Okay..here goes..
This is my first build. I have recently submitted my pics for pre-app and have received feedback on things I need to work on. I never started a WIP post so here it is! Hopefully this helps someone else.
Bo Katan was my first idea. After trying to mimic those plates, I came to the realization that those were not going to work for my body type and look good.
So I was struggling with what I wanted to do and a friend came over and helped shape a chest plate for me. (It was actually my husband's old chest plate) and I loved it. So I went with the galaxy template and modified it to what I liked. Everything on my kit was made as I went. I didn't really have a design in mind. I created one piece at a time until I was satisfied with it. My goal with my kit was to make something that made little girls excited about Star Wars. There aren't many female characters so I wanted to give them one they could freak out over.
Soft PartsThis was the beginning of my soft parts. I started with the soft parts and worked my way out. I figured this was the easiest to do.
This fabric was my inspiration for my kit
I originally made my vest with lace up on the side, but opted to sew the sides shut and have it secure in the middle of my back with velcro so it would be easier to put it on and take it off. I also had to make alterations because my vest was too baggy so I added princess seams to it. Made a world of a difference.
Next I did my Kama and loincloth. This was the first attempt at it. I used duck cloth to back the silver fabric at first, but didn't like how stiff it was so I opted for a black jersey material that moved better and was more comfortable. I wanted an easy system to take off and put on, so I attached the Kama and loincloth to a dog leash. Sewed it straight on there. Now I know that it will always be straight and not moving around constantly. Also I felt the silver was too plain and I wanted to make it armored looking so I filled in the space between the squares with black sharpie to enhance it and make it look armored. Sadly I am going to have to remake this because it is not appropriate per the pre-app team. I'm not sure what I am going to make next for my Kama/loincloth.
Before
After with the black fabric
Now the belt is just a plain belt with pleather wrapped wooden boxes for the pouches. I will have to see where I found the tutorial for them later. Believe it or not the belt isnt that heavy with those on it.
ArmorThe chest was the hardest to make. I started with that first and made the rest after that
I made a dart in each side of the chest to accommodate for my chest size. Bondo and lots of sanding later it was nice and smooth. I went with a piece on the back of the plate to mount my key plate on so it would be secure. One of my fixes from pre-app is to fix the spacing around my diamond. I plan to remove the back plate and trim the chest plate so it is even on all sides where my key plate is. When we shaped the chest plate, the key plate area got a little warped.
I regret not taking more pics when I was completing my other pieces but here are some of them after painting
I love the nightowl helmet and I had a blast painting it and coming up with a design for it. I used automotive pin striping to create the design I wanted
Black base
Pinstriping
Finished product (before weathering)
I made the visor with help from a friend out of a sheet of clear plastic, mirror tint from amazon, and dark self adhesive tint from lowe's. One side of my visor has the dark tint, the other has the mirrored. It was hard but worth it.
WeaponI wanted a cool melee weapon. I made this from a curtain rod, kirby vacuum tube, foam knife, sintra, and the ball on the end was a dog toy I found that looked cool!! We put this together in an afternoon and I'm very happy with it!
After a few test runs I made adjustments to my kit and this is what I have for now. I have to make some adjustments per feedback but overall I'm very happy with my kit. I like being the pink shiny mando!
I am going to have to adjust my back. Some of the feedback I received was that I needed a full back plate or add a bottom plate under my cape to make it appear that I have a full back plate. I have alot of things to fix before submitting my app, but overall I'm pretty happy for my first build. Let me know what you think!
