Re: FOAM speed-building files'n'tricks : added Dancin_Fool's Iron Man MkII/III
I have to agree with JF, those seam lines are so straight and clean they almost look machined....but it is foam right??
Eager to hear how you accomplish those!
Maybe the secret is a well stocked bar??? hmmm maybe onto something here spideyman.:lol
M
HAA! wow that's really a compliment man thanks to you both!
Welllllll what it is is... A hotknife. I drew out the lines I wanted, using a ruler and a flexicurve, following movie stills and a 10" mk iii toy I have, as well as a great file i found on turbosquid. After I layed them all out, I "burnished" them about one mm deep into the foam, slowwwly but surely. It was high risk, but I felt I had the practice for it. Any tiny mess-ups I will go back and do fine battle damage in the paint stage. I've been going for a simple look that still looks detailed enough to be not cheap, slightly movie-esque, and hopefully will look good come paint time.
As I progressed, I learned good speed, pressure, and angle of the knife, which helped get a lot of the edges continuous. Plus, sometimes the lines I needed follow the actual Foam seams, so that also to care of some imperfections. PLEASE practice on scrap if you're going to attempt the hotknife! I used a tiny (almost looks like a ballpoint pen) knife nib (DOES NOT look like the xacto blade), cranked the heat up to orange/red, and kept my hand steady. Boom. It's something I attempted many times, but I actually got a tip from Mr. Bibou which helped. Props to him!
Yes, I used 2, 3, 4, and 6mm EVA foam, Darice and some from "wandy foam" on ebay, which was EXCELLENT (the light tan). There are definitely differences in ease of cutting amongst brands of foam companies.
There are alot of cool little zippers, snaps, chicago screws, and velcros that I'll post more of later.
The suit will be topped with either my Pannaus or Finhead lid (Tjack made), so I'm pumped!
But I will say to anyone, start with good templates, nice cutouts, sharp blades, and take your time, you can get some really great edges! I'll post more pics in the future, thanks again everyone!
thumbsup:thumbsup