TheGreenMachine
Well-Known Member
Fantastic. Gotta say it is really refreshing to be seeing someone besides Master Chief.
Modelmaking Degree Final Year Project [HALO CQB Armour)
- Thread starter Laser Brain
- Start date
Laser Brain
Sr Member
Ronz, The helmet was so cheap and nasty that I doubt it was street-legal before I touched it 
Cool. I'm going to try and get down there on the Saturday.
Cool. I'm going to try and get down there on the Saturday.
MjolnirArmor
Well-Known Member
Did you CNC that stuff? It's very "perfect" looking.
Are you offering the helmet out by chance ;-)?
Are you offering the helmet out by chance ;-)?
Truly stunning. Excellent work all around.
CustomCreations
Sr Member
hehe- the nearest I got to a gun was a bosch Heat Gun product model replica!!!
So Wilysteve- you are ex Herts too?
what year ?
So Wilysteve- you are ex Herts too?
what year ?
GF
Sr Member
Awesome job!!!!
You can easily get super sharp pulls using up to .40 gauge on a good vacuum machine, over .50 gauge edges round off more like a bent look.
GFollano
Laser Brain
Sr Member
Cheers guys.
The formers were all carved by hand - no CNC. The foam I am using is a pretty low density. It is slightly more dense than the blue styrene-based foam that early product prototypes are knocked-up in. Because the foam is porous, some air passes through it in the vac-forming process, creating tighter pulls without having to drill tonnes of tiny holes, as I did for the fibreglass helmet formers. I would guess that as a tooling board, it would be too soft to machine. I would step up in density to a similar product to the one I used to make the 32 Roadster.
It is best to spray a generous coating of silicone release agent on the foam when vacforming in a really good machine. Most of my bigger pulls were done on an ancient beast of a vacformer and they popped from the formers easily. I did have a couple of bonding issues with the smaller parts that I formed on a newer machine.
Most of the lines were cut with a scalpel, keeping them sharp and accurate. The material was carved away with surforms, then files, then sandpaper. The foam has a lot of texture, but can be fibreglassed over without reacting, for strength or finishing.
My final armour is effectively a prototype. It is the first from the moulds. The beauty of foam patterns is that I can go back and refine my masters by taking away or adding material before I ever make another suit. This is easy to do and very quick. I have not committed to anything (except the helmet).
Due to the context of my suit and the storyboards for the mock sequence I was able to sacrifice a little strength (by using a thinner plastic, as thin as 1.5mm in places) in favour of detail and sharpness and the need to be lightweight and slightly flexible. The nature of the detailed surface of each vacform gives it strength, but the suit is still reinforced where it needs to be. . The edges are double thickness and will be trimmed with rubber next week.
Neil
The formers were all carved by hand - no CNC. The foam I am using is a pretty low density. It is slightly more dense than the blue styrene-based foam that early product prototypes are knocked-up in. Because the foam is porous, some air passes through it in the vac-forming process, creating tighter pulls without having to drill tonnes of tiny holes, as I did for the fibreglass helmet formers. I would guess that as a tooling board, it would be too soft to machine. I would step up in density to a similar product to the one I used to make the 32 Roadster.
It is best to spray a generous coating of silicone release agent on the foam when vacforming in a really good machine. Most of my bigger pulls were done on an ancient beast of a vacformer and they popped from the formers easily. I did have a couple of bonding issues with the smaller parts that I formed on a newer machine.
Most of the lines were cut with a scalpel, keeping them sharp and accurate. The material was carved away with surforms, then files, then sandpaper. The foam has a lot of texture, but can be fibreglassed over without reacting, for strength or finishing.
My final armour is effectively a prototype. It is the first from the moulds. The beauty of foam patterns is that I can go back and refine my masters by taking away or adding material before I ever make another suit. This is easy to do and very quick. I have not committed to anything (except the helmet).
Due to the context of my suit and the storyboards for the mock sequence I was able to sacrifice a little strength (by using a thinner plastic, as thin as 1.5mm in places) in favour of detail and sharpness and the need to be lightweight and slightly flexible. The nature of the detailed surface of each vacform gives it strength, but the suit is still reinforced where it needs to be. . The edges are double thickness and will be trimmed with rubber next week.
Neil
Wow. Just amazing. :eek
You have done such a fantastic job Vos. Ive always wanted to try to carve in that type of foam. Is it hard to find?
Carl
You have done such a fantastic job Vos. Ive always wanted to try to carve in that type of foam. Is it hard to find?
Carl
MjolnirArmor
Well-Known Member
yeah, what do you look for as far as the foam goes? I look and it's like $3000 to get enough for a whole suit.
Laser Brain
Sr Member
Here is where I got my board from:
http://www.ambercomposites.co.uk/Tooling/tooling_01.html
It is the 0.14 density light green Styling Board I believe.An 8' x 4' x 4" block cost me about £220. But the tax and delivery knocked it over £300, that's $600ish. I made ALL the formers from this block and still have some useful 'bricks' left over.
Anyone who distributes the harder 'Chemiwood' tooling board is likely to stock softer modelling and foam styling boards.
www.generalplastics.com have something called 'LAST-A-FOAM' which might be worth getting a sample of. They sell 8' x 4' x 4" blocks from $328 - $1,116 depending on density.
Neil
http://www.ambercomposites.co.uk/Tooling/tooling_01.html
It is the 0.14 density light green Styling Board I believe.An 8' x 4' x 4" block cost me about £220. But the tax and delivery knocked it over £300, that's $600ish. I made ALL the formers from this block and still have some useful 'bricks' left over.
Anyone who distributes the harder 'Chemiwood' tooling board is likely to stock softer modelling and foam styling boards.
www.generalplastics.com have something called 'LAST-A-FOAM' which might be worth getting a sample of. They sell 8' x 4' x 4" blocks from $328 - $1,116 depending on density.
Neil
Last edited by a moderator:
Laser Brain
Sr Member
Here are some more WIP shots:
Primed legs:
Completing the groin, butt and arms:
Early chest test-pull:
Painting the helmet:
Bullet dents (made with a heatgun and doming tools):
Shot in the arse:
Painting and weathering:
Upper armour trim:
Helmet trim:
Neil
Primed legs:
Completing the groin, butt and arms:
Early chest test-pull:
Painting the helmet:
Bullet dents (made with a heatgun and doming tools):
Shot in the arse:
Painting and weathering:
Upper armour trim:
Helmet trim:
Neil
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