ironmaided
Sr Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
great progress so far,
great progress so far,
Iron man MK40. [SHOTGUN/HYPERVELOCITY] polycarbonate build
- Thread starter antigravitycake
- Start date
-
- Tags
- iron man
Arc Nineoneone
New Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
excellent work!, i was at a hardware store yesterday looking for sintra foam and ran into some polycarb roofing sheets, Might have to go back and get some now
excellent work!, i was at a hardware store yesterday looking for sintra foam and ran into some polycarb roofing sheets, Might have to go back and get some now
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
ill be posting a quick guide just below
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
heres a few tips
THINGS TO ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND
1. youll need to edit the pep model in a way that youre only folding in 1 direction instead of 2 like with foam. this is why i picked the mark 40. i imagine a suit like the mark 3 would be very difficult with poly.
2. the pep model is a guide. what you will be focusing on replicating is the final piece, so youll need many many reference photos. these are what you will be looking at when cutting the printed templates out. instead of jagged edges youll need to cut them curved and smooth.
a little example of cutting a smoothed edge. sorry its a drawing. i work faster with a pen than with mspaint lol
because the poly only bends in one direction youll need to take this into account when editing. also, always start with the largest surface, working your way out. its extremely important to attach them at as close as possible to the angle in the pep model. the poly will not bend with a heat gun, it will stay in its normal flat position unless you do the whole vacuum forming. but the .75mm i use is extremely flexible and non shatter. you can literally fold it like paper if you bend it hard enough. but once glued to a few more pieces it starts to get extremely ridgid
heres a little tip on hot gluing. always sand both sides of the cut out piece. it will make painting and gluing much more effective. only dot the main attachments to get the angle perfect, then finish when youre certain its right. in the pic 1 is primary, 2 is secondary.
always lap the outer or forward facing face on the other. and hold as close as possible when gluing. this means a clean edge with no seams that need filling later. plus the filler will likely fall out because its a small amount with nothing to grip. edges can also be sanded and rounded subltly. youll also find you may need to trim bits that stick out when finished gluing
if you follow these tips the parts should fall naturally into their own angles but in extreme cases like one i had i needed massive supports to bend the plastic just so it didnt look warped. i always used scrap parts doubled for strength.
extras
Sand EVERYTHING. Horizontally and vertically. Also the edges to remove frayed strings from the flat side sanding.
i use heavy duty scissors to cut the poly. its quick and clean but for tiny parts of hard to reach places i score it with a knife and snap them out.
i buy a3 .75mm 5 pack from ebay for around £15. its expensive so try to be as efficient as possible.
i trace my templates on to the coloured sheet already on the plastic with a pen
DO NOT move the part after you stick glue on it. any movement at all when drying will make the glue brittle and the part will pop off. its very annoying
some parts may be such a shape that you may have to stray from the original design. for example the shoulders on the chest are rounded and high and naturally slump outwards more than they should. im allowing this and using it to my advantage so i can actually turn my head lol.
heres a few tips
THINGS TO ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND
1. youll need to edit the pep model in a way that youre only folding in 1 direction instead of 2 like with foam. this is why i picked the mark 40. i imagine a suit like the mark 3 would be very difficult with poly.
2. the pep model is a guide. what you will be focusing on replicating is the final piece, so youll need many many reference photos. these are what you will be looking at when cutting the printed templates out. instead of jagged edges youll need to cut them curved and smooth.
a little example of cutting a smoothed edge. sorry its a drawing. i work faster with a pen than with mspaint lolbecause the poly only bends in one direction youll need to take this into account when editing. also, always start with the largest surface, working your way out. its extremely important to attach them at as close as possible to the angle in the pep model. the poly will not bend with a heat gun, it will stay in its normal flat position unless you do the whole vacuum forming. but the .75mm i use is extremely flexible and non shatter. you can literally fold it like paper if you bend it hard enough. but once glued to a few more pieces it starts to get extremely ridgidheres a little tip on hot gluing. always sand both sides of the cut out piece. it will make painting and gluing much more effective. only dot the main attachments to get the angle perfect, then finish when youre certain its right. in the pic 1 is primary, 2 is secondary. always lap the outer or forward facing face on the other. and hold as close as possible when gluing. this means a clean edge with no seams that need filling later. plus the filler will likely fall out because its a small amount with nothing to grip. edges can also be sanded and rounded subltly. youll also find you may need to trim bits that stick out when finished gluing if you follow these tips the parts should fall naturally into their own angles but in extreme cases like one i had i needed massive supports to bend the plastic just so it didnt look warped. i always used scrap parts doubled for strength.extras
Sand EVERYTHING. Horizontally and vertically. Also the edges to remove frayed strings from the flat side sanding.
i use heavy duty scissors to cut the poly. its quick and clean but for tiny parts of hard to reach places i score it with a knife and snap them out.
i buy a3 .75mm 5 pack from ebay for around £15. its expensive so try to be as efficient as possible.
i trace my templates on to the coloured sheet already on the plastic with a pen
DO NOT move the part after you stick glue on it. any movement at all when drying will make the glue brittle and the part will pop off. its very annoying
some parts may be such a shape that you may have to stray from the original design. for example the shoulders on the chest are rounded and high and naturally slump outwards more than they should. im allowing this and using it to my advantage so i can actually turn my head lol.
Last edited:
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
also for when i forgot to answer. my personal opinion on poly
its a nightmare to get super clean edges. your fingers get very hot also haha.
its great for painting also. its surface doesnt need filling, sealing, its ready straight away.
i also love how durable it is. i dropped a chest piece made from it once, and it just flexed when it hit the floor. no scratches or breakages.
for fitting parts together, you cant beat foam as it can be squished into gaps and seams. but the amount of blades i went through so i didnt get choppy edges was unbelievable. im also not a fan of the sealing process.
heres a little comparison in my personal opinion
polycarbonate
crisp, clean edges
smooth surface, no filling
no preperation besides sanding i.e no sealing, fibre glassing, re enforcing etc
if used properly, its nearly indestructable, unscratchable, and has flex.
also very light
foam
you can round surfaces and bend in 2 directions
parts can squish into place so cutting doesnt need to be super precise
near weightless and has a bit of flex
very strong but will have marks and nicks left in it which i find is its main disadvantage
![20140223_144551[1].jpg](https://therpf-f28a.kxcdn.com/forums/data/attachments/78/78099-6f90fff396c79d17169a81a91bda14d5.jpg "20140223_144551[1].jpg")
an update of the chest.
![20140210_190845[1].jpg](https://therpf-f28a.kxcdn.com/forums/data/attachments/78/78100-af411b86df89c5d2cb1f6f4e1bd58cf8.jpg "20140210_190845[1].jpg")
and heres how perfect you can get a piece with a little practice. the circular bits are assorted plastic washers i got from ebay (timesaver!!!!)
also for when i forgot to answer. my personal opinion on poly
its a nightmare to get super clean edges. your fingers get very hot also haha.
its great for painting also. its surface doesnt need filling, sealing, its ready straight away.
i also love how durable it is. i dropped a chest piece made from it once, and it just flexed when it hit the floor. no scratches or breakages.
for fitting parts together, you cant beat foam as it can be squished into gaps and seams. but the amount of blades i went through so i didnt get choppy edges was unbelievable. im also not a fan of the sealing process.
heres a little comparison in my personal opinion
polycarbonate
crisp, clean edges
smooth surface, no filling
no preperation besides sanding i.e no sealing, fibre glassing, re enforcing etc
if used properly, its nearly indestructable, unscratchable, and has flex.
also very light
foam
you can round surfaces and bend in 2 directions
parts can squish into place so cutting doesnt need to be super precise
near weightless and has a bit of flex
very strong but will have marks and nicks left in it which i find is its main disadvantage
an update of the chest.and heres how perfect you can get a piece with a little practice. the circular bits are assorted plastic washers i got from ebay (timesaver!!!!)
Herrminator13
New Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
Thank you so much! Definitely will give this a look into before making any final decisions! Keep up the great work!
Thank you so much! Definitely will give this a look into before making any final decisions! Keep up the great work!
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
Beginning the body filler process. Here im simply filling the tiny seams, gaps, and flattening the over hangs and stream lining edges.
Its this process that turns individual templates of plastic into one seamless piece of bodywork. Its difficult to make out some parts due to it being transparent but ill be basecoating after and filling parts i missed or bodged up. The paper is so i can organise the work so its not too overwhelming and i know whats done and what isnt.
Also just to add. I did have to cut out leaked blobs of glue and will need to sand off some glue which found its wau on to some of the surfaces.
Beginning the body filler process. Here im simply filling the tiny seams, gaps, and flattening the over hangs and stream lining edges. Its this process that turns individual templates of plastic into one seamless piece of bodywork. Its difficult to make out some parts due to it being transparent but ill be basecoating after and filling parts i missed or bodged up. The paper is so i can organise the work so its not too overwhelming and i know whats done and what isnt.
Also just to add. I did have to cut out leaked blobs of glue and will need to sand off some glue which found its wau on to some of the surfaces.
chainmailchan
New Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
sir this thread is rly amazing and thank you for all the tips!! I'm rly tempted to try this but only 1mm poly is available to me in my country, do you think it is possible to do similar work with that thickness?
thank you!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
sir this thread is rly amazing and thank you for all the tips!! I'm rly tempted to try this but only 1mm poly is available to me in my country, do you think it is possible to do similar work with that thickness?
thank you!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
Absolutely possible. It will be a little more difficult to cut though and curved parts will be under 25% more tension and slightly more difficult to trim with a knife when assembled
Absolutely possible. It will be a little more difficult to cut though and curved parts will be under 25% more tension and slightly more difficult to trim with a knife when assembled
chainmailchan
New Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
ah.. thats all I needed. thank you! can't wait to see the rest of your build!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
ah.. thats all I needed. thank you! can't wait to see the rest of your build!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
After this last technique update, chances are ill be posting progress in leaps and bounds. In the fisrt pic you can make out a massive rib accross the inside supported by smaller bits. This is because i fixed the shoulder slump slightly and the beam bends the chest making it less wide and more tall like its supposed to be. There is also one long vertical rib on each pec to help keep it structurally still under construction. The second photo is an examp
le of 
bodyfiller perfecting seams and gaps.
After this last technique update, chances are ill be posting progress in leaps and bounds. In the fisrt pic you can make out a massive rib accross the inside supported by smaller bits. This is because i fixed the shoulder slump slightly and the beam bends the chest making it less wide and more tall like its supposed to be. There is also one long vertical rib on each pec to help keep it structurally still under construction. The second photo is an examp
le of bodyfiller perfecting seams and gaps.
The martin
Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
Very impressive. I like the use of a different material.
Very impressive. I like the use of a different material.
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
Complete chest. Now for the back...
Complete chest. Now for the back...
Last edited:
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
NIGHTMARE!!!!!! one of the drawbacks of poly is aligning two parts built seperately. Im desperately trying to line up the shoulder tips. This is going to take some body filler i imagine. Joy....
Also heres a photo of some wood. If i build it as one rather than bringing them together there will be less tension.
NIGHTMARE!!!!!! one of the drawbacks of poly is aligning two parts built seperately. Im desperately trying to line up the shoulder tips. This is going to take some body filler i imagine. Joy....
Also heres a photo of some wood. If i build it as one rather than bringing them together there will be less tension.
CyberPaddy66
Well-Known Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
I really love this suit, subscribed
I really love this suit, subscribed
antigravitycake
Active Member
Re: the polycarbonate shotgun/hypervelocity suit from iron man 3
Update time. Just got some little bits on the sides to make but the general torso is there. Ive decided to make a cast and the final piece be made of solid plastic because i noticed some flat panels popped off in the changing temperatures.
Update time. Just got some little bits on the sides to make but the general torso is there. Ive decided to make a cast and the final piece be made of solid plastic because i noticed some flat panels popped off in the changing temperatures.
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