Mk.4 Armor Showcase

Read before getting a quote!

So you wanna be a Protogen?,.. not just with a head but the WHOLE shabang? You want to wear a bona-fide exosuit that is resistant to small caliber arms??? (please don't test this)... WELL... Atomic Fursuits can do that, but you've gotta be the right fit and have an (almost masochistic) level of stamina. This full set of armor also increases logistic complexity for conventions. You NEED a handler 24/7 when armored, and you will need to drive to conventions or pay extensive shipping fees...

Height and Weight:

You need to be between 5'6" and 6'3" in height, and below approximately 200lb-260lb depending on height. 

A lot of this depends on where your body puts weight. The belly is only covered by fursuit so a larger tummy is manageable, but large hips will prevent you from fitting into the hip armor. I may consider making special extra-width hips but it will come with a surcharge and will look far less smooth than the stock hips. 

Heat:

The armor is designed to fit directly over a regular fur fullsuit. Fursuits are hot enough as is, but the armor will marginally increase heat. Most of this is caused by the extra energy you'll be burning while supporting the armor weight. Most people shed over 25% of their heat through the head, and Protogens make use of visor fans. These are necessary to both prevent fog and to keep you cool. I install high power 12v server fans into existing protogen heads (or my own) when you get a set of armor. 

Weight: The entire suit weighs about 50lbs. These centers of mass are directed about 50/50 at your shoulders like a backpack, and at your waist. A backpack full of books weighs around 25-30 lbs for comparison. It is a manageable amount of weight for most people, but if you have back problems this may be a deal-breaker. 

Handlers: You MUST have a handler when wearing this armor. You can get most of it on by yourself, but the shoulders/chest clips and plugs are not accessible without help. *Some* people are capable of unclipping and shimmying off the armor themselves in an emergency but you need a mirror to do it. Ideally you should always have your handler de-suit you so that nothing gets damaged. 

Sitting and Breaks: Usually, to take small breaks at the headless lounge for example, it is customary to take off your head and chest, and unzip the bodysuit to cool off, leaving the hips and legs on. In this configuration you can usually sit on the corner of a chair or table. You'll be resting partially on your tail but it provides enough relief for your legs. 

Traveling/Packing: This armor is very bulky, and the pieces are solid shells... they cant be squished into a tote like a fursuit. The awkward egg-shaped hips exacerbate this. 

There is no way you will be able to effectively fit the armor in even the largest luggage tote. Additionally, the custom electronics inside, especially the battery pack will look *a lot* like a bomb to the TSA. Your best bet would be to somehow bring the battery pack in a carry on. You would need a minimum of 2 gigantic totes to fit all the armor pieces. 

On the contrary, all of the pieces nicely fit into the trunk of even a small sedan. It is highly recommended that you reserve the complete protogen armor for use at conventions within driving distance. 

I may consider designing templates for canvas totes meant for the armor. There would be one for each hip and a third for the chest/shoulders. There is no threat of the shells being structurally damaged by the TSA tossing them around, the only wear you will experience is the paint scuffing. Canvas bags will be effective in preventing this. Expect the price to be around ~$300 for a full set of bags.

Electrical Safety:  The jump from 12v lead batteries to lipo allows for much more battery capacity with less weight, but lithium cells demand respect in charging and use. My battery packs are outfitted with a BMS, are fused, and cooled with fans for maximum safety. Despite this, you should always be cognizant of electrical problems if they arise. Always pay attention to the temperature of the cells and the charger when you first begin charging. Removal of the battery pack from the armor is recommended before charging, but you can do it while its still attached. Most of my solder joints are potted in hot glue to insulate against any wire movement, and to protect electronics from sweat. Dont ever splash or drench water on yourself to cool off, and don't get the armor near beer or drinks that could spill, especially at cons in cramped hotels, and ESPECIALLY when charging. 

Assembly Procedure: You need a helper to get in and out of suit. both you and your helper should be familiar with the order of operations to get in and out... 

1. Run the tail through the tail armors hole, on the kidney belt side. leave the front pelvis armor attached to the back

2. attach your sandals to the feet

3. clip your shoulder pauldrons to the chestplates, and attach the aviator plugs to the chestplate

4. put on all of your under armor and balaclava

5. Put on your body suit up to the waist. fit your kidney belt through the tail hole and attach at the waist, then the suspenders

6. Zip up your body suit the rest of the way

7. put on your hips. have your handler attach the rear bungees to your rear waist rungs on the kidney belt, while you attach the front

8. put on your feet

9. You are now in the ideal "quick break" configuration

10. put on your chest and accompanying shoulders

11. have your handler attach the oblique clips, and arm straps on the pauldrons. 

12. have your handler attach the two aviator plugs from the hips

13. Put on your head

14. have your handler attach the plug for your head under the neck scruff

15. get your phone out and activate the main power via the battery module IP address, then go to the WLED Ip address and select pre-sets

16. Put on handpaws

17. You are now ready to go!

To quickly de-suit in an emergency or without a helper: 

This is best done with a  Mirror. You need to first have your handpaws and lycra gloves off. fiddle with your head plug blind till you get it off, then remove your head. Reach for the oblique clips and undo them. Try to reach the arm straps on the pauldrons to undo them. If you cant undo them, you can also get out by just leaning forward and sliding your arms out past the straps, almost like pulling a sweaty t-shirt off thats sticking to your back. 

Charging: 

By default the Charger should have 11.1v 3s Lipo at 5A selected and stored in memory. If it loses this you will need to navigate the menus to get back to the same setting, make sure this is the same. Hold the start button, it will beep twice and the display should blink. Press start again to begin a charge. 

The charger is set to limit charge time to 5000 seconds, about an hour and a half. if your battery is close to empty this may take 3 or 4 cycles to complete. So at a con, charge it when you go to bed, and again before breakfast if it still needs more. 

Phone:

You need an iphone or android and a phone plan that allows for mobile hotspot, which is most if not all cellphone plans in modernity. I will need your hotspot SSID and credentials to upload to the battery and ESP32 modules for your armor. 

Price Breakdown and parts

Do you Have a Protogen Head?

A full set of armor is ~$6000, but this does NOT include a Protogen head or any other fursuit parts. Included in the 6000 is all of the electronics and padding for the armor, as well as modifications to your existing head to work with a 12v system, and an accompanying 12v battery pack. If you do not have a Protogen head you can check the Protogens&Synths  Page to check out head prices, or get it bundled in with a complete protogen.

Do you have a tail with a kidney belt?

A thick kidney belt (kind of like a corset) around the waist is required as a mounting point for the hip suspension. If you allready have a large tail with a kidney belt you will need to send it to me for modification. If you only have a small tail I will need to make you a second larger kidney belt tail ~$250 (In addition to the $6000) For use with the armor, though it can be worn on its own if desired. 

Do you have a full-suit?

In addition to the Protogen head and the Large Tail, You need every other part of a fullsuit to work with the armor, Including the bodysuit. The armor is meant to work with a regular plantigrade bodysuit. Plantigrade feet will work with the armor but digitigrade knee-high feet will look better. The prices for all of these parts can be found at Suit Prices & Features . If you have no fursuit parts at all, The Complete protogen fullsuit bundle can discount the additional parts. 

$$$ Prices $$$

(Since this armor was designed around the Nicoreda Vrchat Protogen Avatar, I am requiring that every client purchase their avatar base in addition to what I charge. The base can be purchased here (for ~$30 ) if not all ready owned. I can offer a discounted re-color / customization for this avatar if you ever decide to use it as well!

• Complete Protogen Full Suit (comes with ZillionRoss head (and all head extras including battery pack for partial suiting), and complete Protogen armor with 200 Watt hour Lithium battery life in chest, WLED app controlled WS2812b LED's in hips and shoulders, 12v charger, new kidney-belt mounted tail, Full Bodysuit, knee height digi feetpaws, and handpaws) ~$9600 (~$850 off)

(This option is for someone who all ready has their own Protogen head, and a full body fursuit with hands and feet, and large kidney belt tail. This price is for *just *the armor related parts) >> any fursuit parts you need in addition can be added on at price. 

• Complete Protogen Armor (Chest, shoulders, hips, 200 watt hour Lithium battery life in chest, WLED app controlled WS2812b LED's in hips and shoulders, 12v charger, modification of existing head to work with armor. 12v fan added to your existing head, and microphone or voice modulator. Also comes with smaller 12v battery pack for partial suiting) ~$6000 

• Complete set of Protogen Shells (all 10 pieces of protogen armor, sanded, primed with gray paint, and all necessary mounting holes pre-drilled) (You will need to spray paint, fabricate and attach all mounting hardware, fabricate and attach all padding, and fabricate and attach all electronics yourself) $2800 + Shipping (~200 in the U.S.)

Refer to the Custom Electronics page for price estimates of augmentations to your protogen armor electronics, and head to the Protogens&Synths page for information specific to protogen heads, or synths.

Meet the Shells

There are a total of 10 individual fiberglass parts in the final set of armor. 2 Hips, 2 shoulders, the front and back chest, the front and back pelvis pieces, and the front and back chest electronic plates. 

In practice these can be transported as 4 assemblies. The left and right hips are on their own. The Chest front and back plates are permanently riveted together at the shoulders, and the chest is transported with the shoulder pauldrons attached, and with the front and back electronic modules velcro'd inside. The Front and back pelvis plates are transported together with the tail pre-fed through the back-pelvis plates hole. So thats Hip, Hip, Chest Assembly, Pelvis Assembly... and your head of-course. All the soft fursuit parts can be stuffed inside the hips for transport.

Most Straps are Riveted directly to the shells to be flush against the body. To make cleaning easier, the padding is hand carved to fit, and sealed with fleece and a velcro strip. The Velcro pairs to a second set of strips that are similarly riveted directly to the shells. To clean the padding, simply pull it off and throw it in the washer. Dry on low heat to prevent premature degradation of the velcro.

Electronics options

The $6000 Estimate accommodates a bundle of electronic options within reason. Customization beyond this can be done with additional charge:

The baseline Protogen comes with the following electronic systems: 

• ESP32 microcontroller with WLED, connects to your phones hotspot for complete control over LED color and animations

• A network of Roughly 800  RGB WS2812 LED's. Approximately half backlight the hip, shoulder, and ear emblems. Half are run in silicone strips around the emblems and can be added elsewhere according to your ref sheet. 

• 24 Lithium cells in a 3S configuration spot welded battery pack with protection board. fused for additional protection (comes with spares). Total capacity is roughly 24 Amp Hours at 12V, Well over 200 Watt hours, 8+ hours of operation.

• Your choice of a voice amplifier or robotic voice modulator integrated into your protogen head, extant or made by me. 

• Conversion of head to 12v  compatibility, and a smaller 12v battery module for use when partialing. 

• Replacement or addition (your choice) of head fan with a variable 12v Server fan for maximum cooling/de-fogging

• 2 NFC Tags integrated into the tip of either pauldron, for uploading links to socials. A third tag on the left hip links to my website

• Lasercut emblems of vector graphics according to your ref sheet for the hips, shoulders and head

• Visual Battery level display in the back chest-plate. Your option to be percentage or bars. 

Additional electronics:

• If more LED's are desired, this can be achieved for additional fees, but at more cost to run time. By default, the data networks for the LED's are symmetrical, and you cant change for instance, the shoulders to different colors. If you want this asymmetric option in your protogen I can do it for additional fees. 

• If you want a high power Sound System in your protogen this can also be done for a fee. Bluetooth is the optimal input system. 

• I am open to any additional augmentations you may want for your protogen, just be sure to describe them fully. 

Electronic Systems

Networking

You need to have the mobile hotspot on your phone active to control your suit. I will need your hotspot credentials when uploading firmware so the modules can connect. 

The wifi controller of the battery module also shows battery levels in the display window. It will shut off the system if it falls below the minimum threshold for 10 seconds. 

The second IP address you will connect to is for the ESP32 which is pre-loaded with the WLED app. Depending on your preferences for the LED layout, you will have a minimum of around 7 pins that each control a separate pair of LED networks... ie "both shoulders"... "both hip bezels". A data sheet will be provided for the pinout to each of these, as well as the number of LED's on each.

WLED App

he "true" number of leds will actually be 1 less than what is on your data sheet. you need to then check the box that says to skip the first LED. This is because Right next to the controller is one LED that bumps the data voltage up to 5v so it can travel the distance necessary in the suit. This is a common practice with 3.3v LED systems. 

Make sure that your maximum current is around 5000 - 6000 mA in WLED. The program will automatically limit the brightness to keep power below that threshold. This will maximize run-time and reduce heat. 

Familiarize yourself with the rest of the interface. It offers a limitless amount of customization in colors and animations. The desktop version of the program allows for even more customization. You can export your templates in a .json file for use in your phone. 

Fabrication History and Gallery

Protocake V1-3 were actually prototypes. I wanted to test things out on my personal armor before re-designing a new model slated for production and sale. The Mk.4 armor is still based off Nicoreda's Protogen Found Here. I made a significant amount of changes to the mesh to better fit onto a human, using all the lessons learned from the prototypes.

The entire fabrication process needed to be repeated from start to finish, beginning with exporting the models to Pepakura, cutting and gluing the cardboard models together, then adding the trim with EVA foam.  

Then the shells were fiberglasses and sanded repeatedly for weeks till smooth. The hips were cut into halves, and brims were added to all the parts with fiberglass. These are the masters, and their only purpose is for making copies. 

From these masters, negatives were prepared with a whole lot of liquid latex and additional fiberglass. With these negatives I can make copies of protogen armor with significantly less effort, and way more uniformity!

The masters are weighed down by all the cardboard, foam, and metal supports that were needed for the original fabrication, but the copies are much more lightweight but just as tough!  Tough enough to drill directly into the shells for all mounting hardware and rivet attachment. 

The hips adopt a slightly different shape that allows a more complete bending of the knees in suit. Rubber core straps are still used to attach the hip weight at the waist.

The shoulder pauldrons are now half-rounds with straps to attach to the bicep. This provides significantly more arm movement and greatly improves shoulder posture. 

The chest is overall smaller than on protocake, as this also assists in arm movement and better emulates the scale of a protogen. Despite this, the entire electronic hub, along with the batteries pack (lithium cells now) still fits inside.

The electronic and battery modules are mounted to 2 inner plates on the front and back chest pieces to allow for easy removal! The new battery assembly has far more capacity than the old lead acid cells, and the entire weight of the armor has been significantly reduced because of this.