WIP - Bargo - MKVII - EVA Built

[N8TEBB]

Ooh you’ve made some exciting progress since I last checked in on this thread!

Are the fans, lights, hearing system, and microphone all powered from the same battery in the helmet? Did you have any trouble with the fans causing problems with the audio? Did you have to add any capacitors or ferrite beads to clean up your power supply?

Love the AR smoke and effects. Super cool! One day I want to make those modifications to my nerf AR.

Happy (very belated) birthday!

Hope you can get that helmet repaired in time.

 

[Bargo]

Only the Bluetooth mic runs separately on its own built-in battery – everything else in the helmet runs off a single powerbank. So far I haven’t had any issues with interference. I do have to say though, the “better hearing” only makes things about 10% better compared to no headphones at all… but if it’s switched off, it actually makes things about 50% worse.


For the AR, I’ll probably make a proper update at some point with a wiring diagram and parts list so others can build it too. ^^


As for the helmet, I’m making good progress – right now I’m just waiting for the last coat of paint to dry so I can remove the tape and (hopefully) finally get back to weathering.

 

[Bargo]

I did it!
My repairs are finished just in time for the weekend, the armor is shining in its new “glory,” and I can finally give you all a proper update.

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Ab-Wrap Build​

I built myself a new ab-wrap:

• Made from 5mm EVA plus 10mm EVA for the spine
• Sprayed with three different rubber coating sprays:
  1. Plastidip as primer
  2. Clear Rubber for texture from the hardware store
  3. Matte black Rubber from the hardware store

I also had to change the harness system a bit: previously, the belt was permanently attached to the straps. Now the harness is independent and only supports the thighs, kama, and side pouch.
The belt itself is attached to the ab-wrap with two buckles, and the wrap is currently fixed to the torso with just one buckle (I’ll decide after tomorrow’s troop if another is needed).

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️ Repair Work​

• Biceps shortened by ~1 cm
• Shoulders re-attached
• Thighs adjusted for better mobility + fixed a small mistake I hadn’t noticed before
• Shins extended the back cutout by ~1–1.5 cm → I can now kneel without anything pinching
• Smoothed and reinforced several hot glue spots on the inside

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Fun Extras​

• Couldn’t resist buying a cheap energy sword on AliExpress for €7. While fixing the helmet, I also gave it a new paint job – not perfect, but much better than how it arrived.

• Tomorrow will be the test run of an i9 voice changer, combined with my current voice amp. I’m curious to see if I’ll get any feedback issues while trooping or if it works smoothly.

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Fireteam Horned Viper​

Lastly, I can share something special: the logo for my custom Fireteam, which I designed myself (with some early drafting help from ChatGPT – I know some people like to know this detail).


Backstory-wise, my Spartan is the leader of Fireteam Horned Viper – originally leading an ODST unit as a test to see if combining Spartan-II and ODST could bring out the best of both. That’s also why I wear the ODST shoulder as part of the armor storyvise.

//If someone wants to Join this Fireteam just say it

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~ Bargo

 

[ArcaneGhoul]

The new ab wrap and logo both look outstanding!! The lore behind the logo is awesome, it's so cool that you have custom lore to tie your armor set together!

Seeing you talk about your voice amp, how do you put it in your chest armor? I'm going to use one as well as I can be a little quiet sometimes, but I'm not sure how to secure it, etc, and I've yet to find any resources on how people do it in specific.

 

[Bargo]

The new ab wrap and logo both look outstanding!! The lore behind the logo is awesome, it's so cool that you have custom lore to tie your armor set together!

Seeing you talk about your voice amp, how do you put it in your chest armor? I'm going to use one as well as I can be a little quiet sometimes, but I'm not sure how to secure it, etc, and I've yet to find any resources on how people do it in specific.

Thanks – and cool new profile picture!


It’s actually pretty simple: I have the speaker attached to a loop of webbing, and I hang that around my neck before putting on the chest plate. That does mean the Bluetooth mic, receiver, and speaker are all powered on from that point, so I run a quick test and adjust the settings before continuing with the rest of the suit-up.


If my wife helps me, I can also put the amp on last, since it still fits through the chest opening.


As a side note: depending on the environment, I can move about 5–10 meters away from my helmet before the connection between receiver and mic drops. If it does, I just need to re-pair it. But realistically, we Spartans aren’t walking around without our helmets that far anyway.

~ Bargo

 

[ArcaneGhoul]

Thanks – and cool new profile picture!


It’s actually pretty simple: I have the speaker attached to a loop of webbing, and I hang that around my neck before putting on the chest plate. That does mean the Bluetooth mic, receiver, and speaker are all powered on from that point, so I run a quick test and adjust the settings before continuing with the rest of the suit-up.


If my wife helps me, I can also put the amp on last, since it still fits through the chest opening.


As a side note: depending on the environment, I can move about 5–10 meters away from my helmet before the connection between receiver and mic drops. If it does, I just need to re-pair it. But realistically, we Spartans aren’t walking around without our helmets that far anyway.

~ Bargo

Thank you! I followed the Blender tutorial after inspo from your thread and rendered my entire Spartan

Ahh gotcha, that makes sense! I thought folks may be actually physically attaching them to their chest plates but a loop of webbing makes waaaay more sense. And good to know about distance. Thanks!!