My first attempt at Mk VI armor!

[boomshakra]

i always find the boot too big on every build

But the rest look awesome

Thanks - yeah, the boots are usable...but the gap between the toe cap & the rest would look like I have a stretched out slinky connecting them...I don't mind it looking oversized, but that large of a gap doesn't work for me. I am trying to design a combination of foam & elastic to use instead of the drainpipe/plunger that most people have in their builds...not sure if it will be practical, but it is still just a sketch on paper for now. I think it would look more accurate, but it might not be feasable for walking around in.

 

[boomshakra]

Cool - 405th is back on-line!

Sadly, I don't have a whole lot of progress to post...but here is what I have done since last post:

Forearms - 80% done - a bit more spot/sanding work & they will be ready for primer
Calves - see above
Boots - resized, started on bondo. Maybe 30% done
Biceps - LD files resined and have about 40% bondo coverage on left & right - need to sand and bondo the rest. Overall, about 25% complete (before primer)
Thighs - left one is pep'd...will get some resin on it after I post this. Right thigh is a printed out stack of paper
Helmet - I have taken it as far as I can with bondo, as far as getting details done. A little bit of sanding left, followed by the detail pieces being put in place. Will be dropping by the motorcycle shop to source a visor tomorrow. I have a welding visor with gold tint that is cut to size, but want the "double visor" look. The motorcycle visors I do have aren't "gold", but if I could only find a scrap of gold/yellow tint I already have one of them cut for the outer visor. Then it will be primed, LEDs installed, followed by painting and then inside padding.
Cod & chest - I am probably going to use LD files for both and upgrade to HD later.
Handplates - I have some done, but very shabby looking...will probably make a new pair

I had hoped to have it ready by RTX, but since that is only a little over 2 weeks away it probably is not going to happen, barring some miracle...definitely done by my original target date of Xmas, probably late summer. I will have evenings free from family obligations next week...but don't see a frenzy of pep/resin/bondo/sanding/painting happening...can't afford all of the paint, etc. anyways. And then there is getting all wearable (padding/strapping/separating chest into 2 pieces). *sigh*

Off to huff some resin fumes (j/k - I always wear a respirator, goggles & gloves).

 

[boomshakra]

Moving right along. I only have one or two more 'detail' pieces to glue on the helmet. But first, here's the visor I currently have (welding visor w/gold tint):



I have sourced some commercial "gold" tint and it should be here friday, but I couldn't really tell if it will be the right color/reflective enough from the pictures on the web site. If it isn't, i'm not out much $$$.

Detail pieces being glued:





I used some plastic from an old tupperware lid that wasn't too thick. I am going to have to go back with some filler around the edges as I wasn't able to clamp them down well enough.

I started sanding down the biceps/shoulder and noticed the bondo was really "powdery" - it wouldn't smooth out, even after using 220 grit on it. I'm not sure if you can see it in the pictures. I had the same problem with sanding the boots...







I recall that the bondo took a long time to dry/cure, and even then it just didn't seem right. When I went to put some more on the other day, there was liquid visible like it had started to separate. I am not sure if it got contaminated somehow or the awful heat we have had affected it somehow. I'm going to mix the rest into rondo for the inside of the thigh piece I have finished glassing - bought a fresh can yesterday that I haven't opened yet. Here is the glassed left thigh:





Yesterday I tried slipping on all of the leg armor and found my foot doesn't fit through the bottom of the shin, so I rounded it out a bit:



my foot still doesn't fit through, so I am going to have to go with a 'trap door' on the back side like I have done with my forearms. Oh, well...

So that is where it all stands right now. I bought a set of pre-wired LEDs with holders but haven't installed them yet. I did drill pilot holes in the helmet, but haven't gone any further. When I ordered I chose the wrong option for the wire length and as a result will have to splice them to get the LEDs on both sides. Bummer.

Any input on my powdery bondo issue would be appreciated. I do not have my bondo/hardener ratio down to a science (it still begins curing before I am 1/2 way done with the batch), so that might be part of the problem.

I'll post up pictures of the tint when it gets here - would really like to have the dual visor going on, but the more I look at the one I have cut I realized the cut-out is too small, so I'll have to cut another one to get the proportions right. The right thigh is still being cut out and I hope to have it glued and possibly glassed by next weekend. RTX is this weekend so hopefully I'll see some of ya'll there!

 

[boomshakra]

I got the chest glued up:



Started putting resin on it this afternoon, and added some fiberglass to parts of the cod that were bare, along with some spots around the opening of the helmet. I'll be trimming that a little bit to ease putting it on/taking off, but the spots I reinforced were pretty much just paper with some rondo on it...not strong at all.

The chest, biceps & cod are all LD files. I knew going in that the chest was going to need some details added, but I have been watching my Red v Blue dvds (got the 14 disc compilation ) and am stressing about getting some detail on the bicep/shoulder area... I am trying to decide about building up some areas with bondo & then dremel/sanding them for detail or just smoothing the areas out where I want to add details & gluing pieces in, either made from plastic or thicker card stock. I know already that the plastic I used for the details on the helmet doesn't let paint stick to it very well. I am hoping that a couple of layers of primer before the first coat of paint will keep it all looking good. The multiple coats of paint should seal everything in pretty well, right?

There is an armor party this weekend so I'll either be sanding or bondoing...or both

I am almost done with the outer visor, but might have to re-do it as well. The trademarks are showing (3M embossed on the plastic)...i cut the excess visor in the wrong place. I'm going to try to buff them out with a dremel, but have resigned to the fact I'll be cutting another one. Hopefully the tint will go on well since both inner & outer visors are flat. Or I could just save up $60 bucks and buy a couple of gold HJC visors...

 

[Kryios90]

Looks good so far. Can't wait to see the finished product

 

[Halex]

Hey, glad to see you're still at it! As far as the raised details go, for small stuff a piece of mat board works well. I found a large sheet of it at Hobby Lobby for about $7 and that got me through most of the build, even with the sliced M6G and DMR details. It's a nice 1.5mm height that works well for detail layers and can be resined and bondo'd just like the rest of it. If it's detail on a curved face, then I'd lean more towards a 2mm sticky foam template that you can apply bondo into and peel off while it sets, as mat board doesn't bend too well.

Looking great, keep it up!

 

[boomshakra]

Hey, glad to see you're still at it! As far as the raised details go, for small stuff a piece of mat board works well. I found a large sheet of it at Hobby Lobby for about $7 and that got me through most of the build, even with the sliced M6G and DMR details. It's a nice 1.5mm height that works well for detail layers and can be resined and bondo'd just like the rest of it. If it's detail on a curved face, then I'd lean more towards a 2mm sticky foam template that you can apply bondo into and peel off while it sets, as mat board doesn't bend too well.

Looking great, keep it up!

Yeah, I went through a bit of hiatus but have built so much I have to see it through to the end. Of course now impatience is setting in, as well as the reality that even with so much glassed/bondo'd & primered...there is still a lot of sanding, filling and detailing to be done....and I don't even want to think about undersuit, padding, strapping...ug.

Thanks for the tip about the mat board - I was there last weekend looking for some other supplies...and they had krylon italian olive paint on sale . I'll go looking for the board so I'll have it to work with at the armor party. I don't want to be sanding the entire time!

The chest/back is about 40% glassed, mostly on the back & sides. I haven't totally resined the chest since I will probably try to glue in some detail first, but we'll see how it goes. I'm out of resin...again. Good thing payday is friday!

 

[boomshakra]

I'm still glassing the chest - it is just too damn hot in the garage when I get home to do much more than one or two batches of resin and when it does cool off it is usually family time... It is becoming apparent that I am going to need to cut the ab section as a separate piece - I wasn't paying attention and when the resin/fiberglass cured it did so slightly inwards. I am just not that skinny and it wouldn't look right anyways to leave it as-is.

But, while the fiberglass is curing, I also have this to work on



It is one of Justinian's B-pulls - it has a few weak spots that will need to be attended to, but I am digging it. I am REALLY looking forward to getting it put together.

More to come!

 

[Frozensnot]

You're having better progress than me, glad your still making armor. I'm sure your MA5B rifle will come out great. I was thinking about getting one too. On post number 83 you mentioned that there was liquid with your bondo. It possibly could be the resin that is separating from the bondo. I had that trouble a while back and I thought my bondo had gone bad. Turns out you just need to stir it back up.

Give us some more updates soon.

 

[boomshakra]

Nothing new to report...still hot, too busy over the weekend to get anything done...and now I own an Xbox 360 and am actually playing Halo, so NOTHING is getting done tonight

 

[shotgun rumble]

Power to you man! Looking good sofar, can't wait to see the finished product

 

[Revo1]

Very meticulous, looking good!

 

[boomshakra]

Sorry for the lack of updates...keep getting distracted by side projects:





But progress is being made:









A little paint on the bucket:



And here we are (holding visor in place), you can't really see the black, but it all got painted today. I still need the rebreather tubes, but the lights are in!



There is a lot of sanding and detailing going on at a very slow pace - trying different ideas/materials to make the armor "pop", such as the "Magnum holders" on the thighs, "shin guard" on the shins...various tabs/panels/plates that were either missing from the files I used or I just screwed up during the build and now have to disguise

More to come - hoping for a busy Labor Day!

 

[BlueMatter]

Just wanted to make a reply to the whole Bondo looking like it was starting to separate...since I didn't really see a reply to it yet...

Don't worry when it does that...just stir it back up and it will be fine. Bondo does that when it sits for awhile, not because it's contaminated.

 

[Halex]

Glad to see an update from you, and that helmet is looking great!

 

[sarlume]

So preeeetty... That paint job is rather snazzy!

 

[firefighter72]

o my gosh im just blown away im a noob and this just blows me a way and i love the energy sword my fav weapon in the game i can wait 2 see it finished and did u make the storm trooper helmet or buy it

 

[boomshakra]

So preeeetty... That paint job is rather snazzy!

I am looking forward to doing some dry brushing & black washing to get it a bit more realistic-looking - thanks for the compliment

o my gosh im just blown away im a noob and this just blows me a way and i love the energy sword my fav weapon in the game i can wait 2 see it finished and did u make the storm trooper helmet or buy it

Thanks - The TK helmet came with the rest of the armor I put together and was already assembled

Just wanted to make a reply to the whole Bondo looking like it was starting to separate...since I didn't really see a reply to it yet...

Don't worry when it does that...just stir it back up and it will be fine. Bondo does that when it sits for awhile, not because it's contaminated.

Thanks for the reply - I just need to be using bondo more often (read: working on my build) to keep it from separating!

Glad to see an update from you, and that helmet is looking great!

Thank you - it isn't mold-worthy, but I am pleased with my first (actually 3rd, if you count the mis-sized ones...) effort. I am hoping to be done no later than the last week of October, but have a firm, no-excuses finish-the-damn-thing-already date of November 22 - Wizard World Austin!

 

[Frozensnot]

Being distracted by other projects? At least you can maintain several projects at once, haha. Even if you are getting distracted, you are still doing a good job on each of your builds.

Keep us posted!

 

[boomshakra]

Being distracted by other projects? At least you can maintain several projects at once, haha. Even if you are getting distracted, you are still doing a good job on each of your builds.

Keep us posted!

Thanks - it is a little juggling and I REALLY should be focusing on finishing my Spartan...but when I'm waiting for bondo/paint/resin to set/dry or it is too humid to use any of the above I like to keep busy. You may have noticed the Jorge helmet above...he is next on the list and I will do his armor in foam (helmet aside). A squad mate wants to assemble the entire Noble team in time for All-Con in March...hopefully that will progress quicker than this build has gone!

Today I got the Energy Sword filled with creamy Rondo goodness, found an old vacuum hose to make respirators (and installed them) and got some voids filled on the chest & cod, so now they need to be sanded. Not quite everything I wanted to get done today, but a good step forward.

Thanks for looking - stay tuned!