G3IST’s ODST build

[G3IST]

Welp, I’ve finally started my ODST build. I’ve been a member of the 501st Legion for 4 years and built a TK, Sandy and Death Trooper in that time. Halo has always been one of my favorite series and I’m excited to step into a new world of cosplay.

I’m not sure what materials I will be using. I’ve toyed with going with 3D printed armor, but I’m now leaning more towards a Sean Bradley kit. Hey, maybe a bit of both. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Firstly, though, I decided to go with a resin helmet by Branfuhr Studio.

And MAAAN, this thing is clean. I’ve dealt with other resin helmets, but this may be the most detailed and evenly cast helmet I’ve seen. I love it. My only qualm is that my head barely fits inside. I had to trim quite a bit away from the opening to even get it on, and it’s a very tight fit. Hopefully I can effectively stuff some padding and fans in there, but it’s going to be a stretch. Even more so, I hope that it will look proportionate to my armor and not look ridiculously tiny.

At any rate, I’m excited to start painting it soon.

I’ll be keeping this thread updated as I make progress. Thanks for reading and we’ll see how this goes!

 

[bajk02]

I personally have no experience with working with resin but God Damn this helmet looks clean af even in the raw state. I will watch your progress with great interest. And last thing... Welcome to the ODST family

 

[G3IST]

I personally have no experience with working with resin but God Damn this helmet looks clean af even in the raw state. I will watch your progress with great interest. And last thing... Welcome to the ODST family

Thanks for the warm welcome! I’m happy and excited to be here. Seems like a super chill community and I’m loving it.

Like I said, this is god-tier resin casting. So clean and it’s got a great, even thickness throughout. I love it.

 

[hoodster31]

Welp, I’ve finally started my ODST build. I’ve been a member of the 501st Legion for 4 years and built a TK, Sandy and Death Trooper in that time. Halo has always been one of my favorite series and I’m excited to step into a new world of cosplay.

I’m not sure what materials I will be using. I’ve toyed with going with 3D printed armor, but I’m now leaning more towards a Sean Bradley kit. Hey, maybe a bit of both. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Firstly, though, I decided to go with a resin helmet by Branfuhr Studio.

View attachment 321040

And MAAAN, this thing is clean. I’ve dealt with other resin helmets, but this may be the most detailed and evenly cast helmet I’ve seen. I love it. My only qualm is that my head barely fits inside. I had to trim quite a bit away from the opening to even get it on, and it’s a very tight fit. Hopefully I can effectively stuff some padding and fans in there, but it’s going to be a stretch. Even more so, I hope that it will look proportionate to my armor and not look ridiculously tiny.

At any rate, I’m excited to start painting it soon.

I’ll be keeping this thread updated as I make progress. Thanks for reading and we’ll see how this goes!

Looks amazing can't wait to see what it looks like painted, great job

 

[Rock Lobbster]

The Sean Bradley ODST is a fantastic kit, just built one not too long ago and love it for conventions I need to fly to!

 

[G3IST]

I carved scratches and pitting into the helmet’s surface before applying primer. It started to rain as I finished the last coat, so I had to quit working. *sigh*

The next step will be the base silver when the weather actually moves on from daily monsoons.

 

[PlanetAlexander]

Those scratches look great - and you must be brave, because I know I'd be terrified to carve them in to such a cast!
Before you apply the silver, I would recommend using a black base primer coat, as a black base really makes the silver pop out.

 

[G3IST]

Those scratches look great - and you must be brave, because I know I'd be terrified to carve them in to such a cast!
Before you apply the silver, I would recommend using a black base primer coat, as a black base really makes the silver pop out.

Thanks man! I was hesitant at first, but just said YOLO and went for it. I feel like with the paint and weathering, the added dimensional damage will really pop.
With the black, I will probably do just that. I’ve had luck with that technique in the past when creating faux chrome. The plan is primer>black>silver>flat black>dark gray>brow accent white>flat clear coat with each layer’s damage applied with liquid latex for masking.

 

[G3IST]

I got the silver base coat on, despite the rain.

Waiting on my shipment of paint to arrive from Amazon now, so progress on the bucket will be delayed until next week. Maybe I’ll start on my Nerf AR conversion.

 

[CMcSchwifty]

I got the silver base coat on, despite the rain.

View attachment 321285

Waiting on my shipment of paint to arrive from Amazon now, so progress on the bucket will be delayed until next week. Maybe I’ll start on my Nerf AR conversion.

It’s looking so damn good man! I’m really excited to see the finished project based on how it’s looking already. The scratches really make it pop

 

[G3IST]

It’s looking so damn good man! I’m really excited to see the finished project based on how it’s looking already. The scratches really make it pop

Thanks man! I really appreciate that, for real.
It’s always hard to find the perfect place to stop weathering. I’m always afraid I overdid it lol.
I’m feeling really impatient at the moment just waiting for UPS to drop off my paint!

 

[G3IST]

A small update:
The paint I ordered came in the mail with the nozzle broken off down inside the can to the point that I can’t even pull it out with pliers… So I have to order more.

While I wait, though, I added these picatinny rails to each side of the helmet with the idea that every accessory I make can attach with rail adapters. This will (in theory) give all accessories a mechanical connection for strength and keep my options open if I want to switch my set up around.

The masking latex fluid I received is pretty milky, but I’m going to try to use it for masking off all my main damage. Hopefully that will keep things moving smoothly when the new paint arrives.

 

[Alcidine]

Are you going to paint the rails with the helmet? If you do, it might affect the critical dimensions of the rail.

 

[G3IST]

Are you going to paint the rails with the helmet? If you do, it might affect the critical dimensions of the rail.

The same thing had crossed my mind as well. I think I’ll just be leaving them black as they won’t be visible for the most part.

 

[G3IST]

I applied the gray topcoat to the helmet. I used Montana Black, which I had never used before, in the color “Slate”. The texture on this paint is very interesting; it’s gritty and rubbery, which I didn’t like at first, but after sanding it a bit with 300 grit sandpaper, it started to grow on me.

After the paint dried, I started to scratch the paint with an x-acto knife in areas that I feel would receive heavy wear.

I have repainted and scratched away those areas several times to give increasingly more layers of damage. The hard part is finding the right place to stop. I want the helmet to look battle worn, but not TOO over the top.

Here’s where I stand right now:

 

[Reclaimara]

I love your paintjob on the helmet so far and those details in weathering.
And agree - Montana spray paints have that great unique texture. I used Montana Gold and it had more gritty texture but maybe the difference is in how thick the layer is that you're spraying it on. I prefer those Montana textures over perfectly smooth texture tbh.

 

[G3IST]

I love your paintjob on the helmet so far and those details in weathering.
And agree - Montana spray paints have that great unique texture. I used Montana Gold and it had more gritty texture but maybe the difference is in how thick the layer is that you're spraying it on. I prefer those Montana textures over perfectly smooth texture tbh.

Thank you!
Yeah, the texture has really grown on me. I think it will add a lot of dimension with a black wash.
I’ve gone back and repainted these sections again, with each layer adding a bit more pitting and scratching. It is definitely starting to look like a helmet that was military issued and used for a while.

 

[TH3TA]

The helmet looks amazing! the weathering is awesome along with the scratches and wear. definitely looking forward to seeing it completed!

 

[Reclaimara]

Thank you!
Yeah, the texture has really grown on me. I think it will add a lot of dimension with a black wash.
I’ve gone back and repainted these sections again, with each layer adding a bit more pitting and scratching. It is definitely starting to look like a helmet that was military issued and used for a while.

I look very much forward to your progress. It's amazing so far.

 

[Callianis]

Noice. I'm very far behind in my helmet creation. I'm going to cut out those recesses on either side of the cheeks (and cover with metal mesh or something) to aid in ventilation. There's some horizontal sections at the back I've seen someone do the same thing to, handy idea since most photos aren't going to be taken of the back of your head

I have repainted and scratched away those areas several times to give increasingly more layers of damage. The hard part is finding the right place to stop. I want the helmet to look battle worn, but not TOO over the top.

Try the "6 feet rule" ie where people are going to be standing to take a photo. When it's in your lap you might think "this is way too much weathering" but then 6 feet away you might think "it's perfect/needs MOARRRR".

The masking latex fluid I received is pretty milky, but I’m going to try to use it for masking off all my main damage.

You can also use toothpaste, mustard or other thick condiment Toothpaste for that minty just brushed smell, mustard if you're thinking about a tasty sandwhich on your break.

I feel like with the paint and weathering, the added dimensional damage will really pop.

I used to sand my parts until they were super smooth, paint them, then weather them. I finally realised why am I sanding things to that level of smoothness (I sand the surface of resin prints to help paint stick) when it's supposed to look like it got dragged through the mud and run over by a tank. So I sometimes don't go past 120 grit and will pop back down to the 80 grit for some aggressive scuffing on exposed areas and highlights. I also do this so the texture isn't too much of a juxtaposition to the EVA foam base that the cast items attach to (Warhammer 40,000 Bolter).

Figure I can always hit it with automotive filler primer if it looks too bad at 6 feet.