Introduction And Questions

[TheMarzRover]

First off, Hello, kind 405th members! My name is TheMarzRover, or my real name, Trenton (or Trent for short. You can call me by any of them.) I am 13 years old and i am a pretty big fan of Halo 3 and other Xbox 360 games. But what has drawn me away from actually playing the games is the idea of making props from Halo. I find it a more tangible hobby or skill. I can actually grasp something once from a game and make it into reality with a skill like this. It's a wonderful opportunity and a privilege to have this skill and hopefully be an expert at it someday. It is an honor to be a member of the 405th to me. You guys are so talented! And that is what i am seeking, to be as talented as the many 405th members.



Next, i would like to tell you about my first (real) project. I am building the Mark VI HD pepakura model by Flying Squirrel. Now, you may think this is a large step for a "noob" like me, but i made a previous helmet. (The Smooth Mark VI helmet by DF4L. I'll upload pictures below.) So, i am somewhat experienced, though i do think i did a bad job on the old helmet. But, now that i have patience for this skill, i am ready!



So, here i am with questions, and you 405th members with answers.



Question 1- What type of glue do you guys recommend? I used hot glue on my first helmet, but i thought it doesnt give you any time to fix your mistakes when gluing. Then, i used tacky glue, too, but it was just sticky and messy (TWSS!!!) And somewhere i heard school glue works good, but im afraid it will be like tacky glue. i also heard superglue, but i think it will be the same as using hot glue.(no time to fix your mistakes!) What do you guys recommend?



Question 2- This is about safety precautions when fiber-glassing. Do i need to use a $50 dollar respirator or can i use the small white one that i just put over my mouth? (i also saw someone use a rag for it, but im not sure if thats very safe.)



Question 3- Alternatives for fiberglassing. I heard smoothcast 300/320 is a good route if you wanna save a few braincells. But how much does it cost and would the trial kit work for just one helmet? Any other ways to do it i would like to know.



Those are all of the questions i can think of right at the moment.



And, i guess that is all. Thank you, 405th members, for reading this. I'm really excited to begin to be part of such an awesome community! I've read some stickies on pepakura and other things, and they sure are a great help. Now, i've got my pens, xacto knives, scissors, rulers, and glue. So off i am to begin cutting out the pieces!



See you guys later.

-Trent



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For those of you who wanted to see my previous helmet, here's the pics:

front

side

you guys may have noticed my discontinued Master Chief Armor Shirt from the Original Bungie Store!!!

 

[pooper]

Hey Trent! Welcome to the 405th!



I'm glad to hear that you're interested in building some Halo armor and props. And as far as starting with an HD helmet, even noobs can create really great armor pieces. I'm sure you'll do fine! You first helmet looks like it turned out better than my first. But on to your questions...



1. - Deciding what glue you want to use varies... Starting out, I would recommend that you use regular Elmer's glue. Try not to put so much on the tabs... only a little bit and press the tabs together. Once you get the hang of it, you can switch to any glue you like. I started out with Elmer's, and I now use super glue. Really depends on if you like to be able to move the pieces around to the correct spot, wanting it to dry really fast.



2. - When working with fiber glass and resin, you HAVE to use a respirator with filters. Others will not do... you can find a good respirator at your local hardware store (Home Depot or Lowes) for about $30 bucks (this is the cheapest I found).



3. - The smoothcast 300 method is a great method. I haven't used this method myself, so I can't answer on how much it cost or how much to use... but here's another alternative...



http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8829&st=0



I've already made a full suit using this method. You can see my hot glue method suit link under my signature.



Hope this helps you out. Good luck bud!

 

[Dan]

Hey Trent,



Welcome to the 405th!



I personally use tacky glue. I don't know what you mean by sticky or messy, the tacky glue I use is just like white Elmer's glue but dries faster. It's still my recommendation.



When working with fiberglass resin, you absolutely need a respirator! Not just a dust mask (I think that's what you meant about the small white one). And on top of that, you need to make sure your respirator is rated for chemical fumes and particles. Some are only rated for one or the other.



Smooth-cast is much easier to use in my opinion and much cleaner. You still should wear a respirator. Even though you may not be able to smell the fumes, the spec sheet says it's there. Fiberglass is quite a bit stronger. Some people have used fiberglass cloth and smooth-cast together. I have not tried that but it seems it would work great. I have in fact, used nylon strap in my smooth-cast to strengthen it in places where it needed it, and that worked well.



Normally I would say the trial kit would be enough for a helmet casting (I don't know that for sure), But when used to strengthen pepakura, you need to use a tad more than when casting. The reason being, a cast can flex and be just fine. If you flex your pepped piece with bondo on it, your bondo will crack off. It has a little bit of flexibility to it but not much.



Anyway, welcome and good luck!



EDIT: Pooper, you beat me to it



Also, as far as cost, the plasic is a bit more expensive but it doesn't require the purchase of cloth or mat, so I think for me it ended up being about the same.

 

[TheMarzRover]

you guys are very helpful. thank you so much!



i think i might try a few of the methods you guys gave on smaller pepakura pieces

 

[teletron1]

Here is a reasonably priced resperator :$17.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66554

For glue I use Beacon adhesive Quick Grip $1.98 @ wallmart

I did my husbands whole suit in Hot glue I'ts quite time consuming & make sure you get a good primer to paint it with , because your painting directly on paper & it will absorb it.The results were pretty good though. Click on the thread in my sig & you'll see some of the stuff I used for mine .

 

[TheMarzRover]

thanks for the tip. now i know where to buy my respirator!