Saber's Second Project- Agent Texas Style! (PIC HEAVY)

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The chest piece is coming along nicely. Bondo really changes the look of pepped armour, brings it from polygons to believable. It might be the most boring stage, but it is really important to getting the look right. Keep up the good work!

I was just watching Cereal Killers Video Tutorials yesterday and I got to the one about applying bondo. I don't know if you have seen them or not (thread here, episode 4 is bondo) but he uses a razor blade to trim his bondo before it hardens. Basically he trims little bumps off to reduce his sanding time. I noticed a few small bumps in the first layer of bondo, maybe that could be a small timesaver for you. Hope that helps!

Also, Happy Birthday in advance! Turns out our birthdays are fairly close together, mine is on Thursday. Gotta love July birthday parties, stays light out late, warm weather, summer vacation, great time of year.

I agree that the bondo stage is the most boring, but it is also the most important. I would be getting this done a lot faster if the battery to my hand sander didn't run out so quickly. It takes 30-40 minutes to charge and I only get to use it for 10-15.

I have watched Cereal's vids. I use my blade all of the time to trim down bondo. But in that pic that you mentioned, I knew that I would be adding more bondo on top after I sanded it down a little so I didn't trim off as much as I have on the rest of the piece.

And thanks! It's funny that you mentioned that. My Aunt's birthday was earlier this week and my grandmother's birthday is today. haha Gotta love the summer pool parties and BBQs! :D

And for anyone who is wondering, my grandmother is doing okay so far. She's anxiously waiting for a phone call from the doctor with the date that she is going to have her surgery. The nerves are definitely getting to her. When she has the surgery, she'll be wearing a halo for many months while her neck heals from the surgery.

UPDATE TIME:

Smoothing out more of the front of the chest piece.
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I'm gradually getting the kinks and warps fixed. On the front half, the portion that crossed the collar bone on the right side was pointing down a little. So I made a relief cut and I will fiberglass the inside tomorrow to keep it in place. Then I will bondo over the top of it to smooth it out.
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Next, I cut out that square on the back half of the chest piece.
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I won't be making any major progress on the back half until the front half is done so I make sure that the two halves will fit together exactly.

I have a lot to do and I have set my timeline to September 1st, which is when Kumoricon is in Vancouver, WA. Only 39 days to finish this piece and to piece everything together!!!! It seemed so far away a few days ago! I better get moving!!!

Thanks for looking!

Stay Frosty, 405thers!
-Alexis
 
Stay motivated! You are doing a great job and I know you can do it! I can't wait to see pictures of your suit at Kumoricon!
 
Stay motivated! You are doing a great job and I know you can do it! I can't wait to see pictures of your suit at Kumoricon!

Thanks Nessy!
I'll try to get as many pictures during Kumoricon, but I don't know if I'll be able to go now. And that's because I got a phone call a few days ago informing me that I got a job at Michaels Craft Store! :D I start on Tuesday. So since I now have this job, and I don't know what my exact working schedule is, I don't know if I'll be working during the Kumoricon event. So even if I don't make it to Kumoricon, at least I still have "Halo"ween to wear it for!

And now for the update!

Just as a note: Photobucket is not wanting to upload pictures for me at all so I had to get Imageshack and I have no idea how to use it so all of the pictures are at the end of this post.

I've taken leaps of faith in the last week, trying to fix the warps in the back half of the chest piece.
And as some of you already know, I was planning on cutting out the warped plane and making a relief cut to straighten out the right side of the chest piece.
So I did that, but the bar that I made the relief cut on still wasn't working for me so I cut that out too.

Then I took the parts and reattached them using cardboard tabs and fiberglassed the inside. After the fiberglass cured, I took off the cardboard tabs and bondoed the outside the fix the crappy patch job that I did with a piece of cardboard.

On the left side of the chest piece, you can see that I had a little bit of connection problems as well so I made another relief cut and fiberglassed it back into the correct position. I also had to plaster the hole with bondo as well.

For the front half of the chest piece, I managed to finish it! :D
I made my own neck seal type thing as I was making the extra detail and then glued it in after plastidipping it. And so far I'm really proud of it!

And here are all of the pictures!
Again, sorry for not posting them throughout. Photobucket isn't uploading my pics anymore so I had to use Imageshack.















Thanks for looking and please be sure to comment and critique!

Stay Frosty, 405thers!
-Alexis
 
Looks good! Sounds like loads of work to get rid of the warping, but the result looks like it was all worth it.

I'm glad to hear that you got a job, hopefully you can get an employee discount on some stuff for your armour (craft foam and whatever).

So even if I don't make it to Kumoricon, at least I still have "Halo"ween to wear it for
not to mention the launch in November.

Also, how was your birthday?
 
It is a lot of work and it made me question it's worth in the beginning. But I'm really glad I stuck with it instead of starting over. That would've meant more work to do and less time to do it.

And true! But I don't know if I'll be actually getting the game at its release. But I'm contemplating it now that I have a job. It'd be a lot of fun! :D

As for my birthday, it was amazing!
I woke up to presents from my parents and I cleaned and cooked all day in preparation for my party. And once my friends got here, we had a water balloon fight and we ambushed my dad. Everyone called my cake a taboo cake because I made it myself. Haha They said that it defeated the purpose but I wanted to and it was delicious! Haha

-Alexis
 
If you went to a release party in your suit, you would be the highlight of the night for anyone there. Sure the people get to keep the game they bought, but they also get to brag to all their friends about how they met a spartan!

I have also heard of people on the 405th being offered cash to show up at launch parties in their suits. When you go to pre-order the game bring some pictures with you of the finished armour. Ask the manager if you can get some kind of deal for showing up in your "promotional attire". You might be able to get a discount or something else for your trouble. Of course it is possible that the manager might not be allowed to make that kind of deal, but then just go check with another store.
 
Looks good! I'd definitely recommend getting plug-in power tools. I had a wireless dremel once.. I replaced it real quick when it kept dying from overuse! I learned my lesson.
Taking those sections out looks like a real pain! Good luck and I hope it all gets worked out!
 
If you went to a release party in your suit, you would be the highlight of the night for anyone there. Sure the people get to keep the game they bought, but they also get to brag to all their friends about how they met a spartan!

I have also heard of people on the 405th being offered cash to show up at launch parties in their suits. When you go to pre-order the game bring some pictures with you of the finished armour. Ask the manager if you can get some kind of deal for showing up in your "promotional attire". You might be able to get a discount or something else for your trouble. Of course it is possible that the manager might not be allowed to make that kind of deal, but then just go check with another store.

Not a bad idea! It's worth a shot!

Wonderful work so far, really looks great!

Thank you very much!

Looks good! I'd definitely recommend getting plug-in power tools. I had a wireless dremel once.. I replaced it real quick when it kept dying from overuse! I learned my lesson.
Taking those sections out looks like a real pain! Good luck and I hope it all gets worked out!

If I had the choice, I would have gotten plug-in tools! I'm using my dad's tools and luckily the dremel is a plug-in. But I use the hand sander more so it makes me wish that it was plug-in as well.
Taking those parts out was a pain! But it is working out so far which I'm very glad that it is. Now it's a matter of cosmetic work and trying to make the piece look like I never had to hack apart in the first place!

Thank you guys for your support! The weather is starting to cool down and I start work tomorrow so now I REALLY gotta work hard whenever I get the chance to work on my suit! Only 33 more days! ACK!
 
Hello everybody,

I do not have a suit update for you guys, but I would like to inform you that it still may be a few days before you hear from me. We've been hit with the hottest days of the year ranging in the high 90's to low 100's so I have not been able to go outside and work on my chest piece at all.
Also, my grandmother will be in surgery tomorrow for eight hours having her brain tumor removed.

I thank you for your patience and I will hopefully be back on my feet as soon as possible.

Stay Frosty, 405thers!
-Alexis
 
Wishing your grandmother all the best for a successful sugery and a speedy recovery.

Take whatever time you need, we will be waiting patiently for when you are ready to post updates.

Take care,
Nessy
 
Wow, I just started watching your thread, and it looks great! I'm surprised there aren't more people watching this, b/c it deserves it! Keep p the good work!
 
Wishing your grandmother all the best for a successful sugery and a speedy recovery.

Take whatever time you need, we will be waiting patiently for when you are ready to post updates.

Take care,
Nessy


Thanks Nessy! My grandmother is doing excellent considering the surgery took 16 hours and she lost movement on her right side. It's been over a month and my gramma is in the best physical therapy institution in the state, slowly working her way to walking again. The doctors plan on releasing her within the next week! Her right side is moving again but there are still a few hiccups in the fluidity of her movements. Anyways, she's doing great and I can't help but thank God over and over again for keeping her in this world for a while longer!


Wow, I just started watching your thread, and it looks great! I'm surprised there aren't more people watching this, b/c it deserves it! Keep p the good work!

Thanks! I'm glad I caught another member's eye!

UPDATE:

Okay everybody! Here we go!
This will be a two-part post 'cause I have so many pictures!

In a mad dash for Kumoricon, I worked furiously to finish my suit. And I did!
Here are some pics which don't need much commentary.
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And then here is the progression of a gauntlet attachment that I build freehand!
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And that wraps up any progress pictures that I may have left!
On to part two!
 
PART TWO! KUMORICON!

Kumoricon was lots of fun! even though I was only able to stay for a single hour out of the three day event.
Here are a few pictures of me at the con that a friend took for me!
Donning the suit:
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Me with a friend that I ran into at the con
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This guy thought he could "infect me" by giving me a hug! Boy, was he wrong!
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This guy was doing a video project for school and asked me what girls like to do. My response? "Playing video games and kicking ass!"
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Everyone wanted to give me a hug!
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The Team Rocket Duo claimed they could take me on! Come at me bro!
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Me protecting a K-con member's fox!
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And lastly a kind of sad picture... Me having to take off my armor because it started to fall apart. :C
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I was only at the con for an hour before it started to disconnect in different spots. I never tested it before going to Kumoricon (which was a big oopsie on my part) so the hasty glue jobs and half-arsed assembly started kicking me in the butt.
I definitely learned my lesson! I have yet to fix the pieces that need repairs due to a new job and school starting next week, but I plan on finishing it in time for H4's release and Haloween! I also plan on adding things like a fan in my helmet and chest piece and create a better strapping system so things don't slip and slide around.

So to say the least, this suit is not finished, but you'll be seeing more of me sooner or later! I plan on starting a foam Reach build soon which will be a lot of fun since I'll be able to work on it year 'round!

Thanks for checking out my thread and don't forget to comment and critique!

Stay Frosty, 405thers!
-Alexis
 
WOW! it looks awesome!! its a bummer that some of it started to come apart but now that you know what needs to be reinforced im sure youll make it stronger than ever.

super great job, im so glad the site came back up so that we could all see it!
 
I am so glad to hear your Grandmother is getting better, and that she has a great family to support her!

Also, I have been impatiently waiting for the forums to come back online (so many threads to catch up on!) and I was very happy to see pics of you at Kumoricon. It is too bad about parts of the suit coming apart, but I like your attitude about learning from it and moving on. Keep up the great work! I noticed in a few pictures that your thigh pieces seem to rotate a bit around your leg. It seems like a tricky part of the armour to hold in place. I have seen a few builds where two or three straps are used to keep the thighs in place. Be sure to show us what you come up with!

PS: Good luck at work and in school!
 
WOW! it looks awesome!! its a bummer that some of it started to come apart but now that you know what needs to be reinforced im sure youll make it stronger than ever.

super great job, im so glad the site came back up so that we could all see it!

Thanks Anna! The only pieces that really need fixing are the thigh pieces due to some parts coming unglued. But other than that, I just have to redo my strapping.

I am so glad to hear your Grandmother is getting better, and that she has a great family to support her!

Also, I have been impatiently waiting for the forums to come back online (so many threads to catch up on!) and I was very happy to see pics of you at Kumoricon. It is too bad about parts of the suit coming apart, but I like your attitude about learning from it and moving on. Keep up the great work! I noticed in a few pictures that your thigh pieces seem to rotate a bit around your leg. It seems like a tricky part of the armour to hold in place. I have seen a few builds where two or three straps are used to keep the thighs in place. Be sure to show us what you come up with!

PS: Good luck at work and in school!

Thanks Nessy! I noticed the thigh rotation right away. I had strapping on them, but it was a hasty hotglue job so it came undone and started to rotate around early on. So that'll be one of the first things I fix!

Bummer about the suit, but it looks great. Hope to see it person sometime soon.

Yeah, definitely!

dang the suit looks fantastic

Thanks Road Kill!

Thank you guys for all of your support! I really appreciate it!
-Alexis
 
Happy belated HALOween everyone!

This year was an absolute blast and I just wanted to share some pics with you guys!
I was able to repair my suit in time for this awesome event at the local Fire Station where my dad and uncle (and the rest of the fire department) were handing out candy to kids that came up to trick-or-treat. I had invited a friend to go with me (he is known in the forums as Gliderx64) and he came in his suit too!

It's safe to say we were the highlight of most of those kids' night while we stood there and greeted everyone. I did something like this two years ago with my first MK VI suit but I don't remember having as much fun as I did last night! There were roughly 500 children in total, not including their families.

Now here are just a FEW pics that were taken from last night. It got dark really fast so I apologize if some of the pics are hard to see.

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Last night was the second run that I've had with this suit and this second run was an absolute success! There are somethings I noticed needed changing (like making a smaller chest piece, adding a fan to my helmet, and figuring out how to keep my belt from sliding up my stomach) but all in all, it worked perfectly! Nothing broke or tore! I had a loose strap but that's nothing compared to what happened during my first test run in Kumoricon.

It was really fun seeing all of the kids' and families' faces as they walked into the bay of the Fire Station and saw us there. We got a number of compliments and it was really funny when Glider was constantly mistaken as Bumblebee.
Other things we were mistaken for were:
Power Rangers
Storm Troopers
Transformers
Robots
etc.

And then there were the 7 yr olds who knew exactly who we were. Although I'm not sure it's a good thing that they walk up to us and say "We play your game all of the time!"

*shrugs*

Anyways, last night was a blast and I felt like sharing with you guys!

Now for Halo 4.
Myself and my friend Roxas are planning on meeting at the Clackamas Town Center Mall on the release night! She and I and some of her other friends all plan on getting together all suited up and having fun in front of the GameStop while waiting for the release. I'll have my sister take pics and video and I'll share them with you guys afterwards!

GAH! I'M SO EXCITED! XD

Thanks for checking out my thread!
Please feel free to comment or critique!

Stay Frosty, 405thers!
-Alexis
 
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