foam ironman chest help

[chafe2923]

So um it looks pretty bad I think like I'm using scissors where did I go wrong and if I sand it down and then fill in the gaps you think it will look alright?

I know there's tons of other threads about it on the forum but I didn't find anyone's who's really looked like mine so if there's one you know just link me to it

http://imgur.com/JEjBS9E

 

[chafe2923]

any one have anytips?

 

[Revier]

Hey chafe

I take it your using those terrible mats from halfords, In my honest opinion it would take alot of time effort and filler to remove the gaps and at the end of all that it just would look 'off' if catch my meaning.

I dont mean to be 'that guy' but it might be best to start again and i fully understand the situation your in iv been in it many times when iv spent alot of time on something and dont want to just discard it.

A few tips iv found:
Scalpel all the way - pick one up for £3-5 from the range allows you to perform precise cuts

Get a Good steel rule mine has a flat edge which allows me to make good initial 90 deg cuts

when making your amour if your not happy with a cut out dont be afraid to keep rebuilding parts of model over and over and over again, some parts are tricky (for me my curves take a few tries).

Finally those mats are awful for armour making they are too dense, iv tried making 6 or 7 items using them (buzz lightyear guantlets), I went through so many scalpel blades and the cuts looked terrible no matter what i i tried, in the end the product wasnt something i would be happy to show off.

I find the better foams for iron man suits are platazote(6mm)(about £15-20 per large sheet but it makes amazing armour) or foam camping mats ( usually £3-7 each, cheap has a textured surface so it will need coating to make it smooth)

 

[zorprime]

It looks like the Mark IV chest piece that your working on, there a plenty of threads on it, but just 2 quick tips.

Tip 1. When cutting foam use sharp razor blades, (scissors may not be sharp enough to get a clean cut) get a 50 pack for about $6 to $10 at Walmart or hardware store. You can tell when the blade is dull by it starting to make the pieces cut jagged and it's harder to move, change blade then.

Tip 2. Practice, if this is your first foam cutting experience be prepared to start over, I build the Mark Vii chest piece 2 times and all the other pieces either 2 or 3 times before I had them semi where I wanted them.

Keep at it, and keep trying!

 

[texxxan]

Nice try for a first go. You can try sanding and filling, and gain more experience in those areas....but, the amount of work to get it right, far exceeds starting it over. On that chest, I make the front one piece and each side one piece...so I have 3 large pieces and a few smaller detail pieces. Zorprime is right on...buy a pack of blades. Keep working at it. I almost always build at least 2 of anything I havent done before. I do a quick first one, so I know exactly how things are going to fit and what to change on the second one. welcome aboard. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Bandiet]

Before cutting away at the foam, take a look at what angle the two parts join together. Generally you should be fine with a 45 degree cut on angled pieces, which will help minimize the gaps in your seams. There are a few tips with illustrations on the first few pages of JFCustoms Foam Files thread that you might want to have a look at.


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