Pepakura stormtrooper WIP

[pola]

Hi all, this is the progress of my pepakura stormtrooper costume.
I have ready the cardboard helmet, it needs resin, fiberglass and sanding.

I also want to thank Dung0beetle for his excellent pepakura models.

I hope you like the work. Keep you informed.

Best regards from Argentina

 

[Zorba]

Looks like its coming along great! Are you going the whole thing in Pep?

 

[Contec]

Mr no stripes

 

[pola]

Looks like its coming along great! Are you going the whole thing in Pep?

Yes, I plan to do all the armor using Pep.

 

[pola]

I forgot to ask for any tip on fiberglassing and sanding.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Zorba]

Depending on the piece, I either coat the inside or outside with a layer of just resin to give it a little more structure. Then I add strips of cloth and resin to the inside. Then give the outside another good coat of resin. Depending on the part, I'll either use Fiberglass filler - the bondo stuff is green- or I'll use body filler - typical grey/red/pink stuff. The fiberglass filler is much harder and better for adding a lot of strength and bulking up and area like the curves of the top. Then go over that with body filler to smooth it all out.

 

[BlindSquirrel]

I've had great luck with slush casting resin inside the piece and then sanding the paper and corners off.

 

[unheard]

can't wait till you fiberglass that helmet.

 

[xingshen]

That looks really good so far!

Did you have any issues with sizing or the scale?

 

[Klwl]

I'm digging it!! I haven't updated my pep helmet much in the past month or so due to work and other "life" things, your pics look great keep up the fantastic work!

 

[Jixton]

I'm watching this thread with interest, as I'm new to all this Pep costuming, and I have a number of pep files I'd like to give a go at, including Dung0beetle's Storm Trooper.

Please keep a photo dairy of each stage of this build and post here, as I'd like to follow it, and maybe scaled down the armour pep files to make a set for my son...

He's itching for costumes to wear along side me to charity events.

 

[pola]

That looks really good so far!

Did you have any issues with sizing or the scale?

Thanks, you guessed right, I have made about 3 helmets (from top to forehead only), until I finally got the scale. I finally used the following settings
Height: 270 mm
Width: 266 mm
Depth: 258 mm

Hope it helps you.

Best regards

 

[pola]

Thanks to all for the comments and tips. I will continue uploading photos as I advance in the project.

I am a bit scared to make any mistake when fiberglassing the helmet. :confused

Best regards from Argentina.

 

[dkaniel]

I am a bit scared to make any mistake when fiberglassing the helmet. :confused

When you start applying the Resin, mix only small batches and concentrate on only doing a section of the helmet at a time (cover only the top portion, cover only the back portion, etc.) Make sure you use the proper mixing ratio and keep an eye on when the mixture starts to gel which is a sign it is starting to harden. Make sure to wear a good respirator mask to protect against the fumes. When you get to the point of applying the Fiberglass Mat or cloth, it might be helpful to precut the material and dry fit so the process will go smoother.

 

[pola]

Hi all, sorry for the delay, I had lot of work this past days.
Now I have some time to post new parts of the costume.

These are the peps of the shoulders and chest.

Next step will be fiberglassing the shoulders (so, if I made some mistakes, I will not lost the helmet and chest :love )

Keep you informed.

 

[AussiePhantom]

Nice work!

I started a pep Stormtrooper build on the now defunct pepakura props forum a while back. I've since moved house and decided that once I'm set up I'll pretty much start over... I still have the helmet - It's fully glassed but I haven't started finishing and sanding yet. You're doing really well.

The only tip I would give is to give the parts a coat of resin... let that cure fully it will make the part hold it shape glass and resin can be pretty heavy. Then go back and do the glassing. On most parts I'd coat the outside with the first resin coat because it soaks into the card an makes it sandable and then generally I'd glass the inside. Use the lightest weight glass Fabric you can find - it will be more expensive than chopped strand but it will be MUCH easier to work with. You don't need a lot of glass to have sufficient strength 1-2 plys of 3oz/110gsm should be plenty for th non-loaded parts and I'd do an extra ply or two on the Buttplate thighs and back (for when you sit down). the other advantage of light fabric is that you can use bigger pieces. Make sure you have good scissors - Pinking shears that cut with a zigzag edge would be perfect becasue this stops the edges of the fabric from fraying. Good Luck!

Where did you get the shoulder bells?
With all due respect to Dungbeetle they seem a little more accurate than Dung's and the unfold seems nicer as well

 

[pola]

Nice work!

I started a pep Stormtrooper build on the now defunct pepakura props forum a while back. I've since moved house and decided that once I'm set up I'll pretty much start over... I still have the helmet - It's fully glassed but I haven't started finishing and sanding yet. You're doing really well.

Thank you, I am doing my best to get it right

The only tip I would give is to give the parts a coat of resin... let that cure fully it will make the part hold it shape glass and resin can be pretty heavy. Then go back and do the glassing. On most parts I'd coat the outside with the first resin coat because it soaks into the card an makes it sandable and then generally I'd glass the inside. Use the lightest weight glass Fabric you can find - it will be more expensive than chopped strand but it will be MUCH easier to work with. You don't need a lot of glass to have sufficient strength 1-2 plys of 3oz/110gsm should be plenty for th non-loaded parts and I'd do an extra ply or two on the Buttplate thighs and back (for when you sit down). the other advantage of light fabric is that you can use bigger pieces. Make sure you have good scissors - Pinking shears that cut with a zigzag edge would be perfect becasue this stops the edges of the fabric from fraying. Good Luck!

Thanks for the tips, I have coated the chest armor, and I expect to do the glassing today.

Where did you get the shoulder bells?
With all due respect to Dungbeetle they seem a little more accurate than Dung's and the unfold seems nicer as well

I used Dung0Beetle's, but I modified the fold to make fewer and straight cuts. I can send you the file if you want.

Best regards from Argentina, keep you informed.

 

[pola]

Here are more pictures of the advance with the chest, back, butt and cod.

The chest is ready for bondo and sanding.

The back needs more glassing in the edges.

The butt has the resin on the outside, waiting to be glassed.

I just finished the cod assembly yesterday.

Hope you like them, I'll keep you informed.

Best regards from Argentina.

 

[DCAzn]

where did you get the shoulder bells? those are like the only thinks im missing from my pep files.
by any chance, could you please send the file to me?

 

[MiDri]

Here are more pictures of the advance with the chest, back, butt and cod.

The chest is ready for bondo and sanding.

The back needs more glassing in the edges.

The butt has the resin on the outside, waiting to be glassed.

I just finished the cod assembly yesterday.

Hope you like them, I'll keep you informed.

Best regards from Argentina.

Starting to shape up! Starting to form a lot like my AP suit