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ShaggyAubergine

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Hello there :)

I am a Halo fan since I was 12. I am totally unaware of games released after Reach because of a lack of time, but I keep an eye on what's going on and I read a lot of novels. And I don't know why, but for about one month I felt like time had come to look into cosplaying ; I plan on going the ODST way.

I did some research and pepakura seems the way to go for me (I don't know, I just feel I am not a foam guy !). I tried to build a MA5B rifle, it was a semi success (80 g/m² paper + lack of thinking ahead) but I proved myself I am able to glue pieces of paper together ! Sort of a crash-test. I now have to find a card stock-capable printer to work with (mine won't go beyond 160 g/m²... theoretically). By the way, I am still not quite sure which thickness to choose, this thread is somewhat confusing, lots of different opinions ^^' Anyway, I am pretty low on money to spend on hobbies, so I'll probably stick to the paper part for now : I don't have much tools (some wrenches, screwdrivers and bike-specific tools which won't help me there, right ?).

And there is weaponry. I cannot imagine a completely static firearm; removable magazines, working trigger and charging handle would be the minimum. Being able to load cartridges in the chamber and to expel them with the handle would be huge :D M7 submachine-gun seems to have a telescopic butt and a pliable handle, these would also be very cool to have (ODST, hey ?). I'm a bit of a perfectionist... which often leads me to give up on projects. I understand these features would be uneasy to get with a paper build. This DMR looks pretty amazing but the author doesn't give much guidance or explanations. Did someone on the forum already came up with this kind of project ? I was a soldier for three years and I knew (and still know !) my service rifle very well, but I guess it would rather difficult to get proper informations on the inside parts of a Halo weapon, so I plan on mimicking another real guns. But I don't really know where to start... I did have a little training in mechanical engineering some years ago but I am still pretty skill-less. And tool-less. I am really not in a hurry though, I plan on gathering ideas here and there and take all the time I need :)

Oh, and I am French !

Feet first into hell <o
 
Not a lot of skill? Perfect, you are on the right website. I would start by reading and re-reading and searching the 405th.com. It will help you out and answer a whole bunch of questions before you even ask them. Start with this thread for all the tutorials. maybe stick to the pepakura section since that is your interest.

For pepping paper, I use a 199 g/m² or 110lb paper in the states. It has served me just fine. See if you can find someone who has a laser printer (perhaps a library or business) that has a multi-functional paper tray (the one you feed by hand). usually these trays have less turns for the paper to go through as opposed to taking from the main paper tray. The less bends the paper makes, the easier it will be to get to the print head and out. I like to use an xacto knife for the precision cuts, a metal bending tool for precision bends in the paper, and hot glue. You may find these unnecessary as you start to work on your own and gravitate to what you are comfortable with.

The DMR that you mentioned looks like a styrene combined with wood project. Styrene comes in all sorts of different thicknesses, shapes, and textures. Lots of little intricate pieces of plastic get cut using many different methods and usually glued together with superglue and an accelerator. The project can get filler and then sanded or filed to achieve the desired look. If you are looking to create like that, you should probably start here.

Just another option for a somewhat functional weapon - have you considered modding nerf guns?

The below are 2 that I did because, like you, I wanted more than a static weapon.
Original%20Nerf%20Gun.jpg


20150726_224719.jpg


20150605_091051.jpg


DSC01883.jpg


Good luck on your build and remember, you acquire the tools over time; you don't need everything right out the gate. This is a hobby of time and patience and I usually refer to it as the "long game" so please don't get discouraged. It is not uncommon for armor to take months and sometimes over a year to complete.

The secret to any long game is to focus on the prize and start with the easiest little things first to build momentum. That way you can tell if it is your cup of tea with relatively little investment. I like to litter a few easy projects along the entire build to keep the project moving forward.
 
Hello ShaggyAubergine and welcome to the 405th.

As Moe Sizzlac already said, if you concider yourself skill-less, this is the right adress for you.

I started cluesless into Halo Costuming myself, so I can feel the struggle.
If you wish, you can check out my long journey to my ODST Armor right HERE (even though it's foam built)

You also mentioned, that you are from France so I'd like to introduce you to the 405th European Regiment.
You can find us in the Regiments section and also on Facebook (we have a Facebook group that you can join if you wish.)

If you need any help or advice, feel free to contact us :)

Greetings from Germany, Elena
 
You both got why I am here ;) I made sure I had read as much as I could before signing up, and I keep on reading !

I've been quite busy the last few days. I started pepping the helmet though, but it took me a few hours to realized that the model I picked has many parts connected to each other without tags (red outlines in Pepakura designer). Eventhough shapes of these different parts are identical, gluing gives a very ugly result, so I will start over with a different one. And now I am basically struggling between Kirrou's and rundown's helmet models from the H3 ODST package, one having more parts, the other having fold lines overlaying each others on some pieces (I guess that would not be easy to assemble). I wouldn't have guessed model choice being one of the hard steps...

Moe, your Nerf guns look really cool ! I may look into that in the future :)

Thanks for the heads up Elena, I'm not really into facebook but it's nice to know you guys are around ! I'm planning a really long journey ;)
 
There's greater choice in how to make costumes these days. Pepakura is a path that gives you a good tangible result early because you can see the object in 3D when you have put it together, and it is great for testing if you have the correct size. The Pepakura path often (as you might know) involve fiberglassing then Bondo/automotive filler, then endless sanding/filling/sanding until you're ready to prime and paint a masterpiece. You end up with a strong and sturdy costume. But because of the fibreglass and filler I think it can take longer to build than foam, and probably more expensive too. Foam could be more budget friendly, and some will say easier/quicker to work with. Some different skills to build too (basic toolkit would include heat gun, craft knives, rotary tool/Dremel, metal ruler, but you'll probably end up with these anyway with Pepakura). Ultimately, choose the method you're most comfortable with :) As suggested, you'll be doing a lot of reading, and there's plenty of tutorials on YouTube too. Some prop builders have books/eBooks - I've recently gotten my hands on some Bondo books :)

Some Pepakura models are setup for foam builds - you will notice tags and edges missing. So check this before you print/cut/build. Some files in Pepakura Designer you'll see the edges moved off the print area (this indicates that the model is setup for a foam build), so you can "reset" the positions back onto the print area, and in the settings you can turn on the tabs too. While super glue can let you quickly put pieces together, it doesn't give you much time to properly align some pieces. I've used PVA glue in the past, as it gives me time to get things right. Higher detail/high polygon models can require more parts and you'll need to treat it like a puzzle and decide what sections to put together first, as other sections might later be hard to join up. "Put your thinking cap on" ;)

Also for Pepakura, have you looked at tutorials on how to resize the models so they fit your head/body?

As suggested, for weapons with moving parts you'll need to mod existing dart blasters or build with a variety of materials. Boom Co has the Hao assault rifle and Magnum if you want a pre-built gun that you can paint :)

MoeSizzlac using a Centurion for a Sniper Rifle is a cool idea. I've 3 of them, was considering selling 2 and keeping the last for a potential Borderlands. But now maybe I need to hold on to another... ;)
 
Hello there !

I've been away for a while, but I made my homework and the helmet pepping is neeearly done (actually, it's one piece away from completion). Helmets being really iconic it was the obvious part to begin with, I was a rather undecided regarding the next step but I guess it will be the forearms. I'll eventually open a WIP thread with picture :)

Thank you for you advices Callianis, I did take measurements to make sure I would fit in, and actually, I like puzzles :p I used Cléopâtre glue gel ; I don't know if it is distributed outside of France, but I found it really suitable for this kind of work. It's easily spread out, doesn't wet cards and its curing time is well balanced.
 
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