# Farseer Cosplay



## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So, this is my project log of a set of Ulthwé Farseer Armour/Robes.

I’ve seen a million and one Space Marines, a few hundred thousand Imperial Guard, and about a dozen Eldar. Most of which are (no offence intended) low budget creations.

I recently managed to acquire £2500 to spend how I like, so this is going to be rather more of an extravagant undertaking. Hopefully, however, it won’t take all that to get some decent quality! Looking at the cost of various materials, I think I can complete it in under, oh, £300? Let’s see how that estimate holds up…

I’ll be explaining everything as I go along. This is my *first ever* attempt at anything remotely like this, so I’m basically searching youtube and google for tutorials on every step.

Here’s the basic outline/plan, starting from the top and working down:

1. Singing Spear. ~35mm diameter, 6ft tall, hollow chrome pole. Will be cut in half and have a screw inserted so that it comes apart into two more portable sections of 3ft (i.e. will fit in the car). Spearhead is yet to be designed, but will probably be MDF or plastic as a full-on metal spear is frowned upon by the police (and probably conventions) most of the time. Some tassels and a metal rune will be created to hang from the base of the head, which will also screw in, giving me a staff in three pieces total.

2. Helmet, Shoulders, Gauntlets and possibly Chest armour. PDO files ripped from the Dawn of War computer game, and opened in Pepakura (google it) a 3D imaging program. It basically converts 3D images such as a helmet into 2D “nets” which can be printed out onto card or paper. You then cut them out, stick them together, and you have a mock up of the item. To make this durable and functional, you then coat the card in resin, fiberglass the inside, and coat the inside and out with automobile filler.

3. Undersuit. Black poloneck with judo pants, dyed black and elasticated around the ankles to give that baggy look the Warlocks have. Black gloves.

4. Oversuit. Will buy a good quality black robe from a fancy dress supplier (not the crappy nylon stuff, some nice cotton/wool creation) which will then have a border sewn on with some runes along the bottom hem. Will plan a bit more of the modifications to it when I actually have it in front of me. Will add waist sash, shoulder strips and pouches etc as I go along.

5. Shoes. Probably black plimsoles, seems to be the best match to Farseer shoes I can find.

So in the end, we're more or less aiming for something similar to the middle Farseer:


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

*DISCLAIMER: These steps are a GUIDE only. Always read the label of any product you use. Always wear your protective gear. This guide contains the use of resin, fiberglass, filler, spray paint and other solvents that can be HARMFUL or LETHAL if you do not take the CORRECT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. I do NOT recommend that anyone under the age of 18 attempts this unsupervised. Do NOT fuck about with these chemicals, and don’t attempt anything unless you are absolutely sure that you know what you’re doing. WATCH a handful of videos on youtube. READ more than one tutorial from more than one person. Do not hold me accountable for any damage to your person or property that results from you being an idiot.​*
_Armour (Card stage)_

*Required Materials:*

-	Free Pepakura Software (Viewer and/or Editor, Online)
-	Card as thick as your printer will take it. My smaller pieces were on 180gsm and the helmet on 250gsm. The colour doesn’t matter. (Hobbycraft)
-	Scissors (Hobbycraft)
-	PVA *or* a Glue Gun (Hobbycraft)
-	Steel Ruler (B&Q)
-	Scoring tool (can use a dry pen, back of a craft knife, whatever, Hobbycraft)
-	Cutting Board (needs to be rigid to get good scores/folds, MDF offcut)
-	Various Items for pushing recalcitrant card together. Something thin like a giant needle, small knife, sculpting tool or something in that vein.

Download Pepakura. (There are loads of tutorial vids about the ins and outs of using this program, I strongly suggest watching/reading at least two different ones before starting)

Find a PDO file of what you want to create. Google around what you’re looking for and something should come up somewhere, I found the Eldar stuff on 4shared.

Check the scale is correct. The really simple way to check this is to measure the body part the item is supposed to go on, and make sure the size in mm is correct. For example my bracers were initially too small, so I measured the length of my forearm and knocked off a few centimetres so I didn’t foul my elbow joint. Remember for helmets you need space for lining, ears, and so on, so if in doubt, add an inch or two.

Print your item.

Spend hours and hours and hours cutting out the pieces, scoring along the lines, and gluing them together with either PVA or a glue gun. The glue gun sets faster, but that’s a plus and a minus, as if you get it wrong you can fuck up the entire thing and have to reprint (a pain). PVA gives you time to check that the piece fits 100% before you let it dry on, but obviously takes a little longer. As I get more confident/faster at the assembly stage I might start to use a gun.

Eventually, you’ll have a completed item, in this case, a bracer. You can see my WIP Shoulderpad on the table.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

_Armour (Resin stage)_

*Required Materials:*

-	Fastglas Polyester Resin (Halfords)
-	Fastglas Hardener (Halfords)
-	Disposable paintbrushes (B&Q – as cheap as you can get them, they’re pretty much one use only)
-	Cup for measuring (10ml at a time)
-	Cup for mixing (Disposable, Morrisons)
-	Disposable Gloves
-	Mixing stick
-	Respirator (IMPORTANT. Fumes are TOXIC. Unless you are completely outside on a summers day with a nice breeze, ALWAYS wear a respirator. And probably even then. I used a proper refillable one that I already owned, but the disposable foam ones are fine too. B&Q)

Take your assembled item, and stand it up somewhere you don’t have to touch it much. Helmets especially will need a stand of some kind.

Before beginning work, check the temperature. In order to set the resin properly, you want it to be ~15-20 degrees Celsius for the entire time you are working. In the UK that’s unlikely to be viable outside unless it’s summer, so I recommend a garage or conservatory with a sealed door between you and the rest of the house. Where possible open a small window, or have the door open a fraction to let the worst of the fumes out.

Put on your PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and mix some resin according to the instructions on the tin. For the fastglas stuff that’s 2-3cm of hardener for each 10ml of resin you pour out. I would never use more than 10ml at a time, for two reasons:

1. You only have about 10 minutes (at best) to work with the resin before it becomes too tacky to spread. Unless you rush (never rush) you’re not going to get too much surface area done in that time.

2. If you slop too much on at once, the card can deform or bend. Work in stages, and let it cure between each stage. For this gauntlet I did the entire outside in one go with 10ml, waited for it to cure fully (about half an hour/45 mins) and then did the entire inside with another 10ml.

Remember, ANYTHING is better than having to redo a piece from scratch unless you have masochistic tendencies or a fetish for cutting and scoring cardboard. Work slowly, carefully, and make sure you cover every square millimetre of that thing. Don’t slop it on, brush it on.

Leave it overnight to cure completely before proceeding to the next stage. Here’s my ingredients and the gauntlet with both coats fully cured:


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

_Armour (Fiberglass stage)_

Important: If your item has a lot of interior angles, corners and places that are otherwise hard to get fiberglass cloth to sit nicely in, you can skip ahead to the Filler stage on the next page and do that on the inside FIRST. This creates a much smoother, more organic surface for the cloth to sit on. I didn't know this when I started, but will be doing it for all future items!

*Required Materials:*

-	Fiberglass Cloth (Halfords)
-	The same resin you used in the last step, along with all that mixing stuff and PPE
-	Spray adhesive (Hobbycraft)
-	Scissors
-	Protective Goggles

You should now have a fully cured item. By fully cured I mean “not tacky”. If it *is* tacky after being left overnight, it means you didn’t use enough hardening paste. Don’t worry, just brush all the tacky areas with TALCUM POWDER. Just brush it on nice and light, and come back in a few hours. It should no longer be tacky to the touch.

Put on your PPE, including goggles. Cut your fiberglass cloth into small squares suitable in size for the object you are making. I’m making fairly small items so far, so my squares are about 5-10cm on a side.

Spray the inside of your item with your spray adhesive.

Start placing your squares of fiberglass inside, over the adhesive. Take your time. Minimise any overlaps, make sure there aren’t any edges sticking up, and try to minimise the amount of loose threads you have to deal with, don’t be afraid to go over the edges, we will tidy it up later. In fact you’ll want to go over the edges a little bit, because they’re one of the parts that needs the most reinforcement, because they take the most wear.

Coat the entire inside again with the resin. Again, take it easy. 10ml at a time. Make sure you get as much of the fiberglass lying flat as you can, because trying to reach inside your item with a power sander can be a real bitch. Once you’re done take the time to look around for any bits sticking out and press them down.

Optional: If you want your item to be *totally* indestructible, you can fiberglass the outside too. I’m not doing it because it can cause issues with fine detail and the texture. However on things like Breastplates that are big, open shapes with little detail, go ahead and slap an outside coat on. It’ll probably outlive you.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

_Armour (Tidy up phase)_

*Required Materials:*

-	Rasp or coarse file (A big one, B&Q)
-	A power drill/dremel/rotary tool with a cutting blade and a sanding blade
-	PPE (Goggles and Respirator)

Simple enough, go over everywhere and tidy it up. If you need a smooth curve, start smoothing out the lines that the Pepakura model is made from. Eldar armour is entirely made of curves, so a lot of work for me here! Only sand/file until you start to hit paper, then stop. We’ll be going over it with body filler anyway, tidying up at this stage is basically to help get the texture right and minimise the amount of sanding you need to do at the second tidy up stage.

Cut off the fiberglass that hangs over the edges, and *very* carefully check the inside of any items you’re going to wear, especially helmets, as exposed fiberglass can irritate the skin at best, and cut you badly at worst. Make sure it’s all nice and smoothed out! Do as much of the work as possible with the rasp and/or file. They’re big tools, so use them for the big jobs. Use the rotary tool to get into the hard to reach places, or awkward angles you can’t get the rasp into.

You can see in a couple of the shots where I've gone too far through the resin with the rasp, and then cleaned it up with normal filler (not the autobody stuff). You don't need to be totally precise about this as the next stage is to cover the whole thing in filler anyway.


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

Just wondering why you decided to use fiber glass for this project ? Isnt it quite hardcore stuff ?


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## son of azurman (Sep 19, 2010)

Farseers are the greatest,cant wait to see more


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

bitsandkits said:


> Just wondering why you decided to use fiber glass for this project ? Isnt it quite hardcore stuff ?


It's fairly common practice among people who build their own armour. You _can_ manage just fine without it, but overall it doesn't add very much to the cost (a mat of fiberglass costs about a fiver) and renders the pieces pretty much invulnerable to accidental damage, which is important, because if I can find a way to drop it, kick it, shut it in a door, throw it down some stairs, or roll down a hill wearing it, I'll probably do so! :laugh:


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## bitsandkits (Mar 18, 2008)

Cool fair point, i have always fancied using the stuff for a project so im gonna watch to see how rgis turns out, was going to mention that plumbing pipe might be better for the staff, its light, cheap, durable and alot easier to get joints for.


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## Dragblud da scrunka (Mar 26, 2009)

Wow this is awesome! Can't wait to see it finished, Fibreglass i find is really good you just have to be careful and prepared gloves and stuff don't get the resin on your hands it goes hot quick believe me :/ Tip for the fibreglass stick with layers lots of them and give it loads and loads of time. Its a nice progress though. For some reason I would think black flip flops could suit the farseer as well just so he is more ninja  +rep


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

bitsandkits said:


> plumbing pipe might be better for the staff, its light, cheap, durable and alot easier to get joints for.


Looked into it, but figured that the metal meant I wouldn't need to paint it as it's a nice shiny gold colour already, and that means the paint can't chip. I'm also doing a lot of this work at my dads, and he has a fully tooled out workshop in his garage, so working with metal and wood is just as easy as plastic and card. 

Here's the piece I'm using:


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Updated with pics. At this point the gauntlet is so hard I can smash it against the desk and it'll fly out of my hand before it breaks. Good stuff!

Armour (Filler stage)

*Required Materials:*

-	P38 Easy Sand Isopon (Halfords)
-	Applicator (Bit of wood/plastic/metal)
-	Craft Knife/Razor blade
-	The usual PPE, mixing pot, measuring pot etc. Keep wearing that respirator!

You should now have a pretty tidy item with smoothed off fiberglass inside and either resin or fiberglass on the outside, depending on what you did with it.

Now you mix up some of the P38 (Americans call it “Rondo” so if you want a tutorial video, google that instead). Again, follow the instructions on the box and wear your PPE.

Once more, it’s easier to do it in smaller stages, particularly for large items. Try a minimum amount first, see how far it gets you, and then you can estimate how much you should mix up in future. Better too little - and use everything you have - than waste filler by either having excess left over or not being able to use it all before it starts to harden.

Splodge it on, wipe it about, and get as smooth a coverage as you can. It’s in your best interests at this stage to start trying to get it as smooth as possible, and to start looking to get the curves right, because it’ll save you a *lot* of sanding later if you pay attention now.

When you’re done and the filler is half cured (i.e. still bendy and flexible but doesn’t come off on your fingers) you can save yourself some time sanding if you go over it with a craft knife or razor blade and trim off any big blobs you might have, or any detail that you’ve obscured. Don’t go nuts and cut right back to the resin, just get rid of big bits of excess.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Alright, going to take a break from "Tutorial" format and examine some of the roadbumps I've hit so far.

Size

When I tried on the gauntlet in card/resin form, I knew that I was going to have to cut down the middle of the back in order to get my arm into it, due to the narrow wrist design which my fist is never going to pass through.

What this meant was the gauntlet was a lot more flexible and narrow than it is after both fiberglass and body filler. Now it is a good centimeter thick in places, and is rigid as a rock. Ergo I can no longer get my arm in, so I have had to cut a much wider channel in the back as you can see in the first picture. Even so, my arm is compressed into a weird shape when the gauntlet is on, so I need to build a lot more space into it next time round. I also need to leave space for either cloth padding inside the bracer, or the sleeve of whatever I'm wearing. Body filler rubbing on open skin isn't fun.

Technical Problems

So far have been surprisingly few, probably due to the amount of background research I went through before even starting. However:

- Next time, do a thin layer of filler before fiberglassing. You can see in the second photo near the wrist where the fiberglass has come away from the resin, forming a bubble underneath. Obviously we don't want this.

- Apparently you can thin the filler with the resin, giving you a much more controllable material to work with. The filler on its own has the consistency of wet cement, it's very thick and needs to be spread with a tool rather than a brush. This results in uneven coatings on curved surfaces due to the shape of the tool, as you can see by the "rivers" in the third picture. A second coat will be needed. Thankfully the filler and the resin use the same hardener (at least in the UK) so you can just go by total volume in your measuring cup when mixing up a batch.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So, several more hours of "Pepping" later, we have a completed shoulderpad and a WIP Helmet!

I'm going to resin along the bottom edge of the helmet before going any higher, to lend it some structural stability while retaining enough flexibility to work with.

If you're wondering why I'm making one of everything instead of pairs, it's because I want to get the scale right before I leave on Thursday, that way I can continue what I'm doing with a minimum of adjustments in a less well-tooled environment!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Last update of the day.

We now have a helmet stiffened around the bottom 1-2 inches, making it a nice rigid platform to build on. Once I get about two thirds of the way up I'll do it again. It also enables me to cut a nice straight sided hole through the middle so I can check the fit as I build, with no risk of tearing the paper.

I have also tried my first resin/filler mix on the shoulder, which gave a nice "milkshake" texture which was easy to spread. Gives a thinner coat, which helps preserve the detail and sharp lines that I want. Unfortunately I went a little OTT with the hardener, with the result that I wasted about a third of the cup, and only had about 5 minutes to play with it. Lesson learned!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So, a little more progress:

The staff has been cut partway down in order to make it more practical to pack away and transport. An insert has been turned on the lathe, which is going to be glued and screwed into the smaller piece, which will then plug into place on the bigger piece and be secured by another screw. All of these screws will be hidden because the cut was made where my hand rests naturally on the staff when I'm walking with it. I am also considering etching some detail into the staff itself - Eldar runes etc.

I have also pepped up some more of the helmet! You can see most of the facial structure now, just needs the dome working up the the top and finishing off.


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## son of azurman (Sep 19, 2010)

looks great keep it up


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

son of azurman said:


> looks great keep it up


Thanks! 

Finished work on the main body of the helmet!!! There's still the rear wraithbone spine to do (along with the other shoulder and a new pair of bracers), but I'm fairly sick of pepping stuff up by now - I think I've been doing it for close to 20 hours over three days - so I'm going to crack on with the resin and the filler!

I don't know if you can tell or not, but the scale on the helmet is pretty damn close to ideal. It's nice and snug and doesn't look comically big.

Well... it is an Eldar helmet so of course it looks big, but you know what I mean!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Entire outside and inside of the helmet has been resin-ated (hah!) so is safe to pack and travel with. I've also sanded down the shoulderguard ready for another coat of filler/resin mix. This time I'll be using a little more filler and mostly applying it in the areas that are sunken, so hopefully once I've sanded down the second coat it'll be almost done.

That said, I'm about to start three weeks of training for a new job, and I'm living in shared accommodation for the duration of it. Most housemates do not appreciate the communal areas being filled with fumes so toxic you have to wear a mask in order to breathe, so... updates may be a little slower for a while. It basically depends on whether I can find somewhere to do the resin coating that is heated yet also won't kill people due to fumes.


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## jams (Sep 19, 2009)

Sethis, this log is immense! I can't wait to see everything finished. What are you thinking of using for the eye lenses?


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Heya, thanks!

I was thinking a red plastic 2-5mm sheet sourced from somewhere and cut to fit, but I am also conducting preliminary research into LEDs and lit eyepieces... Depends on how much effort and cost it'll involve.

Also (for anyone who cares) I don't even have internet at this house, I'm currently whoring someone elses while I'm round their house. Updates will be sporadic and may not have pictures!


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## jams (Sep 19, 2009)

You could try a cheap pair of Oakley style wrap-around sunnies and take the lenses out


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Ooh, interesting idea. Don't know how they'll respond to being cut to shape though. Possible heating solution.

Anyway, will be back in my flat for the next 5 days. Still no internet, but at least I don't have housemates to complain about being asphyxiated, so work will resume as/when I have time. Pics soon!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Inside of helmet now fiberglassed and resin/filler mix coated, then filed down. Milliput used to fill in the major interior cracks and/or holes so I don't scrape hair/scalp/skin off when putting it on or taking it off.

Filler applied to about a third of the outside and sanded down. I'm going to work it in two stages - the "cone" and the detail around the lower rim and faceplate. I've cut the faceplate out of the helmet to provide better access and easier test fitting. It'll be reattached with magnets so it can be taken on and off easily without having to remove the entire helmet, thus allowing me to eat/drink/talk without having to carry the whole thing under my arm. Once the back fin is attached it'll measure almost 80cm in length from chin to fin tip!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Finally, some more pictures of progress!

You can see the "rough" filler that has been sanded down to a much smoother finish, although it still needs a lighter coat or two of resin/filler mix in order to get a nice smooth surface without the dips and pits you can see. The inside you can see has spots of milliput to smooth out the spikey or rough patches of fiberglass that proved troublesome for the sander. Finally, you can see the side vent things which need more definition with the sander.


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## son of azurman (Sep 19, 2010)

coming along great keep it up


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Progress is being made, I'm just very busy at work etc so I'm getting less hours per week to spend on it. More pics will follow when either the helmet is fully done or there is significant progress on the shoulders/bracers/chest piece. Come to think of it, you guys haven't seen the chest piece yet so I need to post that up asap.


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## jams (Sep 19, 2009)

Hey Sethis, how're you getting along with this? Did you work out a solution for the eyepieces in the end?


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## humakt (Jan 2, 2008)

I found something that could work for the eyes. Its what I intend to use http://www.goglospex.com/standard/

They are pretty cheap and I suspect easy to modifiy to fit the eye holes.

I must say this is a very useful thread. I hope you are still progressing on this.


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## revilo44 (Sep 17, 2010)

This is fab so far and a great thread hope to see the chestplete and helmet soon


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Holy crap Humakt, those are great! I just might get those to replace the sunglasses I bought for the purpose!

The outfit has taken a back seat to my revamp of my 10,000pt Eldar army with the codex being rereleased (I'm optimistically buying FA choices such as Hawks and Vypers in the hopes that they don't suck in the new book) so there's a lot of painting to be done. However I have almost finished the chestpiece, I just need to make the Spirit Stone which is going to take the center position. I've got the casting resin and the colour and backing material et al, just need to make the mold for it!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Alright, so after painting and gaming a *lot* with the new Eldar codex (hence the lack of prgress on this front) we have a slight change of plan, as follows:

The plan was (and still is!) to do an Ulthwé Farseer/Warlock. However I have been looking and thinking and decided that it's possible to do a few different outfits using the same pieces, because Eldar armour is pretty universal. With that in mind, I've been looking at Rangers and Guardians as well, and decided to shift into a Ranger outfit for my first attempt, for a couple of reasons:

1. It requires the least amount of Pep work.
2. The weapons are easy, and look good.
3. Making a singing spear is a complete ballache, so it's pretty much on hold until I find a method to craft one that gives me a result that I like. So with that in mind...


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

*Rifle*

(Pics are from Snugglemoogle on Deviantart - they're amazing, and a big inspiration for me to continue my work. All props and credit to him and his awesome Ranger outfit)

We turn a Nerf Longstrike into the rifle shown below.

There are, however, a couple of things that I want to do differently:

1. My gems are going to have mountings similar to those present on the Eldar models, to make them look a little more integrated into the body of the gun.
2. I'm not a huge fan of the Scope. I might do something different, or simply sculpt over the entire thing - not sure yet.
3. I'm going to smooth out the barrel a bit more, to ameliorate the blockiness of the first third of it.

Finally (this is a BIG challenge) I want it to work, if possible. Having seen a video of it being fired, that's going to be tricky for two reasons:

A. It's Bolt Action, which means I need to somehow conceal the bolt on both sides (it's super-large due to being intended for children) and also keep the bolt channel and firing chamber clear without it being obvious.

B. The Magazine is very very square and blocky, and is directly in the way of the balancing rod that is underneath the rifle pictured. Again, it needs to be concealed somehow or worked into the design.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Following on from previous, we have the...

*Pistol*

Again, turning a Nerf gun into a functional Shuriken weapon!

This one should be a lot easier to keep functional for two reasons: It has no magazine (single shot weapon) and it actually loads from the back. You pull the green "loop" that's just above the grip and it slides out towards your wrist, allowing you to load a disc.

Because there are no moving parts apart from the trigger, loading mechanism and safety, it means I can sculpt freely around the top and sides, smoothing everything out with plasticard and putty to turn one into the other!

*Knife*

Is probably going to be a LARP Elvish weapon, simply because you can get them for £20-25, they look decent enough, and they're safe and legal to carry about. Crafting my own out of wood or something could cause trouble I don't need and will take longer and require more money and effort than I think it's actually worth.


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## humakt (Jan 2, 2008)

There is some really good looking ideas here Sethis. I can't wait to see what you manage with these.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So I've done some sketches of the pistol concept (despite sucking at drawing!) and I'm really confident that I can make it work. The Longstrike is a lot more complex so won't be able to plan that as easily until I actually get my hands on one.

The deadline I have set for myself (now that I'm well settled into 6th and the Eldar have been played enough) is to see if I can go to the MCM London Convention in October, 25th-27th because I don't think I'm going to be done in time for Games Day this year - which is a shame as it was the original intent.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So the pistol is going well, I've got about 30% of it green-stuffed (well, milliput) and a fair amount of the plasticarding done. Hopefully it'll be 100% finished by the end of the week.

Because I don't have internet at home, I'm going to take pics as I go along and then upload them all at once when I go round someone's house who has a connection lol, so there might be nothing, then an explosion of progress in 30 minutes! :laugh:


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## LukeValantine (Dec 2, 2008)

I wish you the best of luck Sethis. I have recently started making a Cosplay of a regular grunt from MGS revengence, and by comparison to my projects glacial progress yours is inspiring.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So, update time!

I'm at my Dads place for a little while, so can use his net. Therefore pictures!

This is basically up-to-date, and I'm progressing on several fronts. Pistol, Gems and Armour.

Here are the sketches I made:


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

*Pistol*

So this has been... interesting. Certainly the core concept works, but the little details and actual execution are trickier than I had at first thought. Nonetheless, it's coming along, but I think I'm going to have to extend the barrel because it looks rather snubby at the moment.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

*Gems*

Having to cast my own, which is a pain in the ass, but I haven't been able to find any reasonably priced molds that I like. Hence I'm making the master copies out of body filler sanded down to the correct shape on a plasticard base. It'll receive a coat of... resin? PVA? In order to smooth out the air bubbles before coating with latex for the mold itself. My mixing stick is a biro, so that gives you some kind of scale. This is going to be a "general purpose" size gem, fits on the pistol, rifle and armour. I also need to make a "soulstone" which is what I'm doing with the big black spoon and "small and decorative" which is what the teaspoon is for.

Yes, the white stuff is Latex. Not milk. Or any other bodily fluid.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

*Armour*

Slowest of all the progress, simply because I'm treating it with PVA in order to experiment with flexibility/resilience/painting and so on. Each coat takes multiple hours to dry properly, so... snore.

However once the test piece is finished I'll be able to work on the rest of it more quickly.

I also have my second backup weapon, a dagger from www.larpinn.co.uk which is about 18" long and rather nice. My first ever LARP weapon! :laugh: It'll be going in an underarm holster arrangement, which will let me draw cross-body with my right hand, or straight up reverse-grip with my left if I'm holding the pistol in my right.


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## wolf_girl (Aug 16, 2013)

Nice!  that's some spoon!!


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## son of azurman (Sep 19, 2010)

wolf_girl said:


> Nice!  that's some spoon!!


Was that an invitation.i don't think farseer's are into that but I could be wrong.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

It's my sister, so if it was an invitation it's going to 1. Receive all of my NOPE and 2. Prompt a set of very circumspect questions from our mother... :laugh:


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## son of azurman (Sep 19, 2010)

Lol sorry.on another note very nice progression. I was wanting to make my own wraith guard costume but my parents wouldn't let me as it was going to apparently be too expensive.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

"Expensive" I suppose is relative. I've probably spent, what, £150 or slightly more on this so far? Obviously on some tools and materials, but also on things I haven't shown yet, because they only come into play later on during the decoration stage.

Of course I've made some mistakes at various stages, which costs time and money, but overall I think you can get a relatively good looking costume for cheap enough (considering what the equivalent money would buy you from GW anyway). You just need to be willing to take a break from your armies and do something else instead.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Progress!

We have some gem molds underway, as well as a demonstration of how badly liquid latex rubber fucks your brushes if you don't thoroughly wash them after each application... However I'm not convinced the molds as-is will hold the resin properly, so I'm doing some more coats on them.

We also have the resin-coated master gem I'm currently making a mold from, nice and smooth.

Finally we have progress on the armour - 6 pack done. And also the belt/holster webbing I've made myself, ready for the pistol. Not shown is a bandoleer made from the same stuff which will carry the rifle, and a weapon loop for the knife made from velvet which has been a _bitch_ to sew together given I haven't touched fabric since Yr 9 Textiles class. However the camouflage material is arriving tomorrow or the day after, so I need the practice!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Finally won a Longstrike for less than £30 on ebay! £22 plus postage. Take that, RRP of £50!

Also, added straps to armour and have finished mold of first gem!


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

So, it's been a while since I posted something educational.

*How to cast your own gems*

You will need:

- Liquid Rubber Latex (Air drying)
- Clear Casting Resin plus hardener/Catalyst
- Colouring Agent
- Pringles
- Small square container whose edges are larger than the Pringles tube (8-10cm tupperware box is ideal)
- Disposable cup and stirring stick
- The object you're going to make a copy of

Steps in GREEN are OPTIONAL. You do NOT need to follow them, although you can if you wish.

1. Find a work area which is flat and level, and free from pets/small children. Assemble all ingredients.

2. Take a deep sniff of the latex, it smells roughly like 12 used condoms, without the fond memories. You can apply the latex in one of two ways - brushing or dipping.

3A. Brushing: Take a small, fine brush and simply paint the entire object in latex, thin enough so that it doesn't drip. Repeat as many times as you need, depending on the thickness of the coats, probably 8-10 times to get a nice mold. Obviously let it dry between coats, just like paint.

3B. Follow manufacturers instructions and simply leave the brush in water between coats instead of cleaning it properly. Rage in frustration as it destroys a nice expensive Citadel wash brush.

4. Dipping. Literally pick up the object and dip it in the latex. Remove it and pop any air bubbles. Re-dip again immediately, then leave to dry. Repeat as often as necessary. Make extra sure the latex is dry before dipping again - you know it's cured when it's completely transparant and not-white.

5. Alternatively, and particularly well suited to flat backed gems, you can place the master copy in a small tupperware box, flat side down, and pour the resin over it. Do it in depths of a millimeter or two at a time, letting each layer dry fully before doing the next one.

6. Eventually, you'll have a workable mold of your object, which is a minimum of 2mm or so thick. If you're planning for it to hold it's detail well, you probably want to go for about double that to reduce distortion.

7. Remove the master item. Bask in your own magnificence.

8. Now you need to set up the mold ready to fill with your casting resin. It needs to be flat side facing up, and level. Because a flat backed gem shape will obviously distort when placed flat side up on a table, you need some way of suspending it with no weight on the shape itself. Enter the Pringle tube. Cut it to a manageable size (eat the Pringles first, idiot) and then make sure it sits level on the table.

9A. Pour an appropriate amount of resin into the cup. Always use slightly more than you think you'll need, because you'll never get the colour right twice, and mixing when it's already in the mold is a pain in the ass.

9B. Marvel in astonishment as you read the instructions, and realise that they want you to use 2-3 _millilitres_ of hardener with 100 _grams_ of resin while using no more than 5% colour with no way of measuring any of it. Who the fuck measures liquid in grams?

10A. Add about a half teaspoon of hardener for small gems, a full teaspoon for large ones. Literally dip your stirring stick in the colour to a depth of about a centimeter and use only what sticks to the stick. *Do not pour colour into the resin.*

10B. Get overenthusiastic and pour about a teaspoon of colour into the resin, then have to bin the whole thing when it refuses to cure and leaves a sticky hard-to-clean mess in your nice new latex mold.

11. Stir well, without generating air bubbles if possible. Pour into your latex mold. Curse as you knock the mold, spilling all the resin over your workspace. Frantically scrape it back into the cup and use it again before cleaning up your fathers tool bench.

12. If using a POLYESTER RESIN wait for it to get tacky and mostly solid (spend the time sitting around making jokes about what else you could mold out of latex). Then place some clingfilm or plastic (I cut up a plastic bag) on the flat back, removing as many air bubbles as possible. This will hopefully prevent the back of the gem from curing "sticky".

Pop it out after 24 hours (don't get impatient!) and admire. I'll tell you how to back them to make them shiny once I'm done doing it myself and making all the mistakes.


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## Stormxlr (Sep 11, 2013)

Craaazaaay ! Amazing work, hows the progress going?


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Cloak is completed, rifle is part fibreglassed, project on a whole has slowed down a lot since I'm actually working AND have a social life, something I didn't anticipate when starting the project 

However when I get back into it I'll post a slew of pics showing what I've done since last time.


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