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[rainbowxkat]

From what I've seen you could either go with Craft foam or thermoplastic. I'm trying to make Spanish conquistador armor and I need tutorials. I want to make it as strong so it wouldn't fall a part on me. Any help?

[Dragnfyr]

I think your best bet is the plastic on this... What made the armor solid and rigid was the creases and sharp joints of the armor pieces...

http://www.costumeloft.com/gallery/p...pups/00239.htm

is an example of the armor and helmet... The "Fan" at the top of the helm was two pieces joined at the top and with a quarter inch of space between them at the bottom, the two halves of the bowl attached to the fan and to the outer rim... made for a very strong and still light armor...

For the chest piece, the back would be more form fitting than what you see on the front and joins by straps at the sides and shoulders (the back goes under the front with about 2-3 inches of overlap on each piece)... Kinda like a clam shell... the front is bowl shaped with the strength coming from the crease that runs down the center and the sharp angle of the lower skirt...
Hope that helps, its the best info I can give you...

Drag

[Satine]

I've used foam board to start a quasi set of historical armour It's really pretty simple, even with the very heavy gauge I was using! This stuff goes by a few brand names such as sintra or forex.

Avoid craft foam for longevity


One theatrical technique is to use felt soaked in glue. The downside is it will be brittle, but it can last for quite a while. My Galadriel breast plate lasted years. I had to finally throw it away because I stored it badly and it deformed.

[Zhor'Fughakee]

Yes ! I found one for my Ezio armor plates I made them with craft foam, here's the link :

http://www.entropyhouse.com/penwiper...helmsdeep.html It helped me a lot, and there's my finished plates : http://www.hilderic-theknight.deviantart.com/#/d3hfzzp