Help for a rookie Tony Stark

I'm sure there are hundreds of threads on Iron Man and i don't blame you, Iron Man is awesome! I have always wanted to make an iron man suit but I never had time or a reason... until now. I recently volunteered cooking food for a children's hospital and i saw a clown handing out balloons out to the kids and brightening their day. I was like "Hey! I could do that kinda!" So my mission is to go to children's hospitals and events and just make children's days better because no kid deserves to sit in a hospital. Things you should know, I've always favored war machine more and iron patriot- basically a Rhodes fan. However, I realise that iron man is more reconizeable than war machine to little kids these days but I still want to make iron partriot or war machine (maybe both...) But for now concerning Iron Man suit making, I have some questions:

1. Can I still use foam and still get good results? because i like deatil and I just bought a ton of cardboard
2. I'm still a growing child, i'm currently 5'11 so what should I scale it?
3. Which Mark would be the best to make? 4,6,7 or 42? (remember, this is going to be shown to little kids who don't know that much about the different suits) i thought of going with the mark 4 because it looks very similar to the iron man suits in all the cartoons kids watch today
4. Should I make Iron Patriot? I mean it kinda contradicts what I have been saying but after I make an iron man suit, I can focus on that. I think the bright patriotic colors would look awesome to the little guys
5. How long will it take to make a good detailed suit? I'm a junior in High School so homework comes first and Iron man second. Also I live in Ohio so our winters are pretty unpredictable
6. electronics- faceplate, eye lights, maybe music?
7. Cost?
8. Any more advice?

1. Yes you can, it's based on the amount of work you put in. A lot of people will use varying thicknesses of foam to achieve details. They'll use 2mm stuff for building up the little layers for details.
2. The one thing about building this suit is it needs to fit you now, scale it too big to grow into it, and while the chest may "fit" it's all going to look very sloppy. You should plan on building one now and one when you finish growing haha.
3. 4 and 6 are the same except circle unibeam vs. triangle. 7 separates itself in how it looks. I would stick in the 4, 6, or 7 area though at the end of the day it's really the helmet that says Iron Man and while there is vary differences between 4/6, 7 and 42, it'll all yield the same reaction. 42 is very form fitting in terms of the armor. So you can have a very slim look, however that really is up to you. While the IM movies were PG-13, you can be sure a lot of parents probably took there kids to see them.
4. Iron Patriot would be cool, it's really up to you on this.
5. There is no set length of time, it depends on how much work you want to put in on a daily basis after you finish your school work. You have people like IM Nation whom started pepping the Silver Centurion suit out of foam less than a week ago with stellar results.
6. Not my area of expertise.
7. Cost is going to vary on the quality of materials, which materials you choose to use, and unfortunately if there are any mishaps.
8. Additional advice: Take a day and just read through all these Iron Man threads you see. There's a very good mix of both foam and cardstock, YOU have to be happy with the results. Foam has come a long way and the techniques have evolved quite a bit for achieving a flexible but hard looking finish. A lot of the questions you asked are really based most on your personal preference. I understand you're seeking a wide variety of opinion but at the end of the day most of these questions you will be answering yourself.

Does your old man have a workshop/shed? If you have a place to work outside, like a shed or such, try paper pep. You'll be able to use fiberglass resin to harden it. But it's quite toxic fumes, so not good for an indoor build.

If your stuck indoors for your build, give foam a try. Foam and hot glue are safe for indoor building.

Please note to use a respirator if using fiberglass resin, though. Nasty stuff.

Good luck!

Maybe I'll build the mark 4/6 and just make two chest pieces and some additional parts for the silver forearms and legs on the mark 6. Killing 2 birds with one stone! Thanks!

i dont mean to veer off topic, but who is that in the denver comic con IP suit? this person on RPF or have a thread? build looks unreal.

torx said:

i dont mean to veer off topic, but who is that in the denver comic con IP suit? this person on RPF or have a thread? build looks unreal.

Click to expand...

Hey Torx, if you look at the upper torso on the patriot i think it reads LT. COL Tim Winn. I could be wrong though...GM

so being in a coincidentally EXACT SAME SITUATION (literally. junior in high, Ohio, still growing) I would first learn how to do good pepakura. I would learn how to use the program, how each piece goes with every other piece, and learn how to connect them. IMO, this is a pretty great way to get started.
And I would make a MK 4,6,or 7 as those are the most noticed ironman suits. Most people wont be able to tell the difference and just call you ironman no matter what. Good luck! and If youre nearby, maybe I could provide some help!