished so far. Waiting on more resin now that I have fiberglass clothe.

And here you see what frustrates me about the Rondo run. It was all nice and awesome at the beginning then it decided to set up without any type of warning and started building super awesome chunks while leaving other areas uncoated.

Project on a slight pause while I build a MK IV for my brother in law.

 

[jamestfox]

Its looking very good!! Is that the visor that didnt get rondo on it? That might make it easier to cut it out. But thats just my thought. I could be wrong since I have not gotten that far in my armor at all. But I will one day!

 

[demo084]

Its looking very good!! Is that the visor that didnt get rondo on it? That might make it easier to cut it out. But thats just my thought. I could be wrong since I have not gotten that far in my armor at all. But I will one day!

My thoughts exactly. I tried to avoid getting too much rondo on the visor. Next step will be getting the rondo as smooth as possible on the inside followed by a few layers (>4) of fiberglass clothe.

 

[RTWHOCKEY]

My thoughts exactly. I tried to avoid getting too much rondo on the visor. Next step will be getting the rondo as smooth as possible on the inside followed by a few layers (>4) of fiberglass clothe.

I wouldn't worry about getting the rondo to smooth, you'll need to put some padding on the inside to make it comfortable anyways. And i also wouldnt worry about putting more than one layer of fiberglass cloth, as it will only make the helmet heavyer. Otherwise, it looks great so far!

 

[demo084]

I wouldn't worry about getting the rondo to smooth, you'll need to put some padding on the inside to make it comfortable anyways. And i also wouldnt worry about putting more than one layer of fiberglass cloth, as it will only make the helmet heavyer. Otherwise, it looks great so far!

weight isn't to much of a factor for me. 5ish layers of fiber is still lighter than a MICH helmet, and it affords the helmet more impact resistance for when I decide to throw it around the road and yard for "battle damage". Thanks though, hopefully she'll look ligit when it's all done.

 

[jamestfox]

^ This made me laugh haha. Be careful with the helmet outside! maybe do some controlled "throwing around the yard" so it doesn't break on a rock or tree. Cuz that would be no fun.

 

[boomshakra]

Awesome work on your helmet! I had originally planned to do an ODST kit but all the little squares for the dome of the helmet put me off... Not that the flyingsquirrel Mk VI HD is much better (as far as small parts goes), as I am finding out

 

[demo084]

Awesome work on your helmet! I had originally planned to do an ODST kit but all the little squares for the dome of the helmet put me off... Not that the flyingsquirrel Mk VI HD is much better (as far as small parts goes), as I am finding out

Didn't think there were too many pieces, just a lot of folds. Unfortunately, I scored and folded everything so sanding/bondo is going to take awhile.