Hey guys, thanks for the replies! I know its been a while since the last update, but I've been hard at work on prepping the forearm and shin pieces for vac-forming. I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before, but if I didn't, I've built myself a vacuum-former and I'll be using it to make the shin, forearm, and shoulder pieces for the suits. I also plan on using it to make the helmets, as long as I can convince my friend to give me his helmet back so I can mercilessly saw the thing in half and fill it with wood, expanding foam, and plaster.
As for actual updates today, the belt buckle is finished, shin halves are re-inforced, and the knee mold is now complete and is churning out knee guards as we speak.
Belt buckle
(I find it funny that you can see my hand get dirtier and dirtier as the thing progresses)
The re-inforced shin parts, all prepped for vac-forming
The silicone caulk knee mold
Raw cast
Cleaned up with a test coat of paint
This cast is made of plaster and even after drilling a bunch of holes in it, it still weighs a ton, so I think im going to have to cast them in something lighter like smoothcast 320. I dunno, we'll see.
I'm currently in the process of prepping the forearms for vac-forming. I should be done with that in the next day or so, and once thats done I'll get to work on the forming. I just picked up 10 sheets of 1/16" ABS today, and I can't wait to get started. My first attempt at vac-forming a few months ago worked out pretty well (I made some pulls of a skyrim iron helmet), so stay tuned, I have a feeling this build is about to really heat up.