Mass Effect N7 Foam Build - Can I Finish in Time for Halloween? Let's Find Out.

[DuffmasterFresh]

I was working on a Gears of War 3 Marcus Fenix build using pepakura but lost motivation because of all of the folding, resin, fiberglass, etc. I had never done anything like that before, so it was a learning experience and slow going. I'll finish it eventually but might turn it into a foam build. Until I get back that motivation, I decided to start a new project, one that appears to have less detail work and easier folds.

I'm taking an easy semester at school and decided to try to build Mass Effect N7 eva foam armor and be done in time for Halloween. Can I do it, considering I have never used EVA foam before? I guess we will find out. I have all of the supplies and I have spent days and days researching how to build this and use EVA foam.


I am using THESE pepakura files, which I'm assuming are the foam versions (I'm hoping, at least). This set of files said "Recommended" on them on the Mass Effect Pepakura File Archive, found HERE. I haven't found information on how to work with these particular files. I'm 5'8 and 190lbs and I looked at the measurements for the stock file and compared them to my own and it seems good, but I don't know where I should measure myself to known if this is sized right. Any help would be appreciated! I assume there is already a thread regarding these files somewhere and how to use them?


Next up, I printed out those pages on cardstock and started to cut out and tape some of the parts together. Until I'm sure it's sized right, I won't transfer it to foam. Here is what I have cut out so far. When I do transfer it to foam, how specifically should I go about doing this? I have seen other templates that are more foam friendly and take into account making everything just one big part.


I noticed that most of the Mass Effect builds I have seen, they tend to glue the stomach and spine parts to the chest and back parts. This makes it one big shell. I was thinking of doing it differently, so please give me your thoughts. I was going to keep the chest and back separate from the stomach and spine by running a strap around my torso connecting the stomach and spine. Then I would strap them together at the bottom in the crotch area. To hold it up from falling, I would run straps to my shoulders. This way, I should be able to twist my upper torso left and right while the stomach and spine part stay in place. The straps would be hidden under the chest/back armor, so it should still look pretty good. Thoughts?

I'll post updates as I go, thank you!

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

I decided to scrap the Pepakura file and go with Narayas files, which can be found HERE. I'm very handy with photoshop, so sizing it hasn't been a problem for me. This is my first suit so I'm surprised at my progress. I probably won't be sealing or painting the suit, I doubt I'll have time to do that before Halloween comes around.

I started with the gauntlets as my "learning" section of the suit. But to be honest, every section I learn some new trick or have some new idea.


I purchased a cheap dremel for $20 from Harber Freight. All of the bits that came with it were basically useless so I had to go and buy more. I used a metal tip bit to carve out the lines and then I used a sanding bit to bevel the edges.


The upper arm bicep parts are a little snug but nothing I'm worried about. They do slide down, however. I won't be connecting the elbow parts together like some other people have done. I might run some straps up to the shoulder to keep the bicep up a bit higher.


When I layed everything flat and traced out all of the lines for all of the parts to attach too, it was great. But, once I heated and bent the foam, nothing fit anymore. It was a big problem, but you will notices all of my traced lines don't match up after the heating process.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

Cutting groves into the foam and beveling the edges has really helped me get the bends I want and to hide seems as much as possible. This is a part for the outer shoulder.


This is a part for the top of the shoulder by the neck, not the shoulder pad that sticks out. I put hot glue in those groves and held it shut. It worked great, but then I realized from reference pictures that that part should be rounded, not flat on top like I have it. Oh well.


Here is the arm, bicep, shoulder pad, and shoulder part by the neck line. Without a dremel and different bits, there is no way to do this project and have any sort of detail.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

The upper chest wasn't as scary as I had anticipated. In the template, it has the lower ribbed section as a separate thing, but I added it to the template before I printed it out. I think this was a much better choice. Using the dremel, I made the two steps by grinding one lower than the other. I think it worked great.


These are the main bits I have been using on the suit.


This is the lower section of the upper torso. The template doesn't leave overhanging foam to glue the chest plates together, so I made my own overhand, which you can see the outline of it. The upper chest will cover the sharpie lines and that's where I'll use glue on it as well.


I'm just holding the parts together and using my elbows to keep them around my torso. Sizing seems to be alright, but I get the feeling that the torso might be a bit big. I'm 5'8 so I'm not very tall, where as Shepard is 6ft.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

I taped the shoulders to my shirt just so I could see what it looks like all together.


I taped all of the torso parts together to see what it would look like. Seeing this really gets my motivation up. I probably won't glue the abs section to the upper torso. I want the upper torso to be able to rotate left and right when I move. So, I plan to run straps from the top of the abs to the top of the lower back, kind of like suspenders. Then the crotches will connect together. Oh, and the front crotch plate does seem a bit large, but maybe after I bend and shape it, it will look ok.


Next up I'm going to start the back. My objective is to get everything above the waist done so that in case I run out of time before Halloween, at least I can still wear it and tell everyone I forgot the "pants" of the suit at home. Any questions, feel free to ask. I'm learning a lot as I go.

 

[Ikras]

It's all looking really good, especially for not having used foam before. Loving the detail you've got with the rotary tool.

From the mentions you've made about the strapping I think your plans all sound reasonable. I like your idea with the separating the chest section. One potential problem that comes to mind is to be aware of though is that you leave the bottom of the chest plate wide enough that it doesn't 'trap' the abs if that makes sense. If you make the chest too tight a fit then there might not be the give you want there to be to allow the rotation.

With those sections you've found not lining up, it'll be a case of the thickness of your foam altering the curve. If you have any parts you're unsure about you can essentially make a foam ruler, just copy out dimensions from a ruler onto a long section (maybe something like an edge bit you wouldn't get use from otherwise). You can then bend that and see how direct curves would turn out and if parts are going to be large enough.

Keep up the progress.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

It's all looking really good, especially for not having used foam before. Loving the detail you've got with the rotary tool.

From the mentions you've made about the strapping I think your plans all sound reasonable. I like your idea with the separating the chest section. One potential problem that comes to mind is to be aware of though is that you leave the bottom of the chest plate wide enough that it doesn't 'trap' the abs if that makes sense. If you make the chest too tight a fit then there might not be the give you want there to be to allow the rotation.

With those sections you've found not lining up, it'll be a case of the thickness of your foam altering the curve. If you have any parts you're unsure about you can essentially make a foam ruler, just copy out dimensions from a ruler onto a long section (maybe something like an edge bit you wouldn't get use from otherwise). You can then bend that and see how direct curves would turn out and if parts are going to be large enough.

Keep up the progress.

Thanks, Ikras!

Yes that makes perfect sense. If the chest is too tight against my own chest, it will restrict the motion of the ab plate. I was thinking of making the ab plate into sections and using nylon to hold it together. That way, I should be able to sit down. I might do the lower back the same way.

I'm trying to size the back right now and I ran into a bit of a problem. It just seems way too massive. The front is 29 inches high, add 11%, and it comes out to 32.19 inches high. The back, which I measured from my spine/skull connection to the bottom of my butt cheeks, is 33.5 inches high, add 11%, and it turns into a whopping 37.185 inches.

I then measured, using photoshop, how tall the back part of the armor is that wraps around the side of the torso. I compared that to the height of the part of the front armor that wraps around the sides of the torso. There is about a 1 inch difference in height, so if I connect the front and back together at the sides, it won't be even. I can obviously dremel it, but I think that adding 11% to the height of the back might be overkill. Am I being delusional? Anyone with Narayas templates have any problems with sizing the back or recommendations on where I should measure? I know the sizing chart says to measure up to the top of the butt, but that isn't how the in-game character model is and if it stops at my waist, it will look weird.

I plan to have the lower back separate from the suit, so it won't be glued to the torso armor. This might work to my favor if the back armor is too tall, I just hide it under the armor no problem.

 

[Ikras]

It might be worth considering adding some elastic sections into the nylon, that way you have a bit more give and flex again. The nylon sections will allow you to glue more successfully to the foam as my understanding is that elastic when flexing can pull away from the glue over time. Just a thought. With any parts that will be rubbing across each other between the chest and lower sections you may want to consider adding a touch of felt to the back edge otherwise motion over time can wear away any paint. I know you said you wont probably wont be painting it at this point but it's something to keep in mind if you do plan to add it in future.

Never worked with these templates before so can't comment on your sizing points unfortunately. Sorry if I've missed something but where is the 11% factor coming from? You could always try printing off just the paper templates and try holding/tape them in place to get an idea of the scale compared to the other parts you have at the moment.
Hope you can get a more definitive answer on this point.

 

[darthbeans]

I used the same templates for my build and yes the back does come out WAY big if you add the 11% so i just measured for me and since that part does not have to wrap anything the extra isn't as big of a deal. although mine did come out a little smaller than the actual game model I figured I would like to be able to sit and sacrificed that for accuracy lol. After building that section I did notice how small the shoulder blades seemed to be so I rescaled those but left the rest of it as is.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

It might be worth considering adding some elastic sections into the nylon, that way you have a bit more give and flex again. The nylon sections will allow you to glue more successfully to the foam as my understanding is that elastic when flexing can pull away from the glue over time. Just a thought. With any parts that will be rubbing across each other between the chest and lower sections you may want to consider adding a touch of felt to the back edge otherwise motion over time can wear away any paint. I know you said you wont probably wont be painting it at this point but it's something to keep in mind if you do plan to add it in future.

Never worked with these templates before so can't comment on your sizing points unfortunately. Sorry if I've missed something but where is the 11% factor coming from? You could always try printing off just the paper templates and try holding/tape them in place to get an idea of the scale compared to the other parts you have at the moment.
Hope you can get a more definitive answer on this point.

Thanks for the great advice! I never would have thought of that. I can see how the elastic would pull away over time. I would have to double up on clips, but I could use nylon on the foam, and have elastic connecting the nylon. I was also thinking of gluing my clips directly to the foam itself so the clip is hidden behind the foam and I don't have to use more nylon/elastic.

Ok, another great idea! I plan to finish the costume properly after Halloween, so I will paint it then. Adding felt is a great idea because the stomach armor and the chest will not be connected, so they will be free floating and they will rub.

11% is what is recommended to add to my dimensions to help overcome foam thickness and bending. I decided to just go with it and see what happens. So far, the size doesn't seem so bad. I won't know until I connect it all together if it's too big or too small.

Thanks for your wonderful input!

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

I used the same templates for my build and yes the back does come out WAY big if you add the 11% so i just measured for me and since that part does not have to wrap anything the extra isn't as big of a deal. although mine did come out a little smaller than the actual game model I figured I would like to be able to sit and sacrificed that for accuracy lol. After building that section I did notice how small the shoulder blades seemed to be so I rescaled those but left the rest of it as is.

I can see how that would be way better for sitting, and it still looks good! I ended up just adding the 11% and measuring from the bottom of my butt cheeks to the soft part of my skull. It seems alright so far, but I'll be skipping the lower back section until Halloween is over and then I can figure out what I should do for sizing. I like what you did, though. I might go that route. Thanks for the picture.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

I've started on the back section and added all of the details. I don't have one of those prop mannequins and I don't have time to make one using my own body and duct tape, so it's making bending and fitting the suit a bit difficult. I'll make it work, though.

I used an Exacto knife to cut these out. Normally, I cut all of my foam out using a soldering iron with a knife attachment, but the fine detail made that too risky. I then bevelled the edges of the center and popped them back into place. It looks much better bevelled than if I were to have left it unaltered. I have some strips of El Tape that I bought for my Marcus Fenix costume which I will use to light this section up... if I can find the power pack. :/



I've seen this neck plate done a lot of different ways. I decided to just use the dremel to add all of the details I wanted. It worked well, but it's very sloppy looking where I sanded down that center part. I just can't ever get a smooth finish using the dremel, it's always bumpy and gouged. Maybe having a pen attachment would help. I think if I spray it black, that might help cover up the defects. I might make another neck piece to glue to the inside of this one so that I can add the cool helmet seal ports I see in pictures on the neckline.


It's not glued together yet, I just laid all of the parts together. I started making that back box and it's funky. It doesn't quite fit together right and I have to really sand down the edges to get it to fit the awkward angles. I like to cover my seams up as much as possible so I bevel and glue some of my edges together. Even so, it's weird. I'll make it work, though.


I'm at a point where I need to start bending my chest parts and my back parts to test them for fit, and then strap them all together. What order should I be doing things? Do I bend everything first, and then glue it all together while bent? Or do I glue it and then heat and bend it? It seems to me like you have to bend first and then glue because the parts warp and the glue would melt.

 

[DuffmasterFresh]

I did a bit more work today, but have gotten a worried about strapping and fitting, so my spirits are down, especially so close to Halloween. I will go to the store tomorrow and buy all of my straps and buckles. Not having a mannequin my size to fit all of this is very difficult. I still have to find an undersuit, too. I was thinking of using Under Armor pants and long sleeved shirt so I can at least go to the bathroom. I have a big fake leather jumpsuit but it has no front zipper, so that means no pee breaks, which is horrible. Oh, and it also gets a million degrees inside the jumpsuit, so that's another no-go.

I purchased some foam mat at Harbor Freight that is used to line the bottom of tool boxes. It has some kind of elastic in it which is cool. So, I decided to buy it and use it to add some details. I think it looks great... except for one thing... it's smooth on both sides and so it doesn't stay stuck to the hot glue. It will hold for a day or two so long as no one touches it. I'm going to live with it for now, but I might have to change to a different glue or just paint those sections.


I found my El Tape strips and power box, so I'm in business for lighting. I'm relieved. I firmly believe that the more lights something has, the better.


Here are both pods glued and lit up. I think the El Tape is superior to El Wire and LEDs for this particular costume. It offers a uniform evenly lit glow that is completely seamless. I had originally purchased these strips to use for my Gears of War 3 Marcus Fenix shoulder pads, so I'm happy they are coming in handy. I will eventually Finish that Marcus Fenix costume, I promise! The back box in the middle is all weird. Even though it's from the sized template, it's way too big and doesn't even fit together. I'll have to re-do it, but I'm dreading it for some reason.


I still have to finish the box on the back, the thighs, and the spine. I will do the thighs first and save the spine for last, just in case I don't finish it in time. The strapping is my biggest concern.

 

[Ikras]

From what you were saying with the strapping you might not need as many buckles as you thought. I ended up just sticking small nylon segments to the areas of elastic I wanted to glue. Granted, this did take a while hand stitching it all so the extra buckle option may still be the best bet with your time frame. If you explain any worries with the strapping it may be people can help alleviate them and offer their suggestions and solutions. Happy to help out if I can.

For my undersuit I just stuck with some cheap compression top and trousers. They really did wonders to help with the temperature. I think that under armour is similar to this so I would recommend going with something like that personally.

With you mention of bending or heating first, I've done a bit of both at times. If you are careful you can heat up glued areas but as you say the glue can soften with too much heating which can make it tricky, particularly if that part is under stress. I would try and heat first to get the general shape and curves into the foam and then you might find yourself in a position where the shape is enough that you can connect the main areas and use careful application of the heat gun to do any final shaping you want. Hope that makes sense.

From where I am the back box looks good but I know how it gets when you're not satisfied with a part. You can make use of the current one hopefully to get an idea of the sizes you want to have it and maybe adapt the templates slightly. Hope you have more success with the second version.

It's all coming together great I'd say and the lights have come out really well. Really nice shaping on those sections.