My first ODST Build

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KIsmay

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I'm working on an ODST build. I'm starting from the patterns and tutorials provided by Andrew DFT https://www.youtube.com/user/DaFrontlineTrooper

So far I've got the helmet and torso done:

IMG_20161001_221619.jpgIMG_20161001_221632.jpgHelmet.jpg

Build update - chest plate done. I've got some blue LED's pushed in between the layers. Looks cool, but I'm not sure if ODST armour lights up, does anyone know of 'official' reference images?
IMG_20161007_110739.jpg

Lessons learned so far:
- Use a sharp blade. Really!
- Press the knife right through the foam and hold firmly as you cut
- I prefer contact cement, but use hot glue to fill gaps or build up a piece.
- I like to transfer my templates to heavy card. I use a glue stick and recycled cereal boxes. (I plan to make two suits)
- A4 pages don't fit on letter size paper. Legal size paper works though!

IMG_20161001_221619.jpg


IMG_20161001_221632.jpg


Helmet.jpg


IMG_20161007_112458.jpg


IMG_20161007_110739.jpg
 
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Looking Great so far!!! I'll be looking out for this, and Andrew is a great guy he helped me significantly when I was doing my ODST build. Keep up the awesome work!:thumbsup
 
Build update:
I've got my shoulders complete, I just need to do some more detail and glue them together. Is there a benefit to hinging the shoulders at all, or is it fine as a fixed piece?

My son has his torso and helmet started too!

I will add photos in a bit.
 
Great work! Nice and clean. One thing I do with Andrews templates is when he cuts his foam in half, I just use 5mm foam from the craft store. It's roughly half Of the width of an eva foam sheet, so I don't have to worry if I'm cutting it directly in half.
 
Photo updates:
- Shoulder parts completed (not yet glued together)
- Second torso and helmet started for my son (who's 13). He's doing a fair amount of the work himself.
shoulders.jpgtwo-helmets.jpg
 

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Completed so far: Both helmets, torso, and chest plates. One each set of shoulders and thigh guards.
The shoulders and one helmet were painted black. I used modge-podge over the shoulders first, but painted the helmet directly after testing the paint was EVA safe.
IMG_20161025_065121.jpg
My son took the set as it is to a costume party tonight:
IMG_20161025_171339.jpg

Lessons Learned:
- For a bevel cut on foam, start with a brand new blade, which will get dull quickly! Or use a hack saw blade...
- The adhesive on self-adhesive velcro from the dollar store has a weaker bond than the velcro, and will pull right off of the foam. Glue it down with hot glue or contact cement.

That's it so far!
 
Completed so far: Both helmets, torso, and chest plates. One each set of shoulders and thigh guards.
The shoulders and one helmet were painted black. I used modge-podge over the shoulders first, but painted the helmet directly after testing the paint was EVA safe.
View attachment 32843
My son took the set as it is to a costume party tonight:
View attachment 32842

Lessons Learned:
- For a bevel cut on foam, start with a brand new blade, which will get dull quickly! Or use a hack saw blade...
- The adhesive on self-adhesive velcro from the dollar store has a weaker bond than the velcro, and will pull right off of the foam. Glue it down with hot glue or contact cement.

That's it so far!


Not sure about the hack saw blade technique, but I agree about the fresh blade dulling very quick. You could also try getting a blade sharpener. I started using my mother old........really old.......1970's style blade sharpener.....still works like a charm. I've used it on box cutting blades as well as exact-o knife blades and it does the trick. Save on the cost of new blades. Most supper markets now carry these for about 8-9 buck. I wouldn't try a sharpening stone.......won't give you the keen edge you need. Great work though. Looks FANTASTIC.
 
Looking great and by the list of completed parts it looks like you're on the home stretch for both suits, well done!

For a bevel cut on foam, start with a brand new blade, which will get dull quickly! Or use a hack saw blade...

Not sure if joking about the hack saw blade. I've seen some pretty rough edges from beveling that look like they've been attacked with a saw, I never thought of using one for armour detailing though. Are you using a mitre box or something similar?
 
Looking great and by the list of completed parts it looks like you're on the home stretch for both suits, well done!



Not sure if joking about the hack saw blade. I've seen some pretty rough edges from beveling that look like they've been attacked with a saw, I never thought of using one for armour detailing though. Are you using a mitre box or something similar?

maybe what was meant is like a bandsaw blade? hack saw is a totally different animal with really wide teeth and more geared for metal cutting than foam...

either way i think fresh blades will go a long way to help with the edges being sharper.
 
maybe what was meant is like a bandsaw blade? hack saw is a totally different animal with really wide teeth and more geared for metal cutting than foam...

either way i think fresh blades will go a long way to help with the edges being sharper.

Yeah, even at 32TPI a hacksaw blade can be pretty rough. I mean with sanding it'll do the job but the ripping just gives me the shivers.
 
Yeah, even at 32TPI a hacksaw blade can be pretty rough. I mean with sanding it'll do the job but the ripping just gives me the shivers.

True story! I have seen some nice band-saw cuts on the thicker foam for bevels but you have to still clean them up with a dremel or go over them with a hot knife in my opinion.
 
Not sure about the hack saw blade technique, but I agree about the fresh blade dulling very quick. You could also try getting a blade sharpener. I started using my mother old........really old.......1970's style blade sharpener.....still works like a charm. I've used it on box cutting blades as well as exact-o knife blades and it does the trick. Save on the cost of new blades. Most supper markets now carry these for about 8-9 buck. I wouldn't try a sharpening stone.......won't give you the keen edge you need. Great work though. Looks FANTASTIC.

The hacksaw works as well as a dull blade (used a couple times for beveling work). My dremel with the fibrglass cut-off wheel does really smooth cuts, however it has control issues. ;-)
Here's a sample:
saw-vs-knife.jpg

I might try my mitre box next time, if the piece will fit. I think its only 3-4 inches wide. It's a good idea worth trying.
 
One more thing, I had to make a few repairs to the suit when it came back from the party. Couple things to learn from:
- Don't glue to a painted surface, I glued some velcro over paint and it pulled off eventually.
- I had one seam pop open on the back. Re-glued with both generous amounts of contact cement with a bead of hot glue along the edge for good measure.
- Hot glue isn't quite strong enough to join webbing, had one webbing loop for the thigh pop open. I'll be backing it up with a few stitches

Other than that, a few people thought it was either an Iron Man suit, or a Transformer :confused at first. But then his gamer friends showed up and recognized it for Halo armor. :)
 
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