Ramos
New Member
Hello everyone, and welcome to my project log.
The Project:
My ultimate goal is to build a suit of Warhammer 40k Space Marine armor. I am hoping to have it complete before Adepticon next year (mid April) so I wear it to boost my team's Spirit and Theme points. We go for fluff rather than competitiveness, and I think a full Marine would definitely add coolness points. Not to mention I've always wanted to do an Armor build!
A bit about me:
Hobby-wise, I primarily paint and play Warhammer 40k, though it's more painting now that I moved away from my game store. My primary army focus is Orks, though recently I made a Space Marine army for Adepticon.
I've never attempted any sort of real costume build save for a couple fast and cheap anime cosplays in high school many years ago. Even then, that was all fabric, which is "easier," for lack of a better word, than large hard armor builds. I have always been better at making props than fabric costumes, though, so hopefully this will be right up my alley! After all- What is armor but a really really big prop!
The Build:
I'll be closely following several popular builds online, specifically the marines of Henrik Pilerud, Sylgian, and Hasenbrau. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check them out. Great work all around!
All of the patterns, save for the head, are from Henrik's Blood Angel build. They are scaled in Pepakura as 935, so I am expecting this build to be large… VERY large (7+feet). Im already planning to be on short stilts. I'm 6'3", so that should definitely be workable!
The helmet will be built in Pepakura, then hardened using the resin/bondo/rondo method. I want it to be super durable, and hopefully smooth as glass. Electronics like a voice changer and light up lenses will follow its completion.
For most of the armor plates, I will be using foam, though I have no idea what kind. I would appreciate any tips you guys could give me on this front. I was looking at Sylgian's build and he ordered Cross-Linked Polyethylene. I like the price (and the fact that its in big continuous sheets!), though I'm wondering what you guys think? What thickness foam should I be looking for?
To finish the foam parts, I plan to follow Hasenbrau's build and use Plasti-Dip spray as a primer, hardener, and sealant coat over the foam.
Timeframe and Budget:
As the convention is a year away, I am in no real rush, but I figured a project like this would give me good reason to get out and do something other than paint miniatures. This is helpful too, as my budget is restricted thanks to student loans. As such, this project will get updates sporadically, and I might very well hit a point where I have to take an extended break due to budget constraints.
But I will finish this, dang it!!
Progress thus far:
My first experiment in Pepakura, built simply out of cheap paper.
And today, I managed to get out to the stores and grab resin and bondo. After a couple hours of work, I was left with a hardened shell
At the time of this post, the first layer of Rondo is curing, and already I'm pleased with it. It's a little heavy, but I don't think that’s a big issue.
I'm really excited to work on this project, and seeing all of the wonderful builds around here really inspires me. Some of the Ironman/Warmachine builds are particularly impressive. Naturally, as I am for all intents and purposes a newbie to all things costumes, I've already learned so much from the various project logs around here! I will be relying heavily on any and all help you guys could give me!
Thanks for reading!
The Project:
My ultimate goal is to build a suit of Warhammer 40k Space Marine armor. I am hoping to have it complete before Adepticon next year (mid April) so I wear it to boost my team's Spirit and Theme points. We go for fluff rather than competitiveness, and I think a full Marine would definitely add coolness points. Not to mention I've always wanted to do an Armor build!
A bit about me:
Hobby-wise, I primarily paint and play Warhammer 40k, though it's more painting now that I moved away from my game store. My primary army focus is Orks, though recently I made a Space Marine army for Adepticon.
I've never attempted any sort of real costume build save for a couple fast and cheap anime cosplays in high school many years ago. Even then, that was all fabric, which is "easier," for lack of a better word, than large hard armor builds. I have always been better at making props than fabric costumes, though, so hopefully this will be right up my alley! After all- What is armor but a really really big prop!
The Build:
I'll be closely following several popular builds online, specifically the marines of Henrik Pilerud, Sylgian, and Hasenbrau. If you haven't already, I highly recommend you check them out. Great work all around!
All of the patterns, save for the head, are from Henrik's Blood Angel build. They are scaled in Pepakura as 935, so I am expecting this build to be large… VERY large (7+feet). Im already planning to be on short stilts. I'm 6'3", so that should definitely be workable!
The helmet will be built in Pepakura, then hardened using the resin/bondo/rondo method. I want it to be super durable, and hopefully smooth as glass. Electronics like a voice changer and light up lenses will follow its completion.
For most of the armor plates, I will be using foam, though I have no idea what kind. I would appreciate any tips you guys could give me on this front. I was looking at Sylgian's build and he ordered Cross-Linked Polyethylene. I like the price (and the fact that its in big continuous sheets!), though I'm wondering what you guys think? What thickness foam should I be looking for?
To finish the foam parts, I plan to follow Hasenbrau's build and use Plasti-Dip spray as a primer, hardener, and sealant coat over the foam.
Timeframe and Budget:
As the convention is a year away, I am in no real rush, but I figured a project like this would give me good reason to get out and do something other than paint miniatures. This is helpful too, as my budget is restricted thanks to student loans. As such, this project will get updates sporadically, and I might very well hit a point where I have to take an extended break due to budget constraints.
But I will finish this, dang it!!
Progress thus far:
My first experiment in Pepakura, built simply out of cheap paper.
And today, I managed to get out to the stores and grab resin and bondo. After a couple hours of work, I was left with a hardened shell
At the time of this post, the first layer of Rondo is curing, and already I'm pleased with it. It's a little heavy, but I don't think that’s a big issue.
I'm really excited to work on this project, and seeing all of the wonderful builds around here really inspires me. Some of the Ironman/Warmachine builds are particularly impressive. Naturally, as I am for all intents and purposes a newbie to all things costumes, I've already learned so much from the various project logs around here! I will be relying heavily on any and all help you guys could give me!
Thanks for reading!
