Reach Jun Build (Foam/fibreglass + custom undersuit)

[Electraknite]

mblackwell1002 I do. I'll start with the magnum, because I think every character will carry one. after that, as I build each character I'll make their signature weapon. so first a sniper for Jun, then Carter so an AR or DMR. and so on. I'm in for the long haul. I really want to make the whole team.

Also
-There will be EVA foam parts to improve flexibility and comfort. like the spine armor and probably the inner part of the bicepts. I'll figure out all that once everything is hardened. I was playing around last night and didn't like it clunking together.

Finished the helmet pep.

All the sharpie lines are extra detail.
The vents on the chin need to be indented before hardening and the other hexagon on the temples need to be indented too. Masking tape to hold it in shape.

 

[mblackwell1002]

mblackwell1002 I do. I'll start with the magnum, because I think every character will carry one. after that, as I build each character I'll make their signature weapon. so first a sniper for Jun, then Carter so an AR or DMR. and so on. I'm in for the long haul. I really want to make the whole team.

Also
-There will be EVA foam parts to improve flexibility and comfort. like the spine armor and probably the inner part of the bicepts. I'll figure out all that once everything is hardened. I was playing around last night and didn't like it clunking together.

Finished the helmet pep.
View attachment 251774 View attachment 251775
All the sharpie lines are extra detail.
The vents on the chin need to be indented before hardening and the other hexagon on the temples need to be indented too. Masking tape to hold it in shape.

Quite an awesome plan, there. Lots of work to be done, I see! Very ambitious! Let me know if you need any 3D models!

Those helm pics are great, dimensions looks pretty spot-on. Very clean pep! How are you cutting out those tiny pieces? Cameo? Cricut?

How do you plan on detailing it? Have you ever used PVC foam? It's a slightly expanded version of regular PVC, and it is thermoforming. It's what I use to detail my props, and it works really well for this job. If you get the 3mm stuff, you can get the detailing done really easily and you won't have to fiddle with Bondo as much. It's also very rigid, I know when I say "PVC foam", people might assume it is soft and flexible like EVA, but it is rigid with invisible surface pores. It's also sandable, of course.

 

[Electraknite]

mblackwell1002 Thats really good to know, I was expecting to use some kind of polystyrene or craft foam covered in epoxy. I'll check PVC foam out.

I dont know what a Cricut or a cameo is. I've been using a utility knife and ruler. I score all the fold lines with a red pen first before i cut it out.

 

[mblackwell1002]

mblackwell1002 Thats really good to know, I was expecting to use some kind of polystyrene or craft foam covered in epoxy. I'll check PVC foam out.

I dont know what a Cricut or a cameo is. I've been using a utility knife and ruler. I score all the fold lines with a red pen first before i cut it out.

Cricuts and Cameos are simply machines that do the cutting for you. They're a little bit pricey, but can cut a page of Pepakura pieces in less than a minute. I suggest you invest in one, would save you some hand cramps.

 

[TurboCharizard]

Cricuts and Cameos are simply machines that do the cutting for you. They're a little bit pricey, but can cut a page of Pepakura pieces in less than a minute. I suggest you invest in one, would save you some hand cramps.

electricknite keep an eye on Michael's if there's one near you. There's a new line of their machines coming out and a little birdy I know told me that the older ones will be going on sale prices rather soon. I use one for vinyl stickers and stencils all the time. A+, perfect 5/7, would recommend.

 

[mblackwell1002]

electricknite keep an eye on Michael's if there's one near you. There's a new line of their machines coming out and a little birdy I know told me that the older ones will be going on sale prices rather soon. I use one for vinyl stickers and stencils all the time. A+, perfect 5/7, would recommend.

TurboCharizard, do you have a Cameo or Cricut?

I use my cameo for stickers, vynil details on props, pepkura, etc. There's a Pepakura plugin for cameo, not sure about cricut. Cameo software is less than practical, lots of bugs and issues. My machine is also about 5 yrs old, but the software is the same across most models. Machine hardware and the device itself works pretty well (except for the touchscreen which is a bit cheap and unresponsive at times). The software is the main downfall.

Also, the device is pretty intuitive and easy to learn. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. The machine itself is easy to use. The software is easy for new users, but I think it falls flat once you get into the more advanced features. Silhouette has a lot of pre-made templates to cut from as well; some are paid, others are free.

 

[Electraknite]

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure where to go from here.

I took off the top bit. It was too inaccurate, I just couldn't deal with it.
But now I'm not sure how I should attach the new piece... Ugh I'm so confused.

Oh well.
In other news. Something I'm sure you can all appreciate: IM DECORATING MY HOUSE WITH HEXAGONS OH YESS.

And another before and after of my living room.


Edit:
K nvm, I've figured it out.

This is by far the ugliest piece of armor I've made so far. I'm really hoping the finishing process will clean this thing up.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

Hey, ugly is another's Picasso......I agree that the finishing process will clean stuff up.

 

[Electraknite]

I've been procrastinating on the helmet because I'm sad. But its hasn't been a complete waste of time.
I'm rebuilding a thigh because I think they should still go higher on my leg. I've also made a material plan for the armor because I don't want the whole thing to be hard. I want it to still be more or less comfortable and not bash into itself whenever I move. So here's the plan:

I suspect the forearms will change a bit before the end. My goal is mostly to improve flexibility and comfort. the knees need to be foam so that I can do Juns sniping pose without killing my knees and the shoes will be more flexible instead of me trying to build hinges and stuff into them.
That's it for now. I really need to build my spray/ fume booth so can continue hardening things. otherwise I'll just keep folding paper until my fingers fall off.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

I'm not apposed to a mixed material build.....far from it. It is the norm.....But are you planing to combining resin and foam on the same piece? The arms and the cod? Is that possible?

 

[TurboCharizard]

I'm not apposed to a mixed material build.....far from it. It is the norm.....But are you planing to combining resin and foam on the same piece? The arms and the cod? Is that possible?

Super glue and dreams are a hell of a thing. I add 3D printed parts onto foam all the time as greeblies and joints, the same concept should work for a resined pep.

 

[mblackwell1002]

Progress looks awesome so far, Helmet looks pretty snazzy!

I am definitely akin to mixed materials. Should make for a pretty comfy suit with your spot-on scaling. Foam upper body was definitely a good idea.

Keep at it!

 

[PerniciousDuke]

But now I'm not sure how I should attach the new piece... Ugh I'm so confused..

Don't get discouraged! You are doing awesome work. From the pictures I can't see the inaccuracy on the helmet you are talking about. It is possible you are being hard on yourself. Also some things can be fixed with bondo. Some things can even be fixed with proper support during resin drying. If it is crooked just prop it up differently while it dries..

As far as your question goes.. I think the best way to attach pep to pep is with a bolt. Resin them separately and if they are good and thick then just bolt them together. If you resin/fiberglass/bondo layers are really thin and the pieces don't weigh much you can even get away with velcroing some thing together.

 

[Electraknite]

Well guys, there is a reason i'm doing pep and not foam. I am just not very good at it. But anyway, I've made some very small progress on the belt and biceps.

Right now the paper parts are temporarily attached because I haven't finished resin yet. I tried making the back part of the bicep in foam too but it just wasn't as nice a shape as the pep so I think I'm happy with just the inside being made out of foam. Hopefully the shoes work out.

Building these mechanical shapes with hard edges out of foam is really difficult for me, even after watching everything I can on foam fabrication. I'm impatient and I hate how many blades I have to use. Such a waste.
I'm making progress but it feels like I'm backtracking.

I also finalized my plan for the under suit.

 

[Dirtdives2424]

I'm impatient and I hate how many blades I have to use. Such a waste.

You could always get yourself a kitchen knife sharpener......I've been using the same blade for quite some time.....Once the tip of the blade breaks, then I swap out blades. I can get a good 3 weeks use out of each of my blades. Exacto, box cutter, and the slimline blades.

 

[mblackwell1002]

Well guys, there is a reason i'm doing pep and not foam. I am just not very good at it. But anyway, I've made some very small progress on the belt and biceps.
View attachment 252618 View attachment 252619
Building these mechanical shapes with hard edges out of foam is really difficult for me, even after watching everything I can on foam fabrication. I'm impatient and I hate how many blades I have to use. Such a waste.
I'm making progress but it feels like I'm backtracking.
View attachment 252620

Pep looks good as usual! Good to see you back to work.

Now, I may have a solution for some your foam troubles. Smooth-on has a castable, self-skinning expanding foam called FlexFoam-iT. I've been thinking about using the stuff myself, as the foam has a really nice surface texture which is perfect for flexible props. My point is that you could mold some of the bondoed armor parts, and cast the entire thing in said flexible foam. It would be a bit more expensive; not sure what your budget looks like. Other than that, the finished foam parts look like plastic and paint just as well as a bondo-ed part would. Your finished armor parts would end up 1/10th of the weight of the original bondo-ed parts, and be way more comfortable to wear. Essentially wearing a pillow...haha.

If you're thinking of making a matrix mold to cast them for your friends anyway, this might be a great way to go. If you're contemplating this route at all, check out FlexFoam-it IV. It's one of the more affordable, rigid, and tear-resistant expanding foams out there. Professional prop makers usually use the stuff.

I dunno, just something to think about. Progress is looking great!

 

[Electraknite]

I am drawing this whole project out way too long.
but, I've started making the undersuit pattern, and I still plan on making a video on it which I've found out makes it take twice a long to make... Oh well.

This is the basic pattern and then most of the detail will be applique'd onto it.
I've also bought some boots to use, I think I will use the pep I did and then fill in the gaps between the pep and the boot with spray foam. I might (after hardening) carve some of the plastic away to allow for better foot articulation later but I'm pretty surprised how well the pep fits.

If I can, I'm also going to make the shins attach to the boots. I'll make it easier to put on the whole costume this way and there will less for the belt to support.
Not sure if anyone else notices this but I see a lot of people who use shoes instead of boots and it makes ankles look really skinny. Hence my rugged rubber boots.


Edit:
Heads up, I'm changing the name of my thread.
noble-team-build-pep-resin-custom-undersuit-hyper-realistic is way too much of a mouthfull... like damn.

 

[mblackwell1002]

Cool undersuit pattern so far, i'll glean what I can from your undersuit making pics. I definitely await a tutorial of some sort, I'm a bit of a cookie monster for tutorials. If that makes any sense.

So i'll just wait for the tutorial...

So hurry up, sheesh.

 

[Electraknite]

mblackwell1002 Its the weekend plan. 4 whole days of just me and my sewing machine. hoohooHOO

 

[Electraknite]

I wasn't able to completely finish, there is a lot more hand sewing them I was expecting.

Pretty happy with it so far though.
I'm realizing that making a video is going to suck. And possibly be really long. But I'm doing it for you people.