FemShep N7 Armor, Valkyrie Rifle, + Omniblade (Mass Effect 3)
- Thread starter Freya Willia
- Start date
Freya Willia
Well-Known Member
Been using a sanding kit that I ordered off amazon to work on the haze effect.
Right now I have stopped at 8000 grit. Discovered that it leaves a glossy, kind of holographic pink sheen not visible in my iPhone shot that I'd like to keep. Similar to anti-glare coating found on eyeglasses.
Had to break off some parts to get better reach. The large cuffs came off rather easily, which means epoxy might not be a good long-term choice for that area.
Right now I have stopped at 8000 grit. Discovered that it leaves a glossy, kind of holographic pink sheen not visible in my iPhone shot that I'd like to keep. Similar to anti-glare coating found on eyeglasses.
Had to break off some parts to get better reach. The large cuffs came off rather easily, which means epoxy might not be a good long-term choice for that area.
Freya this has been an amazing build to watch, your omni blade is very cool. For sticking bits of Lexan together permanently one really wants to weld the plastic together. So rather than sticking things with epoxy it is better to use a compatible solvent to melt the parts together. Just be careful because solvent will mark the surface if it is spilled or dripped on. Good luck and keep up the great work.
Shadeling
Well-Known Member
I love how everything is turning out, this glue might help you as a replacement for epoxy for your needs.
Weld-On 16 Acrylic Cement, 5 oz Capacity, Clear: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
Freya Willia
Well-Known Member
I ordered some, it's on the way. I knew it would not be cheap to ship and I called around but nowhere local has it. I find that Home Depot and Lowes are increasingly useless. And then very few small business hardware stores can compete with them around here.
It's a good thing I do not care about sports, and I am not going to any parties as none of my friends do either, because I have a ton of work do to on the omniblade and attaching the illuminated weapon mounts.
They got heavy. Very heavy, I will need to reinforce the styrene body armor in the back. Also the glue I used to do some of the styrene sandwiching on that section of the costume is not so great with the added stress. I will probably 1.) snip off excess and replace with smaller gauge wire, permanently glued to the interior side of the styrene then 2.) make some kind of lining pouch so the wires aren't poking me in the spine. The battery pack may possibly get replaced with a rechargeable setup later on. I also have no switch attached yet. And the light pipe tubes are still their transparent color when the LEDs are turned off. I plan to coat that in red Testors enamel so it still looks the right color in bright light or when the LEDs are not on. This picture just has things taped. It's a hot mess.
alessandra
Member
I just have to chime in again and tell you that this thread makes me unbelievably happy. I recently got one of my friends to start playing Mass Effect and she has played all 3 games back-to-back and is almost done with 3. I showed her this thread and she just about died! 
Freya Willia
Well-Known Member
I just have to chime in again and tell you that this thread makes me unbelievably happy. I recently got one of my friends to start playing Mass Effect and she has played all 3 games back-to-back and is almost done with 3. I showed her this thread and she just about died!
Oh dear, I hope she had some extra lives.
I'm finishing up the omniblade. There are a few small parts around the hand I need to figure out the best way to attach.
Also playing with a different setup for when I get finished with the LEDs. Needs larger backdrops.
Did you see her other debut photos? Her rifle is like an advertisement.......
Freya Willia
Well-Known Member
I am finishing up ALL LEDS on my suit! Wow this armor may be wrapped up before the 2 year marking the release of Mass Effect 3. That's like, next week.
Finger leads have a plug, so that I can disconnect the gloves from the power source in the arm brace. Makes it easier to take on and off too. They have some simple circuit boards holding two CR2032s and a teensy switch. Just so everyone knows what a blonde I am, I did not understand why flux was necessary until this part, so, everything ELSE I attempted to solder on this suit did not use it. It's pretty much like discovering why a zigzag stitch is necessary. There will be a bit of weathering on these to unify the panels and the finger plates.
Made a small mold of the long-forgotten elbow piece that will get slush cast in urethane and some carbon fiber vinyl.
And then, the N7 armor is pretty much done aside from replacing velcro'd temporary attachments with buttons, stitching, and finalizing the various weapon accessories.
Finger leads have a plug, so that I can disconnect the gloves from the power source in the arm brace. Makes it easier to take on and off too. They have some simple circuit boards holding two CR2032s and a teensy switch. Just so everyone knows what a blonde I am, I did not understand why flux was necessary until this part, so, everything ELSE I attempted to solder on this suit did not use it. It's pretty much like discovering why a zigzag stitch is necessary. There will be a bit of weathering on these to unify the panels and the finger plates.
Made a small mold of the long-forgotten elbow piece that will get slush cast in urethane and some carbon fiber vinyl.
And then, the N7 armor is pretty much done aside from replacing velcro'd temporary attachments with buttons, stitching, and finalizing the various weapon accessories.
Except you'll get a better response to your finished armor vs. the ME3 ending. :lol
The Ronin
Well-Known Member
How could you not? :lol
panterateama
Active Member
Yay! it's still going on!
I love this costume Freya! Attention to detail is amazing!
I love this costume Freya! Attention to detail is amazing!
Freya Willia
Well-Known Member
So this armor would pretty much be finished, had I not lost two of my fingertip armor pieces. I have 8 now. Sigh.
I'm no pro photographer, but I'll try my hardest to get a good shot of the suit with LED action by the end of the week.
A few people have expressed sadness over this suit being completed, and I do feel the same. The only course of action is to make more Mass Effect costumes. Other than Wrex or Garrus, my other favorite characters, I don't have a strong enough attachment to produce a replica outfit of another female character.
Some casual gear is definitely happening, because changing out of the suit into something more like real clothes would feel amazing at a convention.
Beautiful job on the costume!
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