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 First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP

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NaTiki


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First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« on: Aug 21, 2021, 04:28 AM »
EDIT: September 12 2021
I'm going to keep the most recent of my step-by-step checklist pictures on top so I don't have to scroll through everything. LOTS more photos in the most recent replies!


Original post:

Hello there~
I'm doing things a little backwards, I think, in that I have a complete helm and almost nothing else. I'd like to build a scratch suit, either light or medium, in either modern or post-modern style. I'm enjoying the idea of a lot of corrosion damage, as if I enjoy hunting in hazardous environments.

While thinking of poisonous swamps and biohazard vapors, it feels like a purple and neon-green theme might work. I just have to avoid looking too much like the Joker :/
You can see my bucket in my profile pic -- no guarantees I won't paint over what's there, but it's a nice paint job so I may leave it alone.

Here's what I have concept-wise, thanks to MandoMaker 5:


It's not much to start on, but any feedback is appreciated. I'm off to read some tutorials and start narrowing down my material choices. I may use Sintra or Kydex for the plates. I have most of a gun built, and ideas for several SWarsy accessories whirling around in my brain.

And now I, a 44-year-old adult (?), should probably go to bed, as just starting to start to plan how to start has kept me up until 3am  :porg2:

Oh one last tidbit -- I'm thinking of possibly doing an Iktotchi Mando. They're the race with the horns pointing down from the sides of their faces -- Saesee Tiin of the Jedi High Council is the most famous of them.

This idea stems from the same place my name does -- I was NaTiki an Iktotchi pilot in an old tabletop Star Wars RPG years ago. She's still one of my favourite characters to this day, so it will be interesting becoming her in 3D.

« Last Edit: Oct 24, 2021, 12:09 AM by NaTiki » Logged
Na'Tiki the New-at-this
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Maljohn Han'Tor


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Re: NaTiki's WIP Thread
« Reply #1 on: Aug 21, 2021, 10:42 AM »

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Rilal Birom


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Re: NaTiki's WIP Thread
« Reply #2 on: Aug 21, 2021, 02:03 PM »
Great to see another Arqet Foundling!  I like the concept of your build!  Can't wait to see it all come together!

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NaTiki


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Re: NaTiki's WIP Thread
« Reply #3 on: Aug 22, 2021, 10:36 AM »
Rilal Birom - thanks for the support! Arqet has been very supportive and friendly over the years.

General update:

Had some fun at thrift shops this weekend, and ordered a few more parts.
Found a dog collar almost big enough for me to wear as a belt (and I'm a BIG gal!) or at least to strip for the buckle. The random broken-looking toy bit cost a little more than $0.25 and seems like it can be painted over for a nice greeblie. Also a nifty sprinkler head (grenade maybe?) and some hose/tubing.


The main reason for going out was to get some footwear. I think we found something that can be nicely scuffed up and repainted. Also found a silly alien toy/costume which I plan to repurpose and some terrific pouches in need of a SW repaint job.


I really need to sit down and work on the armor and quit playing with thrift shop finds.
I've talked with the hubbin who recommends Sintra as it's something we can get, and Kydex while nice is probably too expensive comparatively. I've pulled some graphics so I can design a less rough-looking concept, now to pick my template! Woo!

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Rilal Birom


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Re: NaTiki's WIP Thread
« Reply #4 on: Aug 22, 2021, 12:08 PM »
If those boots are rubber, your feet will sweat a LOT in them.  I used to wear a pair that looked just like the ones in your photo for mucking horse stalls, and they were comfortable except for how hot my feet got because rubber boots like that do not breath.  I also found that the rubber cracked after a while at the points on the top of the foot where the boot bends when I walked.

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NaTiki


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Re: NaTiki's WIP Thread
« Reply #5 on: Aug 22, 2021, 06:03 PM »
If those boots are rubber, your feet will sweat a LOT in them.  I used to wear a pair that looked just like the ones in your photo for mucking horse stalls, and they were comfortable except for how hot my feet got because rubber boots like that do not breath.  I also found that the rubber cracked after a while at the points on the top of the foot where the boot bends when I walked.
Oi, the things you don't think about until you've done this a time or two  :)

Thanks for the warning. I just read the label and it says "bonded leather", but I'm no textile expert. Who knows if that breathes any easier? At least they were only $6 USD so if they make me miserable I can change them out without too much loss.

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Maljohn Han'Tor


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Re: NaTiki's WIP Thread
« Reply #6 on: Aug 22, 2021, 06:30 PM »


I've talked with the hubbin who recommends Sintra as it's something we can get, and Kydex while nice is probably too expensive comparatively. I've pulled some graphics so I can design a less rough-looking concept, now to pick my template! Woo!

Actually, I recommend PVC sheeting.  Similar to sintra, but has a few properties I prefer.   :D

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NaTiki


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #7 on: Aug 26, 2021, 11:51 PM »
PVC - yes dear :)

So I made this up to get a handle on what I've got, what I need, what I might want. I'm sure I'm missing tons, especially details, but I figured it's a start.

PVC has arrived
Next up - template cutting and sizing!

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Maljohn Han'Tor


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #8 on: Aug 27, 2021, 12:17 AM »

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Second Son


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #9 on: Aug 27, 2021, 04:37 PM »
Visual chart / checklist is a fantastic idea.  I think I'll have to make one for me so I don't have to remember what I've forgotten.

NaTiki


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #10 on: Sep 05, 2021, 03:27 AM »
So much to add!  I've been working on my kit where I could but was too busy to post  :porg2:, so here's lots of updates all at once.

First off, the next update to my checklist picture:


I like the purple-green color scheme in theory. Also, the plates in this image are from my templates, but had to be modified to fit the dummy in the image.

Here's how the template stuff all went down - pictures for my own amusement :)

We started with cling-wrap to protect my clothes and hair. Oh the things my husband and I do for fun on weekends...


Then we wrapped me up in duct tape. Lots of twirling later, you get this:


Hubbin drew out the patterns inspired by Koska Reeves' plates. We didn't do shoulder today so that'll have to come later. We did get chest, cod, backplate, and tasset. He drew the sides slightly different and we marked which side we thought looked better. He'll do the cut-in-half-flip-and-duplicate method of making sure the sides in the next template are symmetrical. Sadly, I forgot to snag a pic with the "armor" on. It felt GUUUD. :D  :sabine:




So hubbin got to work making some smexy templates for me with all his graphic design skills.


Meanwhile I took some kiddy glue and safety scissors and played with my color palette some more. I finally figured out what inspired me with the color choice of purple and green - it was some of these plants:



Finally I ended up with the colors mixed and hopefully looking less Earth-plant-like, and I added a pattern of whorls and spray that I liked, as shown in the status picture up top.

That was all THIS weekend.  *last* weekend, We hunted down the wild greeblies and I got some of my ordered items delivered:

The painted gun is something hubbin made but didn't use. I'll probably modify it some more. The other toy gun is an alternate weapon option. Everything on this table (minus the speaker and fans) cost less than $8 all together.  Don't you love thrift shops??! The bike wheel is for a gauntlet -- might end up being similar to the sort of thing dog trainers use to shield their arm while the doggo attacks. The orange box is translucent and would look nifty holding random items like a toolkit or medkit. Power strip for tearing apart for copper and wires, and the jars, rope, and toys on the orange card are for accessorizing.

The last item in the picture is my first completely-complete costume item, a gift from Mal John -- a post-imperial style communicator. You can see it from the top on the table above, and here's a close-up with it on its side:


ALLLSO ALSO WIK (Monty Python reference), we tried on some clothes and put in an order for a flight suit and flak vest, which are supposed to arrive in about a week.

We may finish out the templates and trace out the plates on PVC this weekend. I'm still excited this is actually kinda coming together.

Feedback/comments always appreciated! Thanks for reading this far.  :P  :D

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Sith killed my Mudder! Sith killed my Fadder! Sith killed my people!  They took my fadder’s sward!

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Rilal Birom


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This is all shaping up very nicely!  Can't wait to see all the pieces start coming together!

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Dro Shai


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Gosh I really gotta say I LOVE the inspiration for your color scheme, I didn't know those plants existed and now their up on my favorites list haha. Super smart with the chart, I agree with the others here haha. Man... I should do something like that too. Since I'm kinda forgetful and ADD.

Anywhooay. I really like your kit's design, and I'll def be keeping an eye on yours! I hope the chest pieces go smoothly, dope that you made the templates by hand. (That's totally what I did for mine too, ductape is great haha.) :like:

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NaTiki


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Gosh I really gotta say I LOVE the inspiration for your color scheme, I didn't know those plants existed and now their up on my favorites list haha.
Thanks for the interest in my build!
I'm glad to introduce you to those strange plants. The top one is called "Coleus" I think, and the bottom is "Purple Shamrock". It's got some fancy name, but it's commonly known by that so you can find it if you Google. It's also pretty forgiving as far as keeping as a houseplant, so it's one of those I've managed to keep alive :D

Speaking of plants, I did some more work on my plant accessory. I'm turning an alien Halloween prop into a Swarsy plant creature. The eyes did NOT turn out like I wanted, so they'll need more work. Otherwise it looks pretty nifty poking out of my pouches.  Also painted said pouches, and my grenade and med/survivial/whatever kit box:

I also took the long weekend to go ahead and cut my plates.  That's some hand-hurting work right there.

But it paid off.  Voila!

Unfortunately, in the heating and shaping, I got overeager and turned the heat up too high -- the flippin' plates shrank!  Aieee!
It's just a few, but I'll need to re-do the entire breastplate and all its trauma plates.  (See the two chestplates stacked on the right -- they're lined up one way, but about a half inch different to the right and down.) The tassets, cod, and back piece should be good though.

I guess it's time for more hand-hurting cutting. It's all part of the process I guess.

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Tek Sa'an


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Love the progress so far. Keep it up!

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Looks cool, sorry about the heating mess up!

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NaTiki


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Thanks for the encouragement, Tek & Aster!!  It helps keep me accountable and motivated to think someone might actually read these posts :)

Here's the updated WIP check-list today:


And here's my complete set of armor! Ta da!!



(nyuk nyuk ... Mal'John tells me this is a recurring Mando builders joke.)

Since I can't sew very well, I ordered my flak vest and flight suit, and they arrived!  I also got another two pouches and we had some spare gloves that totally work without any work needed. So the only soft part I'm missing is my belt. Woot!  Here's a "rough draft" of my soft parts:


Since we shrank my previous breastplate and had to cut another anyway, we did a test-fitting to see if a larger template covered better. I feel kinda ninja in the balaclava... but I'm almost happy we messed the first breastplate up because I like the coverage of the slightly larger model:


We re-cut the new & improved breastplate and its trauma plates, so that's already done.

We also shopped around for some paint. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has caused a lack of variety in spray paint stock. We went to 7 physical locations and 6 different websites looking for decent deals on the colors I was hoping to work with. Apparently purples and maroon paints are not high on everyone's list of necessaries during the plague :/ Paint which would normally run about $3 was selling for $27 plus shipping so.... yeah, might be a while before we find the right paints. Thankfully we're travelling to Dallas this coming weekend so I might have more luck finding some stock there.

Next up:
Shape & cut shoulder bells. Figure out shnees design and hopefully cut & shape that as well. Continue the hunt for reasonably-priced paint.  :sabine:

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Tek Sa'an


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Take a look at Molotow brand paints. That’s what I use. They have wonderful PMS matches. I get it from Art Primo. Hobby Lobby sells Ironlak in decent colors. Great progress, and yes, people do read these!

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NaTiki


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It has been a busy month. I often wanted to post but just did not have the time! Lots of ComiCon travel on weekends for my husband's business, and then my 9-5 on weekdays.

Not a lot of building got done, but lots of concept and fine-tuning.


Figured out my colors and played with painting techniques.


Played a bit with working green "acid damage" and I think it looks OK with the purples.



Looked around for more Iktotchi Mando  / armored Iktotchi inspiration. Putting the pics here for my own quick reference.



Got my helmet insides fixed up.

...although I'm probably going to have to move the fans - I mounted them in what seemed like a nice recessed spot -- which turns out places them right at my ears, so I will be even more deaf than usual.

Re-cut my breastplate since the last one shrunk from over-heating, and got that shaped tonight. Other than that, mostly have been picking up greeblies and ideas. Have a great set-up for a closed-air breathing system. Other than this weekend, I should have several weekends off and can perhaps get some actual work done.

I got my belt, so that means I have all my soft parts.
Also got my Iktotchi horns and a plan for how to mount them. I had photos of various trial positions and mounting ideas but don't know where those photos went in the last few weeks.

I'll have to update my WIP graphic later, I saved it to hubby's computer and can't get to it at present. Got my stencils set up and finalized except for scale.  So much to do! It's still lots of fun. I can hardly wait until I get to do some painting and weathering as well as accessorizing!

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Tek Sa'an


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #20 on: Oct 30, 2021, 02:16 AM »
How exciting! Once you’re done I’ll have to make a mando envelope for you, too.

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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #21 on: Nov 03, 2021, 04:05 PM »
Wow I really love the paint tests you did! Awesome work  :like:

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Raquel91


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #22 on: Nov 08, 2021, 02:14 AM »
OH MY GOSH!!! MEL!!!  :porg2:


Your progress is outstanding!!! I can't wait to see it completed and to see the both of you together in kit!!! 


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NaTiki


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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #23 on: Nov 14, 2021, 07:29 PM »
Not as much progress the last two weeks as I would have liked. I did up a rough draft of my "SCOTABA" as I'm calling it - self-contained-outerspace & toxic atmosphere breathing apparatus". I over-sanded so the cylinder looks fuzzy (I was going for ceramic or an air-tank look) and the valve is also rough. Not in love with the colors. I do like the chassis though, may keep that part as-is.



Gonna mount it off-center over my right shoulder and will run some breathing tubes from it... haven't figured out mounting yet.



In other news, MalJohn has been helping me with earcaps for my horns to protrude through the side of my helmet.
But as I do not have a picture of that, instead you get a picture of my favorite droid, spotted at SpaCon a few weeks ago:


 
The next 10+ days are booked with real life "fun", but looking forward to working on my armor more. Will have to work harder to make time. Where there's a will, there's a way. :mcq2:

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Re: First Build: NaTiki's Iktotchi Wilderness Suit WIP
« Reply #24 on: Nov 16, 2021, 11:37 AM »
I like the "scotaba", very nice! Keep up the good work  :<3:

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