Murmillo Skirmisher

This build is dedicated to my uncle, Jefferey Lee Smith.

References

The Murmillo Skirmisher is a high ranking Jackal sub-species from the video game Halo Reach.

The character is a blend of avian and reptilian features with a scaly hide, sharp feathers, and toothed beak.

Materials

Armor:

HD Foam (EVA Foam)
Leak Seal (Rubberized Spray Coating)
Kwik Seal (Silicone Caulk)
Plaid FX Paints (Acrylic Paint)
Assorted Spray Paints

Head:

Dragon Skin 10 FAST (Platinum Cure Silicone)
Turkey Feathers
Oven Bake Clay
Psycho Paint (Silicone Paint)

Skin:

Creature Cast Super Flex (Liquid Neoprene)
Cotton Balls

Under Suit:

Upholstery Foam
Leak Seal
Plaid FX Paints

Work in progress: Armoring

This costume started with a game ripped basic geometry file and the cosplay program, Armorsmith. I used this and Pepakura to create foam patterns for the base armor.

Once the basic shape was built, I covered every piece with painters tape and hand drew the raised details and used that as the next pattern in thinner foam layers.

After smoothing the edges and seams with a grinding bit on a dremel, I took Kwik Seal silicone caulk and filled any gaps.

Work in progress: Sculpting

The sculpted portions of the costume I’m most proud of..

The head of the costume was sculpted plastalina oil-based clay on top of an eva foam base of the basic head shape.

The teeth were sculpted separately from the head and are made out of an oven-bake clay.

Work in progress: Molding & Casting

After the head was sculpted, it was time to mold the piece.

The tip of the bottom jaw, tongue, and muscle bands in the mouth were molded separately in silicone block molds.

The head was sock molded with a two-part shell.

All parts were slush cast in a thinned fast-curing platinum-cure silicone.

Work in progress: Stilts

The stilts of the costume are made of sandwiched layers of eva foam and plywood sheets. The outside of the layers are covered with sheets of eva foam and the top and bottom are protected with pieces of rubber stair treading.

The platforms are attached to the inside of the Skirmisher’s legs by a wooden stake.

All together, the platforms weigh approximately five pounds.

Details: Hexagons

By far the most time-consuming part of this entire costume building process was the addition of hexagons to the top layer of the armor’s paint job.

To achieve this look, I cut almost two dozens sheets of temporary hold vinyl with a Cricut cutting machine with thousands of hexagons of different sizes.

The negative space between the shapes was weeded out and transfer tape was used to move the hexagons in bulk to the surface of the armor.

After the hexagons were applied, I painted the surface of the armor with a pearl white airbrush paint.

Once the paint was dried, then it was time to take off all of the individual hexagon stickers. While I was removing them, I decided to count them too.

Total hexagon count? 6,808

And that’s not including the 1000+ diamonds on the under suit.

Details: weathering

The weathering of the costume was both messy and fun!

The process started with oil-based paints and naphtha.

Layers of oil paints were applied and blotted off. Naphtha was then flicked onto the armor to give it a water-stained effect.

After the oil-paint weathering, then it was time for mud!

I took a case of non oil-based pastels of different shades crushed it, then mixed it in water to different consistencies and applied it in layers to the armor and under armor. The mud was applied heavier on the lower legs, then splattered and sprayed sparsely as you go up the armor.

Both of these methods I learned from youtube tutorials by Off Earth 3D

Details: eyes

The eyes of this costume were originally hand-sculpted in oven-bake clay, following a tutorial by Kazul Cosplay.

I was originally planning on making flat “follow me” eyes, but I found the hand-sculpted eyes gave a much more realistic effect that I was much happier with.

After sculpting the original eye blank, it was block molded and cast in resin.

The eyes were then hand-painted and the clear hemispheres are halves of Christmas ornaments.

Details:
head painting

Painting the silicone head took a steep learning curve as it took a method I had never attempted before, painting with more silicone.

The head base was tinted a light grey, so all the head needed was more washes of darker grays and blacks. The red and pink fleshy areas took multiple layers of heavily tinted Psycho Paint layers so they no longer appeared grey.

The remaining shine after the paint had dried was remedied by applying baby powder.

Details: Feathers

The feathers on the back of the head was a long process as well, but it was completable in a couple days as opposed to the hexagon, which took weeks.

The plumage was pre-dyed turkey feathers purchased in bulk. I achieved the brown coloration on the feathers by using Got 2B hairspray and bronze mica powder.

Smaller cut feathers were plugged into the silicone skin of the head, while the larger plumage was hotglued into an upholstery foam wedge, effectively making it a removeable feather mullet.

Spaces between the feathers on the feather mullet were filled with chunks of black fur trim.