Hulkbuster Project

Status
Not open for further replies.

OJ102

Member
Good Day,

Following the success of making the Bleeding Edge Iron man Armour, I find myself in need of a new project that I can work on for a longer time.

To that end I am looking at making the Mark 44 Hulkbuster Armour.

The first most obvious issue with this build is size. The Armour is big and bulky like the hulk and needs to reflect this. Ive attached a starting model for this suit but its by no means ready to even start making templates. as you physically cant get into it!

I think my first task has to be developing an exosuit for this build that will allow my physical size to be scaled up "a little" so that I have the right proportions. For this I was thinking of using straps around the body and using extensions going outwards to project body parts outwards similar to how an image is scaled evenly. The issue is weight and durability.

Foam has 0 durability for this. Metal would be very durable but would be soo heavy and the sharp edges could damage the foam of movements got crossed, it would also be expensive.

I'm currently thinking of plastic, similar to kids construction material or plastic shelving, strong enough to take a lof of weight, soft enough to cut, light enough to carry a lot of, and plastic will bind well to foam!

Issue is finding the right types, I adjustable straps to go over the users body that can clip in place snugly, a second set that will be the outer shell of the exosuit and then adjoining bars to connect the two together. Would also need plastic pistons to allow joints in the legs and arms to extend.

Anyone tried a similar project and can help me skip some potential pitfalls? The goal is to make the suit 7-8 feet tall, assuming I can make legs strong and stable enough. The exosuit has to be stage 1 for stability!


JPEG_20200207_114527.jpg
 
It will take about 2 times the foam that the standard IronMan suit took. My current issue is material to make the frame..

I was hoping to find a source of plastic tubing, to make an outer shell to support the foam but its proving problematic already... and the suit heeds a support else it will collapse..

Ive already started drawing the templates but as seen in the VR Environment, the arms are rightly 10 times larger then the wearer...

1581182080746.png
 
It will take about 2 times the foam that the standard IronMan suit took. My current issue is material to make the frame..

I was hoping to find a source of plastic tubing, to make an outer shell to support the foam but its proving problematic already... and the suit heeds a support else it will collapse..

Ive already started drawing the templates but as seen in the VR Environment, the arms are rightly 10 times larger then the wearer...

View attachment 284565
Yeah, no kidding. I was thinking of using carbon fiber material for support, but I don't know if that will only compound the expenses of the suit.
 
Im thinking something like:

PVC Pipes, 16mm diameter, 1mm thick connecting to 20mm at 1,5mm thickness to create joints and sliding piston sections. This would let me make straight sections that need to be able to expand, will also act like pistons hopefully long as they don't overextend.

Not worked out how to do the joint hinges yet. Even then, that will only give a skeleton, I Still need a way to create the exosuit shell, without it being heavy.. I was hoping to avoid using it but I may have to make some parts out of fiberglass!
 
After several hours staring at the 3D render I think the first step is a scale model, something small enough that wont take loads of materials but large enough to be able to show where problems will appear and give me something to design a skeleton for.

So im going to get some 160 gsm cardstock and make a 50cm tall model so I can see where im going!

Just the model will take weeks as there are about 3000 parts! But its a start!
 
Just a suggestion. I think it would be best to make the joints first. Once you figure out the mobility issue, then you should be able to establish a point where you can choose to where to go next.
 
Im thinking something like:

PVC Pipes, 16mm diameter, 1mm thick connecting to 20mm at 1,5mm thickness to create joints and sliding piston sections. This would let me make straight sections that need to be able to expand, will also act like pistons hopefully long as they don't overextend.

Not worked out how to do the joint hinges yet. Even then, that will only give a skeleton, I Still need a way to create the exosuit shell, without it being heavy.. I was hoping to avoid using it but I may have to make some parts out of fiberglass!
You could do what I did when I built Gipsy Danger and use car tie rod ball joints. It gives 360 degree rotation on both Y and Z axis, while giving 27 degree motion on the X axis. Plus you can make it so the arms can detach, which is how I did it for easier transport:
50334661_2848280465185765_5677332658003116032_o.jpg
 
Good luck with this project!

I've worked with PVC quite a bit, and its easy to use. For a rotating joint you can have something simple as a bolt with a lock nut (secure but not too tight) and put in some washers if you want to be fancy.

Aluminum flashing (like for roof repairs) is a fun way to build armor because you get to use rivets. This is just pepakura on metal using rivets instead of glue.

smol.jpg


(My skeletronics-like suit using pvc and metal)

But you do run into the problem of sharp edges. Using strips of adhesive tape -duct or flex- tends to work out okay, but doesn't last if you store it outside.

PVC pipes can make good aesthetic pistons, if you can find the right sizes!
 
Thats why im thinking a mini model. that way I can see all the arm and leg joins. Doing the Bleeding Edge Armour I had to alter every single joint as it wasn't designed to bend, even after the alterations sitting down wasn't easy!

while I cant wear a 50cm high model, I will be able to see what the joints look like in real life and hopefully use bamboo rods to construct a rough skeleton for range of motion.

Ideally I want the suit to be about 7 feet tall so it looks the part. I cant obviously make it much bigger without actually using motors to make it move! That and there is the issue of doors.. not to mention transporting it in something smaller then a van!

Im hoping to be able to make the skeleton a folding structure so the arms and legs will collapse into the torso. Then have the actual Armour sections lock in place using a TON of magnets and buckles! I found the greatest failure of my foam Armour was foam on foam rubbing, the friction caused tears, paint scaring... it was a mess... Bonus, Hulkbuster wasnt known for busting moves! slow motions, minimal movement, just really big! should help with the requirements. Also, no neck!
 
Ideally I want the suit to be about 7 feet tall so it looks the part. I cant obviously make it much bigger without actually using motors to make it move! That and there is the issue of doors.. not to mention transporting it in something smaller then a van!

I don't mean to toot my own horn but you'd be surprised what can be accomplished with rods and bungees (granted I used pvc not bamboo). This little feller stands 11'10" and has no arm motors.

(spoilered for gif)

armz.gif

Including the hands those arms are 5 feet long!

I tried out the arms for the first time last week (pictured in the spoiler): arm motion has improved significantly since thanks to some re-arrangement of bungees: consider the rods are the bones and the bungee cord is the muscle. Bungees are pretty much like a deltoid muscle. Connect bungees when in a T-pose and let gravity stretch 'em as the arms sag. Safety glasses are a must -dont want a bungee letting go and snapping into your eye- but it provides a significant assistance in lift. I've done similar when making some diy stilts:

IMG_20180827_202642.jpg

Kinda heavy but I was very concerned with safety. To bend the ankle all the user does is lean forward. A more venturous soul (my brother) had some fun with the stilts:

IMG_20190428_112952242.jpg
 
Thats impressively large! Getting through doors must be fun!

Im looking at a very similar idea, having the pistons set to contract to an upright standing position. Mine has a 2m max height restriction so its weight will be far lower id imagine.

Ive started making a mini Veronica too! To see how it will fit and give me a scale idea for the frame. I can also use it to make the digital templates so when it comes time to make the big one i can just scale the printout up. Mini veronica will stand an impressive 50cm tall !
 

Attachments

  • 20200213_135337.jpg
    20200213_135337.jpg
    944.7 KB · Views: 191
Thats impressively large! Getting through doors must be fun!


Very safetey concious around my area: all demonstrations happen behind safety lines so only doors I have to worry about are getting into the con hall (even then my mechs disassemble to fit in my van). My little mech weighs something like 25 lbs for the arms (spikes up to 45 lbs when I put on the regulation boxing gloves!) and 15 lbs per leg. Even my big mech only weighs something like 300lbs. I could make it lighter but I like structural safety.

Great moogly googly over 6000 flaps!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top