OJ102
Member
Hey there,
Ive been working my way thought a lot of different techniques regarding building a costume, alas this has mainly been rebuilding the same parts with different methods, materials and designs, since im never totally happy with them so far, and thought maybe my standard is too high for the materials available.
My project is an Iron Man Suit, specifically the suit featured in Infinity wars and End Game. I have a full 3D breakdown of the suit in pepakura, although the scaling seems a little off.. the torso fits fine at its basic scale but the head is WAY off, to that end im not even attempting a head, and instead have made a BACK and currently preparing templates for the chest plate.
Im using 100* foam which seems to be the densest foam available, to be fair it is rock hard, but when its a large surface area it fends to bend too much.
For reinforcing, I initially tried polyester resin, which gave a beautiful finish like polished metal and initially took distortion very well, so I spray painted it silver to see its paint properties. It was brilliant, looked like a sheet of polished steel. Unfortunately, as it cured, it cracked when even slightly bent, both cracking the resin and flaking the paint. Thankfully I have several test components on low density foam that I'm trying different techniques on, that was a epic fail!
Im currently layering PVA glue on, but not seeing any change, ive got 5 layers on now and cant see any real difference. The outer foam I used a flexible rubber filler pressed into the seams, then wet and polished smooth before then sanding with 60 grit, then 80 and 120. Unfortunately I'm still able to see the seams and feel them under my finger tips. On the inside of the piece im experimenting with Decoupage/PVA to try and give it substance. essentially paper mache with very thin tissue paper. 5 layers in and it feels tougher but still trying so not gonna stress test it.
How smooth can I honestly expect to be able to make the seams on ajoining parts that don't require definitive edges?
Im currently testing the mache on the exterior of a helmet to see if it will be smooth and then to test a basic paint bonding, but ive watched hundreds of youtube vids on this and some of their finished Armour, when intricate is somewhat below what my goal is, the seams are clearly visible after painting, even separating after being worn.
If I cant make seams totally invisible im thinking maybe going the other way and having the seals defined more so they look intentional and part of the design. This is my first project so im testing multiple techniques all the time, Ive already gone down paper/fiberglass and didn't like it, the foam is a lot faster and more fun (less smelly) but the finish is tougher to finalize.
What sort of results have others had and methods used?
Ill upload some images of my own once then dry a little more!
Cheers
Ive been working my way thought a lot of different techniques regarding building a costume, alas this has mainly been rebuilding the same parts with different methods, materials and designs, since im never totally happy with them so far, and thought maybe my standard is too high for the materials available.
My project is an Iron Man Suit, specifically the suit featured in Infinity wars and End Game. I have a full 3D breakdown of the suit in pepakura, although the scaling seems a little off.. the torso fits fine at its basic scale but the head is WAY off, to that end im not even attempting a head, and instead have made a BACK and currently preparing templates for the chest plate.
Im using 100* foam which seems to be the densest foam available, to be fair it is rock hard, but when its a large surface area it fends to bend too much.
For reinforcing, I initially tried polyester resin, which gave a beautiful finish like polished metal and initially took distortion very well, so I spray painted it silver to see its paint properties. It was brilliant, looked like a sheet of polished steel. Unfortunately, as it cured, it cracked when even slightly bent, both cracking the resin and flaking the paint. Thankfully I have several test components on low density foam that I'm trying different techniques on, that was a epic fail!
Im currently layering PVA glue on, but not seeing any change, ive got 5 layers on now and cant see any real difference. The outer foam I used a flexible rubber filler pressed into the seams, then wet and polished smooth before then sanding with 60 grit, then 80 and 120. Unfortunately I'm still able to see the seams and feel them under my finger tips. On the inside of the piece im experimenting with Decoupage/PVA to try and give it substance. essentially paper mache with very thin tissue paper. 5 layers in and it feels tougher but still trying so not gonna stress test it.
How smooth can I honestly expect to be able to make the seams on ajoining parts that don't require definitive edges?
Im currently testing the mache on the exterior of a helmet to see if it will be smooth and then to test a basic paint bonding, but ive watched hundreds of youtube vids on this and some of their finished Armour, when intricate is somewhat below what my goal is, the seams are clearly visible after painting, even separating after being worn.
If I cant make seams totally invisible im thinking maybe going the other way and having the seals defined more so they look intentional and part of the design. This is my first project so im testing multiple techniques all the time, Ive already gone down paper/fiberglass and didn't like it, the foam is a lot faster and more fun (less smelly) but the finish is tougher to finalize.
What sort of results have others had and methods used?
Ill upload some images of my own once then dry a little more!
Cheers