Building armor and props

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>any WIPs

Currently working on a Wing Zero Custom mech suit.

>favorite materials and tools to work with

Sintra is my prefered material. Most used tool is a simple razor knife.

>tools that you think everyone should have

Having an adjustable rotary tool and a power sander can speed up your projects by a great deal.

>tips/tricks that you've developed or would recommend

For my masks I have them equipped with magnets for quick removal for when I need to take a drink, catch my breath or talk with someone.

>tutorials or guides that you think are helpful

Clive Lee's mecha costume tutorial is a great go-to for first timers.

http://clivelee.deviantart.com/

>>8786626
Planning to make the wings moveable or fixed?
If Fixed, and not planning to do a dynamic style like the ones found on the AGP version, I recommend the wings on the 1/72 B Club kit. Proportion makes for a better looking overall wing over the newer RG and much more so over the MG and PG styled wings.

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>>8786801
Movable though if stability is a problem they may have to be fixed.

Im using the 1/60 PG of mine as reference so the wings will be based on that.

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I came here just for this! I've never crafted armor before, and I'm looking for the cheapest/easiest way to go about it- not that I expect it to be cheap or easy over all. I need to make some shoulder armor for Dark Magician and Gauntlets for Dark Magician Girl. I'm also not sure if Dark Magician's legs have armor or not. I saw a recommendation for spray chicken wire frame with some sort of foam stuff and then shaving that, but I'm not sure how reliable that is.

>>8786626
Is everything in that picture sintra?

What's your opinion on sintra vs EVA

>>8787466
adding onto anons question, for sintra, what glue do you use? i read e6000 is okay but i tested a piece and it didnt seem to cooperate

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How do you guys seal your foam? I've experimented with props and armor before, but looking for recommendations.

Thoughts on this tutorial? I've used Plastidip before but it seemed to crack on a rounder area of my piece so I'm unsure.

http://www.otakuandfit.com/seal-paint-foam-armor/

>>8787635
The adhesion promoter he mentions in that tut is what helps prevent that cracking. That tut is pretty on a point.

>>8787466
90% sintra. Biceps and thighs are EVA foam. Some fiberglass as other odds and ends are mixed in as well.

>>8787623
http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Super-Glue-Cyanoacrylate-Strongest/dp/B009GBW0D4/ref=sr_1_9?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1422668124&sr=1-9
I find this works really well for bonding sintra. You should use an accelerator with it though.

For Christmas I decided I would make costumes for my niece and nephew and take them to a local con in the spring. They always love watching me make my cosplays and want to get involved. My nephew wants me to make him, in his words, "a Halo guy" lol but I don't really know the first part of making armor.
Any tips? Should I maybe ask him to choose a different character that would be within my skill range?

>>8787937
Depends on what your current skill level is and how well you can manage what time you have before the show.

http://www.405th.com/showthread.php?t=38092

The suits are complex but ive seen some good foam ones. You could potentially save alot of time by checking into local maker spaces. If one near you has a laser cutter you could save yourself alot of time by having most of the patterns done by the cutter.

>>8787937
I'd recommend that you ask him for something simpler...
Doing full body armor is really hard and time consuming, and if you use pepakura like the other anon suggested you have to scale it down to fit a child
And depending on how old he is, he might easily break it and you have to take him of to the side to fix it etc
It'll probably be a better experience if you choose something a bit simpler
Just my opinion though.

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Older picture, been working on making a mold and master for a Red Hood. Slow work, don't have all the materials I need, but it's a pretty hands on approach to learning how to mold shit.

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My first full armor suit I made.
Improving on it now.

Getting a rotary tool and a palm sander is a must.

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>tfw want to cosplay ornstein
>tfw can't into armor making

When I worked with sintra it cracked when in a curved shape. Is it not supposed to be used for curves? Did I buy it too thin?

>>8791340
If its a larger piece you should try heating it before shaping it. I have better luck using boiling water in large cooking pans vs. a heat gun because the heat is more uniform.

>>8791611
Thanks temjin. I tried heating it but it wasn't really taking.

>>8791701
Were you using a heat gun? I don't have good luck with those for sintra. Its difficult to get even heating and it risks warping.If your still having trouble post some pictures so I can get a better idea what your trying to do.

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Heres my ranger. I'm remaking the mask cause its a bit shit.

Going to prop up the collar too and i plan to add some plates to the shoulders maybe.

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I made an odst too. Dont really know what else to add to it other than an actual gun from halo.

>>8791886
As a Fallout fan, I adore this.

>>8791611
thanks for this, I'm making some armor with styrene and have had trouble with it looking weird/misshapen due to uneven heating. boiling water sounds like a better idea than, say, an oven

>>8786626
For a complete beginner (like seriously, babby's first armor), what material would you recommend? It's for a armor like OP's pic, but not a full suit.
From the research I've done so far, EVA foam seems to be my best bet but I just want to double check before getting supplies.

>>8781276
>any WIPs
Batman DOJ armor on foam, it's V2, the first one was a rushed combination of cardboard, paper mache and bondo that I ended up hating
>favorite materials and tools to work with
A combination of 4mm foam and plasti dip
>tools that you think everyone should have
A dremel, heat gun, hot glue
>tips/tricks that you've developed or would recommend
Start as soon as possible, procrastination is awful

>any WIPs
Gwendolyn and Oswald from Odin Sphere, finished them already and plan to have an upgraded version for them
>favorite materials and tools to work with
2mm craft foam, PVA glue, plastic coated wire and heatgun
>tools that you think everyone should have
Heatgun, it's all purpose and useful in the whole building process
>tips/tricks that you've developed or would recommend
Wire helps tremendously in retaining shape for craft foam
>tutorials or guides that you think are helpful
Patterning is very important, invest your time in it as a good pattern will make your whole set of armor looks fitting and good. Having a good grasp of proportion helps a lot too.

>>8799056
EVA is the easiest to acquire and there are tons of guides and sources out there for making it do what you need to do.

It also tends to be more forgiving than the more rigid stuff like fiberglass.

Dont buy alot of any material right away. Get a small amount if you can and test/play with it and see if you think it will work for your needs before dropping alot of dough on materials.

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Alright, I need some serious assistance as to how to pattern this gun. It's a caliber above what I've tried to do so far, and while I've got tons of time with which to try and fuck up, I'm not sure how to paper test the bubble/other round/shaped bits. Do I just cut in the angles to make it bubbly? With the foam itself I'd be able to heat shape it so idk how I should emulate that in the paper pattern such that it can look right paper-assembled and also serve as a good pattern for the final product.

I assume there's no pep files already because this splash art was literally released yesterday. But league is hilariously popular so if I could expect some in the soonish future I'd be interested. I'm planning on using EVA foam because it's very forgiving, and cheap for when I inevitably fuck this up.

I am ready to put as much work into this as needed. I know it's going to be hard as fuck, but I love Caitlyn and have mained her since season 3.

>tfw the model is grossly inconsistent with the splash
>feels so bad

Doing Power Armor from FO4 for Dragon Con this year. Have the helmet done,gonna do the rest in the prop shop this summer

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>>8781276
I work a lot with ABS, fiberglass, Polyurethane resin, polyethylene foam and leather. I don't really have any tutorials, just experiment and play around with stuff and see what you come up with. I've been playing around with magnets recently with amazing results.

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>>8781276
>tools that you think everyone should have
Forgot this one. A rotary tool of some kind, belt sander, orbital sander, sculpting tools, lots of chip brushes and latex gloves, uhhh jigsaw, drill etc

I'm wondering on how to get a glossy/plastic look out of EVA.

I don't wanna cover it with fabric (vinyl, etc)... Would layering glue work and then painting work? I'm a total beginner and when looking up tutorials I mostly see a matte finish or gold/silver.

>>8802100
Plastidip specifically the spray stuff works pretty good.

>>8802103
>Plastidip
Good idea! I'm going to see if it exists here where I live (I'm not in the US).

Any alternative? Thanks!

>>8802119
I've seen people use modgepodge but I can't stand the stuff.

>>8802119

Are you in Europe ? Here in France we use Dip Étanch' (the multi uses one) or more rarely Sikagard. It's basically the same thing but in a pot instead of a spray can. I know that some people use latex too but it seems like a pain in the ass to use.

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How to Immortan Joe armor+shoulder pads?

Hell, I haven't even seen a place to buy a set.

Ignore Satsuki.

>>8802081
>>8802089
>bloodborne cosplays
I love you

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>>8802323
Thanks! We are working on Bloody crow and Maria next while making a few tweaks to those ones. Both weapons do trick using magnets.

>>8802349
ffffuck why does it flip my images.

>>8791338
you and me both, anon.

I really want to get into armor crafting but there's so much information out there that it's actually overwhelming.

Any assistance?

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Heres that Power Armor helmet,forgot to post the pic

>>8802531
I'm telling you just buy some material and start playing.

How far does one can of plastidip go?
Is there something more lightweight than foam to be making large weapon heads out of?

>>8802969
A can goes a decent amount depending on how many coats. For large weapons yea foam is the way to go. Wether it's insulation foam or polyetheleyn.

>>8802993
Thanks!
What about weapon handles pvc pipe or is there something better?

>>8803014
I use pvc for some huge props so yea. The scythe above is mostly pic and it's around 7 ft

What are the best choices for clothing under foam armor?

>>8803051
Whatever the character wears under their armor...

>>8803067
Sorry meant like materials or in the case of you don't see what is underneath or an original armor concept. Foam on bareskin can't be the most comfortable....

>>8803077
It's not really bad but I've seen flight suits, under armor, or just loose fitting clothes

Have any of you heard of/used terraflex? It's supposedly just like worbla but it's on sale right now, so it's cheaper. Wondering if it would be worth it to pick some up?

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>>8781276
My latest project was Jetstream Sam from metal gear rising first time ever using craftfoam for armor , last time ever using that thin, i hate something so bendy
>favorite materials and tools to work with
sintra and plastics 4 evah , cut and glue into whateer the hell you need baby, quite forgiving material , litghweight and you can reinforce it with some fiberglass or resing to get your desired strenght.

>tools that you think everyone should have
dremel type rotary tool , WITH a guide cup( that thing like a cone that you can screw on top to limit the depth of your cut) that comes really handy when cuting very angular patterns or carving details.
Heat gun , protective glasses, soldering iron ( how else are you gonna wire some LEDs in your armor?) and electric screwdriver ( when you gotta make complicated things it saves a lot of time and effort)
>tips/tricks that you've developed or would recommend

a few:
if you are having a dificlt time anchoring pieces of armor , look up for some furniture making plastic screws ( one side is a huge and short screw , the other is a plastic T to screw it in and hold something together) .

if you need some good sci-fi looking hinges , search your local Rc-cars hobby shop , i used some direction spare parts to articulate my jetstream sam mask.

if you need to reinforce something small but lack the space or money to get resin and fiberglass, theres some automotive putty that is basically a mix of epoxy resin and fiberglass, as long as you cans squezze 3 coats of that you should be able to use it to medium or small props, ( and remember to do it on a ventilated area)

>tutorials or guides that you think are helpful
how to make a wood katana, I follow this tutorial a bit loosely ( used plastic) for my sword https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShON6ptVJr8

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how would i get a ridiculously shiny reflective metal finish? (shinier than pic)
I'm working on an arm cannon with LEDS on the side, and i want it to be as reflective as possible.
also, what is the best combo of silver spray paint and spray finish? how many layers?

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>>8803051
try with jogging tights and compressions shirts if its something sci-fi looking , or a zentai suit .
>>8803244
heres a picture of the hinge for the mask

>>8803245
layering.
first a coat of shiny black
make sure its even, no grey spots nor bubbles.
then 2 coats of crome and some gloss topcoat.

remember to test out in a plastic spoon or similar your paints , to see if any of your paints will react with the others and might ruin your prop

Would anyone have any advice on hiding seam lines with EVA/craft foam?

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>>8802119
I'm a beginner cosplayer as well and I used modge podge (white PVA glue) diluted with water to seal my foam. It leaves a smooth, shiny coat on top that is rather flexible. I used it to seal my pauldrons and tiara (sorry for tiny pic). The biggest issue with pva glue is that it takes forever to apply - you need several coats to build up that shell (around 10) and you have to wait about an hour between each coat for it to dry. For a small project like mine it's not an issue since I work on other things like sewing while the mixture dries. If you have a larger project then read up on what other cosplayers are using. I know plastidip is a popular option for sealing foam that you need to stay flexible. If you want a hardcoat then there's woodglue and fiberglass.

>>8791890
I know some airsoft sites sell replica battle rifles, but they're hella expensive

So where do you hide your badge, room key, phone, food, money and whatever while in armor if you don't have a pleb pack mule friend?

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>>8804542
My Gundam MK-II suit has storage compartments in the shield for the mask, beam saber, rifle, cosplay cards and a fan. The knees also have storage compartments for my phone, wallet and a water bottle.

>>8803280
You can pinch together seams with tiny amounts of super glue and wipe of the excess before it can cure. Bond the rest in the back with hot glue afterwords.

I picked up a bench sander recently and going over seams with that is helping alot for more rounded shapes.

>>8802081
nice mask !
How did you that one ? or rather, with what ?

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>>8805673
It was sculpted using Chavant NSP, then cast in a silicone and I ran a fiberglass/bondo through it. Also added prescription lenses so the wife could see.

>>8805769
Molded in silicone not cast ehhh