Mass Effect Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with PAINT!

Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

Holy lack of updates, but it's been for a good reason...Finally got around to getting my garage nightmare under control and functional. I now can has Workbench!

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I still need to get my painting area done (Bought a huge drop cloth so I don't upset the landlords with a multicolored splatter style paint job) but I DID manage to get all my tools out and available for use. So with that I started working on the blue prints for a M-27 Scimitar.

A little magic (alright, alright...A whole load of trial and error) in InkScape and I'm ready to start getting covered in MDF dust and bondo.

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Next stop, PEW PEW PEW!
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

***EDIT***
So as to not bog this thread down with multiple builds/photos , I started one just for the M-27. It can be found RIGHT HERE
 
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Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

Jeebus I haven't updated in a while!

Here's where the armor sits now...

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Thats right...On my living room floor! (cue rim-shot)

Sealing and paint is finally happening, and I've found a halfway decent method for "fixing" all those pin holes that you get in these cheap-o foam mats.

Step one, grab some all-latex caulking. I've been using DAP's Dynaflex230 for this build, but any non silicone brand will do. Non silicone is important if you want paint to stick later, but your mileage may vary.
Now smear a bead on your part. Doesn't matter where you do this, just get it on there. It's hard to say just how much you'll need to use, as it really depends on just how many pinholes you have in the part. For this one, there were a ton of little ones.

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Next up, dab a foam brush into a little bit of water. Then dab that little bit of water onto your part...(Just FYI...My water is a bit tainted from already doing 3 other pieces. Clean water won't change how this technique turns out)

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Now smear your damp foam brush into all the lovely caulking and get it all over the part you want to be pin-hole free...

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You can see the holes that were once the bane of my OCD are now tiny white dots of happiness.

Allow the part to dry and clean up/fill in any larger holes that are still left over with a small detail brush and some direct application of the caulking.

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And there you have it. A pin hole free surface that won't drive you crazy trying to eliminate pinholes individually or with the hopes that your sealing method can be applied thick enough to cover them all up. It also makes a relatively water tight seal on the surface of the foam, but not knowing how it would react to spray paint, I went ahead and sealed everything with a single layer of Modge Podge thinned just slightly (something like 3 parts glue to one part water) on all my parts that I had just de-pin-holed.

I've got a 2 coats of Plasti-dip on everything right now and with any luck tomorrow I can get some paint applied.

Stay tuned...
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

The latex caulk sealing idea sounds promising. I'm eager to hear how it's turned out for you once painted!
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

Finally home from what feels like the longest business trip I've ever been on...Built myself a PVC analog to store things on until I can build another duct-tape dummy to replace the one that fell apart (Trust me when I say, cheap duct tape and direct sunlight do NOT mix).

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Let there be paint!

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I'm about 75% done with everything from the waist up, including the belt. Ran into a little snag thanks to not being home for two weeks, and attending Comikaze in LA last weekend, but I've got this whole weekend free to play around with it. The goal is to get the legs and boots finished and primed before my next trip out this coming week (seriously, this whole "Job" thing sucks when you're trying to have a good time...) so I can wrap up the detail work on the whole suit the weekend after.

Somehow through that mystery of time/space where I had 3 months to work on it, I've only got 16 days left to finish...MEEP! Long Beach Comic Con is right around the corner and I intend to have this bad boy done and ready.

Let the madness begin... :wacko
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

I'm loving this. I've been kicking around doing an N7 myself, but after seeing this Miranda in Cerberus armor on deviantart, and now seeing these files (and your excellent work) I might have to reconsider.

Good luck completing! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this. =)
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

I'm loving this. I've been kicking around doing an N7 myself, but after seeing this Miranda in Cerberus armor on deviantart, and now seeing these files (and your excellent work) I might have to reconsider.

Good luck completing! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this. =)

Wow! that Miranda render is awesome! would love to see that brought to life.

Sent mobile using Tapatalk.
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

I'm loving this. I've been kicking around doing an N7 myself, but after seeing this Miranda in Cerberus armor on deviantart, and now seeing these files (and your excellent work) I might have to reconsider.

Good luck completing! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on this. =)

That Miranda armor is AMAZEBALLS!
(and your excellent work)
:BLUSH: Gee thanks!

ain't that the truth! lol. build is looking awesome!

Thanks!

And now for an update with paint!

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Ok...ok...so it's just a bracer...But HOLY MOLEY! It almost looks like I imagined it should! This time tomorrow I should have the rest of the upper armor done. Check out my other thread (in my signature) for a nearly completed M-27 shotgun as well...You know...If you're bored or something. :D
 
Re: Cerberus Trooper foam armor *WIP* Now with 100% more file sharing!

And now for an update with paint! Ok...ok...so it's just a bracer...But HOLY MOLEY! It almost looks like I imagined it should!

Looks awesome, man! Did you put the pockmarks in or at they left over from construction? Either way, I love em, they look great, really make it look like it's seen action!

Sent mobile using Tapatalk.
 
All the battle damage was done by hand with a wood burning tool and an X-acto knife. I had a little of the better quality foam floor mats left over from my original build, so that's what got used for the bracers. If you look at the pics in post 20, you can see how they started out. I only wish had more of that material for the rest of the build...The pinholes were EVERYWHERE.

I'm finding that my time is worth more to me at this point than material cost. Something else I've had to learn that the hard way thanks to having a career that requires me to be gone for weeks from home at a moments notice...So my next build will be with L-200 rolled foam instead of these floor mats. While they are cheap and available everywhere, they don't always work out to be right length and the little pinholes frakking drive me nuts trying to fill them in before I finish things off.
 
Speaking of L200, how firm is that stuff?? I saw everyone using it on FaceOff but couldn't quite gauge the "feel" of it. Sometimes it looked really light and floppy, sometimes stiff... What's the scoop? I'm sourcing some foam from Asia, but I'd need to place massive orders to get decent value...

Looking mighty fine any road! Great work!
 
Speaking of L200, how firm is that stuff?? I saw everyone using it on FaceOff but couldn't quite gauge the "feel" of it. Sometimes it looked really light and floppy, sometimes stiff... What's the scoop? I'm sourcing some foam from Asia, but I'd need to place massive orders to get decent value...

Looking mighty fine any road! Great work!

If you've used craft foamies (the small hobby sheets in 2-5mm thickness) it's exactly the same texture and rigidity. Once you heat one side and seal it, it gets just as stiff as the floor mats do but it's a lot better quality controlled and you won't have the waste of the puzzle piece ends.
 
Your build is just amazing, especially the armour! I'd hardly presume to make suggestions to you ;) ... but I thought I'd share what I've found works well for the weathering (as recommended by some of my propping masters!)... at least for the props (can't speak to armour --- yet :cool ) There are two things I like to do. The first is silver rub-and-buff on the edges to make it look like paint has worn off. the stuff comes out AMAZING with a little practice (hat tip to chinbeard of Punished Props on that one). The other one is the acrylic wash technique which Volpin demonstrated in his needler write-up on tested. It is a bit scary at first, and looks like crap when you put it on, but when you wash it off, it really works to get the accumulated "crud" of heavy use down in the cracks and crevices! Of course, to each what works for them! :D

Keep up the amazing work!!! Really looking forward to seeing how that big pock-mark on the bracer comes out once you've scorched and weathered that!
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Thanks everyone!
Here's another little update on the progress.
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The weathering didn't go as nicely as I wanted it to on the upper armor, so I repainted it white and had planned on starting retouching it this week, but things took a slight turn sideways...
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Yeah, my porch was demolished and a new one is being built (I'm in the upper right). We weren't expecting construction to start until after Thanksgiving, but I guess the crew had time freed up. This also cuts off my access to my garage/workshop, so I can't paint anything other than touchups with my airbrush until they get finished...Which probably won't be until the week after Thanksgiving.

I'm seriously disappointed that I won't be able to wear this to LBCC, but all good things come to those who wait, right (someone tell me right so I'll stop feeling guilty about missing my own deadline and putting my build on hold)... :(

On the upside, there's an advanced position opening up at work that I've been tapped for. It means quite a bit of training over the next few months, but the benefits of the job and the potential for advancement are something I can't pass up. It also comes with a fairly healthy signing bonus, which should mean some new toys to use for future builds.

So maybe this is a good thing in disguise.

Yeah, I'm just gonna keep telling myself that. :cry:cry:cry
 
It also comes with a fairly healthy signing bonus, which should mean some new toys to use for future builds.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say that it is possible to export a file from Pepakura into a format that a laser cutter can read, and laser cutting EVA foam is glorious.

Sorry to hear about the bad things, and good luck with the new position!
 
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