Pep vs. Sculpt

[dsbass09]

Hey guys. First of all, I wasn't sure where this should go, as it fits in both molded armor and pep categories, so sorry if it's in the wrong place. Feel free to move it, mods. I've been a member for a few months, lurker for about a year. My last few attempts failed because of deadlines and I tried Iron Man and got bored. Anyway, here's my plan. I'm going to make a customized suit for me, under suit included, as well as one for my girlfriend which will be a design I've made up for a female spartan (I know the deal: spartans all wear the same armor, etc. I realize that, but I'm making one more form fitting and feminine looking, so please don't lecture me.)

With that being said, I was wondering what you guys think is the best way to go about making armor: sculpt, mold, cast, or pep (possibly make a cast from a pep after bondo work?). I'm looking in terms of detail and strength. I know a sculpt would be more form fitting because I could do a cast of specific bodies first then add clay on top of that. Plus, I could do a cast in high-impact polymer or something similar to add strength (I want these to last). I also plan to put a motorcycle helmet liner in both for comfort, so I'm not sure if there would be room if I did a sculpt being I would use an exact cast of us. However, it seems like that's the more expensive way to go. Pep is faster, easier, and fiberglass is cheaper than the other stuff. I know that my girlfriend's armor is probably going to require some sculpting or something different than pep, due to the sheer difference of design and detail. But my armor is going to be fairly standard. So, I guess my question is, in your opinion, does the detail and strength of a sculpt and cast outweigh the cost, or should I stick with pep and fiberglass? Thanks for your help in advance!

p.s. sorry if I ramble a bit nobody here in Florida cares about what I'm doing

 

[Liamthedevastator]

The detail in a sculpt and cast is directly affected by your ability to create that detail. There are also ZERO blueprints for sculpting; you would have to find reference photos and all the material you want for reference.

Pepakura and fibreglass is 'easier' because there is far more support for the medium, but there's lots of detailing after the fibreglassing, and cutting and pasting pep files is not my favorite thing...

To sculpt and cast suits for two people you're looking into the 2,000-5,000 dollar range probably. I'm not hands-on experienced with the cost, but check out the Smoothon website and you'll understand why it's such a big estimate.

Good luck

 

[dsbass09]

Thanks, man. I know it's expensive. I was thinking maybe just a helmet sculpt and pep the rest. I was just unsure if the same level of detail could be obtained from bondo, etc. as from a sculpt. Thanks again.

 

[dung0beetle]

About the "zero blueprints for sculpting" thing. You can use blueprints for 3d modeling to sculpt. It's not quite the same process, but many sculptors use blueprints, if only for reference.
Pep can be used along with sculpting, by pouring warm clay into the pep model. You can add/subtract to the clay just like any other sculpture, and your sculpt will be more symmetrical since you are using pepakura to start. A member posted a thread about it, but I forget who it was.
You can also sculpt details with bondo before it cures, but working time is much shorter than working with clay.

 

[box o crayons]

or pep the helmet a little small and then coat it with clay and sculpt in the details.