NEED HELP BEGINNING!!

[Holy Sp4rt4n]

I am very new to the idea of actually making one of these suits, as oppose to just admiring the ultimate skill of those who have made them. I have read all of the tuts, and I would like to know which option would be the best: Pepakura or Cardboard? I have considered the Pepakura, and I like the idea, but I was unsure as to how to put together the cardstock (I know about the progs, but making the piece the right shape.) and maintain proper shape. (I know, no flames please! ). I have also read that if you are just a newb, the cardboard is better, but that a very well done Pepakura is a masterpiece. I would merely like some advice about what I should do. And yes, I am as young as you think, 14, but I have absolute dedication to this hobby, and I have had a deal of experience doing most of the skills required to follow through with this project. Thank you for any advice.

P.S. I could not aspire to be as great as you lot, but I can try.

 

[Fuffuloo]

Hmmm...
I havent made a suit yet but I have read everything about how to make them, and I think I have a good understanding of how it works. Now I am a newb too and, like I said, I havent made a suit yet, so don't pick my opinion over a pro's. It seems lide Pepakura is a lot more time consuming and harder to do well but It turns out looking great. Cardboard, while easier and less time consuming, doesent seem to always look as authentic as the pepakura. If you just want something cool to wear around, I suggest cardboard. But if you're deticated and want an official Mjolnir armor suit, do pepakura. I, personally, am doing pepakura, just because I am not creative enough to get cardboard to look real. But, I've seen some people's cardboard end up looking way cooler than some people's pepakura. Plus, with cardboard, you aren't limited to just the pepakura files; you can make anything you want! I guess it all depends on your personal preference.

 

[Silverzippo93]

Use Pepakura for accuracy. If you get all the pieces right, it turns out in the end.

If you don't want to mess with too much bondo and detailing, use cardboard.

 

[Holy Sp4rt4n]

I also have another question, is there a safer alternative to bondo and fiber glass? I am all for using them myself, but I think my dad is leaning against it. He is one of those guys who has inhaled, worked with and used all of the most carcenogenic building stuff, and he says this stuff is not worth messing with, any suggestions?

 

[sybrfreq]

yes id say go with the pepakura as well.

fiberglass is recommended for strength. make sure that you wear safety *goggles* and a proper dust mask when fiberglassing and at least the dust mask when sanding. if your father is so concerned, why not convince him to help you?

if your only 14 you might want to scale up a bit... lol

 

[imMonkeyGOD]

I'd do pepakura, its more precise and much less of a messy work.

Don't worry, the helmet will come out great as long as just put the flaps where there suppose to and it will do they work for you...not literally

 

[feigned echo]

Use Pepakura for accuracy. If you get all the pieces right, it turns out in the end.

If you don't want to mess with too much bondo and detailing, use cardboard.

i found an awesome way to detail w/o bondo actually, cardboard cutouts, using the scaling thread pics as templates.
(credit for my knowing this idea goes to mackattack)

 

[feigned echo]

I also have another question, is there a safer alternative to bondo and fiber glass? I am all for using them myself, but I think my dad is leaning against it. He is one of those guys who has inhaled, worked with and used all of the most carcenogenic building stuff, and he says this stuff is not worth messing with, any suggestions?

yeah, you can use muslin cloth, just search muslin, and you'll find it, but as far as resin goes i'm not sure there's anything else you can do, but keep asking around.

 

[Boomer]

The route you choose (pep and fiberglass or cardboard and filler) is going to be greatly influenced by your budget. Since you're 14, you're still in school and probably don't have a job - so you're going to be relying on the good graces of your dad when it comes to purchasing supplies (unless you're rich, haha). Do be aware that a really nice fiberglassed suit can be expensive to produce if you don't already have all the required tools lying around the house. I didn't have everything I needed, and I've racked up quite the bill for my pep project - though I'm 32 and have a higher disposable income than you. I'm guessing I've spent somewhere in the vicinity of $350 so far, and I still have stuff to get before I'm finished. Granted, I'm doing things like the double gold visor, LED lights, motorcycle helmet lining, fairly detailed under-armor, and the like, but the point is that the purchases can pile up on you. So, determine your operating budget first. It'll be no fun if you get the helmet, the feet, and one bicep...and your dad says "No more!"

Now, if you've got your heart set on a pep suit, try this tactic: get your dad involved immediately. Particularly if he's hesitant about the fiberglass part. Treat it like a unique father/son experience, and ask him to teach you how to do some of the construction tasks. Fathers can't help it when their teenage kids ask them something like that. Or say it could be fun if you both spent some time figuring it out together. I suppose you could drop a "we don't do anything together anymore," but that might be overdoing it. In any event, the point is that he'll likely be contributing financially to your project, and he'll be more apt to pony up for supplies as you go if he's been contributing his time and effort (I know I would).

If you have to go the cardboard route, you can do it pretty cheaply and avoid the fun part of sanding fiberglass. Here's a link to somebody who did it for under $30 (supposedly).

Good luck!

 

[Holy Sp4rt4n]

Thanks for the advice Boomer, but my dad would see right through that. He might buy it for like, 10 seconds and then say "Get away from me boy, you bother me." Which doesn't really make sense in retrospect, I have always loved building things, and so has he. When I was 5 I got my first K'Nex set, and I built the biggest design the web had to offer. It was about a 7 foot tall cycling roller coaster, and it was magical. I even tried to get some muslin cloth like my other thread, but still, the answer was dead no. So the line "we don't do anything together anymore" isn't that far off. He has stopped me from doing alot of things under the banner "Protecting Me", but sometimes I wonder.

 

[Stealthkiller24]

Use peperakura its easier then plastic armor and much quicker im almost done with my first master chief armor and i should be done in a couple days.