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!