How to make armor without pepakura!?!

[xXHuntMan117Xx]

Seriously, I need help! I want to make either spartan armor or ODST armor for me and my friend by the end of summer that looks good and doesn't use pepakura. The reason is, I want me and my friend to be at the launch at gamestop for halo:reach. If you can help, that would be great!

 

[OverKill]

Buy molds of the armor or starts from scratch using pic.

 

[erictank]

What Overkill said. If you're going to build Reach armor and all the pep files for the armor are available (I don't know personally that they are, but at least SOME of them are), then pep will will the fastest way to build a single set of armor. If you're talking about building multiple sets of identical armor, then building and casting molds will be the fastest way to do them. Well, the FASTEST way would be to buy sets someone else has already molded - but the fastest way to BUILD them will be pepakura or conventional sculpting, molding, and glassing, depending on the number of sets. If you need to build a part or suit that there aren't pepakura files for, you're looking at either conventional sculpting/molding/glassing or you can "scratch-build" in a similar style to pepakura - use cardstock or something like it to build up a master, resin it like you would a pepakura piece for strength, add detailing by whatever method you choose (found parts, styrene, bondo sculpting, whatever -there are almost literally no limits to the ways you can detail the parts), bondo/primer/sand/primer/sand/etc. until you get the surface to the appropriate smooth finish, and cast parts off of that as if it were a clay master.

I'm NOT speaking from experience (just about ready to resin my very first pepakura test helmet, and I've never done either of the other two methods I mentioned myself), but I'd say that for someone without experience in sculpting/moldmaking/casting or scratchbuilding, finishing two full-up Spartan suits by the end of the summer will be a real challenge. I don't want to discourage you, because the only way we develop skills is by practicing them - but it'll be a lot of work, and I think you ought to have a realistic view of what's involved. Good luck, and be sure to post your progress!

 

[Anon ONI agent]

The only thing I know of is vacuum formed plastic, which is what they use in the 501st legion. It looks nicer, lasts longer, and is a lot more resilient, but it's about 6 times more expensive at the very least, not to mention way more time consuming, and considerably more dangerous, since the machine can spontaneously ignite if you mess up, and there's a lot more poisonous chemicals involved. I'd stick to pepakura if your going for low cost and safety. If pepakura is too expensive, buy the supplies individually over time, when you're done with one tep of the process, then you buy the supplies for the next step. Or you could borrow as much of the stuff you need from neighbors or relatives. But if the vacforming sounds better, go for it, just make sure you know exactly what you're doing.

 

[Anon ONI agent]

Wait, by the end of the summer!?!? You better get some help. Pepakura is the fastest way, unless you want to spend a small fortune on pre-molded parts.

 

[Haerverk]

The only thing I know of is vacuum formed plastic, which is what they use in the 501st legion. It looks nicer, lasts longer, and is a lot more resilient, but it's about 6 times more expensive at the very least, not to mention way more time consuming, and considerably more dangerous, since the machine can spontaneously ignite if you mess up, and there's a lot more poisonous chemicals involved. I'd stick to pepakura if your going for low cost and safety. If pepakura is too expensive, buy the supplies individually over time, when you're done with one tep of the process, then you buy the supplies for the next step. Or you could borrow as much of the stuff you need from neighbors or relatives. But if the vacforming sounds better, go for it, just make sure you know exactly what you're doing.

Vac forming is not particularly dangerous, atleast not more so than fiberglassing. Vacforming is generaly a safer method of construction in my experience. And if you're just a bit carefull with what you are forming, the fumes arent even half as bad as the fumes from polyester resin. Vacforming allows more "casts" to be pulled in a much shorter time than any other means of production i've ever seen, but you need the bucks for forming over first, and they can be quite time consuming. Also, Vacforming requires quite a bit of cleanup after pulling generaly, but so does the pep. Youre right about the cost though. Its quite expensive for something like 1 armour. But if you want to make LOTS of armour very fast, Vacforming is definately the way.

At OP, you might be better off making an armor out of cardboard, if you are not willing to utilize pep, since other means of construction involves quite a lot of experience IMO

 

[Anon ONI agent]

Vac forming is not particularly dangerous, atleast not more so than fiberglassing. Vacforming is generaly a safer method of construction in my experience. And if you're just a bit carefull with what you are forming, the fumes arent even half as bad as the fumes from polyester resin. Vacforming allows more "casts" to be pulled in a much shorter time than any other means of production i've ever seen, but you need the bucks for forming over first, and they can be quite time consuming. Also, Vacforming requires quite a bit of cleanup after pulling generaly, but so does the pep. Youre right about the cost though. Its quite expensive for something like 1 armour. But if you want to make LOTS of armour very fast, Vacforming is definately the way.

At OP, you might be better off making an armor out of cardboard, if you are not willing to utilize pep, since other means of construction involves quite a lot of experience IMO

That's just what I've heard, I would not know from experience. I am positive on the risk of fire, however. Also, I thought mold making takes a ridiculous amount of time, doesn't it? Either way, it's pretty much impossible to finish just one suit by the release of Halo: Reach unless you are already pretty damn far along, let alone two. Heck, you probably couldn't finish a helmet if you don't already have all of the supplies. Don't feel bad, Huntman, plans don't always work out. My own helmet probably won't be fiberglassed until this winter, and that's if I'm lucky. This kind of thing takes a very large amount time.

 

[Anon ONI agent]

Sorry about the double post, but if you're really intent on this, you could pep your armor and not harden it. It won't look all that good, or last very long, but you could finish 2 suits in time. Plus, if it survives Reach's release, you can fiberglass it afterward. But you need to start ASAP. For weapons, use airsoft guns, as you most likely won't likely won't have time to make any. For times sake, I would use colored pencils to color the armor. It's worth a shot.