UNSC Armed Conflict Response (ACR) Team Trooper-WIP

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

UNSC ACR Trooper BCH III Comms. Helmet -WIP

Hey everyone,

I believe a quick explanation is in order for a seemingly “new” project. This is a “continuation” of my original “UNSC SOCOM Trooper”, but under a new name and with a compressed view of all of my progress to date. I aim for this thread to be a little more compact, and more explanatory of my construction methods as I progress through this costume. Moderators/Administrators, I apologies if this breaks any rules. To my own knowledge, this is not against any rules. However, please feel free to lock the old thread if you see fit.

(link provided below)

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/25492-UNSC-SOCOM-Trooper-WIP

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Unlike typical UNSC Army troopers, UNSCMC Marines and UNSCDF ODST’s, this costume will capture the special operatives side of the UNSC military. A completely hand picked Militia of the best troopers of the UNSC Army, Marine Corps and Defense Force. A Militia so highly trained and so good at what they do, they put the name “Helljumpers” to shame. I’m referring to the UNSC’s Special Operative Armed Conflict Response Team. Or, for short, UNSC-S.O. ACR Team.

Now, onto the progress pictures of my UNSC ACR Trooper.

(NOTE: All concept art has “UNSC SOCOM Trooper” as the draft title. This was my initial first draft name, and has only recently evolved into the UNSC ACR Trooper.)

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CONCEPTS

The initial concepts of the armour were heavily based on Weta’s take on the Halo 3 marine. After the release of some images of Halo:Reach’s UNSC Army trooper, I decided to integrate some of the design of the UNSC Army trooper into the marine armour. This eventually revolutionized into what is below.

UNSC ACR Trooper Shoulder Plate

UNSC ACR Trooper Chest/Back Plate(s)

UNSC ACR Trooper Helmet

UNSC ACR Trooper Stomach Plate

(Concepts are subject to change as the costumes progress continues)

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SCULPTING

All of the concepts above and MANY more were mashed together to create what is here. Trying to achieve a proper balance of straight, uniform design and curved, round shapes in the armour is key in the production of the costume. If something doesn’t look correct, I go back to the concepts and edit them so the armour looks less like a mash up of random armour parts, and more like a smooth co-operation of similar, but different armour parts.

UNSC ACR Trooper Helmet
(Currently in progress)

UNSC ACR Trooper Upper Shoulder Plate

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MOLDING

Early on I decided to use Smooth-On’s Rebound-25 and Plasti-Paste II as my molding material. Though the materials may be expensive, they are worth every penny and then some.

Materials

UNSC ACR Trooper Upper Shoulder Plate Mold

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CASTING

After experimenting with both Smooth-on products and other casting materials, I came to the conclusion that casting with a gelcoat and fiberglass/resin would be the way to go. Its roughly the same cost as the Smooth-on products, but accepts paint and bondo far better. Fiberglass and resin is also far easier to come by then smooth-on products in my neck of the woods.

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SOFT ARMOUR COMPONENTS

After deciding that the costume would require multiple flexible armour parts to increase maneuverability and flexibility, I decided to create the parts from EVA foam and OD green fabric.

The current neck guard is only a test component at the moment. The design is subject to change, however, my methods have been tested on it, and I believe I have a decent looking product from my efforts.

I took a sharpie to the neck guard and wrote “SOCOM” on the back. (The official neck guard will have “UNSC-ACR” apposed to “SOCOM”). I thought this would help identify the unit a little better apart from other troops. I drew it on by hand because this is UNSC standard issue gear, but modified by the soldiers to meet their needs. I also decided to apply water to the surface of the fabric to smudge the “S” and part of the “O” to create a more down-to-earth look. I also think the smudging makes the neck guard look more human, aswell as more of a rush job compared to a long, artistic process.

I also took some 180 grit sand paper to the fabric to create a “fading” effect aswell as a warn effect as if the trooper had been crawling around and running through rugged, wooded areas.

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Tell me what you think!

This is just a teaser of what’s to come. Things may not look Spec. Ops now, but they will. I will be updating VERY soon with some nice, juicy updates of a few finished armour parts.

Until then, stay frosty.

Jake
Xtreme TACTICS 101

 

[Tyvern]

Nice build tacts!

 

[S1l3nt V1p3r]

*whistle*

She's a beaut!

 

[spaz]

need moar updates ! this build is one i am really looking forward to finishing

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

First off, thanks to everybody for the comments!

Now onto a quick update.

I managed to get back to work on the helmet. I have been adjusting symmetry, filling low spots, and adjusting strait edges to insure they are truly strait. I have also been sculpting out other basic details before I begin the smoothing process and fine detailing process later down the road.

As you can see, the helmet is nearing completion. Aside from a little more work dealing with symmetry, smoothing and adding smaller details, the true bulk of the helmets work is nearly complete.

I’ve also began to brainstorm ideas for graffiti on my armour.

A quick explanation of everything there and it’s meaning…

“Pot Leaf?- What Ya Talkin’ Aboot?”: This is a small play on my Canadian heritage and a small patch on the Canadian Armed Forces uniforms. There is a small Canadian flag patch on the left shoulder of the BDU’s that comes in a traditional red/white colouration, or an olive drab/tan colouration format. My small flag patch is the OD/tan colouration. From a distance, the small maple leaf looks like a pot leaf. The extra “O” in “Aboot” is not a typo. We, in fact due to our seemingly non-existent accents pronounce it “Aboot” apposed to “About”.

Hopefully I will be placing that artistic addition on my left shoulder plate.

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“Flies Spread Disease, Keep Yours Closed!”: If you have seen Band of Brothers, this a quote from one of the soldiers during easy company’s tour in Normandy.

I’ll be placing this remark on my groin plate.

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“Watch Your Own 6!”: This is kind of a play on the common “Watch my 6” comment amongst soldiers. Obviously I took the comment in a literal sense.

This will obviously be on my butt plate.

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“Lost count”: Kind of the soldiers kill count. After a while, the soldier lost track of his count during an engagement and just gave up.

I’m unsure of where I will place this.

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“Cruelty had a human heart,
Every man does play his part,
Terror of the men we kill,
The human heart is hungry still”: A small reference to the band Iron Maiden as it is my favorite band. The quote is from their song entitled “Passchandaele”. I feel the quote best describes some soldiers in battle when/if they lose all sympathy for life in whatever god forsaken hell hole they may be fighting in. It also expresses a sad but true fact about human nature.

I will be placing this on my helmet.

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That’s it for this update. Hopefully the helmet will be molded by the 1 year anniversary of it’s beginning on December 27, 2009. It has been a long year, and hopefully I will finish it this year.

Stay frosty,

Jake
Xtreme TACTICS 101

 

[xlasernoobsx]

This is looking pretty nice man.

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

Hey everybody,

I’m just popping in to show I’m still working on this project with a small teaser update of the helmet’s new design. I sensed the original design stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the gear and it simply did not possess that “special operative” feel.

If you are familiar with current military gear, you may notice that I’ve based the new helmet design off of one of the US military’s MICH 2001 helmet variants that is modified for a headset. My helmet will feature a NVG (Night Vision Goggle) mount, various velcro attachment systems for a nametape and patches, as well as a custom headset.

I’ll leave the teaser update with that concept for now. I have a little more sculpting to do before the helmets sculpt is ready to be unveiled.

Until then, stay frosty.

Jake,
Xtreme TACTICS 101

 

[Brandon McClain]

Hey, glad to see you are back at it. Concepts are looking good. Where do you get your gel coat?

 

[Liamthedevastator]

CAAAAAANNAAAAADAAAAAA!

Sweet concept, I love it. That dial at the back looks like one of those helmet adjustment things...am I right?

 

[xBeaver Feaver]

Some very cool concepts. Im looking forward to seeing this come together.

Im not sure about the "Aboot". Everybody I know says about... Are you from southern ontario?

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

First of all, thanks for the comments!

@ Brandon McClain

I bought my gel coat from a company called Jamestown Distributors over the internet from their site. The shipping charges came out to be very high because I’m located in Canada and there is a hazardous material shipping cost added to the initial cost, but the product was worth every cent. Here’s a link to the gel coat I purchased:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...?pid=1522&familyName=Colored+Air+Dry+Gelcoats

@ Liamthedevastator

The dial on the back is an adjustment knob. However I will not be making it moveable in any way because it would require too much work for what will essentially end up as only a detail in the end.

@ xBeaver Feaver

I am in fact from Southern Ontario. I personally don’t hear the “Aboot” either, but according to a lot of my globally scattered friends and family, they hear “Aboot” opposed to “About”. Then again, apparently I say “‘eh” a lot as well… Must be Bob and Doug McKenzie syndrome.

Constructive criticism and your own personal opinions are welcome as usual.

Stay frosty,

Jake
Xtreme TACTICS 101

 

[WrathPrime]

Hey everybody,

I’m just popping in to show I’m still working on this project with a small teaser update of the helmet’s new design. I sensed the original design stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the gear and it simply did not possess that “special operative” feel.

If you are familiar with current military gear, you may notice that I’ve based the new helmet design off of one of the US military’s MICH 2001 helmet variants that is modified for a headset. My helmet will feature a NVG (Night Vision Goggle) mount, various velcro attachment systems for a nametape and patches, as well as a custom headset.

I’ll leave the teaser update with that concept for now. I have a little more sculpting to do before the helmets sculpt is ready to be unveiled.

Until then, stay frosty.

Jake,
Xtreme TACTICS 101

Well I do like the very tactical look you're going for here I do have a few suggestions. To make it more of an elite force styled trooper gear I would say you might want something to use for envormental conditions and drop pod use, so a face that can perhaps be removed would work. I think also a throat mic like most spec operaters use would be better suited for silent comms. The strap you have on there looks more like a bike or sports helmet, not that there's anything wrong with that, I would use more of a pad like the MICH and the ACH have. Troops being deployed now also get a larger pad that's more padded and reinforced with kevlar, it's more for shrapnel and won't help against direct fire. Those are just some suggestions for you.

Good luck and can't wait to see it finished.

 

[Tactonyx]

Cool. I like the idea of using a modular helmet for the Halo universe. I might try that with a ODST helmet one of these days, once I get a healthy collection of guns. If you need any more ref pics, I got a plenty

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

Thanks for the comments!

@ WrathPrime-

Addressing some of your ideas…

The environmental condition and drop pod use attachment(s) for the helmet are intriguing ideas. The environmental conditions attachments, in my own opinion may be better represented with something as simple as a balaclava and goggles for cold weather conditions, or UV goggles for hot weather conditions. The beautiful thing about being a special operative is that you can choose the gear you use. So, if the situation were to call for it the operative could simply switch his comms helmet for a better suiting helmet or armour set regarding the operation at hand. The comms helmet is simply one of many choices the operative has to choose from.

I initially had an idea regarding a throat mic for the helmet, and chances are I will use it. I drew the helmet with the other mic as a second option. As for the ear muffs, I’m sure they serve as a great way to suppress the sound of combat as well as increase the volume of your unit members comms. There’s nothing more frustrating then having zero-comms with unit members when on an operation.

The helmets strap system was just a quick doodle. I’ll be following a more stripped-down version of the Halo: Reach UNSC Army Trooper helmet for the official strap design.

Now, onto a little progress.

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HELMET

After seeing Issac Hannaford’s concepts on his blog, I instantly fell in love with his marine armour concept (featured below).

After considering the design of the helmet versus my own design, I decided to incorporate his helmets design into my own. My helmets dome will be very similar to his concept, however with the added velcro attachment strips, NVG mount and so on. The lower half of the helmet will be non-existent in favor of my own Ballistic Comm’s Helmet (BCH III) design. My current (And limited…) progress is featured below.

I know it isn’t much at the moment, but the domes shape is beginning to surface, and symmetry is also starting to form. As I’ve always said, accurate symmetry has always been the hardest thing to produce when sculpting, especially when it’s the dome of a helmet.

After my own helmet’s design is sculpted, I will post an interest thread with pictures of the finished sculpt. Depending on the amount of people interested in a cast, I will either mold the helmet as it is, or simply scrap it and move on to modifying the existing sculpt into Issac’s concept marine helmet. Either way, I will be sculpting a helmet using Issac’s helmet design as reference.

I’ll leave the update here for now. I know it’s not a lot of progress, but I assure you all my next update shall be far more productive. I’ll be sure to include an updated concept of the helmet to better illustrate my target for the finished helmet.

Until then, feel free to offer constructive criticism and your personal opinions regarding the concept and my progress thus far.

Stay frosty,

Jake
Xtreme TACTICS 101

 

[Tyvern]

really looking cool tacts!

 

[WrathPrime]

Can't wait to see more of your progress!

 

[ShadoKat]

As I’ve always said, accurate symmetry has always been the hardest thing to produce when sculpting, especially when it’s the dome of a helmet.

YES YES YES!!! That's why you need a Symmetrizer! Mine has helped me out TREMENDOUSLY, but that's just me Seriously, though, this is looking wonderful so far. What are you using as your sculpting medium? Is that clay? It could be just my monitor, but it kinda looks like something else, kind of a cross between foam, Bondo, and plaster. If it is clay, what kind, and how are you liking it?

 

[Santicity]

I too am wondering what kind of material it is.

I think it would be easier to make if you made one part, and made the chin part separately.

 

[Xtreme TACTICS 101]

Thanks for the comments!

@ ShadoKat & Santicity-

The material I am using to sculpt is Van Aken oil-based sulfur free clay. It’s a great product to use for sculpting; however the clay is about $8.00 per pound after taxes here in Canad. The texture in the previous update was simply caused by one of the sculpting tools I use.

Now, onto some progress.

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HELMET:

Conceptual Edits:

I’ve decided against the NVG mount in preference to a set of goggles for the helmet. I figured that the NVG mount served little-to-no purpose on the helmet as the goggles would more then likely house a night-vision system in the Halo universe.

I’ve also updated the helmet’s design slightly to be a little more comfortable to wear. Hopefully the slightly edited concept shown below will show the changes I have made and will be making to the helmets sculpt.

Rest assured that the side mounts for attachments on the helmet will be present on the actual helmet despite their obvious absence from the concept.

To add to the conceptual edits, here are the two leading inspirations for the helmet. The Ops-Core FAST helmet, and the target issue Dutch military helmet.

Sculpt:

I’m beginning to sculpt out the more detailed shapes on the helmet, as well as prep the surface for smoothing and detailing. I’m working on sculpting only one half of the helmet at the moment as I will be able to sculpt the second half more efficiently and accurately knowing the proper measurements on the other side to achieve proper symmetry.

As you can tell, the helmet is coming along, and hopefully it should be molded within the next month or two.

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NECK GUARD:

I am continuing to practice weathering techniques on soft armour parts. I’ve discovered that sand paper, a modeling knife and a black fabric marker create a fairly presentable armour part.

The design, once again has not been finalized, however I did run across some official Bungie concepts that I’ve been drawn to due to the Vietnam-era like gear. I’m very intrigued by the neck guards design, so I may have to base my own design off of it.

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That’s it for this update. I’ll be sure to update again soon.

Until then, stay frosty,

Jake
Xtreme TACTICS 101

 

[Varsity]

OOh can hardly wait. *stares at computer screen waiting for the next update*