im new and throwing some ideas out there.

[Andrewvk]

hey guys i was just on halo waypoint and say some people that have actually made costumes and they made a reference to this site.

a couple comments/questions i have.
im thinking i may eventually make a spartan costume.
but as i have seen in all the costumes so far and all made out of paper or clay of carboard.

ive seen some pretty cool things done metal wise, has anyone done this route?
i think it would be the best way for a single person to make the most authentic and detailed costume.

another thing, all the matte black non battle plate i see a lot of just long sleave blakc shirts and long black pants. what gives? why not an automotive mesh stretched around or a layered plastic to let you move?

just a couple sugestions. i may start putting together measurments and parts list in the near future, because i really want to see something that im thinking about in my head.

thanks for any and all answers you guys have.

 

[Lehi]

if you're really that new, then i suggest you don't try metal yet. It takes practice to get good at it first, i suggest you do a basic fiberglass one first. Unless you're really experienced in creating costumes and working with metal then

 

[Flyerfye]

Hey Andrewvk, welcome to the 405th! Cool to see someone here due to the Waypoint coverage!

To answer your question about metal, we haven't had very many builds with it for quite a few reasons. One: metal is HEAVY. Although a Spartan might be able to lug hundreds of pounds worth of armor around into battle, us mere humans would have a serious problem. Even our resin cast armor parts can get surprisingly heavy. Two: Metal is notoriously difficult to work with. Think of a cookie sheet. Now imagine figuring out how to bend that into the shape of Master Chief's helmet. The crazy designs from Halo aren't easily reproducible in metal. Sure, it might be more "authentic", but I've never seen a metal reproduction that actually looked good.

Now, for your question about undersuits, many people don't put a huge amount of effort into their undersuits, for quite a few reasons. (Many of them involving being not good at sewing or having already spent all our money on building armor). However, we also have some great work on the undersuits, and it's something that I personally like to see effort put into on a costume.

If you have the passion to make cool armor, dive in, read some material, and get going! There are a lot of great resources available on the forums, particularly in the creation section. Good luck!

 

[spartan 217]

dude metal sounds awsome but i would be careful about when you start with metal.

 

[Andrewvk]

eh i understand it gets heavy, im not saying use 3/4in steel.
but metal working is easy givin the proper tools.

i dont have any experience whatsoever with making costumes.
but i have experience with metals.


think of it as military guys, yeah it will be a little heavy probably around 60-70 pounds.
i run with 60lbs on my back everyday and thats not including body armor rifle and side arm.

its a lot lot easier than you guys may think thats why i was so puzzled to not have seen one.

 

[Flyerfye]

If you have experience with it, go for it. I think I can recall one build that used metal successfully for the Halo 1 armor many years ago, and that only worked because he built a steel framework and welded polygonal plates to it and added all the details with paint. (Cookies for anyone who can find a link to it.) Most people around here don't have the equipment to build metal stuff with the precision and detail we can get with other methods; the "common" methods on the forums can be done in a backyard, garage, or even on the balcony of a city apartment. And it can look amaazing when time and effort are put into it. Head over to the elite section and check out some of the best work. If you can do that quality of work in metal, what the heck are you doing here, then? Go build your armor right now! Go! Go!

No, but seriously. There's a tradeoff of ease of use vs. cost of materials and tools vs. how amazing the end results look, and for most people, that puts them towards the materials and methods we usually use. However, people are constantly finding new ways to build things, experimenting, and wowing us with their results. For example, the woodworking LeeKegan and others have been doing. Maybe you can start the metalworking trend?