FemShep N7 Armor, Valkyrie Rifle, + Omniblade (Mass Effect 3)

[Nessy]

Amazing work! I was following your facebook page but for some reason I wasn't getting all your updates in my newsfeed. I played with some settings to fix that. Thanks again for sharing all the progress pictures and how-to information, this has been a great build to follow. I can't wait for more pictures because these are amazing!

 

[Freya Willia]

Amazing work! I was following your facebook page but for some reason I wasn't getting all your updates in my newsfeed. I played with some settings to fix that. Thanks again for sharing all the progress pictures and how-to information, this has been a great build to follow. I can't wait for more pictures because these are amazing!

Thanks everybody!

Yeah Nessy I was very reluctant to even try the FB page because it's such a scam. Your audience does not get to see your posts unless you pay to have them "boosted," or paid for. So if you have 1000 fans about 10 of them are actually getting your message in the news feed. This is why I've kept up here and on Flickr, where "subscribing" is free and means you will seriously, no BS, get an update when it happens.

Working on the omniblade this week, should have progress pics soon.

 

[The Ronin]

Damn, Freya. It seriously looks like a screenshot or something

 

[nick daring]

Awesome.

 

[metal wood]

love it, been a while since i poked my head in here, glad i did! great work!

 

[TONY DARKLY]

I have watching this build from the beginning and all i can say is...wow!

 

[Bluenyte]

I've been checking out this thread for quite some time and seeing it now all I have to say is it looks amazing!

 

[superficialburn]

This project is amazing. I am new to the forums, but this work of art has completely captivated me. Thank you for making this and taking the time to bring us along for the journey. I know it takes extra effort to document everything you do one step at a time. You are both inspiring us and teaching us which gives each of us the courage to try something new and perhaps make our own art to share. You're doing great work!!! Keep it up!!!

 

[chuck2003]

WOW! not only is your costume amazing but you even look like fem shepard. Very well done

 

[Freya Willia]

Yay!

I am quickly putting this together (er... quickly for *me*) when time allows. Was waiting on supplies to show up at my door and they have arrived. Off to the bakery.

That is 3mm acrylic. Set at about 250 degrees and using the velour-wrapped ceramic vase, my soft mannequin arm (super helpful because it doesn't scratch the hot plastic), and maybe the trash can. The oven makes such a nice little *dink* sound when the timer is off, which made it seem very domestic and oddly has me associating the aroma of hot plastic with food. Styrene has a warm poptart scent. Likely they are made of the same ingredients.

 

[Nessy]

Well this post made me laugh. I cannot wait to see your omniblade assembled.

 

[The Ronin]

Styrene has a warm poptart scent. Likely they are made of the same ingredients.

Haha! Yeah, they taste about the same, too.

 

[Matchbox]

I was going to say where this omni blade was, very nice so far! you going to be LED'ing that some how?

Great work, very inspirational.. well got me of my ass for a few hours the other night to do some body filler'ing

Keep it up

/M

 

[Freya Willia]

I was going to say where this omni blade was, very nice so far! you going to be LED'ing that some how?

Great work, very inspirational.. well got me of my ass for a few hours the other night to do some body filler'ing

Keep it up

/M

Always glad to hear that.:thumbsup

Made a short clip of my acrylic shaping process. I find that you can't just slap a piece on something and press down, because then the small corners and sometimes the edges will curl up like a leaf even under uniform pressure. Suppose that probably has to do with it expanding a tiny bit when it is hot, and then shrinking as it cools. I recommend using your bare hands just after the point where it no longer melts your fingerprints.

forming acrylic | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Nessy]

Videos are always much appreciated! Thanks on behalf of all the visual learners like myself.

 

[joberg]

Vid is instructional for sure...and you're right, it takes a lot from me not to eat hot acrylic coming out of the oven

 

[Freya Willia]

Layering up my omniblade (on the wrong hand, this will be worn on my right, but the right side mannequin hand didn't want to sit straight). I am using epoxy glue which hopefully will serve well for the acrylic. Of course, no matter how carefully I tape things off, little blurbs of glue get out of the seams and I have to carefully pry the chunks away when they are half-cured. I want the edges to be clean as possible.

Then I have experimented with buffing the finish on the acrylic. I realized I can't go as opaque as the clear acrylic protoype because the etched lines on this are much smaller, and they disappear from a distance in the haze. So I have an acrylic polishing kit coming in the mail to use on areas I need the plastic to go back to its original clarity.

For anyone trying this, white electrical tape/vinyl works pretty well on the underside for making "faux" etched line details. Once it dries you could cover the exposed side with orange permanent ink or something, so your plastic doesn't have glaring white stripes if seen from underneath. I did not have an orange marker, so I mixed red and yellow sharpies for the crappy example below.

From under the acrylic, shown next to etched font.


Reverse side with vinyl tape + bright ass orange ink camouflage of your choice.

 

[joberg]

Thanks for the tip, looking good for sure...keep up the great work, it's gonna rock when everything is said and done:cool

 

[Weaselhammer]

Amazing work Freya ! Everything is coming together so good !

 

[Alpha Proto]

How do you cut the acrylic into the shapes?