Noob wants to build ODST foam armor (needs help)

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Shotgunslayer

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Hi all, I'm pretty new to the hobby and don't really know what I'm doing, though I've been interested for quite some time now. I purchased a helmet from Armory Props! First time using a rotary tool so I'm surprised I didn't screw it up too much. I tried pepakura a couple years ago and failed miserably so I thought maybe it's a good time to try foam now.
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Metallic coat.
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Matte black (perhaps this wasn't the best choice for color, but I can always repaint or buy another helmet).
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Stripes on - Vaseline off.
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It was incredibly difficult to attach the visor and make it fit, it took much longer than I anticipated.

Now for the armor, I just don't really know where to start. I have a few hundred #11 scalpel blades lying around, just bought a heat gun, already have a glue gun, so I think I have all the materials to start building! Got the EVA at Walmart, the only thing I probably want to get is a self healing cutting board.

After much searching, the only files on foam ODST I was able to find are a random assortment of partially converted Hugh's ODST on 4shared and the Halo 4 ODST in the file archive. Despite this, its all very confusing to me as I hardly have any pepakura viewer experience. It seems some of the pieces have been moved off of the pages and some of the duplicate pieces are nowhere to be seen? What complicates matters further is that my home laptop is unable to connect to the printer (and it can't be fixed, I've had this issue for two years and spent some serious time troubleshooting) so I either have to download the viewer at school/somewhere else or export the .pdo to pdf. Both of these options present their own respectable problems so I would really appreciate it if you guys could give some suggestions.

DFT's stuff isn't particularly helpful, he's able to make very straight clean cuts due to experience and the templates aren't printable nor are there any measurements whatsoever. The pepakura converted stuff is just kind of confusing - some of it seems overly complicated and some seems far too basic. Thanks for reading!
 
For starters, DO NOT use viewer. Pepakura viewer doesn't allow you to change the measurement. You want pepakura DESIGNER. ;)

Secondly, for the templates that have pieces removed off to the side is because for a foam build, you DO NOT need those pieces. You use the width of the foam to your advantage. Sometimes you may find, for example, a right leg foam template and not a left one. That is because you simply flip the pieces over and that creates the other leg. No need to waste paper for something that simple. :p Also, you may even find a template of something symmetrical, like a torso/chestplate, and discover that ONLY ONE HALF of the pieces seem to be there. This is a technique used to also decrease the amount of paper used which also saves you ink. When you transfer one half to the foam, you would flip it over to create the other half, line it up and trace that piece. When you remove your template, you now have the FULL piece in foam. :)

You can look at this: http://halogoddess.weebly.com/foam-armor-how-to.html#/

Study the picture I show of the templates I made to make the Halo Reach boot. Then look at the picture below it with the foam pieces cut out. You will notice that for some pieces, I only have HALF of a piece for the cardstock template. ;) Hopefully that helps you out a little. :)
 
DFT's stuff is actually very simple & very well done.

His templates are done in such a way as to reduce what needs to printed (like HaloGoddess mentioned). His templates ARE printable, but not in the traditional sense, you have to save the pictures & then print them onto paper. As for the size, he explains in his videos why he didn't do sizes & that's because everyone is different. Get your own body measurements & then size up the templates to fit you, it's not that hard, it just takes a little more effort on your part.
 
Nice job on the helmet! What I did even though I'm not making an ODST was watch DaFrontlineTrooper's (DFT) videos on youtube like everyone else is saying on youtube like any video that involved foam or cosplay and then he has like 10 videos on making ODOST armor. https://www.youtube.com/user/DaFrontlineTrooper/videos

Then Barroth made a great tutorial (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php?t=45585) for using the template DFT gives you. And lucky for you he doesn't explain how to make the helmet so you're set since you have that done already.

Good luck on your armor!
 
Thanks so much for the feed back it's really helpful! I had sorta figured that duplicate pieces weren't additionally added but it just seemed like some of them were present and others missing. I REALLY don't want to be purchasing the pepakura designer as I'm trying to keep this as cost efficient as possible and my computer is junk anyways so I don't think it'll be worth the money.

As far as DFT's templates, I might as well just draw them up myself in photoshop or something because they really aren't particularly helpful. Part of what seems intimidating is the fact that I have not much of a sense of scale as to the relation of the suit as a whole: couldn't it be for a 6 foot tall person by default and then easily adjustable?

I will probably end up free handing everything using both the DFT armor and the archives as reference. Will update as soon I make some meaningful progress!
 
Pepakura Viewer is the software that requires a purchase, though it allows you to save changes made to opened files. But I, and others, find Pepakura Designer - the free one - to be perfectly adequate. As for getting the templates, I scaled the pieces in Designer 3 - thanks to HaloGoddess's awesome scaling tutorial - and simply printed to a pdf. Good luck with your build!.
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys I really do hope this goes well.

So mini update: I've gathered all the files and as soon as I find a way to print them off I will be able to actually start. Just to get a feel for cutting EVA, I built the base of the chest (using DFT's technique) but it turned out atrocious, measurements didn't work out and the craftsmanship was pretty terrible. No pictures, you'd probably be shocked in horror. After a fair bit of struggling and experimentation with the heat gun, I managed to make it *acceptable.*

After complications with finding more files, I downloaded all of Hugh's ODST converted to foam and then same for Halo 4, then cherry picked depending on how well the pepakura was modified for foam use and how extreme the detail was. I didn't want to intimidate myself too much so I opted for some of the simpler armor pieces from the Halo 4 ODST. Fortunately for me, the parts between the games are pretty similar.

Halo 4 ODST parts:
  • Backpack
  • Boot
  • Gauntlet
  • Shin
  • Shoulder
  • Thigh

Halo 3 Hugh parts:
  • Torso
  • Hip

Frankly, a lot of these were pretty intimidating in general, especially stuff like Hugh's shin. I decided not to go with any of DFT's stuff because I can't freehand very well and it seems he relies on fine skilled detail a lot (something I don't have the luxury for). Tomorrow I will see if I can download Pepakura Viewer on a school computer and go about printing everything off inconspicuously if things work out... Promise I'll post pics once I have something worth photographing.
 
It was mentioned earlier, but I'll just toss this out there again. It's I pepakura designer you want, not pepakura viewer. There is a free version of designer on their website, and it is what you will need to scale and print off your models.

Good luck with your build!
 
Sooo finally a damn real update! I was able to print the pep/foam files at a friend's house after quite a lot of confusion and failed prints. At first it would only print blank numbered pages with random completely solidly colored pages that kinda looked like fabric textures mixed in (f*** that); however, after fiddling with the printing settings and trying innumerable various ideas ranging from transferring .prn files to using a variety of printer/computer combinations: it worked. Very very bad experience with pepakura designer, though it should be much easier from now on.

Warning: don't continue unless you're okay with seeing some atrocious foam work.

At first I thought the scaling was the issue (but I ran out of time and couldn't printed scaled files), so I printed full sized pieces. My calculations show that each file should be reduced by about 7%, which I'm 5'6", does that sound right? I'll print more pieces later (scaled). Evidently failing to scale the gauntlets was an error lol, the length wasn't too bad but the circumference near the back was much too wide. It wouldn't really fit me well unless I wore a heavy winter jacket. I think that strapping should fix this problem, but I don't know for sure. My research on that topic has been pretty limited so any tips would be great.
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The cuts aren't super clean and I've found that 'beveling' as DFT calls it is really hard, I try to replace the blades frequently as I go. Compared to X-Acto knives, the scalpel blades are much sharper, inexpensive, and numerous but also tend to dull faster and break easier: they are quite thin. It makes sense though, they're supposed to be single use, hence the sterilization and individual packaging. I use the hobby knife for bigger cuts and the surgical knife for outlines and smaller cuts.
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This shoulder piece took me over 2 hours of extreme concentration, frustration, and confusion! I honestly don't know if I have the patience and time to finish the suit by the Halo 5 release and Halloween , I have to try though! :)
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Also for some odd reason I keep getting told my work space needs to be cleaned...
 
Looks like you are progressing well. I also use the replacement number 11 blades and yes, you do have to replace them often but it is definitely worth it! On a happier note, the more you work with foam, the easier it gets. After a few more pieces, you will have developed a knack for the medium.
As for your gauntlet, bear in mind the physique of the Halo characters... I don't have forearms like that, you might not have forearms like that. Padding with a squishy foam or strapping is key for some of these parts. You will likely find your lower leg pieces to also be loose.
Keep building!
 
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