3D Printed Samus Varia Suit - FINISHED! (Pics on pg.14)

Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

Damn those fingers look AMAZING! That result may have just sold me on Worbla. How's the range of motion?

Also, I noticed that the thumb joint seems to overlap a touch. you might want to put something in the joint area to protect the paint. A soft felt or something similar might work.
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

Thanks!

The range of motion is quite good. It feels really natural to have them on since they're so thin. With the back plate on I can't lift my fingers further than just shy of straight without dislodging the plate, but I don't really need to anyway so it's fine. I'm not sure how easy making a fully closed fist will be once I have the palm armor on, but at the very least I'll be able to mostly close it.

And yeah the thumb has an overlap, as do the rest of the finger joints. Protecting them is a good idea, thanks. So far it didn't seem like it was a problem, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry. I have some thin, soft, black cloth that I can maybe glue in there.
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

Talaaya said:
Thanks!

The range of motion is quite good. It feels really natural to have them on since they're so thin. With the back plate on I can't lift my fingers further than just shy of straight without dislodging the plate, but I don't really need to anyway so it's fine. I'm not sure how easy making a fully closed fist will be once I have the palm armor on, but at the very least I'll be able to mostly close it.
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You're probably going to need a handler in this getup anyway, so having use of your hands other than basic posing or gripping an occasional water bottle isn't going to be too big of a deal

And yeah the thumb has an overlap, as do the rest of the finger joints. Protecting them is a good idea, thanks. So far it didn't seem like it was a problem, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry. I have some thin, soft, black cloth that I can maybe glue in there.
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Might not be a bad idea anywhere your armor contacts itself. I learned this with my Protoman boots. Everywhere they rub it just chews through the paint. I'm thinking of having the guy at my work cover some of the rub locations with automotive clearbra and seeing if that takes care of most of the issue.
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

The Ronin said:
You're probably going to need a handler in this getup anyway, so having use of your hands other than basic posing or gripping an occasional water bottle isn't going to be too big of a deal


Might not be a bad idea anywhere your armor contacts itself. I learned this with my Protoman boots. Everywhere they rub it just chews through the paint. I'm thinking of having the guy at my work cover some of the rub locations with automotive clearbra and seeing if that takes care of most of the issue.
Click to expand...

As a personal preference, I might let them wear a bit to simulate some battle damage, then coat them to preserve the effects - although there are plenty of ways to simulate that with paint methods so you can get it exactly how you like. For my Edward Scissorhands gloves, I purposely didn't coat them so after the first few wears and fidgeting with the blades enough, they would suffer a bit of natural wear and look the part, then I could add paint effects where the natural wear occurred. Unfortunately, the construction and materials (wood, foam and random bits of hardware) weren't very solid and they fell apart after 3 wears. But this Samus gear you've been making is out of control gorgeous and looks hella durable, so I have no doubt it'll hold up under actual battle conditions, lol.

Again, fantastic job. I can't applaud this enough. I've considered doing a Samus costume for myself and going full drag for the part, haha. However, seeing the work you put into this and how amazing it all looks, I'm not sure I'm ready for this level of commitment in my costume making!
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

I can say for sure that you'll need someone to be with you while you're wearing this suit around places. I made a hard armor Dark Knight suit which really doesn't limit my range of motion very much, but it's impossible for me to do things like access my phone or wallet, and I occasionally need someone to push either the cape or neck piece back into correct alignment. Anything that requires fine motor skills is just about impossible, and driving is also an issue (although manageable without the cowl on). A suit of this deign won't be nearly as mobile, and you'll only be using one hand, so you'll absolutely need someone with you to to make adjustments, and also assist with vision and doorways, etc. You might just be able to sit down in this suit (which is a rare luxury for hard armor suits), given that there is a significant gap between the cod piece and the top of the legs, but I'm not sure.

The Polish is looking FANTASTIC by the way, keep up the good work :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

Haha, I will most definitely need a handler. My sister and I are going to take turns wearing costumes and being each others' handler. Even though I just live across the lake from Seattle, I'm going to get a hotel room so we can change out of costume whenever we want, or just lay down and take a break! I have to change out of costume for panels anyway since I'm not going to be able to sit in costume. It's true that I'll easily be able to bend my legs enough to sit, but I dare not put my weight on the thigh armor. It would certainly crack and/or break. Also I'm not even sure I could hold on to a water bottle with my gloved hand since the armor is completely rigid and so smooth.


If you're wondering, my sister will be dressing up as Eir from Guild Wars 2. She was at PAX last year and even made it into the Sneaky Zebra video! She's at 1:10.

My shoes are in the corner of one shot in the video...does that count as me being in it too? :lol
 
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Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

You could always work your phone into a panel in the blaster and stick a soft rubber tab (the kind they give you on a sheet included with a piece of furniture like a dresser to put on the back of the front drawer panels so the back sides don't slam into the main body when they close) on your fingertip so you can use the touch screen. Then you can put it on speaker and talk to people into your blaster!

Although it won't be as accurate, lol.
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

first off, i have to say what an amazing build you have going on here. i've been working on a samus costume on and off for the last five years (VERY off and on, obviously, LOL) and you've given me hope that i can eventually finish! i really like what you're doing with the paint, too! i'm going to have to use some of your methods in my build.

how exactly did you do those beautiful gloves? the fingertips in particular look amazing! did you just heat the worbla and wrap it around your own fingertips? is it backed with anything? and you're just using wood glue and sanding for the finish, yes?

Talaaya said:
Does anyone have ideas on how to reinforce the inside of the shoulder without making it heavy and without introducing heat? Are there other kinds of resins or something else that can be used to solidify fiberglass cloth?
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might not be exactly what you're looking for but, instead of cloth, you could try free-form air epoxy dough from smooth on. it is extremely lightweight and, while i obviously have not sat through an entire cure cycle with it, it has been my personal experience that the heat it produces when curing is negligible. i would recommend at least giving it a try with a test piece. if i had some worbla, i'd try it myself. after mixing you can roll it out in sheets and apply it to the inside.

again, beautiful build, keep it up... SUBSCRIBED!
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

ShadoKat said:
first off, i have to say what an amazing build you have going on here. i've been working on a samus costume on and off for the last five years (VERY off and on, obviously, LOL) and you've given me hope that i can eventually finish! i really like what you're doing with the paint, too! i'm going to have to use some of your methods in my build.

how exactly did you do those beautiful gloves? the fingertips in particular look amazing! did you just heat the worbla and wrap it around your own fingertips? is it backed with anything? and you're just using wood glue and sanding for the finish, yes?



might not be exactly what you're looking for but, instead of cloth, you could try free-form air epoxy dough from smooth on. it is extremely lightweight and, while i obviously have not sat through an entire cure cycle with it, it has been my personal experience that the heat it produces when curing is negligible. i would recommend at least giving it a try with a test piece. if i had some worbla, i'd try it myself. after mixing you can roll it out in sheets and apply it to the inside.

again, beautiful build, keep it up... SUBSCRIBED!
Click to expand...

Thank you! And I'm actually familiar with your project already! I saw it a really long time ago while doing research before I started my own project. Seeing the helmet sculpt was inspiring. I'm glad I can return the favor!

The gloves are just straight up worbla, formed to my hand while the black glove was on (it's a super thin glove liner by the way). There's nothing backing it. And yes, just wood glue and sanding. Then a test coat of primer, and more sanding, repeated until all the imperfections are gone. The primer actually helps fill in the tiny imperfections along with allowing you to see problem areas better. On the palm armor (which I just finished today, pics soon!) I ended up using some bondo spot putty on some particularly annoying imperfections. Don't attempt to apply a spot of glue over the test primer to fix a spot. I learned that it just peels up at the edges.

And thanks for the advice! Although I'm pretty sure I'm just going to try molding and casting the shoulders.

EDIT: Pictures!

I just stuck them on with some blue tape so they don't stay in position really, but you get the idea. I didn't want to close my hand any further in the second picture because the paint is still soft and it was going to damage it. I think I'll be able to close my hand most of the way when they're on there for real.
qfcZBW8.jpgmTgaqDC.jpg

After covering the foam thigh armor in worbla, I've now applied bondo and done a first sanding pass. The edges are nice and crisp in most places but need some touch up bondo in others.
lZKqFXG.jpg9qd69a6.jpg
 
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Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

I don't know if I've mentioned this but Samus is like the Holy Grail of kickass female cosplays in my book. Seeing a good varia suit is like a dream of mine.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

joshvanrad said:
I don't know if I've mentioned this but Samus is like the Holy Grail of kickass female cosplays in my book. Seeing a good varia suit is like a dream of mine.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
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Haha, I agree! I don't know how my future cosplays could ever surpass the awesomeness of Samus. I guess I'll just have to do more Samus suits! :p
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

Talaaya said:
Haha, I agree! I don't know how my future cosplays could ever surpass the awesomeness of Samus. I guess I'll just have to do more Samus suits! :p
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I've kind of hit the same conclusion with my batsuit. I just keep refining and remaking parts of it because frankly it's alot easier and less expensive then starting something fresh, as well as continuingly adding mobility and functionallity to an already very cool suit.

There's nothing wrong with that though, you'll just keep improving and remaking parts until your suit can actually walk through lava and shoot plasma beams... or maybe just being able to sit is a good goal. Yeah, lets go with that.
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

The glove looks amazing! The worbla certainly paid off, it looks like a great alternative to casting in resin. That photo reminds me of this scene from Metroid: Other M - you've nailed the look of it! (even though it's a different suit in that game). Keep it up!
 
Re: 3D Printed Samus Varia Suit

Talaaya said:
Haha, I agree! I don't know how my future cosplays could ever surpass the awesomeness of Samus. I guess I'll just have to do more Samus suits! :p
Click to expand...

If you haven't already considered it, I feel like a high detail Zero suit that you could wear under your Varia would be the next natural evolution to this. Being able to change between the suits seamlessly would be awesome as a cosplayer and as a viewer. As a cosplayer, it would be awesome because the Zero suit would be infinitely more comfortable and more mobile with less worries, for the times when you want to take off the armor for a bit. As a viewer, it would just be really cool to see someone going "full Samus" at a con.
 
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