First Timer! Mjolnir Mark 6 Pep Build!

kdbar

New Member
Hello rpf!

This is my first ever attempt at doing anything like this so any advice and tips would be greatly appreciated! Here is my progress so far with the pepping. I plan on doing the chest, cod, and the limbs on one side to first see how everything fits after hardening/strengthening treatment. I will attach pictures of the pieces that are already pepped. Some look slanted when they are placed on the ground, but are fine when I hang them vertically, is that normal and can I continue to resin them?

I have a few questions before I begin putting on a coat of resin on the outside. I did a test of 1 ounce/10 drops of bondo fiberglass resin on a sample pep piece I had from a previous failure. I noticed I got maybe around 7-8 minutes of work time before the resin started getting clumped up into these tiny pebbles. Is that what happens when the resin starts hardening or did I mix the mixture too strongly and got too much air into it?

Is it okay to do do the resin'ing outdoors? I live in cali so the weather is usually around 70-80. I was worried about working in the sunlight or wind so I wanted to ask if that is ok?

Also, I plan on putting in supports for all of my pieces as I have heard horror stories about the resin warping the pieces and I am deathly afraid of having to re-pep them from scratch. I have thought of using the leftover cardstock paper from the printouts to roll them into tubes and use masking tape to support the insides of the pieces. Are there any better alternatives??

I had one more question about the resining process. If I am doing the first outside coat of resin and I start to notice that I won't have enough resin or maybe the mixture starts to clump and I can't finish resining the piece, what would be the proper procedure? To let it cure and continue with the rest the next day?

I have also noticed that with my pepped pieces, there are sometimes tiny holes in the corners which lets in some resin to the inside layer, is that ok or do I need to patch up all of those holes?

Lastly! I plan on using one coat of resin on the outside, then one coat of resin on the inside. After that, one coat of rondo on the side. Would that be good enough to continue with adding bondo on the top and sanding/etc? Or should I add more layers, and when people say add more layers of either resin/rondo, I assume they mean to put on one layer, let it cure, then add on the next layer?

Again, thanks for the help, I have tried to research answers for these pretty specific questions and couldn't find answers.

Sean
 

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Yes resin is going to warp pieces, but just buy a heat gun after the hardening process heat the piece and rebend it, that should fix it. If you live in cali the weather is optimized for resin, the hotter it is the faster and better the resin dries.
 
YouTube

This guy has some great tutorials that I think you'll benefit from. Check out his channel if you get the chance. I'm doing the exact same suit as you for my first pepakura build. I hope this helps
 
Thank you! I'm in the process of resining the pieces now! How many layers of resin should I put on the top before I can start resining the inside?
Also, if I choose to go the fiberglass route for the inside, do I need to put a layer of resin on the inside before I add the fiberglass cloth on top??
 
Thank you! I'm in the process of resining the pieces now! How many layers of resin should I put on the top before I can start resining the inside?
Also, if I choose to go the fiberglass route for the inside, do I need to put a layer of resin on the inside before I add the fiberglass cloth on top??

I think I used two layers of resin on the outside when I made my Cap shield, if I remember correctly. I would definitely recommend putting at least one layer of fibreglass on the inside to add structure and rigidity before you start adding rondo/bondo to the outside, and in that case maybe chuck down one layer of straight resin first on the inside, just to give the next layer with the glass something to stick to. When you start adding the glass, put resin down first as you go, lay on your glass and then add more resin to the top to ensure it gets a good soaking.
 
Would it be ok to let one layer of resin cure on the inside. Then use adhesive spray to stick the fiberglass cloth on that layer and then resin over the cloth? I don't trust myself with resining and adding cloth at the same time =x
 
Would it be ok to let one layer of resin cure on the inside. Then use adhesive spray to stick the fiberglass cloth on that layer and then resin over the cloth? I don't trust myself with resining and adding cloth at the same time =x

I think I remember people using a similar method in the past and it working ok, but I can't speak from personal experience.
 
Thank you for your help. I think I'll put two layers of resin on the outside. Then put a layer on the inside, add the fiberglass cloth on top of that, then add another layer of resin on top of the cloth. Hopefully that'll be strong enough for the bondo and sanding stage! As a side note, didn't realize how many paint brushes I go through and bought a 36-pack on amazon haha.

Quick question, how are the boots supposed to work? I plan on pepping both of them tonight, but wondered how I am supposed to wear them? Am I supposed to size them big enough to fit in a shoe? Also, Do I just do the same resin/fiberglass treatment for the bottom of the boot?
 
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