nathancarter
New Member
Hi,
This is my first big thread here and my most elaborate Sintra build yet. I'll try to keep a current progress shot in this post. Acknowledgements and props to other Sintra builders such as Johnny & Junkers Cosplay.
My goals: to make the bubble helmet easily removable from the harness, yet securely latched into place when it's on; and to have adequate ventilation inside the bubble so it's breathable and doesn't fog up.
The vast majority of the build is freehand. I'm making temporary templates from paper and cardboard, transferring those templates to Sintra, then heat-forming and gluing. Lots and lots of trial and error. I'm also using some vacuum parts for the tank and hoses; I'm not good enough to build the shape of that tank yet.
The bubble globe is an acrylic lighting globe from Amazon. I got the 16" globe; there's also 14" which might look a little sleeker and slimmer but would be very claustrophobic inside.
Disclaimers: This won't be perfectly screen-accurate for four reasons - first, I'm doing a genderswap; second, the inspiration artwork is sparse (I've only found four images) and the details are different on each; third, I've got to make it wearable and breathable; fourth, I'm just not that good yet. My proportions and detailing is somewhat off but I hope it'll still look good and be recognizable.
References:
Current state as of 8/31, right before loading it up for Dragoncon. No full-body pictures yet.
Shoulder harness is 100% complete, paint is glossy, decals are applied, foam padding and velvet lining are in place.
Bubble section is 99%, I need to repaint a couple of sections (won't happen till after Dragoncon) and file down a screw head tonight. Fan works, bubble is not stuffy or uncomfortable, and my battery-pack door and latch are magical.
Red backpack/tank is con-ready but only about 90% "complete" - I tried to make an acrylic top dome and failed, then my Dremel died, so I just made a flat top lid and decorated it with some scraps and lights. Looks pretty cool but is very far from canon. The whole thing needs a repaint anyway.
Zapper was commissioned, zapper holster needs velvet lining taped inside (tonight) and another coat of paint (after con). Flask was a vendor room purchase, flask holster needs another coat of paint (after con).
Outfit is constructed, my undergarments are appropriate for tight pants (heh), my boots are terrible for walking Dragoncon. Need to starch the jacket collar.
First step was to work on the base harness piece. This took a couple of tries. My first attempt was going to be a little more accurate to the reference, but the straps go right under the armpits and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to wear that for long. Also, the buckles look different in each reference, so I decided to make them just snap on instead of straps that buckle on.
Initial draft out of cardboard looks terrible and fits poorly. Straps are right in my armpits, no thanks. I made a second draft and it was only marginally better.
After the second bad draft, I realized that the cylindrical part of the bubble support was much more of a constraint than the support harness, so I drafted that next. I made a ring by using two different sized pot lids as templates, then rolled cardboard into a smooth tube that fit inside the ring, and trimmed it to fit my shoulders and chest. It's at this point that I remember that my collarbones aren't symmetrical, and the whole thing is never going to be perfectly symmetrical on my body.
Third draft of the harness, this time using the cylinder support as a guide instead of just freehand. Works a lot better. The bubble helmet fits nicely after widening the opening so my head fits through. Also added the back guard panel, which is a surprisingly complex shape - it's not just a simple cylinder, it's a conical section.
Disassembled and transferred the cardboard template to paper. By tracing only half the cardboard, and folding the paper in half before cutting, I can ensure nicely symmetrical templates. That wave-like shape is the cylinder segment, flattened out.
Transferring the paper templates to the Sintra. Tape it down so it doesn't slip and slide around while you're drawing.
I found out that if you heat Sintra enough that it starts to get very soft, it will distort a little bit, lengthening in the X direction and shortening in the Y direction. For slight heating and gentle forming, this isn't a big deal, but if you're doing a lot of sculpting of precise parts, it is significant.
The lesson from this is that if you're cutting parts that will be very heavily shaped, make sure your template is drawn with a centerline parallel to one of the original edges of the material. Otherwise, the distortion will cause your part to skew oddly and diagonally.
Initial batch of pieces cut. The harness body and the rectangular outer cylinder are cut from 1/4" material, the other parts are from 1/8" material. The rings were VERY hard to cut, as I don't have the appropriate tools or workspace.
Next post: Initial shaping and assembly
This is my first big thread here and my most elaborate Sintra build yet. I'll try to keep a current progress shot in this post. Acknowledgements and props to other Sintra builders such as Johnny & Junkers Cosplay.
My goals: to make the bubble helmet easily removable from the harness, yet securely latched into place when it's on; and to have adequate ventilation inside the bubble so it's breathable and doesn't fog up.
The vast majority of the build is freehand. I'm making temporary templates from paper and cardboard, transferring those templates to Sintra, then heat-forming and gluing. Lots and lots of trial and error. I'm also using some vacuum parts for the tank and hoses; I'm not good enough to build the shape of that tank yet.
The bubble globe is an acrylic lighting globe from Amazon. I got the 16" globe; there's also 14" which might look a little sleeker and slimmer but would be very claustrophobic inside.
Disclaimers: This won't be perfectly screen-accurate for four reasons - first, I'm doing a genderswap; second, the inspiration artwork is sparse (I've only found four images) and the details are different on each; third, I've got to make it wearable and breathable; fourth, I'm just not that good yet. My proportions and detailing is somewhat off but I hope it'll still look good and be recognizable.
References:
Current state as of 8/31, right before loading it up for Dragoncon. No full-body pictures yet.
Shoulder harness is 100% complete, paint is glossy, decals are applied, foam padding and velvet lining are in place.
Bubble section is 99%, I need to repaint a couple of sections (won't happen till after Dragoncon) and file down a screw head tonight. Fan works, bubble is not stuffy or uncomfortable, and my battery-pack door and latch are magical.
Red backpack/tank is con-ready but only about 90% "complete" - I tried to make an acrylic top dome and failed, then my Dremel died, so I just made a flat top lid and decorated it with some scraps and lights. Looks pretty cool but is very far from canon. The whole thing needs a repaint anyway.
Zapper was commissioned, zapper holster needs velvet lining taped inside (tonight) and another coat of paint (after con). Flask was a vendor room purchase, flask holster needs another coat of paint (after con).
Outfit is constructed, my undergarments are appropriate for tight pants (heh), my boots are terrible for walking Dragoncon. Need to starch the jacket collar.
First step was to work on the base harness piece. This took a couple of tries. My first attempt was going to be a little more accurate to the reference, but the straps go right under the armpits and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to wear that for long. Also, the buckles look different in each reference, so I decided to make them just snap on instead of straps that buckle on.
Initial draft out of cardboard looks terrible and fits poorly. Straps are right in my armpits, no thanks. I made a second draft and it was only marginally better.
After the second bad draft, I realized that the cylindrical part of the bubble support was much more of a constraint than the support harness, so I drafted that next. I made a ring by using two different sized pot lids as templates, then rolled cardboard into a smooth tube that fit inside the ring, and trimmed it to fit my shoulders and chest. It's at this point that I remember that my collarbones aren't symmetrical, and the whole thing is never going to be perfectly symmetrical on my body.
Third draft of the harness, this time using the cylinder support as a guide instead of just freehand. Works a lot better. The bubble helmet fits nicely after widening the opening so my head fits through. Also added the back guard panel, which is a surprisingly complex shape - it's not just a simple cylinder, it's a conical section.
Disassembled and transferred the cardboard template to paper. By tracing only half the cardboard, and folding the paper in half before cutting, I can ensure nicely symmetrical templates. That wave-like shape is the cylinder segment, flattened out.
Transferring the paper templates to the Sintra. Tape it down so it doesn't slip and slide around while you're drawing.
I found out that if you heat Sintra enough that it starts to get very soft, it will distort a little bit, lengthening in the X direction and shortening in the Y direction. For slight heating and gentle forming, this isn't a big deal, but if you're doing a lot of sculpting of precise parts, it is significant.
The lesson from this is that if you're cutting parts that will be very heavily shaped, make sure your template is drawn with a centerline parallel to one of the original edges of the material. Otherwise, the distortion will cause your part to skew oddly and diagonally.
Initial batch of pieces cut. The harness body and the rectangular outer cylinder are cut from 1/4" material, the other parts are from 1/8" material. The rings were VERY hard to cut, as I don't have the appropriate tools or workspace.
Next post: Initial shaping and assembly
Last edited: