paxtoprime94
Active Member
Has anyone ever tried making an Iron Man suit that opens in the front like in the movies?
I know there's one thread here that discusses it briefly, courtesy of The14thDr: ( Anyone Ever Made a Front-Opening Iron Man Suit? )
But I’m thinking manual opening, without electronics, servos, etc. Anyway, here are my ideas for how to achieve this, but they’re not perfect or complete, so I’d really love to see other suggestions too!
1. Openings/Closures - Not all pieces have to open, but definitely at least the biceps, thighs, and torso. The chest could be lifted up to open the suit, and lowered down over the head when putting it on. “Seams” for the openings would be made along pre-existing lines in the design, and would close using magnets. Opposite the openings, there would need to be some kind of hinge in 3D-printed suits, though foam suits probably offer more flexibility for this feature. (A fabric/foam suit would be great for this, see my other post asking about fabric suits). Unsure of the role that the helmet and shoulders would play here.
2. Suit Could Be “Parked” – Add strong magnets to back of suit on every point of contact when armor is up against a flat vertical surface like a wall (Possible areas could include along the spine, on shoulderblades/upper back, backside, thighs, calves, and heels). This way, you can “park” the suit standing upright against any safe, clean, vertical metal surface. The suit is held in place while you open it up. Suit keeps its shape and stays in place without you wearing it, until you want to suit up again.
3. Step Out Just Like Tony Does – All connections and support systems (i.e. suspenders for the legs, etc) are within the suit itself. There would be no individual undersuit. Just park the suit, open it up, unstrap yourself, and step right out wearing your best plain-clothes Tony cosplay.
4. Home Display Supports Open/Close Suit-Up – For home display, build a discreet, minimalistic external frame along the back of the suit, instead of a mannequin stand. If the frame is metal, the back magnets help the suit stay upright and keep its shape along the frame. Some parts of the frame could “cradle” and curve around the suit pieces that open/close. (It’s silly but the best way to illustrate this idea is the shadowbox display stand in that scene from Toy Story 2 when Woody is at the collector’s house lol). Therefore, in theory you could open the suit up, step in it, and then move slightly backward, letting the frame guide all the pieces closed simultaneously on their own. Then step forward to disengage the magnets from the frame and you’re ready to go join the rest of the Avengers. It would feel just like suiting up exactly how Tony did in his first MK 3 debut!
What do y’all think?
I know there's one thread here that discusses it briefly, courtesy of The14thDr: ( Anyone Ever Made a Front-Opening Iron Man Suit? )
But I’m thinking manual opening, without electronics, servos, etc. Anyway, here are my ideas for how to achieve this, but they’re not perfect or complete, so I’d really love to see other suggestions too!
1. Openings/Closures - Not all pieces have to open, but definitely at least the biceps, thighs, and torso. The chest could be lifted up to open the suit, and lowered down over the head when putting it on. “Seams” for the openings would be made along pre-existing lines in the design, and would close using magnets. Opposite the openings, there would need to be some kind of hinge in 3D-printed suits, though foam suits probably offer more flexibility for this feature. (A fabric/foam suit would be great for this, see my other post asking about fabric suits). Unsure of the role that the helmet and shoulders would play here.
2. Suit Could Be “Parked” – Add strong magnets to back of suit on every point of contact when armor is up against a flat vertical surface like a wall (Possible areas could include along the spine, on shoulderblades/upper back, backside, thighs, calves, and heels). This way, you can “park” the suit standing upright against any safe, clean, vertical metal surface. The suit is held in place while you open it up. Suit keeps its shape and stays in place without you wearing it, until you want to suit up again.
3. Step Out Just Like Tony Does – All connections and support systems (i.e. suspenders for the legs, etc) are within the suit itself. There would be no individual undersuit. Just park the suit, open it up, unstrap yourself, and step right out wearing your best plain-clothes Tony cosplay.
4. Home Display Supports Open/Close Suit-Up – For home display, build a discreet, minimalistic external frame along the back of the suit, instead of a mannequin stand. If the frame is metal, the back magnets help the suit stay upright and keep its shape along the frame. Some parts of the frame could “cradle” and curve around the suit pieces that open/close. (It’s silly but the best way to illustrate this idea is the shadowbox display stand in that scene from Toy Story 2 when Woody is at the collector’s house lol). Therefore, in theory you could open the suit up, step in it, and then move slightly backward, letting the frame guide all the pieces closed simultaneously on their own. Then step forward to disengage the magnets from the frame and you’re ready to go join the rest of the Avengers. It would feel just like suiting up exactly how Tony did in his first MK 3 debut!
What do y’all think?
