Dracks Ironman MK VI Build (helmet update)

oooo nice

Cheers man :)

Looks pretty slick man--going to mass produce any?

Well I was thinking of doing a run but the only thing that concerns me is that it is a little large. I made my suit quite bulky so for balance made the helmet to fit the suit. With padding it will work but not sure how it will go with others suits. People might find it a little bobble heady. I can get it on (just) with out needing to remove the back.
 
Dude, this build is looking amazing!!

Im about to start my own build and have a couple of questions for you.

Firstly, how to you make the screws in the helmet? and secondly if I water down the PVA so it soaks in and do multiple layers of it will that help with the masking parts off to paint?
 
Last edited:
Dude, this build is looking amazing!!

Im about to start my own build and have a couple of questions for you.

Firstly, how to you make the screws in the helmet? and secondly if I water down the PVA so it soaks in and do multiple layers of it will that help with the masking parts off to paint?


Thank you man :)

I made the screws by buying some flat head screws. Bought some modeling PVC pipe from a hobby shop that specialises in train sets. I took the screws with me to make sure the pipe was the same diameter Spliced off some 1mm sections then superglued them on top of the screws. As for using PVA on your foam it all depends on what foam your using and what method of sealing you are going to use. For my EVA foam I only used paint on plastidip to seal it and masking was fine. For my helmet I used plastizote which is an open celled foam so needs the PVA to get a smooth finish before applying my plastidip. I have found that when masking off foam that has had PVA as a base coat the masking tape pulled the PVA away from the foam so caution ust be taken trying this method. I would do some tests first to see if there is a sure way to do it. The reason it pulls away is that it doesnt actually soak into the foam. The plastidip is better to use because it bonds with the foam where as PVA wont (well not very well). If you are using closed cell foam like EVA then use platidip. I know its a little more expencive but its worth it.
 
Re: Dracks Ironman MK VI Foam Build

the difficulty you may be having is that you're working with 3/4" thick foam. That would be difficult for any project where you need to have delicate details or a small area to bend.

the recommended thickness is between 4mm - 6mm (1/8th - 1/4") thick foam. for the hands you could even use doubled up foamies and you'd have more success.

I would never recommend 10mm foam for any project unless you are building a rigid structure that needs the thickness (example, building a lightweight box structure).

Unfortunately for now, those 10mm foam tiles are good for just floor mats or another project in the future. I suggest hitting a craft store (like hobby lobby, Joanns or Michaels) and hit up their 9x12" foam sheets. they are usually around 89-99 cents a sheet. And you can build one hand from one sheet easily.

Replying a forever and a half later, and I found that out the hard way. Although the foam I bought will work for other projects, so that'll be okay.

I've actually got a hand in the works, but I need a better paint and a way to make it all stay together. Thanks for the help, though!
 
Awesome build there, you've inspired me to build my own, but any reason you didn't use a shiny automotive paint???

I did its just the foam isn't a smooth surface so its not going to dry shiny. A bit of lacquer will help shine it up but nothing like a peped suit. Thats why my next suit will be plastic coated first. I was going to quit this foam version but seems silly seeing as I have come this far. Got my halo suit to finish for a con then will probably get this one finished off.
 
I was thinking, if you didn't want to finish this foam one and want to move onto plastic-coated which is what I am doing, you could have this as a "w.i.p" display piece hanging from chains. That would look pretty amazing
 
Drack, awesome work!! Have been wanting to start on a big project like this for awhile now. Have been trying to find the pep files for the design, but I am not what you would call a very tech savy guy. I also have a Mac, and have noticed any pep files and pep readers are for windows systems. Is there any way you might be able to help me out? Want to create an entire suit out of both the paper media and also foam like yours. You seem very knowledgeable and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Keep up the awesome work.
 
Drack, awesome work!! Have been wanting to start on a big project like this for awhile now. Have been trying to find the pep files for the design, but I am not what you would call a very tech savy guy. I also have a Mac, and have noticed any pep files and pep readers are for windows systems. Is there any way you might be able to help me out? Want to create an entire suit out of both the paper media and also foam like yours. You seem very knowledgeable and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Keep up the awesome work.

Hey Moss. I am afraid you cant do any pep on a mac. I had to use my wifes laptop to do mine. The only way I know that people have done it with out a PC is ask some one to save them as PDFs so you can print them out but I am not sure how they do that. Sorry I cant be much help with this but the only thing I can recommend is ask some one you know with a PC if you can print your pep out with their machine. It might make things awkward though not having a PC close to hand because if you haven't quite scaled something right then you will need to wait till you get back on the PC to reprint.
 
Last edited:
Hey Moss. I am afraid you cant do any pep on a mac. I had to use my wifes laptop to do mine. The only way I know that people have done it with out a PC is ask some one to save them as PDFs so you can print them out but I am not sure how they do that. Sorry I cant be much help with this but the only thing I can recommend is ask some one you know with a PC if you can print your pep out with their machine. It might make things awkward though not having a PC close to hand because if you haven't quite scaled something right then you will need to wait till you get back on the PC to reprint.

Yeah, decided to bite the bullet and just buy a new laptop with windows8. (Hate windows8) lol. I have the pepakura viewer and designer, but I am still in DESPERATE need of templates or plans for MK3 and MK7. Been getting incomplete ones from here, so basically I just need a FULL set from someone. I'm not sure how to get started with the software either, if you have the time to give me a step by step I would be grateful. Anxious to post some pics of my own. Obviously I'm dedicated, bought a laptop just for this build. Just need the guidance. Thanks for the reply. Hope to hear from you more.
 
This thread is more than 8 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.
Back
Top