Building materials for armor - my first build

Hey everyone, I am doing some research before jumping into actually building my first Boba Fett

after reviewing a lot of posts/sites I see that a lot of people either buy armor from vendors or create from fiberglass. I think that I want to create my own armor rather than purchase it..but if i fail miserably i will end up buying the armor. anyways, i am not sure if i want to go the route of fiberglass as i am not experienced with it and from what i hear, it can make the armor heavier than some alternative methods (also, i am in an apartment and don't have a well ventilated workspace yet). I am more of a paper mache guy (very simple I know) but I want to expand my creative ability without making to large of a jump.

I read on another site, I can't find the location right now, of someone using rolled aluminum, which i believe is just aluminum flashing that you can buy at home depot or lowes. the suggestion was to make the armor out of cardboard and then cut the rolled aluminum slightly larger than the cardboard and bend/crimp the metal around the cardboard. from what was told, the aluminum can be painted and sealed really well. lightly sanding the paint would allow for the natural silver to show through to make all the dents/scratches on the armor. the aluminum is also lightweight but very sturdy, which to me, is better than using the heavier fiberglass.

i was thinking of using this method, but just like fiberglass, i have never worked with aluminum. I was wondering if anyone on here has used a similar method to make armor or props...i dont think that cutting the metal would be an issue, tin snips seem to work just fine. my main concern with the method is bending the metal around corners without leaving any cardboard exposed because i think that when you fold the metal over the cardboard, there might be a little bit of space in the corners leaving a gap. I don't really know how to explain it, but maybe someone knows what I am talking about.

should i even bother with this route? is there something similar that would be better? or should i just buy the armor from someone?

The idea of wrapping aluminum over cardboard is intriguing, but sounds like more work than needed. And the problem of the corner gaps is a tricky one.

A lot of people here have used plastic sheet of various sources, something you might want to look into.

A lot of people here use Sintra because it can be shaped and formed. I've never tried it, but it's supposed to be fairly user friends and doesn't involve harsh chemicals.

Gregory said:

The idea of wrapping aluminum over cardboard is intriguing, but sounds like more work than needed. And the problem of the corner gaps is a tricky one.

A lot of people here have used plastic sheet of various sources, something you might want to look into.

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Yeah, the gaps would pose a problem. By using the plastic sheets, what would be a good thickness? The reason why I was gonna wrap the metal over the cardboard was to give the armor a thick look to it, otherwise I would have just used the metal itself,

Bounty1138 said:

A lot of people here use Sintra because it can be shaped and formed. I've never tried it, but it's supposed to be fairly user friends and doesn't involve harsh chemicals.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I looked into Sintra and it seems to be like a good alternative. I will try to find some threads about using it.


Thanks the both of you and if you have any other suggestions they would greatly be appreciated!

Did you see the trash can armor thread?

Mattcover said:

Did you see the trash can armor thread?

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I just searched for it. Looks like an awesome idea. Im gonna look until that further. My only concern is my height and build.. 6'6'' 260 lb.. I wonder if the curves of the can will match my body size.

Thanks for the tip!

I would recommend 6mm Sintra. Just use the Wizard of Force templates and size them up to the proper size for you. The metal the way you described it would be way more work than it is worth. I would recommend reading through a lot of scratch build WIP threads here on the forums. There is a reason why people use the techniques they do, there is no reason to try and reinvent the wheel. Most possibilities have been tried and tested.

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your time here.

Mullreel said:

I would recommend 6mm Sintra. Just use the Wizard of Force templates and size them up to the proper size for you. The metal the way you described it would be way more work than it is worth. I would recommend reading through a lot of scratch build WIP threads here on the forums. There is a reason why people use the techniques they do, there is no reason to try and reinvent the wheel. Most possibilities have been tried and tested.

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your time here.

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What he said! Sintra is relatively easy to work with.

Mullreel said:

I would recommend 6mm Sintra. Just use the Wizard of Force templates and size them up to the proper size for you. The metal the way you described it would be way more work than it is worth. I would recommend reading through a lot of scratch build WIP threads here on the forums. There is a reason why people use the techniques they do, there is no reason to try and reinvent the wheel. Most possibilities have been tried and tested.

Welcome to the forums and enjoy your time here.

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tjr2d2 said:

What he said! Sintra is relatively easy to work with.

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Thanks. 6mm Sintra seems good to me. I was looking at those templates, I'm gonna give them a try.

I know I had a sample Sintra sheet once which I tried to shape using a hair dryer(for a different project) .. Didn't work too well. Should I invest in a heat gun to curve the sintra and make the dents in the armor?

Bubsy54 said:

Thanks. 6mm Sintra seems good to me. I was looking at those templates, I'm gonna give them a try.

I know I had a sample Sintra sheet once which I tried to shape using a hair dryer(for a different project) .. Didn't work too well. Should I invest in a heat gun to curve the sintra and make the dents in the armor?

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Heat guns work pretty well. But be warned, they can get REALLY hot! I have gotten my fair share of burns from mine.

a cheap heat gun and take your time

Mullreel said:

a cheap heat gun and take your time

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I got my cheap heat gun from Harbor Freight and it has worked great. A hair dryer did not work. The gun I use only cost 8 or 9 dollars because it was on sale. I used 3MM Sintra I got for free from a sign shop. The 6MM would look better as the extra thickness really looks nice. Shameless plug I have quite a few timelapses of the cutting and shaping. There are some great videos on youtube about it as well.

Stormcrow85 said:

I got my cheap heat gun from Harbor Freight and it has worked great. A hair dryer did not work. The gun I use only cost 8 or 9 dollars because it was on sale. I used 3MM Sintra I got for free from a sign shop. The 6MM would look better as the extra thickness really looks nice. Shameless plug I have quite a few timelapses of the cutting and shaping. There are some great videos on youtube about it as well.

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A hair dryer does not operate at over 500 degrees haha

Ok thanks, I think I will buy a cheap one.

I'll try not to get burned.. But probably will.

With the 6mm sintra is it easy to cut?

Great, now I know what not to use..lol