This is truly awesome! Any chance you can publish a "What You'll Need" list?

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Patrick "Scout" Gerrity

"I see you had another visit from the 'good idea fairy', Lieutenant..."

Will do. I'll need to compile it, but one I think I've captured everything I'll make a list.

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

Great work on this, nice job!

Thanks for sharing the progress pics! Very creative!

Russ

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"A writer needs a pen, a painter a brush, and a filmmaker an army." - Orson Wells.

http://www.rookscastle.com
http://www.alchemyarms.com

Thanks guys. I would be pretty proud if this thread got a few more grunts in armour, but what I'm really hoping is that somone takes what I've done and refines it even further. There are some details on true CM armour that I just couldn't figure out how to capture, but I bet someone else could!

I'd also like to throw out there that an even more basic version of this armour (stopping with just the one layer for the breastplate and painting on the ridges) would be an easy way to outfit a bunch of Marines for the background of a film. If the hero armour is in front and the camera never stays on them for very long it could be a very economical way to outfit extras or stunt people. It would be good for squib work too!

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

I will be trying this out sometime soon, thanks for the inspiration!

Did you have to heat set the plastic at all?

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AKA: Simon

Hey retro, by the way. Did you use 'pop' rivets with the rivet gun, or hammer on rivets?

I havent started my riveting yet and planned to use just the 'pop' rivets, but my brother gave me a hand full of hammer on rivets (he does some leather working) and am wondering if they hold as strong.

If anyone can vouch for their hold, im thinking they could be better as they are more flush on the underside?

I used pop rivets, but I'm not sure they are superior. My brother also does leather work and swears by the hammer on's. Honestly the only benefit of the rivet gun is being able the rivet things without laying them on an anvil which is great for hard to reach areas like the webbing that loops under the shoulder armour to attach the bells.

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

cool. Ill play around with both I'm sure.

And also, ill hit you back about those inserts next time I am at the store for supplies. Odds are it will be sooner rather than later because I suspect even with my bro's rivets, ill be short about a dozen rivets.

Thats genious! I never thought about garbage cans for the body!

thats an awsome build , makes me think i may just go this route with funds being tight at the moment

Awesome! Look at it as "starter armour"!

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

Marine, let me tell you...

I've seen some craptacular home-made armour in my time. But yours is freaking piece of art.

Well done.

That...is pure awesome-ness! Simply Splendid Armor!!!! Well done Marine, well done!

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USCM- The Colonial Marines- A Brotherhood of Bad Asses!

retrogarde. How much where the garbage cans?

Dom and Hollis: Thank you both so much. Your kind words have absolutely turned my day around.

SgtEasterly: Here's a direct link to what I used:
http://www.biglots.com/p/54-quart-wastebasket

Sterilite® 54 Qt. Wastebasket for $13 bucks. Remember you'll need a pair of them. Oh, and thoroughly wash them to get any residual releasing agent of them.

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

Can we get some pics of the back?

Funny you should ask that, I just finished the grafitti on the back and was planning to take a photo of it. The back is much "boxier" than SA armour, but it doesn't look wrong to someone who isn't holding a photo of the real deal or something. I'll get a picture up tonight.

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

cool

Bit of 'writers block' on my end for grafitti. Looking forward to seeing what you decided to roll with!

My Marine is a Corpsman like Dietrich, so I borrowed the red cross and blood drop from her t-shirt, but with a bit more "formal" look to it. Then I added something else which I'll let the photo show.

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Cant wait to see i luv seeing each persons taggin on their own armor. i may start drawing mine up so when im ready to paint mine i will have my idea's set up.

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SGT Chris Kraemer "BIRD"
S/N: A07/TQ0.0.82154G1 Sgt Kraemer

The replica looks great. Have the USCM tech manual in front of me and you are dead on with the finished product. You have also given me a idead of where to go with materials.
Oorah

Still no photo of the back, sorry! Life got in the way today. Tomorrow though, I promise!

Devildog: the leg armour and a lot of the helmet bits are from the Spatcave, so keep that in mind.

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751

So here's a shot of the back. The shoulder armour rides a bit higher when it's actually worn of course, but you get the idea.

I laughed when I uploaded this photo though as I somehow neglected to notice I'd put graffiti right where my (nonexistent) lamp ought to attach. I'm going to have to do something about that as it seems wrong now to me.

The red cross and blood drop are from Cynthia Scott's Dietrich costume. I'm still not sure if this was her own creation or not, but she also had it as a tattoo on her arm. I tried to make it look a bit more on purpose and used a dark red to make it less of a target. The APC designation was inspired by the Sulaco lockers but I liked it as an additional bit of "squad unity". As the Corpsman it seemed important to have something like that designated somewhere. The Marines in Aliens were all from APC 405A as I recall. No one knows exactly what that means of course...

GROPO is a reference that might be too obscure or might be immediately recognised by folks here. I'll hold my tongue and see what folks say about it.

Now let's talk about the armour itself. In the harsh light of day there's no hiding it's imperfections. It is boxy, lacks a number of the indentations found on SA armour, and has a few rough areas. Oh well! Spat's brackets help it a bit I'd say.

A note on the bottom plate. This is the single most incorrect piece on my armour, but it is also my favorite. It's a bit of rubber off a truck's mudflap or something that I found on the side of the road in '89 or '90. I took it home and wired it to the back of the exact helmet you see me wearing in the photos on page one and it became my first attempt at Colonial Marine armour. Over twenty years later I'm proud to add it to my costume again, even if it isn't exactly right. That's how I roll.

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My entry-level prop and costume tutorials: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12751