First download the program, then open up a pepakura file with. You can get these files from all over the place.
There's a pretty cool Wiki with a big collection of Gears of War pepakura files, which is where I found the file for Carmine's helmet.
This will form the foundation shape which will be built up on with fibreglass and body filler.
Before printing make sure you scale the model so that it will fit. I didn't need to do this as it was the right size. A quick Google can help with this.
Printing:
PRINT ON CARD - Do not print onto A4 paper then glue to card. I did this form my last project and the glue makes the card bend, which gives you bent pieces, resulting in the final piece being wonky.
If you don't have a printer you can create a PDF using PDFCreator saving you installing pepakura on another computer. PDFCreator is fre.
Cutting and Scoring:
Cutting and scoring takes quite a while and can get tedious. I recommend putting a film on in the background. This will keep you mentally occupied and also act as a time keeper, making sure you don't procrastinate. Cutting all the pieces, and then scoring all the pieces.
Craft knife for Cutting, Scissors (tip of blade) for Scoring.
When cutting, you want to cut through all solid lines. Each piece you cut, mark on the back the page number it was on, and keep all those pieces in one location. Same for every page.
Scoring - There are two types of lines to score, valley folds and mountain folds. Scoring allows for much cleaner folds.
Mountain - - - - - - - - Fold outwards (towards you) Fold = peak of mountain.
Valley _._._._._._ Fold inwards (away from you) Fold = base of valley.
Before I start scoring my pieces, I mark all the valley folds as these can be difficult to see once scored.
Sticking:
When I first started doing pepakura, I used sellotape. USE A GLUE GUN. It is definitely worth the investment, it is stronger than sellotape.
Cocktail sticks are very handy for holding glued pieces together while the glue dries, and the glue can be quite hot.
A fan is also useful, as it cools the glue quicker, leaving you holding pieces in place for less time. Also if you do find yourself having to use your fingers to hold bits together, the fan will sometimes make the glue heat a little more bearable.
Numbers on the pieces connect to the same number on another piece or the same piece.
When gluing it is best to glue on the inside of the helmet as this will save time when refining the shape. But sometimes it can't be helped, no worries, this external can be removed with a hot knife in the hardening stage.
One side of my final pepakura model was slightly off, but looked fine when pinched. Instead of pinching it in place during the hardening which would've not been very practical, I used a cocktail stick to create a clamp type thing.
See where the stick goes in through the top and out the bottom. This was poked through, then glue was added just to the bottom portion of the stick. When that dried, I pulled the top of the stick taught, then glued it so it would stay in place.
The stick acts as the pinch, with the bottom portion as my thumb, and the top with my index finger.
The next update will cover fibreglassing (resin and cloth) and the first stage of hardening.
