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Introduction .................................. 1
This is NOT a complete Pepakura ....................................... 2
Material suggestions ..................... 3

tutorial. Reinforcement .............................. 5

Gluing............................................ 5
Seams ........................................... 5
Paint ............................................. 6
This is just me, sharing my process. In whatever Weathering ................................... 6
way it might help you. Polyester ....................................... 6
Joints............................................. 7
Don’t expect it to answer all your questions. The
Helmet electronics ........................ 7
following pages gives you some suggestions based Walking sounds ............................. 7
on what I have learned. Worblas Finest Art......................... 8
Worbla painting ............................ 9
More stuff ................................... 10
Introduction
I scratchbuilt this Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Power Armor as a fan. It was my first
pepakura+foam build.
It was first shown at The Scandinavian Sci‐fi, Game & Film Convention 2012 in Stockholm, Sweden.

About 300 hours in making, spread over 4 months from start to first use. After that more than 100
hours has been used making improvements and modifications.

Weight: The current weight is 25 kg.

Height: About 210‐215 cm/7' (I am about 183 cm/6' without armor). (To be able to move around
easier and be able to use my own hands, the size is a compromise between proper SM size and a
normal human.)

Method: Pepakura (foam+hot glue) and some modifications to make it look more like the miniatures.
And some aliminum rods, and screws and electronics. I used 935 as scale on the pepakura files.
(Some exceptions. See the pepakura files in that folder for details.)

Cost of materials: At the present more than 2700€. (And then I have tried to make it cheap.) The cost
of the foam is only about 400‐500€. The rest is all the other small things you need, and paint. (See
separate document for more details.)

Getting dressed takes about 15 minutes, and requires a servitor (and a short ladder). First I put on
the waist+thighs piece like pants with a belt and shoulder straps inside. Then step up on a short
ladder and steps inside the shins and feet. The servitor puts in the pins so the knees connect. The top
part with chest, arms, shoulders, and backpack, goes over the head like a sweater. (The bolter has a
sling that goes behind the “collar”). Gloves on, and the servitor puts the helmet on. I can’t reach the
helmet myself. Off to fight xenos! (AKA “Pose for pictures”.)

No comissions.

Look through ALL folders with pictures before you start a build. Since several
things has been remade or modified since the first build, and a new version is
in a specific folder.

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Pepakura
Download Pepakura Designer here, to view and change the patterns. (Learn to use the program!)
http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura‐en/

If you need more help understanding the pepakura/foam build method, look around the internet for
tutorials. I bet there are a few on YouTube.

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Print the patterns. Draw them on the foam. Cut with a sharp knife. I want to point out though, that I
made several modifications to make it look more like the miniatures, such as narrower waist (and
adjusting the thighs accordingly) size and details on the weapons, major redesign of the backpack. If I
did it again I would make even more changes. Since all these changes are made when building, the
pepakura patterns do not show them.

Material suggestions
I used a kind of sleeping pad that is ”fine grain”. It is very smooth and not “bubbly” like it usually is.
However, I would suggest trying a harder type of foam. On the good side though, this softer sleeping
pad foam does make good smooth rounded shapes. And this armor has a lot of those.
http://www.jula.se/liggunderlag‐2000x600‐mm‐956087

Panduro (in Sweden) has a harder, smooth kind of foam sheets (about 30 x 50 cm size) in 2 mm and 6
mm thickness. I recommend these for details (2 mm/6mm) and helmet (6 mm). (For some reason
their black foam is harder than their white. So I use the black.)

http://www.pandurohobby.se/Katalog/50‐Skapa‐Dekorera/5060‐Dekormaterial/506025‐
Plast/1/179114‐Dekorgummi‐2‐mm‐svart

http://www.pandurohobby.se/Katalog/50‐Skapa‐Dekorera/5060‐Dekormaterial/506025‐
Plast/1/179014‐Dekorgummi‐6‐mm‐svart

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For the bigger parts I would try the harder kind of foam often referred to as EVA‐foam. (Usually 12
mm thick) It has a hard plastic back. It is much more durable. I only used this for the bolter and some
parts of the back pack on parts that are not rounded, but I only found this at the end of my build. I
will use it for new additions.

http://www.jula.se/traningsmatta‐4‐pack‐951060

Whatever you choose, remember to adjust the patterns for the thickness of the foam. When
bending a piece like a pipe (Arms, legs, and pretty much all pieces more or less, the final piece ends
up too big. Compare the result with the pattern and remove excess before gluing. Demands a little
thinking in some pieces that have more complicated shapes.

Suggestion: Use a heat gun to warm and shape the foam in bends, convex shapes and so on.
Minimize the amount of seams in your build buy bending instead of just gluing “flower shaped”
pepakura‐forms together.

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Reinforcement
I used some aluminum strips in the chest, shoulders and some more places to make it more sturdy
and make it keep the right shape. Hard and light weight. Bought them at a DIY store (Bauhaus, in
Sweden). They come in different sizes. The hardened kind, not soft sheet‐aluminum.

Gluing
Regular hot glue gun. For both the foam and for attaching decorations and for attaching aluminum
reinforcements.

Seams
First I did some sanding with sanding paper around a block of wood. I then used “acrylic painters
filler” (unsure about correct English name) over the seams, spread out with a slightly damp sponge. It
was not perfect, but worked well. The painters filler was also used to even out some uneven parts.
When dry it still is kind of rubber‐like and don’t crack. And it is made for being painted over.

Warning! When filling out the seams let the “filler” dry for a few days. I have had problems with it
making the color sticky months after painting. And when using spray paints, bubbles appearing (not
directly, but long after) under that paint at the filled out seams. Not sure why.

Casco Målarfog
http://www.casco.eu/index.php?contentID=126&productID=655&productcatID=97

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Paint
When coating with wood glue dilute the first coat 50/50 glue+water, and after that just glue (perhaps
with a little water if it is too thick.)

I recommend spray cans. Easy and non sticky when dry. (it will crack here and there because foam is
soft, but that’s is just what happens with wear and tear.) Graffiti stores have many shades of spray
paint.

When using acrylic “art” paint, a clear coat is necessary to make it less sticky. Flat or glossy
depending on what is suitable.

Weathering
Some silver paint on edges. And dry‐brushed here and there where some shafing looks natural.

On top of the basic painting I used a spray bottle with watered out acrylic paint (black+brown) that I
sprayed on as dirt. Spray and sweep down with hand. Makes a stripy “runny” pattern. Easy and
turned out very good and natural. (This is just one way to weather. There are other techniques.)

Polyester
Tried to brush on 2 component liquid polyester on the Frag Grenades. 3 coats, and still rather soft
and fragile. Coating the entire armor would take at least double that amount of coats. And more than
doubling the weight compared to foam alone. Better to use a harder foam than I did, as suggested
earlier. With no need for plastic coating. (Regular PVA Wood Glue also gives a kind of plastic surface,
in a much easier and healthier way.)

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Joints
Joints are covered with ventilation hose. 15 cm diameter for arms, 25 cm for knees and hips. The
actual joints are made of aluminum strips, bolts and nuts. Se the build pictures to see how they are
made. (Just like it has been used in so many old sci‐fi movies, including that one about wars among
the stars)

Helmet electronics
The voice is this kind of product (just a voice amplifier, not a voice changer):
http://www.kjell.com/sortiment/ljud‐bild/pa‐ljud‐underhallning/megafoner/barbart‐mini‐pa‐p24310

I have a fan (squirrel fan/radial fan) that pulls out air from the helmet, pushing it out thru the vent in
the forehead.
https://www.elfa.se/elfa3~se_sv/elfa/init.do?item=54‐210‐92&toc=0&q=radialfl%C3%A4kt

I also have a “hearing thingy” mounted with microphones in the cheek vents (over the hoses) and
headphones in the helmet. For better hearing.
http://www.conrad.se/websale7/?shopid=conrad%2dswe&act=product&prod_index=190915&cat_i
ndex=SHOP%5fAREA%5f17363%5f2406020&Ctx=%7Bver%2F7%2Fver%7D%7Bst%2F3ec%2Fst%7D%7
Bcmd%2F0%2Fcmd%7D%7Bm%2Fwebsale%2Fm%7D%7Bs%2Fconrad‐swe%2Fs%7D%7Bl%2F01‐
aa%2Fl%7D%7Bbi%2F1%2Fbi%7D%7Bsf%2F%3Cs1%3ELJUDF%D6RST%3C%2Fs1%3E%3Cs5%3E2%3C
%2Fs5%3E%2Fsf%7D%7Bp1%2F9961ba7705e04d474715f8ec9f1912ff%2Fp1%7D%7Bmd5%2Fa756e0
15cddaa5e8830c91f39c6af2e8%2Fmd5%7D

Eyes are Modified Glospex.

http://www.goglospex.com/standard/

Walking sounds
Think Geek: Mega stomp panic:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ef56/?pfm=Search&t=mega%20stomp%20panic%20‐
%20audio%20reality%20experience
Modified with bigger speaker for louder sound with more bass.

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Worblas Finest Art

Thermoplasic. (Use heat gun to warm up, then shape to your liking.) Very usefull! When warm it
sticks to itself. Save all the scrap bits, warm them and work with them as clay, for shaping details.

http://www.mycostumes.de/Worblas‐Finest‐Art‐Groesse‐L

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Worbla painting

Using Gesso as primer (Gesso it a thick primer used for priming canvases):

http://www.pandurohobby.se/Katalog/20‐Mala‐Rita/2030‐Konstnarsmaterial/203030‐
Medier/1/920851‐Gesso‐500‐ml‐vit
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More stuff
Rivets are decorative nails bought at a DIY store. Or wooden “buttons” from a Hobby store. Or ping
pong balls cut in half. Depending on size.

Skulls are Halloween decorations.

Good luck with your build!

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