Predator WIP first build

[Finbarr]

Hello everybody. I have been reading posts on this forum for about two years. My first Predator suit was made over the course of a month. I had a just seen the movie and was in a hurry for Halloween. I made it out of Cardboard and paper mache. It was ok. Now, a couple years later, I decided to make a new one. This time i want to make the best suit that i possibly can.

I started on the Bio mask. Over the years i have been experimenting with EVA foam so i decided to try and make it out of that. I used the Predator foam pattern by JFcutom you can find his pattern here: http://www.therpf.com/f24/jfcustoms-foam-files-148889/

I didnt really like the end results. I have a hard time cleaning up the seams with my foam work and the seams were way to big on the Bio mask i felt. The paint job hides them sorta, but its not as smooth as i would like. Still it was a good experience.

I decided that i would instead try something i had never attempted before, Pepakura. One exciting thing about Pepakura is that it allows for more detail than foam does. I can now do my favorite Bio mask, the wolf. I got the pattern here :http://predatorium.com/threads/bios-for-pepakura.14277/

I put the pattern together in a day. I then coated it in Bondo Fiberglass resin, which i bought at Home Depot. I dont think i put enough hardener in it though because its been an hour and its still not dry or hard. If anybody knows of a way to fix that please let me know.

 

[Finbarr]

Here are the pics of my foam helmet.

on the wall you can also see my illustrations of Imperius, and Tyrael.

 

[Finbarr]

here are the pics of The Wolf Bio mask.

On the dome part the right side is higher. I am pretty happy with how it looks but it isnt dry or even hard yet. What would be the best way to make it harder. Should I paint another layer of Resin with a ton of hardener on over the top?

 

[Finbarr]

Somehow in that picture from the front the mask looks crooked. So i started to hit the fiberglass with a heatgun but then remembered something my dad had told me about how that releases highly toxic fumes, so I stopped. My house is a lot cooler ( avg temp is 60-70) After some research i found that Fiberglass resin does better in hotter temperatures. So I am going to take it to a warmer location for a couple of hours while i work on some other things.

 

[Finbarr]

My mask dried out, i put a layer of fiberglass mat on the inside, let that dry for 8 hours and then put a layer of bondo on the inside as well. Then i started to sand the ridges last night. Progress picks:

 

[Finbarr]

While i was waiting for stuff to dry i worked on a pauldron. Let me know what you guys think. I found a website that has the predator alphabet so i inscribed stuff on each plate. the first plate says "The hunt rewards the strong" the second says "honor" the third says " Victory", and the fourth says "Strength"

 

[Finbarr]

While my bio mask was drying i started sculpting my my Predator head ontop of a plaster cast that i made of my own head. I spent roughly six hours on it. Its not done yet. I still have a lot to do. This is my first time sculpting like this. I couldn't find any Wed or Roma clay ( plus Roma clay is really expensive) so i just bought 30 pounds of airdry clay from Micheal's. I have been spraying it with water constantly in order to keep it moist when i am working. During the night i covered it with a plastic garbage bag and put a wet towel around the neck, it was still moist this morning.

 

[Finbarr]

P.S. sorry for the bad pics and lighting. my camera isnt that great.

 

[KmikzeKen]

Looks like everything is coming along, looking forward to seeing that sculpt finished!

 

[Finbarr]

Ok here is the finished sculpt.

 

[Finbarr]

I accidentally posted a bad pic. Oh well.

 

[Finbarr]

Ok so some progress. Better picks this time. I have been really working on the Bio mask. Applied the first layer of bondo on the outside and sanded it. Then i started filling in holes and low spots with a second layer. I also made my shoulder canon.

 

[Raalkuun]

nice stuff. i got the foam feet idea from Maniak's build thread. I love the sharing of ideas and tips of this site. my build is going much faster than I thought thanks to all the ground work everyone before me has done.

 

[Finbarr]

Finished and painted the shoulder canon. Here are the pics.

 

[Finbarr]

Ok, so i have not posted in a while but I have been working on my build steadily. I finished the Backpack and am working on a way to attach the canon to the backpack. I would like the canon to be able to collapse behind my back next to the pack. I am still working on a way to do that. My silicone came in and i made a brush on mold of the Predator head with a plaster mother mold over the top. I am having a few difficulties with the mold, but hopefully it will turn out OK.

 

[Finbarr]

Ok so i demolded the predator head. The back came off beautifully but in the front the mandibles kind of got caught and the front half of the mothermold cracked and fell apart into about 5 pieces. Im going to glue them back together with something and then cover the whole thing in plaster strips. I need at least one head out of this.