Second attempt at Mark V suit WITHOUT Bondo WIP

[WRTHG]

Here my second attempt at the Halo CE Mark V suit without the use of Bondo. I have nothing against Bondo its just my first attempt had a really thick Bondo job on it and it never sanded down flat. For this second attempt im going to begin by peping the armor as usual and instead of doing a resin and Bondo job, im going to fiberglass the helmet. Now here is where it gets interesting: If someone is going to tell me that fiberglass takes away from details..wait. Im using a rc airplane grade fiberglass with a 1oz weave so it saturates less resin. Its a very fine, tiny, weave so i can bend and shape it on the outside without having any problems. Here is a photo of the helmet after the glassing and painting process. The next pieces of armor are the chest piece and the backpack. Tell me what you think of the helmet. Answer truthfully so i can improve on the next pieces and on a third version of the helmet!

 

[Hyperballistik]

not bad considering it don't have any bondo work, it does look alot better than most helmets where they paint directly over the rough resin, only problem I see is that it will be hard to round out the helmet and raise up low spots without bondo, but hey its your armor and if your happy with the way it looks, that all that matters, keep us posted

 

[WRTHG]

Well im not 100% happy with the way it looks but i believe its okay for a first time builder. On the rest of the armor i plan to fiberglass, sand sand sand, fill in the spots i need raised with wood filler and then prime and paint. I have used this method before and it work well considering the materials are not meant to be together. After the wood filler is added over the glass, i sand it down and it raises all imperfections perfectly.

 

[Hyperballistik]

Well im not 100% happy with the way it looks but i believe its okay for a first time builder. On the rest of the armor i plan to fiberglass, sand sand sand, fill in the spots i need raised with wood filler and then prime and paint. I have used this method before and it work well considering the materials are not meant to be together. After the wood filler is added over the glass, i sand it down and it raises all imperfections perfectly.

I would suggest using spot putty filler (the stuff that comes in a tube dries red) its usually available in the automotive section where bondo is sold at, its easy to sand sorta like sanding drywall spackle, plus it don't dent as easy as wood filler, but its not as hard as bondo, if you apply it in thin layers it shouldn't crack, I use the stuff all the time on my helmets, usually after I finish the bondo process to fill in imperfections but I have used it in large areas when I don't feel like mixing up a batch of bondo, and so far no problems

 

[WRTHG]

Sounds like a good replacment to my wood filler, il try it. Now im just in search of more fiberglass cloth so i can continue to glass my armor lol

 

[Toacrabman]

Where exactly do you get super thin fiberglass like that, because I too, dont really like bondo.

 

[WRTHG]

Companies like Horizon Hobby sell one square yard of 1/2oz fiberglass for 7 dollars a roll. If you want an even longer roll the prices are going to go up. For longer rolls i would suggest searching Google for an online store. Hobby shops may sell the Horizon rolls so try that option before going to the internet. All in all, anything from 1/2 oz to 1/oz weaves can get you detail and clarity without the use of Bondo. Just make sure after applying fiberglass you sand and fill in imperfections with Spot Putty Filler ( Thanks Hyperballistik!) or wood filler.

(And to all the Bondo lovers out there i have nothing against Bondo I just have alternatives.)