Mk Vi W.i.p

[j0ker2k]

Been kind of just hanging around and reading every tutorial I could get my hands on for awhile now and after starting a build I figured I would share my progress ect with you guys. The model I used is one of Robogenesis's pep files I got from the Halo wiki. It is not the HD version.



Here it is completed in the raw paper form.

And here is where I am at this point. First primer coat before sanding everything down again and fixing any small problems I come across.

Used 3 coats of resin on the outside. Then Bondo.

Used a product called Alumilite Regular on the inside, which is basically the same stuff as smooth cast except it cost a few dollars more. The only reason I used it instead of smooth cast is because I can pick it up at the local hobby shop, which saves me time.

And for those that have not really worked with Body Filler or Bondo the most important tool that you will want to have is a rasp. It looks like a cheese grader and will save you time when sanding and shaping.



Any tips or questions are welcome.

 

[Robbymrodriguez]

Very clean dude. Nice work!

 

[bobvdijk]

very nice work dude,

specially cuz it is your first build

 

[Tikigod002]

very smooth. I'm a little jealous; my bondo smoothing hasn't gone over that well yet.

 

[Sidewalker4961]

I'm going to have to try a helmet now too. That looks great! Nice crisp lines.

 

[j0ker2k]

Just a small update to add. Got the left bicep, forearm, and thigh pep'ed and ready for resin.







Dont have a picture of the thigh yet and the bicep is just a little bit to flimsy to handle and resin without some support which I have yet to do.



Also here is a pic of what the inside looks like with the Alumilite.

As long as long as it does not rain this weekend I should be able to paint the helmet and get the visor installed.

 

[GiR3892]

Wow very nice work so far welcome to the 405th

 

[j0ker2k]

Ok so i was able to paint a little this weekend and here are the results.

Color used was Italian Olive Satin. Don't really like this color as it looks to dark to me. Also as you can see the visor isnt in along with the vents or LED's. This is probably as far as I will go with this helm as I do not plan to actually use it. Iv already started building the HD model by FLYINGSQUIRL and it should be totaly pepped by the 5th of this month.



Freshly painted

After black wash and battle damage added.

Sorry for the quality of the pictures it was 5 in the morning and I was a little tired.

 

[Overlord Ian]

Very smooth!!! Great work!

 

[AssassinGT]

That looks outstanding!

 

[halodude164]

it's looking pretty hot. but have you used the flat primer black to to the low lights? cuz i can't see them. but that's a perfect green and nice battle damag. are u sure this is your first build?



i highlighted a place that you shuld make flat black too. that would really set it off

just add it there and that little thing to the right of it too

 

[j0ker2k]

Thanks for the comments. Yea believe it or not that is the first piece that I attempted. The part that you highlighted there was suppose to get painted black along with the piece directly in front of it. Those pictures don't really do it justice as it’s hard to see some of the detail and color but I took them with my phone and am surprised they turned out that good.



I was thinking of going with American Accents Oregano and see what that looked liked on this next helmet but who knows. Either way the helmet in those pictures will probably never see a visor or get anything else done to it. Yay for getting hooked on the HD pieces.

 

[Farris]

Very nice. I was looking at doing alumilite myself, but a friend of mine told me it would be too brittle. Did you find this to be the case at all? Would the piece survive a drop?

 

[j0ker2k]

Very nice. I was looking at doing alumilite myself, but a friend of mine told me it would be too brittle. Did you find this to be the case at all? Would the piece survive a drop?

Well its basicly the same stuff as smooth cast 300 as far as i can tell so depending on how thick your application is you could throw it down and it would bounce like a motorcycle helmet.



Of course if have put any resin or body filler on your piece I wouldnt recommend doing that as those materials will either chip off or shatter.



I think I ended up pouring a total of about 5-6 ounces in 1 ounce at a time so I can (and have) squeezed on the sides of that helmet as hard as i could and it barely flexed at all.

 

[j0ker2k]

Ok got a small update to add I suppose. As stated in my last update I have decided to stop work on the medium helmet and go right for the SF HD version. So without further delay here it is.



Got it pepped, resined, and the inside coated with the Alumilite.

Also went ahead and cut out the detail pieces. Decided to use the Foamies for now but not sure if I will stick with these or use a diff. material.

They are just sitting on there so I could see how they looked. I think they turned out pretty good, im just not sure how well that stuff holds up over time as I have never used that product before.

Overall this helmet turned out 100 times better then my other one. So well in fact im thinking about actually molding it.



On another note I pepped a tester chest piece before I actually start to build that monster and kind of messed the scale up on it just a tad. But at least now my 5-year-old niece has a nice, perfectly fitting chest piece to play with.

 

[HaloGoddess]

It's definitely looking good. The foamies seem to work for the detail under the visor. If you decided not to use the foamies, I have a suggestion.



There is a clay called Sculpy clay. It can be picked up at a craft store and you can get a good amount of it for $10. What you can do is break off some of the clay and then make a nice flat piece. Make it the thickness you want for the detail under the visor. You could use your foamies as a guide. Then place one foamie piece on top of the clay and you can use an exacto knife to trace around the foamie into the clay. Do this for all the rest of the pieces. *NOTE: You don't have to have the clay edges completely perfect right yet.* Now, you bake the pieces in your oven! You should also keep an eye on them to make sure they don't start to turn brown. After they bake, about 10-15 min since you might have the pieces pretty thin, let them cool down for about 20 min. Once they are cooled and hardened, you can use some sandpaper and start making the pieces smooth if need be and start cleaning up the edges. After you do all that, PAINT! You would probably want to stick them on after the helmet is pretty much finished. You can glue on the details using a glue that is like a bead and glass glue, also found at the craft store. This should hold up pretty well.



I use this clay A LOT and have made many sculptures with it. The stuff is very good to use for small detail.

 

[j0ker2k]

Thanks for the tip. I would have never thought of that. I would much rather use that stuff then the foamies as it does sound like it would be much sturdier and hold up a whole lot better then the foam. That and the shape and can be more fine tuned.

 

[j0ker2k]

Alrighty other then a few minor details like LED's and cutting out the other visor for the duel-layered look this helmet is finished.

This was scaled at 26.5 cm. I’m about 6'3" and it fits like a glove.



Went to Wal-Mart and picked up a foam mattress topper, cut it up and used it for my padding. Worked like a charm and feels really good.

I covered the top of the stand the helmet is on with a bit of cling wrap just to keep the inside from getting messed up so the visor looks a bit scratched up. Dirty yes but not scratched.

Next up the chest piece. After that it’s all downhill.

 

[Macattack64]

Excelent work, very nice helmet.

 

[j0ker2k]

Finally got the Chest piece done and ready for some bondo this week. Fits perfect.

And why im thinking about it how have some of you attached your ab plate? I myself used a piece of strapping on the back so that it looks snug but is still able to move independently from the chest piece itself allowing for a bit more mobility.