How to Make Your Very Own Iron Man Suit

How to Make Your Very Own Iron Man Suit

By: Kamran Mahmud

Not everyone has the same vast amount of wealth as Tony Stark, but for those of us who aren’t genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropists, there is a way to build an Iron Man suit just like his for a fraction of the cost! Using some simple household and automotive bodywork tools, you can craft a wearable suit out of cardstock and fiberglass that can either be worn as a costume, or simply put on display as a statue. You can also use this same method to make other intricate costumes such as Robocop, Batman, suits of armor, Master Chief from the Halo video game series, and even Xenomorphs from the Alien films. The steps shown below are only for making the helmet and will need to be repeated for each part of the suit.

Some things you’ll need:

-  Computer with Windows XP, Vista, 7, or 8

-  Printer

-  120lb cardstock

-  A self-healing cutting mat

-  Pepakura Viewer by Tamasoft

-  Glue (hot glue works best)

-  Exact-o knife

-  Ruler

-  Fiberglass resin with hardening component

-  Fiberglass cloth

-  Disposable cups

-  Spray-on glue

-  Plastic gloves

-  Disposable brushes

-  Heat gun

-  Bondo body filler

-  Mixing plate

-  Plastic applicator spatula

-  Sandpaper or electric mouse sander

-  Automotive spray paint

1.  The first thing you’ll need to do is go on your computer and download the latest version of Pepakura Viewer. This is a free software that was originally created to make 3-D paper models as decoration or desk toys. Eventually, life-sized models became more common for use as costumes. This software takes a 3-D object and flattens it so that it can be printed on a piece of paper. Once printed, you cut out the pieces and glue them together. The way that Pepakura flattens out the pieces ensures that they will have curvature when they are assembled together. After clicking on the download link towards the bottom of the page, follow the prompts to complete the installation process. When you have completed this step, open up Pepakura Viewer. You can also use the paid version, Pepakura Designer, which costs a one-time payment of approximately $40. This is helpful if you want to make edits and changes to your costume files and save your work, but it won’t be needed for this project.

2.  Before you start to build your costume, you need the costume files. Therpf.com is a forum where you can easily find all sorts of links to projects, ideas, and files needed for making Pepakura costumes. You will have to browse the threads to find which costume is right for you. Other users are often very friendly and willing to provide links to the files that they used for their costumes if asked. Once you’ve downloaded your costume files, open them up in Pepakura Viewer. The files will look like this:

This is the file for Iron Man’s helmet for the Mark III suit, the final red and gold one used in the end of the first Iron Man film. On the left is what the assembled part will look like after printing, cutting, and gluing the pieces together. You can hold down the right-click button on your mouse and rotate the model to see it from different angles. On the rights is the page layout for all of the unfolded parts. This is so that you know what each individual sheet of paper will look like when it is printed. You can also move pieces around to different sheets or make pieces smaller to save paper, but make sure that the final product fits you properly! NOTE: If you resize any of the parts, make sure you resize the other ones to the same scale. Otherwise, the parts will not fit together. At the bottom-right of the window, you will find the measurements of the assembled helmet so that you know how big it will be. When you have everything positioned the way you want, make sure that you have loaded the cardstock into the printer, go to the “File” menu at the top-left and click “Print.” Cardstock is used because it is thicker and more rigid than regular printer paper.

3.  Next, you will have to cut out the pieces and glue them together. Some pieces require folding along the dotted lines, so be sure to do this first. For each piece, cut carefully with your Exact-o knife on top of the cutting mat along the solid black line. DO NOT cut along the dotted lines. These are necessary so that you know where to fold the part. The dashed lines indicate where to put a mountain fold, and the dot-dash-dot lines indicate a valley fold. You can also see numbers marked along each edge. This is so that you know which parts correspond to each other. For example, both edges that are marked “44” get glued together. The red line seen here is a guide that shows you which edges get glued together. If you hover over an edge with your mouse, it will highlight that edge along with its corresponding edge. When gluing everything together, make sure that the flaps are glued on the side opposite that of the lines. It is best to only cut out one part at a time so that none of the pieces get lost or damaged.

4.  Your assembled product should look like the 3-D model on the left side of the Pepakura window. Now, you’re ready for the next step: casting the model in fiberglass resin. This part should be done in well-ventilated area far from anything that might get damaged. When the resin cures, it will break down and melt things made out of plastic or synthetic materials, so take extra caution during this step. Cover your workspace in plenty of old newspapers or cardboard so that no resin drips anywhere that it shouldn’t. The resin comes with a liquid hardener that you must mix in with the resin to activate it. Check the label on the resin can to make sure that you mix it properly inside the disposable cup, as the proportions may vary depending on what brand you get. After mixing the resin and hardener, you will only have 3-5 minutes to work with it before it begins hardening, so it is better to mix it in small quantities that you can work with in that time frame and then mix more as you need it. Apply the resin to the outside of the model with your brush. You only need a thin layer, but the entire model must be covered. When this is done, let the model sit for no less than 5 hours so that the resin hardens completely.

5.  When the resin has hardened, use the heat gun to shape the part so that it is proportional and symmetrical according to the 3-D Pepakura model. It is important to do this step now because it will be too difficult to shape it later. Next, cut the fiberglass cloth into squares about 4”x4” and set them aside. Then, apply the spray-on glue to the inside of the model and stick on the fiberglass squares. They should overlap about 1” over each other. Mix some more resin and apply it to the fiberglass cloth. This will make the entire model rigid and strong. You can add as many layers of fiberglass as you like. Let it harden for the same amount of time as before.

6.  When it is completely hard and dry, you will be ready for the next step: applying the body filler. This has to be mixed in the same way that the resin was mixed, but this is a paste rather than a liquid. You will need to check the label again to see how much of each component to add. Mix it on a mixing plate by folding the two compounds together like dough. When the color of the paste is uniform, apply it to the exterior of the model with your spatula. Make sure it is applied evenly so that you don’t have to do as much sanding later. Like with the resin, you will only have a few minutes to work with the filler, so mix everything accordingly. Drying times will vary on the brand you use, but you will need to allow at least a few hours in a cool, well-ventilated area. When this is done, you will be ready to sand.

7.  Sanding is the simplest step of this project, but it can be tedious. That is why it is recommended to use an electric mouse sander to speed up the process. Make sure that the surface of the model has a smooth finish with no rough edges. You can use a file to fine-tune the edges if you want, but a mouse sander will do the job nicely as well. You may have to apply multiple coats of filler to ensure that everything is smooth and even. If there are uneven or rough edges, they will show through when you paint it.

8.  Painting is the final step, but it requires some attention to detail. It may help to paint the helmet first so that imperfections show through. You can then sand them down and re-paint until you have achieved a finish you like. For a movie-accurate suit, you will require red, gold, and silver paint, but you can use any colors to achieve your own finish. The finished product will look something like this:

Allow enough time for the paint to dry and be sure touch up any areas that seem unfinished. How you complete this step is entirely up to you as there is no right way to customize your suit. After the main construction, many people add features such as LEDs and servo motors to move parts. But these steps are completely optional. If you have done everything properly, you will have a life-sized wearable Iron Man helmet that will be sure to impress anyone that sees it.