Building a Life-Sized War Machine

I’m proud to present my sister’s latest work of art, a life-sized War Machine model unveiled at the recent Philippine Toy Con 2011. Talk about building your own full-scale action figure!

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Artist Rosario Belinda Lodriga , along with her team, was commissioned by Halimaw! Sculptures to create this battle armor replica from scratch. Last June 18, the completed War Machine sculpture was unveiled along with tons of other comic book memorabilia at the 10th Philippine Toy Con in Mandaluyong City, Philippines.

war machine head white

torso front

How was it done? First, the artists started with a plastic Iron Man mannequin as their base. The sculpture had to be completed in segments: legs, torso, head, arms, and the weapons. Using cardboard, rubber foam, and cyanoacrylate adhesive, Lodriga’s creative team layered the parts over the base to complete the War Machine armor. Several photos, action figures, and War Machine models were used for reference. They had to carefully measure every ridge and plate on War Machine’s armor to make an exact full-scale replica.

minigun parts

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Other cool features of the War Machine replica are its accurately-made weapons. The mini gun lovingly referred to by James Rhodes as the “ex-wife” was recreated with PVC pipes, cardboard, and rubber foam. Even the weaponry on the forearms was expertly copied to the last millimeter.

Once the War Machine model was completed, all parts were smoothed, sanded, and painted with white primer. Halimaw! Sculptures then continued with the casting and finishing processes. The separate War Machine parts were covered with silicon and fiberglass to create several molds. These molds will then be filled with resin and allowed to set. Once all casts have dried, War Machine was reassembled and painted with urethane paint for a perfectly stunning finish.

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The jaw-dropping movie replica seen at Geeky Mommy Blog stands approximately 6 feet 5 inches. Overall, the creative team was able to complete the project in seven months, from start to finish. This amazing project and the unbelievable people behind it truly helped bring this favorite movie hero to life.

More War Machine madness: Buzz Lightyear crosses over with War Machine, War Machine cosplay suit.