Printer software installed - about to print off all new templates to transfer onto sheetmetal and get ready to build MkII of my MK IV Iron Man suit. Now all I need is time!
New templates cut out for the Iron Man boot and abs. Transferring onto cardboard then once I've trimmed and adjusted it all, then transfer onto sheetmetal and start shaping.
Boot #1 completed in foam. Identified trouble spots and room for tweaking. Next to make one from card, improve design and articulation before final construction in aluminium.
I've had a bit of time at night to get a fair bit done with all this rain.
Funny thing is, I've printed all this off at the default scale for a 6-foot tall male, even though I'm 6'2". All this gym work I've been hard at for the last few months seems to be paying off as the suit is smaller than my last but I seem to fit into it perfectly - especially my midriff which has trimmed down a lot from my middle-aged spread.
Building in cardboard is a brilliant precursor to sheet metal, as it's shaping properties are similar, being semi-rigid and prone to buckling if you do it wrong.
Today I've been working on the thigh. Perfect fit. Obviously it's cardboard so distortion will always happen when you put it on and move around, but once it's done in aluminium it won't be difficult to get each part aligned permanently.
So... I've now got a bit of a hybrid prototype happening here. Fibreglass and filled upper, one leg paper hardened with firbreglass, but no filler, some foam for the neck and ribs, paper cod with no fibreglass, one foam boot and a complete leg and boot in cardboard. Looks like the cardboard is a winner for speed, budget and great templates for transferring to an entire aluminium suit.
