ODST
Project Type
Costume
Date
June 2023-Present
Skills
Foam Work, 3D FDM printing, 3D SLA Printing, Blender, Painting, Soldering, Electronics
Started in 2023, this multi-year project has taught me a variety of skills from the ground up and is focused on one of my greatest passions: bringing something that exists within the realm of fiction into reality. This costume is a recreation of Halo's ODST soldiers. It is a fusion of the variants from Halo 3:ODST and Halo Reach. This project contains many disciplines, including custom electronics, resin and filament printing, foam work, painting, and more.
MK. I(2023)
MK. I was the first version of this project, as well as the first full-body costume I had created. MK. I was crafted entirely out of EVA foam, using 0.5in floor mats for the body components and 8mm foam for the helmet. Foam templates provided by AndrewDFT, HerosWorkshop, and the 405th forums.
Templates are traced onto the foam, then cut out. Individual pieces are connected with contact cement. Kwik Seal is used to blend seam lines. A heat gun is used to add curvature to certain pieces, open up detail lines, and heat-seal the foam before the entire costume is hand-painted. The visor was created by bending acrylic sheets with the heat gun and applying reflective window tint.
MK. II(2024)
MK. II reuses many of the same armor pieces, such as the helmet, forearms, and thighs, while replacing or upgrading other parts for canon accuracy and better sizing. MK. II received a new paint job in its original intended color palette, and includes weathering to imitate mud, dirt, and grime.
Posterior armor is directly attached to the vest.
Light chest armor is attached to the vest for game accuracy. Velcro is attached so the actual ODST chestplate can easily be attached.
Torso
The previous foam torso armor has been replaced with an airsoft vest and custom foam attachments. This not only provides a grittier, more tactical look consistent with Halo Reach's artstyle, but is also much more practical to equip and makes adding attachments much easier.
The new Recon shoulder(left) and ODST shoulder(right).
The new Recon shoulder compared to the MK. I.
Shoulders
Both shoulders were remade for Mk. II. The default ODST shoulder was made bigger, while also using 2mm foam to add details making it more consistent with the ODST armor shown in Halo Reach. The Recon shoulder was also made bigger, but a different design was used. Since there were no templates, I took the game asset and unfolded it to create my own template.
The new shin/knee armor is based on the Halo Reach armor, as opposed to the MK. I which used designs from Halo 3: ODST.
The abdominal plate resembles torso armor worn by Marines in Halo Reach.
New Additions
The knee/shin armor, abdominal plate, and DMR are all new additions to MK. II. The previous knee armor was very loose and would not stay attached. The new armor is much more snug against the undersuit. The abdominal plate sits against the body and is held in place by a belt. The DMR contains integrated D-rings, allowing it to connect to a sling for convenient carry and access. It also contains the first SLA 3D printed part of this project, the scope.
The DMR was the first weapon I constructed myself. The main body is made of 0.5in EVA foam, and a PVC pipe is used for the barrel and adds structure to the rest of the body. 2mm and 4mm foam is used for the details.
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MK. III(2025)
MK. III is the most recent version and by far contains the most radical changes. Majority of the components have been replaced with FDM 3D printed parts. In addition to looking more canon accurate, MK. III places a focus on practicality, adding multiple new features for ease of use, wear, and acceessibility.
Ventilation holes were added by the temples and cheeks, and holes for connection pegs are also added.
Helmet and armor files from TitleWaveDesigns.
these interior slots in the helmet were added for magnets, making it easy to quickly add or remove certain accessories.
Preparations
For MK. III, I decided that I was going to 3D print this version for the best possible accuracy. In preparation, I purchased my first FDM 3D printer, a Neptune 4 Plus. I also gathered a multitude of free and paid 3D files. Before printing, however, there are several steps that are required. First, I modified the helmet file. I cut holes through the helmet for ventilation, accessories, and electronics. I also divided the visor into 4 pieces so that it would fit on my SLA printer.
Each armor piece is added and scaled. This ensures not only that it fits, but that the proportions of each piece compared to others still look good.
Scaling
Regardless of character, all costumes need to be scaled according to the wearer, especially 3D printed parts that encapsulate the body. For this, I use a software called Armorsmith Designer. This allows me to place the 3D files on top of a mannequin that is sized exactly to my own body. From here, each individual piece can be scaled to the correct size, and having all pieces at once ensures that the armor will not hit other pieces once worn.
Printing and Sanding
Almost every part has been replaced with a 3D-printed one, with the exception of the shinarmor. I decided to continue to use foam for the shin armor for now as the properties of the foam allow more movement without having to worry about it breaking. I opted to use PETG for all of my parts. Primarily, PETG has a higher melting point than PLA, so where a PLA part would deform in a hot summer car, a PETG one wouldn't. Prints that need to be connected are welded. A soldering iron is used to physically weld the plastic together, and excess filament is used to help fill in seams. After a part is connected, it is covered in a mixture of wood filler and acetone, a runny filler that easily fills layer lines and dries quickly. The mixture is sanded down, and the process is repeated until the 3D print is smooth.
After printing, the resin piece must be cleaned in isopropyl alcohol to remove excess resin, then cured with UV light.
The Visor
The visor for the helmet was printed out of transparent resin. It was printed into 4 pieces, then connected using superglue and liquid resin. After fully curing, the visor was sanded to 3000 grit and a clear coat was applied to ensure maximum visibility. Once again, reflective window tint is applied to the interior for that mirror finish.
Electronics
This project taught me how to solder circuits as well as design my own. After wearing an unmodified helmet for 2 years, there were several problems that I addressed in MK. III with the addition of electronics. I added two laptop cooling fans to help reduce heat and visor fog. Other additions were a hearing enhancement made by disassembling and rewiring a pair of electronic enhancement earphones. I also added a microphone and speaker to the helmet. These both allow me to hear my surroundings better and for others to hear me better. All circuits run off batteries for easy hotswapping.
Fitting Process
Although the costume has been optimized for wearing, the process still takes 5+ minutes due to the sheer amount of equipment. The costume must be equipped from the bottom up, as mobility becomes increasingly more difficult the more armor is worn. In this video, several of the accessibility improvements are shown: The chest armor contains buckles that allow the shoulder armor to stay attached, and the thighs have buckles to connect to the belt. These not only provide a more secure fit of the armor, but also allow certain pieces to be taken on or off more easily, cutting minutes from fitting. In the helmet, there is an integrated metal ring that allows the helmet to be hooked to the belt, as well as a latching neck cover for a snug fit.
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