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[AGConstrux]

DAY ONE: CONCEPT:

Here is the sketch for my build, so far. Whats on paper will most likely transform via availability of materials and interest...but the concept is there:



Humanoid mandalorian force hunter, early crusader era.
Taozin armor plating.
Scalped padawan braids, crushed/cleaved lightsabers & lightsaber crystal trophies.
creature skull shoulder plates
leather cape/codcloth
Crushgaunts
shin-to-knee full plates

DAY TWO: FLIGHT SUIT PROCURED:

Picked up flight suit today. Perfect fit, zero tailoring needed.







Sans beer gut in a couple months

bringing this back to the front, as tonight is a work night for the armor and suit. might be going with a slimmer version of the helmet, a scratch fiberglass  molded version, as I have all this cloth, resin and mold-release wax on hand and a little time on my hands...I'm thinking something more head shaped...might use a lacrosse helmet as a base, with a little adjustment to resize it to my dome, but at least it already mostly covers the head in a snug and slimmed down fashion. and has some forms to it that aren't just straight lines...

DAY THREE: HELMET WORK:

Here's what little I was able to get done, after giving up on messing with a scratch built. Just too many variables and not enough time to invest...
So I goto work on the bought bucket, taking out the panels:




and here's a sneak at what will replace said panels...



possibly more work tomorrow, depending on schedule...

DAY FOUR: HELMET WORK:

I like the concept of working with the premade bucket. Since you are changing most of the stuff on it that is 'wrong' anyways. Scratch build buckets are fun in my mind. They are time consuming, but I've never been in a rush.

minor glassing inside, so I can get to work on it later, with less trouble with the two halves coming apart...



DAY FIVE: HELMET MASK & LEFT PAULDRON WORK:

There'll be a lot of cutting away and restructuring the visor shape, as well as adding contour to the bucket...you give a little, you take a little...plus some technical things being added to the innards for my own personal enjoyment (aker 1506 & possible stereo earpiece w/hidden mic)

I will most likely start structuring the armor soon, so I can have everything working in tandem...

forming contours on hardest part of the bucket...


and glassed


right shoulder armor work...getting the basic form before contour wire work...





DAY SIX: HELMET MASK & LEFT PAULDRON WORK:

Next phase in helmet contour work is the cheek and the browline


Also more contour forming for left shoulder armor





picked up some pvc and a 2x12x4' hunk of cedar for gun stocks...Going to be doing double duty pretty soon and start building a modern kit with the same character base, just flash forward a few thousand years.

Last bit of contour work for the mask before I go on to work on the helmet and armor...hard to make out the curves and forms, but it looks awesome and better than the drawing by far...the visor will have to be wider on the "l" as the width has increased due to the form of the half skull nose...







****BUILD UPDATE - 04102014****

Just ordered my shade 5 green visor from Airgas, as I am in need of a custom shape due to the width of the vertical bar. Also got some form work done for the top of the bucket, but nothing glassed. Next step is glassing the top and shoulder armor, as well as resin jelly work on the mask.

DAY SEVEN: HELMET WORK:

Wire form work for most of the bucket, before I attach the horns.






glassing tonight.

DAY EIGHT: HELMET WORK:

Glass work begun





Next is the armor

DAY NINE: LEFT PAULDRON WORK:

First shoulder skull glasswork begun





what type of beastie could this be? Ran into it on the way to a jedi conclave...thoughts? Closest I've come to think (since it just popped outta my imagination) is Veermok.

UPDATE***
____________________________

Building up teeth forms for glassing after the boys get picked up by their mom...




DAY TEN: HELMET/LEFT PAULDRON/RIGHT PAULDRON WORK:

Almost time to do the first bout of heavy sanding on the helmet


Teeth ready to cure, next is the upper mandible...details details...it's all in the details...



Also started the sculpt for the shriekhawk skull shoulder piece



DAY ELEVEN: HELMET WORK:

I have to admit...from what it looked like when I got it (left) compared to what it looks like now (right), I sort of rock, for a little more than a week's actual work. Mmhmmm.



DAY TWELVE: RIGHT PAULDRON WORK:

Started glasswork on the right shriekhawk pauldron









only about 3 hours work, from design to glassing 

[Zophar Ptay]

outSTANDING work so far.   Glad to see another 'glass kit being made!

[AGConstrux]

outSTANDING work so far.   Glad to see another 'glass kit being made!

I prefer glass over bondo as fine contouring and durability have to play a role in a kit that plans to be trooped, and bondo is just far too fragile to be used as a composite for overall kit making. It's really only a filler agent and should only be used as such. The fact that other kits have survived as long as they have using bondo as a foundation amazes me.

[Vorpan Kyr'am]

This is gonna be cool. You know what you are Doing bro! Great stuff!

[AGConstrux]

DAY THIRTEEN: PAULDRON & HELMET FINISHING WORK:



More work on the pauldrons and the helmet. Inside structural glassing on the helmet as well as some finishing on the contours to make it less of a costume and more of an entire piece.

[x Venom]

cant wait to see this done 

[AGConstrux]

DAY FOURTEEN: PAULDRON/HELMET WORK:

So, I did some work tonight...

Rough sanded with my handy dandy dremel barrel, then took to them with some 300 grit automotive paper






then it was time to do some layer repair finish glassing for the veermok and the helmet, before I sink into the innards of the helmet, and the underside of the veermok. more shriek hawk glasswork coming tomorrow...

[AGConstrux]

DAY FIFTEEN: PAULDRON/HELMET/BACKPACK WORK:


more patchwork before last rough sand on veermok skull



also affixed shriekhawk skull to pauldron pad (using construction glue - eg: hard as nails) before trimming pad to skull form





and glassed inside of helmet after last rough sand before horns go on



and started on oxygen rebreather backpack console thingamajigger (amazing what you can do with a utensil holder, water bottle, a tin can and some odds and ends)

[Shammah]

Nice work, and cleaver re-purposing of that helmet.

[AGConstrux]

Nice work, and cleaver re-purposing of that helmet.

thank you.

DAY SIXTEEN: PAULDRON/BACKPACK WORK:

Put in a lil more work tonight on the backpack



trimmed up the pauldron base for the shriekhawk





tomorrow I get started on sanding the inside of the helmet, the final rough sand on the veermok, more backpack work, more glasswork on the shriekhawk and possibly get into form work on the shin/knee armor

[AGConstrux]

DAY SEVENTEEN: HELMET/PAULDRON/BACKPACK WORK:

Work day has come!

Rough sanded the inside and outside of the helmet, and went back over it with 80 grit emery. Attached horns after predrilling 1 1/2" ports through the helmet for speakers for the outside amps. Decided to go the asymmetrical route with the horns, as I felt it looked a lot more natural and combat-torn...condensor mics will be ported through the horns to pick up public yammerings. Other electronics to include a mini-fan & voice amp.





Went over the Veermok with the dremel and rough sanded with 80 grit emery. After which, I applied resin jelly to get final smoothness to the skull. will sand tomorrow after cured a full 24 hrs.



Went back through and affixed the shriekhawk to the inner pauldron. Now it isn't going anywhere. Also applied a little more to the skull. Finishing skull glasswork to come, and then rough sand and resin jelly coat.



Went into detail work for the backpack (knobs, cooling fins, core plate), before beginning glassing to give it the authentic look. Note, this is NOT the breather hose I will be using. It is just there to give you an idea of purpose. The actual hose is coming to me from Lithuania. Should be here to attach in the next two weeks.





Later on, I plan to do formwork, and possibly do 1st glass on the knee/shin guards.

[AGConstrux]

DAY EIGHTEEN: HELMET/PAULDRONS/BACKPACK WORK:

Helmet is rough sanded and awaiting resin jelly coat
perty, aint it?






Veermok has been final sanded and attached to the base for sturdiness, awaiting fine sanding and primer filler coat.







Shriekhawk final glassing for sturdiness. Awaits rough sand & resin jelly coat.





Rebreather pack glassed and resin coated for sturdiness and form. Next comes rough sand and more form work.





tomorrow is more sanding, resin jelly coat on helmet and shin/knee wire form work.

Cheers!

[seugtai]

Beautifully work going on in here! 8)
How heavy are some of your pieces with them being all fiberglass? My axe has they most out of all my pieces cause I thought it would make it stronger but, it's actually taken the only damage of all my stuff I think because it is so freaking heavy. Just wondering as your approach interests me.

[AGConstrux]

Barely any heavier than the original football pads. The initial form work being foam core and wire frame, I haven't had a chance to weigh in yet, but it's easily maneuverable. I'm building on a troopable and aesthetic basis, so everything is in mind. I'm also building basing my work on what looks good not just from afar, but up close as well.

[Carid Vhett]

Looking nice vod.

[Latharean]

Loving the look!  Can't wait to see it finished!  I am debating trying to do a Late Crusader Force Hunter.

[AGConstrux]

UPDATES SOON

[Kardos Shantiel]

This is incredible!! I can't wait to see it finished!!

[AGConstrux]

DAYS NINETEEN & TWENTY: HELMET/PAULDRON/BACKPACK/SHKNEEGUARDS WORK

OK...long awaited update...lots of stuff done, just haven't had the chance to post up...

Helmet resin jellied


Shriekhawk resin jellied


and sanded and set up for mockup (note the no-neck space)


Started formwork and glassing on lower canister of rebreather


Then the helmet oxygen hose was installed


And the shknee guards were shaped, drilled for mounting to boots and knees secured to shinguards with metal plating



Tomorrow's forecast calls for shknee guard wireform and initial glassing, beginning gauntlet construction, cleaning of the upper armor for fitting to set up for chestplate alignment & design, as well as chest plate design and initial wireform (possible glassing)

[AGConstrux]

DAY TWENTY-ONE: SHKNEEGUARDS & BOOTS/BACKPACK/HIC IPHONE WORK:


Mounted the shknees to the boots. Used 10/32 nuts and bolts with large washers for support, and then cut and covered the nuts with epoxy to secure in case of possible unscrewing via walking/what-have-you



finished up the design aspect for the main body of the rebreather. Also mounted the on/off button for 1 of 2 LED wires. (heres a test run before painting.



and sketched out one side of the Taozin scales chest piece. Will cut this out and flip over to do the other side, cut out individual scales (3 per side) and begin wireform and glassing. Since these will be fused with leather strapping as the middle broken section, it may take a while. Still have to pick up the leather. But, on a bright note, the scales are more or less flat, so not a lot of unneccessary detail work to be done for these...



Oh, and I finished my HIC iPhone hardshell panel. If you want one, PM me.  Theyre $10 plus $6 priority ship (<--insert shameless plug here)

[Zophar Ptay]

For leather straps I can't preach milsurp ww2 era belts enough.   Making good progress

[AGConstrux]

For leather straps I can't preach milsurp ww2 era belts enough.   Making good progress

These will be thinner leather strapping, simulated taozin sinew, connecting the separate chest plates in the middle. (Don't worry. It makes sense and looks amazing in MY head, lol)

[seugtai]

Are you making plates to go over those shin guards?

[AGConstrux]

Are you making plates to go over those shin guards?

I'm actually wire forming and glassing directly onto the guards, for a more consistent look, same as done with the helmet.

[seugtai]

Cool, cool. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with.