You'll always remember your first.

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imurray

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This is my first post, but not my first time to this site.

I've always thought (like many of you) that having my own Halo-themed armor would indeed be both enjoyable and a fun experience to make. Like (I'm guessing now) many of you on this site, I really have no prior experience with resins, fiberglassing, polyurethane rubbers, silicone, release agents, quick-set plastics, casting, molds (or mother molds), perhaps save for the fact when I made an impression in plaster with my hand in 4th grade.

But discovering this site, reading thread after thread of tutorials, taking note of helpful comments, watching many (if not all) of the informative videos, and taking a lot of your passion and dedication to heart, I think I'm finally ready to begin the journey of making my own set of armor.

I'm probably going to go the "n00b" route and do a set of Mark VI, but I do have some experience with clay, so I'm going to forego Pepakura and try my hand at sculpting, and then following in Adam's footsteps (thanks for making the videos, no matter how "non-tutorial" they may be), and making molds from silicone them casting them in plastics.

Either way, I'll be more than happy to post pics once I get on my way, but I had a few (hopefully) simple questions for anyone with the answers:

1. What do you recommend sculpting the helmet around? I've seen some styrofoam heads, but those seem a tad flimsy. I know there is going to be considerable weight on the stand at least a few times, and I'm just curious what the more experienced sculptors are using.

2. The helmet (at least from the video) seems pretty straightforward. I've been reading a lot of tutorials off of Smooth-On's site, so I at least won't be running blind when I start. But I'm curious about more complex shapes like the chest/back pieces. I watched a video of Adam's where he was giving the armor some nice paint details, and it appeared as though the chest and back pieces were one piece, attached at the shoulders. I was curious, did you really cast it in one piece, or was it two pieces later attached by some method? I've thought about it, and that would be one big mold. Quite costly if nothing else.

Other than that, I've noticed there is no formal place for new users to introduce themselves and be greeted by the community. So perhaps a New User Introduction Thread could be started in the Noob Forum? Just a thought. I'm a member of another forum (Diablo3.com), and they have one. I just thought it might be a nice idea so the newbies can get their feet wet.

Sorry everybody about the wall of text, but I just wanted to formally introduce myself and air my intentions.

Oh, and to Doom, Adam, Sean, and all of the others playing Big Daddy: I promise to use correct grammar, English, punctuation, and spelling (at least as much as I can catch). I promise never to let my anger get the better of me.

(And I promise to treat the forum as if it were my prom-date and her dad was watching.)


Thanks!
 
Get a dummy head, like the ones hair dressers use to display wigs, clump clay onto it then make the shape with your hands, then start the carving.
 
It doesnt matter what you form it around with, even a clay rectangle sitting on the desk will work, een styrafoam, as long as it holds the clay up right and you get the shape you want, then when you mold it it wont matter what you used as a base, because then you now have the next step, the clay could be tossed away now. Then just vasaline the inside of the mold, pour plaster in, let it dry, take off the old one by dremeling it, or before making the mold, have like 1 peices of cardboard so you can pull them apart. Once you pull them apart you should have a 100% copy of the clay sculpture. Vacu-form this and you'll have a hard plastic helmet.

Or watch the molding tutorial from adam, his seems easier if you dont have a vacu-form table.
 
True, not everyone has access to a vacu-form table.

I was thinking of going the "sculpt from clay > cover in Rebound 25 > make Mother Mold out of Plasti-Paste > swish SmoothCast 300 inside mold" route.

I really am curious about the chest and back plate though, I'll copy paste my question again, so you don't have to skim the WALL OF TEXT.

"I watched a video of Adam's where he was giving the armor some nice paint details, and it appeared as though the chest and back pieces were one piece, attached at the shoulders. I was curious, did you really cast it in one piece, or was it two pieces later attached by some method?"
 
If you go with his method, once you cover the entire outside of the torso and make a mold of it, then have the final piece, in my imagination, he probably dremeled the arms, neck and waist so he could wear the peice, thats why it looks to be 1 peice, or it could be 2 pieces strapped together....only adam knows since it's his armor, or unless someone else has seen him wear it.
 
Indeed. I wish it weren't so early so his eyes might turn towards this thread.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll get the answer eventually.

Many thanks for your answers though! I really didn't want to start work on a flimsy stand, because I know clay isn't the lightest material to work with.
 
I'm 90% sure that if you cast the front and back of the chest in one piece that you wouldn't be able to get your head through the neck opening to wear it.

So ... cast the front chestplate and the back section seperately.
 
Sean Bradley said:
I'm 90% sure that if you cast the front and back of the chest in one piece that you wouldn't be able to get your head through the neck opening to wear it.

So ... cast the front chestplate and the back section seperately.
I thought about that too, but I have seen some people in the pep area fit their head through somehow while keeping front and back together. I had to cut mine and attach it with velcro ot else I couldnt get my arms or neck through.
 
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I hate to sound star-struck, so excuse me while I dance around my living room because Sean just answered me.

*ahem*

Now that I've composed myself: Thanks Sean! I was thinking about some sort of simple strap perhaps "epoxy'd" at the shoulder of each side, so it would hinge slightly, but not flap around.

I have to go write Sean's name in my Diary with little hearts all around it. :lol:
 
Thats creepy. I answer everbodys questions....

Yes, what you described with the strap sounds right. Tyheres different ways to do it... but I suspect thats how most people attach their front and back.

Also as per your other question; you can buy a mannequin head, or a mannequin bust... anything less will have that flimsy weight which can make sculpting difficuly..

You could also make a lifecasting of your own head and use that...
 
Thanks again for the tips Sean.

And sorry about my response, I was just being silly, but I'll be sure to turn down the creepifaction.
 
You could make a head, just make a head shaped peice from clay, mold it with plaster like I said, then you'll have a plaster head, but in the end the cheapest thing to do is probably just go and buy one.
 
adams armor is two seperate pieces for the chest and back. they are just strapped together and hang on your shoulders like those sandwich board advertising signs that people wear on the streets.

and my head fits through them when i put them on for my armor.
 
You guys are rockin' my world with these answers.

To be quite honest, the wealth of knowledge and help here is astounding.

Thanks everyone, it's so refreshing to see such a grounded and helpful community.
 
optimusaint said:
and my head fits through them when i put them on for my armor.

Well yeah... They're two seperate pieces that are hinged.... I meant if you cast the WHOLE chest/back in 1 piece, there's be no way you could put it on/take it off.

Personally I've made my own armor with a harness on the backpiece. I put it over my shoulders and strap into it. Then the chestpiece 'snaps' into place via two heavy duty snap buckles.. It's pretty cool to hear it snap it when you put it on!

I'll have to take some pics of that at some point..
 
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Sean Bradley said:
Well yeah... They're two seperate pieces that are hinged.... I meant if you cast the WHOLE chest/back in 1 piece, there's be no way you could put it on/take it off.

Personally I've made my own armor with a harness on the backpiece. I put it over my shoulders and strap into it. Then the chestpiece 'snaps' into place via two heavy duty snap buckles.. It's pretty cool to hear it snap it when you put it on!

I'll have to take some pics of that at some point..


yeah, i know, i was just letting him know that he didnt have to buckle each part to his body seperately. i know thats how you do it, but mine is just sandwich boarded.
 
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Well it's nice to have options.

I think I've also heard of snap-buttons being on both the armor and the clothing. But you'd have to either snap it on before you put the under-armor on, or have a friend do it.

And that is most certainly not "baller".
 
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