The PEPAKURA question thread - PLEASE READ RULES IN FIRST POST!

[Rennoc]

if you are going to build a star wars armor out of pepakura with these materials, you wouldnt need more or less money. but if you buy a kit, you also pay for the worktime put in by the seller. depending on the piece you do or do not need spacers. if the piece is big and has big spaces in between (for example my warmachine chest), then you should do spacers
i learned that the hard way

for other stuff, you need spacers just to keep it in shape over all. the portal gun i built has rounded shells, and theres no chance to keep it in shape without the spacers

on other stuff, its not really usefull, and in the way. small parts with little spaces generally dont need it

Ok great.


at what POint do I remove the spacers?
After placing resin on the outside?

 

[The Ronin]

Ok great.


at what POint do I remove the spacers?
After placing resin on the outside?

That's when I removed the spacers/struts on my Halo armor. There were too many to try and glass around.

 

[EyeofSauron]

generally when you can say it will hold its shape without them

 

[GriZzm0]

Does anyone know what paper to use in Sweden/Europe? I've emailed staples.se which has 110lb cardstock on their .com site. They said that they don't have the exact same product on their Swedish site but recommended 160gram A4. From what I can tell 110lb converts to 200gram though but I'm not sure.

 

[astromechr4p17]

Dude, thanks for the info... it's helpful to have a bunch of foam shortcuts in one place!

 

[killergames2014]

i need help geting the templat

 

[danielsnake911]

hi folk!, anyone here have the file for the pepakura program with general grievous head?

 

[dariang]

Hey everyone,

I've been watching the forums for a few weeks now, getting tons of information from you all, but I can't seem to find a thread that explains the differences between the different types of body filler (aka bondo).

I went to Wal-Mart and all they had there was "Rusk auto filler" which contains short strands of fiberglass in it. Does bondo brand body filler also contain fiberglass?

What are the pros and cons of using bondo-glass over regular or lightweight bondo? I want my build to be sturdy, but I would like to know what the "normal" type of filler most people use is. It's my first build so I don't want to experiment too much, I just want to do it by the book.

Thanks!

 

[EyeofSauron]

there are different kinds of filler, the stuff with fibreglass, the standard filler, and spot filler.

generally i would just take standard filler, as the fibreglass one can be stupid to sand.
spot filler when you only have small spots left to fill, as its easier to sand

 

[jarivera]

Rescaling Pepakura

guys i need your help.How do i properly rescale the pepakura files for my size?:confused thanks in advance

 

[Mimicry]

I need help scaling my helmet

Im trying to make a full model of Robo's markVI. Stealths version anyways.
http://www.therpf.com/f24/robo3687-iron-man-mark-4-6-pepakura-128147/

I will be making it out of cardstock, because i cant seem to find any foam

Im 18 years old and i'm 5'4.
Im quite short
So how would I measure it?
Im new to pepakura, so im not that great in finding depth and that stuff.
Im sorry for asking, ive searched all over google, but no luck.
Thanks in advance

 

[The Ronin]

Re: I need help scaling my helmet

Im trying to make a full model of Robo's markVI. Stealths version anyways.
http://www.therpf.com/f24/robo3687-iron-man-mark-4-6-pepakura-128147/

I will be making it out of cardstock, because i cant seem to find any foam

Im 18 years old and i'm 5'4.
Im quite short
So how would I measure it?
Im new to pepakura, so im not that great in finding depth and that stuff.
Im sorry for asking, ive searched all over google, but no luck.
Thanks in advance

HaloGoddess' "How To Scale" and More Tutorial

Thats the best tut that I can find right now

 

[EngineerMan]

Hello folks !

I always impressed with other friends works. I influenced by you guys' amazing works.

2 days ago i started with my Iron man helmet project from pepakura. I'm using SharkmanVI helmet modified by Dubean33. But I have problem on eye part. At the right side of eye. I cant lower 783 at the inner eye since another triangle holds it behind 858. So, the thing is, i cannot continue from this part. I can't find the problem either. That 7-8 part makes the line gap for 1129-5 even more bigger. I seriously need some advise from you experts..

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/w518/makatishu200/dSDFASDF.jpg

 

[The Ronin]

Looks to me like you're missing a piece

 

[charades]

Hey! I'm looking to build an Iron Man suit (surprise surprise) to wear at parties and Halloween, etc. I was wondering what the cheapest method was to create a full suit at a quality/durability level similar to the classic resin/fiberglass/bondo method. Being a almost broke student, I'm trying to build it for under $100, but based on my research so far it looks like that won't happen. Is foam cheaper? Are there any steps I can sacrifice in the name of my wallet, or cheaper alternatives to resin/fiberglass/bondo materials? What would be the average cost for a project like this? I'm willing to spend more time on the project if it means less of the green stuff. Oh, and tools/equipment aren't an issue.

Thanks,
-Pete

P.S. I apologize in advance if this has been covered; I've spent hours on this site and the 405th's site and I couldn't find much regarding costs...

So, I know you've gotten a lot of discussion on this already, but as a long-time cosplayer, I do have some suggestions. These guys on RPF and 405th tend to be trying to make something that will last a while. Keep in mind, I haven't done any armour building myself, but I HAVE seen the different methods in person with my own eyes at conventions.

A possibly cheaper, though less durable, method is to use craft foam for the basic shape (it's much cheaper and lighter than the antifatigue stuff), then coat with cheese cloth using a mixture of glue and water. You can also paper mache it to seal, sand just like as if you were using bondo, then paint with spray and/or acrylics. It's much more cost effective, however, you probably won't get the sleek realistic Iron Man look, and it may only last you a few times wearing it. But white glue is cheap, paper mache only requires that you steal your neighbours' newspapers, and regular spray paint and acrylic is cheaper than the car paint most people here suggest.

Just my 2 cents. If you want to know more about the cheaper non-fibreglass method, check out Amethyst Angel's website (for the Fibreglass Phobic) Armormaking for the Fiberglass Phobic and this famous tutorial Craft Foam Armor Tutorial

 

[Dave Ward]

Really dumb question - what happens when you print a single, continuous piece that stretches over multiple pages? Are the joins "tabbed?" What's the best way to join them back together?

 

[EyeofSauron]

Really dumb question - what happens when you print a single, continuous piece that stretches over multiple pages? Are the joins "tabbed?" What's the best way to join them back together?

dont do it
if you print a piece that is stretched over more pages, the printer will not print anything outside of the print borders, which will leave you with a blank spot on the edges of the pages

 

[Dave Ward]

Huh...How do you print larger pieces then?:confused

 

[EyeofSauron]

Huh...How do you print larger pieces then?:confused

either you print them on bigger paper, for example a3 or in a copyshop up to a0, or thebetter alternative: split it up in smaller pieces.

 

[Dave Ward]

either you print them on bigger paper, for example a3 or in a copyshop up to a0, or thebetter alternative: split it up in smaller pieces.

OK, so google tells me that I use the Zipper tool to do this - I'm assuming this creates tabs?

Also, let me take a breath and say a huge thank you to everyone who's offering advice in this thread. This is a fantastic repository of knowlege, and speaking with someone who is hopeless building in wood, this has really opened up some serious horizons for me.

Just to keep all my dumb noob questions archived for posterity in the same place - a couple more!:lol

I had problems using "krazy glue gel" and an off-brand superglue. The paper was glossy, do I need to use matt/textured paper, or is it the glue?

Respirator - I've been looking on amazon and there are a lot around the $20 price point. Will these be sufficient when fibreglassing, or do I want to play it safe and go higher-end?