Half Life 2: Gordon Freemans HEV suit

Dying to see how this pans out :) I love the "carbon fiber" look of the black sections to the suit.

As for taking a knife... Just remember what we learned from Sir Sean :)

"He pullsh a knife, you pull a crowbar!"
Or words to that effect...
 
Question- once I put all the cardstock together I have to apply the fiber glass. What do I use to get the fiber glass smooth looking instead of all bumpy from the hardening resin?

What I've read that generally works well is your fiberglass the INSIDE of your pieces. Then you can apply some putty (bondo) onto the outside to smooth. If you fiberglass the outside you'll lose any sharp details. Read the tutorials on the 450th, they have a lot of pepakura related stuff.
 
I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who's planning on doing this costume!:)

For what it's worth, I will be doing a full build-up of this costume probably in a year or so. There are some things I need to finish before I can justify starting another project.:)


I may play with the peparuka files a little, but am pretty sure I'm going to sculpt mine from scratch.

I'm also going to go with fiberglass and carbon fiber. Not sure about the kevlar though. Not sure where to get it, and that would shoot the price up a lot, I think...

I will be following this thread with interest, though!

-ds
 
On a side note here. How will I know if the pepakura design will fit my chest and other body parts? I'd hate to put all this cardstock together only to find it doesn't fit me.

The best way is to measure the body part that the armor piece will fit over, then compare it to what pepakura designer says the model will be.

A quick example would be, measure across your chest, from arm-pit to arm-pit in the mirror, then compare that to the horizontal size of the scaled model. Pep Designer 2 read out the sizes at the bottom of the window, I haven't used pep 3 very much, so I'm not sure if that's still the same. Some of this is just trial-and-error, and getting used to the process. After a couple models, you should get the hang of it. You might want to try some of the smaller, simpler pieces first.
 
I made mine out of a stretchy cotton/poly blend material. I put in all the correct seams and everything, it was a pain. As soon as I get my duct tape mannequin set up I'll be able to share some pictures here, but I'm not gonna model in it until I get the crotch section covered up at least, it's quite revealing. The thing about this suit is that you can't be afraid to be a bit exposed. And you have to be really skinny to make it look like the artwork.

As for scaling, be prepared to make each piece as many as 10 times. When I finally got the scale right on the arms I made them 2 more times to get the builds smoother. It's all about the trial and error. I couldn't stand to think about it when I started, but looking back it wasn't too bad. I have yet to make my second torso though. Other things have taken priority. I'll give you a bit of a head start though with my method I've settled on as the best possible way to do this costume. Only score and fold the lines actually have a sharp edge. For rounded sections, like most of the bicep, just glue them together and they'll be really smooth. Resin the outside once or twice, then mudglass the inside two to three times. Mix 50/50 bondo and resin, then put in two times the amount of liquid hardener you'd need for the amount of resin you mixed, stir quickly and pour inside. Do small sections and you a waxed paper cup to mix. Lay down and press in fiberglass, let cure. Apply second and third coats as necessary to cover up all fiberglass so the inside is smooth. Once all this is done, you can hinge it, but I won't go into that.

EDIT: And of course, ALWAYS USE A RESPIRATOR.
 
Oh, it's Fiercedeity2.

You won't find too much. Just me arguing with a bunch of the users over there.

That's actually what I was going for. I wanted to see the crap you were getting over at Coscom (cosplay.com).... That stinks. They (being, the general populace over there consists of children. Or, people who are stuck in a childlike mentality.

In terms of the undersuit...
I do have to ask a couple of serious questions.
Things you should consider if you're making this yourself, and some evaluative notes to help us understand the experience level we're helping you come from:

How much experience do you have behind a sewing machine?

Do you have access to a sewing machine?

How much hands on experience have you had with costume making?
Is this your first endeavor?

If you're beginning from stratch. You're in the right place for help... there are plenty of wrong ways to start a project, and there's several right paths to choose from. Those, however... depend on how you want to plan and approach something like this.

Sewing costumes is a different beast in the realm of armor and prop making.
As a 3rd party observer, I'd encourage you to work with the more common materials and techniques used for costuming, before you attemt to go and make a full ballistic grade suit. (If that is, indeed, your ultimate goal)

For instance, I noticed under your list for what you DO want your HEV suit to look as good as:
1192375080725jx0.jpg


I'm almost 100% sure (unless someone can point me wrong), that the costumer here probably used the Wal-Mart "camping foam" Technique for his armor:
yhst-6122587476031_2076_258908895


This, is a very very cheap technique, however... executed with maticulous planning and perserverence, this nasty foam can produce *that* sweet armor.

Now, In terms of the undersuit:
There are many different ways that you could approach it. Some guys, with all the resources available to them, could simply sculpt it as a latex piece... pad it, and wala presto. Instant perfection.

I imagine others... like the suit above, would sew it together as pieces... would paint it to accentuate the look of a teired 'plating', and call it a day. You'll notice however, it's just a bodysuit with some color. It does not have the same three dimensional look as the game suit:

My thought is this: And If I can get my scanner working... I can draw it out:

Research and find a fabric that looks like the one that Gordon uses for his undersuit.
If I had to take a stab at the fabric's closest match, it would be the aero-mesh found in motorcycle jackets and other sporting wear. Also, most recently featured on Batmans' Suit from TDK:
arclight-batman-dark-knight-suit-costume.jpg


It would take some digging... but I know that there have been some people who have been able to obtain this kind of fabric for their batman suits. It is rare and expensive but it looks the part to me.

ANOTHER OPTION:
Make your own fabric. Get a stretch latex, and some of the dupont mesh that is easier to find, and sew it in layers. It wouldn't be the same but it would create a similar look. It would not be kevlar... but it would be cheap and would breath very well. A MUST for costuming.

Ok, so you have the fabric down. What would you put it on? How would you make it?

My first thought would be...
Make a form fitting undersuit, or buy a cheapo Zentai suit from Ebay. Doesn't have to be anything nice... it's only a base:
then, get apholstery foam in the appropriate thickness to create the "segment" sections on gordons suit. You'd cut them out to the proper shapes, and then glue (or sew) them onto the undersuit.

Using a lycra bodysuit base, with a middle layer of carefully and accurately sculpted upholstery foam, followed by a sewn, or glued top layer of accurate, or accurate 'looking' fabric... would create the complex undersuit look that you're going for.
WITHOUT, sacrificing comfort, mobility, or casual durability. You could go from there as to wether you'd want to make a 'high durability' version out of the defensive materials.
 
This may prove a better visual reference>

1. Get Zentai ebay undersuit. Mark it with where the foam sections would go.

2. Get upholstery foam, cut it using a meat carver or jigsaw type tool to the shapes on the suit, bearing in mind that they need to overlap each other. Sculpt them so that they terminate at the top from the side they pieces should be bevelled, or teardrop shaped.
Glue, or sew them to the undersuit.
3.
Apply the aeromesh, or whatever suitable fabric you find, over the foam making sure the gaps are filled and being meticulous about wrinkles.

And hey... If you're confident with a sewing machine, or know someone who is, you could also take a stab at making the undersuit from scratch, terminating the zentai suit, and saving you some material weight and money.
bb386477.jpg

*edit* The pattern on there for the foam shapes is completely for example of concept... they are for example only, if you want them to look right, make your own using newsprint to approximate your designs.
 
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How much experience do you have behind a sewing machine? Next to none, but I have watched my father while growing up.

Do you have access to a sewing machine? Yes, my father is an upholster and has wide access to fabric and foam tools. As well as the sewing maching.

How much hands on experience have you had with costume making? None, but I'm a quick learner when it comes to building things.

Is this your first endeavor? Yes


I know that the quality of the armor in that picture is foam. But I really don't want foam as my armor. That's a far cry from what I'm looking for. I was just saying that I wanted my suit to look that nice in the end.


btw, I like your drawing down there. It's a pretty good referance to follow. But I'm not too sure about that zentai suit, it seems a bit revealing. And to by quite honest I don't have nearly as much muscle mass as Gordon. Is there any way I could give my crowd the illusion of me being more buff?
 
Well, the upholstery foam method has been used for years to re-create muscular forms...
You can do a search for latex muscle suits also to see what comes up, but those don't always match your size or bodytype.

Here's a good read on the technique I'm basing my info off of.
http://www.duneinfo.com/arrakis/stillsuits.asp

This also has some good basic info, I don't terribly like his execution with the technique, but it's the concept of the construction process I'm getting at.
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Build-a-Muscle-Suit-39306312

Upholstery foam wouldn't have to be your final material, you could choose something more durable, but using the same process.
I feel like I'm not conveying this well ;_;
 
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I'm almost 100% sure (unless someone can point me wrong), that the costumer here probably used the Wal-Mart "camping foam" Technique for his armor:
yhst-6122587476031_2076_258908895


This, is a very very cheap technique, however... executed with maticulous planning and perserverence, this nasty foam can produce *that* sweet armor.

Okay, I don't know about the original poster, but I'm interested. What is this "camping foam" technique you're talking about? And are there any tutorials for it?
 
I'm using the camp pads for my "layered section". I'm making it sort of like a bodice out of separate pieces for each layer which will then be sewn together after being covered in duck canvas. This will then be vecroed togehter in the back over the undersuit and under the hard armor.

On a side note, Gordon Freeman doesn't have any muscle, he's a skinny scientist. His arms are the only possibly "muscly" part of his body, but they really just look like the material in the shoulders is a bit padded. The problem with the previously posted "good" cosplayer was that he was average sized and then wrapped camp pads around his midriff, which resulted in a much bulkier looking costume than the artwork. That's why I'm trying to make mine as form fitting as possible, even to the point of being a little bit restrictive.
 
On a side note, Gordon Freeman doesn't have any muscle, he's a skinny scientist.

One of the most acceptable truths about the character: He's a skinny scientist. And to be honest, he's no hero. He's just an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation. And I think that's one of the best things about him, the fact that he's just average and not some superhero as many people probably would make him out to be.
 
One of the most acceptable truths about the character: He's a skinny scientist. And to be honest, he's no hero. He's just an ordinary man caught in an extraordinary situation. And I think that's one of the best things about him, the fact that he's just average and not some superhero as many people probably would make him out to be.

dito, and to top it off he's an average nerdy guy. Well, maybe not too average seeing as he wrote, "Observation of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Entanglement on Supraquantum Structures by Induction Through Nonlinear Transuranic Crystal of Extremely Long Wavelength (ELW) Pulse from Mode-Locked Source Array" as his thesis.
 
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.
 
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