necromancer518
New Member
Hey guys, Nec here finally starting my WiP thread/chronicle of bad decisions and insanity. Let me start at the beginning; my friends and I went to NYAF (New York Anime Fest) at the end of last month. We sat through a particularly terrible masquerade (if anyone was there I was one of the loud and obnoxious individuals making jokes about everything) and at the end we all simultaneously got the idea to come back the following year as ODST's and take the stage... by force if necessary. We talked all about the show that we'd put on next year and I had figured as usual the idea would die that night. I couldn't have been so lucky. The next weekend daethwing188 (one of my partners in crime) invites me over and shows me the TON of homework he's been doing about our project, most of which was taken from here (thank you guys for all the articles and information, without you this project probably would have died that night. Fortunate for us, unfortunate for my social life)
So, like chickens without heads we roamed the streets Manhattan searching for all the materials we needed and in the process spending way too much money, and getting almost all the supplies day 1... some of which we probably didn't need (daeth, like Luke Skywalker sometimes has delusions of grandeur.) We managed to get the bulk of our supplies from Pearl Paint (308 Canal St between Broadway and Mercer) and The Compleat Sculptor (90 Vandam St between Hudson and Greenwich) which is an amazing store and skullcandy girl, we love you for discovering it.
Before I go any further, I'd like to outline our goals for the project:
1) 3 suits of ODST armor finished enough for Halloween (stretch goal, probably not gonna happen)
2) 3 suits of ODST armor finished to the best quality possible including individual variations, optics, and individual weapon sets. I believe we're looking for M6C/SOCOM x3, M90A Shotgun x1, M41 SSR MAV/AW x1, Sniper Rifle System 99D-S2 Anti-Material x1. I'm going for the shotgun/pistol.
3) Some kind of stage show to accompany the armor
4) Attend as many conventions as possible as ODSTs (representing the 405th of course)
We got off to a great start our first weekend by doing absolutely nil. Printing problems and general jackassery stopped us from accomplishing much of anything other than buying the materials. The work finally started when I took the cardstock home and started working on the Rookie helmet (Rundown version on the wiki) chosen by daeth. I essentially jumped into peping in a trial by fire manner, and at the time of writing this I'd say I'm 5/6ths done (pictures coming eventually.) That particular helmet choice was both a great idea, and a TERRIBLE one. Terrible because its pretty complex, intricate, and an all around pain in the ass. Plus the pep isn't the greatest, and quite confusing (I was working without edge ID's, which if you dont know is a BAD IDEA!) It was a good idea because I learned a lot about proper folding, how pieces generally go together, and a little finesse with the glue gun. Since then I've been enlightened that the latest Rundown/Ral Partha pep is much better (found here)
So after 4 days work (3-5 hours each night) You'd think I'd feel pretty good that my helmet is starting to shape, no? Well you'd be wrong. I had my doubts the whole time, but it wasn't until I connected most of the pieces tonight that I had discovered the helmet (which daeth assured me was properly scaled for someone of the 6ft mark) was in fact too small for our heads. Epic Fail. The first, but probably not the last. Unless he reads this before I see him again, I can guarantee you that said improperly scaled helmet will be hurtled at his oversize melon. Back to the drawing board.
To blow off some steam I spent some time making a frag grenade (pictures to follow tomorrow when I'm not so tired) and that looks pretty alright, though I didnt realize until after that the pep puts the handle (which is a completely separate piece) inside of the grenade itself with no direction for attaching it.
Now at this point in my rant I've realized that I haven't really explained the meaning of my topic description, I will do that now. We plan on making 3 suits, however I'm probably the only one that will make that plan a reality. Daeth has professed that he isn't a very handy kind of man, and our other accomplice Vex_man (who may or may not be joining the site) generally has a hard time getting to either of our places. He's pretty handy, but I'm a bit too much of a control freak to hand over the reins to someone else. So, essentially I plan on making 3 suits... though I'm not opposed to them assembly lining the cutout process, and once we get to the resin stage I'm pretty in the dark (for now.)
I plan on trying to get a lot done this weekend, barring my social life rearing its ugly head. Updates and pics to follow. Also, for anybody who makes it down to this point in my wall of text, thank you for reading. I tend to rant and ramble more and more as the night goes on, and I end up explaining things that are unnecessary. Farewell for the time being, and oo-rah!
-Nec
So, like chickens without heads we roamed the streets Manhattan searching for all the materials we needed and in the process spending way too much money, and getting almost all the supplies day 1... some of which we probably didn't need (daeth, like Luke Skywalker sometimes has delusions of grandeur.) We managed to get the bulk of our supplies from Pearl Paint (308 Canal St between Broadway and Mercer) and The Compleat Sculptor (90 Vandam St between Hudson and Greenwich) which is an amazing store and skullcandy girl, we love you for discovering it.
Before I go any further, I'd like to outline our goals for the project:
1) 3 suits of ODST armor finished enough for Halloween (stretch goal, probably not gonna happen)
2) 3 suits of ODST armor finished to the best quality possible including individual variations, optics, and individual weapon sets. I believe we're looking for M6C/SOCOM x3, M90A Shotgun x1, M41 SSR MAV/AW x1, Sniper Rifle System 99D-S2 Anti-Material x1. I'm going for the shotgun/pistol.
3) Some kind of stage show to accompany the armor
4) Attend as many conventions as possible as ODSTs (representing the 405th of course)
We got off to a great start our first weekend by doing absolutely nil. Printing problems and general jackassery stopped us from accomplishing much of anything other than buying the materials. The work finally started when I took the cardstock home and started working on the Rookie helmet (Rundown version on the wiki) chosen by daeth. I essentially jumped into peping in a trial by fire manner, and at the time of writing this I'd say I'm 5/6ths done (pictures coming eventually.) That particular helmet choice was both a great idea, and a TERRIBLE one. Terrible because its pretty complex, intricate, and an all around pain in the ass. Plus the pep isn't the greatest, and quite confusing (I was working without edge ID's, which if you dont know is a BAD IDEA!) It was a good idea because I learned a lot about proper folding, how pieces generally go together, and a little finesse with the glue gun. Since then I've been enlightened that the latest Rundown/Ral Partha pep is much better (found here)
So after 4 days work (3-5 hours each night) You'd think I'd feel pretty good that my helmet is starting to shape, no? Well you'd be wrong. I had my doubts the whole time, but it wasn't until I connected most of the pieces tonight that I had discovered the helmet (which daeth assured me was properly scaled for someone of the 6ft mark) was in fact too small for our heads. Epic Fail. The first, but probably not the last. Unless he reads this before I see him again, I can guarantee you that said improperly scaled helmet will be hurtled at his oversize melon. Back to the drawing board.
To blow off some steam I spent some time making a frag grenade (pictures to follow tomorrow when I'm not so tired) and that looks pretty alright, though I didnt realize until after that the pep puts the handle (which is a completely separate piece) inside of the grenade itself with no direction for attaching it.
Now at this point in my rant I've realized that I haven't really explained the meaning of my topic description, I will do that now. We plan on making 3 suits, however I'm probably the only one that will make that plan a reality. Daeth has professed that he isn't a very handy kind of man, and our other accomplice Vex_man (who may or may not be joining the site) generally has a hard time getting to either of our places. He's pretty handy, but I'm a bit too much of a control freak to hand over the reins to someone else. So, essentially I plan on making 3 suits... though I'm not opposed to them assembly lining the cutout process, and once we get to the resin stage I'm pretty in the dark (for now.)
I plan on trying to get a lot done this weekend, barring my social life rearing its ugly head. Updates and pics to follow. Also, for anybody who makes it down to this point in my wall of text, thank you for reading. I tend to rant and ramble more and more as the night goes on, and I end up explaining things that are unnecessary. Farewell for the time being, and oo-rah!
-Nec