Replica Iron Man Foam Armour

[LightStreak]

Hey guys,
This is a bit of a precursor to my full build diary, as building hasn't actually started yet! I'm currently drawing to a close a Dalek build, and my next project is a foam Iron Man suit. Seeing as this is my first build of this sort, I was looking for a bit of advice.
To put it plain:
As this is my first build of this sort, which is the easiest armour to build?
I don't mind which suit I build, just not the Mk1 or Mk5 Iron Men (Perhaps the Mk5 when I get more confident). Any other suit, including the War Machine, I'd happily build.
Sorry for this being a bit of a non-starter guys, I was really hoping for some input here as I'm determined to learn new skills to make better and better suits, I'm just sligt daunted moving away from my comfort zone:rolleyes

Hopefully I can start building as early as next week.

 

[Chris27989]

good luck with the build this is some thing on my looong list of too dos
btw your location it isn't Matamata in New Zealand by any chance??

 

[MasterRoshi]

I so completely understand how you feel LS. I'm planning to start a MarkIV foam build soon and I'm hesitating because I don't know what piece to start with. Chest? Bicep? Helmet? Of course I want to start with the Helmet but it's such a key part and it's what people look at the most so I think I should wait until I hone my skills on the other parts...

I've been reading STEALTH's thread over and over trying to get up the nerve to start.

Good luck mate.

 

[JaseKam]

Just jump in. I started with the chest which worked out fine until i got to the abs and cod piece. both were small when i changed the scale smaller to fit my body. either i did the math wrong or the default templates were actually for my size (5'7"). The arms are good and the thighs im not sure of yet until i build the bottom parts of the legs. basically, im doing the "build, try, rebuilt" approach until each piece gets done. The nice thing is that its foam. Doing all this work in fiberglass would have be much more depressed lol

 

[Camaro91]

Depends on which suit you like the most the mk 3, 4, 6, 7 all have foam templates running around. I would check out Stealth's foam thread.

I'm building a Mark 6, I started with the forearms to check sizing since they used the least amount of foam so if I messed up I could quickly redo it without wasting a lot of materials. Then worked my way up to the chest and then back down.

Good luck on the build, this site has helped me a ton with my IM suit that I'm sure I'll make a few more IM suits.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

As far as difficulty goes, the 3, 4, 6, and 7 are all pretty similar. The differences are just in the details, for the most part. Decide which look you like the best, and go for it. I would start with something more simple, like a forearm gauntlet to get the feel for the process. Like MasterRoshi said, you'll want to start with the helmet, but it is one of the more difficult pieces. It's better to start with something smaller to figure things out, and then work your way up. Good luck! :thumbsup

 

[LightStreak]

Thanks guys, interesting stuff! I'll probably start with the Mk6 or 7. My build schedule is pretty full at the mo, but it seems these suits are "in" at the moment and for something that looked so cheap and easy to build, with such fantastic results I couldn't pass up the chance. I'll probably start with the forarm, a more disposable piece to get used to the foam, then work to do any scale adjustement if need be.
Ultimatly I love the War Machine suit, so I think Iron Man may well turn out to be my test run for a bigger better War Machine!

 

[JaseKam]

P.s. love the tardis! I built one too