Nesbitt101 and his Custom Spartan III Armour

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Started to rondo some pieces today. Don't know if I'm using to much, my bondo tub was empty after a helmet, two thighs, two shins and an upper arm piece (default, not CQC).

I've also got a problem with my helmet. Because the Operator helmet has the two indents on either side, even though it seems to be scaled right, it was snug when it was just cardstock. Now with a load of rondo on the inside, my head doesn't fit. I'll probably just sand the crap out of it so it fits again, unless someone else has any ideas. Now run in fear as I show you with my horrific paint skills!

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I'm building the armour that my in-game Spartan Noble 6 wears. Since everyone else is doing it, here's a picture of my armour from Vanity [great program :D] The visor should be blue and the helmet will have the NVGs and CNM attachment.
Vanity.png

Here's the variable parts list any way. I'll try to include modelers and unfolders. [modeler; unfolder]
All unmentioned parts are from the complete Noble 6 package on the 1st page of the Official Halo Reach Pepakura Thread [rundown; Brandon McClain]
Helm; Operator with CNM attachment [aktaylorh; Zat German] (scratch building NVGs and CNM)
Chest; Assault/Commando [carpathiavh99; carpathiavh99]
Upper Arms (both); CQC [MissingSpartan7; MissingSpartan7]
Wrist; Tactical/Tacpad [Rhinoc; Halogoddess]
Utility; Tactical/Soft Case (not peping this, have bought a bag)
Thighs; [Forgedreclaimer; Brandon McClain]
Knee Pads; FJ/Para
Boot Toes; [AceNat; AceNat]
Boot Heels; [Ruze789; carpathiavh99]

Three things I'm going to do differently to everyone else (I think) is
1. I'm going to try to keep a fairly accurate account of all the money I've spent on this project and where I sourced all the materials.
2. I'm going to have a tips and tricks section detailing little things I've learned over the course of my "adventure". You'll probably find these sort of things in other threads, but this will be all stuff that I've learned and/or found useful.
3. I'm going to keep a "guesstimated" record of the length of time it takes to prepare each piece in each stage, so future n00bs will know how time intensive this hobby is.

Expenses.
This list is to let all the future n00bs know what they're getting into.
Originally from Ireland, I'm currently on a J1 to the States, so I have absolutely nothing to assist me with this build, so this list is going to be very extensive. Most people won't have to buy the likes of rulers and pay for printing, but I do. :( All prices in dollars.

Ruler
3 Walmart (W)​
X-acto knife
2.47 W​
Another X-acto knife
3.50 W​
X-acto blades
1.94 W​
More X-acto blades
1.97 W​
Cardstock (50 pages, multiple colours, 110 lb)
5.24 W​
More Cardstock (150 pages, white, 110 lb)
5.48 W (Why didn't I buy this the first time around? :( Stupid learning curve)​
Lots of Super glue
17.62 W​
Table Cloth
0.97 W​
Pens
1 W​
Printing
32.85 Internet Café​
Thermals (top and bottom)
21 armynavydeals.com​
Gloves
10 W​
Butt Pack
5 armynavydeals.com​
Tactical/Soft Case
9 armynavydeals.com​
Tweezers
1 Dollar General​
Spray Paint
10.24 Lowes​
Masking Tape
1 Dollar Tree​
Adhesive Spray
5.47 W​
Velcro Strips
2.97 W​
Foam Board
8 Michaels​
1'' Foam Brushes x14
1 Michaels​
More Brushes
4 Dollartree​
Safety Goggles
15 eBay​
Hydration Bladder
6.59 eBay​
Walkie Talkies
20 eBay​
Headsets x2
2 Dollartree​
Adapters
5.18 Radio Shack​
Dust Masks
19.89 Lowes​
Fiberglass Cloth
41.88 Lowes​
Body Putty
11.99 Lowes​
Resin
71.96 Lowes​
Respirator
30 Home Depot​
Tinfoil
1 Dollartree​
Rubber gloves
12 W​
Bondo Body Filler
26.47 Car Quest​

Total
418.68​

Tips and Tricks
Little tidbits I've picked up along the way.

1. READ THE STICKIES. They're there for a reason.
2. Always know EXACTLY where you left your x-acto or other cutting blade.
3. If you're worried about sticking your fingers together, wear gloves.
4. When using super glue, if your finger gets stuck, don't pull, twist. It'll leave you with more skin on your digits.
5. Changes in your routine help keep boredom away.
6. Listen to music.
7. If your getting frustrated with something, leave it down and do something else for 5 minutes. Getting angry is only bad for your health and potentially dangerous from your builds point of view (ie. you going mental and smashing it into even smaller pieces than it already is).
8. While peping, for really small and delicate pieces, use tweezers (courtesy of Saggateron).
9. Although the helmet is by far the most interesting and satisfying part to build, it's usually better to start from the bottom and work up. This way, the mistakes you make learning pepakura will all be on the shins/boots, the least noticed pieces, and if you have to, they're a hell of a lot easier to re pep then a helm (also Saggateron).
10. Score the folds of the part you are about to use before you cut it out. It's far easier to hold down an A4 page than a little tiny piece of paper.
11. Unless your very good with a blade, score the folds with a pen. Otherwise you'll cut off your flaps.
12. When cutting out your pieces, remember that there's no need to make perfect cuts along the flap lines. No one is going to see them, and as long as there big enough to stick to other pieces, and small enough to fit into a possibly small place, they'll be fine.
13. Don't even bother to try pepping while tired. Low concentration plus hot/super glue plus very sharp knife equals big no no.

Time Scale
Pepakura
Shins - 6 hours x2
12​
Thighs - 12 hours x2
24​
Cod - 3.5 hours
3.5​
Default Upper Arm - 5 hours x2
10​
CQC Upper Arm - 6 hours x2
12​
Default Forearm - 5 hours x2
10​
Tac Pad - 5 hours
5​
Handplates - 2 hours x2
4​
Chest Piece - 11 hours
11​
Boots - 7 hours x2
14​
Helmet - 8 hours
8​

Time Taken for Pepping
113.5​

Resining and Hardening
Since I was doing several pieces at a time (resining one while others dry) it's pretty hard to quantify the time allotted to each individual piece. So I'll just give you the total time.

Time taken for resining and hardening
10​

Total Time Taken to Complete my Suit
123.5 WIP​

References
Here are some of the threads that I found very informative and which helped me a lot during my build. (I'm trying to contact the thread authors for permission to post a link to there threads, so this bit might take a while to fully flesh out.)

BenStreeper's "How to make a Helmet from Pep to Finish"
He shows (in video format) how to make a helmet from after the pep stage up to the very end of bondo and patch fixing.

Photobucket Link
i got the same idea!!!! i like operator helmet too!!!
 
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