1st Build Halo Reach Foam Build (Complete)

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I used the harbor frieght rolled up mat for the pieces that go under the real chonkey bits of chest. It’s a lil thinner than the regular interlocking mats, but has more flexibility which is nice since those are your arm holes.
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Rock Lobbster did some weird stuff with not gluing down the shoulder area of those pieces to let his arms move up and have the piece fold inward?

I have never heard the word chonkey before :lol: Okay cool using a different foam for this piece seems a good idea. I have to look at Rock Lobsters post. I am not sure I understand. Thank you.
 
yeah pretty much nailed it on the head, small piece of elastic ontop the "wing" area and glued the front and bottom on

Hi Rock, this seems like a great idea though I am not sure I understand. So you had something between the seam to allow flexibility? What type of elastic did you use if I may ask.
 
Had a difficult day yesterday and didn't work on any of this. :(.

My hands are shaky from side effects of medicine which is annoying but I'm going to try to go forward.

I am picking it up back where I left off. I cut out two additional pieces for that form the upper collar of the chest piece.

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I am pleased with the smaller/thinner foam for the sides.

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It's pretty light but if it glues to the collar well I think it will be fine. I am hoping the adjacent seams, eventual plastidip, and paint will add to the integrity. The thinner foam is on the left of what I am holding below. This is what it looks like:

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This piece looks like a nightmare with the detailed windows and angles at which they are. The rhomboid on the top connected to the lengthy collar gives me a feeling it will be very weak connection and may rip with where my cutting skills are at :eek:

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I am going to try creating a separate insert for whatever that piece with the windows is called. This way I don't have to cut that rhomboid off. The smaller seams like that are hard for me to glue nicely so I think it is worth a try.
 
Well didn't get as far as I would have liked tonight but I stretched my skills and expectations a bit farther with the details. I need to go buy a lamp or a desk light because I have poor lighting. I rely heavily on sunlight. With good lighting I can continue onto the night. Maybe by tomorrow night I will know if the way I am approaching this piece is going to work. The first time I built a chest piece I skipped these extra details.

Two 'tests' below out of 4 attempts. On the left I did not angle the cuts for the inside trim enough. For the opposite pair I decided to continue with the details within the window. I used very quick and sloppy cuts to see if it would 'work'.

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I only got as far as re-cutting one of the collars neatly, along with nicer cuts of the inside details.

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Tomorrow I have to carefully cut the opposite collar, and the trim for the windows inside. I may go with thinner foam for the internal trim.
 

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Thank you for the help. Okay - I am going to get that tool. Do you recommend a specific one or brand? I will have to order it online. I think I am going to keep doing this type of stuff so it will be worth it to have on hand.

Dremel is a name brand.....they have other rotary tools but Dremel is the best.
 
Earlier this evening I only got around to re-cutting these parts. Have a dremel now so I have to learn how to use it to sand down the back sides to make the panels beneath form the proper angles correctly.

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This is how many times I re-cut the piece on the left until it seemed right. It's mostly the internal parts of the window that get botched. It's possible this wouldn't even matter towards the end.

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I'm happy with what I got accomplished today. Buying a mini desk lamp helped work a bit later into the evening. I acquainted myself with the Dremel. Read the instructions, and practiced on some test pieces. I used a protective mask and glasses. I am glad I went forward with this because it is expanding my skills. The more my skills improve the more likely I will be able to do more projects in the future maybe.

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It was almost 6 pm by the time I sanded these. To be kind to my neighbors I stopped using it as it is loud as hell. Also this tool creates a mess. There was black everywhere. This also took up more cleaning time. I am going to sand more of the textured part off these pieces.

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I was going to glue some of the pieces together but stuck with my intuition on waiting until I can sand these down a bit more. I figure it will be better to have extra space that is not needed between the seams than insufficient space.

Since it was too late to use the power tool I decided to tackle these pieces and the details with what I gained in experience from the prior attempts. I hope these are final and I glue them all together sufficiently.

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I think I will glue the above details into those larger pieces with the barge glue. Using that glue still intimidates me.
 
Yes! A rotary tool is one of the best tools you'll EVER invest in. To *try* and keep things clean when I use it, I wear an old apron and get the vacuum out if it's heavy sanding. I sand on my floor so the dust doesn't fly around as much. I probably need to clean my floor more often though...

I don't think you need to sand texture off the back, unless it's gonna interfere with seams or it's visible.
 
I completed one collar. I want to try a different approach though. It seems fragile, and I know a way I can make it a bit stronger. The left side didn't make it...

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People here have been talking about something called "Shoe Goo"....I haven't used it but I'm told that once cured, It gives strength to the pieces.....It would go on the inside portion of the build once fully completed. Just do a search for Shoe Goo and a bunch of threads will be available.
 
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I'd like to take this moment to share the good word of our armor's savior: shoe goo. Shoe goo is great for reinforcing your seams inside the armor, making it nearly indestructable. Need I saw more?

Also, progress is looking great scorch! Keep it up!
 
Wow, that didn't take long for the King of SG to chime in....even when I specifically neglected to say his name.....;)...It was a test of the 405th Emergency Broadcasting System......This was just a test.


#5000!!!
Lookit this guy. Aiming for top post count of all time!

Congrats on 5k!
 
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