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[Kris Jasra]

Sounds good--I will get working on the trimming today and have updates later. Thanks for the input!!

Kris! I love. YOUR KIT. I envisioned the curvature of my plates to be similar so this is really helpful!! I was playing with the chest plate shapes since the lower part of the basic template doesn't seem to work great for females (at least that I've tried). So I love how yours look! I looked at pictures of Vhonte Tervho for ideas. Thanks for sharing your kit!!

You're welcome. And no, the lower part really doesn't. Technically, if you space it from the collar downwards it usually ends up with ones breasts sitting at the very bottom of the chest plates/ top of the ab plate. Many people seem to get around this by dropping the chest plates 1 or 2 inches so the breast are directly in the middle of the chest plates and then making the collar bigger to fill the gap. But having such a short torso that really didn't work for me as it left my ab plate at hip level so I had to get creative (translation, I made many sacrifices to the paper and cardboard Gods). Just keep making your own sacrifices and testing how you can move and how it all sits. Better to go through 40 designs now and know what won't work for your body shape than to try and adjust nearly finished plates through 40 variations

Okay. The flak vest. I worked all evening making this pattern and I could not get it to turn out right. I also didn't make tea so that's probably problem #1.
- First, I measured only cutting my circumference measurement in half. That made a poncho.
- Realizing it should have been cut by a 1/4th, I did that and completely lost the recognizable shape of a vest. Because I didn't add the 2''-3'' after. When I wrote out the numbers doing the 1/4th + 2-3'', the sizes came back almost the same as my poncho-attempt. I guess I wasn't accounting for adding darts. But AHHH

So now I'm out of tissue paper and any tips (with that pattern or other methods to make the vest) would be most helpful. I got my duck cloth way cheap at Joann's yesterday. Woo!

I tend to use a six part pattern for vests nowadays (at least for anybody with larger pecs or breasts). It's much the same as Point's pattern except where his dart stops, mine angles back out to the armpit. I dug out a multicoloured vest I made so it's easier to see. Pretty much the same on the back, except for a different shape on the seam.


That one is for a more masculine cut, for bigger sizes of chest you just add more of a curve to the front side panel. For comparison, I'm a 32DD and the side panel is quite a bit more rounded

[Catika]

So I sat down with tea ... and I got my vest done! It just needs velcro and darts. Thanks for sharing your vest, Kris--that looks so sweet with the colors on the sides!!

I shaved off some material from the sides of my chest plates and ab plate, and I made the collar smaller (by snipping it in the middle and putting it back together again--SO EASY). I got overzealous and we cut out some of the plates in sintra! We left a TON of room around the tracings so they can still be adjusted.

My flight suit is done!!

I have no pictures, I'm a sad excuse for an owner of a WIP thread.  I will probably be gone for a couple days because I will be working, but I'm going to try and make lots of progress this weekend!

[Kris Jasra]

Sweet, looking forward to seeing what you've got through

[Lilura Amas]

Sounds like you are well on your way! Cant wait to see what all you have gotten done!

[Catika]

Gee, I dunno, is my collar too tall?? MAYBE?? I look like an anime villain lol

That's my vest in the middle of attaching the collar. I need to put the zipper in and seal up the sides still, but it was a long day so... tomorrow!

I got materials (read: toilet brushes) for my gauntlets, some masking fluid ($8 at Walmart!!) and my matte finish! So I'm ready to paint. ... After I shape the plates.

So much to do! With that weird pic, I leave you.

[darthmayhem]

yea we all kinda feel like villians sometimes rockin the neck seal  

[Briks]

yea we all kinda feel like villians sometimes rockin the neck seal  

I feel like an American ninja warrior.

[Catika]

yea we all kinda feel like villians sometimes rockin the neck seal  

I feel like an American ninja warrior.

HA! Anime villain, American Ninja Warrior... either sound good to me!

I ripped the collar off because it was horribly uncomfortable and I'm going to wear a scarf. I still think I want a neck seal of some sort in case I don't always feel like wearing the scarf. Any thoughts on how to go about that? The duck cloth felt terrible around my neck, so I was thinking about using an old t-shirt, but I should probably quilt it so it doesn't look so... t-shirty.

Anyway, after much tribulation, the flak vest!




Sorry the second one is so crooked, but I'll be taking more with the flight suit. Speaking of the flight suit!

The scrub pants had inner pockets at the sides. Do those need to be stitched closed?

I have so many questions today.. Okay last one. I'm trying to draw out some knee plates and I have no idea what they should look like. I was thinking about modifying the shoulder bells so I had a trapezoid-ish shape to cover my knees. But idk! The boba fett knee templates look really super complicated and I want to keep it simple! The only issue I foresee with the knee plates is attaching them if they don't have wrap-around pieces like the boba knees. But I guess I could just velcro them to the pants?

[Havelock]

Have you considered doing shin plates that come up far enough to cover your knees?  That might make it simpler.  Keep in mind, though, that all I have right now toward my own kit is a Dremel I picked up last night.  heh  So I may be completely and totally wrong about extended shin armor being simpler.   

[Catika]

But Havelock that requires MORE WORK

Although... I thought I didn't have enough sintra, but I just laid out what I have left to cut and I have a whole extra sheet. This changes everything!! I really wanted shin plates too.  Thanks buddy!

[Havelock]

Any time, Cat'ika!  And it may be more work, but is it simpler?  Less folding and bending and cutting odd angles?  Personally, I have no idea yet, but it seems like it would be.  lol

I read on another thread (I don't remember which one, 'cause I've read probably 50 armor WIP threads in the last day or two in addition aaaaaaaallll the other threads I've read) that somebody went by a sign shop and got a huge sheet of sintra they considered scrap.  For free.  So I googled sign shops in my area.  Was going to go by and ask nicely if they had scraps.  But they're all closed.  Grrr  heh

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing your kit come together.

[Natan Vizsla]

Sign shops do use Sintra but they don't necessarily know it as that. If you go to one try asking for 'expanded PVC foamboard' and they would probably know it by that.

[darthmayhem]

^ also we have some sintra seller links on the taakure portion of the forums.

as for your vest looks great, as for the neck seal i use a gator neck in black. very simple breathable stretchable piece and you can google those. or some like under armor shirt elastic polyester materials make good neck seals also.

[Catika]

^ also we have some sintra seller links on the taakure portion of the forums.

as for your vest looks great, as for the neck seal i use a gator neck in black. very simple breathable stretchable piece and you can google those. or some like under armor shirt elastic polyester materials make good neck seals also.

Thank you!!

And omg ... NECK SEALS ON AMAZON PRIME? DONE. That saves me a lot of aggravation!

My pieces are cut out and sanded!!


Okay ... I know the chest plates may still be wide, but I'm going to leave them until I see them curved and on!

Also WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DIAMOND/CHESTPLATE COMBO? Ughhhh. Any solutions? I have a generic dremel sander that doesn't really make a sharp edge. Should I round out the diamond? Maybe just cut the diamond down a little more? Or will it be mostly okay once it's all curved and put together?

Most of my plates are oversized right now and I'm ok with that. Adjust later! 

[Havelock]

Personally, I'd start shaping the chest pieces.  I would think that would probably alter the angles and give you a better idea for how you need to adjust the cuts to make it more Mando diamond shaped.

[Kris Jasra]

I would get it all shaped, get the outer edges trimmed back, and then look at the diamond and decide whether you want to trim the chest plates or the diamond.

[darthmayhem]

ya saving the diamond cut saves alot of hassle. (one of the few things my kit always gets critiqued on ) otherwise yea i also use a light cardboard to shape the plates, it allows you to use full hands on hot sintra and get the shape you want without molding hands to your plates.

[darthmayhem]

http://www.amazon.com/HT-049-Protective-Breathable-Activities-Motorcycle/dp/B00NHVGT22

[Catika]

So tired. Okay. I'm waiting for my masking fluid to dry so I can do my final helmet accent layer.

Today we shaped my plates:


A FEW TIPS I FOUND OUT: Wear gloves. Duh. Heat BOTH SIDES!!
How we did it:
- Used thin cardboard between me and the hot sintra as suggested by Mayhem
- I leaned into my husband as he pushed into the plate
- After getting the general shape, I used a big mason jar to add extra curves
- Basically the mason jar did all the work on the rest!!

We weren't heating both sides for the majority of the collar, chest, and back plate stages and once I figured that out it went a lot better! I'll tape those suckers onto my vest tomorrow.

Helmet weathering!!


Silver again. I got overzealous when I did that first navy layer earlier. So I did my masking liquid with a little paintbrush. Then I did black, then I did navy. BUT WAIT

I wasn't supposed to put the navy layer on top of the black yet. I was supposed to put masking fluid AROUND the black so my marks would go: silver, black, navy. ... so I'm in the process of doing it again.


DRY FASTER MASKING FLUID

Okay lastly, I have BOOTS!! Courtesy of Goodwill.


Not a huge fan of the chunky heels but I am a fan of $5.99. Also I like the stitching in the front which is sort of hard to see. And they aren't pointy toed. So I am happy!

Fingers crossed, a double post to follow with my almost finished helmet.

[Havelock]

Nice!  Glad to see you're making really good progress.

[Catika]

Havelock! I was just creeping on your thread and saw your supply list. I didn't know if you were interested in trying the masking fluid for weathering, but if you are, I got mine at walmart for $8. It was $17.99 at Michaels! Even with the 40% off coupon I had, it was nowhere near as cheap as $8. So just letting you know.  I'm like 0.5 steps ahead of you, as a fellow first timer. Haha.

[Havelock]

Sweet.  I think I'm probably going to try every weathering tip come across on the forum.  heh  But thank you for the tip.  I was going to Walmart tomorrow anyway....lol

0.5 steps ahead, huh?  Looks like I've got some work to do.  heh

[Jorad Werde]

toothpaste works well as masking fluid aslo

[darthmayhem]

^ or liquid latex also.

[Havelock]

I'd read about toothpaste and liquid latex.  And I've seen a few posts about not using mustard.  lol  I'll probably pick up a little of everything and experiment.