Mando Mercs Costume Club
Mandalorian Armor => Armor Construction => Topic started by: Bat Akaan on Nov 22, 2017, 10:06 PM
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11B30B4’s Complete Modern Era Kit Build and Lessons Learned
Greetings Mercs,
Since I am now going through the approval process, I thought I would share my build. I made my armor along with a friend who is not (at this time) a member here. I had previously posted my build on RPF but I figured that something we did may help out someone here so I am posting it here. This build began in April and we literally finished the night before DragonCon.
I little background and disclaimers,
We made our kits without ever planning on becoming “approved official” members here but we did read over the CRLs and tried to stay in the guidelines as best as possible. We also had a lot of failures in the process but learned how to overcome them and I have chosen to leave these failures in this build thread so people can learn from our mistakes. Additionally, we have made several costumes over the past few years but our Mandalorian armor kits are the most ambitious costumes we have done. That said, we employed a lot of skills to accomplish our builds. So I will try to be as thorough as possible but please ask questions if you have any. Our builds are builds from the ground up, almost everything we built is made from scratch or with very little reference to existing stuff. We wanted to make everything we could from scratch. We are not professionals and we do not do any of this for profit so please understand that we were learning while we worked on this and we may not have all the answers or correct terminology. Our build employed a variety of skills including; mold making, casting, buck making, kit bashing, vacuum forming, leather work, wood work, sewing, and painting, working with a variety of mediums such as plastics, fabrics, leather, wood, plasters, and silicones.
I am fortunate that over the years we have built a vacuum forming machine, I have an industrial sewing machine, and I have a well-equipped workshop in my man cave. That being said, a lot of this stuff can still be accomplished without all the toys that I have so I hope that some of you find this helpful.
Ok well since we started this off without an intention to have these kits “approved” we did not start off with a flight suit. Instead we started off with a not so well known camouflage pattern from WWII. I wanted to make a set of armor that was camouflaged and would have a ghillie cape. So as you move through this build just overlook the pants and shirt and know that I am now adding a flight suit to make my kit approvable from the app committee.
This whole idea of building Mandalorian armor started when we met a new friend at DragonCon 2016 who was wearing a set of Boba Fett armor. We arranged to barrow this armor so that we had an example to work with. Our friend is not a member here and I do not think his Boba Fett armor would pass approval but for our purpose of building a generic modern era kit, his stuff would do just fine.
So if you are reading this I can assume you know that armor is not cheap. Since we were making two sets (and actually there were three of us until one guy dropped out of the project), simply buying the armor was not really an option. We started off with the back plate as it appeared to be fairly simple, we were sorely mistaken.
With JCs back plate we thought about making a buck out of Styrofoam but that did not work out so next we simply wrapped the whole thing in plastic wrap, closed off the arms, neck and bottom. Placed the back plate inside a box and leveled it, then filled it with some Plaster of Paris.
(https://i.imgur.com/S8mrocz.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/atlv61L.jpg?1)
You will notice that the buck is split down the center. JC is a very thin guy and we are not, so we needed to widen the buck for us, once it was cured, we spread the two halves about 1inch wide then masked the opening off and filled it with more plaster. Once all that was cured, we needed to re-cut the bottom “cut out”. We first tried to do this by hand with a dremel but soon decided to make a jip and use the router.
(https://i.imgur.com/wCeY8nc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qfkpdQX.jpg?1)
Once that was done we worked on sanding and shaping the back buck, lots of bondo was used and we learned that whoever made JCs armor had no idea what the word symmetrical meant.
(https://i.imgur.com/tZwJ4sD.jpg?1)
Since only one of us could work on this thing at any one time, I started with the 3D printing. I downloaded several 3D models from thingiverse but none of the models were exactly what we wanted so I either edited them or made new ones for everything we printed. The link to all the models we used that I modified or built are on my thingiverse page for free download. https://www.thingiverse.com/11b30b4/designs/page:1
At this point I was printing the following stuff:
Lower Left Gauntlet and parts
Upper Left Gauntlet and parts
Lower Right Gauntlet and parts
Upper Right Gauntlet and parts
Left Ear Cap
Right Lower Ear Cap
Right Upper Ear Cap
Range Finder Cap
Range Finder Base
Range Finder Rotation Part
Range Finder Stalk
Range Finder Top
Chest Readout Mount
(https://i.imgur.com/4KH4Std.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/J1b805V.jpg?1)
Next, I moved to making more bucks. For the cod piece or groin plate and back belt I used MDF. I rough cut them on a band saw then finished them with a sanding drum in a drill. Once they were finished I coated them with bondo fiberglass resin to protect them.
(https://i.imgur.com/jRHbi0r.jpg?1)
At some point we decided to bite the bullet and pick up some OoMoo 30. This is a two part silicone mold medium. There are a ton of videos on you tube on how to use it but basically we took some corrugated plastic sheets and made a box, we made a level layer of acid free modeling clay then placed a master on the clay. Next you use more clay to close up the gaps between the master and the bed of clay. Next you spray the master with a mold release and mix up the amount of OoMoo you want to use and pour it over the master. Once its cured, you flip it over and remove the clay and master and presto! You have a perfect mold of the part.
(https://i.imgur.com/AwQBAFr.jpg)
Next, we boxed in the mold (because its not regid) and mixed up some plaster and poured it inside the mold. Once its cured, you can remove the plaster and clean it up. Initially we were coating the plaster bucks with some resin but we later stopped doing it because it was not necessary.
(https://i.imgur.com/eApRszu.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Bi8K15p.jpg?1)
We made all the armor masters from scratch, and JCs armor was of little help because his armor was so crappy it was all wrong. Nothing was symmetrical or even straight. It was just easier to make an outside box shaped like the shoulder bell and fill it with plaster. This way, we got a perfect symmetrical and straight buck that we could vacuum form and recast as needed.
(https://i.imgur.com/eApRszu.jpg?1)
Having never done this before, we needed to test out some bucks on the vacuum forming machine. Here we tested two knees.
(https://i.imgur.com/aRPOpb5.jpg?2)
(https://i.imgur.com/Bdngkc5.jpg?1)
And as you can see, we got a lot of what we called spider webbing. So we added some wooden blocks to smooth out some of the sharp edges and played around with the spacing and tried again. Here we did some shoulder bells and an abdomen plate. The results were much better.
(https://i.imgur.com/VYMWNtw.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/139Bild.jpg?1)
Some of the raw cut parts.
(https://i.imgur.com/ECvKpfy.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/2gRgjtB.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/sRDPGQx.jpg?1)
Next I continued to work on the camouflage pants that I was using but since that has all changed now, no need to go into that. We moved on to the weapons. Both of us wanted sniper rifles and starting from scratch, although intriguing, would take a lot of time. Instead we used Nerf guns as the base and modified them significantly.
DAC started off with this Nerf gun.
(https://i.imgur.com/fQyPQbs.jpg)
And I started with this one.
(https://i.imgur.com/13s53hm.jpg)
The first step was to take the nerf guns apart and scrap what we were not using. DAC decided on a PVC pipe for his barrel and I found an aluminum shower rod that worked nicely. Next we hit the Home Depot to raid the PVC fitting section to make scopes. DAC added some doo-dads here and there and hard mounted his barrel with a plastic putty. My barrel was attached using screws.
(https://i.imgur.com/QjBtPCy.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/0yWFrLE.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/CJ6diVz.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/UHklfkz.jpg?1)
So we both wanted wooden stocks for these guns. I wanted something similar to a Jezail musket stock. We considered making the stock out of foam then adding a wood grain vinyl to it but we did not think it would look good. So we first attempted to work with white pine but that proved too soft a wood and cracked often. So we ended up using poplar, it’s a low cost hard wood and once stained would look good. With two 1” thick boards we cut out a pattern and milled them down to what we need. With the stock being made in two parts we could mill each half to attach to the nerf frame. Once we had that done we glued and screwed the two halves together and began to decorate them. I printed out some vinyl graphics of our clan sigil that we developed back in January, the red footprint is a Mythosaur foot print since the skull is way overdone. Then I translated some phrases into Mando and printed out decals for the stocks to use as stencils. The Mando says “Total War”.
(https://i.imgur.com/dkQeJNY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xLiHEW4.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/6OwdpWh.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/aJv0fqz.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/6khwhUt.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/HixqtHD.jpg?1)
3D printed Flash hider/ Muzzle device, scope rings, and lenses.
(https://i.imgur.com/KvHiY91.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/vbEuGQL.jpg?1)
Next we assembled everything and painted it all and here is the results. We added some $20.00 (Amazon.com) bipods and Wow, I can’t tell that they were ever nerf guns.
(https://i.imgur.com/vHv2uNY.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gzBurO4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6rwh2p4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Xw5x7Me.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/L9FAFNW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EtX8lTZ.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/vSOHq6h.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ihUzAcj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/amy2jH9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wR6s7Uc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/I6m9c5c.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nN0vwfl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Aso0GXu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/F0dj9lu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hsq18Bj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Zvz8y9K.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/UcC3sOg.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/OIxFbDr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hULZFlg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AYR2IZU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/B8RT9rJ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OJn7Rl0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WsMUHUp.jpg)
Here are the manufacturing stencils we made for two well-known weapons manufacturers in the Star Wars universe. Each rifle is stenciled with the words in Aurebesh rather than Mando since Mandalore did not widely produce rifles. In the Star Wars universe, most all blasters, plasma, and slug throwers were manufactured by one of the many munitions and weapons manufacturers. For our rifles, I made mine manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions Inc. and DAC had his manufactured by Blas Tech Industries.
(https://i.imgur.com/7fFwnzv.jpg?1)
Next we also started on some of the soft parts, here are the Kama skirts waiting to be dyed. We found this cool upholstery fabric on the remnants rack at JoAnns Fabrics and basically made a shortened triangular shaped pocket that would have a thin piece of craft foam in it to make it somewhat rigid.
(https://i.imgur.com/B8slBXF.jpg?1)
Next, I worked on my cape which will be made to look like a ghillie suite. I started out with a nylon 1”x1” square mesh net cut to the size and shape I wanted. Next I gathered some burlap and dyed it to the colors I wanted. I then stripped the burlap into single stands about 18” long then I grouped them into bundles of 9 strands. I tied them to the net with no pattern to achieve the effect I wanted. I did not want this cape to be too heavy and I wanted to only simulate the ghillie suite so I stopped once I had the look I wanted.
(https://i.imgur.com/ScrlcZp.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/kXka8Vo.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/gtLmAhs.jpg?1)
Next we started building our pistols. We started with two of these Nerf guns.
(https://i.imgur.com/WgQ4MvD.jpg)
For graphics on the Disruptor Pistols we chose the Czerka Corporation, once again in Aurebesh.
(https://i.imgur.com/lb6jZiW.jpg)
So for the pistols, we cut them down a bit and used flat sheets of styrene to cover some of the holes and 3D printed parts for others. In this picture the butt end is 3D printed and you can see the flat styrene on the forward section of the trigger guard.
(https://i.imgur.com/oZfAXjS.jpg?1)
So once the pistol was done I made a leather holster for it. We used cowhide from Tandy leather and stained it once it was done. Here are the finished pictures of my pistol and holster.
(https://i.imgur.com/iNGlcYy.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/j6Xis9p.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/f063l4P.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/eeptwKy.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/rO7Ftzs.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/X4ku6uw.jpg?1)
Back to the back plate. We finished getting the buck as ready as it was going to be and pulled our first back plate of armor.
(https://i.imgur.com/qqkydmi.jpg?1)
The squared edges around the hole cutouts for rocket packs kept braking when we pulled the HIPS from the buck so each time we had to rebuild them with bondo.
(https://i.imgur.com/R7L6nR3.jpg?1)
We also knocked out more armor parts, once these were pulled, we rough cut them and laid everything out.
(https://i.imgur.com/mt0IcDD.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/mpWZUBv.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/s73MdCC.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/GRhW5RX.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/blPSJdM.jpg?1)
Along the way, I ended up braking the center chest buck last night and trashed it. This buck along with several others is just too fragile being made out of plaster. I have slowly began to redo some of the bucks in MDF since they seem to hold up better. As for the center chest piece, I will just 3D print it. Here is six of them printing.
(https://i.imgur.com/VhBLeoD.jpg?1)
DAC has continued to work on his pistol.
(https://i.imgur.com/JSEzrY0.jpg?1)
We did not want to buy chest displays since the cost between 100 and 300 dollars so I purchased an LED name tag from Amazon. This one will let you display whatever font on you want. So, I added Mando and to the program and switched it to scroll the Mando. It’s a little big but I think it will work fine with our costumes. Here is a link to the name plate if anyone wants it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I also finished the 3D printed center chest piece, they will need to be sanded to get them to look correctly but they came out fine.
(https://i.imgur.com/ay4wJbu.jpg)
Next we found this great gator textured faux leather from JoAnns. So we made a quick pattern and knocked out the vest. DAC’s is black but otherwise completely the same as my brown vest.
(https://i.imgur.com/rPU1e9k.jpg?1)
Next, we started to work on how we are going to do our legs. I have seen a ton of ideas, everything from spats to leg armor. So we wanted to go with some sort of minimalist direction on the armor. From the beginning we were trying to decide what boots to go with and we ranged our choices from desert tanker boots to hospital shoes made into boots. We needed the “right” look, but they also needed to be affordable, common, and comfortable. So we ended up going with these converse boots.
(https://i.imgur.com/r1vVOev.jpg)
Here is a picture of one of the leg armor designs we considered but later changed. We decided to go with 4” wide ace bandages for the leg wraps. We would dye these to a color we liked but the ace bandage idea was great since they would not be falling down when we walked.
(https://i.imgur.com/z9Q0NPH.jpg?1)
Next we finished DAC’s pistol holster. He still needs to weather the pistol but the holster came out exact as he sketched it.
(https://i.imgur.com/k0qQMWf.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/k8rr1x9.jpg?1)
We also got around to cutting and sanding the armor.
(https://i.imgur.com/mT5Fu42.jpg?1)
We also knocked out a simple leg armor mold in clay and made a mold of it with OOMOO 30. Then we cast the bucks with plaster and cleaned them up. Once the finish curing, I will vacuum form them and that should finish the legs.
(https://i.imgur.com/kP2YExp.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/gWA3TZS.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Bj7YXsX.jpg)
Next I built my girth belt. Its modular and can be reconfigured as I see fit. I added the Kamas to it so that everything is attached to one belt. The pouches were a variety of leather AK47, SKS, and French ammunition pouches we ordered from sportsman’s guide. We weathered and stained them to fit the overall look we wanted.
(https://i.imgur.com/iNanNfp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mGGBXN5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uEugRbU.jpg?1)
Next we test fit the armor on the soft vest and marked where everything will be mounted.
(https://i.imgur.com/7v3jkyX.jpg?1)
DACs girth belt, the two front Kamas are done and just need to be mounted.
(https://i.imgur.com/oIsCmXw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/a73YaNS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CUBULMg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JsUnxvl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/aIYSG43.jpg)
The bucks for the leg armor shin guards were cured so we vacuum formed them, then cut them out.
(https://i.imgur.com/FiOwTzB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XQYZMkk.jpg)
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OK, so there is a maximum size of characters for a single post and I hit that number so I will have to break this into a few posts.
Continuing, I used moldable two part epoxy clay to mount the LED name tag in the breast armor.
(https://i.imgur.com/U0WBlQv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AJd1ENl.jpg)
After I cleaned up the cured epoxy, I sanded all the armor with 150 then 220 grit and primed everything.
(https://i.imgur.com/PjRF1IS.jpg)
Next, we did more test fitting of armor. For an actual Boba Fett armor set up the back plate and the top neck armor actually connect and there are 4 bolts that connect the two pieces. Mechanical keyboard keys were used to finish the nuts. We decided that we did not want the front armor and the back armor to connect; however using just Velcro to hold everything in place resulted in some parts coming loose when putting on and taking off the vest.
(https://i.imgur.com/BkvZ6Oi.jpg?1)
So we decided to hold the neck armor and the back armor in place we would add the bolts and key nuts. I looked at a few 3d models of mechanical keyboard keys but decided to build my own model and add a cut out on the bottom for the ¼” nut. We printed up a bunch of these. Once cleaned up we simply pressed the nuts into the recess with a nylon jawed vice.
(https://i.imgur.com/tnfKy3P.jpg?1)
Then I needed to make sure that the armor and the girth belt would work together and not bind up so I donned everything and took some pictures. I also knocked out some arm brassards and mounted them. I then velcroed the shoulder bells to them. We also added the bolts to the top of the neck armor and back plate.
(https://i.imgur.com/KjgwsC7.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/GMkxzlx.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/rq6QHEL.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/7UeS2y7.jpg?1)
We modified the front Kamas to allow for the leg strap of the holster but later decided to simply shorten them. Pictures of them fitting better the next time we don the outfit.
With the armor fitting and attaching well, it was time to add some damage to them. So all the armor took some trips down a gravel road. This added lots of scratches, dings, and dents which will be exploited during the painting process. While I worked on this, DAC had already dinged up his armor so he started painting his armor.
(https://i.imgur.com/b0Tn3wM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uPYqTfo.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/N6ChgBr.jpg?1)
Ok so there is a whole segment on my RPF post about using craft paint to paint the armor but it was a total failure so after painting and striping the armor twice, I dug back into the wallet and got a ton of spray paint.
(https://i.imgur.com/WKeZs8T.jpg?1)
I made a graphic of the pattern (ignore the colors used) then sent these graphics through my Silhouette cutter and made masks for painting.
(https://i.imgur.com/GFtyamA.jpg)
Next, I re-primed the armor and once cured, I painted the first layer of metallic silver, then the base layer of green.
(https://i.imgur.com/ffq6Iu9.jpg)
After this layer cured, I masked the armor for the brown layer.
(https://i.imgur.com/lWczbvT.jpg?1)
I painted the brown layer on the armor. Once it was cured, I used some single masks (top right corner) to draw out where the hunter green will be painted. After I had all of them drawn out, I masked them off with painters tape leaving the previous masks in place and then I painted the final color of hunter green. Once that cured, I removed all the masks and lightly sanded everything. The olive green and the hunter green were both satin spray paint while the brown was a flat spray paint, so sanding was needed to dull the saint colors and expose some of the metallic silver bottom coat. Once that was done everything got washed and then another layer of masking for detail graphics such as our clan sigil, mythosaur skull, and some mando phrases. Once that was done more sanding and blending and a black wash to further weather everything. Finally, two coats of flat clear was applied to protect the finish. The colors are a pretty good match for the pants that I originally planned on using, but it does not look as close in pictures. The clear coat is playing tricks with the lighting.
(https://i.imgur.com/vt9v6mD.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ueb9jOF.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/PTVFPBK.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/clzetJs.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/FrWSlap.jpg?1)
Next, DAC applied Velcro to his finished armor and mounted all of it. We still needed to remove the white outlines from his vest but this was just a test fit to see how everything looked. I really like his color scheme and it all looks like metal.
(https://i.imgur.com/q7ThUap.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/sYeRQd5.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Cttum9U.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Z5yhwTl.jpg?1)
Next, we cleaned up some of the stuff and decided to knock out some progress pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/K2fQyP2.jpg?3)
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(https://i.imgur.com/3nw2yRv.jpg?1)
Well I found a better model for the gauntlets from April Storm Props on thingiverse. Initially we wanted to modify the standard Death Watch gauntlet to accommodate the electronics we wanted to use but modifying the four part model you see below proved to be more difficult than I first thought.
(https://i.imgur.com/PMxXXuD.jpg)
One of the many issues was that these models were split with upper and lower sides then each side was split into front and back. This meant that each set would be 8 separate parts that would need to be glued together then the hinge used to connect the top and bottom of each gauntlet. Another issue was that the edge that sat on the printer bed in almost every case was deformed due to the heated bed and printing with ABS. We were able to mitigate some of this by enclosing the printer but there was still significant deforming and when attempting to glue the front and back parts together, there were large gaps that would need to be filled in with bondo, plasti sculpt, or fiberglass. Since the parts did not align correctly, any modification to the top side of the gauntlet was rather difficult. Then I found newer models from April that were full size, meaning that instead of 8 parts the new set was only 4 parts, a top and bottom for each arm. With these models, I placed them into Tinkercad and modified the tops of each arm to accommodate our electronics and LEDs. We could have gone overboard here with cool displays and even smart phone inserts but we decided to keep it somewhat simple. Once we had the gauntlets modeled to our liking, we began to print them. Each half of the gauntlet took about 20 hours to print. Once printed, there was some sanding and cutting to accommodate the LEDs. We built a really cool LED kit that uses a 10 rectangular LEDs arrayed to produce a “hypnotic” affect. I will provide the link for the video of this kit here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoimgyTo04M
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(https://i.imgur.com/U51CP74.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/0IAhnWF.jpg)
Next I took the time to add the electronics to my rifle scope. I wanted both lenses of the scope to illuminate so I made a quick and simple 2 LED circuit and added an on/off switch. The 9 volt battery is encased inside the scope. Once it was finished, I reinstalled the scope and then the rifle was done. I like how the scope LEDs came out.
(https://i.imgur.com/5v0f5xd.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/IsMvMc4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ngZGQwa.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kYHcsvv.jpg)
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Next, while waiting for some painting to dry I decided to add more graphics to my left shoulder bell. I did a stripe pattern across the top with the brown and olive, weathered it and clear coated it. Additionally, I added a Bavarian-esque pattern to right shin guard again with the brown and olive. Again weathering it and clear coating it. Both look kinda Star Wars-ish.
(https://i.imgur.com/diTvJ9E.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/N0335n4.jpg?1)
Next, I cleaned up the 3D printed gauntlets with an exacto then I did a wipe down with acetone and then sanded them. I should mention some techniques I learned from that interweb thingy that really helped. First is anything 3D printed will have lines in them. If the item is printed in ABS then a wash of acetone (brushing it on then letting it dry) is a quick way to smooth some of the lines. After that you can sand till you get the finish you want. I watched numerous videos where people did acetone vapor baths to smooth the printed item and either I did it wrong or the ABS I am using is non-compatible with this process because after 20 hours of an acetone vapor bath in an air tight container never smoothed the printed item. It did make the item extremely soft and bendable and useless. The wash seemed to work well and dries quickly.
(https://i.imgur.com/1SAGcTH.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Irbd5sm.jpg?1)
Next, superglue…. If you are as old as I am you can recall all the superglue and crazy glue commercials of the early 1980’s where a guy adds a drop of super glue to a construction helmet, attaches the helmet to an Iron “I” beam and suspends himself from the “I” beam. Well superglue never worked like that for me, in fact, I considered it one of the worst glues available. Everything I glued seemed to brake again shortly after the glue had cured. Apparently, there is thing called an activator that causes the superglue to cure nearly instantly and is rock solid. So there are a tone of videos on you tube on how to use the activator. I ordered a can of the aerosol CA glue activator from amazon and used it and hot damn! That stuff works great. Another superglue trick DAC learned on you tube is Baking Soda. Another two big thumbs up for this method. You can search it on you tube but it’s simply applying the superglue then sprinkling baking soda over it. This caused the super glue to cure nearly instantly with the added benefit of adding a plastic type mass to the glue. In other words, you can use the superglue and baking soda method to full gaps and it can be sanded and painted after the fact.
OK, back to the progress. I primed and metallic silver coated the gauntlets then I painted the first layer of olive as I had done with the armor. Next I added the masking and painted them with the brown. Lastly I masked again and painted the hunter green.
(https://i.imgur.com/JTk9G6t.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/4UAuzRH.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NWoTxty.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CRTaKZL.jpg)
Once the wash was dry I added the electronics. For the left gauntlet we have two LED kits. The “hypnotic” 10 LED bar kit powered by one 9V and the LED flasher kit with 3 LEDs (2 rectangle and one 3mm round) on one side of the circuit and two LEDs (1 rectangle and 1 round 3mm LED) on the other side all powered by one 9V. I should explain some of the “concept” here. Every LED in the flasher kit is a 3v 20mA LED. Since there RE 5 LEDs total, that should require 15V of power; however, in this kit only one side of the circuit is power at a time and since it’s a flashing kit, it flip- flops the power from one side to the other. That means when the 3 LEDs on one side are powered, the 2 LEDs on the other side are not. But it gets better. In the picture below the circuit board showing is the LED flasher kit and you can observe the two blue rectangular things on the right side with small white circles on them. Those are trimmers witch is a kind of potentiometer. This means you can adjust the fade-in and fade-out of each side of the circuit. In other words, when the power flips from one side of the circuit to the other the LED that are no longer being powered would normally just immediately blink off but with the trimmer and the assistance of two capacitors, a residual charge can be applied to the LEDs to led them fade off and even fade on. Granted this still happens quickly but it’s a cool effect. The only non-adjustable part of this kit is that you cannot control the actual flash rate. I know that all seemed confusing. If you are truly interested, grad one of these kits from Fry’s Electronics for $2.99 and play with it. Anyway, two circuit boards, wiring, and two 9V batteries is a lot of stuff to cram inside this void in the gauntlet. A piece of craft foam was added to take up some of the gap between the gauntlets and my arm and it helps hold the batteries in place. We also added on/off switches to the outside of the gauntlets that are on the negative side of the battery line.
(https://i.imgur.com/zYc3jth.jpg)
On the right gauntlet, there are 8 rectangle LEDS and one LED flasher kit powered by one 9V. If you understood my ramblings in the previous paragraph you should be thinking “how can you power 8 LEDs with one 9V battery? Well with all the same specifications from the previous paragraph, you cant. So two of these LEDs will not be wired or powered and are simply static. Yes we could have added another flasher kit, but we did not buy enough of them to do that and with the time crunch, we decided to move forward. There are still 6 LEDs that will flash.
(https://i.imgur.com/PgCFWMG.jpg)
And here are some pictures of the LEDs in action.
(https://i.imgur.com/0afP4Z6.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/edZ8Htm.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/amJSQx5.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/A9jWc0r.jpg)
Next, I 3D printed some mechanical keys (same as the ones used to attach the back armor to the neck armor but scaled down a bit), sanded them, painted them and added the Mandalorian #1-4 on them and glued them in place on the right gauntlet. Next the gauntlets got clear coated and they were done.
(https://i.imgur.com/EcaJeHA.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sfKrFZz.jpg)
So DAC still needs to work on his gauntlets so pictures are coming.
Lastly, I began work on my helmet. I cut out the T-visor hole, the key holes on the back and the two triangles on the front with a very small drill bit in a dremel. Sanded everything and moved to the ear caps.
(https://i.imgur.com/gUpEkUf.jpg?1)
The ear caps were 3D printed so they needed to be sanded and since my ear caps are ventilated, I had to do some cutouts in the helmet. Next, I glued the ear caps in place with superglue and the activator. I then filled any gaps I had between the rear caps and the helmet with super glue and baking soda.
(https://i.imgur.com/aEc1nPx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/1tJZT2Y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VSLiaiE.jpg)
The next thing I began to work on is figuring out the electronics for the helmet and range finder. That is still a work in progress at this time; however I will share something that should help a ton of yall out. Helmet fans!!!! After several years of making DeadMau5 heads for DragonCon in the August/ September heat of Georgia (we expect it to be 90+ with 100% humidity this year), having a fan to circulate the air in a helmet is a must. Well there are lots of people that sell “helmet cooling systems” on ebay, etsy, etc… for $20+ or you can buy a couple of 5V brushless fans and 3xAAA 4.5V battery holders from Amazon and make your own. DAC and I wanted two fans each and I got a 5 pack of these fans from Amazon for $7.99 then I ordered a 6 pack of the 3xAA battery holders with on/off switches for $8.99 from amazon. That’s about $3.39 for each “helmet cooling system”. Slap some Velcro on them and blam, we are in business. Since the fans are 5V I research that with good quality batteries they should run for about 10 hours. I also went the extra mile and ordered 20 pairs of 22AWG JST plug connectors and soldered them into the battery holders and fans so that we could just unplug the battery packs and remove them if we wanted.
(https://i.imgur.com/rbfIVzP.jpg)
Next, I worked on the range finder. I printed these parts about two months ago. I printed the range finder top with clear ABS and the stalk was printed with white ABS. I had planned on inserting LEDs in the top so I made it modular so that I work out all the wiring later. The stalk is two pieces with a channel inside for wiring and a cutout for a rare earth magnet. Since our builds were not cannon Mandalorians such as Boba Fett we designed our own top. My top was designed to have a small view screen on the side that faces the wearer; however, since only the wearer would see this I wanted the other side to have some illuminated areas. I made is to resemble an objective lens with several magnifications that look like they rotated to give the wearer different magnifications. I also wanted it to look cool so I added a few cutaway sections that illuminated.
(https://i.imgur.com/1fiG6o6.jpg)
I wired up two green LEDs then assembled everything and super glued it together. I sanded the assembled range finder and decided to leave some of the printer lines to give the effect of milling marks. Once that was done masked off the areas that I wanted light to pass through. Next, I primed it and painted a layer of metallic silver. After that I did a test of the LEDs and performed some additional light blocking with more metallic silver.
(https://i.imgur.com/0TFfRxa.jpg?1)
With most of the light blocking done, here is how it looks so far.
(https://i.imgur.com/NM2jzWp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/oIFdjg8.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZGaPOt4.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/YhWSAPd.jpg?1)
I still have some light blocking to do and then it will get painted. This brings up the fact that I have not completely decided how to paint my helmet. I plan on doing the same pattern on it as with most of the armor but I think there should be some solid areas as well as the pattern. That being said, I have not decided how I want to paint the range finder. I may paint the top and leave the stalk silver or paint it black. Im not really sure and until I get to the painting stage I won’t really know. I may do some concept artwork to process this.
I managed to mount the range finder. Here you see the rare earth magnets that will hold the range finder in its two positions.
(https://i.imgur.com/dd5mgd7.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ws9YXLw.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/HBNTkuZ.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/u6L5hZp.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/6jSQXHp.jpg?1)
That really does not sound like it took me 3 hours to do but it did.
As stated before, I had originally posted this build on RPF and it was at this point that a member there informed me that the shoulder bells and knees in our previous pictures were inverted. So, sometimes I am just chugging along, doing my own thing, not minding anyone else, thinking all is right in “my world” and I am happy with my life and where I am.
AND THEN, someone comes along and points out the fact that you are ridding to work on a bicycle and not wearing any pants. It is the most absurdly obvious things that I tend to completely f@#k-Up!
He was freaking correct that both the shoulder bells and the knees were upside down……………
I can flip the knees over since there are no graphics or text on them. The shoulder bells are a different story. I will consult with DAC and see if we want to sand and re-paint them. My feeling at this point is no, they look correct (ergonomically) as you said so unless DAC is interested in flipping them, they will stay as is. The funny thing about this is, if you notice the picture of the updated stipes on the shoulder bell, I had intended for those stripes to be on the lower outside edge of the bell and I painted them that way, but then I realized that the Mando text was upside down so I had to flip the picture I took of the bell hanging in the paint booth. When I went to put bell back on the vest I realized that the angled section was need on top because of how I had cut and sewn the Velcro. So I painted the bell correctly with the stipes but will need to wear it incorrectly due to the text.
Also, “shoulder bell”, think about a bell shape… Boba Fett wears them as if the bell is upside down. Maybe, we are correct and the rest of the damn world (to include the guys who invented this outfit) are all wrong, or perhaps not. Oh well, I am sure I will hear that our shoulder bells are wrong, inverted, upside down, etc… at least a 100 times during DragonCon from fanboys and Fett-ubernerds. Come to think about it, that is almost enough reason to make the damn correction so that we don’t have to hear all the complaints.
Well dude, thanks for pissing in my corn flakes. No seriously, thank you for pointing out this error. I wish I could say that we did do this intentionally but that would be complete and utter BS. Anyway, thanks for your comments and pointing out the error.
Ok, over the past few days I have done some more concept art and I think I have decided to go with the version marked Green 01. Here are all the concepts, it took some time to figure out where to add LEDs and how the battery packs and circuit boards would fit inside the helmet. So that it’s clear, there are two LEDs powered by one 9V battery inside the rangefinder (the battery is inside the helmet). Then there are 4 more LED inside the helmet powered by one 9V battery and a flasher circuit board. One LED is inside a channel I 3D printed and glued to left side of the helmet that is level with the visor. There is one LED inside the bottom key hole on the back, and there are two LEDs inside the ventilated section of the Left Ear cap. Behind the ventilated sections of the ear caps and the key holes there will be plastic mesh (the kind used for needlework) that will be painted a metallic gold. All the LEDs except for the LEDS in the range finder will flash. Also inside the helmet will be two cooling fans and two 3x AA battery packs for the fans and padding. The visor will be the last thing we do to the helmets. My visor will have a green metallic tint.
(https://i.imgur.com/jsOdquG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jwv0Zl7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wOdRsTB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/P2OdgWO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6Z1TMDF.jpg)
After I mounted the External LED and channel, I masked off the helmet and took it outside to be dragged around in the gravel. I added more cuts and dings with a dremel and sanded with 220 grit. I painted a layer of primer and then a layer of metallic silver.
(https://i.imgur.com/GykLmM1.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/7yxQNRH.jpg?1)
Next, I painted a layer of the Olive green. Next, I will start the masking for the pattern and continue painting.
(https://i.imgur.com/O1nLOya.jpg?1)
Ok, we redid the shoulder bells so that they are facing correctly, you really didn’t think we would just let that go? I was hoping we could just lightly sand them and repaint the logos but no that was not working so we had to completely sand them and repaint them then logo them, then weather them. This is how they turned out:
(https://i.imgur.com/fZcwpkn.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Yk8QmOR.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/r47vcZX.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/y6r1BTT.jpg)
Next we worked on DAC’s cape. He wanted a roman look and we decided to spray paint our clan logo on it. Here is how it turned out.
(https://i.imgur.com/p5MhMk2.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/rYicWiA.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/0Ry4L1F.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/hpYAOXk.jpg?1)
Next DAC finished his gauntlets
(https://i.imgur.com/eLvAGVX.jpg?1)
And then tragedy hit… I was testing my range finder stalk and forgot to add the resistor and blew the LEDs inside. Since the whole thing was sealed, there was nothing to be done with it. I had to 3D print another one and build the whole thing from scratch. This was not as bad as it seemed at the time because I incorporated some of the changes I wanted after finishing the first one. Here are some pictures and a few side by side of the old one and the new one.
(https://i.imgur.com/WC1Xryl.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ShxVWu8.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/oGG2OPy.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/jCSpKKM.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/gvc8nrT.jpg?1)
Next, I continued painting my helmet with the pattern.
(https://i.imgur.com/pHULyFg.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/h21fXo7.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/tu4XG8f.jpg?1)
Then some major weathering and a black wash, it was still wet in these pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/4I2F32b.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/NzygayO.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/eWV8fQF.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/8u68Xys.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/hXZfhcr.jpg)
DAC began working on his helmet.
(https://i.imgur.com/e9Gr7fQ.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Hub2Sp4.jpg?1)
Next was the paint.
(https://i.imgur.com/3VXYEqg.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/CWblyq0.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/fbmfaIh.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/zw8dXAC.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/JL3uQAY.jpg?1)
Next he wanted a Samurai motif so…
(https://i.imgur.com/duGHHbT.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/e84cifu.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/gWjWEvm.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/8vIMsQN.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/vRiWmaY.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/KJlMUJ7.jpg?1)
Next I Super glued the visor bolts in side then set them with the baking soda/ super glue method. Man that stuff is strong and easy. I then cutout and mounted the visor. Lastly I added the tint. This was a total pain in the *****. After three attempts, the last try was what we decided was good enough. I am not real happy with the end result but there seems no way to get all the bubbles out of the tint and trying to apply the tint to the visor when it’s out of the helmet and then putting it inside only made things worse. So we left the visor in the helmet and apply the tint to it inside the helmet. Anyway, you can see the bubbles in the tint. I later came up with a different approach to this and I will cover that later in this post.
(https://i.imgur.com/gkjfJ8H.jpg?1)
Next I finished all the cooling fans and installed everything inside the helmet. On the left side is the 9V battery for the LEDs in the helmet and the 3x AA batteries for the left fan. On the right side is the 9V battery for the range finder LEDs and the 3x AA batteries for the right side fan. I ended up not putting any type of mesh over the vents in the ear caps or the rear key holes as I have a very tight fit inside the helmet already. We used Velcro and Army ACH pads for the padding.
(https://i.imgur.com/Uxaoyrk.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/bIpQYJV.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/71koBEj.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/YdZdWi0.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/gS9Oogn.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/OHawLYk.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/s01zFrr.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/mnNiunc.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZuJkmbv.jpg?1)
Next I reworked the LEDs inside my rifle and made a mount to hold them inside the scope. We also weathered my rifle since it looked like it was new and not battle worn.
(https://i.imgur.com/mfBAPlb.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/7zaDkwL.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/nj5RpcN.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZHo4JRn.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/O2KD7Pz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xAJESJO.jpg)
Next, I built DACs reticle for his scope. It’s a piece of plexiglass that we etched with the media blaster and added a red LED. The battery case is mounted under his scope and everything got painted to match. I think it turned out well.
(https://i.imgur.com/FeHvq3D.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/3wTq0Ia.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/swyI5bm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zNiQcca.jpg)
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Crap, while messing with DACs rangefinder, I did it again… I blew the fracking LED! This was Wednesday night shortly after my previous post and we were planning on heading down on Thursday afternoon. We could have pulled another all-nighter and reprinted the whole thing like I had done for my range finder when I blew the LEDs in it but, DAC was having none of that. So he grabbed the drill and drilled a whole in the side of the rangefinder. We pulled out the blown LED and replaced it and added the resistor directly to the LED so that this would not happen again. Then there was the problem of a ¼” hole in the side of the rangefinder. We shoved a piece of a window blind adjustment clear acrylic rod into the whole and called it fixed. It actually turned out kind of cool.
(https://i.imgur.com/q2SxYvp.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/XaSApZD.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/5YanlUP.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/RvEODz8.jpg?1)
So after fixing the range finder and clear coating DAC helmet and adding the fans and battery boxes, we did not have time to take pictures of our full cosplay. It was, box everything up and head to the Con. Our baggage at the Hilton.
(https://i.imgur.com/ADCZ46M.jpg?1)
Thursday’s only plans was to get checked in at the Hilton and we had the time to take som full cosplay pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/IuRA1IZ.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/DRtrFVk.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/Xfrf6Mn.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/7VFwX05.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/wEF02iS.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/2D3sbHM.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/EUTdwpS.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/VeLJvkE.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/mZGZtIX.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/uPC3X9V.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/uCawroC.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/VAOmeku.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/t0HxPgF.jpg?1)
And at DragonCon…
(https://i.imgur.com/bXvC6Pi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/REkj31Q.jpg)
We experienced some issues with the gauntlets not staying closed at DragonCon and the 3D printed spring clips broke several times. While I considered several options to address this, one very simple solution presented itself.
Using a small but long drill bit I drilled a hole through the wall of the gauntlet upper half and along the length of the gauntlet. I placed this hole about 3/16” from the outer lip stopped before it came through the front end of the gauntlet. I then closed the gauntlet and drilled the hole through the lower half lining it up with the upper. Next I cut another bicycle spoke to fit and inserted it through the hole and presto it holds the gauntlet closed. I left a small part of the spoke exposed so that I could extract it with gloves on. Here are some pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/zl3sz2Y.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/kYrXU0R.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/mct7wdo.jpg?1)
I have read through a few threads on tinting and mirror visors. I have also researched this topic on a few other forums and I thought I would do some test and share the results with you all. I decided to do this test because of how unsatisfied I was with my mirrored green tint visor for my Mandalorian build. I did a whole write-up on the tests I did on RPF the link is here if anyone wants to see all the tests.
https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=282887&p=4341499#post4341499
After testing lots of materials and paints, I ordered another 12x24 sheet of the 1mm scratch resistant and I also ordered a sheet of 3mm thick 12x24 without the scratch resistance. Also knowing that I wanted a green tint, I found these 12x12 transparent color light gel filters for photography, so I ordered a set of them.
(https://i.imgur.com/KMhuz0K.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ZxzQ3uE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lKB3V15.jpg)
Once everything arrived, I cut out a visor from the 3mm thick acrylic and tested the Krylon tint on a scrap piece. I got the same results where the Krylon would not take to the acrylic. Once I had the visor cut out, I used the emery board nail file to smooth the cut edges of the acrylic.
The color gels allow 90% light transmission so I laid the acrylic visor on the gel and used an exacto knife to cut the gel to fil the visor. I then placed the gel inside the helmet. Here you can see a piece of gel with the acrylic and how transparent it will be.
(https://i.imgur.com/40hUXA9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/U9dQfNp.jpg)
Next, I used a heat gun and shaped the visor to the desired curve. Once it had cooled, I placed it inside the helmet and tightened it down with rubber washers and nuts. I used very little pressure to avoid cracking the visor.
(https://i.imgur.com/6Hwf5rw.jpg)
This is the view from inside the helmet.
(https://i.imgur.com/ezTlEhs.jpg)
And this is the outside.
(https://i.imgur.com/3m1Cak5.jpg)
In summary, the use of the 3mm thick see through mirrored acrylic along with the color gel seems to be a relatively cheap and effective solution for me in this application. You can get both the gels and acrylic from amazon and if you think you can do all this in one attempt then the materials should cost $8.99 for 4 color gels and $22.99 for a 12 x12 3mm acrylic mirror sheet.
And that is my build so far. I have ordered a flight suit and it should arrive this week and hopefully I can get approved soon. Thanks for the interest and I welcome your questions and comments.
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Just wow vod ! Maybe there are some details to change for the app but this is a Incredible build
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Zaroc, thank you. Working on those details to get approved.
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You very welcome ! Can t wait to see :)
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Ok so I ordered the flight suit and it arrived.
(https://i.imgur.com/vHVn6mi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fh0upbM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/e5QivjH.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jfMvqBR.jpg)
I added some Velcro to the wrists, knees, and waist to help hold armor and make the flight suit fit better.
(https://i.imgur.com/nsXfJuC.jpg)
I also used a heat gun and reshaped the back plate a bit to help close the gaps I had in the top shoulder area. Additionally, I cut down the shoulder length and repositioned the back plate.
Before
(https://i.imgur.com/91Q6kdC.jpg)
After
(https://i.imgur.com/aUqVUxL.jpg)
Changing to the flight suit, I realized that my girth belt has the propensity to slip down a bit so I made an internal belt to help hold it in place. First I took 2inch wide nylon webbing, folded it in hlf and added Velcro to the outside. I sewed the whole thing up and flipped it over. I masked off two ½ inch stipes along the inside and then smoothed on some silicone sealant. I removed the masking tape and let the silicone cure.
(https://i.imgur.com/e0kr1OM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x3CM9ki.jpg)
Next I added some Velcro to the inside of the girth belt.
(https://i.imgur.com/neoWEKG.jpg)
I still need to take some pictures with the flight suit and all the alterations. I am also working on building new 3D models of the gauntlets and binoculars.
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Holy mother of bacon.
I am astounded. The ammount of work and detail put into this is just.... wow.
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Tyrenn Argos, thank you.
Ok so boots redux…
Yes the original boots were Converse all suede leather boots with an actual boot sole but they do look very similar to chucks.
So I got some work boots from academy sports. Keeping the original armor I then figured out how I was going to place the first armor on the boots.
(https://i.imgur.com/Kma2yls.jpg)
After that I masked off the leather and painted the upper parts of the boots. The paint did not take like I wanted but it did change the appearance somewhat.
(https://i.imgur.com/SJ9y1WL.jpg)
Next, I weathered the leather with scratches and scuffs.
(https://i.imgur.com/nclDXW5.jpg)
Next I began to make additional armor for the boots out of HIPS.
(https://i.imgur.com/biqO6f4.jpg)
Next I dry fit all the armor to the boots.
(https://i.imgur.com/JJ9oBu8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sGXCHp9.jpg)
Lastly I painted and weathered the armor then I mounted everything to the boots with Velcro, rivets, and Chicago screws. I then added the shin guards to the boots and presto. I like how they came out and for 50.00, it was an economical solution.
(https://i.imgur.com/BQI6uRZ.jpg)
I also altered the pistol in the two areas noted by the pre-app team. First I wrapped the grip with this Fiber Fix Repair Wrap stuff that gets as hard as metal once cured. Next I cut away the back side of the trigger and repainted the trigger. I hope this now meets the approval of the pre app team.
(https://i.imgur.com/3Yy9LFS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AOksYy4.jpg)
I also weathered the flight suit and gloves but neglected to take any pictures of them at this time. Currently I am working on some stuff for the rifle. Thanks for the interest.
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Based on feedback, added Leather to the grip and filled in the screw holes. Hopefully, this should pass app process.
(https://i.imgur.com/INvEjYZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5yX12VE.jpg)
After taking this kit to DragonCon, I learned that the only part of my kit that did not fit into a transport box was the sniper rifle.
(https://i.imgur.com/ADCZ46M.jpg?1)
So, I had been thinking about making the barrel detachable. This is somewhat complex because the bipod is connected to a faux gas rod that sits under the barrel and is mounted inside the receiver. After thinking about this issue I came up with a solution that I think will work. I will cut the barrel where it comes out of the receiver and insert a ½” PVC threaded SCH 40 coupling. Since I made the barrel from a shower curtain rod, I needed to insert a piece of ½” PVC pipe into the part of the barrel that remained inside the receiver and run screws through both rods to make them solid. I primed and painted all the exposed parts, then bolted them to the receiver and PVC glued the coupling to the protruding PVC pipe. Once all that was done, I closed up the receiver and began filling in some of the large gaps on the bottom of the receiver with some pieces of HIPS. I added a small square of HIPS to the top rear of the receiver and to cover some of the detail that was noted by the pre-app team as being “too nerf looking” then I painted this stuff. I also added a piece of wood to the top front of the receiver where there was a gap. I carved a piece of cedar to fit then stained and weathered it. I inserted it and screwed it in place.
Next I added the other end of the coupling to the remaining barrel. And began to work out how I was going to secure the gas tube where it would not interfere with the connecting and disconnecting of the barrel.
(https://i.imgur.com/yFdfQdp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ioJxvGb.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jBrefAX.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7QblldN.jpg)
I also began to build a wooden fore-grip. I made this out of 3 boards of poplar.
(https://i.imgur.com/BZrGcpO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tn07VxM.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FNKYhPk.jpg)
And that is where I am so far.
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I think this may the most detailed WIP I've ever seen....the sheer amount of work here is just incredible!! :o
It's gonna take some time to digest all this...but bravo so far man. 8)
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Raestin Ke’Varek, well thank you. I have done my fair share of build blogs over on Replica Prop Forum and can anticipate some of the questions that may come. This requires me to be a bit more descriptive at times but it does cut down on many of the back and forth questions and answers. Ultimately, I hope to provide enough information so that others can glean some knowledge from the write-ups and apply things they want with their builds. That is not to say that I don’t welcome questions, on the contrary, I do welcome any questions. In any case, thank you and everyone else for the kind comments.
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Alright gentlemen, I have made the following suggested changes and a few I came up with:
First, the flight suit has been weathered and zipper pulls removed. I have tucked it in in areas and tried to get the best fit I can for my body type.
I have heated and reshaped the back plate over the shoulder areas.
I repositioned the shoulder bells to be more centered on the arms.
I ditched the converse boots and replaced them with leather work boots that have been painted, weathered and armor attached. I also attached the shin armor to the boots for an overall better appearance.
I weathered the flight gloves.
I added an internal belt that holds the girth belt in place and prevents it from slipping down so that it now sits just under the abdomen plate.
Next, I reworked the pistol by removing the plastic behind the trigger, filling in all the screw holes, and wrapping the grip in leather that was weathered.
Lastly, I completely reworked the rifle by making the barrel removable and it is now configurable into a carbine as well as a sniper rifle. I added a wooden foregrip and added wood to a few other areas. I closed up various holes in the receiver with HIPS and painted them to match. I filled in all the screw holes and placed HIPS on the upper rear to change the appearance. I await your comments.
(https://i.imgur.com/lSgHU5a.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/YFcxCsi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ik4B37S.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MQS7H43.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xhnCa9y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/hH2z746.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XA4LMfV.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5nSPUOu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WZ58WGS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fqCBmC3.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Lr1DJaU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/1IbB5pm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Fjd7O1L.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eaVav45.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GuJwbsw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cRzFTB2.jpg)
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Wow... Just wow. Your kits are AMAZING!
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Love the detailed build thread. . . and love knowing a maker of your caliber and experience is in our area! Just sad we didn't meet at DragonCon. Hopefully, we can remedy that soon! Saw your pre -app post and had to come chase this thread down.
I saw your reference to JC's Boba. . .that kit is approved over in the Georgia Garrison of the 501st Legion, I believe, if it's the JC I'm thinking of. He's a great guy - with a great Boba Fett costume. I'd love to get him approved in the MMCC. ;D
So -- WELCOME! If you need anything wander on over to the Naast Clan boards. We've also got a (nearly) weekly armor workshop at Lonewolf & RamblinTrooper/Akari's place. It would be great to have you out just so you can meet some of the other local Mandos.
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Baconboyriz, thank you.
Nia Kad Runi, thank you. I am not sure we are talking about the same JC because he told me he was not part of any organization or perhaps I misunderstood him. I will hit him up and see what the deal is. He is local and I talk with him every few months. Work and life keep getting in the way. And the JC I know is a great guy, he was a riot as Negan this past DC. Anyway, I will absolutely get into the work shop stuff, I have been wanting to meet loanwolf and see about a new bucket as mine is about ½ small on me and mashes my nose on the T-visor.
So I am not sure what being in a brigade means but I know there is a sniper brigade so once I get approved and become a OM I will be shooting for the brigade affiliation as well. With that in mind, I have a few ideas for the two things I lack based on the Brigade CRLs. Coms and binoculars.
I 3D printed an electronic binocular kit.
(https://i.imgur.com/eGb5bFE.jpg)
But I am not sure I will build this, these things are BIG. I may just come up with something original and smaller. I will continue to update this WIP as things progress. Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and interest.
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Ok, so this 3D printed electronic binocular kit is big, like way too big for something I could attach to my belt and not feel like I was dragging around a suitcase. I considered a few other available options for printing and even making an actual prop from some old CCTV cameras but I finally decided on making my own 3D model and printing it.
I will make my model available for free download on my thingiverse page once I have built the one I just printed. Basically this is a smaller and redesigned version of the previous large version. This one is 119.67mm wide, 176.56mm from front to back, and 69mm tall. The front (objective lens) is designed so that you can add a piece of acrylic or glass before glueing it in place. The ocular lens is simple a recessed square cutout so that you can add a backlit screen. The inside is hollow and the front and back screw on so you can add a battery and simply unscrew one end to change out the battery. I intended to make a smaller battery door but I got short on time so I ditched the idea, perhaps in a later model but not for this one. I shot for simplicity in this design so most of the greebles are static and printed with the supporting part. I plan on simply using Velcro inside to hold the battery. I will drill out a hole in the thumb-rest on the underside and add a push button on/off switch to illuminate the ocular lens screen. I may add a led on the front but I am still figuring all this out as I go. So here is some pictures of the model and a side by side with the previous binocular.
(https://i.imgur.com/X4QKmJU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/aMvbUxg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/oGufcnS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GP31BxB.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UPYXvhT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/N7rGzQG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cjOUBcI.jpg)
Additionally, I have started work on my blade. This will be a medium size blade based on one of my favorite fighting knives the Chris Reeve Yarborough. I started with a ¼” thick piece of plexiglass and drew the shape. I cut it out on a band saw and then I sanded a blade on it. I plan on making the grips out of Oak and possibly wrapping them in leather. I will be making a leather sheath and attaching it to my right boot. This is where I am at this time.
(https://i.imgur.com/4aPLkBe.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iGLwqSo.jpg)
And that is it for now. More updates soon, thanks for the interest.
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I bet Darkhen would have an interest in this file! He's one of our active local 3d printers! (Thanks again for those gauntlets, my friend!) :)
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Nia Kad Runi, happy to share. The binoculars are now uploaded on my thingiverse page.
here: https://www.thingiverse.com/11b30b4/designs
I had to do a fair amount of sanding to get all the parts to fit but I think its a workable model.
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Great build, I don't know how I missed this kit at DC
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Yogi, thank you and I only wore my kit on Friday night and Saturday night from about 7pm till 2am so I am not surprised that we did not run into each other. I did see numerous mercs but I opted to not really interact since I was not an OM. At that time I had no intention to joining but after DC I decided I really needed to get more involved in the organization and see where I could fit it. I am eager to earn my stripes.
Ok so a few updates,
First, I continued working on the binos. In this picture you can see the hardware I purchased. I decided to add a lanyard and considered how I was going to attach it. In the end I got some small D-ring hangers from Home Depot. With a little modification and some paint these would have a nice 1970s look to them. I also got a cap screw and nut to attach the top knob. At the time I did not plan on adding an LED to the knob and I wanted it to spin. I have since decided to add an LED to the knob so it will be stationary but I will still attach it with the cap screw rather than glue it. Lastly the sheet metal screws will be perfect for assembly.
(https://i.imgur.com/amAKLid.jpg)
To get the binos looking good, I sanded all the parts with 100 then 250 grit wet sand paper. I could have used some bondo in some areas to sill in some of the imperfections but decided I wanted to keep them as they would add to the used look. You can see the printing lines on the face of the front and back panels but I decided to not sand them smooth. It gives a milled look to the faces and I like the texture. I did take a drill bit and clear out all the mounting holes then I took a larger bit and recessed where the screw heads would sit. In this picture you can see the front panel has a screw in the closest recessed screw hole. Once everything is assembled I will touchup the screw heads with some black paint.
For the paint, I sprayed on a layer of grey primer, then a layer of metallic silver, then a layer of olive green on most of the parts. A few parts remained metallic silver and some other parts got a layer of flat black over the metallic silver. The hardest part was masking off the the grid of squares on the front panel, luckily I had some 1mm masking tape I use in model building. Once all the paint was cured, I used some 400 grit wet sandpaper to sand away some of the top coat and reveal the metallic silver to produce a worn look. Lastly I mixed up some black acrylic paint with a good bit of water and painted ona wash over all the parts to weather them.
The lanyard is a piece of leather I got from hobby lobby and cut to the proper thickness and length. I painted the D-ring hangers and hole punched each end of the lanyard. I inserted the D-ring hangers and secured the lanyard ends with rivets. I still need to paint the rivets but you can see how they are assembled in the picture (red circle). These D-ring hangers needed to be cut down just a bit so that they would fit there the screw holes are (red triangles). Also in the picture are the LEDs and resistor I will be using. In total, I will be using two green 3mm LEDs with power ratings of 2.6-3 V and one white 3mm Led with the same rating. All three will be powered with a 9 volt battery. As I said before, I will secure the battery inside with Velcro. One green LED will go on the front side of the thumb rest under the objective lense. The second green LED will go on the top knob, and the white LED will go inside to back light the viewing screen. I may change this to a blue LED but I am not sure yet.
(https://i.imgur.com/ktKIR4H.jpg)
Next is my blade, after I finished sanding and shaping the blade, I got some ½” oak and started to make the grip. After a lot of shaping and sanding, I think the grips came out nicely. I stained them and hung them to dry.
(https://i.imgur.com/cNmG0Ew.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2b5uZ1M.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8kLBhB2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iHedo1A.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0Cw9Fih.jpg)
I painted on a layer of primer and metallic silver on the blade then I painted the hamon with some black acrylic paint. Next, I applied a black wash and clear coated the blade.
(https://i.imgur.com/CP5NLHr.jpg)
So, in-between the Christmas festivities I hope to finish the binos and blade and start on the holster and sheath for both. Thanks for the interest.
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Wow, just wow. Great build thread!
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Well, a Wow from my Alor’ad is a clear indicator that I am doing something right. I appreciate the compliment and thank you Blackdugal.
Ok, in between Christmas festivities I managed to go see The Last Jedi a second time and got more done with my build.
First, I finished my blade. I decided to wrap the grip with leather and weathered it. Next I made a leather sheath, stained it, and mounted it to my right boot. I forgot to take pictures of while I made the sheath but here is the finished pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/8cd6SmW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MuFEywj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jLNs5q0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EHjgWCp.jpg)
Next, I decided on how I wanted the view screen on the binos to look and made a vinyl decal on my Silhouette. I also decided to make some stencils for the binos. I figured that since most of the binos in the Star Wars universe were made by Neuro-Saav Corp, I would follow this example. The large Hoth binos were the Neuro-Saav Corp. Model TD2.3 Electrobinoculars and my design was inspired by them so I made my design Model TD5.2.
After, the decal printed, I applied it to the back side of a cut to fit piece of thin acrylic than I applied a thin cut to fit piece of white sheet styrene to diffuse the blue LED. Both of these were then secured inside the back face plate with a dab of hot glue around the edges.
(https://i.imgur.com/mEHX6nz.jpg)
I finished adding all the LEDS (2 green and 1 blue) to the inside of the body, added some Velcro and attached the battery and screwed everything together.
(https://i.imgur.com/sKMlw0j.jpg)
After some final weathering and painting on the Neuro-Saav Corp stencils, I clear coated the whole thing and presto, Model TD5.2 was complete. For the objective lens I used a piece of one way mirror acrylic with a coat of Tamiya transparent green over it. You can see the green LEDs on the top and front but the blue LED is really only visible in the dark. Overall, I am very pleased with the final product.
(https://i.imgur.com/ptmHG0p.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nNTg74L.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Iyyl8Mh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bxaWKa5.jpg)
Next I needed a holster for the binos so I made a paper pattern and cut out the leather. Using a mixture of sewing and rivets I built the holster, then stained it. Test fit everything then I applied a coat of wood stain to darken it and give that final touch.
(https://i.imgur.com/QrTC0KD.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LpbAU6M.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ss8oSfW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rkYYIC0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bwTLc75.jpg)
And that is where I am now. I have begun working on the additional helmet antenna and communications box repeater. I am hoping to relocate the battery packs for my helmet fans to inside the repeater and run a cable to the helmet but that is a work in progress. Thanks for the interest.
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Love the binocular build. the only thing I noticed that I'd suggest that would help level it up is to have done something to get rid of the tell tale 3d print lines, such as use XTC-3000 or bondo glazing and sand it down. the lights and readout are INNCREDIBLE touches though!
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Nia Kad Runi, thanks for the suggestion. I forgot to mention it but I had decided to leave the lines so that they looked like milling lines. Think something similar to this:
(https://i.imgur.com/9r9EPyo.jpg)
I may go back at a later date and see if I cant figure out a way to make the display brighter, perhaps lining it in foil and focusing the light like a flash light.
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Hello everyone, I have completed the helmet antenna enhancement.
I 3D printed these two parts. The first part is the antenna topper similar to the antenna toppers on the imperial probe droid. The other part is a semi-ear cap to fit over my existing left ear cap. Once these were printed, I sanded them and painted them with a coat of primer, metallic silver, then either olive green or brown. Here is a picture of them drying.
(https://i.imgur.com/HHo5pEv.jpg)
Here is a picture of the left side of the helmet before adding the antenna
(https://i.imgur.com/psFbZ76.jpg)
Once the parts were dry, I sanded away some of the paint to expose the metallic silver. I glued them to the helmet with superglue and used baking soda and super glue to fill in the gaps, then painted over the gaps. I sanded the excess superglue away and painted on a watered down black wash over the parts. Lastly, I used one of the same bicycle spokes I had used on the gauntlets as the antenna. I drilled out the hole in the ear piece and into the ear cap and inserted the cut down spoke. The spoke can be completely removed or it can travel about 1.5 inches up and down. I am very pleased how it came out and I think it adds to the realism of the helmet.
(https://i.imgur.com/rAvvfAx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SpVluGs.jpg)
And that is my latest upgrade. I have dropped off my flight suits with my local seamstress to be taken-in on the arms and legs and add some moisture wick olive green material to the arm pits. That was expensive… The whole sewing job cost me $160.00 for both flight suits but I think it will be worth it. I probably could have sewn them myself but I really don’t have the time and I wanted them done correctly.
The critique from regional app team for my OM says that my flight suit was baggy and that I needed to adjust the chest armor a bit. So hopefully when I can make it a local prop party I can get the final touches and more up to date pictures for OM. Thanks for the interest.
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I like that antenna, vod. It looks really nice!
And you're almost there with your kit. You'll have your kill stripes in no time.
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Cant Wait ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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I've bookmarked this so I can re-read it for inspiration when I'm in my build doldrums and use it as inspiration for others.
I remember meeting you at Dragoncon and thinking DAMM this an awesome kit. And hoping beyond hope that you were interested in actually joining (just because someone builds an amazing mando kit doesn't mean they want to join - to assume that is hubris indeed).
It's the tiny details that inspire me: the build plates on the weapons from the companies in particular. I so very much want to see this kit again in person and just oogle it like a fan-girl (Don't mind the noises, I tend to mutter to myself a lot).
You are so so very close and your local Ruus'alors appreciate your willingness to work with us on tweaking those finer details on what is, to me, an intricate and excellently detailed kit. The more detailed a kit is, the more inspection it gets.
Thank you again for both the WIP post and your excellent work!
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ShadowRex, Wow and thank you. I appreciate the compliment and recognition. The devil is always in the details. I can remember reading somewhere that the costume designers for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country had engraved the klingon symbol on the small buttons on the klingon uniforms. This detail would have never been scene or noticed by viewers of the movies and even production pictures would not pick them up but they costume department included them regardless. I remember trying to understand why they included detail that no one would ever see, and in the end I realized two things; first, the detail add to the realism and second, the costume department would know the detail was there and that was worth all the effort. I am not implying that I have anywhere near that level of detail or skill but, I know the detail is there and that is enough for me. ;D
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Hello everyone, I have a few updates.
First, I have been considering adding more ventilation for my bucket. This is something I have been thinking about ever since I first made my bucket and when I recently added the antenna I decided to take another stab at adding vents to the mandible area. Wearing my bucket for any amount of time without my cooling fans running resulted in the visor fogging so I wanted vents that will help alleviate this. Ok so I printed a vinyl stencil to determine what I would cut out.
(https://i.imgur.com/9JT5lWl.jpg)
Next, I cut out the holes with a drill bit and dremmel.
(https://i.imgur.com/Wps8YHX.jpg)
After some cleaning up with a file, I removed the vinyl and made some final touches. I know its not perfect but it is armor after all.
(https://i.imgur.com/VIDmTM1.jpg)
Next, I painted the inside of the vents with black paint and added metallic silver highlights. Once the paint was dry, I glued a very thin grey fabric inside the helmet to cover the vents.
(https://i.imgur.com/oQr2iqL.jpg)
Here is what the vents look like once I finished.
(https://i.imgur.com/pT97urz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jNRQWT8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/r74b4aW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zOBEaFt.jpg)
So, I am happy with how the vents turned out.
Next, I wrapped the grip on my rifle with leather and weathered the leather.
(https://i.imgur.com/vBEHuo5.jpg)
And that is it for now. Thanks for the interest.
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Ok, well I knocked out some last minute enhancements. I added some brass studs to the collar plate to attach my ghillie cape. I added a leather collar strap to the flight suit but it will not be very visiable. And today, I finally got to meet some of you naasties. I met with our Alor’ad Blackdugal and Nia Kad Runi earlier today and got my final pictures taken. Several others were on speed dial to assist and review. I am sooooo excited; anyway, here are the pics:
(https://i.imgur.com/g4nO37M.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Tcedi3J.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/pH8WIb7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/RBW2vmT.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/yCfAwBl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HS561mY.jpg)
I just finished submitting my official application so now it’s a waiting game. Wish me luck…
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Much luck to you, sir! The kit looks great and I can't wait for you to be able to get out and about with us on invasions!
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Nia Kad Runi, thank you.
Finished making my Cabur Akaata fourragere last night. still need to sand and paint the claws and Im still waiting to hear about my stripes.
(https://i.imgur.com/2s5jBgO.jpg)
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well got my first e-mail back from app team:
"We need just a few more things in order to process your application:
- From the CRLs: "With double sleeved flight suits, contrast of color is acceptable on the arms if the shorter sleeve matches the color of the flight suit." The short sleeve is not the same color as the flight suit and must be removed or matched.
- External elastic strapping may only be used on the knees and elbows. Please use a different method for your shin armor and knife holster.
Suggestions for improvements: Hide the gauntlet pins - a quick paint would do to just stop them being so shiny.
Also, filling the pouches at the front will help them to not appear deflated.
So tonight I removed the elastic straps from the shin armor. The plates were hard mounted to my boots so they will stay in place without the elastic straps but I will look at another method to connect them at the top to the flight suit. Went to JoAnns and found a cotton fabric that was very close to the flight suit in color and feel. Made new sleeves and dyed the new sleeves with the flight suit to help blend everything together. Painted the rods in the gauntlets, put foam in the Large ammo pouches. that should cover all the corrections. Also sanded and painted the claws on my Cabur Akaata fourragere, pics to come later. So I will be getting new pictures for the app team this Sunday. Thats is for now.
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Ok so some updates with pictures this time. Based on what the app team sent me, I made new sleeves out of a similar fabric and color as the flight suit, then I dyed the flight suit and sleeves to match better. I weathered the sleeves with some spray paint then washed everything. Here is a picture of the sleeves with the flight suit. I think they match nicely.
(https://i.imgur.com/gGMekFa.jpg)
The next major fix was the shin armor. I was a bit perplexed on what to do here. I removed the color matched elastic and took a look at how the armor looked with them just bolted to the boots. There was a considerable gap between the top of the shin armor and my leg (like 2.5 inches). Although I did not like the look, I could have lived with it, but then I figured that once I took new pictures, someone on the app team would come up with a “ the armor needs to conform to you body and not protrude” criticism and I would have to do another round of pictures. Forget the fact that I have spent the past few days looking over a ton of WIPs for members who are “official” and many of them attach shin and thigh armor with straps; I realize and agree that the CRLs explicitly state that the only armor that can be attached with elastic are knees and elbows. I needed to figure out a way to get the top of the shin armor to pull back to my leg.
First I tried Velcro sewn to the flight suit and stuck to the back side of the shin armor but I ended up with the shin armor pulling the flight suit away from my body and this weird look that I did not like. In this picture you can see the flight suit being pulled away from my leg.
(https://i.imgur.com/uP6eKwG.jpg)
So, I added straps to the flight suit but I ended up knocking holes in the flight suit too low. This is not easy to figure where to add the snaps when you are wearing the flight suit and bending over. The fabric shifts and does not lie like it does when you are standing. Frustrated, I removed the snaps and decided to sleep on it and hoped a better idea would come to mind. It did, sort of… I decided to add snaps to some color matched elastic and sewed the elastic behind where the shin guard would lay. This made it completely unseen and flexible and this is how it turned out.
(https://i.imgur.com/QDL1y5Z.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xDOcvf6.jpg)
I think this is the look I working for and closely resembles how they looked before. So this should pass the app team.
Next I tapered my flight suit a little better in the legs and arms. In this picture, I took in the flight suit about 1-1.5 inches along the seems highlighted in red and I think the fit is much better.
(https://i.imgur.com/asV7ZI6.jpg)
Lastly, I finished my Cabur Akaata fourragere. It says my Mando’a name Bat Akaan which translated is “On War”. I plan on officially changing my name here on the forum once I get my stripes. I don’t want to confuse the app team with a name change in the middle of approval.
(https://i.imgur.com/PXU1wCD.jpg)
And that’s is so far. I will be taking new pictures and resubmitting then tomorrow. Thanks for the interest.
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Yesterday I received some new magnets that I had ordered last week. Ever since DragonCon, I had wanted to use stronger magnets to hold the range finder in its two positions. The magnets I had were 1/4 x 1/16 Inch Small Neodymium Rare Earth Disc Magnets rated at N35 which I ordered from TotalElement. These new magnets are rated at N52 and are 1/2"x1/4"x1/16" Neodymium Rare Earth Block Magnet I ordered from CMS Magnetics. I will be making a new version of all the stalks and earcap sets on my thingiverse page to fit these new magnets in the next few days. Anyway, I did not want to take the time to make new earcap and stalk for this kit so I removed the old magnets and used a dremel to make the cutout fit the new magnets. A little super glue and boom, new magnets with more than double the contact surface area and almost twice the strength of the old ones. Big improvement…
(https://i.imgur.com/5EhlSag.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/jr3louH.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NyEJs6V.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/R7SXqU4.jpg)
Today we took new pictures and re-submitted to app team for approval with the listed fixes.
(https://i.imgur.com/rrrXUh0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GZ5QK12.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2b1pMQ9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cLT7y5U.jpg)
After we took the pics and after I submitted them to the app team, based on a suggestion from a Vod, I removed all the leg zippers and sewed the pockets closed. I don’t think the zippers will be an issue for approval since they are all colored to match the flight suit and the pulls removed but if it comes up, I have already corrected the issue.
(https://i.imgur.com/3Nv8Xeu.jpg)
And that is all the updates for now, thanks for the interest.
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This is one sweet kit Vod.
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Kall, thank you for the complement
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That is frelling glorious!
Words do not do your build justice.
I honestly don't know how anyone could nitpick it, but I don't make the rules... it seems you're actually your harshest critic.
I only hope that as my WIP progresses, I can have such patience.
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Looks hot my friend, all those precise details and LEDs, well done vod! Hope to see this kit pass the Approval team and become an Official Member! (I wonder if you can make another sniper rifle like except different design of paint and decals for me ;) )
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JEStucker, thank you. I think I am a harsh critic of my work, it’s the only way to produce the desired outcome. I fully believe, if you are going to do something, do it right or don’t do it at all. Everything is a learning process, when I started this build, I had almost no experience with vacuum forming and I had never modified a nerf gun, I had never made an armored costume and I had to fail a lot of times to be able to make something that worked for me. I wish you luck and feel free to IM me if you get stuck along the way.
Thrantusix, same goes for you and remember, all it takes is time and patience. I have had a lot of complements on my weapons but in all honesty, I really don’t think they are anything that special. I could have done better if I had not been pressed for time at various stages of working on them. Don’t get me wrong, I do like them and I like how they turned out but what I built, anyone can build. I expect to see something cool and mind-blowing for your long barrel sniper rifle build WIP in the near future.
Ok so I added new “version2” versions of my ear caps and range finder stalks on my thingiverse page to accommodate the larger ½” magnets. Also, I added a “grouped” file version of my Mando Binos for anyone who wants to print them in groups of parts rather than all at one time. Lastly, I added the ear antenna files as well. All my free to download, alter, copy, and print 3D models are available here:
https://www.thingiverse.com/11b30b4/designs
As always thanks for the interest.
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I guess I better do major research on the rifles then. Thanks for the inspiration vod!
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Hello everyone, Well I got my email today making me OM but I am still waiting on the email giving me my number and opening up all the OM stuff here on the forum. I attended my first armor party yesterday and it was a lot of fun. I have been working on something for a few days now so I will share what I am doing. Keep in mind, this is still “in process” so it is not finished and I expect I will still be making some changes.
Ok so I plan on going for Special Ops Brigade “Sniper” so I needed to enhance a few things with my kit. One of these things is a survival kit. I looked over a few examples of other people’s kits and came up with some cool ideas of my own.
My plan is to divide this kit into three areas; nutrition, sustainment, and medical.
Nutrition- well that would be food and water. In a real survival kit, calories is the key consideration for food and some way to purify water. My kit will include three food capsules similar to the Jedi food capsules except with a military feel. Actual jedi food capsules are made from Staedtler pen tops that were painted. I found these cool aluminum nasal inhalers on Amazon.
(https://i.imgur.com/WuFvOSk.jpg)
So I media blasted them and painted them. I made some vinyl masks and media blast them again and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/aWeaZML.jpg)
Next, I made a water purification straw from a brass tube, the end of a window blind rod, and the winder for a toy clock, painted some graphics and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/M9FsjK2.jpg)
Sustainment- this section would include a method for making fire and a light source. In an actual survival kit, that would most likely include a fire steel, striker, and a flashlight. This section would normally include a knife as well but I have that huge blade on my leg so I got that covered. So I wanted something that looked star warsy and that started with these soda bottle preforms.
(https://i.imgur.com/MKeJQDy.jpg)
So I painted the inside of the preform with spaz stix mirror chrome, added a piece of corrugated conduit, another part from the toy clock, a small switch, a few zip tie tracks, a brass knob, some wire. I painted some graphics on it and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/xTDhGgT.jpg)
For the light, I chose a small battery powered LED light I got off amazon.
(https://i.imgur.com/mn64X1m.jpg)
So, I cut off the loop on the bottom, added some graphics, and I used another part from the toy clock for the base and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/XG0uT7a.jpg)
Medical- so this section would include a hypo spray, synthskin sprayer, and possibly some medications. In an actual survival kit the concern is to control bleeding, address illness like dysentery and allergic reaction, sterilization, antibiotics, and medication for pain.
For the Hypospray, I found this solder removal pump.
(https://i.imgur.com/6zvgjWV.jpg)
So I added a used CO2 cartridge, cut up a PVC fitting, and added an aluminum tube. I painted everything and added some graphics and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/lSTCzqE.jpg)
For the synthskin sprayer, I found a CO2 bicycle tire inflator on amazon.
(https://i.imgur.com/evqMGLZ.jpg)
So I disassembled the inflator and painted it. I added some graphics and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/yfs5muN.jpg)
Any science fiction medical kit worth its salt will have some type of medical scanner. For my kit I used the control readout on a cheap micrometer.
(https://i.imgur.com/qZk2O18.jpg)
I made a back plate from Plexiglas, added a part from a grandfather clock repair kit. I painted everything and added some graphics and presto.
(https://i.imgur.com/OhgQhVt.jpg)
Well, I still have a fair amount of work to do but this is where I am at this time. Thanks for the interest.
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I am so glad I am following this thread, I can't believe the amount of detail going into your kit.
Congratulations on the OM Status!
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Congratz vod !
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Congrats on OM! Can't wait to see you get to wear your kit out and about.
Love seeing all the fund stuff you're adding to your kit too. I bet you and Mel (ShadowRex) had a great time talking greeblies and such, as she's working on fun extras for her medic.
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Congratulations, vod. Very well done.
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Congrats on those well-earned stripes!
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JEStucker and Zaroc, thank you for the comments.
Nia Kad Runi, Mel showed about an hour before I had to leave but we did talk a bit. I didn’t get to really play with Mel’s new toys but I heard her talking about them with some of the other guys. She is cool and I look forward to spending more time with the whole clan and getting to know everyone.
Havelock, thank vod and congratulations on the Order of Ori'ramikad, you ROCK!
Kol Var’Das, thank you.
So still no email from the admin team but I did do some more work on the survival kit. The
synthskin sprayer still looked too much like an earthly device so I added some brass piping and knobs. I think once its weathered it will look good but I may go with a different paint scheme.
(https://i.imgur.com/TC3Kl1j.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mzXghDm.jpg)
I also changed the base to the lamp, I used a toilet seat bushing and painted it with a metallic brass spray paint.
(https://i.imgur.com/eqOBhmv.jpg)
I have been tossing around the idea of drugs in the kit and decided on these two small bottles. I added some graphics and colored water.
(https://i.imgur.com/mcAHCgM.jpg)
And this picture should give you an idea of where I am going with this kit.
(https://i.imgur.com/pryb86E.jpg)
Still got more to do but it is coming along nicely.
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Can't wait to see it all assembled an on your kit . . . AT AN INVASION! ;D
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Can't wait to see it all assembled an on your kit . . . AT AN INVASION! ;D
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Absolutely!
Although that may be awhile in my case. I don't get up to Atlanta much. :P
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(eyeballs toys) Yeah, we need to talk shop. I like your toys. :)
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Nia Kad Runi, An INVASION you say. I am absolutely there! Whenever the first 2018 Invasion is…
Havelock, If I end up shooting out to your neck of the woods for an Armor Party or Invasion, I will expect the excuse of “I don’t live in the ATL” to drop significantly…; However, I have yet to make it out there so I cannot complain about your reservation of gallivanting with us Atlantans. Further, no one can question your dedication to this club and its members, the proof is your Order of Ori'ramikad induction.
ShadowRex, If you ever come to any event that I am attending and you see me on a computer and you feel like “I don’t want to disturb him so I will share my really cool newly made little gadgets with everyone else but not the “”new”” guy”, Well don’t feel that way. Come over and kick my butt out of my solitude and “FORCE” me to interact with you and everyone else and I will endeavor to interact more with everyone. I think I got 5 people’s names form everyone who attended the Armor Party. The whole real name and face book name and Mando name has caused my frontal lobe to seize up. I feel like I did when I went to meet my wife’s extended family in New Jersey. They are Irish so there is like 100 Danny’s, a 100 Catherine’s, a 100 David’s, well you get the picture. Anyway, so I hear you have some cool toys “medically related”? Why is there not a WIP for them, or is there?
Ok so I sanded and weathered most of the bits and clear coated them. Here are some pictures:
Water Purification drinking straw
(https://i.imgur.com/hypejnF.jpg)
Military ration food capsules
(https://i.imgur.com/bSzH1s9.jpg)
Torch for welding, cutting and starting fires
(https://i.imgur.com/q6Ylx3d.jpg)
Lamp for light
(https://i.imgur.com/eeIxj6x.jpg)
Hypospray for administration of drugs
(https://i.imgur.com/SKboM2m.jpg)
Synthskin sprayer to repair wounds
(https://i.imgur.com/qDDcozq.jpg)
Medical scanner to diagnose injuries
(https://i.imgur.com/mNUQbpF.jpg)
Additional medications, antibiotics and pain reliever
(https://i.imgur.com/2NoZKbL.jpg)
And tonight I will start on how I will carry all of these tools, I am thinking of something like this:
(https://i.imgur.com/OezBepd.jpg)
But I will have to see how it all comes together, and that’s it for now. Thanks for the interest.
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My WIPs over in the brigade area. Fewer people to laugh at me ;P
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ShadowRex, I just found your WIP. Holy cow! great job. YES, we need to get our heads together, you definitely have the small tools and bits gift.
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Havelock, If I end up shooting out to your neck of the woods for an Armor Party or Invasion, I will expect the excuse of “I don’t live in the ATL” to drop significantly…; However, I have yet to make it out there so I cannot complain about your reservation of gallivanting with us Atlantans. Further, no one can question your dedication to this club and its members, the proof is your Order of Ori'ramikad induction.
First, thank you, vod. I really appreciate that.
Second, I'd be absolutely delighted to see you at an armor party or invasion out this way! You're welcome any time! And I'd like to make it up to the Atlanta area for an invasion or two...without a car that can get a little tricky. We'll see what happens after tax returns, etc. ;D
I'm very much looking forward to seeing what other toys you produce for your kit. You do stellar work.
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Havelock, Thanks brother. My fingers are crossed for your tax return, and I am sure we will meet up sometime in the near future.
Ok, so continuing with the survival kit…
Well I got a goat skin from Tandy Leather and made this:
(https://i.imgur.com/SfS6k3T.jpg)
But I wasn’t really “feeling it” with all the snaps and whatnot so I went back to Tandy and got what I really wanted originally but did not want to drop the cash on. In the end, I guess I should have just gone with my first instinct and tossed my concerns over the price out the window. The goat skin was $26.00, the oiled rustic double shoulder was $98.00
(https://i.imgur.com/GqG1ke3.jpg)
So I had been researching leather tool rolls for the past few weeks and I really like the “pull through strap” concept rather than sectioned pockets. After a few hours today, this is what I came up with and I still may make a few changes but I think its mostly finished and I like how it came out. Keep in mind that my choice for the survival kit over an entrenching tool or other options was the overall look and feel of my total kit and what would work best with it. Additionally, I wanted to make a survival kit that I could wear on my kit and not be cumbersome. This tool roll will fit on the back of my girth belt and be completely out of the way until needed, just like and actual survival kit should be.
(https://i.imgur.com/N8twCT1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/j9fE0Df.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/w6iBvh2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lBb3pm7.jpg)
So, all that is left for me is to take some new pictures for the Special Ops, Sniper Brigade and see if I pass approval with them. Thanks for the interest.
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Let me just leave this here...
Wow
*leaves* :laugh:
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In awe of your work, needless to say.
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I'm completely in awe. Hope to see you at one of the Atlanta events!
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Havelock, Kol Var’Das, and Michaeljscully; thank you all. I appreciate your opinions and comments.
OK, the Cool update is, I just got the nod. I am officially now a member of the Special Operations Striker Brigade, Sniper. I am very happy.
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And well you should be, vod! Congratulations!
And if you're attending the birthday party event this Saturday, I'll see you there. Barring unforeseen disaster of some kind. *knocking wood*
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Congratulations!
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Congratz Vod ! Your kit is awesome and your wip inspiring from the beginning ! ;D
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Guys, thank you all. Havelock, I will be there. Zaroc, I know I can be a bit verbose at time but, I really like sharing this stuff and since its all kind of new to me, hopefully, it will help others. I am glad you like the WIP. I will be continuing to update as time permits.
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Hello everyone, when I was approved for the Special Operations Brigade one of the suggestions that was noted by the app team was that I should consider improving my sidearm. The original sidearm I had was a very cut down and moderately modified nerf gun. I have been wanting to make some significant improvements to it or to replace it all together, then I found all the discussions on RPF about the A180 blaster used by Jyn Erso in Rogue One. I love this blaster and Rogue One became my favorite Star Wars movie for a variety of reasons that I will not go into here.
This is my old blaster
(https://i.imgur.com/paC8lSW.jpg)
And this a reference shot of Jyn Erso’s A180
(https://i.imgur.com/PkA8JPF.jpg)
So I began to research making the whole thing from scratch, then 3D printing it, then just buying the parts to construct it, and lastly to just buy a complete prop outright. My Ramps board on my 3D printer died and the replacement has not arrived yet so printing was out, and I did not want to just buy it as well so I settled on something in between. I wanted an all metal blaster and to do that I could mill the parts myself or buy the AW Customs kit. I purchased a Umarex Legends blowback CO2 Luger P08 on amazon and later purchased the AW Customs A180 kit. The actual blowback Luger used for the actual hero prop was a WE naval Luger but WE guns have a cheap quality to them and from what I could discover on the internet they had numerous CO2 problems. In any case, a blowback Luger and the AW Customs kit combined would make the blaster but I would still needed to make some modifications.
This is the WE Naval Luger
(https://i.imgur.com/bTRXT42.jpg)
This is the Umerax Legends P08 Blowback
(https://i.imgur.com/4BWuAEH.jpg)
This is the AW Customs Kit
(https://i.imgur.com/Iq2QE34.jpg)
So after receiving the Luger and the AW kit I determined that I would need to make the following modifications:
1. Alter the rear sight to look more like the naval real sight.
2. Remove the front sight.
3. Drill and Tap all the mounting bolts for the kit on the Luger (total of 5 holes).
4. Add an aluminum plate along the right side above the grips.
5. Remove the safety selector from the Luger.
6. File the top fence on the rear of the slide on both sides to create the butt stock mount on the Luger.
7. Grind all the detail on the right side of the AW Customs kit off and round the top right side.
8. Paint the center ring and lower rail on the AW Customs kit black.
All these modifications would mean that I would need to strip and paint the Luger. I would also need to media blast the AW Customs kit parts to dull them and blend the ground down parts.
I should note that one of the “confirmed” modifications that I chose not to make was the grinding down of a rectangle part on the left side of the take down panel of the Luger. Also there is a ton of conflicting reference pictures out there of the A180. There are differences between the Battlefield game version and the Rogue One version. There are also several difference in the screen shots of Rogue One versions. Some have a black lower rail and some have a bare metal lower rail. With all this confusion, I attempted to replicate what I believed would be an “in cannon” Blastech A180, not specifically Jyn Erso’s gun.
So I disassembled the whole gun and media blasted all the parts. I made all the modifications then painted the all the parts with Cerakote C102 Graphite Black. This is an air cure formula rather than a heat cure formula because I was concerned about any small plastic parts I may have missed in the disassembly.
Backing up for a minute, here are some of the modifications:
The rear sight dove tail on the naval luger looks like this (not my gun)
(https://i.imgur.com/7aw4Gp2.jpg)
And the rear sight on my Legends P08 looks like this
(https://i.imgur.com/heIvuce.jpg)
So I would need to grind off the rear sight then add material to replicate the dove tail mount. For this I chose to use PC-7 epoxy. This stuff permanently bonds to metal and is moldable after a few hours. It fully cures in 24 hours and is toolable, sandable, and paintable. So I mixed up this two part 50/50 epoxy and slapped it on the rear sight. I late roughly shaped it then came back with a dremel and shaped it. It was painted at the same time as the rear sight.
This is PC-7, I got mine at Ace Hardware.
(https://i.imgur.com/SRR3oXR.jpg)
This is a before shot of my rear sight
(https://i.imgur.com/pMcFDux.jpg)
This is the finished rear sight.
(https://i.imgur.com/0QcYzne.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5JsK8ll.jpg)
Next, I Drilled and taped the mounting holes. There are two 3mm taps on both sides and one under the take down lever.
(https://i.imgur.com/zO6Owcr.jpg)
Next, I worked on the screw and washer on the right side opposite the take down lever. For this I drilled and tapped the right side of the take down lever with a 4mm tap then found a cool greeble. The threaded gnarled part on a 12 volt car power adapter. I cut off the threaded end and attached it with a 4mm cap screw.
This is where the part will be mounted
(https://i.imgur.com/QE3fewv.jpg)
This is the greeble, I got mine at Harbor Freight
(https://i.imgur.com/hK5QvcL.jpg)
And this is the finished part
(https://i.imgur.com/71XCPfA.jpg)
Next, I took some thin sheet aluminum (about twice as thick as a coke can) and cut it to fit the area above the right grip. I drilled out the two holes to allow the mounting hardware to pass through and sanded the part.
Here is the part before mounting
(https://i.imgur.com/KiA2R0L.jpg)
And here is the finished part
(https://i.imgur.com/x7WwL2e.jpg)
Here is a shot of all the parts being reassembled
(https://i.imgur.com/gELwcMT.jpg)
One thing I discovered when I ground off the right side of the AW Customs kit is that there is some sort of plating or coating on the kit parts. In the areas that I ground off the details I passed through this plating but the areas around the ground down parts I removed the shiny finish and uncovered a copper plating. I have no idea why its there but the whole kit is coated with it and when I attempted to media blast the parts the whole thing turned copper in color. I attempted to remove this plating with various chemicals (MEK, Acetone, CLR, Denatured Alcohol, Brake Cleaner; and nothing worked. Even the Media blast failed to remove the plating so I ended up having to wet sand all the AW parts. I started with 100 grit and worked up to 800 grit.
Here is a picture of the kit after I sanded it and before I weathered it. The red circle shows some of the copper plating that I left in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/l473C97.jpg)
This is another picture showing the copper plating
(https://i.imgur.com/8ZJfo6N.jpg)
For weathering I simply used 220 grit sand paper on all the freshly painted parts and some black acrylic paint on the aluminum. I have ordered some M2.5 set screws to replace the four top screws from the AW customs and I still need to clear matt coat everything but the Blastech A180 blaster is mostly finished. I will be building a holster for it over the weekend. Here are the finished pictures as it looks now.
(https://i.imgur.com/AGkcslS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BE64FSc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6GaE5gR.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/THjQKWz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/7oQ61E4.jpg)
Thanks for the interest.
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This is an amazing pistol! I may need to look into one of these kits, my pistol is quickly becoming outdated.
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Wow.
I am so glad I stumbled onto this thread.
First of all, congrats on OM and Brigade status. Well earned!
I think this thread should be stickied as an example for all -- you cover so many different aspects of how to do things right. I want to PDF up your whole build process, as there are so many things we can all learn from how you did things.
I've done a lot of kits over the years, but I don't think I have ever seen anyone do so much from scratch, and make it look absolutely fantastic. Pro grade. Seriously Pro Grade.
Everything from forming and making your own armor, to LED and electronics, to making --and sharing!!! -- 3D files, to leather working... to blaster modification.... this is the gold standard of How to Do Things Right.
I had to bookmark this thread, and I'm going to share this thread with my local build group. Please keep up the good work.
It also looks to me like you could start a full side business making pieces-parts, templates, stickers, greeblies and accessories. You have the knack for it -- making it look fully professional and not just cobbled together with parts from the hardware store.
I'm still in the build and planing phase, and I'm going to be referencing this WIP thread like mad.
Great job!!!
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Kol Var’Das, I really like it and the weight is realistic. Coming from someone that carries a real gun every day, everywhere, this feel completely normal to me. Depending on a few things like would you be happy with this kit as is, or would you want to make it more screen accurate (similar to what I did) should help you decide on buying the kit or the complete gun from Evike if you decide to get this blaster. I love it, I always like most of the longer and sleeker looking blasters like Leia’s Defender sporting blaster pistol or the DH-17.
Obey Wann, thank you for your comments. Yep my goal with this WIP was to chronical the build process and I hope that it can help others. I realize that most people these days will opt for Sentra armor over vacuum forming but we had built the vacuum forming machine and wanted to use it. As far as a business, I don’t think I really have the time and I figure that if I decide to make stuff to sell, its will come at some later point. The whole approval process seems daunting. So thank you again and I am glad that you found the WIP informative.
Ok so I slapped a holster together last night. This is just version one, there are a few things I will change about it and make a version two over the weekend. Here are some pictures of it.
(https://i.imgur.com/CZRWk1P.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kW0YE6y.jpg)
And that is all I have for you at this time. Thanks for the interest.
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Awesome work on the pistol and holster vod
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How did you go about the stitching? I'm still a major noob when it comes to leather work.
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stunning work, just stunning. keep it up dude.
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Unknown Mando, thank you.
Kol Var’Das, I have an industrial sewing machine; however, Tandy leather sells hand sewing tool for leather work if you are looking to make a holster yourself. Also, possibly someone in your clan or near you has an industrial sewing machine? Unlike sewing fabric, once the needle goes into leather the hole is there forever, so plan how you want to sew before stitching anything leather. If you are in a real bind to get something sewn, send me a PM and we can talk.
Cyberdemon, thank you, I intent to do just that.
Ok so over the weekend I made another holster. This one I like more than the last one.
(https://i.imgur.com/vzJBH2j.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8atBIdS.jpg)
And I picked this up from a local airsoft store. It is broken and non-functional so it was only $50.00 from its normal $179.00. So I now begin to upgrade my sniper rifle. I am thinking something more blasTech looking with less or no wood. So lots of black metal and plastic with aluminum highlights. We will see what I come up with.
(https://i.imgur.com/SxAJF4E.jpg)
Thanks for the interest.
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I know, I've stopped and dropped the compliments off before, but I've got to do it again...
Words just fail. I continue to be in awe of what you do. As others have mentioned, there are people that have built multiple kits that don't put the kind of care and detail into what you've accomplished with your first kit.
Congrats again on OM and Brigade status, as always this is an inspiration.
I'm currently using a resource (A friend with a 3D Printer) to run a build of parts for a Z-6 Rotary Blaster, we'll see how the prints come out and go from there, should have something by the end of the week (I hope)
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JEStucker, thank you and I wish you well on the 3D print. My printer just went down last week and I am still trying to figure out what is wrong with it. I have replaces the RAMPS 1.4 board but the bed heater is still failing so until this is fixed, I am back to old school fabrication and that means this Sniper rifle upgrade will most likely get a ton of real aluminum parts turned on the lathe.
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Some progress with the rifle build. I did not take a lot of pictures as I did this but I will try to explain what I did and I do have some pictures.
So I started with an airsoft Famas F1 that was non-functional. This rifle was not my first choice. Originally I wanted a STG-44 to build into a sniper rifle but finding one that is broken and selling for cheap is really hard. Anyway, the design flow for SW universe weapons seems to start with a WWII gun and go from there and since the STG-44 is from WWII and not widely recognizable by non-gun nuts, it would have been perfect for this build. A big plus would have been that its made from stamped metal and has a wooden stock and pistol grip. Oh well, thems the brakes. So then I tried to find something from WWII that I could use and was available broken and cheap, this was elusive as well. Next, I said anything that was close to the real gun in materials and weight and was not easily recognizable or popular like an AR-15 or AK-47 would be an option. Quite honestly, I was surprised to see Cassian Andor’s blaster in Rogue One since it was just an AR-15 with the barrel and stock removed.
(https://i.imgur.com/SxAJF4E.jpg)
I digress. So I found the Famas F1, its not widely known and its not very earthly in appearance but it has more in common with Halo or Aliens than it does with Star Wars. Regardless, I figured I could work with it. The first thing I did was completely disassemble the rifle and started to put a plan together on how this thing would be modified. The end results should fit in the Star Wars universe and also go with my A-180 blaster. So some of the modifications I figured I would need to make were:
Cut off the huge carry handle
Remove the barrel and fabricate a long barrel
Fabricate a method to attach the new barrel
Modify the lower hand guards and butt stock to not be recognizable
Cut the charging handle and modify it to be side cocking
Flip the bipod towards the front
Cut down the magazine
Remove the grenade launcher sight and cheek rest
(https://i.imgur.com/z6rAYVa.jpg)
In this picture you can see that I cut off the carry handle and modified the rear sight to fit the new profile. I cutout the side ejector ports on the stock and glued in some aluminum. I added some PVC pipe along the top of the stock that will be painted. I am still considering how to further modify the stock but this is where it stands currently.
(https://i.imgur.com/G7oeWJU.jpg)
Next, I modified the hand guard. I removed the accessory rail on the bottom and filled the holes. I had to fix one of the mounting brackets that holds the handguard to the receiver and I had to fabricate a small part to make it work like it did before modification. I used a plumbing pipe and cut it to fit. I cut slits in the bottom of the hand guard to hold the pipe parts in place. This weakened the hand guard so I added a layer of PC-7 epoxy in the inside of the hand guard to strengthen it. I used some corrugated plastic pipe and adhered it to the pipe parts with PC-7. I attached the pipe parts to the handguard with PC-7 and filled the gaps. I still need to do some clean up but they are coming along nicely.
(https://i.imgur.com/aJC3beI.jpg)
I cut down the charging handle and drilled it for a screw. I took a scrap pot metal handle I had and cut it to fit. I then drilled it and tapped it to accept the screw and presto side charging handle that will need paint but functions as desired.
(https://i.imgur.com/NsriSYg.jpg)
The barrel in this airsoft weapon is not secured inside. Normally there is a pot metal extension that protrudes from the gun and gives the appearance of a real barrel but it is secured with plastic mounts that I removed. For my new barrel I need to thread the existing barrel and fabricate a transition for the new barrel. In this picture my friend CD is fabricating this transition on the lathe.
(https://i.imgur.com/YTkxfSo.jpg)
I fabricated a threaded collar that would secure the barrel and transition to the riffle. I will further strengthen the connection of the barrel to the riffle later but for now this is how it attaches. In this picture you can see the heat shield has been attached to the transition with set screws. The barrel is attach with three set screws as well and the whole barrel and heat shield and be removed from the weapon by simply unscrewing them from the rifle barrel. This will make transport easier.
(https://i.imgur.com/WMFrvyJ.jpg)
The long barrel is an aluminum shower curtain rod and the heat shield is a stainless steel shower and bath handle. I drilled holes in the heat shield but I did not want to overdo it so there are only three rows of 5/16” holes off set from the mounting screws and spaced 2” each. At the end I have attached the heat shield to the barrel with three set screws to center it. I still need to get some shorted set screws but you get the idea.
(https://i.imgur.com/dtRFni2.jpg)
And this is how the rifle looks at this time. Obviously, I still need some sort of flash suppressor on the end of the barrel, scope and mount, cleanup and paint and lots of burlap to camouflage it. I think I will keep the rifle black with shiny metal accents like my A-180 but that may change. I welcome your opinions/ recommendations but I think I am going in the right direction with this build.
(https://i.imgur.com/1XziDna.jpg)
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Wow .... Just Wow... i am going to try to do many of the things you have done to this kit to mine. Awesome WIP thread, keep up the great work!
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Hanjo, thank you.
Ok so I have finished the sniper rifle. I have designated it the BlasTech Industries EL 21 H Sniper Rifle. I will try to cover most of the modifications I made to it. Keep in mind that I started with an airsoft Famas F1.
First, rather than making a scope from scratch, I opted to buy one. I wanted something that was not common and not easily recognizable. I chose the PSO-1 Dragunov SVD scope. This think has a unique reticle and its illuminated. A real PSO-1 sells for $200.00 – $1000.00 depending on where and when it was made. I got an airsoft all metal version for $98.00. The way this scope mounts to the weapon is also unique. Russian scopes use one of three mounting rails and this scope has a mount built into the scope. So the scope mount is then attached to the side mounting rail on a Dragunov. I decided to order an ak-47 side mounting rail with the scope for another $20.00. Since the sides of the upper receiver on the Famas are not flat (they sit at a 40 degree angle), I would need to fabricate a mount that is attached to the flat top of the upper receiver forward of the charging handle. This mount would need a flat side 90 degrees from the top to mount the rail. Once I had all that figured out, I attached the mount, rail and scope and presto. Here is a picture of the scope mounted.
(https://i.imgur.com/74KKIZ3.jpg)
Next, I made up some graphics for the rifle. Here is how they look.
(https://i.imgur.com/bNQOaIw.jpg)
Ok so let me back up a bit. In my previous post I said that there was some painting to be done. In this picture, you can see the black PVC pipe now painted. My family sigil painted and some weathering on the aluminum parts.
(https://i.imgur.com/cEM8sEA.jpg)
Next you can see the cut down and modified charging handle and rear sight. I added the BlasTech graphics and I added some aluminum to the grip. Its wrapped with three bands of bicycle inner tube to make the grip comfortable. You can also see the tail end of the scope rail mount and ak-47 side rail.
(https://i.imgur.com/eAoxm6f.jpg)
In this picture you can see the PSO-1 scope and through the scope mount you can see where the side rail mount is bolted to the top of the upper receiver. I added a sling mount on the bipod for a sling once I decide what type of sling I want. Notice the top cap screw between the tops of the two bipod legs. It runs through the top of the upper receiver and into a retaining nut that I fabricated to hold the barrel in place.
(https://i.imgur.com/RnwvrP4.jpg)
Ok, so on the underside of the upper receiver with the handguard removed you can see the barrel that I threaded (Blue arrow). On the barrel is the retaining nut (green arrow that is tapped on the top and bottom. The cap screw from the previous picture goes into this nut from the top and there is another cap screw that goes through the handguards and into the bottom (pictured hole) of the retaining nut. This essentially holds the small threaded barrel in place inside the weapon as well as locks the handguards in place. This means that everything forward of the retaining nut, the larger barrel and heat shield can be screwed off and the weapon is more easily transported, so its now collapsible. Inside the red square is the threaded barrel mount. This mount screws onto the smaller barrel, then the larger barrel slides over it and is held in place with three set screws. The heat shield then slides over the barrel and onto a raised part of the barrel mount where it is held in place with three set screws (yellow arrows).
(https://i.imgur.com/voF1a8j.jpg)
The heat shield is about 19” long and the barrel is about 26” long so near the end of the heat shield I used three set screws to hold the inner barrel center. I also fabricated an aluminum flash hider that is held in place with one set screw. I decided to paint the barrel and add some striping to it for aesthetic effect.
(https://i.imgur.com/VvGJyXJ.jpg)
This is the rifle with the bipod collapsed. The overall length is about 51” and the weight is about 6.5 pounds.
(https://i.imgur.com/Ae5DBvT.jpg)
Here are some shots of it weathered before I added the burlap.
(https://i.imgur.com/mjEgt51.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Q7c1GUr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AHnldpM.jpg)
And with the burlap.
(https://i.imgur.com/1WcPXkc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nnisSVg.jpg)
And this is my current weapon loadout.
(https://i.imgur.com/wwPRsqz.jpg)
So I still need to work with the bipod a bit, and add the sling but I think it turned out nicely. Thanks for the interest.
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Another update,
I will be pursuing Environmental Ops (forest specialist) in the near future so I need to make my gloves heavy duty. I am not sure how this will work out but I figured why not try? I made an MDF template of my hands and inserted them into the gloves then masked off the gloves (see picture). I plan on spreading a liberal coating of silicone to the unmasked portion. I may add some armor to them as well.
(https://i.imgur.com/OUd0mXJ.jpg)
Next I finally fixed my 3D printer and printed the last part of my updated gauntlets. These are an improvement of my previous version which is based on April Strom’s hinged version 3 gauntlets. I re-modeled them and made them dual hinged so that you can simply pull the pins out of the inside hinge to open them. More to come of these in the future. BTW, later today, I will post the 3D files on my thingverse page here https://www.thingiverse.com/11b30b4/designs
(https://i.imgur.com/Oqu1EQE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/K254CJg.jpg)
Thanks for the interest.
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This is really cool, man. You're making me want to get a 3D printer.
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Looks like a solid simple design. Nice!
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As always, vod, your work is pretty amazing.
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T_Jay00 thanks, 3D printers are becoming more affordable every day and there are a ton to choose from. 3D modeling is the only real learning curve for most people but there are also a ton of tutorials and resources out there for them as well. I feel that a 3D printer is invaluable for cosplay. My next “big toy” will be a CNC machine.
Kol Var’Das thank you as always.
Havelock, thank you vod.
Ok so I have continued to work on the gloves. Consider it a work in progress, as I am not sure where I am going with them. The Silicone came out nice. I managed to find some brown silicone at Home Depot and used it for the base layer then I mixed up 2 table spoons of clear silicone with 10 drops of glycerin and two drops of acrylic olive green paint and made some pads for the knuckles. All this will get some paint on top to blend the colors better and make them look worn. I may go back and something other than circles but for now, this is how they look.
(https://i.imgur.com/5cPQmaG.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mudOulu.jpg)
I took some thick HIPS and cut out hand armor. Sanded them then used a heat gun to shape them. I painted a layer of primer, then metallic silver, then olive green. I then made some graphics and painted them on with an airbrush. Hit everything with some 400 grit sand paper and applied a black wash. Lastly, I clear coated them with a matt finish. I plan on applying them to the top of the gloves with some liquid nails. There is not a lot of things that stick to silicone so the liquid nails may not work but it’s a technique.
(https://i.imgur.com/4QuW9Tk.jpg)
I am hoping to have these things finished before the weekend, I have a Saint Patrick ’s Day parade to troop.
Next, I did an acetone wash on the gauntlets. I will be sanding them soon and using for the first time, smooth-on XTC3D. I have some aluminum powder I want to mix with the XTC and see how it turns out. I think I will do a test piece before I commit to doing the gauntlets. As you can see in the picture, the acid wash helps to close up some of the cracks in the ABS print. I know many people do vapor baths but they have never worked for me so I normally do an acetone wash then sand.
(https://i.imgur.com/gwW8Kjd.jpg)
Lastly, I ordered an old style M1 Garand leather frog foot sling. It should arrive today or tomorrow, this will be added to the sniper rifle. And that is it for now. Thanks for the interest.
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Ok more updates. Got the sling and mounted on the rifle. No real need for a picture at this time.
Gloves, I decided to use an X-acto knife and trim the green silicone circles to squares. I had thought about doing elongated hexagons like the chest diamond but that would have been more difficult and I would have needed to add more silicone and wait another day for it to cure so I just did squares. I used RTV silicone adhesive to stick the armor parts on the gloves and clamped them for a few hours.
(https://i.imgur.com/pe2u83y.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/CHt8AZ7.jpg)
And after I weathered them, they were done. I like how they turned out.
(https://i.imgur.com/tGeuHN6.jpg)
Continuing on the double hinged gauntlets:
Completely sanded with 80 grit
(https://i.imgur.com/gwW8Kjd.jpg)
Drilled out the holes for the hinge pins and test fit
(https://i.imgur.com/12kiS7z.jpg)
Drilled out and shaped all the LED holes then I applied bondo to the cracks and dings and wet sanded with 100 grit
(https://i.imgur.com/rKmk0f3.jpg)
I will be testing then applying smooth-on XTC-3D tonight.
And that is it for updates, thanks for the interest.
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Well, the XTC3D is some cool stuff but I am not sure how “sold” I am on it for what it is supposed to do. If you want to use it to smooth out the surface of your 3D print, it works however, you are adding a layer of epoxy to your print. I feel like it would be the same as adding a layer of resin over your print but the XTC 3D will not melt your print. As for adding the 325 mesh aluminum powder to the XTC3D, it did not perform the way that was advertised. Supposedly, after the XTC is cured, you can buff the 3D print with some steel wool and it would look like metal. Nope, I got a dull grey finish that looked more like grey primer than aluminum. Anyway here are the parts with the cured XTC3D and aluminum mesh mix.
(https://i.imgur.com/tZ0Vxlk.jpg)
Ok while waiting for the XTC3D to cure I decided to add some more detail to the gauntlets. I put a piece of ½” aluminum bar on the lathe and made the barrel on the right in this picture. I also took some ¼” aluminum tube and some ¾” aluminum tube and made this Gatling gun looking thing on the left.
(https://i.imgur.com/4GNAJ6r.jpg)
And here you can see the 3D printed parts that I will use to mount the aluminum stuff to the gauntlets. The gauntlets have been sanded and are ready for painting then I will add the aluminum stuff and the LEDs and we will see how they turn out. The LED kits should arrive by mid-week and will still need to solder them up. I still need to sand out the holes for the LEDs again since a ton of the XTC3D got in them. Hopefully before Friday I will be painting.
(https://i.imgur.com/iYW3eoS.jpg)
And that is the update so far, thanks for the interest.
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Ok, so I got the gauntlets painted and in this picture you can see that they are drying from the black wash I applied.
(https://i.imgur.com/H8dNwTn.jpg)
Next, I mounted all the aluminum stuff.
(https://i.imgur.com/qjqnsNR.jpg)
Once all the aluminum stuff was mounted I assembled the LED boards, tested them then installed them.
(https://i.imgur.com/76zGe2Q.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Mp3g25t.jpg)
For the most part I used white LEDs then painted them with translucent acrylic paint. Here is the right gauntlet.
(https://i.imgur.com/OzQRRE3.jpg)
And the left gauntlet.
(https://i.imgur.com/5UYOEaX.jpg)
And the two of them together. The only thing left is to clear coat them. I think they turned out well.
(https://i.imgur.com/enqz5e7.jpg)
Another thing I wanted to address was the Keyboard Key nuts used to bolt on the collar and back armor. I used them because they were cannon for Boba Fett armor but I had 3D printed the keys and because my neck is so short, every time I turn my head, my helmet hits them and they keep breaking.
(https://i.imgur.com/SaZyLnJ.jpg)
So rather than continuing to replace them, I started looking for a metal alternative that would not look like a simple nut. I found these hammer T-nuts that were lower profile than the Keyboard Keys.
(https://i.imgur.com/TEJRfeh.jpg)
I ground down the T-bottom of the nuts then painted them olive green and bolted them on the armor. I painted the tip of the bolts black and I think these will do nicely and add to the uniqueness of my armor.
(https://i.imgur.com/BKofZAX.jpg)
So that is my update so far. I finally got my rope which should finish all the additional equipment for Brigade Environmental Forest Specialist so I will be getting some pics of my current kit and submit them soon for Brigade. I still want to upgrade my bucket and I have my Loan Wolf customs bucket but I have not taken the time to start working on it yet. I expect to start it soon depending on the TK build I am considering. As always, thanks for the interest.
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Well TK put on hold for another weeks so why not…
Here you see my LoneWolf Customs blank bucket. John is a great guy and I am happy to support local businesses. This bucket is his original Boba/Jango bucket with all the “cannon” inconsistencies. One big plus for me is that it is about ½ bigger from front to back than my current bucket. This is a much cleaner and better looking bucket than my current bucket. That said I plan on altering the bucket in several ways. First, I will vent the side earcaps as in my current bucket. Next, since I will need to build new 3D models of the earcaps (this bucket is a different size than my current bucket) I will incorporate the antenna on my left earcap rather than make it an add-on. Additionally, I have upgraded the previous round rare-earth magnets with the larger and stronger rectangles. I will be using the same type range finder as on my current bucket. I will cut out the visor, two triangles on the front, all the key holes on the rear, and the vent holes under the ear caps on the sides. I will also cut large vents along the angles of the mandibles. I have printed some vinyl templates for the vents and you can see them in the picture as well as mask templates for paint detail. For the most part this bucket will look very similar to my current bucket.
(https://i.imgur.com/DKXELBJ.jpg)
Cutting done and started gluing the ear caps.
(https://i.imgur.com/Eb7IxJy.jpg)
More to come, thanks for the interest.
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Watching to see what other cool and amazing stuff you come up with.
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Havelock, thanks and I hope this bucket will turn out nice.
Ok so, sanded everything to 320 grit and prepped to apply the mandible vent hole templates.
(https://i.imgur.com/BwIa3bi.jpg)
After cutting out the vent holes and filing the openings, I applied a layer of primer and uncovered several rough areas that needed further sanding.
(https://i.imgur.com/vUAqmZt.jpg)
Once the sanding was done I applied a coat of metallic silver and then decided to go scratch and dent the bucket a good bit so it took several drags along the gravel and touched-up with the dremel.
(https://i.imgur.com/EXQfukM.jpg)
Next a new layer of the metallic silver.
(https://i.imgur.com/mEaYAWN.jpg)
And once that cured, a layer of olive green
(https://i.imgur.com/ZF26cjr.jpg)
I have printed the masks for the pattern and will be doing them next then the graphics.
While, the helmet is drying, I constructed the range finder.
(https://i.imgur.com/UPV4Z7J.jpg)
Primed and painted with metallic silver.
(https://i.imgur.com/vBTPnNs.jpg)
Also, I placed my order for my ROTK kit so white armor inbound. As always thanks for the interest.
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Where did you find the vent hole templates? I'm looking to do this to my helmet as well.
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Rogue22, I made the template myself to fit my lonewolf customs bucket. here is a graphic of it. The two boxes in the center are so you can scale it correctly. they are 1" square, enjoy.
(https://i.imgur.com/VKLfgyk.jpg)
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You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.
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Wow. This build is amazing Vod. I may have to steal the silicone idea for the gloves. Can't wait to see this complete.
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I love the vent holes you added. Do you mind if i ask what tool(s) you used to make such clean corners? They look perfect. I am always so weary of cutting holes.... also i am curious what mesh material you plan on using to cover them. I am in the middle of a night owl build and i am paying close attention to this WIP :D
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I love the vent holes you added. Do you mind if i ask what tool(s) you used to make such clean corners? They look perfect. I am always so weary of cutting holes.... also i am curious what mesh material you plan on using to cover them. I am in the middle of a night owl build and i am paying close attention to this WIP :D
Agreed. Those are some amazingly clean vent holes. Well done!
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Rogue 22, thank you sir.
Kall, glad I could be of help. BTW, the silicone held up nicely for my Stain Patrick’s Day invasion.
Hanjo, I used a dremel. On the chart below you can see the bits I will reference.
Obey, thank you.
(https://i.imgur.com/JdlCbvk.png)
So after I placed the template on the bucket, I colored in the holes with a black sharpie. Next, I removed the mask and began to cut with bit 196. I plunge the bit into the center of the area to be removed and work it towards the edges leaving the edge line exposed. Next I used bit 7134 to get the corners better but still leaving the edge line exposed. Once all the major stuff is removed I used a micro file set like this one :
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-12-Piece-SpeedFit-Micro-File-Set/3243140
I just used the files that fit best into the areas that need to be filed. I did a similar process for cutting out the key holes on the back of the bucket and the two triangles on the front except I started with bit 9904 instead of 196.
Ok and my update on the bucket is that I masked off the pattern and painted the brown. Once it cures, I will be doing the final hunter green color.
(https://i.imgur.com/O3TZotm.jpg)
Thanks for the interest.
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That is one of the best explanations of how to cut keyslots. I made it into a PDF and images, You should post that as a separate topic as a tutorial. Excellent info!
(https://i.imgur.com/pJSRG90.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mljAqRl.jpg)
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Agreed, thank you for the great and detail information. I had a feeling micro files and dremel was used. I will have to invest some money into a larger tip set for sure so i can get the same output. Thank you so much!
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Obey, thanks for the assistance, I posted a submission in the tutorial thread.
Hanjo, they are worth every penny. Look for cutting bits for dremel on amazon. There are lots of options that will not break the bank.
And, last night i painted the hunter green.
(https://i.imgur.com/qCxDTGP.jpg)
Thanks for the interest.
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Bucket before wet sanding.
(https://i.imgur.com/ithbjZC.jpg)
Bucket after wet sanding and adding graphics.
(https://i.imgur.com/wJC3Dll.jpg)
Bucket after sanding over graphics and hand painting silver in gouges.
(https://i.imgur.com/NyRK9LN.jpg)
Bucket after black wash.
(https://i.imgur.com/1Cmwu2U.jpg)
Bucket and range finder drying from black wash. Next will be the clear coate.
(https://i.imgur.com/Mvt69D3.jpg)
Thanks for the interest.
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Amazing as always, vod.
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Havelock, as always, thank you brother.
Ok I finished my new bucket.
I added a layer of matt clear coat and once it was dry, I cut some very shear grey fabric and superglued it inside the helmet to cover all the vents.
(https://i.imgur.com/ylF8yju.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eS1HksM.jpg)
Next I added the 3 wires on the right side and weathered them. Then I added Velcro inside and some padding. I installed my fans and battery and the battery to illuminate the range finder. After that I cut a visor, added the mounting bolts. I applied the green metallic tint to the visor then installed it. I inserted the communication antenna on the left ear cap and the helmet was done. Here are the final pictures.
(https://i.imgur.com/RvnMXiW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XcW3GIk.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ldFvaQg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dKpvpBc.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/aumx4Q2.jpg)
And here are a few side by side pictures of both the buckets.
(https://i.imgur.com/pkxke2u.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8ccL30Y.jpg)
Well, that is just about everything I needed to do on this kit for now. I hope to get some new full kit pictures soon for my dual brigade application. As always, thanks for the interest.
Update 6/28/2019
So, I was tossing around some ideas on things to work on and decided I would make a girth belt for this kit. On my second kit, I made a cotton girth belt and I really like how it turned out. On this kit I have a leather girth belt but this cotton one will sit under the leather one and help fill the small gap between the top of the leather girth belt and the ab plate. My 51-year-old stomach tends to protrude there in some pictures…
I kind of sailed through this on my other build so I will be a bit more detailed here. I recommend that if you are considering making your own girth belt like I did you consider all the materials and tools needed. This is not hard, but it does require some basic knowledge of how to work with leather. I also recommend you watch a few YouTube videos of how to burnish leather, how to bevel leather, and how to sew leather. I am already set up to work with all the stuff listed here so the cost for me was just the materials; however, if you need to get all the tools it may not be worth the effort for you. I am sure there are a lot of people that make these belts on the forum and I have seen a ton of less expensive methods out there. This is just how I like to do it.
You will need the following:
Materials
Leather- you will need 2 pieces (close to ¼” thick and measuring the height of the belt (for this belt 11.5”) and 10” wide. Tandy leather is a good source.
1” buckles- you will need 2 or 3 of these and I could not find them at any craft stores. You can get them from Tandy leather but I ordered a pack of 10 from amazon for 8.99 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JC425ZI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Cotton twisted rope- you can find braided cotton rope anywhere but twisted rope is harder to find and looks better. I used 2 rolls of 6mm (1/4”) from amazon. The rolls are 165’ long and will be more than enough. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C2K5V6K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Next, you will need to decide what colors you want to use then get some Rit Dye liquid all purpose dye. Rit also makes liquid dyemore dye that is packages similarly but the dye more is for synthetics. Although there are 36 colors available, you can mix colors to produce your desired colors. You can use the color charts here to determine what colors you need to mix. https://www.ritdye.com/color-formulas/?type=197&hue=0&collection=0&pantone=0
Just click on the color you want, and it will tell you what colors you will need to purchase and mix.
For this belt I chose Spanish Olive which called for ½ cup Apple green, ¼ cup Dark green, 2 tablespoons charcoal grey. You will also need ½ cup of salt.
1 bar of Neutrogena soap to burnish the leather edge
Leather dye color of you choosing-Tandy leather
Tools:
1-Box cutter knife- to cut the leather
1-Leather Edge Beveller
1-1/4” hole punch
1-3/16” hole punch
1-hammer
1-Aluminum pot (I got a 30qt pot from Academy Sports for 19.99) https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/outdoor-gourmet-30-qt-aluminum-pot-kit#repChildCatid=27716
1-Paint stirring stick
1-Single burner electric hot plate (I got one form Walmart, do not get the induction type, just an old fashion electric burner like this one for about 20.00) https://www.walmart.com/ip/BLACK-DECKER-Single-Burner-Portable-Buffet-Range-Black-SB1001B/21582291
1-drill or drill press
1-leather burnishing tool, this can be a hand tool but I prefer the ones made for Dremel’s like this one https://www.amazon.com/Kinee-Leather-Burnisher-Slicker-burnishing/dp/B0739J875Z/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=leather+burnishing&qid=1561735407&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
1-plastic yarn needle like this one https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Bates-14084-Plastic-Needles/dp/B000Y3IVV8
2-scrap wood blocks roughly 1”x2”x12”
1-Wooden work bench or wood surface you can drill into. It will need to be about ¾” thick and 2’ x 4’ (you can use a piece of plywood if you do not have a work bench)
4-2” drywall screws to mount the wood blocks
4 or 6-1” drywall screws to mount the leather on the wood blocks
Barge contact cement
Lastly you need an industrial sewing machine to sew the leather or you can get a leather hand sewing awl kit and some thread. I use #69 bonded nylon thread but anything thick and strong should work.
First, since the dyeing of the cotton would take several hours, I started with that.
I placed the hotplate on my concrete basement floor and put the aluminum pot on top. Turned it on to full and filled about 4” of cold water in the pot. Next, I added the dye. My color called for a specific mixture of dark green, apple green and charcoal but I ignored the exact amounts and used one full bottle of dark green, full bottle of apple green, and ½ bottle of charcoal. Lastly, I added the ½ cup of salt and mixed everything with the paint stirrer. I put the lid on the pot and let it sit for 30 minutes. I unspooled one of the spools of cotton rope and loosely placed it in an old plastic bucket. I added some hot water and let the rope get completely soaked.
(https://i.imgur.com/AetpPEm.jpg)
At the 30-minute mark, I removed the rope from the plastic bucket and added it to the dye mix in the aluminum pot. Stirring the rope every 30 minutes, I let it sit on the hot plate for a total of 1.5 hours.
While the rope was dying, I gathered some cowhide leather I had on hand. I recommend heavy leather like saddle leather but for this belt I used holster leather and it seems to be thick enough. Only time will tell if it will hold up. Since a girth belt will be pulled rather tight, the cotton (which is run through ¼” holes) or the buckles (which fasten through 3/16” holes) may rip through the leather at some point.
I decided to make this belt 11.5” tall, on my executioner kit I made it 9” tall. I have made a similar template for a 11” tall girth belt for you to use.
(https://i.imgur.com/obrAQo3.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/OJEv4xK.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/B8Pb4UD.jpg)
Once the leather was cutout and holes punched, I used the leftover leather to make three ½” straps that will be sewn to the buckle side to hold the straps down.
Next, I beveled all the edges and burnished the edges. To do this I recommend you watch a video on how to do it but basically, I wet the Neutrogena soap then wiped the edge to be burnished. Then I used a burnishing tool on the edge. Once all the edges are burnished, I let the soap dry then applied the leather dye and let it dry
(https://i.imgur.com/Ehx6ILn.jpg)
Once the rope was dyed for 1.5 hours I removed the rope from the dye and rinsed it with hot water then cold water till most of the dye was no longer bleeding from the rope. I washed the rope in the washing machine on gentle cycle with arm water and mild detergent. I set the machine for an extra rinse cycle. Next, I tumbled dried the rope on warm till it was dry.
This green rope will be my main (horizontal) strands. I will be weaving charcoal dyed rope vertically. If you plan on using a different color for the vertical rope, you will need to dye it using the same method previously mentioned; however, you will only need to dye about ¼ of the other roll of rope. Once the rope is dyed, you can use the rope as is or (as I did) untwist the 3 strands of rope and use the smaller diameter rope.
Around this time the leather was dry. I applied the barge rubber cement to the back side of the fold straps that will hold the buckles and let it dry for 5 minutes then pressed and clamped the fold straps in place around the buckles. Make sure the buckles are facing the correct direction. After 20 minutes I removed the clamps and sewed the buckle straps and the three ½” straps in place.
Next I measured my girth at 40”. I subtracted 4” for the buckles and straps and came up with a width of 36”. I mounted my wood blocks and leather ends on my work bench. The 36” measurement is not the spread between the blocks, rather it is the spread between the holes on both ends of leather (the area you will be weaving the rope through).
(https://i.imgur.com/tYUZclf.jpg)
To weave the rope, pick an end and run about 6 inches through one of the end holes then tie the rope in a knot around itself. Once this end is anchored you will start running a continuous strand of rope from side to side in the same manner until you have all the horizontal strands run. Next go back and even out the slack so that the same tension is even on all strands. You do not need it so tight that it feels like a trampoline, but you do want it taught.
Depending on how you want to weave the verticals, you will need to find the center and start from there. Once you have the center use one of the plastic needles with the vertical rope. The most time consuming and tedious part of this project is keeping track of the weave. I use rulers to hold the horizontals in place. You will need to alternate the weave with each vertical run. After you run one vertical line, review your progress and make sure you did not mess anything up. Its easier to fix as you go because if you find a horizontal was missed after you have finished, most likely you will not want to go back and fix it. Once you have finished running the verticals, tie off the ends with knots and tuck them under the horizontals. Honestly, you will get the hang of it once you have run a line or two. Next, finished the other half and boom you are done with the weaving.
(https://i.imgur.com/AXulNy1.jpg)
Remove the belt from the blocks and test fit it.
(https://i.imgur.com/o9WOl7H.jpg)
Lastly you will need to weather it, I used spray paint, but you can use a variety of methods.
(https://i.imgur.com/8vRe66M.jpg)
And that’s it. You can also see the girth belt I made for my executioner kit here:
http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=159316.0
I hope this helps some of you. Thanks for the interest.
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I made a visor tutorial for anyone needing it.
http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=174839.0