That looks great! I have so many questions:
1. What chest file did you use? It looks different from the foam pep file.
2. Where are the forearm build photos? Are they foam as well?
3. Same as question #2, but for the helmet. It's so clean and detailed! Do you have a build thread for it?
4. What in your opinion were your favorite and least favorite parts of the build? What did you struggle with the most, and how did you overcome it?What advice would you give to future builders?
5. What's next? Not everyone wants to build a ton of costumes. Personally, all I ever wanted to be was an ODST, and I'm content with just one build that I constantly improve on. Did you plan on making anything else?
6. Can you plug your etsy store for us? I'd definitely be interested in a few things.
Now I'd like to share some constructive criticism and tips. Of course, my build is far from perfect, and I have no right to tell you what to do with your build, but it's always helpful to get feedback from a fresh set of eyes.
Those hip plates are looking pretty flat, though I can hardly tell since they're nicely concealed behind those cannisters. Hit those with a
$20 heat gun from Home Depot to get a nice curve that holds. In fact, heat treating all foam pieces helps seal it and get rid of that porous texture that's characteristic of foam, which can make your paint job come out differently than expected.
While we're on the topic of Home Depot, you can pick up
this flexible spackling to fill in the gaps. I know it's kind of late for this step, but it's a great sandable body filler. You'll get much better results this way as compared to filling in with hot glue or caulk. I used it on my boot covers to get rid of those ugly seams on the toes.
Get some buckles for your straps. It's a small detail, but will greatly improve the look on your armor. I bought some from
ShiroppiDIY for $20. He's based in Malaysia, so it took a week and a half to ship, which isn't bad at all! It seems his etsy store link is invalid at the moment, but if you click the "contact me" link I provided and mention the buckles, I'm sure he'll give you the same excellent service he gave me.
Again, amazing work! We will watch your career with great interest.