Disappearing for a bit

Well, looks like my board exam to become a qualified nuclear engineer is on Oct. 19th. So for the next 3 weeks I will be spending all of my free time studying. I might work on something here and there just to keep me sane, but we'll pick up again after the 19th.

Til then, see you!

Quick Update

Ordered some blue acrylic sheets for the parts which will be getting lights. They should be here Wednesday.

Also, I shaped out the other bicep piece and cleaned them both up. Lots of sanding... but I'm really digging working with this material.

(I need an actual camera or some non-crappy lighting)

The first steps

So, I've gone through and ordered all of the stuff that I need for making the lifecast and sculpting the Garrus head. Today I decided to hit up Harbor Freight and get some new tools.

EVA foam was on sale today, so I picked up a bunch, pretty sure the people thought I was a bit nuts.... ANYWAYS!

YOU AND ME GARRUS ARMOR! 4 STOCK, NO ITEMS, MY WORKSHOP!

Decided the best place to start was with one of the easier parts. So, BICEP PLATES! I measured everything out scaling the armor to my size and cut out the rough plates with a heated knife. Also cut out the sections which will get blue acrylic for the lights. After cutting out the shapes, a rotary tool was used to bevel the edges that needed it, and smooth the ones that didn't. Then a sequence of 250 and 400 grit sandpaper to really smooth it all out. For the right plate, there's a golden eagle, but instead of just painting it on, I decided to use foamies to create a more detailed, raised look. Thinking further, I decided to add a bit MORE detail by using some of the scrap left from the plates to make the symbol, glued it on, and then rotary tooled it down to correct shape and gave it the same sandpaper treatment. Here's what I got accomplished today:

Still a LONG way to go. Needs to be cleaned up, the acrylic needs to be added, needs to be heated and rounded to hold form, the bands that go around the rest of the arm, and the LED circuit which I will probably tool a nook for in the back.

But anyways, THE FIRST STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN!

The Journey Begins

Been stuck in Cranberry, PA for the past 2 weeks for job training with nothing to do, so I've decided to finally start a blog for the things that I make. This blog will record the adventure that will be my Garrus Vakarian build from Mass Effect 2 as well as all my other projects.

Hopefully you'll follow along on this crazy armor making journey!

Have already started working on the logistics of the project and breaking apart some of the pieces into individual units:

First thing to do when I get home: Make a lifecast of my head and neck so I can start sculpting the mask, and build small scale vacuum former.

'Til next time!