Dracks Ironman MK VI Build (helmet update)
- Thread starter Drack
- Start date
monkey skull
New Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
dude, thats wicked awesome!!
dude, thats wicked awesome!!
Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Cheers dude.
I will be doing a run of it so you could have it on your head
Thank you man.
Big fan of your work drack!! That would look so nice on me
Cheers dude.
I will be doing a run of it so you could have it on your head
Thank you man.
bigjustin12
Active Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
:love
I would be so interested in one of these
Any vague idea what it will cost?
Cheers dude.
I will be doing a run of it so you could have it on your head
:love
I would be so interested in one of these
Any vague idea what it will cost?
Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
I keep saying the same to my wife
If I could move over I would.
I keep saying the same to my wife
If I could move over I would.
Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Cheers man. Just started the first of three new projects cause work has been hitting me hard lately and didn't want to do the helmet while I am this tired. Should have some pics tomorrow and then I will start some videos when I pep the next helmet. I will be doing a complete series on peped to finished and will use all 3 helmets as examples of the different techniques needed for different parts. Once I have this pep finished I will finish the Ironman helmet ready for casting
Cheers man. Just started the first of three new projects cause work has been hitting me hard lately and didn't want to do the helmet while I am this tired. Should have some pics tomorrow and then I will start some videos when I pep the next helmet. I will be doing a complete series on peped to finished and will use all 3 helmets as examples of the different techniques needed for different parts. Once I have this pep finished I will finish the Ironman helmet ready for casting
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Wow Drack,
this thread is a well of useful information and a BIG inspiration for newcomers to this "hobby" like me.
I am impatiently waiting to receive my first materials to finally start.
Just one or two questions, if you would not mind? XD
- How do you apply the PlastiDip ? Plain old brush or one of those latex brushes you used for the resin?
and
- How does the finished sealed, primed, painted foam behave in regards to creasing or pealing using your method ? (i like your finish so much , that i really think to go that route, though i wanted to stay away from something as toxic as PlastiDip at first.)
Wow Drack,
this thread is a well of useful information and a BIG inspiration for newcomers to this "hobby" like me.
I am impatiently waiting to receive my first materials to finally start.
Just one or two questions, if you would not mind? XD
- How do you apply the PlastiDip ? Plain old brush or one of those latex brushes you used for the resin?
and
- How does the finished sealed, primed, painted foam behave in regards to creasing or pealing using your method ? (i like your finish so much , that i really think to go that route, though i wanted to stay away from something as toxic as PlastiDip at first.)
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Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
First off thank you for your kind words it means a lot to know that I am helping people new to the craft. I hope to move my first post into its own thread over the next couple of weeks. I will be making it into more of a step by step list than just a list of materials. My wife has let me leave my job to focus on my hobbies so will have the time to get a better guide on foam building
Ok so when applying my plastidip I just use a 1 inch artists paint brush. I bought a good one cause the last thing you want is to have bristles falling out. To keep the brush clean I use turpentine/white spirits. I have a couple of friends who have used plastidip to seal their suits and had issues with brush marks but as I haven't encountered the problem first hand cant say why. I am trying to help them over come this through different ideas. In my mind its down to the concentration of the paint so have suggested using something to thin it down a little. You can use PVA to seal your foam if you want to try a none toxic method but it doesn't soak into the foam and will pull away if you try masking any areas off. The advantage of the plastidip is that is holds really well so is the better option in my opinion.
The Ironman suit I have made was sprayed with automotive paint. As long as you aren't bending pieces too much it holds up quite well but it can crack if your not careful as it does dry hard. I am going to lacquer it though so hopefully that will add a little bit more strength to the paint. My Halo suit was painted with acrylics which bend better but you can get creases. It is all down to making sure you look after your suit I guess. I did have some creasing on the Halo suit when I sat down but they seem to have straightened out over time.
If you aren't going to be painting your suit any time soon I will be making a video showing how I paint my pieces.
Hope this helps. If you need any advice on anything else feel free to ask away and good luck on your build
Tom
First off thank you for your kind words it means a lot to know that I am helping people new to the craft. I hope to move my first post into its own thread over the next couple of weeks. I will be making it into more of a step by step list than just a list of materials. My wife has let me leave my job to focus on my hobbies so will have the time to get a better guide on foam building
Ok so when applying my plastidip I just use a 1 inch artists paint brush. I bought a good one cause the last thing you want is to have bristles falling out. To keep the brush clean I use turpentine/white spirits. I have a couple of friends who have used plastidip to seal their suits and had issues with brush marks but as I haven't encountered the problem first hand cant say why. I am trying to help them over come this through different ideas. In my mind its down to the concentration of the paint so have suggested using something to thin it down a little. You can use PVA to seal your foam if you want to try a none toxic method but it doesn't soak into the foam and will pull away if you try masking any areas off. The advantage of the plastidip is that is holds really well so is the better option in my opinion.
The Ironman suit I have made was sprayed with automotive paint. As long as you aren't bending pieces too much it holds up quite well but it can crack if your not careful as it does dry hard. I am going to lacquer it though so hopefully that will add a little bit more strength to the paint. My Halo suit was painted with acrylics which bend better but you can get creases. It is all down to making sure you look after your suit I guess. I did have some creasing on the Halo suit when I sat down but they seem to have straightened out over time.
If you aren't going to be painting your suit any time soon I will be making a video showing how I paint my pieces.
Hope this helps. If you need any advice on anything else feel free to ask away and good luck on your build
Tom
Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Lol!
I just want to finish it, cast it, hinge it, put lights in and paint it. Then the pics with the rest of the suit I have made so far will follow
Lol!
I just want to finish it, cast it, hinge it, put lights in and paint it. Then the pics with the rest of the suit I have made so far will follow
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
I think i will make some tests with PVA and PlastiDip (here in Germany you can only get small cans of brushable DP or very costly SprayCans, so i will just try ) and see what suits me most.
Those artist class brushes seem to be a really good choice, as they seem to rarely leave brushmarks.
http://www.amazon.de/Fächerpinsel-K...8TYW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361342324&sr=8-2
(its the german amazon, so just look at the pretty pictures, muhahaha :lol)
That sounds not too bad, as my suit will be rarely worn and is more meant as a wearable showpiece in my livingroom or study.
As i just have to start with everything i got the time to see what tutorial goodness you will come up with. Your foamcutting tips were very good, so i am looking forward to the coming tutorials.
thank you , i will make my own build thread once i get started , so i keep you up to date.
I think i will make some tests with PVA and PlastiDip (here in Germany you can only get small cans of brushable DP or very costly SprayCans, so i will just try
) and see what suits me most.Those artist class brushes seem to be a really good choice, as they seem to rarely leave brushmarks.
http://www.amazon.de/Fächerpinsel-K...8TYW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361342324&sr=8-2
(its the german amazon, so just look at the pretty pictures, muhahaha :lol)
That sounds not too bad, as my suit will be rarely worn and is more meant as a wearable showpiece in my livingroom or study.
As i just have to start with everything i got the time to see what tutorial goodness you will come up with. Your foamcutting tips were very good, so i am looking forward to the coming tutorials.
Hope this helps. If you need any advice on anything else feel free to ask away and good luck on your build
Tom
thank you , i will make my own build thread once i get started , so i keep you up to date.
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Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Hey guys, I'm one of the people Drack was talking about who had various issues using plasti-dip. Thought I'd sum up the lessons I've learned to simplify things
I bought two kinds of the stuff, 200g/200ml cans and the spray version. These are the only options I've had available in my country.
I've used the standard EVA foam 10mm sheets and also 2mm and 4mm craft foam I've got through Ebay; for the paint job I've used Montana Gold acrylic spray paint. No pictures yet for two reasons - it's not done yet, and I don't want to hijack this thread
The can version:
Maybe it's because of the small size, but at first I've had brush marks show up on the foam that didn't level even after drying. It's annoying because it doesn't look good and it wastes material.
Then I've bought the official plasti-dip thinner and started to add it to the can. You need to find a very fine balance here, because if you use too much then the stuff will become runny and drip off the piece you're coating; it may also give you a far too thin coat. But if you get it right it will be a lot smoother and you won't get brush marks.
For the 200ml can I'd say the proper mix is about an additional 20% of thinner.
Also make sure to either clean your brush 2-4 times or swap it to a new one. I've found that the thinner melts plastic cups so you can't use them to clean the brush. Drack has suggested using turpentine for cleaning, but I haven't been able to get hold of it so far.
The spray version:
It's proportionally more expensive to go with this one, I'd say you'll get about 30-50% of the coverage because the 400ml spray has the aerosol filler stuff too.
There are two reasons why you'd still might want to get it, though.
First of all I've found that craft foam doesn't like the brush-on version of plasti dip at all. It just doesn't stick to its surface and you'll end up with a brush marked, half-covered surface, even if you thin the stuff to get better viscosity. However the spray version behaves a lot better and it can create a nice even coat.
But, if you don't use enough, it'll get bubbles and ruin the surface. Also, for some reason the sprayed plasti-dip seems to contract a little as it dries, and if your glue job wasn't strong enough, it'll peal off the craft foam from its base.
The second reason to go for it is that spraying is much much faster than brushing, so if you're under a deadline like I am, it's a good trade off of money vs. time.
The acrylic spray paint I've used seem to stick very well to the plasti-dip, however I haven't tried to bend the pieces or abuse them in any other way yet
It also makes the pieces a little more rigid, but I haven't really put them through a stress test and I don't plan to
So, I'd recommend using plasti-dip for a foam costume as a start, especially if it's easily available in your area. Haven't tried the PVA glue approach yet, but as I hear it's not flexible and more prone to cracking...
Using some kind of plastic coating would definitely get you better (smoother) surfaces, but getting hold of Smooth-On products in your area might be problematic (my nearest retailer is 600kms away), and the process would probably take longer; not sure about costs though, PD can add up on a larger piece.
In the end, it comes down to this:
- if you have craft foam on your armor, you'll need 1-2 cans of the spray version
- if you only use 8-10mm foam mats (Iron Man armors only need this I guess) then you'll probably be okay with 600-1000g of the brush-on version.
Drack's 2,5l can is definitely good value though
Hope this helps...
Hey guys, I'm one of the people Drack was talking about who had various issues using plasti-dip. Thought I'd sum up the lessons I've learned to simplify things
I bought two kinds of the stuff, 200g/200ml cans and the spray version. These are the only options I've had available in my country.
I've used the standard EVA foam 10mm sheets and also 2mm and 4mm craft foam I've got through Ebay; for the paint job I've used Montana Gold acrylic spray paint. No pictures yet for two reasons - it's not done yet, and I don't want to hijack this thread
The can version:
Maybe it's because of the small size, but at first I've had brush marks show up on the foam that didn't level even after drying. It's annoying because it doesn't look good and it wastes material.
Then I've bought the official plasti-dip thinner and started to add it to the can. You need to find a very fine balance here, because if you use too much then the stuff will become runny and drip off the piece you're coating; it may also give you a far too thin coat. But if you get it right it will be a lot smoother and you won't get brush marks.
For the 200ml can I'd say the proper mix is about an additional 20% of thinner.
Also make sure to either clean your brush 2-4 times or swap it to a new one. I've found that the thinner melts plastic cups so you can't use them to clean the brush. Drack has suggested using turpentine for cleaning, but I haven't been able to get hold of it so far.
The spray version:
It's proportionally more expensive to go with this one, I'd say you'll get about 30-50% of the coverage because the 400ml spray has the aerosol filler stuff too.
There are two reasons why you'd still might want to get it, though.
First of all I've found that craft foam doesn't like the brush-on version of plasti dip at all. It just doesn't stick to its surface and you'll end up with a brush marked, half-covered surface, even if you thin the stuff to get better viscosity. However the spray version behaves a lot better and it can create a nice even coat.
But, if you don't use enough, it'll get bubbles and ruin the surface. Also, for some reason the sprayed plasti-dip seems to contract a little as it dries, and if your glue job wasn't strong enough, it'll peal off the craft foam from its base.
The second reason to go for it is that spraying is much much faster than brushing, so if you're under a deadline like I am, it's a good trade off of money vs. time.
The acrylic spray paint I've used seem to stick very well to the plasti-dip, however I haven't tried to bend the pieces or abuse them in any other way yet
It also makes the pieces a little more rigid, but I haven't really put them through a stress test and I don't plan to
So, I'd recommend using plasti-dip for a foam costume as a start, especially if it's easily available in your area. Haven't tried the PVA glue approach yet, but as I hear it's not flexible and more prone to cracking...
Using some kind of plastic coating would definitely get you better (smoother) surfaces, but getting hold of Smooth-On products in your area might be problematic (my nearest retailer is 600kms away), and the process would probably take longer; not sure about costs though, PD can add up on a larger piece.
In the end, it comes down to this:
- if you have craft foam on your armor, you'll need 1-2 cans of the spray version
- if you only use 8-10mm foam mats (Iron Man armors only need this I guess) then you'll probably be okay with 600-1000g of the brush-on version.
Drack's 2,5l can is definitely good value though
Hope this helps...
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Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Thanks for the info for my readers Vargatom
Just so those of you that are following my thread I thought I would let you know I have time on my hands again and am getting the helmet ready for moulding
Should have updates in the next few days.
Tom.
Thanks for the info for my readers Vargatom
Just so those of you that are following my thread I thought I would let you know I have time on my hands again and am getting the helmet ready for moulding
Should have updates in the next few days.
Tom.
bigjustin12
Active Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
:thumbsup Eagerly awaiting updates.
By the way, I've been following your advice (I think it was yours) to use a silicon brush to apply resin. I couldn't believe how easily the hardened resin peels off the brush. No more throwing away brushes for me!
:thumbsup Eagerly awaiting updates.
By the way, I've been following your advice (I think it was yours) to use a silicon brush to apply resin. I couldn't believe how easily the hardened resin peels off the brush. No more throwing away brushes for me!
Drack
Sr Member
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Build. (page1 includes info on foam armour building)
Glad it helped out. The only thing it isn't so good for is brushing the resin out of the detailed areas but it is a much better option for fibre glassine the inside.
Thank you man. I may start on my new suit soon but is going to be a free hand pep so a really big challenge for me. I guess I should get this one finished first though
You could try that but I think it would leave marks from the edge of the foam block. I haven't had any issues with brushes my self but this is an option for those that might be having them.
Glad it helped out. The only thing it isn't so good for is brushing the resin out of the detailed areas but it is a much better option for fibre glassine the inside.
Thank you man. I may start on my new suit soon but is going to be a free hand pep so a really big challenge for me. I guess I should get this one finished first though
You could try that but I think it would leave marks from the edge of the foam block. I haven't had any issues with brushes my self but this is an option for those that might be having them.
