Recon's First ODST Build (Foam) WIP (Picture Heavy)

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Updates, I added straps to hold that middle piece in place, but I used rubberized coating on the part before I took Pics, will get some tomorrow
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So I have been working to make my costume deployment ready, and during the process I was reminded of something that happened at baltimore Comicon in 2017. When I was walking back to the car I saw a probably about 5-7 year old kid dressed in a Master Chief costume. Now me being an ODST and all, I walked over and saluted the kid. He looked scared to death, but it made his parents smile. That con was a fun one. Anyways, back to the armor. Over the last few days I've finished the boot armor and have died my 0.1 in visor black (dye was supposed to be silver Grey, but it ended up as black. I have ordered 0.06 in petg sheet to make a new visor, as the thickness of the visor makes it hard to see through now that it is died.), I've 3D printed the side plates of the torso armor, and I'm working on adding the grenades to the hip plates. The rucksack is next, but its gonna be difficult. Pictures soon to follow this post.
 
A bit delayed, but here are the pictures I promised. I 3D Printed the side plates for the torso, and I also printed the grenaded, the end pieces I found on Thingiverse, but I couldn't find the right pipe size so I jumped on Inventor and modeled some, and it came out perfect. I intend to finish assembly and painting tomorrow and get some pics of the whole set. But now is the time for a photo dump!
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Figure I oughta update this with my newest version of my costume I wore for PAX East this year. Gonna redo the shoulders, chest, and codpiece, add the buckles, and do some refinishing, but aside from that its pretty much done. Though we all know there is always some small improvement or update that can be made. (not including electronics)
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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.
 
Friendly The helmet and forearms are 3D printed, and the chest is the one from the foam pep files, albeit slightly different in scaling. Im actually thinking about modeling one similar to that in the we are ODST trailer for 3D printing so I can put my phone in it. I have managed to get a slight curve to the thigh plates, its just hard to tell with the angle that one image was taken. The one with me playing Halo CE shows the curve a little better. As for sealing, I did use a heat gun on all parts that I could, but having started it in a college dorm, I didn't have access to a heat gun for the chest, thighs, or first leg. I also sealed everything with plastidip before painting it. As for the gaps, I was thinking about redoing them so I might take a look at that flexible spackle. As for buckles, I was actually in the process of modeling some to 3D print, along with a more game accurate magnum. The hardest part was scaling to be honest, and for beginners I'd say make sure the scaling is spot on, cause nothing is more frustrating that getting something finished, then looking at it and seeing that its scaled wierd. Everything was made by me, including the visor, which I vaccum formed and dyed. I used the odst helmet model from MyMiniFactory and the SMG model is a modified version of the one found on MyMiniFactory that I modeled a suppressor for and changed some other things. The magnum file I used for my current magnum is on thingiverse and is made by Dan0nator.
 
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