Never Skip Leg Day - My ODST Leg Armor Upgrades

[SGT Razor]

Since I rushed my ODST build and used Andrew DFT's templates in order to make it in time for Planet Comicon KC this year, I wasn't too happy with the shins and thigh armor. It's hard to drop feet first into hell if you don't have the proper leg protection, so let's get to work:

I wish I had used thumbtacks before. This is such a great way to get an accurate tracing of your templates. You can see a couple of pieces there that got placed in the wrong orientation (mirrored from its counterpart), so I had to go back and retrace them.

Tango thinks he's helping, but he's really just a welcome distraction. What a good assistant! Apart from the pictured chew marks on my foam...

First one done assembled! the excess glue needs to be scraped off still, and there are plenty of gaps to fill, but that won't be a problem. Somehow, a couple of pieces didn't line up and I have ventilation holes on the side. Definitely not an accident due to my poor craftsmanship... no, that's a feature. Definitely not a bug. The shins are absolutely the WORST thing to build. Elcorio can attest to that, since I've been using his thread as a guide for mine. I don't know how he held it together, man. This sucks. I still have one more to build, and I plan on getting it done tonight. I'm really happy with how it fits! It's a lot more comfortable than the old DFT ones. I'll just have to cut a little off the top in the back so I can bend my knees more freely.

 

[Wayward Flood]

Hey man, features are the best!

 

[SGT Razor]

It's crunch time! Halo Outpost Discovery Chicago is coming up! Boy howdy, I've been so busy! It's tough to find the time to work on this, host my in-laws while they were in town, and work 60 hours a week on top of all that! I've been having to do this on my lunch breaks.

I finally assembled the second shin, and I'm currently working on the thighs. What an upgrade! Just have to fill in some bad seams and I'll cover up some other imperfections with battle damage and mud. I'm happy about the way this turned out, but I think I'm done using hot glue. It's way too messy, and takes way too long to dry. My order of Barge cement is on the way, and I can't wait to try it out. Anyways, photos:

By the way, if anyone is interested in having the used, pre-cut, 90% scale pattern on printer paper, it's yours. Send me a PM, and prepare your mailbox for a free gift!

 

[RUST]

oh Man, the joys of trying to balance work and armor building .. But hey man, you got time before HOD Chicago, and so far your build looks good! I wouldn’t recommend hot glue though as it starts to come apart with extreme heat, and combined with your body heat might not hold up as well. Contact cement would be a much better alternative in my opinion! I look forward to seeing your finished project, and hopefully work slows down a little for ya so you have a little time to relax lol.

 

[he4thbar]

By the way, if anyone is interested in having the used, pre-cut, 90% scale pattern on printer paper, it's yours. Send me a PM, and prepare your mailbox for a free gift!

I haven't gotten to my shins yet hmm... Also those shins are looking awesome man good job.

 

[Justin Ghazal]

I bought a pair of airsoft shin guards bc I didn’t like the look of mine either.

 

[Phauxelate]

Nice foam work! The cuts look nice n' clean!

(I kept trying to think of leg puns, but I failed to think of any good enough .-. )

 

[SGT Razor]

Sweet Lord in Heaven, I'm exhausted. I didn't realize how time consuming it is to build this stuff, but it's really paying off. Barge cement came in along with a roll of 6mm foam, and I have to say if you're not using Barge, you're wrong. I can't believe how much of a difference it makes! And using a thinner sheet of foam makes things tremendously easier! I got the thighs assembled and got some spackling on the shins to fill those gaps. Just a few more days until HOD Chicago, and all I have to do is seal, paint, weather, mud, install a new visor and electronics, fix some issues I'm having with the torso, and add a few more details. It's going to be a grueling couple of days since I'm working 10-12 hours every day until Friday. Why am I doing this to myself? Enjoy this progress photo while I sand until I pass out.

 

[RUST]

Legs and thighs are looking great! Im really impressed with how your boots turned out as well tbh . Which templates did you use for them? Cause I gotta make my Hell jumper a pair lol

 

[SGT Razor]

Legs and thighs are looking great! Im really impressed with how your boots turned out as well tbh . Which templates did you use for them? Cause I gotta make my Hell jumper a pair lol

Here you go: Halo 3: ODST - UNSC ODST

Updates from my hotel room here in Chicago! Primed, sealed, weathered... I'm done!

I had to pull a nightstand into the bathroom so I could stand on it to get photos of my test fit before adding mud:



I used some dust and dirt pigment for models, mixed it with some Elmer's glue and some fine sand to get this sweet mud effect:



I hope to get the kitchen cleaned up before housekeeping arrives. I'll see some of you tomorrow!

 

[RUST]

Looking damn good man!! The weathering and muddy/gritty decal additions really give it that “feet first into hell” look. Have a great time at HOD Chicago brother. Post some pics

 

[SGT Razor]

HOD Chicago was a success! Also, I won second place in the armor cosplay contest! That was the first contest I've ever entered in, and I almost withdrew my application when I saw what competition I was up against. The $500 cash prize pretty much reimbursed me for the trip, so the wife is pretty happy about that. It was such a great time, and I had a blast meeting you all and stomping around in our nerd gear. Here are the best full body shots I could find so far, with more photos to come:

 

[he4thbar]

Here are the best full body shots I could find so far, with more photos to come:

Doug Appel on the facebook midwest page put up his gallery on google drive of everything, and you definitly got some shots at the costume contest.. heres the LINK
and here's a teaser of you:

 

[SGT Razor]

Yeah, I just went through that whole thing! There are some great shots in there. Here are a few of my favorites:

 

[ButterBacon3000]

Woah... I know I'm a little late to this post but... woah... that's a lot of nerd gear. Looks great.

 

[James]

I am also late, but so happy to learn the thumb tack trick....that's awesome haha