Half Life 2: Gordon Freemans HEV suit

After reading the cr*p you had to put up with over at Cosplay.com, I really want this project to become a reality. I can't believe some of the comments over there!

The post that really pissed me off was the one telling you there was no need for the "ridiculous stuff you want". I mean, what? Aren't we allowed to dream anymore, and pursue those dreams, just because a bunch of people think your goals are "ridiculous"? I still can't get over that.

All the best with this! And I can understand where you are coming from too. I used aluminium plate for my last two costumes, where I could have quite easily used foam or card. But I want these things to last. Plus, I kind of like the fact that something which is supposed to be metal, actually is. Unfortunately I have yet to experiment with fibreglass, kevlar or carbon fibre, so I can't offer you any advice other than to persevere with your dream!

So bash on! I'll be watching.

Thank you for your support and enthusiasm on my behalf. The people of this forum can both dream big and build big. And the amount of support is overwhelming and encouraging. I can't guarantee that the suit is going to look 100% like Gordon's (mainly because I'm new at this) but I'm going to put my all into it. And who knows, if the model looks good enough I might make a mold of it and cast it in aluminum.
 
Well I got the first lower left section of the arm finished. Took me about 9 - 12 hours worth of cutting and gluing... and bleeding. But it's done. It also fits very snugly around my wrist. I see this as a double edged sword in that it is good that it fits snugly (like Gordon's), yet it will be quite difficult getting my hand inside without damaging it. I have some ideas about how to go about this but your combined input would be appreciated as well.

It's obvious that Gordon seen here couldn't fit his hands through those tiny little cuffs. So as a proposed idea, i'd like to suggest that this part of the arm be hinged inside and closes to together. I'm not sure if this is the best method to approach. Perhaps spilting it in half and having some way of joining the two halves together. Yet at the same time retaining a very authentic look. Any ideas?

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Exactly, you hinge it with magnets. Finish EVERYTHING except the painting first, then cut it in half. Otherwise it'll warp. I learned that the hard way. Use the existing seams on the pieces for your hinges. Where there aren't any seams, hide them in sharp valley folds. Get some rare earth magnets to hold them together. The forearm pieces will use 8 magnets, two sets of two on each seam. Once the magnets are in you can properly finish and then prime and paint the piece.
 
If you want to have more bulk, you could buy one of those super hero costumes that have muscles built in, just wear it under your suit of choice and there you go.

And I'm not talking about the exagerated Mr. Incredible type suits, there are others out there that are more realistic in their proportions.
 
Ok, so this first section with pepakura is done. Now if I'm correct I need to apply resin to the outside and inside of the shell. I've got a jug of fiberglass resin AKA Styrene Monomer Resin. Will this work for me? Or should I use something else?
 
Fiberglass resin is exactly what you should use. One or two coats on the outside, make sure you have the wrist plug in or else it'll warp to the roundest possible shape and it'll scratch you up really bad when you wear it. You want the hole to be wrist shaped, so put that plug in. After the resin on the outside, do the mix I mentioned earlier, 50/50 mix of resin and bondo, then add the hardener. Pour it in and press in a piece of fiberglass. The reason for this is because the resin and fiberglass on their own don't make the piece 100% hard, they'll still flex. Bondo on the outside to smooth details normally finishes the job, but bondo is a pain to work with. I pep my models smooth so that I don't need almost any bondo and do the mud mix for strength, followed by just a little bondo on the outside to smooth out the trouble spots. here are a couple shots I took to give you a better idea what I'm talking about.

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This is my right forearm, it just needs a coat of resin and some sanding, then the hinging.
 
Ok, sounds good there. The resin is drying as we speak, even though my mother won't stop bitching about moving the equipment off the outdoor table. I told her it would smell if I brought it in but she didn't listen. So now she's bitching about the smell inside... Ugh.

Anyways, if what I'm reading is correct I should next add a layer or 2 of fiberglass/resin on the inside... Dry... Followed by bondo on the inside and out.

When the bondo is done drying I want to get a dremel and do some fine touchs, grooves and such in the armor. Followed by a very fine grit sanding, buffer, enamel paint, followed by the actual colors of the armor. And then another buff for a shine. Any flaws in my plan here?
 
If you want to ignore my advice, feel free. It can be done with bondo and resin separately, I'd just advise against it from experience.

Also, I'd advise again to always wear a respirator. The fumes from this stuff don't just smell bad, they can cause serious health problems
 
If you want to ignore my advice, feel free. It can be done with bondo and resin separately, I'd just advise against it from experience.

Also, I'd advise again to always wear a respirator. The fumes from this stuff don't just smell bad, they can cause serious health problems

Wait, do you mean to litteraly mix the resin with the bondo? I thought you meant more as in layers.
 
No, it's literally a mix, it's called mudglassing. You mix one part resin with an equal part bondo (the red kind with the car on it if you're getting it from a place like Home Depot.) Then you add the hardener. For example, if you have one ounce of resin and one ounce of bondo, and you normally put 5 drops of hardener in per ounce of resin,you put 10 drops in. It'll cure fairly quickly and very hot, so use a wax paper cup and work quickly. Make sure the mud is mixed completely before adding the hardener.

Not only is the mud harder than resin, but the fiberglass sinks in easier and doesn't pull back out stuck to your gloves as much. For a smooth inside, lay down one or two coats of mud on top of the fiberglass once it's cured.

EDIT: And the number of drops I mentioned is not right, I can't recall the correct number off the top of my head. Just gave the example for the ratio.
 
No, it's literally a mix, it's called mudglassing. You mix one part resin with an equal part bondo (the red kind with the car on it if you're getting it from a place like Home Depot.) Then you add the hardener. For example, if you have one ounce of resin and one ounce of bondo, and you normally put 5 drops of hardener in per ounce of resin,you put 10 drops in. It'll cure fairly quickly and very hot, so use a wax paper cup and work quickly. Make sure the mud is mixed completely before adding the hardener.

Not only is the mud harder than resin, but the fiberglass sinks in easier and doesn't pull back out stuck to your gloves as much. For a smooth inside, lay down one or two coats of mud on top of the fiberglass once it's cured.

EDIT: And the number of drops I mentioned is not right, I can't recall the correct number off the top of my head. Just gave the example for the ratio.

Hey, that's pretty awesome there. I just checked a video on youtube to get a better idea of how this worked and it looks pretty darn tough. I'm definitely going by this method. thnx
 
Yea, it's tough all right. You can actually chuck a piece 20 feet onto concrete and it won't crack. I tried it out on a piece that didn't quite work out, my 4th right forearm.
 
Yea, it's tough all right. You can actually chuck a piece 20 feet onto concrete and it won't crack. I tried it out on a piece that didn't quite work out, my 4th right forearm.

I'm a bit anal when it comes to mixing stuff like this though. I like to make sure everything is properly balanced to give me the right results. So does anybody have a more clear idea of how much catalyst I should add to the bondo/resin mix?
 
That really is the best way to do it. You can do a couple tests just to get the hang of it. Also, it doesn't have to be perfect, a slight variance will only change the curing time by a couple minutes when it comes to mud. Not like resin, which gets sticky and sometimes never cures. The bondo in the mix ensures easier cleanup.
 
That really is the best way to do it. You can do a couple tests just to get the hang of it. Also, it doesn't have to be perfect, a slight variance will only change the curing time by a couple minutes when it comes to mud. Not like resin, which gets sticky and sometimes never cures. The bondo in the mix ensures easier cleanup.

Ok, that gives me a bit more confidence. I'll get to work on this tomorrow once the rain clears up.

Can I use the mud mix on the outside too? After all I do want to carve details.
 
The mud will be fairly thick on the inside, you can carve the details right through the paper. Mud on the outside will probably not go so well, one slip and it's everywhere.
 
The mud will be fairly thick on the inside, you can carve the details right through the paper. Mud on the outside will probably not go so well, one slip and it's everywhere.

So other then the resin on the outer shell I don't need to put down anything else?
 
Nope. After sanding the outside smooth you'll probably have to put on one last coat of resin to cover up the paper fuzz that comes through on the edges. Since I haven't gotten to the grooving yet, I can't say if it's better to do the last coat before or after you carve the details.
 
Nope. After sanding the outside smooth you'll probably have to put on one last coat of resin to cover up the paper fuzz that comes through on the edges. Since I haven't gotten to the grooving yet, I can't say if it's better to do the last coat before or after you carve the details.

Well the piece is curing as we speak. It was really messy but I've been rotating it for the past couple hours so the mud mix fully covers fiberglass on the inside and doesn't form one giant glob.

Now after it's done drying I need to shape the outside down. The suit would look pretty tacky if I walked in looking like a giant polygon. So I need to either add, or take away from the outer shell. And from what I've been told so far is not to add anything to the outer shell. Personally I'm worried about lessing the overall form of the structure. These two pictures explain what I'm saying better.

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Sorry if it seems like I'm asking too many questions. I just want to make sure I do this right the first time around.
 
The second picture is the way to go. Just use a rasp file and a mouse sander if you've got one. (A mouse sander is so helpful for this type of costume, they're not too expensive, either.) Make sure you don't go all the way through the mud on the inside. The HEV models are pretty good, so you shouldn't have to worry about that too much.

Oh, and I might have understood you wrong, but if it took a couple hours for the mud to cure you didn't put in nearly enough hardener. It should take about 5-10 minutes tops to be mostly hard. Rotating is good; however, I'd recommend doing smaller areas, like a 4" x 4" square with each application. Because of the fast cure time of the mud, it's usually difficult to do more than this at a time.
 
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