Sean Anwalt's Halo 4/5 Master Chief build

[master_colt_117]

Pretty mortified about how the helmet came out:View attachment 269739

View attachment 269740

HELP! Haha I am pretty disappointed in the back of the helmet. Where's ExCeLLuR8 at? Is there a way to salvage this?

Haha sorry man, I don't know how I missed all these posts the last couple of days! Helmet is looking good, it took me 3 attempts to get good at building mine. Haha. The biggest thing I found is every single part that you glue into place, measure how it's fitting in place compared to your pep model. From there when the piece is glued into place, making sure it's completely acting as it should and not being forced out of alignment by other pieces. One tiny warp starting in one place spreads bigger and bigger to the opposite side of the helmet. I found using braces inside to hold heat formed curve pieces into shape helps a lot with this too. Also for me, this is where cutting out each foam piece 1 at a time really helps, if I mock a foam piece up and it doesn't look like it will "act" correctly because of the seam cut angle, I cut out another one till its right. I think this helmet looks great, it looks nice and straight. The front and sides look fantastic. As far as the back, could you use thinner foam to biuld up some of the game detail so that you like it more? Maybe add some 3d aspects like the vent detail and cortana slot, cause I think what is bothering you is the back is more plain compared to the front and sides that have a lot more detail. I'd have to look at game pics to know what all is back there, I know halo 3 inside and out now! Lol did you watch angelengends tuts on this helmet build? Your full suit up is looking top notch man!!

 

[Sean Anwalt]

I did watch Angelegend's videos. I've also sat down and tried that thing again, and this is my result:

I think measuring the pieces helped. The two vents on the side aren't perfectly symmetrical, but a little sanding and TLC wil help knock them into place.

One thing I hate is the pen marks here and there. Sometimes they make it look like the piece has huge gaps in the seams, which bugs me, but once it's leak sealed and primed, that should go away.

Just wondering, does anyone have a voice amplifier built into their helmets? Is that a thing you can do?

Also, just because I don't think I've ever posted a picture of it on here, this is the ab plate and codpiece I did:

I made it more "sit down" friendly by taking it in two halves and joining them with straps:

Should help me avoid ripped crotch syndrome like my reach suit had...

 

[master_colt_117]

I did watch Angelegend's videos. I've also sat down and tried that thing again, and this is my result:
View attachment 269768
I think measuring the pieces helped. The two vents on the side aren't perfectly symmetrical, but a little sanding and TLC wil help knock them into place.

One thing I hate is the pen marks here and there. Sometimes they make it look like the piece has huge gaps in the seams, which bugs me, but once it's leak sealed and primed, that should go away.

Just wondering, does anyone have a voice amplifier built into their helmets? Is that a thing you can do?

Also, just because I don't think I've ever posted a picture of it on here, this is the ab plate and codpiece I did:
View attachment 269769

I made it more "sit down" friendly by taking it in two halves and joining them with straps:
View attachment 269770

Should help me avoid ripped crotch syndrome like my reach suit had...

There ya go that looks way better. Yeah don't stress seams. Quick seal caulk is amazing for that. I sculpt seam with that stuff in many layers unail perfect letting it dry in between. Then once I have it built up enough, I lightly sand it down the way I want. It gives super flawless lines once leak sealed. Also I have learned, treat every imperfection as if it will show through the leak seal, cause chances are it will. Caulk every bubble, hole, Crack seam very well before spraying. It took me this whole week to get my back piece prepped for spraying leak seal. I'm spraying it now actually and man it is flawless!! Glad I put the hard work in on prepping it all week

 

[Sean Anwalt]

UPDATE: JETPACKS!

Takes 3 and 4

Need to sand them down in places, but I'm much, Much happier with the look and the detail I have in these ones. Those vanes down the center are straight, (I didn't accidentally switch the side panels...) the step down part in the middle is level, and, with only a few exceptions, the seams look really decent. Ish.

*WHOO!* that makes everything needing foam construction.

I neglected to photograph the boot building process; right now they are in pieces waiting to be attached to some footwear, and shoe goo'd, I'll get pictures of those later.

Same goes with the undersuit. I got me some hexagon fabric and cut out all the parts yesterday. Took me about three hours. I also have some rubber tubing I'm going to try to use to circulate air around my body. I'll let you know how THAT goes.

Next step: shoe goo until I drop, then leak seal everything. I'm hoping by this time next week to be in the final prep and painting stage. Unfortunately unlike ExCeLLuR8, I don't have the luxury of taking a long time doing things. I want to have the chief out on the town by the 25th or 31st at the latest.

 

[master_colt_117]

UPDATE: JETPACKS!

Takes 3 and 4

View attachment 269862

Need to sand them down in places, but I'm much, Much happier with the look and the detail I have in these ones. Those vanes down the center are straight, (I didn't accidentally switch the side panels...) the step down part in the middle is level, and, with only a few exceptions, the seams look really decent. Ish.

*WHOO!* that makes everything needing foam construction.

I neglected to photograph the boot building process; right now they are in pieces waiting to be attached to some footwear, and shoe goo'd, I'll get pictures of those later.

Same goes with the undersuit. I got me some hexagon fabric and cut out all the parts yesterday. Took me about three hours. I also have some rubber tubing I'm going to try to use to circulate air around my body. I'll let you know how THAT goes.

Next step: shoe goo until I drop, then leak seal everything. I'm hoping by this time next week to be in the final prep and painting stage. Unfortunately unlike ExCeLLuR8, I don't have the luxury of taking a long time doing things. I want to have the chief out on the town by the 25th or 31st at the latest.

Haha awesome dude, this looks fantastic!! See rebuilding does pay off! And yeah yeah I know, I'm taking forever, good news is, Im just about done leak sealing my torso and painting is starting this Saturday! I have a ton of batches mixed up of my base coat green. I'm really interested in you're tubing idea for cooling. Keep us posted on how that works, Ive given that thought as well. Im going to put fans in the chest of my torso and see how that works.

 

[master_colt_117]

Hey man something I thought I would share with you that I have learned in my countless hours, weeks, months of brain racking testing of paints. A good "low visiual impact" flexible durable clear coat that doesn't really change the color of your paint but just enriches the color, ofor course protecting it at the same time. This has been the best I have found out of everything and it does not crack even under extreme flexing. Plus it's fully dry in 5 minutes. Its also a true matte but not dry or chalky looking. Can pick it up at any Michaels or other craft store.

 

[Sean Anwalt]

That's awesome, I'll look into it. Wish I had that when I was finishing my reach suit! ...maybe I'll repaint it......... I'm thinking white...

EDIT: ExCeLLuR8, what color/ combination of colors did you find for your build?

 

[master_colt_117]

That's awesome, I'll look into it. Wish I had that when I was finishing my reach suit! ...maybe I'll repaint it......... I'm thinking white...

Yeah I've been really happy with this clear coat and trust me I've tried them all. Others are either to glossy when they should be matte or they crack under flexing. This one has been the perfect one. It works well with acrylic and because house paint is nothing but an acrylic latex based paint, it works really with that too. House paint is the bomb to btw, flexing doesn't phase it one bit. Crazy strong and durable! My final green I'm using is a house paint base with 4 additional metallic acrylic colors mixed in that give it the depth I want. It's perfect and most importantly, durable.

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Awesome. I actually JUST edited my last post, but I'll ask again, what combination of colors did you figure out to get you those epic results?

 

[master_colt_117]

Awesome. I actually JUST edited my last post, but I'll ask again, what combination of colors did you figure out to get you those epic results?

So once discovering house paints work well due to being latex based which flexes really well. From there I just had to get in the right color spectrum. Luckily my wife is a custom home builder, she put am image of Chief into a program at work and narrowed down the exact rgb codes and matched them to Sherwin Williams colors. Oakmose was actually the winner as my base in person. I thin the paint down to run through my airbrush with water, works perfectly. But oakmoss alone didnt have the depth I wanted. I went back to my other metallics acrylics I loved before and started mixing them in until the metallic fleck was up to the desired level. All said and done, 5 paints mixed and thinned with water get me what I wanted. It looks even better in person, pics dont do justice. It has a rich olive look but in certain lights it shimmer those metallic under tones and really looks like the game not to mention a piece of olive color metal. I'm using Sherwin Williams exterior heavy duty latex enamel. Flex it or scratch as hard as you want, doesn't phase it!

 

[Sean Anwalt]

That's awesome, thanks for the info! I'm really really looking forward to seeing your suit finished.

 

[master_colt_117]

That's awesome, thanks for the info! I'm really really looking forward to seeing your suit finished.

Thanks man, just finished leak sealing the last little bit. Everything is now done!! I will post pics on friday once leak seal is completely tightened up and cured.
Painting should be all down hill from here! I'm not going to over think it but I'm going to put the long hours into it to get it right. The wait is going to be well worth it!! I can't wait to see your halo 4 chief! What paints are you leaning towards?

 

[Sean Anwalt]

What paints are you leaning towards?

I have no idea.

From almost all of the research I've done I've concluded 2 things:

1) my phone sucks and autocorrect is retarded, and
2) [more relevant] the halo 4/5 chief looks a little darker in color than halo 2/3.

So what I am thinking is basically stealing your idea of mixing metallic paints with the base coat. There are details on the suit that many people paint a very dark color if not black, but when I look at all of my reference photos at most I can determine the shade to be only mildly darker, if at all. (Tops of the firearms, locks on his chest, etc...) so I am going to keep these details almost the same. I'm wondering if putting a white color as a base around the suit but using a black base on those details would work. I'm not sure. I may just tint the paint a shade darker, who knows?

As far as the actual base color, I am still undecided. Like I say I want it to be a little darker than, say, my reach suit, but not so dark that you can't tell it's the chief, you know?

Either way I'm hoping to have the color picked out by weeks end. I'll keep you posted.

 

[master_colt_117]

I have no idea.

From almost all of the research I've done I've concluded 2 things:

1) my phone sucks and autocorrect is retarded, and
2) [more relevant] the halo 4/5 chief looks a little darker in color than halo 2/3.

So what I am thinking is basically stealing your idea of mixing metallic paints with the base coat. There are details on the suit that many people paint a very dark color if not black, but when I look at all of my reference photos at most I can determine the shade to be only mildly darker, if at all. (Tops of the firearms, locks on his chest, etc...) so I am going to keep these details almost the same. I'm wondering if putting a white color as a base around the suit but using a black base on those details would work. I'm not sure. I may just tint the paint a shade darker, who knows?

As far as the actual base color, I am still undecided. Like I say I want it to be a little darker than, say, my reach suit, but not so dark that you can't tell it's the chief, you know?

Either way I'm hoping to have the color picked out by weeks end. I'll keep you posted.

Cool man, yes he is definitely a darker green in halo 4. Almost a true olive drab honestly which is pretty dark. The house paints are so rich, you can paint directly onto the leak seal. I would not use a spray can primer, every one of those I tested crack with flexing. your leak seal serves as the primer. I think you could definitely mix a metallic acrylic into the house paint to give it the depth and make it look more like metal instead of your house wall lol. Also one thing I noticed with the house paint, hand brushing them on does not look nearly as good as thinning them with water and airbrushing them on. Airbrushing them on makes them more subdued and better looking, also more matte in color. the surface is much better too. (not sure if you were planning to spray or airbrush). I wouldn't recommend hand brushing the house paints on though. I know one thing, I have spent a small fortune in paints for pure testing purposes, in the end only a handful are going to get used. haha But at least I've got it all figured out and have learned a lot.

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Cool man, yes he is definitely a darker green in halo 4. Almost a true olive drab honestly which is pretty dark. The house paints are so rich, you can paint directly onto the leak seal. I would not use a spray can primer, every one of those I tested crack with flexing. your leak seal serves as the primer. I think you could definitely mix a metallic acrylic into the house paint to give it the depth and make it look more like metal instead of your house wall lol. Also one thing I noticed with the house paint, hand brushing them on does not look nearly as good as thinning them with water and airbrushing them on. Airbrushing them on makes them more subdued and better looking, also more matte in color. the surface is much better too. (not sure if you were planning to spray or airbrush). I wouldn't recommend hand brushing the house paints on though. I know one thing, I have spent a small fortune in paints for pure testing purposes, in the end only a handful are going to get used. haha But at least I've got it all figured out and have learned a lot.

I am glad YOU spent a fortune on painting supplies so I can learn from your experience! Lol I only have a few weeks, so I'm dedicating most of that time to the sealing and painting, only sanding down where I really have to. I Adm probably not going to be your quality of build (duh), but I am going to try to get close.

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Jetpacks Attached.

There are more details to add but I can add those while they are attached.

 

[master_colt_117]

I am glad YOU spent a fortune on painting supplies so I can learn from your experience! Lol I only have a few weeks, so I'm dedicating most of that time to the sealing and painting, only sanding down where I really have to. I Adm prothis bably not going to be your quality of build (duh), but I am going to try to get close.

This looks awesome man, love the jet packs!! Your quality is just as good. Yes definitely spend the time on the final prep part. Treat every imperfection as if it will show through the leak seal, cause most likely it will. Try to flush seams up with sanding and sanding blocks. Use the quick seal caulk to build up and cover imperfections. Then once caulk is dry, give it a light sanding. As far as the leak seal goes, I got my best results spraying multiple coats on one day, let it cure for 24 hours. Go back and caulk little imperfections you missed or still showing through the leak seal coat like holes or cracks, sand the the cured leak seal if needed to smooth any rough areas out, seams still showing. Then spray the piece down with multiple more coats of leak seal, once that's cured, I was getting flawless smooth results because you're basically sealing it again to perfection with that final spray. I also got my best smoothest cure results with outdoor Temps being in the low 70's and of course low humidity.

 

[xXDashIVXx]

Hey man something I thought I would share with you that I have learned in my countless hours, weeks, months of brain racking testing of paints. A good "low visiual impact" flexible durable clear coat that doesn't really change the color of your paint but just enriches the color, ofor course protecting it at the same time. This has been the best I have found out of everything and it does not crack even under extreme flexing. Plus it's fully dry in 5 minutes. Its also a true matte but not dry or chalky looking. Can pick it up at any Michaels or other craft store.

View attachment 269870

DANGIT! I just bought some clear coat paint two hours before this post went up...

 

[Sean Anwalt]

Update without pictures. This post is mostly so I have an idea of where I stand and what I need to do still.

Foam construction: COMPLETE
Shoe goo: IN PROCESS
Undersuit: IN PROCESS

Still to go:

Install visor
Undersuit details
Leak seal everything
Paint
Detail paint
Electronics
Padding
Strapping

 

[master_colt_117]

Update without pictures. This post is mostly so I have an idea of where I stand and what I need to do still.

Foam construction: COMPLETE
Shoe goo: IN PROCESS
Undersuit: IN PROCESS

Still to go:

Install visor
Undersuit details
Leak seal everything
Paint
Detail paint
Electronics
Padding
Strapping

I don't know if your saw, but Branfuhr Studios just posted that he has made another large run of master chief visors. He made a bunch of halo 4 ones and they look really good. He made mine. They're vacuum formed with game detail