Vacumm Former

[hosstheboss]

hello 405th.com i have been study this site alot and i have never seen a vacumm formed MKVI suit and i thought i might as well go ahead and do one my self. But i have run into a snag i have no helmet and nor the money to do a pep helmet so i need some one to help me with this project.

 

[Heatshock]

erm ... so you have had enough resource to do bucks and pull a masterchief set of MC armour?

but not enough to do a pep helmet?



what exactly did you have in mind of "help" you have asked for? Cos I am sure this community is more than willing to provide it, provided its reasonable requests?

 

[hosstheboss]

I have not done no pulls yet i am asking if some one would be willing to let me use a copy of the mc suit to do a couple pulls i would in return give them a plastic copy. That is what i am asking.

 

[bwinks26]

pep helmet wouldnt cost that much. my walmart sells 150 sheets of cardstock for $5.00! after that it's just glue, bondo, resin, FG sheets, and paint, but i can see where that might get a bit expensive (not that you would need entire cans of bondo and resin for just the helmet )

 

[this is haji]

I have not done no pulls yet i am asking if some one would be willing to let me use a copy of the mc suit to do a couple pulls i would in return give them a plastic copy. That is what i am asking.

sorry man, i dont think you're going to find anyone here willing to lend you their work.

 

[Brandon McClain]

When it comes to vac-forming the mkvi there are too many undercuts, details etc. Vac forming something like stormtrooper armor is easier because it is smooth with fewer details. If you look at the Sean Bradley's vac formed ODST armor, you can see the difficulties and costs involved in developing the the vac former, bucks etc. For as much as you would spend trying to vac form the entire MKVI, you may as well save up a little more and just buy or trade for some part castings from other members here.

 

[hosstheboss]

in your own words how much resin do you think it would take to resin a whole suit.

 

[this is haji]

in your own words how much resin do you think it would take to resin a whole suit.

Haha.. i lost count how much money its taken me to this point... with another $300+ to pitch in for materials to cast it





A whole markvi suit? Estimating here



Id assume you could do it with one can of resin and one packet of fiberglass (15 bucks together)



And you're going to need a respirator capable of filtering vapors: Cheapest one i know of is 25 bucks (MANDATORY) resin emits fumes





Then you need body filler to work out the polygonish look. Big can is little less than 20 bucks. Your going to need sanding equipment unless you want to spend a whole lot of time doing it with your hands



I picked up a small mouse sander for 15 bucks at walmar but it was on clearence





If you really want to work in detail, define edges: more money into equipment such as a dremel and a set of jewlers







No need to buy it all at once, and look around at flea markets and garage sales for equipment

 

[hosstheboss]

Ok i have just started working on a pep but i hit a snag i have found that some one on the forums named Timecon and he is the same size, hieght, but he Has the scale in .cm can some one help please.

 

[Brandon McClain]

The scale in pepakura is in mm. CM to MM = add a 0, 20 cm = 200mm. My guess is that his scales are for the height of the part. For a full MKVI you will need more than a gallon of resin. There is a great thread somewhere about the project triangle you should read. There are three options for your suit. Fast, Nice, or Cheap. You can only pick two. If you want a good looking suit you can either do it fast and expensive, if you want it cheap it is going to take you a long time. In general, if you want a good looking suit it is going to cost you a fair bit. Expect to spend several hundred dollars, and that is really on the low side of things. If you just want to pep, harden and paint, without smoothing or adding detail, then you can do it a lot cheaper. If not, well, its just not a cheap hobby at all. Just the nature of the beast.

 

[hosstheboss]

I have Figured in right around $150 to do a whole suit does this seem right i have all the tools already and the brushes and the acid to clean the brushes.