HALO Project Update: Tunnel Vision Fully Engaged

When last I posted about this project, I was bobbling along at a medium pace and tinkering with a few of the pieces. At this point, I now have molds for all of the armor parts from the crotch up.

Here's a couple shots of the pelvis armor (aka "space diaper") during test fitting:


Here's a shot of the inside of the front to give you an idea of the strap arrangement that keeps all the junk in place:

Believe it or not, it's surprisingly easy to wear. I had it on for about an hour in the shop and it didn't interfere at all with walking, kneeling, or anything else while I was working.

That same day I started the mothermolds for the gauntlets. Here's a shot of the silicone jacket with the parting line built in oil-based clay:


Here's the first half of the mothermold being built up:

Once this cured, the next step was to peel the clay off the other side, coat the parting line with a release agent, and build up the other half of the mothermold.

They should be ready to take apart and start making castings soon, so I'll post more when I've got more.

In the meantime, I've also started prototyping the parts to be cast in rubber for the undersuit:


For now, I've run out of rubber gloves and a handful of other workshop sundries I really ought to have in order to keep working. I have molds for the helmet, arm parts, handplates, ab plate, chest, back, boot uppers, and crotch armor. Now I just have to finish the prototypes for the underarmor components, calves, and thighs, make molds of all of them, cast the parts I'm still missing, clean, prime, and paint everything, and it'll be all done!

Then I can take a break from looking like this:

And spend a few days looking like this:

SIDE NOTE: As the castings of the various armor parts come out of the molds I've been dumping them in a tub full of water and detergent to get the oily film from the silicon molds off of them. As an added bonus, over half of the pieces float:

I know it's probably a Darwin Award in the making, but I'm tempted to go swimming in the costume once I've got it built.

More to come. Stay tuned...