How to Build a War Machine

See how a life-size replica of a fully-armed War Machine was built – with some art supplies, dozens of work hours, and tons of creativity. If you want to see the War Machine sculpture in the flesh (or armor) you can find out the details here.

You can also check out my short feature on an awesome Iron Man suit from cardboard here.

If you want to see War Machine in the coolest armor, then check out this blog post on the Iron Patriot armor.

Artist Rosabelle Lodriga custom built this larger than life War Machine sculpture as a commissioned work for a comic book enthusiast. The process took around eight weeks from start to finish. And the result is an awesomely accurate replica that looks like it came straight out of the movie!

Starting from Scratch

Lodriga and her creative team started with a plastic base, which is actually a hollow Iron Man mannequin used for toy store displays. With the head, torso, arms, and legs basically there to begin with, all they needed to do was build the War Machine parts on top of them.

Using War Machine models, action figures, and tons of photos for reference, they created a full-scale model from light materials like cardboard and rubber foam. They also used a special cyanoacrylate adhesive called Greco 888, which is much stronger than super glue.

The armor parts were carefully measured, cut, and angled to imitate the bulky metal for the battle suit. These body parts for War Machine were copied down to the last millimeter to ensure an almost perfect replica.

Even the minute details of War Machine like the bolts, plates, and ridges were added. Plus, from the same light materials and some PVC pipes, they even rebuilt a complete mini-gun to be mounted on War Machine’s back. All body parts for War Machine were sanded for a smooth finish before they were painted with white primer.

Creating a Cast

After all the parts have been replicated and finished, they were covered with silicon to create a mold. The molds were made in segments, the largest single piece being the lower body of War Machine. All other parts like the head, torso, arms, and War Machine weapons were used for separate molds. Each mold was enclosed in a fiberglass casing so they can hold together as the cast sets.

When put together, these molds will be used to make a full body cast of War Machine. The material for the cast is primarily resin, which makes it sturdy and tough but not as heavy as a real metal armor.

The casting method was also used in the plastic helmet for the cardboard Iron Man 3 costume featured on my blog. 

The Finished Product

Once the full body War Machine cast has been set and assembled, a commissioned paint team did the final touches on the sculpture. Copying the exact colors and shades from War Machine models, the painters did an equally excellent job of bringing the super hero to life.

Check out the completed War Machine sculpture with the “ex-wife” mini gun poised and ready for action.

Surf on over to my HubPages feature to learn more about the event and the War Machine sculpture.

Where to See It?

Get to meet War Machine up close plus other awesome characters at the 10^th annual Philippine Toy Con 2011 to be held on June 18 to 19, 2011 at SM Megamall Megatrade Halls 1, 2, and 3. Click here for more details.

Thanks for your comments! You can send us an email if you want to learn more about this artwork and to view more pictures of War Machine.

Copyright: Photos from this blog are the sole property of the artist. Please send us a message or a comment for permission to use these photos.