Muttvader's ODST build.

[Muttvader]

Hello all, I am assuming this is the right place for this post since I am new to the forums. If it is not, please point me in the right direction haha. So I have decided to go down the journey of jumping feet first into an ODST build and wanted to share the process of what I had to hopefully inspire other builders. To give a brief introduction, I have been around the costuming scene for a couple of years making a few random costumes here and there for myself. With each costume I've tried to learn a different skill to bring into the next build. This build will definitely be an exercise in 3d printing. Like a couple of others on the site I have downloaded the free files graciously provided by moesizzlac (Which I would highly recommend to anyone making this costume) and decided to start with the helmet. I consider the helmet one of the center pieces, and if the helmet doesnt look right or looks off the rest of the costume looks off, so I tried to pay extra detail to the little things.

I had to split the helmet in half to make the print as efficient as possible, and then superglued the halves together (I have found super glue to be one of the stronger bonds for PLA adhesion). After some sanding, filler primer and more sanding, I got the base layer to look pretty good.

I debated on whether to use a gunmetal for the base or a dark gray, and ended up settling on a Slate gray to help make the metal weathering "pop"

Once the base colors were set (Black and Slate, super complicated haha) , I decided to go with a generic/Rookie style paint scheme with the white Stripes.

I actually have the helmet completely finished now, but dont have any good photo's handy to upload. Once I get some acceptable ones I will post them for reference.


On a side note, for any ODST's out there, what kind of rigging/harness system do you use for your armor? I have seen a couple of great references on the site, including the awesome breakdown of the Landfall ODST armor. I was just curious if people had specific preferences (i.e. using found parts like plate carriers, or making their harness systems from scratch)

 

[tkraptor]

That's a sweet paint job bud! Looking really sharp.

 

[Muttvader]

That's a sweet paint job bud! Looking really sharp.

Thanks tkraptor, painting is by far my favorite part. What really changed my painting game was lots of "layers". Washes and highlights give those small color changes that arent always noticed but they really give something depth .

 

[ODST Emory]

That's an amazing helmet! Very impressive piece, and one you should be proud of!

 

[Rhet]

Oh wow, that paint job is awesome! The weathered details definitely add that bit of flair to it, job very well done

 

[Muttvader]

Here are some photos of the actual finished helmet (paint job wise). I havent installed any padding, but I will take care of that at the end of the build. The visor is an @JohnsonArmsProps with a light blue tint to it (its difficult to see because my lighting in the picture isn't the best) and it really added to the traditional look of an ODST . Well worth the money for anyone trying to find a visor!

The colors I used were pretty basic for rattle cans I used Rustoleum Ultra Matte Slate gray and Rustoleum white for the striping. The ODST orange stencil was airbrushed using thinned out apple barrel craft paint (pumpkin orange mixed with some canary yellow for the orage and regular black for the drop pod silhouette).

 

[Muttvader]

Not to give the illusion of super fast progress, but I have recently started to work on the gauntlets. After my 3d printer had been tirelessly working to crank out the armor pieces, I decided the gauntlets needed a couple of greebles on them to more accurately match the in game reference photos. Originally I was going to find a binding strap to use for this, but didn't like the sizing options or the buckles since they didn't really match the photos. I also had to make a gauntlet "seam" to give the illusion the 2 halves separate as well as a ring around the wrist area. I wipped up some makeshift 3d models from weird items like scifi model doors, ladders, and window shutters to give me the arrow detail on one side and the latching mechanism on the other. All and all they turned out much better than I expected!

I should have these riveted and painted over the weekend.

 

[Mechace13]

Hello all, I am assuming this is the right place for this post since I am new to the forums. If it is not, please point me in the right direction haha. So I have decided to go down the journey of jumping feet first into an ODST build and wanted to share the process of what I had to hopefully inspire other builders. To give a brief introduction, I have been around the costuming scene for a couple of years making a few random costumes here and there for myself. With each costume I've tried to learn a different skill to bring into the next build. This build will definitely be an exercise in 3d printing. Like a couple of others on the site I have downloaded the free files graciously provided by moesizzlac (Which I would highly recommend to anyone making this costume) and decided to start with the helmet. I consider the helmet one of the center pieces, and if the helmet doesnt look right or looks off the rest of the costume looks off, so I tried to pay extra detail to the little things.
View attachment 307289I had to split the helmet in half to make the print as efficient as possible, and then superglued the halves together (I have found super glue to be one of the stronger bonds for PLA adhesion). After some sanding, filler primer and more sanding, I got the base layer to look pretty good.View attachment 307290

I debated on whether to use a gunmetal for the base or a dark gray, and ended up settling on a Slate gray to help make the metal weathering "pop"

View attachment 307291
Once the base colors were set (Black and Slate, super complicated haha) , I decided to go with a generic/Rookie style paint scheme with the white Stripes.
View attachment 307292View attachment 307293I actually have the helmet completely finished now, but dont have any good photo's handy to upload. Once I get some acceptable ones I will post them for reference.


On a side note, for any ODST's out there, what kind of rigging/harness system do you use for your armor? I have seen a couple of great references on the site, including the awesome breakdown of the Landfall ODST armor. I was just curious if people had specific preferences (i.e. using found parts like plate carriers, or making their harness systems from scratch)

it's better then my first 2 eva foam helmets

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Hello all, I am assuming this is the right place for this post since I am new to the forums. If it is not, please point me in the right direction haha. So I have decided to go down the journey of jumping feet first into an ODST build and wanted to share the process of what I had to hopefully inspire other builders. To give a brief introduction, I have been around the costuming scene for a couple of years making a few random costumes here and there for myself. With each costume I've tried to learn a different skill to bring into the next build. This build will definitely be an exercise in 3d printing. Like a couple of others on the site I have downloaded the free files graciously provided by moesizzlac (Which I would highly recommend to anyone making this costume) and decided to start with the helmet. I consider the helmet one of the center pieces, and if the helmet doesnt look right or looks off the rest of the costume looks off, so I tried to pay extra detail to the little things.
I had to split the helmet in half to make the print as efficient as possible, and then superglued the halves together (I have found super glue to be one of the stronger bonds for PLA adhesion). After some sanding, filler primer and more sanding, I got the base layer to look pretty good.

I debated on whether to use a gunmetal for the base or a dark gray, and ended up settling on a Slate gray to help make the metal weathering "pop"


Once the base colors were set (Black and Slate, super complicated haha) , I decided to go with a generic/Rookie style paint scheme with the white Stripes.
I actually have the helmet completely finished now, but dont have any good photo's handy to upload. Once I get some acceptable ones I will post them for reference.


On a side note, for any ODST's out there, what kind of rigging/harness system do you use for your armor? I have seen a couple of great references on the site, including the awesome breakdown of the Landfall ODST armor. I was just curious if people had specific preferences (i.e. using found parts like plate carriers, or making their harness systems from scratch)

now that is a SMOOTH bucket!!
My ODST is pretty barebones so nearly everything is foam with parachute clips holding it up
To help "futureproof" it I'd recommend creating your own harness to rig everything to (There's a great guide using myself as the reference in the tutorials section).

 

[Muttvader]

now that is a SMOOTH bucket!!
My ODST is pretty barebones so nearly everything is foam with parachute clips holding it up
To help "futureproof" it I'd recommend creating your own harness to rig everything to (There's a great guide using myself as the reference in the tutorials section).

Rock Lobbster thank you! I have been looking for something like that! I have been trying to figure out how I wanted to strap things together and kept coming up with dead ends on how I wanted to put the suit together. I was going to start asking around if anyone had any Sean Bradley kit instructions since I have seen some of his suits in person and they always look great. I will check out the tutorials area to try and find it.

 

[Rock Lobbster]

Rock Lobbster thank you! I have been looking for something like that! I have been trying to figure out how I wanted to strap things together and kept coming up with dead ends on how I wanted to put the suit together. I was going to start asking around if anyone had any Sean Bradley kit instructions since I have seen some of his suits in person and they always look great. I will check out the tutorials area to try and find it

I definitely learned that the hard way after making hot glue sandwich strapping on the ODST. The harness system also really helps distribute the weight!

 

[Muttvader]

Update from the weekend: I have the gauntles almost finished, with the last 2 things being silver paint scuffing and some final dirt/grime and I also finished up an M6C/SOCOM pistol that I already had printed up from thingiverse. For those of you interested in the pistol STL file, it was made by a fellow who goes by the name of OddWorks. His models are SUPER intricate (I also have his Halo Reach DMR printed and painted I will post at some point) and can be a little time consuming to print because of all of the different pieces involved, but they are VERY well done and give an awesome finished product.

For the camo pattern on the gauntlets I ended up going with a "geometric urban" that was achieved by cutting up a bunch of small pieces of painters tape and layering them on one another in between coats of paint. It is basically just a bunch of straight edges at a bunch of different angles. I picked this style of pattern because I will have a digital camo undersuit, so I thought the geometric style pattern would add an interesting contrast to the build.

I started with the darkest color first (black) then add tape, then a dark gray (add more tape), then medium gray (more tape, you get the idea) and then finished with a light gray. This was the end result.

After I cleaned up some of the paint edges, I darkened the color scheme with a dark gray wash and added the "U turn", serial number and unknown circle emblem on the gauntlets. The serial number I just made up and the circle emblem was made in Inkscape and then printed as a stencil so I could paint it. Compared to in game references I made the serial number and "U Turn" symbol way to big, but it still got the point across.

I will put the final weathering touches on them when I have the rest of the suit put together to keep things looking uniform.

 

[Muttvader]

Here are some pictures of the suppressed pistol, This thing was so cool to print. The files actually included detailed insides and a working trigger mechanism and removable magazine. I really only wanted the removable magazine so I glued the trigger into place before assembling and priming everything.

I kept things pretty basic for the paint on this. I imagined this would be a "polymer framed" pistol, so the color scheme I used was a metallic black mixture on all of the metal parts and a flat black on the handle with bright red accents. The metallic black was obtained by mixing glossy black paint, flat white paint and then a bright silver paint. This just gave a slight metallic look that I thought fit a little better than just using a gunmetal color. I then used a heavy body "Rich Silver" and dry brushed the areas I thought would get the most wear and tear.

 

[S225]

Absolutely going to go look for that pistol later, awesome job!

 

[Rock Lobbster]

I'm still blown away by how smooth your props and armor look. You've done an incredible job sanding them!

 

[MrJamin]

I'm still blown away by how smooth your props and armor look. You've done an incredible job sanding them!

100% agree - fully knowing how much effort goes into sanding - these are absolutely stellar!

 

[indigoD0g]

The way you did that painter’s tape for camo is something I’ve never seen before! You are so incredibly skilled and every piece you have here is really sharp. I hope to see it in real life someday!

 

[Muttvader]

The way you did that painter’s tape for camo is something I’ve never seen before! You are so incredibly skilled and every piece you have here is really sharp. I hope to see it in real life someday!

Thank you for the kind words. I haven't done camo patterns before so I was super nervous since I knew I would only get one shot to get it right if I didn't want to redo the whole thing. Sometimes you just have to do it and see if it works out haha.

 

[indigoD0g]

Thank you for the kind words. I haven't done camo patterns before so I was super nervous since I knew I would only get one shot to get it right if I didn't want to redo the whole thing. Sometimes you just have to do it and see if it works out haha.

I’ve never seen it done that way before! Awesome technique. Sometimes you just have to trust yourself and go from there!

 

[Muttvader]

Got a little more done over the weekend. This weekend I painted up the shoulders and chest. I decided to put some Reach style accents on them, so I added the red bars as well as black triangles on both the chest and shoulders as well as the stenciled vs regular font for the UNSC on the bottom. Again, I think I went a little big on everything so if I had to do it again I would make them slightly smaller, but justified it by saying it would stand out more in pictures. These pieces are still "clean" with the exception of the masking fluid I used to add the small chipping on the paint. I still have to black wash them, possibly do a little shading and then add the metal scratches when I actually get everything together.

I ended up making a different MED REF decal that would fit appropriately on the shoulder, and printed out a stencil with a Cricut to paint it on.

Then, for the chest piece I ended up going with a lighter gray center stripe to coincide with the white stripe on the helmet. To tie in the helmet and chest piece I also painted on another orange ODST logo to make everything pop.

Once I black wash everything, that should subdue the colors a little bit and help them blend more. I am probably doing this backwards since I don't have a harness system put together, so I am anticipating touching up some areas once I have the attachment methods put into place, but outside of that im slowly moving along .

On a side note, is there any official "number" that you are assigned here once you get a costume finished? Like a designated service number? I don't really have a call sign, and I am trying to come up with something to put in the name plate area. Anyone have any suggestions on this?