Make your own wearable Halo armor!
UPDATED: 11/23/2013
Have you ever seen pictures of people wearing Halo armor? I'm sure a lot of you have! If you have looked at my pictures in the "Armory" then you HAVE seen someone wearing Halo armor. :P Anyway, this section will help show you the way to make your own Halo armor. If you have an artistic talent and can be pretty crafty, then this type of project should go over pretty easy for you. However, if you have never done anything crafty before, then making Halo armor may be a little more advanced for you, but with enough time and patience (it requires A LOT of patience), then you should be able to pull off a suit.
Keep in mind that your first suit might not turn out to be the most epic thing in the world. It takes time and practice. Making Halo armor is a learning experience and if you decide you want to make multiple Halo costumes, you may discover that your 2nd one has turned out better than your first. That may be because you learned from your mistakes and discovered a new or better way to go about things. :)
Okay, after reading the intro, think you are ready to tackle the task of building your own Halo costume? Well, I have one more bit of info to fill you in on........RESEARCH and butt loads of READING! Think of it as being in school............the teacher points you in the right direction, but it is up to you to utilize the info given and learn, study and read up on things to figure it out. If you don't read to learn how to make Halo armor, then nobody will really want to help you because ALL the info you need is there. You just need to utilize the information you are given to learn and read about what goes in to making Halo armor.
Another thing to keep in mind..........making Halo armor is NOT cheap. You can spend anywhere from $100 up to $300 depending on how detailed you want to get with your armor. Adding cool effects like lights to your helmet and armor will cost more, granted you know how to do electrical work. :P However, you CAN go the super cheap route, but remember, the cheaper it is, it WILL show in your finished suit..........meaning it might not look as good compared to someone who spent a little more in getting more suitable materials to make a better looking suit. XD
Still want to make Halo armor? Then read on.......
FIRST of all, I want to direct you to this site: http://www.405th.com/forum.php
That is the site that pretty much started it all and it is where you will find ALL the info you need to know to get started. When you click on that link, it will take you to the main page for the forums. You will see a "NOOB" forum. This is where the new people start and this is where you MUST start your reading adventure. XD lol When you click on that, you will see a lot of threads that say "STICKY" in front of the title. That is because THESE are the threads you want to focus on. Now, you DO NOT have to read ALL of them. Just focus on the ones that seem to contain the info you want. Probably the FIRST thread you will want to check out is this one: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/15735-New-Recruit-Orientation-Video It is a pretty important topic you will want to view. The video will basically give you a rundown as to what is expected from new members. Also, by reading and at least having an understand as to what you are doing and NOT immediately starting a thread that says something like "I'm new and want to make Halo armor. Can someone tell me what to do?" Starting a thread like that may cause you to NOT get very much help and you might only make some of the veteran members loose their mind. The MAIN response that they will give you is: READ. The people on that site ARE NOT THERE TO HOLD YOUR HAND. You have to pretty much start on your own and read the info that is given on that site. I did my reading and research for TWO MONTHS before I started anything!
Another VERY good thread to check out is this one: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30542-NOOB-reading-list It contains A LOT of useful links to other threads to help out people that are new and need a better direction of where to go so they can learn how to do all this. :P I told you there would be A LOT of reading! XD
After you have checked out all those useful "NOOB" reading guides, here is an EXCELLENT thread to help those you have NEVER worked with papercraft before: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/8791-Tutorial-Pepakura-building-for-dummies-(or-noobs) This thread breaks it down for you and walks you through on what to do AFTER you have printed out all your pieces and are a little lost as to what to do next. I had someone once before describe pepakura in the best words: "Think of it as origami.........on steroids." XD LMAO In a way, it sort of is. You will be doing A LOT of paper folding, but you're end results are not gonna be a crane after you fold it all. hehe
MY TIP FOR NEW PEOPLE: Focus on the threads that say "sticky". They ARE your friend. You may not need to read all of them. Just read the title and if it sounds like it may contain the info you are looking for, then read it. :)
Keep in mind that your first suit might not turn out to be the most epic thing in the world. It takes time and practice. Making Halo armor is a learning experience and if you decide you want to make multiple Halo costumes, you may discover that your 2nd one has turned out better than your first. That may be because you learned from your mistakes and discovered a new or better way to go about things. :)
Okay, after reading the intro, think you are ready to tackle the task of building your own Halo costume? Well, I have one more bit of info to fill you in on........RESEARCH and butt loads of READING! Think of it as being in school............the teacher points you in the right direction, but it is up to you to utilize the info given and learn, study and read up on things to figure it out. If you don't read to learn how to make Halo armor, then nobody will really want to help you because ALL the info you need is there. You just need to utilize the information you are given to learn and read about what goes in to making Halo armor.
Another thing to keep in mind..........making Halo armor is NOT cheap. You can spend anywhere from $100 up to $300 depending on how detailed you want to get with your armor. Adding cool effects like lights to your helmet and armor will cost more, granted you know how to do electrical work. :P However, you CAN go the super cheap route, but remember, the cheaper it is, it WILL show in your finished suit..........meaning it might not look as good compared to someone who spent a little more in getting more suitable materials to make a better looking suit. XD
Still want to make Halo armor? Then read on.......
FIRST of all, I want to direct you to this site: http://www.405th.com/forum.php
That is the site that pretty much started it all and it is where you will find ALL the info you need to know to get started. When you click on that link, it will take you to the main page for the forums. You will see a "NOOB" forum. This is where the new people start and this is where you MUST start your reading adventure. XD lol When you click on that, you will see a lot of threads that say "STICKY" in front of the title. That is because THESE are the threads you want to focus on. Now, you DO NOT have to read ALL of them. Just focus on the ones that seem to contain the info you want. Probably the FIRST thread you will want to check out is this one: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/15735-New-Recruit-Orientation-Video It is a pretty important topic you will want to view. The video will basically give you a rundown as to what is expected from new members. Also, by reading and at least having an understand as to what you are doing and NOT immediately starting a thread that says something like "I'm new and want to make Halo armor. Can someone tell me what to do?" Starting a thread like that may cause you to NOT get very much help and you might only make some of the veteran members loose their mind. The MAIN response that they will give you is: READ. The people on that site ARE NOT THERE TO HOLD YOUR HAND. You have to pretty much start on your own and read the info that is given on that site. I did my reading and research for TWO MONTHS before I started anything!
Another VERY good thread to check out is this one: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30542-NOOB-reading-list It contains A LOT of useful links to other threads to help out people that are new and need a better direction of where to go so they can learn how to do all this. :P I told you there would be A LOT of reading! XD
After you have checked out all those useful "NOOB" reading guides, here is an EXCELLENT thread to help those you have NEVER worked with papercraft before: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/8791-Tutorial-Pepakura-building-for-dummies-(or-noobs) This thread breaks it down for you and walks you through on what to do AFTER you have printed out all your pieces and are a little lost as to what to do next. I had someone once before describe pepakura in the best words: "Think of it as origami.........on steroids." XD LMAO In a way, it sort of is. You will be doing A LOT of paper folding, but you're end results are not gonna be a crane after you fold it all. hehe
MY TIP FOR NEW PEOPLE: Focus on the threads that say "sticky". They ARE your friend. You may not need to read all of them. Just read the title and if it sounds like it may contain the info you are looking for, then read it. :)
Now for the FUN part......
Okay, almost fun. XD
This is where I will explain to you what program you need to get started. If you headed over to the 405th site already and started doing your research and already got the program you need, then good for you! :D You are well on your way. :P If not, then click on this link: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ It will take you straight to the pepakura designer 3 download page. PLEASE NOTE: Pepakura Designer DOES NOT work on a mac. If you are working on a mac, then you might need to find a friend that will let you borrow their non-mac computer. :P
Another thing to keep in mind...........while pepakura IS FREE, you WILL NOT be able to save any work. So if you have taken a model and scaled it to YOUR size, you will NOT be able to save it, so it is HIGHLY recommended that you write down your measurements for everything so that if you close the program and reload a model that you already once scaled, you can easily refer to your notes and quickly input the number again. HOWEVER, if you think that this is something you really want to get into and feel that you may want to do more, you can go here: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ and pay the $38 (one time fee) to purchase a password which will give you FULL access to pepakura.
Okay, so now that you have downloaded and installed pepakura designer v.3 to your computer, it's time to start gathering those models! :D
The #1 source for a lot of the files can be found here: http://halocostuming.wikia.com/wiki/Pepakura_File_Index
If you are looking for the Halo Reach models, they can be found all throughout this thread on the 405th: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/24086-*The-Official*-Halo-Reach-Pepakura-Files-Thread The creator of the thread has not updated the first page in a while for all the new models so if you feel like searching through the whole thread to find models that are NOT on the first page, then go right ahead. This is where a majority of the Halo Reach files are kept and there are some modelers that create their own thread and post their files. The best place you can search for threads to find modelers that have their own thread for their models is here: http://www.405th.com/forumdisplay.php/28-3D-Modeling Normally you can tell if it is a thread for models just by reading the title. :P
NEWLY ADDED 11/23/2013: There is a GOOD place to now locate MOST of the pepakura files you may need for your build found here: http://www.4shared.com/folder/CCB_6QwQ/405th_Pepakura_Database.html
MY TIP FOR NEW PEOPLE: If you want to first get a feel for doing pepakura, I suggest printing out something to test with. Most preferably a low def model such as the Halo: Combat Evolved Marine helmet. There is not a whole lot of detail and can sort of give you an idea as to what to expect for future builds. Keep in mind that when you see something that says "HD", "hi-def" or "high detail" means that there is A LOT of detail and this can result in working with small parts. These can also be the most time consuming models, but are worth it in the end. :)
Alright, so now you probably have the full ensemble of the Halo custume you want to make, but now you need to make sure it's gonna fit once you print it out and build it! There are a few helpful scaling threads on the 405th, but here is one that is pretty easy AND includes pictures to really help those that are new: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31627-HaloGoddess-quot-How-To-Scale-quot-and-More-Tutorial Yup! MY thread! XD LOL It's relatively easy to follow and created with new people in mind.
This is where I will explain to you what program you need to get started. If you headed over to the 405th site already and started doing your research and already got the program you need, then good for you! :D You are well on your way. :P If not, then click on this link: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ It will take you straight to the pepakura designer 3 download page. PLEASE NOTE: Pepakura Designer DOES NOT work on a mac. If you are working on a mac, then you might need to find a friend that will let you borrow their non-mac computer. :P
Another thing to keep in mind...........while pepakura IS FREE, you WILL NOT be able to save any work. So if you have taken a model and scaled it to YOUR size, you will NOT be able to save it, so it is HIGHLY recommended that you write down your measurements for everything so that if you close the program and reload a model that you already once scaled, you can easily refer to your notes and quickly input the number again. HOWEVER, if you think that this is something you really want to get into and feel that you may want to do more, you can go here: http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/ and pay the $38 (one time fee) to purchase a password which will give you FULL access to pepakura.
Okay, so now that you have downloaded and installed pepakura designer v.3 to your computer, it's time to start gathering those models! :D
The #1 source for a lot of the files can be found here: http://halocostuming.wikia.com/wiki/Pepakura_File_Index
If you are looking for the Halo Reach models, they can be found all throughout this thread on the 405th: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/24086-*The-Official*-Halo-Reach-Pepakura-Files-Thread The creator of the thread has not updated the first page in a while for all the new models so if you feel like searching through the whole thread to find models that are NOT on the first page, then go right ahead. This is where a majority of the Halo Reach files are kept and there are some modelers that create their own thread and post their files. The best place you can search for threads to find modelers that have their own thread for their models is here: http://www.405th.com/forumdisplay.php/28-3D-Modeling Normally you can tell if it is a thread for models just by reading the title. :P
NEWLY ADDED 11/23/2013: There is a GOOD place to now locate MOST of the pepakura files you may need for your build found here: http://www.4shared.com/folder/CCB_6QwQ/405th_Pepakura_Database.html
MY TIP FOR NEW PEOPLE: If you want to first get a feel for doing pepakura, I suggest printing out something to test with. Most preferably a low def model such as the Halo: Combat Evolved Marine helmet. There is not a whole lot of detail and can sort of give you an idea as to what to expect for future builds. Keep in mind that when you see something that says "HD", "hi-def" or "high detail" means that there is A LOT of detail and this can result in working with small parts. These can also be the most time consuming models, but are worth it in the end. :)
Alright, so now you probably have the full ensemble of the Halo custume you want to make, but now you need to make sure it's gonna fit once you print it out and build it! There are a few helpful scaling threads on the 405th, but here is one that is pretty easy AND includes pictures to really help those that are new: http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/31627-HaloGoddess-quot-How-To-Scale-quot-and-More-Tutorial Yup! MY thread! XD LOL It's relatively easy to follow and created with new people in mind.
For now, I will leave you with this information. You should already have enough information at your disposal to learn and figure out how to make a suit of Halo armor. :) I have posted in my blog about this new section and if you want to see more information here, leave a comment on my blog and tell me what you think! :D