Mark VII Spartan Ver Megurine Luka

[Rock Lobbster]

Now that Otafest 2023 is over I can finally reveal my newest suit, a custom Mark VII from Halo Infinite themed around the Vocaloid, Megurine Luka! Without further adieu, let’s get into it.

Current Suit Appearance & Inspiration

Planning:

... There you have it!
While in a Discord call one evening the topic of making some fun & colorful spartan VIIs was mentioned, after opening up Crab’s Spartan Blender pack… an idea was born.
While using the character herself as a reference I went through and laid out the armor permutations and developed a color scheme. A colorshift black - red was used as a base, gold as a secondary, and a bright pink to help make it “pop” (more on this in the painting stage).

Here you can see my loadout without the additional accessories/modifications not in game.

Total Project Duration: 4 months

Foam construction (without cutting & templating) 35 hours

Sanding: 20 hours
Painting: 29 hours

Thread Index: (Clickable Links)

Initial plan, file creators, & modifications made

Foam Unfolds

Foam Construction

Print Assembly & sanding

Painting

LEDs & Electronics

Rigging & Belt Box Files

Accessories

Helmet

• 2024 Update - Hearing Modification

Mobility

Components Used & Cost Breakdown

Photo Gallery

Deployment Images

Fan Expo Canada

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Initial Planning, File Credits, and Modifications
As mentioned above to start this project I opened up Jeffw773 Spartan Pack (Found here) and started customizing the base Mark VII to fit my needs! The pack was pre set up with textures & accessories which made the customization a breeze.
As none of the Halo Infinite coatings quite fit my needs I started working on a custom scheme. Once again, being able to visualize which pieces would be colored was a huge help for planning ( a huge shout out to the Halo Archive)

Files/Components
Helmet - Vek3d

Helmet attachments (Sabertooth & purrfect audio) - Skookum Props

Visor - Rogue Workshop

New Visor - Branfuhr Studios

Chestplate - Makyr

TAC/AHD TYPE 3ZY - Slenderdummy

Wrist tacpad - Skookum Props

Back “spine” piece - Łukasz Wesołowski

Love Plasma Pistol - Skookum Props

Aeson Shoulder, MR Knee, and MkVII abwrap - Game files unfolded by myself (Found here)

Rest of armor components - 405th Armory files



Modifications:
All modifications were done in 3D Builder. It's free 3d modelling/modifying software and is perfect for things like this.

Starting at the top, I modified the Skookum Prop helmet accessories to fit the Mark VII helmet. By combining the sabertooth headband and the purrfect audio ears I was able to make a pair of cat headphones! This allowed me to incorporate parts of both attachments into one item. The one side of headphones was also modified to fit my knockoff action camera so I could record some con footage! (More on that later)

Next up, I detached the chest sideplates and added holes for ventilation into the thrusters. Since I wanted to incorporate a speaker into this build to play some thematic Vocaloid music I boolean'd a hole in the chest for the speaker and created magnet slots to attach the AAP chestplate overtop.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Foam Construction & Tips
Forearms 3.5hr per
Biceps 3hr per
Shoulder: 2hr per
Codpiece 5hr over 2 days
Thighs 3.5hr total (2hr #1, 1.5hr #2)
Shins 2hr x2
Boots 1.5hr x2
Kneepads: 20 min for both
Abwrap 2hr
Total Foam build time (without template & foam cutting): 35 hours

As per my standard I started at the top, made my way to the bottom. All components were scaled in Armorsmith before being printed, cut out, and traced onto SKS foam. I cut the majority of my pieces using a bandsaw which drastically reduced the overall time spent foaming.

Having built the Mark V(b) suit out of foam I was happily surprised by how much more ergonomic the VII was. The unfolds by ODCA were absolutely beautiful and the pieces came together without any troubles… until I got to the shins. Yikes, shins have historically been annoying from the ODST and V(b) but man, the mark VII takes it up another level. Once I was able to piece together the first they came together a bit easier but I would definitely say that was the worst part of the suit.

Workbench
Don't forget, safety first!

Biceps completed!
Much easier to build compared to the Mk V(b)

Gauntlets
The tubular shape of the MkVII gauntlets made for a very nice foambuild, just watch your scaling!

UA Aeson Shoulders
Foamed the outer section of the shoulderpad, the middle section was then printed in resin for me by Fallen

Codpiece/Belt
A custom belt box was designed to allow the belt to slide inside and then attach via parachute clips. This allows me to separate the entire front and back into halves for packing. I foamed each piece individually so I could see where they sat before attaching via elastic

Thighs:
For efficiency purposes I only made 1 thigh completely detailed, the left thigh has the soft pouch which covers all the detailing.
The Mark VII may not have shield emitters but I kept those pieces hollow just incase I'd like to go back and add them in the future.

Kneepads & Shoulder Cages
One of the easiest part of the foaming portion! Nothing much to say about these.

Shins
Did I mention I did not enjoy making these? Arguably the worst part of the Mark VII in my opinion. Ended up opting for a clamshell design due to my one leg having reduced ankle flexibility. For the final product I used aluminum flashing to reinforce the front of the shin to help retain its shape (not shown). Each piece is attached using four small pieces of velcro.

Boots
Much more ergonomic. Very comfy to walk in! Hinged clips allows for fantastic mobility and teardown for storage.

https://imgur.com/a/Qoef04H

Abwrap
The back is made of a urethane rubber cast, the front is 2mm foam skinned in a 4 way stretch pleather. I used Super 77 to attach the pleather to the foam and just made cuts as needed.
Be careful of how you attach the pleather, see how the thigh looks weird when flat but when bent into a natural shape it takes quite well.

Tip Recap for Foamsmithing a Mk VII:​

• Biceps - inside plate mounted on elastic will make your life easier
• Forearms - watch inside tube, I had to remove some material to ensure my hand could go through
• Codpiece - creating each component separately and waiting to attach them all together during strapping helped a ton
• Thighs - elastic attached inner thigh gasket & detachable inner thigh pieces makes life a lot easier,
• Shins - Build the top curved pieces first, then the back middle, attach one to the other afterwards.
• Boots - hinged middle allows for a ton of movement and easier walking
• Kneepad - can attach to shin, mine are freefloating for packing

 

[Rock Lobbster]

3D Print Assembly & Preparation

Since I only own 300x300mm printbeds I decided to outsource the chestpiece to a friend who printed it in PCTG (Different than PETG, more temperature & impact resistance)! I used Makyr's files at 100% and they fit like a glove.

The helmet was done on my own printers "I paid for the whole printer I'm going to use the whole printbed!"

Assembly:
To assemble the chest I opted for using 2 part epoxy and my new favorite tool introduced by TurboCharizard, the plastic welder. By essentially melting a metal pin into the print it was a fantastic way to both add structural integrity & hold the pieces together while the epoxy set.

Next up I got out the itchies and applied 2 layers of fiberglass resin to the inside of the chestplate & helmet. This step is a near must to ensure your prints are strong and hold up to some abuse. Definitely my least favorite part of the process but (personally) is absolutely essential.

Sanding:
Every 3d printer user's favorite step.... sike
Started with 60 & 120 grit before applying 2 liberal coats of polyester resin to the outer parts to help smooth, fill, & prevent scratching.

Afterwards I used a palm sander, orbital sander, handsanding, and bondo filler putty to sand all parts up to 400grit.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Painting
This was by far my most complex paintjob yet, the base color was achieved by mixing a black - red colorshift mica powder with acrylic medium and airbrushed the mix over the entire suit. It took about 5 coats on each part to get a consistent coloring. The secondary was DecoArt 24k Gold with an orange gold colorshift sprayed overtop to give a slight colorshift look depending on the lighting. Finally the pink was achieved by using a yellow base then spraying a mix of DecoArt Pink Tourmaline & Rose Quartz for a fade effect. Finally I used Createx Gloss Clear topcoat as my silver bullet paint to seal it all while retaining the shine.

red-black colorshift laid down

Masked & applied a PlaidFX Armor metallic, ended up being far too dark for my taste so I decided to go back over with the Decoart 24k Gold

Excuse me sir, you can't park there

PlaidFX on left, Decoart 24k Gold on right

All parts coated in 3 layers of Decoart 24k Gold & a tint coat of orange & gold colorshift ontop.

Finally it was time for my favorite part, spraying the pink

At first, yikes. The color I chose was far too pale for what I was going for, that was going to need to be fixed.

One trip to Michaels later, I grabbed every metallic pink they had and went to work... and I absolutely fell in love with this metallic pink combo. Slowly began to apply a fade to the helmet & other pink parts by combining the DecoArt Pink Tourmaline & Rose Quartz.

Couldn't be happier on how well this came out. Used Tamiya & Vallejo gunmetals to add the final metallic colorings into each piece

Everything was finally fully painted & sealed with the gloss Createx top coat. The painting stage was over

 

[Rock Lobbster]

LEDs & Electronics
Well, its a Vocaloid crossover and where would we be without a ton of LEDs?

LEDS:
Starting off we have light up shoes, not the comfiest to wear but boy do they look cool.

RGB light strips were wired to the shoulders via 4 pin connectors in the chest. These RGBs are wirelessly controlled and can be set to also flash according to the music. Wiring the 4 pin connectors was the biggest pain in my rear but definitely worth it in the end.
Early 2024 UPDATE: After frequent issues with the wiring getting tangled/messed up this system has now been replaced by wireless puck lights as seen Here

Green LEDs in Sabertooth headphone, independently powered
EOY 2023 Update: This is now blue

Electronic Components:
Action camera built into Sabertooth headphone

Camera is also controlled via the tacpad on the wrist. This also contains a controller for the music for the speaker embedded in the chest.

Hollowed section in chest for speaker to sit, speaker shown on unfinished piece (missing picture of finished piece)

Finally, my favorite quality of life upgrade. Fans in the chest
Remember those ventilation slots? I installed 2 fans on the top of the vents that pull air downwards with a blower in each thruster that pushes cool air onto my back. Because of the urethane rubber undersuit it gets rather hot rather fast in the chestpiece and this was absolutely fantastic for cooling me down.
Mid 2023 Update: An additional 4 fans were incorporated into the rear of the chestpiece

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Rigging:
The main components were rigged using my strapping harness (Guide here)

Both shoulders are magnetized on using 2 15lb bar magnets

Abwrap was attached to back of chest using parachute clips for removability and transport

I used a running/workout chest rig combined with screwed & epoxied D rings to attach the back of the chest to me. The front pouch allows me to hold a battery pack, voice amp, and my wallet if needed. (ignore the mess of wires, still working on containing that)

The front of the chest features swing out side pieces that are easily foldable for transport. The 60lb magnets were used to attach the front and back together in a “clamshell” configuration using epoxy putty. These are then secured using the arm gaskets as retaining clips to prevent the front from unwanted bumps & jostling.

The belt uses a combination of elastic strapping and a workout belt to ensure a comfortable and flexible fit. The side boxes also allow for the armor to thread through and connect via parachute clip. I will have my custom model attached to this post for free non commercial usage

Finally, the gauntlets use excess helmet padding to keep them secure on my forearm and prevent from sliding. The tacpad is also magnetized to the left gauntlet and secured via ratcheting strap.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Accessories
I wanted to try and help connect the Spartan and Vocaloid together by adding in a few thematic pieces.
You can see a set of idol batons and (Fake) microphone strapped to my left hip.

Along with Luka's Skirt fashioned into a kama/tactical skirt along my waist.

Attached to said skirt is also the cursed Halo plasma pistol with the heart logo painted to the theme of Luka's Tuna. This is magnetized to my thigh using the 1" neodymium cube magnets. It's an incredibly strong connection and can even go through the kama.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Helmet

There's a lot going on up there so I wanted the helmet to have it's own separate post.

First off, under the hood there is a large wiring rig featuring 3 intake fans, 1 ducted outflow fan, and a charging cable for the wireless voice amp. This whole mess of wires all attaches to a portable power bank in the back of the head and is largely hidden behind the added padding.

You can see the wires more clearly in the pre-padded photos here. There are also 4 hardpoints (2 not shown) for the sabertooth & purrfect audio pieces to magnetically adhere to the helmet.

Padded helmet without attachments. Initially made to make transportation easier this configuration also works quite well in the event that I would want to swap out the attachments.
Also shown here is the elastic attached backplate, this allows me to flip the plate and slide the helmet on and off with ease. there are also 2 magnets on the plate to help keep it in place when in use.

It's quite heavy, weighing in at a little over 5lbs but is rather comfortable and stays cool with all the fans.

Mid 2023 Update: A new set of cat ears was printed and painted to better match the helmet scheme!

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Cost & Parts Breakdown
Coming in as my most expensive suit to date the total cost for this project was a whopping $1392.65 USD

Below you can see my everything I used to make this suit (minus some things I already had on hand) with links attached.
Full Part Breakdown

Item	Quantity	Cost per	Total
Molotow marker	1	$12.95	$12.95
Squeeze bottle	1	$3.07	$3.07
Cutting mat	1	$12.59	$12.59
SKS Props HD Foam	3	$15.99	$47.97
Tax	1	$4.60	$4.60
PlaidFX Golden Hour	3	$5.76	$17.28
SKS 6mm Foam	3	$15.99	$47.97
Chamelion Pearl 1g	2	$14.50	$29.00
3M Fiberglass cloth	1	$8.28	$8.28
Gorilla hot glue sticks	1	$21.19	$21.19
Wireless rotary tool	1	$23.29	$23.29
Chest Speaker	1	$25.43	$25.43
2 in 1 filler primer	1	$7.98	$7.98
kwikseal caulk	1	$5.48	$5.48
Black plastidip	2	$8.98	$17.96
swivel buckles	1	$6.64	$6.64
Fake Microphones	1	$11.99	$11.99
Condor Molle Large utility pouch	1	$16.12	$16.12
rogue workshop visor	1	$75.00	$75.00
Golden Orange Colorshift	3	$9.55	$28.65
Rose Bud Colorshift	2	$9.55	$19.10
Megurine Luka costume	1	$41.47	$41.47
Duplicolor vinyl & Fabric Paint	1	$14.62	$14.62
PCTG Printed Chestplate	1	$60.00	$60.00
Rubber Undersuit backplate	1	$180.16	$180.16
Plastic Welding Gun	1	$21.99	$21.99
Chest files	1	$50.00	$50.00
RGB Lights	1	$8.46	$8.46
Plastic belt hinges	1	$7.41	$7.41
chest hinges	1	$22.25	$22.25
Winsinn fans	1	$10.99	$10.99
USB connectors	1	$8.99	$8.99
Tax	1	$1.74	$1.74
Double mag pouch	2	$16.89	$33.78
Bluetooth media remote	1	$16.29	$16.29
USB hub	1	$13.49	$13.49
Blower cooling fan	1	$8.59	$8.59
1" cube magnet	1	$24.99	$24.99
Tax	1	$6.73	$6.73
Decoart Paints	1	$26.27	$26.27
Light up shoes	1	$35.77	$35.77
wetsanding sandpaper	1	$8.47	$8.47
mouse sandpaper	1	$16.95	$16.95
bondo spot putty	1	$25.96	$25.96
Action Camera	1	$59.35	$59.35
60lb magnets	1	$20.13	$20.13
clear shrinkwrap	1	$12.99	$12.99
4 pin connectors	1	$14.96	$14.96
tax	1	$1.63	$1.63
helmet pads	1	$9.85	$9.85
running belt	1	$9.52	$9.52
utility chest bag	1	$19.04	$19.04
d rings	6	$1.31	$7.86
Bar magnets	1	$15.25	$15.25
shoulder pads	1	$14.09	$14.09
1" buckles	1	$11.65	$11.65
1" elastic bands	1	$8.47	$8.47
Gloves	1	$17.99	$17.99
Sterilite Footlocker	2	$26.98	$53.96
4 way stretch pleather	2	$13.99	$27.98

 

[Rock Lobbster]

You've made it this far! Thank you for reading this full build thread, as a lil treat here's some more pictures of the suit (This will be updated once I receive more photos from Otafest 2023.
Luka x Luka!

Casually sipping a bev through the Mk7 vents

I am no longer asking, put on the cat ears

Something about the French Girl pose is giving me... Deja Vu

Thank you for tuning into the build and please ask any and all questions on things I may of missed!

 

[N8TEBB]

DUDE THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! I LOVE THIS WHOLE BUILD!!!

Ok but how did you do that ab wrap? Is it just foam? How much mobility do you have in it?

I really like the lights you did, I hope to incorporate something like that into my suit! Do you have a link to the ones you bought? Im sure I will come back to this thread as I build my suit and need more question answered. XD

Great write up!

 

[Rock Lobbster]

DUDE THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! I LOVE THIS WHOLE BUILD!!!

Ok but how did you do that ab wrap? Is it just foam? How much mobility do you have in it?

I really like the lights you did, I hope to incorporate something like that into my suit! Do you have a link to the ones you bought? Im sure I will come back to this thread as I build my suit and need more question answered. XD

Great write up!

abwrap has been linked into the foam section, lights are included in the parts breakdown with a clickable link

 

[N8TEBB]

Ah thank you very much! Those last two posts hadn't loaded in for me, guess I came a minute too soon! That's a very comprehensive list there! Well done documenting everything! I'm surprised you were able to make the abwrap so quickly! I've been working on mine for a good long while and it's a real pain getting the faux leather to look right. It's coming along, but slowly. Again, great job on your suit! You should be proud

 

[Fallen]

This turned out absolutely amazing! This amount of work in 4 months is incredible. Great work and write-up! This one's going into the inspiration and reference bookmarks.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Ah thank you very much! Those last two posts hadn't loaded in for me, guess I came a minute too soon! That's a very comprehensive list there! Well done documenting everything! I'm surprised you were able to make the abwrap so quickly! I've been working on mine for a good long while and it's a real pain getting the faux leather to look right. It's coming along, but slowly. Again, great job on your suit! You should be proud

Having the urethane rubber pack piece definitely made the abwrap a lot easier to contruct. On the other hand it also made it hotter and heavier so you win some and lose some lol. I still have full flexibility/mobility and can even pick stuff up off the floor and crouch!

 

[MrJamin]

can even pick stuff up off the floor and crouch!

What is this sorcery!


This suit turned out amazing and has really given me some great ideas for my next build. I love the vibrancy of the colors and all of the lights.

I really hope to get to see this in person someday!

 

[tahu505]

I don't really know anything about vocaloids, but I love the colors! That's such a cool look! I also really love the use of the tacpad for the camera and speaker controls.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

I don't really know anything about vocaloids, but I love the colors! That's such a cool look! I also really love the use of the tacpad for the camera and speaker controls.

Behold, nearly 2 hours of Megurine Luka mix just for you! (This is the equivalent of Schankerz linking me a My Name is Byf 4 hour Destiny lore video when I mentioned wanting to try Destiny 2)

 

[tahu505]

Behold, nearly 2 hours of Megurine Luka mix just for you! (This is the equivalent of Schankerz linking me a My Name is Byf 4 hour Destiny lore video when I mentioned wanting to try Destiny 2)

I know exactly which Byf video you're talking about lmao!