Maschinen Krieger - Archelon power suit

bummer6

Well-Known Member
I'm creating a new thread for this to kinda motivate me to get this project going. After having built my Space Marine armor, I wanted to do something more "unique" that fewer people had already done. I decided to go for a design from a japanese hobbykit series called Maschinen Krieger, specifically the Archelon fighting suit. I'll be making a 3D model of the whole thing and unfolding it in Pepakura. After I'm done unfolding, I'll built it using EVA foam just like my Space Marine armor. Unlike my previous project, this armor will incorporate some electronics. Should be an interesting build!

Here is a reference picture:
archie.jpg

Here is my 3D model so far:
archelon_3d.jpg

Once I'm done, I'll share all my files with the community so you guys can use them if you want. I'll try my best to document the build.

Looking forward to getting started with the unfolding! Never done it before. :)
 
Fantastic!

We do have a few MaK fans here on the board, though I don't know how often they check the costuming forum ;)


-Cpl. R. Bush
 
3D model pretty much done now. It's lacking a lot of detail since there is a lot of stuff I can quite easily freehand. Basically, this 3D model will deal with all the difficult shapes and proportions of things and I'll do the detailing separately.

archelon_3d.png
 
AAAAAAND DONE

I didn't keep a very good build log as I went this time as you might have guessed since my last pose in this thread was like many months ago. I did finish the costume though, and I am very happy with how it turned out. So from beginning to end, here are the pictures I've taken throughout the project;

k2UjWEC.jpg

2TSuKOz.jpg


I started with the right arm because I wanted to get the glove out of the way early since I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to approach it. After that went relatively well I decided to move on to the other arms and the legs.

rFfWuru.jpg


For the big round bits I decided to cut them out of dense styrofoam rather than EVA since it turned out to be a pretty annoying shape to get right. I used ventilation hoses for the joints just like in my Space Marine build.

Then I started to rough out the main torso shape

1ZucVpZ.jpg


Making the hatch fit onto the torso turned out to be a bit of a challenge, so I ended up reinforcing the "lip" where the two parts meet with some plywood so make them both keep their shape better. I also added neodymium magnets all along the lip to keep the hatch shut and help with alignment. A plastic rod through the rear part of the hatch serves as the hinge that it pivots around when opened.

Once the torso had a shape that was more or less what I wanted, I started sanding down the seams and rounding the edges with my trusty mouse sander.

2izLdOI.jpg



Then it was time for a test fit.

SXQDmCp.jpg


At this point I just gave the rest of the parts the same treatment with the sander before I dealt with the elephant in the room... How to actually SEE out of the costume.

I decided to go for a cheap pair of FPV goggles and a camera used for flying quadcopters from a first-person view. Normally these cameras use a transmitter and a receiver, but my father who is much more tech-savvy than me helped me splice the goggles and camera together directly. The whole setup is powered by a small lipo battery and will run for about 1,5 hours or so. I covered the goggles in foam so that I could mount them at a relatively comfortable angle.

CsnyjSB.jpg


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After I made sure everything was working, I took out the electronics again and started filling the seams with latex caulk and went straight on to covering the whole thing with PVA glue (wood glue), followed by paint.

LZgaamU.jpg


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0CapfmR.jpg


And after that, it was time to mount the goggles and the camera again

aV0SKni.jpg

6HWxX45.jpg

nLlngxK.jpg


Once the whole thing was painted and I had made some straps for the arms and legs, it was time to suit up!

XpkTkmM.jpg

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Everything seemed good, so I spent a whole day weathering the entire armor, and then it was convention time! I made it just in time for Närcon (Swedish cosplay convention) and decided to enter the intermediate cosplay competition. Here are some pictures from the con!

zncl7nq.jpg

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WRIGrCs.jpg


And here are some pictures taken after the convention at my dad's place!

9E89IHS.jpg

EoHAL3h.jpg

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And there you have it. There is my story! There's obviously a lot of holes in the narrative since I didn't spend a lot of time recording my progress this time, so feel free to let me know if I forgot to mention something or if you have any questions. :)





Oh, and I ended up winning the "best craftsmanship" category. Yaaay!
dQ2w7qZ.jpg
 
For some reason your build pics don't work for me. (i think imger website is blocked at work)

However the 'competition' one does, and it looks amazing!
 
Amazing build (I think that you're the only one who tackled such suit...if I'm not mistaken):cool:cool Love everything about the suit and the overall look of it. The foam and the paint makes it very "armor" tank like. I would've put more lettering on it (numbers or little warning and stuff near doors and movable parts...but that's just me;)).
 
Amazing build (I think that you're the only one who tackled such suit...if I'm not mistaken):cool:cool Love everything about the suit and the overall look of it. The foam and the paint makes it very "armor" tank like. I would've put more lettering on it (numbers or little warning and stuff near doors and movable parts...but that's just me;)).

Thank you very much! Believe me, more lettering and stuff is coming, it's just that I didn't have time to add it before the competition. Still plenty of improvements to be made before I'm calling it quits, so stay tuned!
 
I've always wanted to build a MAK suit! Amazing job!!

It's definitely a fun project! The shapes work really well in foam. I'd love to see someone tackle a SAFS or a Melusine. I might go as far as to convert this armor into a SAFS Prototype since the legs and arms are pretty much the same.
 
Wow. Yeah, the SAFS Prototype is very close in design to your current build.

It would probably be easier to wear with the window as well.
CwQxj10UEAAUmML.jpg

My plan was to build one of the Gustav suits-

fcd789201f0ffe683501b5a23e8b0d5f.jpg2b05b28c8c675d8897237bfaa342f7d6--robot-design-krieger.jpg
 
Hey man! Looks fantastic! Your vision really came to life - and congrats on the award! Well deserved. Can't wait to see what you do next!
 
bummer6, Amazing job! I have always wanted to do an AFS MK1 like this:
Vw9opXy.jpg


I have seen a few Maschinen Krieger cosplay at DragonCon but most did not look very good at all. You build looks great.
 
Your build looks awesome and by going with the VR gear you are staying true to Ma.K.
I am currently building RMMC MK 21 power armor in Sintra. As far as I can tell its never been completed. I want to do foam next, and have settled on a Gustav. There are similar components to both, so would you be willing to share or sell your pep files?
Im very impressed with how smooth you got your foam joints. What did you paint it with after the PVA coat?
 

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