Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club
Mandalorian Armor => Armor Construction => Topic started by: RC-3141 on Jan 15, 2020, 08:01 PM
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*UPDATE*
Because I have now hit two pages for this, I'm adding a table of contents here for new readers. Also adding a status list for my kit to help summarize what's going on
Table of Contents:
First Page:
Introduction to Kit (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2080004#msg2080004)
Modelling of Gauntlet Designs (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2083195#msg2083195)
Concepts and Ideas (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2089770#msg2089770)
Second Page:
Reworking of gauntlets to actually fit (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2102677#msg2102677)
Work on J2P helmet and collarplate repair (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2114200#msg2114200)
Continued work on the helmet, and I get back to working on the gauntlet 3D models (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2120072#msg2120072)
Sanding helmet, adding flashlight (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2124207#msg2124207)
Third Page
First gauntlet printed, working on soft goods (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=183318.msg2141226#msg2141226)
*END UPDATE*
When I was 15, I bought some plates off the internet as well as the Rubie's Jango helmet for a Halloween costume.
(https://i.imgur.com/CEc8Vw1.jpg)
I've been intending to go back and get this costume up to standards for a while now, but 'The Mandalorian' is what gave me the impetus to start back up on this project.
This is what I have right now:
I am thinking of basing my kit off of the idea of being someone who scavenged the Clone Wars battlefields for equipment and goods, but I'm not certain where I want to take that idea.
(https://i.imgur.com/Nr4mFg5.jpg)
I do not have any soft goods ready to go, I will most likely be purchasing a flight vest and sewing my own flak vest.
Pro-tip: don't put your armor in a place where somebody could sit on it
(https://i.imgur.com/pYnPZT2.jpg)
I need to Bondo a lot of the helmet probably, and if I understand correctly I'll probably be straightening out the cheeks. I am also thinking of printing my own earcaps and mounting lights inside of them (I rewatched the relevant portion of the Mandalorian and it looks like his light is mounted externally but as soon as he turns it off it's only his earcaps)
If I do lights and fans, I will either be looking at putting both in parallel on one power source or using two power sources. I will be running these wires out of the helmet, through the flight suit/under the flak vest, and into the gauntlets. I will probably put connectors at the helmet and at the gauntlet so that I can leave the wires permanently routed through the flight suit.
(https://i.imgur.com/WmCzyRK.png)
I'm thinking I want to go for shknees, I'll probably have to use sintra for those
(https://i.imgur.com/SZIJDaE.jpg)
I need to make better gauntlets, I will probably be 3D printing those so that I can include the correct dimensions for my electronics
(https://i.imgur.com/9Pd2RfA.jpg)
It looks to be 3mm, and I would assume it's sintra.
(https://i.imgur.com/fVPIo1m.jpg?1)
I want to include pouches of some kind similar to the ARC trooper/Captain Rex pouches from Clone Wars somewhere in the shoulder/chest region.
To-Dos (in no particular order):
General:
-Decide if I want to keep my kit the same color. If yes, find matching paint. If no, decide colors and paint it
-Buy flight suit
-Sew flak vest
-Buy velcro and/or strapping for mounting
-Weathering
Helmet:
-Bondo
-Sand
-Paint
-Replace Visor
-Print earcaps
-Install fans/lights
Gauntlets:
-Design and Print
-Paint and weather
-Mount electronics
Shknees
-Acquire material, cut and shape
Collar and codpiece
-Repair with bondo, and then probably sand and repaint
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Got started on modeling the gauntlet. Once I get top and bottom modeled I will print a test before I go all in designing the greebles and electronics section.
(https://i.imgur.com/z45fUiB.png)
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i think with the lights on mandos helmets, they're clip on/magnetically attached, so you could always go that route. also, gotta say, i appreciate your color scheme :P
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I envy your ability to 3D model. I'm going to keep an eye on this and maybe I'll learn a thing or two.
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i think with the lights on mandos helmets, they're clip on/magnetically attached, so you could always go that route. also, gotta say, i appreciate your color scheme :P
Thanks! I'm going to have to match the colors for my new pieces (and probably need to repaint/weather some of my old ones) so hopefully I can find something close enough.
It looked kinda like the helmet light in the Mandalorian was in his earcap, but it was really hard to tell. Either way, I don't know why they wouldn't just integrate the flashlights because that's what seems to make the most sense.
I envy your ability to 3D model. I'm going to keep an eye on this and maybe I'll learn a thing or two.
I'm working from stale knowledge from a CAD class I took 2 years ago in a different system (I learned Solidworks and basic engineering drawing, the program I'm using now is Fusion 360), so I'm re-learning stuff as it comes up.
I am planning on making the files available once I settle on something I like.
In terms of attachment systems on the gauntlets, I am planning on having the pictured hinge being a functional hinge and then putting something like a piano style hinge on the other side with a removable pin so that I can lock it closed. As far as I know this is an acceptable method of attaching the gauntlets, but if it doesn't turn out to be I can redesign or look into disguising the primary hinge as a weapons system.
(https://i.imgur.com/EajkpIU.png)
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That closure method is fairly common so you're ok to proceed. My only advice there is to try and open the eyes of the hinge a little so that the pin can be pulled and inserted more easily. It's pretty snug as is but when you're trying to attach it while it's on your arm, it can get challenging fast.
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When I printed mine I modified my gauntlets to have the two hinges printed on both sides then added a plate printed over the hinge to hide them. I don't have full range of movement but it is enough to get my arm into them. One hinge is permanently pinned with a carbon fiber rod and the other has a carbon fiber rod with a pull tab on it for easy removal.
(https://i.imgur.com/1l97Nwp.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TIf82JC.jpg)
Don't you love 3D printing?
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That closure method is fairly common so you're ok to proceed. My only advice there is to try and open the eyes of the hinge a little so that the pin can be pulled and inserted more easily. It's pretty snug as is but when you're trying to attach it while it's on your arm, it can get challenging fast.
Thanks for the advice, opening it up a bit around the edges might also make it easier to print if I can get the angle right.
When I printed mine I modified my gauntlets to have the two hinges printed on both sides then added a plate printed over the hinge to hide them. I don't have full range of movement but it is enough to get my arm into them. One hinge is permanently pinned with a carbon fiber rod and the other has a carbon fiber rod with a pull tab on it for easy removal.
Thanks for the advice, I might borrow that method.
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(https://i.imgur.com/sDpDDiV.png)
Decided to just mirror both sides rather than deal with making a piano hinge that fits inside both (I could do it, but to do it efficiently would probably require redesigning from the ground up).
I am planning on adding a cover to one or both sides to of each hinge to make it less visible, as well as chamfering the inside of each pin-hole to aid in seating the hinge-piece.
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Nice work. You will like that design in the long run.
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Have not worked on the gauntlets since last posting, but I was watching TCW and realized that this method of mounting flashlights existed:
(https://i.imgur.com/ibrAVZf.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/KFMadGh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LCXZ8iE.jpg)
The 501st lists this as a spotlight. Since I was already planning on doing a visor, I may try to mount a flashlight this way (seems significantly easier than earcaps in terms of finding a flashlight to fit).
Edit: Completely forgot to say something
I think I'm going to try to add trauma plates to my plates somehow, and I would like to make it look like my Mando welded them on himself. One idea I saw involved soldering with PLA and a Dremel, which sounds incredibly risky but I also really wanna try it. An alternative would be to use hot glue to give the "welded on" effect. Either way, they would not be my primary attachment methods, just decorative, and I'd probably ask my friend who's almost finished in the welding program at my college if he had any advice on making something that looked like a weld.
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I would go with the simulated weld over trying to actually plastic weld.
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Ive "welded" PLA using a soldering iron and scrap filament, melting it into the seamlines of two printed pieces. If you go this route, ventilation is key. Burning PLA smells nasty, like burnt sugar...probably not good to breathe in.
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The method I was reading about suggested putting the filament in the head of the dremel and spinning it up so that the friction was enough to melt it when brought in contact with the seam.
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I love TCW, and I love when people incorporate Clone Wars stuff with their kits. I've been thinking about having some Clone Wars era weapons for my kit. Excited to see more of your build!!
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I printed out test versions of the front and end of my gauntlets, and realized that I had significantly oversized them. If you know anyone who needs partially biodegradable rib augmentations, let me know
(https://i.imgur.com/UE0RLgV.jpg)
I have since redone my gauntlets, and was able to do it significantly faster thanks to the experience offered by my first failure. These were sized correctly for my arm dimensions, as measured with the digital caliper I recently acquired.
(https://i.imgur.com/0wjVnUx.png)
I also got my hands on some latching buttons and some USB flashlights, so I will be designing the compartment that I will have on-off switches for my helmet electronics in.
Another edit because I forgot something:
My family does these wooden swords and shields as kids toys, and this is one of the designs that we put on our shields, I believe it was designed by my mom's best friend. I may use/adapt this for use in my kit, not sure how swarzy it looks
(https://i.imgur.com/vn8R3q1.jpg)
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Nice! When I did my gauntlets I made a cylinder in the 3D modeling program that matched my proportions and forearm length ... then imported it into my gauntlet file to check the fit before printing. Because of doing this my gauntlets fit perfectly with batteries and don’t move around or pinch. If you go this route don’t forget to take your measurements with sleeves and gloves on. Keep up the good work!
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Edit: I've added a table of contents to my first page to make it easier for anyone just hopping in, can someone confirm that the links work?
I'm back! I've been plugging away at projects for the last couple weeks, and am just now getting around to posting about my progress on the armor.
I used Dynalite resin (not Bondo but it seems to be working) to join the seam on my Jango 2 Piece and to repair my collarplate sometime last week:
(https://i.imgur.com/Zo3RQlR.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/UriW07V.jpg)
I then sanded these down and added another layer, and then sanded that today. I do not have a picture of the collarplate but I think it turned out well
(https://i.imgur.com/R8qg5Ld.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dYyQMmL.jpg)
I have not been working on my gauntlets, I need to get back on that sometime. I also need to design some earcaps for my helmet, I am considering going for a hexagonal design similar to the special operations clone trooper helmet (https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Special_ops_clone_trooper/Legends). I like the look of these, and they would also allow me to disguise earholes/microphones in my helmet to help with hearing the environment:
(https://i.imgur.com/OgAZ6hI.jpg)
This is the way
(https://i.imgur.com/7wUrPAZ.jpg)
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Apologies if the post sizing/formatting is weird, the text editor is a little odd.
I've been continuing to work on the helmet and got a visor cut out based on Kol Var'Das's Sun Visor Template (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=167730.msg1984984#msg1984984). I am currently waiting on my 3D Printer to become available, because I have been printing face shields with pretty much all of my printer time.
I added some fiberglass cloth across the inside of the seam of the helmet, as well as some Sintra reinforcement.
(https://i.imgur.com/zDloFM0.jpg)
I experimented with Droodles curved visor template, but I decided to not use it
(https://i.imgur.com/jC8BJZ3.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9mcL7Bo.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/ULcjvwD.jpg)
Test fit of my first visor cut-out:
(https://i.imgur.com/2p2tOy0.jpg)
My final visor. I cut along the top-side fold lines so that it would be easier to fold, and added some Bondo to fill in said cuts.
(https://i.imgur.com/6B4wKAJ.jpg)
I got a USB male to female cable that I'm disassembling right now so that I can implement a helmet flashlight, accidentally got a significantly better constructed cable than I intended to so I had some fun taking that apart.
I've also been working on designing some earcaps, waiting on some feedback (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=189208.0) before I go about implementing those.(https://i.imgur.com/rsz2v5G.png)
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Got some work done on my kit today:
First, I added some weapons to my right hand gauntlet, going for dual blasters, darts, and unidentified weapons that are probably gonna be flamethrowers (I'm gonna try to add char marks, etc to the area around them). Apologies for taking pictures in the slicer and not the modelling program, I forgot about my WIP
(https://i.imgur.com/8dnCprE.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/7EL6Knr.png)
Also worked on installing my earcaps onto my helmet, CA glued them into place and will be bondoing and sanding, also ripped out the visor (quite literally, I pulled it off the posts) and cut some holes for hearing that I will be backing with mesh once I get my kit painted
(https://i.imgur.com/sk8aV5s.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5Da2RvI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8914ATi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8c8XLO5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/S6lfSF0.jpg)
This is the way, still quite a bit to go but I'm happy I made progress.
(https://i.imgur.com/AUVPVxP.jpg)
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I love your ear caps! For whatever reason I had a hard time wrapping my head around them until they were on but I think they're neat.
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I love your ear caps! For whatever reason I had a hard time wrapping my head around them until they were on but I think they're neat.
Thanks! It's going to be really annoying to get that mesh inside of them, but I really like how they look and the functionality that they add.
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You've clearly put a lot of thought into planning here, and I think this is going to be a solid kit when you get it done. No real input as of yet, but I look forward to watching as this progresses!
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Did some more filling and sanding working on integrating the earcaps this week
(https://i.imgur.com/DeaVMas.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6ZScB7i.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vmzuHn5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/cR9xIsW.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/K0qH8ja.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ySJwQIl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/i4YnxjI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HUsTLhr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/eH5r0CE.jpg)
After this first layer of filler, I added spot putty
(https://i.imgur.com/2LO0FVr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bNSArSH.jpg)
Also did some filling on the visor
(https://i.imgur.com/Ia3eZ2X.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BzoVNWu.jpg)
Progress from the (virtual) armor party today:
Got my flashlight 3D printed, the flashlight/lens is separate from the barrel, I will be drilling a hole into my helmet and popping the flashlight in there, painting everything, then putting all of the more sensitive flashlight parts in there
(https://i.imgur.com/Lb3Lfdm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AtTjeQr.jpg)
The soldering isn't pretty, but it's functional
(https://i.imgur.com/LO3FubE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SI0jRef.jpg)
And some light sanding happened as well
(https://i.imgur.com/kJzsT1U.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/qx1ZIxg.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/DfuW94X.jpg)
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Looking good :). You're definitely getting there!
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And we're back for another episode of filling and priming, starring the hardener that I put in the body filler before mixing was actually the non-active component because it seems to have separated. (I didn't actually catch any pictures of this though, unfortunately.) If anyone knows of methods that would work to cause that to harden without the hardener, I'd much appreciate any advice for remedying this.
In other news, I had a fun time drilling 7 different holes in my helmet
I drilled the hole for the flashlight, dremeled out a little bit more and got it to fit, tacked it in with hot glue and then superglued it.
(https://i.imgur.com/g7igiim.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Nx31No9.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/m5zajya.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TeklHen.jpg)
Drilled out my keyholes in the back of the helmet, and then used small hand saws (I ended up settling on the one in my swiss army knife) to cut the rest of the shape. I attempted to use the dremel on the first one and it... didn't go terribly well. I put filler on that one and I'll be filing it down again once my filler actually hardens
(https://i.imgur.com/dKdYF9F.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/x0PxwWC.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/5PtNvta.jpg)
I also found this cool greebly bit when a kitchen utensil broke, what are your thoughts on that? Use it for the keyholes? Save it for the something else?
(https://i.imgur.com/13nKLqU.jpg)
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Continued work on the helmet today, mostly just sanding. I ended up scraping off the unhardened stuff and reapplying another coat, and that seems to be going ok although it felt bad to be doing negative work
(https://i.imgur.com/kH7p6Ja.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JWfqlV1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/fsevUhg.jpg)
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Attached my visor today, it's all starting to come together.
I hope to have most of this kit done before the end of August, which means I'll have to really knuckle down and work on it
(https://i.imgur.com/Ap47AMZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/tFIPBj7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iTFnsbi.jpg)
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That's coming along really nicely!
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Your bucket is sick! Nice job!
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Printed my gauntlets, 2.5 days of printing to find out that my hinges were slightly off. Nothing sanding couldn't fix, but I know what I'm improving before the next one
(https://i.imgur.com/ppeEIcq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rxm8iTe.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FJUqVQx.jpg)
Fit is reasonably good, will definitely benefit from some velcro on the inside to grip the flight suit better.
Can't wait until in-person armor parties can happen again, it'd be nice to ask people questions about all this in-person
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The print came out rather well. I've never used velcro inside my gauntlet but I have considered it. See foam more often than not to give a little padding. How does it fit with your gloves on?
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How does it fit with your gloves on?
Good question! I haven't really given thought to my gloves or other soft goods yet, which is definitely something I need to do. I'm thinking I'm gonna de-label some leather gloves that I was given that I don't have any other particular use for, however the color for those is a bit different than what I'm thinking for the rest of my kit so that may need some reworking.
I also need to figure out what I'm doing for my flight-suit, which will probably end up deciding a lot of my colors.
EDIT: Here's what I'm thinking about right now
(https://i.imgur.com/DygJ7NG.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/7aYEkj8.jpg)
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I like the clean look of your print! Great job!
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Started work on painting and weathering my buy'ce, as well as some work on my gauntlets. One question that I've got before I move on with painting my kit is whether I should leave the metallic paint on the "weld" between the the visor and the brow ridge to help make it clearer that it is in fact meant to be welded, or if I should paint over it?
My flight suit is in the mail and should arrive by Tuesday, I settled on Dickies khaki coveralls to go with option two here
(https://i.imgur.com/eqkYggk.png)
Used a permanent marker to mark where I wanted some weathering and dings before I started painting fully, making use of lines and imperfections that were already present on the bucket. Adding a coat of one-color of paint was very useful in determining where there were imperfections. I also spent some time dropping gravel onto the bucket in order to scratch it up a bit more.
(https://i.imgur.com/X2qUcAx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NfIaQSq.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GhD5TM1.jpg)
I also threw some primer on my gauntlet
(https://i.imgur.com/j39RPHS.jpg)
I then hit my helmet with Rustoleum soft flat iron and I'm really happy with how it's looking
(https://i.imgur.com/1j1QzDx.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/VIZkASC.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Aojx10Z.jpg)
Note: visor is not final, this is what was in my J2P
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Personally, leaving the weld unpainted helps it stand out and gives the look a little extra something.
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I finally got around to posting in all of my WIP threads!
Redid the wiring on my flashlight, I had kinda messed it up the first time
(https://i.imgur.com/BK9IEDB.jpg)
Made some bes'kar'ta to try out color schemes and have fun with weathering, but I did paint then weathering then more paint which didn't work out too well, however it did work fine for color samples
(https://i.imgur.com/h5CLYFl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zkL2Ooj.jpg)
I settled on Behr Express Blue for my helmet
(https://i.imgur.com/MOh8QNn.jpg)
I may end up having to redo the paint because I don't think I left enough masking fluid (AKA toothpaste) to properly weather the paint
(https://i.imgur.com/7UPBGby.jpg)
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New holster, and bucket progress today, check out my weapons thread (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=181304.msg2160537#msg2160537) to see the wood-handled deece as well.
I'll likely be attaching the holster to my kama (which I'll get around to sometime) and I'll probably print another one for my left side, I printed this design (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2619370) off of thingiverse.
Also repainted my buy'ce and blackwashed, and I do not recommend handpainting a helmet, brushstrokes are annoying and uneven layers are hard to get rid of. Put a visor in it as well, I think I just got a Shade 5 Welding Visor and cut it to size, still needs a little more fitting though
(https://i.imgur.com/Ikgo2Wu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/zhZIaZZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/JUOykt3.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/IH3CDms.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BzTBDta.jpg)
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I know I said in my weapon WIP thread that I wanted to try to work on everything at least a little bit every day... and that lasted about two days. But I think these more than make up for it, I came in and used the embroidery machine at the makerspace at work for a a couple hours and made them:
(https://i.imgur.com/SSoBbr4.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/6I5ck9p.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/Yb3n3Di.jpg?1)(https://i.imgur.com/mKCdSB2.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/s93pFGX.jpg)