Michaelarbys' Master Chief Project!!!

[Mangoverboard]

Holy shit michaelarby thats class,looks really good

[giacomo]

the kid isnt dead ffs!

nice armour michael! but when are we going to get some pictures of you in it? who is this white bloke anyway?

[michaelarby]

few more pics chaps-

Left arm completed:


Lower body.
The belt and thighs are a touch too small though.


Lower body:
With thighs and belt remade slightly bigger.


Chest piece in progress


just another thigh to remake, then get crackin on the chestpiece!

[Brooke]

wow!! that's amazing!!! Is it ready??

[Pyrite]

Could you clarify what material/method is being used to make this?

Its really coming along now mate. Where were the crotch warnings this time? Nearly had my eye out!!

[Zer0_One]

Looking good Denzel! Where did you get the design from anyway?

[michaelarby]

cheers guys- it'll be a good while before its ready yet.

currently its just at the cardboard stage- all the shapes are cut and assembled from templates i got off t'internet. this gives the whole thing its shape and detail.

next i have to fibreglass the whole thing- first a coat or two of resin on the outside, then with resin and fibreglass mat on the inside, to give it strength.

next you sand the outside smooth, then spray paint.

finally you need to attach buckles and straps to hold it all together.

the designs and tutorials all came from this site:
http://405th.com/forums/index.php?s=f48 ... 98&act=idx

[Pyrite]

How/where will you fibreglass it??

[michaelarby]

fibre glassing is a bit like paper mache- instead of paper and glue you use a resin and fibreglass cloth/mat, applied in layers on the inside of the armour.

a first coat of the resin alone is applied to the outside of the armour to protect it, and give it just enough strength to hold the weight of the fibreglass applied to the inside.

the resin is highly toxic though, so i had to buy one of those badass respirators before starting.

[Pyrite]

Sorry to be a pain in the arse but where do you get fibre glass matting and resin from? I have never seen these things.

I am looking into doing a bit of costuming myself you see

[michaelarby]

ah no worries man. the easiest place to find it is the likes of halfords, or some car part shops. BnQ doesnt supply it though, which i found surprising!

its quite expensive though- in halfords its about 7 quid for 500ml of resin, and about 5 quid for 1sq metre of the cloth, so im thinkin of maybe buying it in bulk on ebay- i think you can get about 10 metres of cloth for about £15-20, and 5 litres of resin for about £30 including postage. its highly toxic though, so you need a respirator as well that'll be about £20, and some old clothes and gloves.

gimme a shout if you need any more help sure.

[michaelarby]

A few new pics- this time showing the whole thing together (more or less)
the chest piece is just a size tester- ill be making a more detailed one for the final costume.

Again, until the pieces are properly attached with strapping everything is sitting a wee bit off kilter- the shins are lower than they would be, and the helmet is always sitting funny!

[retro74]

That's amazing. Slightly crazy but amazing all the same.

[Zer0_One]

[Pyrite]

whats movement like?