It's Bondo really necessary?

[spartan z92]

Greetings community, I'm doing the Halo 4 Chief's armor, the progress has now reached the resin and fiberglass state, however if I decide not to apply bondo to keep some detail, this would affect the armor? and in what would affect it? :confused

 

[Katsu]

You don't HAVE to do anything!

I've certainly abstained from applying bondo to tiny details (vents, etc). It's a balance between what you want smooth and what you want blocky or not obscured. You can also be very careful with bondo and smooth out tiny parts.

 

[morkar78]

agreed....from what I'm experiencing with my armor, one thin layer of bondo does not cover details. Usually I apply just one thin layer to surfaces with details or very deep. They can be hard to sand, but small rasp or file can help you...

 

[Chernobyl]

Generally speaking... I'd argue 'yes'.

If you want your armour to come out looking like it just came up from Seongnam this morning, you'll need to put some effort into it. Unfortunately, that means biting the bullet and getting familiar with bondo and sandpaper. It's tedious, yes, and it's a pain in the posterior sometimes to get those details coming out just right - but. It's a learning experience you'll value highly if you ever decide to jump into other modelling/cosplay projects, and the extra effort you put into your work will truly set it apart from other costumes. For tiny details, I would abstain from using bondo, and instead get familiar with spot putty (which is great for those intricate areas) - but for the general mass of the helmet, bondo can't be beat. I might even go as far as to suggest experimenting with rondo instead - that will help you backfill those intricate details and preserve their shape from behind, so you don't risk losing the detail by exterior bondo work.

There are some absolutely fantastic guides out there, both here on the 405th and elsewhere, that will help you out tremendously when working with bondo and rondo.

 

[Icon Props]

I’ve seen 100's of armor projects that are just pep-ed out, hardened and painted. If that’s the look and level of work that you're happy with and that you deem acceptable, you need not take it any further. There is a huge difference between a suit like that, and one that someone takes the time to "fine detail".
Ask yourself this: Do want a Halloween costume or something that looks like it walked straight out of the game. There is no wrong answer it is a completely subjective question.
Best of luck on your build.

Jim / Stony Props

 

[Jason 078]

I've only seen one project where the person didn't use bondo. It was an Iron Man. However, the way they got their details looking nice and polished was to give it a thicker layer of rondo inside and sand it down further than normal.

 

[spartan z92]

thank you very much guys, your advice really helped me, it's true, if i put more effort in it my build it will look even better, i will do this, as Katsu says i will left smaller details without bondo, and also add a layer Rondo inside, i really hope this works.
Wish me luck,

 

[Xexonix]

Trust me my man, I am currently on my second build after I destroyed my first Mark IV helmet because I tried to rush the bondo portion..... Slow and steady and you will have a helmet you can be proud of....

Only bondo small areas at a time, the sand it down, then add another layer until you have the filling you want...

 

[spartan z92]

I know the feeling bro, i throw away an emile helmet and a mark vi, i have already a mark v helmet finished, and bondoed, but i want a much better result for this one.

 

[Bioshutt]

Short answer: Yes
Long answer: Bondo is a large part in how I finish my armor, along with Vynl spackling putty for the finishing