Iron Man MK 4 build

[Ikras]

Hey there.

Been working on my first project for a while now. Started a little under a year ago and had some initial setbacks trying to fix sizing issues on the biceps. Never had tried anything like this before so decided to start with arms first to start getting myself used to it all and improve my skills. Any feedback on anything I've put together is more than welcome.

Been working off the mk4/6 templates and working with 10mm/6mm EVA foam. So far I've effectively worked my way through the arms. Done both shoulder pads, both biceps, both forearms (might redo one of them but we'll see). In the pictures I've just put the parts in place so they look a little off at the moment (it's entertaining trying to balance the shoulder pads at the moment) but I'll fix this once I start to put bits together properly. Also finished off the partially assembled forearm since I took the pictures.

Themed t shirt for good measure.

At this point trying to decide where to go next but I'll probably give the helmet a go with the 6 mm foam. I've been working off a range of tools but I'm planning to order myself a dremel soon for some extra possibilities. I've seen mention of needing a mask to deal with the dust from sanding foam but I'm not too sure about which ones are best. Open to any recommendations on those if anyone has experience. Need to get hold of some velcro as well. Think I'll be needing it soon for some of the other sections.

Anyway hope you enjoy the updates.

 

[Ikras]

So a bit more progress since I last posted.

I've ordered my dremel, some velcro and some connecting screws so I should be in a better position to connect some sections together.

I've started work on the helmet now. Got the templates out and got it all transferred across to the foam and cut out last night. Going with the 6 mm foam for this as I feel I can bend and shape it better for the curves needed for the helmet. Some parts have a curve just due to the foam coming in a roll but it's nothing that can't be sorted with a blast from the heat gun.

I sat for a while looking at the dimensions of the helmet and comparing them to my head size (found from closing it in a door). I found it very hard to judge and felt that it seemed in the right region for the sizing and I just decided to go for it. Hopefully it comes out ok for size but if nothing else I'll have got good practice and a better feel for the sizing and dimensions here.

At the moment I've been looking through other builds and images to get an idea of the angles between the parts. Think I'll start with the chin as the angles seen fairly fixed there and I should be able to get a reference point from that part. I messed up a little with cutting the parts out and didn't put the angles I needed for some joins on the cuts as I went. I've been adding these in after the fact but I've heard the dremel should be helpful for adding to the angles.

Anyway, till the next time.

 

[Ikras]

So my helmet is mainly completed now. I did start with the chin and then worked my way around from there putting together the main structure before working on the faceplate.

The faceplate was then put together and it's looking a good shape but I'm not sure about the size of it. I followed the templates and now I've got something that seems to be too short. The bottom of the plate doesn't reach the chin and I'm not entirely sure why. Dimensions seem to match up with the pep file, other parts match their areas well but this part just doesn't seem to want to play fair.

Has anyone else encountered this before or has any ideas what could have caused it? I'm considering adapting the template for the lower part of the faceplate and extending it to make it cover the gap but if what I've got can be adapted I'm open to suggestions.

Edit: so current plan is to try a replacement bottom half of faceplate which is extended. If that looks no good then I'll redo it I think.

Scaling wise I think that it seems to be fine for size compared to the rest of me. Without a chestplate I guess it's harder to judge. What do people think? Does it look about right or am I verging towards the bobblehead regime?

Anyway, cheers for looking, always open to any feedback.

 

[ironmaided]

From what I saw, I honestly don't know what went wrong on this. Maybe the scale is a little bit big, or the faceplate's scale is different from the main body, can't really tell. I suggest to use JFcustom's mark 4/6 helmet unfold. That's what I used for my Mark 7 Rush Repair last week.

 

[Ikras]

Thanks very much for the input. Very much appreciated. Reassuring to know it wasn't some glaring error on my part. Sat looking at it for a while and couldn't quite tell what had happened. I tried replacing the bottom part of the plate and it came out a bit better but the chin was squint.

Working on a slightly smaller version of the same templates (Sharkman/j0wE from the labels) just now. See if it comes out better this time around. I had taken a look at the JFcustom ones (From the big collection of his templates) but I had been aiming to keep the faceplate separate so I stuck with what I had for now.

I'll see how the current one turns out and then maybe take a look at JFcustom if it comes out funky again.

 

[Ikras]

Some bit more progress on this with pics to follow soon. I've been putting together the second version of the helmet, scaled down just slightly and it's coming together much better this time. Still something of a gap at the base of the faceplate but the dimensions seem to line up much better and the chin isn't squint.

Looking ahead I'm trying to work out where best to start on the torso. Either I thought start at the top with chest and work down, abs and cod in that order or do it in reverse. Regardless of which way I'm going I'm trying to get my head around where best to scale these from. The narrowest point on the cod seemed to be across the waist and I thought maybe scale from there but then I can't get my head around where to measure for the chest.

Just wondering if anyone had any advice on this?

 

[ScottishJester]

nice work so far mate

 

[Ikras]

nice work so far mate

Thanks very much for the comment. Very much enjoying it so far.

 

[Ikras]

Ok, so as promised an update with some pictures. Helmet turned out much better this time around. Not sure if I had been going too fast last time maybe or if I've just picked up some new tricks since then but I'm much happier overall with size and shape.

The faceplate had a few issues at the top this time just with getting it to meet up but it definitely is much better and I don't have the massive gap at the bottom any longer. I think I'll probably redo the faceplate just to get it fitting better at the top. It's just balanced in the pictures so doesn't line up perfectly but still looks much better.

Unfortunately this time around it is a really snug fit and I'm not sure if there's enough space for me to fit in the electronics I had wanted. I had initially planned to try and have the faceplate lift but I really don't think there is space at the top for me try and fit any servos or anything. At the very least I plan to have some lights in the eyes and thankfully will mainly just need to find the space for a battery pack in that case.
One thing I had been wondering is how people set up the eyes so they light up but you can still see out?

The chin came out a little squint again but I've got some ideas on how to fix that and it isn't really obvious I think unless you are looking for it.

Another angle for good measure.

Still need to sort the 'ears' and the the section between the top and the faceplate but I'll hold off on that till the faceplate has come out better. There are some slight gaps round the back where it doesn't exactly match up as that part comes off so I can get my head in. Might redo some of the velcro to try and sort that.

Again, any and all feedback most welcome and I hope you enjoy the pics.

 

[Ikras]

Ok then. Time for an update.

I kept working at the helmet for a bit and then decided I was best to come back to it later. I moved on to the hips and abs. Took a bit of measuring and trying to work out what the distances were that I was working with. I started off with a paper mock-up which helped a lot and you can see the foam version below.

The front of the abs are held in with velcro and the rest is all just glued together. I can pull it up my legs and get it settled in place comfortably. I'll aim to add some photos of it on at some point as well. A little gluing is needed to finish it off but it's nearly there.


Aiming to work up from here next through the chest area. Just need to try and work out the sizing of it first. Will probably try some paper mock ups first to get an idea of scale with the rest of it.

Again, any and all feedback/comments welcome.
Cheers for looking.

 

[synistergiggles]

looking great bud! keep it up

 

[Ikras]

looking great bud! keep it up

Thanks very much for the feedback.

Time for an update then. Done a fair bit since the last update and I'm starting to think about sealing and painting the foam. I'm UK based and was wondering if anyone had good advice on brands or places to get hold of paints etc. I'd considered looking into halfords to see if there were any good car paints that might match well. I've only got some PVA glue at the moment that I could use to seal it and I'm not sure how well that would hold up. I see plastidip mentioned plenty on here but I've no idea where to try and find it in the UK at a reasonable price. Any info is highly welcome.

So, on to the update. As I said previously I put together a paper mock up to start which was a great help getting an idea of the size and also how the parts went together. So starting off I decided to work on the chest and the back together and cut out both sections.

Decided to start gluing together parts on the back and took some progress shots as I went. I started with the spine as it seemed the most set for angles.

Then from there I built out the sides starting from the bottom.

Some small gaps but they should be easily sorted out.

The chest piece I started with the main section to get the angles sorted out on it.

I kept some flaps on at the top which I wasn't too sure about at the start but it worked well to get a good angle sorted out along the top. The side flaps then attached without too much fuss.

So overall I've got it mainly sorted out but can't secure it all at the moment without adding the straps which I still need to work out. So for the time being here's a full suit image of it laid out as it stands at the moment.

All coming together very nicely I reckon. Working on the brace sections and the neck just now so I can look into securing it all properly. I've got some paper mockups sorted and will start on the foam soon. One thing that has come up is the small 'bucket'? round at the back of the brace. I thought that maybe it's for securing part of the neck but any insight anyone has on this would be great. I can put together some pictures of what I mean if it's unclear at all.

Anyway, cheers for dropping by and any comments and feedback are welcome.

 

[Gam3r]

This is a sweet build.. Could you post your foam files? I've been looking for good foam files for helmet and rest of the armor.. And this is just what I need

 

[Ikras]

This is a sweet build.. Could you post your foam files? I've been looking for good foam files for helmet and rest of the armor.. And this is just what I need

Thanks very much. For the files I'd started working from robo3876 edited for foam by stealth but more recently I've switched to the same model but edited for foam by JFcustom. They're very similar but the JFcustom files tend to have more continuous pieces in the templates. I think that I probably found them here: http://www.therpf.com/f24/jfcustoms-foam-files-148889/ but I can't remember for sure.
I've not yet settled on the files for the helmet but I plan to revisit that after the legs.

Hope that's of use to you and happy to answer any more questions if anything is unclear. Cheers.

 

[Ikras]

So I'm still keeping at it. Need to get round to taking some more photos but I've got a reasonable bit done since the last post. I will update with pics soon but I've now made the thighs, the neck, the brace and some inner shoulder bits as well. Feel like there was something else but I can't think. I'll no doubt find out once I go to get the pics. Working on the shins just now.

I've managed to come to a conclusion on the sealing and painting at least and plan to take some ideas from here (http://www.therpf.com/f78/wip-first...ated-foam-build-getting-bit-pic-heavy-158222/). Smooth-on 321 seems to be something I can get in the UK in the quantities mentioned at a reasonable price so sounds good. A reasonable finish is what I'm looking for rather than particular strength etc. Planned breakdown would be:
Some layers of PVA
Thin layer or 2 of the Smooth-on 321.
(Possibly some primer if it seems needed)
A few layers of some car paint (most likely from Halfords)

Of course, this needs tested and I'll need to order the stuff first but thought I would throw it out here first in case anyone had any particularly bad experiences with any of this.

Anyway, that's where I am at the moment and I'll aim to add more pics in the next day or two

 

[Ikras]

OK, so as promised, following up my last post with some pictures to back it up.

First we have some behind the scenes stuff, the brace, neck and some under the shoulder bits. All went together reasonably simply without too much hassle.

The extra shoulder bits I'll probably glue to the brace in the end but I'll need to work out the positioning of straps etc on the chest and back first before I get to that stage.

The thighs were a bit more interesting. I played around with a paper version to start with and downsized them a reasonable bit so they would actually line up somewhere close to my knees. They were nice and snug too and a good fit. I went ahead with those sizes and then it only occurred to me later that my foam has 1 cm greater thickness than the paper and there was no way I was going to get them up my legs. There was a lot of foam involved so rather than redo from scratch I ended up adding a 3 cm wide stripe to expand the width and it all fits nicely now.

Didn't get any progress shots but started with the angles on the front side (the box bit? not sure how best to describe it) and it all went from there.

Pretty pleased with the end result. A few bits to tidy up and lesson on make sure you know where your foam is before you put your heat gun down. The connection points will have moved slightly on the thigh as the result of my stripe but I can move the connectors on the shins easily enough.

Did the paper mockup of the shins at the same time as the thighs so have them sized now, templates cut out and have started tracing them onto the foam.

Anyway, cheers for dropping by and any comments and feedback are welcome.

 

[Ikras]

Ok, so it's time for a fairly substantial update. I've been quiet here but still fairly busy working away.

I got the shins finished after encountering something of an issue. I did my paper mockup and the size seemed fine but I didn't account for the thickness of the 10 mm foam while I was at it. Of course, that then meant I couldn't fit my foot through. The solution was a velcro tab which allows me to open things up a bit for me to get it on. Had some issues with the bottom assembly of parts not quite meeting the top but I filled the gaps with some scrap foam and I think it's turned out fairly well in the end.

With both shins done I've got most of the suit made now. Hands and boots still to be done but this is how it's looking now. The chest will come together a bit better once I get the brace section in as well and secured. Going to have it set up probably glued at the shoulders with velcro at the sides to allow me in and out of it.

Boots will be on the go. Took me a while trying to work out scales that I could fit a pair of shoes into until I came across some beach shoes which seem great so far (only a fiver as well). Not too much thickness to them so they should fit inside well enough and are easy enough to get on and off. I'll just need to work out how to secure them inside. I'll probably be adding some height to the boots as well so they match the base of the shin. I've seen people adding some rubber for grip on the base of a foam boot or I might try to cut some grip sections once I reach that point.

I've been thinking ahead so have started some paint tests. What I'm looking at going with is quick heat gun to heat seal it then about 4 coats of 2:1 PVA and water mix put on reasonably thin. After that I've got the grey primer seen in the pictures. It was about 3 thin coats to get the finish seen there. Then my paint (again 3 thin coats) and finally a clear lacquer (3 thin coats).
I had issues with my masking tape in the first test as well. I guess that poundland masking tape working perfectly was too much to hope for as it pulled some of the paint off with it. I've got new stuff now though and no issues with that so far.

I had issues in my first tests with too much glue and an uneven coverage but improved on this in the second test. I still got drips even after making the coats as thin as I could. I'm not sure if a different angle for drying would help with that or I just need to try and keep the coats thinner still. It's not too obvious after painting at least but I still know it's there. Hopefully I can eliminate that for the final pieces.

In the second test I also made sure I could paint over the caulk I got to fill any seams that need it and it's all fine thankfully.

Been gathering other parts for the electronics and the arc reactor/unibeam so here are a couple of previews.

As it stands at the moment I'm slowly sanding down edges all across the armour so I can fix the seams and trying to think ahead.

Still to do:
Sand, seal and paint it all
Hands and boots
Electronics
Strapping
(Possibly redo the helmet)

I have a potential target for end of august and end of september for some events I'm going to. Hopefully if I can keep the pace up it'll all be fine.

If you've made it to this point through the hefy post, then cheers. Hope it was of interest and any and all comments or criticisms are welcome.
Thanks for stopping by and till next time.

 

[George]

Great build so far,Ikras ! :thumbsup

 

[Ikras]

Thanks very much @George. It's been on the go so long now that it feels strange but great as it's all coming together. My target deadlines are for Glasgow film and comic con and then MCM Scotland. Hoping to have it done in time for both of them. Will be the first proper events I'll have been to so I'm really looking forward to it.

Small update for now. I've been working on the hands more and have the fingers put together out of 2 mm foam. I've cut up a torch from poundland for the repulsor and once I can work out if there was any resistance in the tube it'll be going in the hands. Aiming to add a capacitor in there as well to give it a warm up and down time which I think should look pretty cool.

Anyone with any electronics knowledge have any idea what size of capacitor would give me a second or 2 to get to full power? OR am I thinking too basic here? I've been looking into it a little and seen circuits making use of transistors. Is that something I'll need to make use of to get the effect I'm looking for? (Trying to dredge up the electronics I can remember from past courses.)

Anyway, planning to get a few coats of PVA on the fingers starting tonight and then give some resin a shot to get them a bit more resilient. Sanding of all the other parts is still ongoing but I've decided to focus on getting the structure of the boots and hands done before getting sidetracked too much.

QUESTION:

Thinking ahead I'm planning to have a foam base to the boot and I've seen comments here and there about grip issues with something like that. Would something calling itself neoprene sponge/foam rubber sheet (http://goo.gl/niGR7f) give me any kind of improved grip? I'd be thinking of cutting it into strips then how glue the sticky side across the base of the boot.

Till next time.

 

[CommanderCain]

To build under the shoes I buy cheap flip flops and layer them underneath and use shoe goo to attach. They are already made for wear and tear and start with a good shape that can be trimmed.