ok well i finished all of the fiberglassing, so maybe soon ill be able to start sometime next week with the sanding and painting and other beautifying.
oh this is amazingly durable. i accidentally squished it in between the cars back glass and a package of bottled water and it was fine... it seems incredibly sturdy. i used 2 coats of fiberglass cloth and some really thick coats of resin on the outside.
NOTE TO anybody else who tries this:
1) take your time cutting and folding and gluing. don't use scotch tape like i did, the resin doesn't stick to it very well (well it sticks ok but doesnt soak into the paper underneath). maybe try rubber cement or hot glue (not crazy glue because your just going to get yourself stuck to the piece... or worse)
2) read all the instructions on the chemical packaging. I used the bondo fiberglass resin and fiberglass cloth, which are found in the auto repair section at walmart, maybe try auto zone, parts plus, etc. its green with a picture of a white suburban pulling a white motorboat. it worked nicely. make sure that you use a DUST MASK when working with fiberglass resin and cloth/mat, one that says on the package it was made for fiberglassing. microscopic particles of the cloth/mat can be hardened by resin fumes and become imbedded in your lungs. also wear safety GOGGLES, not glasses (remember highschool chemistry? yeah... like that) also the fumes themselves will knock out a few brain cells, so work on the porch, in the garage, etc. anyplace with good ventilation is fine.
3) maybe this should be first... plan ahead and think about the final project. if you want a perfect close-up quality suit of armor then you probably shouldnt be taking my advice, because i just want something fun to wear around and make people gawk. all i can really say is that that takes real time and dedication and talent, which i do not have.
on the other hand, if you are like me and you just want something fun to have around, or maybe a haloween costume, or something like that, then by all means, go print out the pepakura of what you want to do first onto CARDSTOCK, not regular paper, and put it together. pick a weekend and go get the previously mentioned fiberglass materials and follow all the instructions in the fiberglass tutorial. What should you do first? well if you want a whole suit start with the upper torso part, because if that fits, your golden. unless you just want the helmet, arms (idk why!), etc, you should just do that part
4) speaking of the fiberglass tutorial, if you need information about how to make this stuff, before asking me (or anybody else) or posting a question like "how do i make a pepakura helmet", scroll up to the top of this page. on the right hand side click on "search". type in pepakura and hit return. read through as much as you can. the more you read and learn before you begin, the less headaches you will have along the way, and the better your project will turn out. let me repeat that: the more you read and learn before you begin, the less headaches you will have along the way, and the better your project will turn out. nothing worse than fitting your brand new helmet over your head and realizing that its made for a 6'6 spartan and not a 5'6 adolescent. if you can fit your head right through the hole, its too big. (no i was smart enough to not do this, but i did print out the patterns
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
) hint: im 6'1 and 190lbs. master chief naked is 6'6 and 270lbs. an unscaled version would fit my cousin joey (well maybe scale up a bit, 6'8 and 276lbs as of last summer), but it sure as hell wont fit me.
i took pictures but since you've already seen what it looks like for the most part i wont post them. i dont feel like looking for the camera right now.
also, im thinking if i can make a mold somehow, and form one of these babies out of abs or polycarbonate or something and stuff it with polystyrene foam, i could have a real motorcycle helmet fashioned after master chief!! thoughts on that? ohio has very lenient laws regarding helmets so it would be legal, and it would be better than the crap they sell out of the harley place around here. oh! i could make the whole suit out of that stuff! just think how cool it would be if master chief rolled up beside you at a red light!!! (im buying a yamaha r6 this winter for next year, so no i do not have pictures of it yet, so don't ask). maybe i could find somebody who has the proper tools and make multiples, probably cheaper that way... but not right now.
heres some info about motorcycle helmets in general:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ped...pages/page2.htm