Bigturc's Ironman Mark3 Build

[Bigturc]

I had to reinforce the sides of the chest/back and I drilled through all the air bubbles and filled then with Evercoat. I can't say enough how Evercoat sands smoothly and how a mouse sander helps!!! Saves me a ton of work! ))

 

[Bigturc]

First pass on the upper tabs is now done! I'm wondering if they're too small or if it'll do! I'll see soon enough anyway! I'm gonne shoot some primer on my parts to make sure everything is silky smooth then I'm begining the work on the lower tabs.

 

[bamboodia]

lovin' the work on those tabs man. Will they be used to mount some velcro on?

 

[Bigturc]

Thanks Bamboodia!
No, from my experience, velcro is totally unreliable, and that is on a lightweight stormtrooper armor!!!

I plan on having clips and magnets embedded in the tabs and in the fiberglass. I want this thing to be as strong as if it was 1 piece.

 

[bamboodia]

I thought that might be the case with velcro. I'll be interested in seeing this clip and magnet setup as I've been searching for ideas myself but have only come up with ideas that would probably get the pieces joined together but be impossible to get them separated again.

 

[ROBOSTEVE 0671]

It's coming along nicely Al mate, those tabs should do the job with the set up you have in mind, still trimming mine, only get the weekends on it.

Yours is looking great! Lovin the updates as always!

 

[Bigturc]

I've spent my whole day puttying and sanding pinholes and imperfections on this. Call me crazy, I love my stuff to have a perfect finish!!!

I could definitely have used the parts almost as is if I wanted, but just because I'm so anal about the finish of the parts, I decided to take my time on these pieces!

More update later!

 

[Onephattsi2]

you have to love the first shot of primer to make you realise jusr how much more work you have to do!!

 

[electraflier]

Yes then the second third and some wet sanding with 400! You be at this all day! LOL! Hang tough Bigturc this will be so sweet when its done!!!

 

[Bigturc]

Yeah, just finished my PVC dummy. I bought the brown mannequin thinking my ironman would fit on it .. boy, nothing fits on this!! The helmet didn't fit the head because of the ears, the neck wouldn't fit because of the muscular trapezoids and the chest/back wouldn't fit without taking the arms off the manny!

I'm sure it'll fit on either one of them though! loll

 

[bamboodia]

You wouldn't be tempted to scratch what you have so far and go back to square one? re-scale, pep, re-scale again, pep and glass, cry, bondo, more crying...etc etc. It'd be a shame for the mannequin to go to waste you see.

Gorgeous falcon and stormtrooper btw.

 

[electraflier]

The cool thing about the mannequin though, is that the problems you will have getting the mannequin into the armor are the same ones "you" will have when you go to try to put it on yourself for the first time. :love
I bought a mannequin too and was initially very disappointed as well that nothing 'fits" on it right now due to shims, needing to be cut, then rejoined... :cry
I am still pepping and no where near your stage of build, nor ready to hang up the armor...I almost sent it back to eBay, but then realized I have to solve those issues sometime...better while still in pep and resin then all the way at the end after filler, paint and months of crying and cussing!! :lol
The only thing I am still unhappy with is that the fingers on one hand are closed... guess I have to mold and pour a hand! I was thinking of doing it in repulsor blast position and the cool thing is the hardware unscrews so it can go on another hand!

 

[Bigturc]

You wouldn't be tempted to scratch what you have so far and go back to square one? re-scale, pep, re-scale again, pep and glass, cry, bondo, more crying...etc etc. It'd be a shame for the mannequin to go to waste you see.

Gorgeous falcon and stormtrooper btw.

Thanks! Well, technically, the black one has my Biker Scout on it. BUT if I can't fit the IM armor on it, I might install the scout on the brown one and the IM on the PVC.

And no, I wouldn't go back to square 1 for sure!!! I wasted way too much time already to be where I am!

The cool thing about the mannequin though, is that the problems you will have getting the mannequin into the armor are the same ones "you" will have when you go to try to put it on yourself for the first time. :love
I bought a mannequin too and was initially very disappointed as well that nothing 'fits" on it right now due to shims, needing to be cut, then rejoined... :cry
I am still pepping and no where near your stage of build, nor ready to hang up the armor...I almost sent it back to eBay, but then realized I have to solve those issues sometime...better while still in pep and resin then all the way at the end after filler, paint and months of crying and cussing!! :lol
The only thing I am still unhappy with is that the fingers on one hand are closed... guess I have to mold and pour a hand! I was thinking of doing it in repulsor blast position and the cool thing is the hardware unscrews so it can go on another hand!

I agree, although I'm flexible and the mannequin is not .. so that's where I expect I'll have some play room! I prefer not to worry yet about the fingers .. I'm so not there right now!!!

 

[Surreal Studios]

but just because I'm so anal about the finish of the parts, I decided to take my time on these pieces!

I know the feeling! The parts are looking great, your putting in some good work on them!

 

[Bigturc]

Thanks Matt!
Yeah, a lot of love!!! Good thing I had those parts sent to me, since I already had nightmares about trying to get my pep files as sharp and clean as yours!!! A long time since we got any updates on your build though ..

:thumbsup

 

[aenderw]

For whatever it's worth, your work is amazing thus far. I'm just starting out, but what you have looks incredible...

(I'd also kill a man for that Falcon replica.)

 

[Bigturc]

Thanks!
Good thing about this falcon, is that I got it when they were 700$ at Redford back then! Trust me, they didn't that long! :thumbsup

Has been the center of my collection until I got my Vader .. I need to find a proper stand for it now!

 

[Bigturc]

Update! Yesterday, I ran some apoxie sculpt for my side tabs and left it to dry. Those will be awesome!! Much better than my first version of the trap tabs too as they're gonna be bigger and stronger. I'm gonna reinforce them with fiberglass in a few mins and work them up later tonight when everything is dry and ready.

Note that in my first version, where I had taped up everything with painters tape, I was suggested to use aluminium paper which I tried but it left a wrinkled finish .. I tried wax paper yesterday and this is the best method yet! It leaves a perfect finish which wil barely need to be sanded. So wax paper is the ****z! :thumbsup

 

[Bigturc]

Trap tabs finished! Will need to redefine the little square'isch things in the clavicle later .. not sure how yet (suggestions to get in there beside the dremel?)

 

[Bigturc]

As a bonus, I've throw all my extra putty on my leg while I was working on my other stuff to not lose it, and quickly sanded it down .. WOW, I had no idea this would be that easy to get to shape!!!

This is about max 20 minutes of sanding! and my very own pep model available at the beginning of this thread.

And here's what I'm using, Evercoat rage gold, Evercoat glazing and my orbital sander which is doing miracles!!! It's as useful to sanding as my Silhouette is to cutting! Don't cheapen up and get one if you're doing everything by hand!