Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - still alive!

[rosskow]

Re: Stormtrooper helmet Pepakura build by first-time costumer

you just got to read your instruction provided and try make sure you get the proportions correct but after a couple of times you wont need to think about it you'll just be thinking "yeh thats enough hardener". you wont really know if you got it right till after though, better of putting in too much hardener than not enough but dont go crazy with it.

i had the same experience with my girlfriend standing at the garage door not wanting to come in because it has a horrible smell when i was thinking "what smell?"

 

[Korban]

Well, I definitely didn't use enough hardener! 13 hours later and it's still tacky - at least it's not running off, though. I picked up a cheap set of measuring spoons - the directions on the can give measurements for 6tbsp resin to 1/4tsp hardener. That'll be easy to measure out now. Will I damage my pep if I use too much hardener?

 

[hooper]

Re: Stormtrooper helmet Pepakura build by first-time costumer

shouldn't do...too much hardener (and I mean far too much) and it won't go off, a little too much and you will find it just goes off very quickly (and maybe go a little lumpy).

As for your lid still being tacky, give it another 24hrs and it should go off (mine seem to take forever to go off too). I know it's a pain because you want to crack on with it, but better safe than sorry.

The usual rule of thumb when adding hardener is a golfball size resin/bondo to a pea size of hardener. It seems to work for me these days.

Stick with it mate, it's a battle of attrition for sure

 

[rosskow]

Re: Stormtrooper helmet Pepakura build by first-time costumer

The usual rule of thumb when adding hardener is a golfball size resin/bondo to a pea size of hardener. It seems to work for me these days.

Stick with it mate, it's a battle of attrition for sure

every time i am mixing my filler now i always remember you saying that on my thread about the gold ball size/pea size ratio, great rule of thumb


good luck with your next resin-ing session, hope it goes better. the fun/work starts with the bondo/filler stage

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper helmet Pepakura build by first-time costumer

The usual rule of thumb when adding hardener is a golfball size resin/bondo to a pea size of hardener. It seems to work for me these days.

Ahh, now I remember reading that here the other day. I probably only used 1/2-2/3 as much as I should have, but hey, it should be all set tomorrow! You're right; it's hard playing the waiting game. :behave

good luck with your next resin-ing session, hope it goes better. the fun/work starts with the bondo/filler stage

I'm really looking forward to that stage. Being able to shape and fine-tune the bucket and see it come together is going to be both awesome, and tiresome. I can see myself tweaking it constantly trying to get it just right.

I must say, I'm really happy how well the pep is holding up so far. I've seen other posters say their paper sagging once they started resining (what a goofy word). I practically held my breath from the moment I brushed on the first bit of resin until I went out this morning to see if it held its shape.

I hope to get in one coat before the JDRF walk in the morning and another before we head to the orchard. Cross your fingers I have a nicely set, resined pep this time tomorrow.

Thanks, *hooper* and *rosskow*! I appreciate all the advice and encouragement.

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper helmet Pepakura build by first-time costumer

Small update tonight. I was able to get two coats of resin applied today! What a difference mixing in the right amount of hardener makes. :lol

I picked up some acetone thinking to clean the brush between uses instead of getting a new one every time. I was washing out a soup can to let the brushes soak it, but was thwarted: the acetone's cap is stripped so I can't get it open!

Also, I learned sharp things are sharp when I sliced my finger open on some sharp metal. :behave

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Been a quiet week, but finally made it out to the garage and started fiberglassing. Been putting it off, since it didn't seem particularly enjoyable. Well, I was right! But it wasn't as bad as I'd thought. Just very, very sticky.

(Photos aren't the best; took them in the garage at night with my iPhone. I'll take my camera out after I do the second round tonight and take some proper photos. 'I will not be lazy, I will not be lazy...')









I added too much hardener to my second batch, turning it into jelly. Barely got to use any before it gelled up. Derp. :behave




I think next time I'll use Smooth-Cast 320; it just seems like a much nicer experience compared to fiberglassing. The downside is having to order a large amount online. With fiberglass I can head 5 minutes down the street and pick up more as I need it without buying too much.

I also started on the armor this week! Using Fierfek's unfolded files (thank you!), I finished pepping the belt, a bicep, and part of the back plate. However, it's turning out to be just a bit too small (I'm 5'9"-5'10", 185lbs), so I'm going to scale it up a few percent and try again.

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Hooray for better photos!



Here you can see the two gaps on the lower face I mentioned previously. Not overly worried about them, though.



This interior shot really shows how uneven the mouth opening is. I hope to make that better by re-shaping it with a little heat once I'm done fiberglassing, and really make it symmetrical with filler and putty.



Kind of funny seeing how the scotch tape shows up after it's been resined...



Making a cameo is our little AT-AT/AT-ST family...



Just finished covering most of the inside with fiberglass, then I'll do a spot-check and some extra reinforcement where it's needed tomorrow.

 

[Prosta]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Looking good!
Lid gets a lot of abuse at the bottom edge just from being picked up. I can feel soft spots on mine. I'm planning to do a lot of reinforcing there.
I keep stealing those wooden coffee stirrers from McDonalds to mix resin and apply bondo. Getting cheap brushes in toy store - kids arts/crafts section.
Love the AT-ATs

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Looking good!
Lid gets a lot of abuse at the bottom edge just from being picked up. I can feel soft spots on mine. I'm planning to do a lot of reinforcing there.
I keep stealing those wooden coffee stirrers from McDonalds to mix resin and apply bondo. Getting cheap brushes in toy store - kids arts/crafts section.
Love the AT-ATs

Thanks, Prosta! I just added reinforcement to the bottom edge today and plan on doing at least one more round before I Bondo.

I found a 24 pack of 2" brushes at Menards (local hardware store) for under $11. They have a 36 pack of 1" brushes around the same price. I've been using the same stirring stick in containers wrapped with aluminum foil. When I don't botch my hardener->resin ratio it works well.

How's your bucket coming along? I checked out your other posts; any more pics to share?

 

[Kormier]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Thanks for posting this. I`m very interested to see your progress. I`m working on my first pep (warmachine) and I`ll be following in your footsteps... I`m also debating between the resin vs fibreglass to re-enforce the paper structure. A friend of mine gave me some left-over smooth cast 320, 321 and some shell-shock. I`ve seen some videos on youtube of people using smooth cast on the inside and outside of their pep... so I am wondering if anyone here has ever tried it ?? Would Shell-shock also work?
Thanks for posting this and I`m looking forward to see the final product.

Garry

 

[drbones2nd]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Where in the world do you guys learn to do this? Truely amazing

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Thanks for posting this. I`m very interested to see your progress. I`m working on my first pep (warmachine) and I`ll be following in your footsteps... I`m also debating between the resin vs fibreglass to re-enforce the paper structure. A friend of mine gave me some left-over smooth cast 320, 321 and some shell-shock. I`ve seen some videos on youtube of people using smooth cast on the inside and outside of their pep... so I am wondering if anyone here has ever tried it ?? Would Shell-shock also work?
Thanks for posting this and I`m looking forward to see the final product.

Garry

Thanks, Kormier! I wish you luck with your first build. I must say Terra1's build thread really helped me out as a first-time builder.

My first gallon of Smooth-Cast 320 arrives Friday. After working with the resin and fiberglass on the helmet I decided to go with Smooth-Cast for the rest of the armor. It is more expensive, but it seems like it's so much nicer to work with, not to mention easier to measure (1A:1B). There are many people around here that use it as well, which encouraged me to give it a go.

I'm probably 1/4-1/3 done pepping the armor and will Smooth-Cast a bunch of it this weekend. I've heard of some people using fiberglass with the Smooth-Cast on the inside, and some that skip it. We'll see how strong it is after a few coats of just the Smooth-Cast...

Finally, for the helmet I need to take a rotary tool to it to remove the overhanging fiberglass cloth. I noticed I missed two areas on the inside when I was laying the fiberglass (curse doing it in low-light on the floor of the garage), so I have to reinforce that as well. I plan on applying the first layer of body filler to the outside of the helmet this week, too.

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Where in the world do you guys learn to do this? Truely amazing

Hey, drbones2nd! I'm a complete amateur compared to the brilliant crafters on this forum. To get started I just read thread after thread around here and places such as the 405th and The Dented Helmet, and absorbed many video tutorials on YouTube. Start small and take it one piece at a time and eventually it starts to resemble something like a bucket! :lol

 

[Kormier]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - Fiberglass started!

Thanks, Kormier! I wish you luck with your first build. I must say Terra1's build thread really helped me out as a first-time builder.

Thanks! Will check it out right away !

 

[terra1]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - fiberglass done!

looking good so far Korban!

36 1" brushes for $11! man thats cheap!

in the UK we only get 4 for £7 ($11) and those are the budget ones!

how did you find the fiberglassing? i was glad once it was over

 

[hooper]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - fiberglass done!

looking good Korban

I was intending to step away from pepakura after my current bucket is finished and start modelling with clay, but have decided to stick with pep for a bit seeing as i've already got the cardstock and glue needed.....although am severely tempted to try resin on the inside rather than fibreglass next time round.

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - fiberglass done!

looking good so far Korban!

36 1" brushes for $11! man thats cheap!

in the UK we only get 4 for £7 ($11) and those are the budget ones!

how did you find the fiberglassing? i was glad once it was over

Ouch! I could almost send some over the pong for less than it'd cost you to buy that many.

The fiberglassing was alright. It just got so sticky so after laying a few pieces that it made doing the rest of the batch a challenge. I'm certainly not thrilled I missed some spots. :rolleyes

 

[Korban]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - fiberglass done!

looking good Korban

I was intending to step away from pepakura after my current bucket is finished and start modelling with clay, but have decided to stick with pep for a bit seeing as i've already got the cardstock and glue needed.....although am severely tempted to try resin on the inside rather than fibreglass next time round.

I hear clay mentioned periodically and I'm quite curious about it. However, I'm going to stick with pep for now since it's working really well. I have a color laser printer at home, and up until now had a generous stack of cardstock, so I've been rocking it. The biggest issue I have, though, is sizing. It sucks to spend hours folding a complex piece (i.e., stormtrooper thigh piece) only to find it's still not quite big enough!

It does seem like I'm going through more glue than I'd like. The brush on super glue gel works reasonably well, but can be hard to get enough on there so it takes, and the brush gets beat up after a bit and becomes hard to use up all of the glue in the container. I tried the "solid control" or whatever super glue gel where you squeeze both grips on the bottle to make it come out. That worked great and has an optimal time between exiting the tube and setting, but I had the opposite problem from the brush on stuff: it was hard to avoid using too much glue.

For the armor pieces I'm going to try using just Smooth-Cast 320 on the inside and out, putting a little extra on the inside for more reinforcement instead of fiberglass. I've never worked with it before, so we'll see if that's a suitable alternative. I'll be glad to not have to fiberglass again.

 

[purgedsoul]

Re: Stormtrooper pepakura build by first-time costumer - fiberglass done!

Ah another stormtrooper thread to follow for inspiration.. hope my bucket turns out as good as your's guys..