Nasty Noah's Iron man Mark IV build thread. WIP need advice

[NastyNoah]

Hey guys, thanks for checking out my build thread. I caught the Iron man bug back in February, and thought I might be able to do the armor in a week or two for about $200-$300. Well here it is the end of May and I am maybe half way done and have spent at least $300 on just paints. So far this has been a great learning experience and a ton of fun. Without the RPF most of us here would not be able to do these things. So thank you RPF members for making this community an invaluable resource for us all.

Here is what I have been working with
I am using the JFCostomized/ Robo3687 pepakura files for Mark IV-VII. Sharkhead 7854, helmet file, Doc Holidays coating technique, Best step anti-fatigue mats, Duplicolor and Rustoleum paints, 3mm Foamy sheets, for the multiple helmet attempts. Lots of hot glue and a hot knife to cut the foam.

I would like to thank my new Facebook friends Greg Jones and Brady Gage, for pointing me in the right direction, and answering so many of my questions.


So far I have had to do every piece at least two times. This is because when I started out I bought some upholstery foam on ebay that was inferior to the Best step mats. I redid the chest, back, shoulders, abs, and brace so all the pieces would have a uniform look and texture. So if you are looking at the upholstery foam on ebay AVOID it. This set me back at least a week and caused me to lose steam and motivation for a while, then I found Stealth's videos and was back to obsessing over my new hobby.
Before painting

After painting

The Helmet has been a struggle for me as well. The first one was too small, second way too big, 3rd was just about right until I tried to resin and Bondo it, like I would a paper model.On my fourth attempt at the helmet it only took a few hours to complete and I'm happy with the results as of right now (pre painting). All the previous practice gave me good foundation to build from : )


My failed BONDO att3empt DO NOT TRY THIS !
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To my surprise the mistakes, dents and small cracks were much more noticeable after a coat of paint. The helmet looked so bad after it was painted, I didn't even take a picture of it. The lesson learned on this try "You cant cover up mistakes with primer and paint"


Here is the 4th helmet I have completed.

My main concern now is filling in the little gaps and seems,how can I fix these unwanted lines? I would like to make it appear to be one solid piece, and not look like a pepakura model. I have tried filling gaps in with glue, caulk, bondo, even a piece of tape like I was doing tape and bedding on sheet rock. So far none of these have worked for me.

What has worked for others in the same predicament?​

 

[NastyNoah]

Wow 140 views and no comments. I didn't think it was that bad or maybe its just because of so many IM builds out there ???? Anyways if anyone has any tips on how to fill these small lines before painting, I would appreciate it.

I would love for this to be smoother with out any seems.

 

[Mektar]

Looking pretty good so far. About the seam lines if your gonna seal and paint you will Always see those lines unless you either work out the files to avoid most of the seamlines or maybe plastic coat it. Shelfside and Xrobots both have a thread up about that method. Docholiday's thread is also worth looking at cus that is also very useful when it comes to finishing your foam costume.

 

[billymaya]

I've hear people use bathroom sealent to cover the lines ive never tried it myself but its flexible so should work. Other than that as the above poster mentioned however could take a while sanding and getting it right plus lots of money for the smooth on its not cheap. Or just learn to live with some of the lines which I did with my first suit got used to it after a while

 

[NastyNoah]

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200332640573252.1073741828.1071592345&type=3

Here is my Facebook profile with more pics.

 

[Tieyourwheels]

Great build man keep it up! I wish I would have gone the foam route with my first suit. Spent way to much time and money on materials I didnt know well enough and kept forcing myself to learn them without the budget to support it. Dont let the lack of reply's get to you, there's just a abundance of Iron Man related builds so they can be a bit overwhelming but still always entertaining.

 

[NastyNoah]

Wow thanks Tieyourwheels. I thought no one had seen this thread. I have completed it and will post pics soon. It didn't turn out as goods as some I have seen on here but I think it will impress trick or treaters. I had fun and learned a lot, and if I would have been more experienced I would have saved a ton of money and time too.

 

[Mig407]

the more you build the better your glue tech will get. ck out jfcustoms video on how he assembles and dracks glue tech stealth mentions it somewhere in his tutorials too. to make the seams look better on foam builds u basically sand them down... also the mohawk panel on your helmet isnt meant to be recessed like that. it should be at the same level as the upper cranial panel. also youre better off making the helmet out of cardboard using foam templates. other than that it looks great so far. the mk4 is my fav

 

[NastyNoah]

Thanks Mig407, Mektar, Billymay, and Tieyourwheels for all the input, and the rest of the community for their threads. I was able to finish just in time for Halloween and had a blast. Here are some pics from one of the several outings last week.

Little Ironman was upset that no one stopped him for a picture, so I have promised him next year he'll have the costume that gets the attention.

Here is the line that formed of people wanting a picture.

If you have any questions please ask, I'll be glad to answer what I can.

 

[Tieyourwheels]

Looks fantastic! Its always rewarding having a line of people wanting to take a picture with you in costume, so much fun. Make sure you start up a new thread or add to this one when you start on little mans!

 

[Dynamic1]

Don't know how I missed this?...awesome wk man!!!