When I was a kid I happened past a hobby store in Petaluma, California that carried rulebooks and miniatures for Warhammer 40,000, a tabletop wargame from Games Workshop. I immediately fell in love with the rich, dark universe and the heavy, brutal designs of the characters, vehicles, and weapons. I ended up getting a job at that same store and spending nearly every penny I earned collecting, building, and painting the models.
Years later I've developed a bit of skill collected some helpful tools that allow me to make some reasonably impressive costumes. I've taken on project after project, but no matter what else I've built, I've always found myself thinking back to those beloved characters from my youth.
After trying to talk myself out of it for years, I've finally accepted the fact that I must build Space Marines in all their glory or I would never be satisfied with any of my lesser projects. To do it right, the finished characters would have to be about eight feet tall and four feet wide. Given that requirement, the main challenge was to make all of the pieces lightweight enough to still be a wearable costume.
With that goal in mind, most of the components were vacuum-formed in thin sheet styrene or ABS plastic. Some of the more intricately detailed parts were sculpted in Magic Sculpt epoxy putty or molded and cast in urethane resin. The whole project ended up taking about three or four months worth of actual work spread out over about ten months worth of the calendar.
While I suppose I've got a bit of experience with this kind of project, I will admit that this tutorial is not the end-all-be-all resource for this sort of build. The intent is to inspire other people to take on similar projects. I encourage you to do more research and spend some time gathering additional references before you begin. I may have done everything the hard way.
It's also important to point out that Space Marines are the copyrighted intellectual property of Games Workshop and I have used the design without permission. I'm a fan and these suits are a tribute to a rich universe that I have always loved. This project is in no way endorsed by Games Workshop. Instead, I decided that there just wasn't enough Warhammer stuff walking around in the world, so I took it upon myself to help.
In describing this project I tried to be as brief as possible, but there's simply no way to describe all of the hours and days and weeks and months worth of work that went into this project in 50 words or less. Since it is a bit on the long side, I've at least tried to keep it entertaining. So pour yourself a beverage of your choice, get comfy, and let's begin...
Years later I've developed a bit of skill collected some helpful tools that allow me to make some reasonably impressive costumes. I've taken on project after project, but no matter what else I've built, I've always found myself thinking back to those beloved characters from my youth.
After trying to talk myself out of it for years, I've finally accepted the fact that I must build Space Marines in all their glory or I would never be satisfied with any of my lesser projects. To do it right, the finished characters would have to be about eight feet tall and four feet wide. Given that requirement, the main challenge was to make all of the pieces lightweight enough to still be a wearable costume.
With that goal in mind, most of the components were vacuum-formed in thin sheet styrene or ABS plastic. Some of the more intricately detailed parts were sculpted in Magic Sculpt epoxy putty or molded and cast in urethane resin. The whole project ended up taking about three or four months worth of actual work spread out over about ten months worth of the calendar.
While I suppose I've got a bit of experience with this kind of project, I will admit that this tutorial is not the end-all-be-all resource for this sort of build. The intent is to inspire other people to take on similar projects. I encourage you to do more research and spend some time gathering additional references before you begin. I may have done everything the hard way.
It's also important to point out that Space Marines are the copyrighted intellectual property of Games Workshop and I have used the design without permission. I'm a fan and these suits are a tribute to a rich universe that I have always loved. This project is in no way endorsed by Games Workshop. Instead, I decided that there just wasn't enough Warhammer stuff walking around in the world, so I took it upon myself to help.
In describing this project I tried to be as brief as possible, but there's simply no way to describe all of the hours and days and weeks and months worth of work that went into this project in 50 words or less. Since it is a bit on the long side, I've at least tried to keep it entertaining. So pour yourself a beverage of your choice, get comfy, and let's begin...
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Signing UpStep 1: Building Forms in Pepakura
Pepakura is a shareware program developed by a Japanese company named Tamasoft. This program allows you to take a digital 3D model, unfold it, and print it onto cardstock so you can assemble it as a tangible object in meatspace. It's essentially a poor man's rapid prototyping system.
To download the program, go to http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/
Once you've downloaded it, register your copy. It's a good idea to keep encouraging the developers to continue improving the program. Besides, at the time of this writing, it only costs $38 you cheap bastard.
After installing Pepakura you need to get your digital 3D models. With a bit of Googling, you can find models available for all sorts of things. I found the models I used while looking around on Obscurus Crusade, a Warhammer 40,000 costuming forum.
Now that you have your digital files squared away, here's what you'll need to build them in paper:
Cardstock paper. At least a ream. Possibly two. The heaviest thickness you can get at your local office supply store.
Cyanoacrylate adhesive (brand names include Insta-cure or Zap-a-Gap)
CA accelerator (aka "Zip Kicker" or "Insta-Set")
Scissors (don't run with them)
A sharp hobby knife (don't run with that either)
A cutting board (this you can run with. Run your little heart out.)
Music or movies to play while you're working so you don't go insane from the tedium of cutting and gluing.
Print out the pep models. Make sure to turn on the edge ID settings so you'll have little numbers along each edge to match up with their counterparts along the way.
Use the scissors to cut out each piece as you need it. This will make it easier to keep track of the pieces so you don't have to go sifting through a pile of parts to find the one you need like some sort of jigsaw puzzle turned into a psychological torture device. If you have your computer nearby, it's a good idea to keep the program open so you can use the "check corresponding face" function to identify and locate each piece as you're building them rather than just poring over the printed sheets looking for matching edge ID numbers.
Once the pieces are cut out, use the hobby knife to score the lines where the creases will be. Then pre-fold each crease.
Use the CA glue and accelerator to bond the parts together. Make sure to keep everything properly aligned while you are working. The numbers on each seam should line up opposite each other. If you get the edges a bit off, each mistake will compound and make each following mistake a bigger problem. It's a good idea to start with some of the smaller pieces to get the hang of how the process works before you waste a bunch of time and materials by learning on a large piece.
If you can shanghai a friend into helping, you can set up a workflow that will really speed up the process. When I have help, I do the folding and gluing and leave the cutting and scoring to the other guy. Here's a quick timelapse video showing the construction of an arm model as well as a kneecap:
To download the program, go to http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/
Once you've downloaded it, register your copy. It's a good idea to keep encouraging the developers to continue improving the program. Besides, at the time of this writing, it only costs $38 you cheap bastard.
After installing Pepakura you need to get your digital 3D models. With a bit of Googling, you can find models available for all sorts of things. I found the models I used while looking around on Obscurus Crusade, a Warhammer 40,000 costuming forum.
Now that you have your digital files squared away, here's what you'll need to build them in paper:
Cardstock paper. At least a ream. Possibly two. The heaviest thickness you can get at your local office supply store.
Cyanoacrylate adhesive (brand names include Insta-cure or Zap-a-Gap)
CA accelerator (aka "Zip Kicker" or "Insta-Set")
Scissors (don't run with them)
A sharp hobby knife (don't run with that either)
A cutting board (this you can run with. Run your little heart out.)
Music or movies to play while you're working so you don't go insane from the tedium of cutting and gluing.
Print out the pep models. Make sure to turn on the edge ID settings so you'll have little numbers along each edge to match up with their counterparts along the way.
Use the scissors to cut out each piece as you need it. This will make it easier to keep track of the pieces so you don't have to go sifting through a pile of parts to find the one you need like some sort of jigsaw puzzle turned into a psychological torture device. If you have your computer nearby, it's a good idea to keep the program open so you can use the "check corresponding face" function to identify and locate each piece as you're building them rather than just poring over the printed sheets looking for matching edge ID numbers.
Once the pieces are cut out, use the hobby knife to score the lines where the creases will be. Then pre-fold each crease.
Use the CA glue and accelerator to bond the parts together. Make sure to keep everything properly aligned while you are working. The numbers on each seam should line up opposite each other. If you get the edges a bit off, each mistake will compound and make each following mistake a bigger problem. It's a good idea to start with some of the smaller pieces to get the hang of how the process works before you waste a bunch of time and materials by learning on a large piece.
If you can shanghai a friend into helping, you can set up a workflow that will really speed up the process. When I have help, I do the folding and gluing and leave the cutting and scoring to the other guy. Here's a quick timelapse video showing the construction of an arm model as well as a kneecap:
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Love, love, LOVE all the work that has gone into making the armor, and seriously, thank you for posting such detailed photos :D!
I have sent you an e-mail re: this build. I ran into you during Maker Faire 2011 as a tall lanky 13-year-old on crutches. I then managed to send you into a minor panic (I'm still sorry about that) when you e-mailed me a few weeks later. I had entirely forgotten about signing up for the e-mail list at your Halo booth. (Oops.) anywho, I'm a 6'2" 14-year-old now, and looking at doing something awesome with money I've got laying around. Does anyone have any ideas on what might need to be modded to fit my tall skinny (really skinny, 130 lbs) frame? I already know I'm going to need shorter stilts. Should I move the knee or something? My arms are also about 34" long, and I have handily hyperflexible elbows. I am also used to tromping around in hot weather for extended periods of time with heavy loads (Boy Scouts, 1st class), and on that note, would a camelback hidden inside the backpack be a workable and/or useful idea?
Edward
Note the ground is the 1-foot line, as Jes was doing it based off of having a slottabase below that. I think that's where the confusion has arisen over the years... I only mention it because doing a 7-foot Marine would probably be easier (and require less engineering to make working hands) than doing an 8-foot Marine. ;) That said, you did a magnificent job, and are one of the main inspirations for me to tackle this myself.
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http://www.djibnet.com/photo/2405496230-robot-hand.jpg (couldnt upload it here...)
Get my suggestion?
:(
http://z6.invisionfree.com/Obscurus_Crusade/index.php?showtopic=906
You seem to know how to use Pepakura rather well; what is this scaled to and what would you suggest to scale this to for a 5'8.5" person(average proportions for everything)?
About how much does this cost overall(minus building/buying a vacuum former)?
I'm pretty sure the final price tag for the whole project was a four-figure number of dollars, but I wouldn't guarantee it.