Iron Man (M3) armor

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celenon

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Hello everyone!

I'm new to these forums, and actually new to the skill of armor-making. I know my reason to be here doesn't exactly follow the theme of this forum (seeing as how I'm asking about Iron Man armor on a Halo-based armor making forum), but this is one of the only active forums out there dedicated to armor-creation which has active members who look very accomplished in their skill. On top of that, I really only require some basic advice and questions answered. So here I go:

I'm relatively poor, so I want to keep costs to a minimum (I wanna be cheap, but I have around $100, give or take a bit if necessary, to throw around). What would be the best approach to crafting a full-body armor like Iron Man's which also has a noticeable curve to the entire frame? Personally, I think cardboard would look too boxy. Maybe foam? I've seen interesting things done with craft foam. I was even thinking of paper mache with a chicken wire frame that I would later seal. I've heard that if you layer paper mache enough, it can be very durable - durable enough to, say, drill a hole into. And I'd like to make something that I can sand down to give a nice, smooth finish to, so when painted, the armor pieces will look extremely sleek and curved.

Any ideas or suggestions?
 
welcome to the site, and yea its on of few (or only) armor making site... hehe NOTE: my first post was about Ironman too :D

here are my suggestions:

I prefer to use carboard (it will look boxy on the first stages) and alot of Bondo, and paper and tissue...and glue, plus water.

First you make the shapes on cardboard and papermache over it (glue maybe 3:4 ration, water being more, 1:1 would also do well) A full armor like this would take several layers of paper mache (up to you how many, at least 4 and I prefer you use bondpaper, then the final layer would be tissue) then, get bondo/filler and cover the whole armor, sander it, add a final layer of putty, sander it again, prime, paint and your done...

NOTE: the final layer should be tissue so the bondo/filler can have a rougher surface to stick on.
using bondpaper makes the armor alot stronger than newspaper and tissue(use used bond paper)

It's around 100$ i guess.... :D
 
Quite a punctual reply! Thanks, Centerside, for the advice. I will definitely consider it as a possibility.

Does anyone else have anything to add to this discussion? Any other advice? Maybe a comment to reinforce what was said by Centerside? Remember, this is my first time doing something like this, so reassurance of the best path I should take would be great, haha.

And thanks, everyone, for the tips!
 
IMPT. CORRECTION (which is why i didn't use edit)

Oh wait, if your planning to use fiberglass, the final layer of putty would be great, but if your sticking with only paper mache, i'd suggest you only use the putty for small corrections

OR

if youa're able to find a flexible putty(when dry) that would do (for either only paper mache or fiberglassed)
 
Hmm, fiberglass... If I'm not mistaken, isn't that an expensive material? I may just be using the putty because it's cheaper. Though, correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Kell Thor said:
Hmm, fiberglass... If I'm not mistaken, isn't that an expensive material? I may just be using the putty because it's cheaper. Though, correct me if I'm wrong.

I have'nt tried using fiber glass too, yea, the cost, too expensive...

Flexible, dont forget :D-Putty would be nice after you put the bondo on the cardboard, AND, i have another Idea, after you make your pep helmet, I'd suggest you hot glue (put in a generous amout, not too much that it wont fit anymore :D) every corner inside the helmet, after the whole thing is done, it would be a bit stronger, making it easier to work with on the next stages.
 
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im with centreside, i would start with boxy old cardboard and work over it, thats what im trying to do now for my mjolnir

ill admit, fibreglassing is expensive, on top of that its very hard to work with, im working on armor still and i cant use it properly, i absolutely hate fibreglassing now, and its expensive,

i myself am working with carboard and trying to create cheap alternatives to fibreglass ans resin, but ill say this, for yuor first time i would reccomend halo armor seriously, i have had a bit experience and i have trouble making the helmet alone, second off it has ano gaps or undersuit, so every part has tp cpnect somehow, i would practice with halo armor and such, alot easier, and then when youve got the hang of it with carboard move on to iron man, but this is just an opinion, i like people who jump strait into the hard stuff so hey, do whatever you feel like, but i dont reccomend fibreglass, and do reccomend carboard, putty and stuff, centerside knows what hes talking about
 
centerside said:
NOTE: the final layer should be tissue so the bondo/filler can have a rougher surface to stick on.
using bondpaper makes the armor alot stronger than newspaper and tissue(use used bond paper)

Now, "tissue paper." Is something as weak as this only meant to hold the bondo in place? I just wouldn't want to see the outer layer of my armor be compromised. Will the tissue paper cause any damage when I try to sand down the layer of bondo that will be over it?

And in response to Zenzeigan, thanks for the advice! However, my friends and I are doing a Marvel theme for Halloween, so my time is limited. If I have the resources and time to practice armor-making by completing a MJOLNIR set (something I've wanted to do for a long time, anyway) then I'll do it. However, my Halloween ventures must come first. ;)
 
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Kell Thor said:
And in response to Zenzeigan, thanks for the advice! However, my friends and I are doing a Marvel theme for Halloween, so my time is limited. If I have the resources and time to practice armor-making by completing a MJOLNIR set (something I've wanted to do for a long time, anyway) then I'll do it. However, my Halloween ventures must come first. ;)


ah yes, i also have to finish my mjolnir by halloween, thats what im using mine for :p
 
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Zenzeigan said:
ah yes, i also have to finish my mjolnir by halloween, thats what im using mine for :p

And seeing as how time IS such a great factor, I think I should start piecing together a helmet with plain paper. Unfortunately, I'm at college living in a dorm, so I cannot be very messy, for one, and I don't have cardboard as readily available here as I do at home. Mine as well begin the drawing board process now! Time to break out the ruler! Haha.
 
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First off what you need to do is search around for different threads of custom made iron man helmets and what not. like this one
Once youve observed the different methods being used determine what would be the most cost effective for you.
Because your working with a hundred dollar budget i would reinforce the suit using Aobfrosts hot glue method.
Once you have reinforced it go to your local homedepot and buy some bondo auto body filler, and apply that to your suit and sand to get that nice smooth finished look.
Then you'll want to primer and make any corrections by sanding any low spots. then primer again and finally paint.

Hope could help good luck. And don't let your RA find out your using bondo in your dorm room. :p
 
Falling_Jihad said:
Hope could help good luck. And don't let your RA find out your using bondo in your dorm room. :p

Haha - Will do Falling_Jihad! I don't think she cares about much anyway. But besides that, I've scoured, scoured, the Internet, including this site, for anything, any info at all, which would help me in my quest to making this Iron Man armor come into existence. I have a few ideas in the works, but I think my main plan of attack will be with the suggestions already posted on this board.

Hmm... This is a new question for you all: I have a muscle suit available from one of my friends. What're your opinions on using such a thing to add a more muscular aspect to the armor? Or do you believe there's another way to accentuate the armor's capability of adding a more defined physique to the wearer?
 
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