RAM_Doubler's Cylon Centurian - resin coating and painting pepakura

[RAM_Doubler]

Details and progress on resin coating and painting my pepakura Cylon Centurian.

See the pep build details for my build here - viewtopic.php?f=80&t=2788

Build notes:

• For research, read posts like this - http://snypa.co.uk/basics-prop-making-i ... ibreglass/, and watched all of these videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2kInw ... vvOGqwggAw. I read and watched a lot of others, but found myself going back to these two most often to decide how I wanted to approach the resin work on this build.
• My build was during the winter, so I had to choose a resin I could work with indoors. SmoothCast 321 seemed to be a common choice among pep builders, and has worked well for me. I bought it here - http://www.reynoldsam.com/product/smooth-cast-320/. I used just over 2 of the trial-sized sets for all of the resin coating, fiberglass cloth, and filler.
• Bondo and similar products used for forming and shaping aren't an option indoors, so I'm using a fairing filler to thicken the resin. You can add as much as you need to make a paste to build up curves and fill in low spots. It seems to be durable yet easy to sand. This is what I bought http://www.westsystem.com/ss/410-microlight/
• The recommended primer for SmoothCast epoxy resin is Plastikote Sandable Primer - http://www.amazon.com/PlastiKote-T-235- ... B000CPAA3A
• I did 2 coats of resin on the outside, 1 coat on the inside, and then reinforced the inside with fiberglass cloth.

Updates will come as I get time - still trying to finish in time for Planet Comicon 2015 here in KC...a mere 17 days away!

[RAM_Doubler]

Gather supplies. You're going to need a lot of brushes.

Don't forget eye protection and long sleeves - you'll be no good to the Cylon ranks if you've injured yourself before you even joined

[RAM_Doubler]

I found that I needed a ton of space to work on. I'm using 3ft x 8ft table, plus hanging parts and putting them on shelves.

Applying the resin is pretty straightforward. Completely cover each piece, but not so much that there's excess that runs. You just have to sand those drips off later...no reason to make more work for yourself.

[RAM_Doubler]

Here you can see the difference between one coat and 2 coats of resin. It's surprising how even a couple thin coats can really harden up your pepakura.

I lightly sanded between resin coats, just to clean up rough spots and to remove errant brush bristles that got stuck.

[RAM_Doubler]

After a resin coat on the inside, I added fiberglass cloth to the inside of all pieces.

The process was pretty simple - cut the cloth into squares, and adhere it to the armor with resin, making sure to overlap each piece as it's put into place.

Don't forget that fiberglass is an irritant - don't get it on your skin. When I cut it into squares, I did it over a trash can to try to keep the fibers from getting everywhere.

I went back the added a 2nd layer of fiberglass cloth to a couple areas that felt a little flimsy (the sides of the backpack, for one).

....More updates coming as time permits!

[rustycylon]

good work, I don't like working with fiberglass but it has its uses.

[RAM_Doubler]

good work, I don't like working with fiberglass but it has its uses.

Prophetic words, rustycylon... I did a test fit before lining the inside of the helmet with foam and the edge of some hardened fiberglass gave me a healthy scratch.

Probably the third time the fiberglass has bitten me enough to draw blood.

So, if you're doing a build like this, watch for sharp edges!

[RAM_Doubler]

Now that everything is reinforced with fiberglass, I got a little more aggressive with the sanding, really working to smooth out the high spots. There are lots of dents that will need to be filled, and edges that need cleaned up.

Unfortunately, I got a little too rough with the sanding in the eye slot and poked a hole through a spot that I hadn't reinforced with the fiberglass. Patched it up from the inside with a small piece of fiberglass, but was annoyed to have to spend the time fixing a stupid mistake.

[RAM_Doubler]

To fill in the low spots, I used the fairing filler to thicken up the epoxy resin. Awesome stuff - it's easy to use and easy to sand. You're still limited to the resin's curing time, so you have to mix small amounts and work quickly to apply it to all your low spots.

I learned pretty quickly to go back over the spots I filled and take off as much excess as I could before it started harden. While this mixture is easy to sand, if you pile it on, you're going to be working at it with 60-grit sandpaper for a bit before you can start shaping with a higher grit.

[RAM_Doubler]

I ended up with a coat of resin on the shoulder bells that never quite dried. It stayed tacky for 2 days, and I finally just sanded it off (while gumming up the sandpaper big time).

I'm still working on the shoulder bells, and am not fully convinced I'll ever get them completely smooth.

[RAM_Doubler]

After sanding with 100-, 150-, and 320-grit sandpaper, everything but the helmet and chest piece were ready for a coat of primer. The Plastikote Sandable primer was recommended by the resin manufacturer. It goes on really nicely - it laid down flat and dried quickly. I had to push the recommended temperature for because the weather here has been below average, but it still went on good at 50F, or just a bit below.

I pre-built stands for each piece out of chunks of 2x4 and dowel rods. It made the painting process pretty simple.

This first coat of primer really helped the low spots and flaws stand out. Made it much easier to find the flaws so I could fix them.

[RAM_Doubler]

Painting went well, but there were definitely problems. The backpack was covered in fish eyes, while no other piece had more than a couple. No idea what was different about the backpack, but it was a mess.

Also notice that I am forever finding bristles that were fulled out of the brushes while applying the resin. You'd think you'd find them all when sanding, but I still managed to miss a few.

This is also when I realized I'd really drowned the cylinder on the backpack with resin. I'm going to do my best to sand some detail back into it.

[RAM_Doubler]

The helmet wasn't quite ready for its first coat of primer, but I wanted to get a better look at where the low spots and rough spots were. There were lots of them

Definitely happy to get everything with at least one coat of primer. It's finally starting to feel like I might finish in time!

[RAM_Doubler]

The backpack is still fighting me a bit. I tore the front cap while trying to sand and fill some of the many fish eyes. The tear is in a place where I couldn't easily reinforce it with fiberglass, so I pooled some wood glue behind it and hoped for the best. I've had a chance to lightly sand it, and it's been working for me so far.

Lots of work on the backpack filling those fraking fish eyes...

Smoothing and shaping the chest piece has gone pretty well. Just had to be patient and not try to fill too much at once.

[RAM_Doubler]

Finally getting the helmet smoothed out. Since the interior has a thick layer of fiberglass and resin, you can sand into the paper shell of the helmet without worrying about hurting the structural integrity. Worst case, if you sand all the way through, is you just patch the fiberglass from the inside and use a little filler on the outside to smooth it out.

Hoping to get another primer coat on the big pieces in the next few days, so I can see how much smoothing and shaping is left.