Mando Mercs Costume Club
Mandalorian Armor => Female Armor => Topic started by: Kavryn Falco on Apr 04, 2014, 05:02 PM
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--EDIT--
As of 11/9/15, my images have started to disappear. I've attempted to replace them, I may have missed some/some may have disappeared after I went through. Sorry 'bout that :-\
--END EDIT--
Hey folks, my name's Kavryn. Gonna be starting a Modern mando. I'm gonna buy the helmet, make the plates myself, and at least make a stab at making the flak vest myself. Here's where I'm at:
-Have concept Mandomaker, color
-Have Sintra
-Have black duckcloth for vest/kama
-Have boots
-Have trophy rope
-Have cut templates, test-fitted chest templates
-Don't have bucket (Have my heart set on NME Assassin, but alas, it exceeds my budget at the moment)
-Don't have flightsuit (Will be charcoal grey)
-Don't have girth belt or pouches
-Don't have gloves
-Haven't actually cut any plates yet
Concepts:
(http://i.imgur.com/lt8DuI1.jpg)
This is my color concept for now. Colors may change, because I can't make up my mind at all, although I think the plate arrangement will stay the same.
-Chest armor templates designed by Viradechtis (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=53595.0). They're perfect, exactly what I wanted. Thanks a ton for sharing them!
-Note the shnees (which will be fully enclosed if I can swing it) and the doubled shoulder armor. It will also have my ouroboros sigil (aka my avatar) on the left shoulder, on the opposite side from the doubled plates.
-I do plan on having a kama; I just forgot to add it on in MM. It would come down to just above my knees, and it might be armored if I find a design/pattern I like.
-The gauntlets will be very plain, possibly entirely unadorned; we'll see. All I know for sure is that they're definitely not going to be super-chunky like Fett's.
Completed Stuff:
(http://imgur.com/TOdvMJu.jpg)
(http://imgur.com/u72G9hY.jpg)
I've had these boots for years, and I've mostly stopped wearing them because they're getting worn out. But, hey! Perfect for Mandos, and I won't have to do much extra weathering. They may get replaced down the road, but for now they're free and that beats everything else. :P
(http://imgur.com/pC2EBx9.jpg)
My trophy rope. Because everyone needs one of those before they even start their armor, amirite? :laugh:
Templates/Stuff in the works:
(http://imgur.com/nPKVRkw.jpg)
Chest armor test fit! I didn't realize until they were already taped on that white on white is a terrible idea... so yeah, sorry about that. Despite the terrible quality, can you give me any pointers on fit/spacing? It looks pretty good to me, but then, I've never done this before.
(http://imgur.com/HqVMXLk.jpg)
This is a shnee template that I worked up. It's hard to see, but the center section is a separate piece that will be raised when it's made out of sintra. These might get reworked a bit; I dunno. Also, my vod'ika is modeling it for me, as it's darn near impossible to take a good picture of your own lower leg. Thanks bro!
Claw-gloves:
(http://imgur.com/9lHQ7qU.jpg)
(http://imgur.com/0VMZvXl.jpg)
(http://imgur.com/UkXAQN0.jpg)
I'm super excited about the way these came out. The gloves they're on are NOT the final gloves; only placeholders until I can find ones I like. The left hand is the only one with the claws because I really don't want to stab everything I go to touch; also, I like the asymmetricality of it.
I'd like to move on to cutting my plates out of sintra, but I don't want to start that until I hear some opinions on my chestplate's fit and spacing. If I need to retake those pictures, I can - just let me know.
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Personally, I'd put the collar plate and the extra bit together into one plate and then shift the rest upwards just a little. Bit hard to tell, but the bottom of the ab plate should end around the bellybutton.
On the other hand (pun intended), once you've made that glove, you can always send it to me for uhhhm, safekeeping :P
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Hm, I'll cot a new template out and try to get it fitted tonight. I think it did come a bit past my bellybutton, if I remember correctly - I'll be sure to check that this time.
Very kind of you to offer; I'm sure you would keep it very safe. Unfortunately, I like to live dangerously ;)
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Very kind of you to offer; I'm sure you would keep it very safe. Unfortunately, I like to live dangerously ;)
Pity. Ah well, can't blame me for trying ;)
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Okay, here's the new collar, on a better shirt:
(http://imgur.com/bz8IARK.jpg)
Thoughts?
Also, new concept:
(http://i.imgur.com/6tjgKbf.jpg)
I realized I'd forgotten my bicep plates, so I added those in and moved my sigil to the bicep. Other than that it's pretty much the same.
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Looking much better. I'd see if you can move the rest of the plates up about another cm, it may mean more cutting and taping of the breast plates, but that last little tweak will have them sitting perfectly.
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Just taped back up and tried again. It's an easy enough fix; I won't really need to recut anything. So! Off to the basement to trace out all my plates. Again. Oya?
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Really digging the claw glove and your trophy necklace.
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Thanks vod! I'm a firm believer in the details making or breaking the kit. Hopefully the sintra gloves turn out as awesome as the paper ones; I'm a bit worried about all the little bitty cuts I have to make. I may wait to cut it out until the Falcos' armor party next month; I expect they'll have a hair more practice at this than I do :laugh:
Also, minor update:
(http://imgur.com/OZSIYSd.jpg)
Aaaand unfortunately here we come to a screeching halt. One of my friends was at my house the other day trying to cut his own plates out with a jigsaw, and he kept cracking the sintra. I've heard people say that they use a dremel; I know we have one, but my dad says it doesn't have the proper attachments to cut sintra. So I'm probably going to have to figure out what attachments I need, and how expensive they are, and go shopping.
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Diamond cutting blades I have found work wonders cutting plastics. Used on the high setting of the dremel.
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Thanks! I'll look for one of those, then. The list grows ever on and on... :laugh:
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I jobmate makes a big accessories pack, 10-20 bucks. Has a whole bunch of goodies in there.
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great concept vod ;)
I personally like the extra collar plate ;) the plate sizes look great and that glove :o thats cool
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I've used 6mm sintra for 5 different kits now and I used a penknife/stanley knife for all of them. It does take time which is the downside, I could only do a couple of bits before needing to rest my hand. (Or alternatively, find some friends and get them to cut some - it works wonders :P ) Using the knife did mean I could cut angles, curves and straight lines (use a ruler and cut alongside it) without having to worry about huge amounts of cracking or the plastic melting.
If you do decide to use a dremel, use a diamond bit, they don't tend to get as hot as metal cutting bits and keep it on a lower speed than you would use for metals and fibreglass.
Don't worry over tiny chips that might happen, once everything is cut, you can make them into 3D battle damage. I use an engraver or a sanding bit depending on what type of damage I'm going for to just lose the distinctive flat edges that sintra has when it chips. I've never had to cover any large cracks before, but I have seen people use another bit of sintra to make the armour look like it's been patched in the middle of battle.
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great concept vod ;)
I personally like the extra collar plate ;) the plate sizes look great and that glove :o thats cool
I kinda liked it too - who knows, maybe I'll just cut them both out :laugh:
I've used 6mm sintra for 5 different kits now and I used a penknife/stanley knife for all of them. It does take time which is the downside, I could only do a couple of bits before needing to rest my hand. (Or alternatively, find some friends and get them to cut some - it works wonders :P ) Using the knife did mean I could cut angles, curves and straight lines (use a ruler and cut alongside it) without having to worry about huge amounts of cracking or the plastic melting.
If you do decide to use a dremel, use a diamond bit, they don't tend to get as hot as metal cutting bits and keep it on a lower speed than you would use for metals and fibreglass.
Don't worry over tiny chips that might happen, once everything is cut, you can make them into 3D battle damage. I use an engraver or a sanding bit depending on what type of damage I'm going for to just lose the distinctive flat edges that sintra has when it chips. I've never had to cover any large cracks before, but I have seen people use another bit of sintra to make the armour look like it's been patched in the middle of battle.
I do have a box cutter... or at least, I had a box cutter. Between school and general disarray, I've lost both it and my xacto knives... /sad kav
Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it :)
EDIT:
Yeah, you know how I said progress would be slow? I lied.
Couldn't help myself, ran to the store and picked up some paints and a new boxcutter :laugh:
(http://imgur.com/ByXwLyC.jpg)
It's all Krylon, but the primer is "Dual Superbond" and the clearcoat is "Fusion." Do you think it'll be all right? I have the receipt, so I can always return stuff. Also I couldn't find the color I wanted for the tan; I picked up "Almond" and I'm gonna try layering it with the black and/or the red... we'll see how it goes.
(http://imgur.com/B56cnsJ.jpg)
First plate first plate whoo! I'm on a roll :D
(http://imgur.com/HZCKMKQ.jpg)
Also I have a helper. Holly-cat wants to be a fearsome mando warrior, too!
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Your glove is amazing! I'm bookmarking this to see where it goes.
And everyone needs a helper cat ;)
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Thanks vod!
Unfortunately cutting plates out with a boxcutter is murder on the hands, so between that and school load (finals in a month, whoo...) I'm gonna have to take it easy. There is progress, but nothing picture-worthy yet. I also have a few ideas for other elements rattling around - but I'm not going to say any specifics 'till I get in a little further with 'em ;)
I did do a bit of research on gloves, and there really aren't very many good cheap options out there :( Here's two I rustled up:
http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Womens-Genuine-Leather-Gloves/dp/B006ZMNYBY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top (http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Womens-Genuine-Leather-Gloves/dp/B006ZMNYBY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)
http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Stitch-Pretty-Screen-Texting/dp/B00FFD4LUM/ref=sr_1_254?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1396838998&sr=1-254&keywords=gloves+leather (http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Stitch-Pretty-Screen-Texting/dp/B00FFD4LUM/ref=sr_1_254?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1396838998&sr=1-254&keywords=gloves+leather)
The first one is "leather" and I think it looks all right, but I'm worried it'll be baggy - I have leetle hands and the gloves will need to fit well for my fingerplates. The second one I dunno if it'll be too fabric-y for Mando gloves, but I like having the touchscreen option open.
You guys have any thoughts/suggestions/other options? I'd prefer to keep them cheap if at all possible; I really don't have $40 to drop on expensive gloves right now :(
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You could find fingerless gloves and attach the top claw with a loop to your fingers (that's the same technique used with metal plate gloves that don't cover the whole hand)?
Fingerless gloves tend to be a bit tighter and fitt better, you can actually touch things and not be totally helpless when in gloves and you still can keep your claws.
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Hmm, that's an idea, but I dunno if I like the fingerless look. I'm gonna hit a few thrift stores, see if I can't rustle anything up.
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Rise! Rise from the grave! Muahaha!
Yes, despite a months-long absence, I have actually made progress! First order of business: my new gloves.
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2qjymhe.jpg)
I lucked out when I found these in a thrift store. They're real leather, which means they work on a touchscreen - definitely a bonus. Also, they came lined with rabbit fur; I pulled all that out, and plan to reuse it elsewhere.
I have also made a significant dent into cutting and shaping my plates. Aside from my cod and gauntlets, I have everything cut out, and I have several pieces formed.
(http://i60.tinypic.com/dmyzgx.jpg)
Also I have my hand plates cut out and formed, though I have no idea how I'm going to attach them to my gloves. I'm thinking bolts, or something of the sort, but I dunno. Anyone with hand-plate-attaching experience wanna weigh in here?
(http://i59.tinypic.com/a9mibn.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/de9rix.jpg)
Will have more progress to show shortly, as soon as I get pics. Also gotta wait for the weather to clear up before I can start painting!
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I "attached" my hand plates with a bit of elastic that stretches around my palm and holds the plate in place. Granted I only made plates that cover the back of my hand, not my fingers. I found that fabric glue DOES NOT hold on sintra at all. I actually ended up using super glue and it's holding up great as I test and re-test my attachments. I'm aware of some heat activated glue strips that you can buy at fabric stores; basically put the glue strip between the two pieces you want to attach and then run an iron over it for a minute or so, I don't know how this would work with leather and plastic but it's an idea.
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Barges leather adhesive is great, but I am unsure how it would react with plastics.
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Hm, I hadn't thought of using glues, but it's a great idea. I'll have to look into those; thanks for the suggestions!
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Love the hand plates ;)
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Thanks Niabi!
Hokay, time for another update! I have finally made progress on my softs - ordered this flightsuit in charcoal and it came in today:
http://www.viccouniforms.com/Red-Kap-CT10-Twill-Action-Back-Coveralls.html
I'm 5'5"; I ordered a size 34. Mostly picked this one because it was the smallest coverall I could find on the internet in the right color! It seems to fit fairly well in the torso, which is good; arms are too long and both arms and legs are baggy, so they'll both need to be tailored.
(http://i58.tinypic.com/10oegwh.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/iwm0kg.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/2a9z0uq.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2cxdth4.jpg)
I'm planning on removing the back pockets, and I'm going to have a kama that wraps about half/three quarters around the front of my thigh. I'm not planning on making thigh plates at this point. So I have two questions: 1) What should I do with the double front pockets, and 2) Can I keep the back instrument pockets as knife sheaths? 'Cause I think that'd be cool, and it'd save me having to sew them on elsewhere.
(http://i62.tinypic.com/1ybl5.jpg)
Some old softs/accessories, some new. The four little belts are dog collars - gonna chop 'em up and use 'em to attach my shnees. Shamelessly stole the idea from Vhett Naast :D The other belts may or may not be used - most likely will be underbelts to hang my kama/cod off of. Speaking of which, I still need to design/cut out/form my cod :(
(http://i59.tinypic.com/15eh46d.jpg)
Inflate-a-mando! 'cept for my cod and my gaunts, all of my plates are cut. Most are formed how I want them, but I'm still fighting with my chestplates. Once I get them symmetrical, I'll post a sizing/placement pic.
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2urpjpw.jpg)
(http://i58.tinypic.com/w9vaqb.jpg)
Closeups of chest/top half armor. Can't really see the lopsidedness, but trust me, it's there.
(http://i62.tinypic.com/5lup8n.jpg)
(http://i61.tinypic.com/2a6rur8.jpg)
(http://i60.tinypic.com/2ivbas6.jpg)
Shnees! Happy with how these turned out. Gotta figure out how to mount the leather straps to 'em, though. Don't wanna punch screws through the top - maybe I'll glue them to the underside? In any case, they still need bondo work in the seams. Lots of bondo work. Sigh.
Gotta do:
Softs:
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren (when she opens back up again :( )
Flightsuit - tailor
Girth - make
Belts - get
Kama - design/sew
Hards:
Cod - Design/Cut/Form
Chestplates - Reform/glue/bondo
Shnees - Finish bondo, figger out leather strap attachment
Gauntlets - get the ball rolling
Things ready to paint: (gotta wait for less humid weather, blah)
Hands
Biceps
Shoulders
Boots
Collar/Belly/Diamond (wait 'till chests are done?)
Totally not a comprehensive list. Will add and remove as I get things done/get closer to getting them done/think about getting them done...
Have I mentioned yet that this is a long-term project? :laugh:
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While the bagginess may need to be taken in, the extra length could be useful. I've stirruped my flightsuit legs to keep them in my boots. Not got around to it yet, but I'm planning to use my still slightly too long sleeves to put thumb holes in, to stop the flightsuit sleeves from working themselves free of my gloves.
Your kama will likely cover most of the front pockets, but they aren't zip closed so they should be fine left as they are. Using the back ones for knife sheaths sounds like a sensible idea to me and I see no reason why it wouldn't work.
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Didn't mention it earlier (probably should have :blank:) but I do plan on stirruping the pant legs - they'd pull out of my boots if I didn't. Hadn't thought about doing it for the sleeves, though. I might have to give it a try - and if it doesn't work, I can always just chop it off and hem it like I was going to :laugh:
Okay, good to know. I was thinking flightsuit pockets had to be removed, but maybe I was remembering wrong? I unno. The less I have to modify this thing, the better. :P
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As far as I can remember, it's only zipped pockets that need to go. Anything else I believe is fine - since Boba had pockets on his it seems silly to have to remove them all. Most people just get rid of them because they sit under armour and can be uncomfortable.
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Ahh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up for me!
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Yeah, zipper pockets were the big issue; a real annoyance for me, because I was using a black flight suit that I had in the Army, and those stupid things have zippers EVERYWHERE.... so I've scratched that idea, and am going more the route that you are with civilian coveralls.
This looks SUPER cool... Can't wait to see it painted and slapped together! Keep up the good work!
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Thanks vod!
So it turns out that in a fight between red sharpie and white primer... You should probably bet on the sharpie. Painting is on hold til I sand my plates back down and get rid of the sharpie writing :(
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Try alcohol swabs first, you won't have to sand as much.
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Or, you could skip the white primer altogether, and go with grey....it will kick red sharpies butt, and also looks good under metallics. Same for black.
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Good point. I only use grey primer; never felt the need for white....
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Good idea - I'll definitely try the gray.
So I bought materials for my girth belt, including a white cotton/polypropylene clothesline. I bought red and black rit dye, hoping to dye it maroon. I heated up the water on the stove, filled a 3-gallon bucket, added a cup of salt, and put in most of the red and about half the black. Stirred for an hour, rinsed the rope... and all my dye washed out. :'(
Reading the rit website, it appears that I should have: 1) added a squirt of dish detergent, 2) added the salt 5 minutes after I added the line to the dye, not before, 3) not left it in so long because the dye only works above a certain temp, and 4) used color fixative because it's cotton.
Oops. To those of you with dyeing experience - did I cover everything? I'm gonna go back to Walmart and buy more dye and the fixative, but if you have any more advice or tips they'd be much appreciated :D
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Minor update, go!
Am meeting with my tailor Thursday to see about my flightsuit and kama. Should be fun.
Have minor progress on girth; gonna post all the pics at once once it's done.
Got a gun! I managed to filch it from my vod'ike - handle doesn't fit in their great big hands but it's perfect for my tiny girl hands :P Needs work though; tell me what you think. Will it work? Gonna be a large singlehanded pistol, I guess.
(http://i61.tinypic.com/2wqyd8n.jpg)
(http://i61.tinypic.com/t886tu.jpg)
Places I'm chopping are gonna be covered with sintra plates. Gonna attach a scope, of course. Other than that - do you think that it will be swarsy enough?
Gotta do:
Softs:
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren (when she opens back up again :( )
Belts - get
Flightsuit - meet with tailor
Girth - half done, gotta break out sewing machine (eep)
Kama - meet with tailor
Hards:
Cod - Design/Cut/Form
Chestplates - Reform/glue/bondo
Shnees - Finish bondo, figger out leather strap attachment
Gauntlets - get the ball rolling
Boots: reform :(
Things ready to paint: (need grey primer)
Hands
Biceps
Shoulders
Collar/Belly/Diamond (wait 'till chests are done)
Hurty things:
Claws - mostly done, gotta paint & attach
Shooty thing - swarsy enough?
'Splodey things - paint, attach to belts
Stabby things - cut, glue, bondo, paint
Bes'bev - cut, paint
Lol, I got a lotta weapons :P
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that is an interesting looking pistol. It'll look great once it's cut up and painted I'm sure. I don't know how confident you are in your fabrication skills, but if you can, I'd try and keep that clear plastic clear. Try taking apart the toy and painting the pieces that you'd see through the plastic to match the colors that you're painting the shell...or if your really ambitious, run some LEDs in there and make it look epic
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I think it really has potential!
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this kit looks dangerous! can't wait to see it finished!
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Thanks, Ronin. Yours is one of my favorite kits, so that means a lot to me :)
I think the gun should work, once I start chopping it apart. I hadn't thought of leaving the clear unpainted... We'll see. When you pull the trigger, that bit lights up with leds -sometimes- and makes sound -sometimes- and is supposed to spin, but doesn't anymore. In addition, when I chop off the bottom of the grip I'll be cutting into the battery compartment. I thought about leaving the guts intact, but the thing is half broken anyway, and I have ZERO electronics experience to rewire it.
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Another minor update!
Met with my tailor, and flightsuit is tentatively done. Will post pics of fit later, but lighting is too bad to take them now. Will be meeting with her again sometime within the next few weeks to draft/begin my kama. Have black duck cloth for that; need to pick up bias tape for the edges.
About 75% done with girth belt. Will post a picture dump when it's done. Gotta say though, for being the first thing I've sewn all by myself in probably ten years, it's turning out pretty okay ;D
Also bought a great big man belt to mod into a bandolier. Thought I'd have to buy two, but the men's department has me covered :laugh: Still need a regular belt, though.
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Yeah, fat guy belts rock. Idk what stores would do with 60"+ belts if people weren't making bandoleers with them....
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I really like how your lady Mando is turning out :), Ik not the first to say it, but I too love the glove idea you got going on :P.
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I'm just jumping in hoping that you've made some progress on the claw gloves -- LOVE them. I had a slightly similar (but in no way similarly cool) idea and I was curious how you were working out the attachment issue. I'd decided I'd use elastic and glue, but hadn't gotten my gloves yet to start trials.
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I've actually just started to prep them for painting, but I haven't attached them or anything yet. I was going to try superglue, actually - elastic might work for the hand plates, but the finger plates are far too small.
I've actually made a bit of progress on quite a few things, so I'll be posting an update soon enough.
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Picture time!
Got my flightsuit tailored and elastic stirrups attached. We totally forgot to take in the arms, so that may still need to be done - I have to meet with her again anyway to draft my kama.
(http://i57.tinypic.com/30wbc3k.jpg)
Apologies for the lighting :laugh: You may notice the girthbelt - I'm taking the design pretty directly from Barbarossa Kad's (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=57394.0) awesome girthbelt. Mine is wearable at this point, but it needs the ends covered and those strips added. I'll post closeups of it when it's finished.
Got some painting done:
(http://i58.tinypic.com/15yt2s2.jpg)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2yyus6q.jpg)
Primered & Silvered the boots, biceps, & shoulders. Also primered the hands, but didn't take pics.
New things!
Made a stabby:
(http://i62.tinypic.com/24nfjao.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/10ni5ir.jpg)
(http://i61.tinypic.com/288tocn.jpg)
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2vdpik1.jpg)
Is glued together - need to bondo and sand it now.
Templated a backplate:
(http://i58.tinypic.com/5trx8m.jpg)
Does this cover enough space? I can add a secondary lower back plate if needed, but I kinda like it the way it is.
Templated a gaunt:
(http://i62.tinypic.com/25hilhf.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/2d8rrzr.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2e5v9z9.jpg)
The last pic is the gauntlet cut out - was thinking of having it be a single piece that overlaps on one side, like a spiral. No attachment needed, and it could flex when I need to get my hands in and out. Thoughts?
Immediate-future plans:
-Cut out cod
-Form cod, gaunt, back
-Reform chestplate (again, ugh)
-Primer & silver plates as they get finished
-Bondo shnees & stabby
Soon-future plans:
-Draft Kama
-Order Helmet
-Work on shooty & 'splodey
-Draft & make neck armor
Gotta do:
Softs:
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren (when she opens back up again :( )
Belts - get
Flightsuit - Provisionally done; may need to take in arms
Girth - 75% done; going to have to hand-sew the rest
Kama - meet with tailor
Hards:
Cod - Design/Cut/Form
Back - Design/Cut/Form
Neck armor - Design/Cut/Form
Chestplates - Reform/glue/bondo
Shnees - Finish bondo, figger out leather strap attachment
Gauntlets - Form, cut #2
Boots: reform Done, ready to paint!
Things ready to paint:
Hands - Primered
Boots, Biceps, Shoulders - Primered & Silvered (wait on rest of plates for color)
Collar/Belly/Diamond (wait 'till chests are done)
Hurty things:
Claws - mostly done, gotta finish painting & attach
Shooty thing - chop up and glue
'Splodey things - paint, attach to belts
Stabby thing - cut, glue, bondo, paint
Bes'bev - cut, paint
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I am very much a fan of that double shoulder. This is going to be an outstanding kit!
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I'd say the back plate is definitely too small. It needs to be about 1.5 times longer, and will need to go at least two inches added to each side.
Everything else looks perfect though, I'd maybe suggest cap off the end of the cord on the girth to clean it up a bit but not super important.
I also love your gaunt. would tie in very nicely with some deathwatch style thigh armour.
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yuuuuup Id agree that the back plate is to small :(
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^^ What they said ^^
Looks kinda like an Ewok got jacked for his back armor. Great shape, though- and I don't think you'd need the extra bottom piece you mentioned if you don't want to, it's just a touch on the miniature size.
EVERYTHING ELSE LOOKS AMAZING!!! LOVE THE KNIFE!!!!
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Haha okay, I guess it's unanimous then. I started by taking the collar template and drawing out from there, because I wanted the shoulders to match up; do you think the width will be okay if I make the length all the way down my back?
Like so:
(http://i57.tinypic.com/21jdnyx.jpg)
On to updates!
Gauntlet is sanded and formed. Single piece; hand fits in and out but barely. Gonna have to put the gloves on last, haha. Gotta do the other one now.
(http://i58.tinypic.com/jrbbrr.jpg)
Designed/cut/formed neck armor!
(http://i.imgur.com/NeHMXNv.jpg)
Pic is before forming.
Worked on my chest plates - straightened 'em out, and reinforced the seam. Next step is bondo and more sanding.
(http://i62.tinypic.com/w1r291.jpg)
(http://i60.tinypic.com/vdd8hu.jpg)
To those of you with darting experience - will these plates be enough to hold the bondo in? I don't want it to crack and fall off...
Also, side note:
(http://i62.tinypic.com/fye3k2.jpg)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/2chweuv.jpg)
Always sand your edges :laugh:
Last but not least, I pulled out all my parts and laid 'em out. Behold the fearsome Inflate-A-Mando:
(http://i59.tinypic.com/2v117gw.jpg)
(http://i60.tinypic.com/znr82h.jpg)
(http://i60.tinypic.com/9sxh7n.jpg)
Think I'm gonna make me up some thigh armor. Lookin' a bit bare there.
That's what I've got for today. I've posted a few other pics in my Hurty Things WIP (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1231476#msg1231476), if you're interested.
Immediate-future plans:
-Redesign back
-Thigh - Design/cut/sand/form
-Form gaunt #2
-Primer & silver plates as they get finished
-Bondo shnees & stabby & chest
-Order Helmet
Soon-future plans:
-Draft Kama
-Work on shooty & 'splodey
Gotta do:
Softs:
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren (when she opens back up again :( )
Belts - get
Flightsuit - Provisionally done; may need to take in arms
Girth - 75% done; going to have to hand-sew the rest
Kama - meet with tailor
Hards:
Back - Redesign
Chestplates - Reform/glue/bondo
Shnees - Finish bondo, figger out leather strap attachment
Gauntlets - Form, cut #2
Things ready to paint:
Neck armor
Hands, Collar, Belly, Cod - Primered
Boots, Biceps, Shoulders, Diamond - Primered & Silvered (wait on rest of plates for color)
Hurty things:
Claws - mostly done, gotta finish painting & attach
Shooty thing - detail work, put back together
'Splodey things - paint, attach to belts
Stabby thing - bondo, paint
Bes'bev - cut, paint
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I don't have any darting experience but the bondo should hold up fine. I'd say put the bondo on in thin layers, let it dry, sand it smooth, apply another layer, and so on, until it looks perfect. In the past when I've had cracking problems with bondo it was because I layered it on to thick.
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Okay, that's good to know. The bondo is a bit intimidating, to be honest - I still haven't gone back and rebondoed my shnees, and those got started just about a month ago. Bondo is just so... messy :(
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Haha okay, I guess it's unanimous then. I started by taking the collar template and drawing out from there, because I wanted the shoulders to match up; do you think the width will be okay if I make the length all the way down my back?
Actually, I don't think your backplate is too short, it looks to me like you girth belt is riding pretty low in the pics., and that's throwing off the apparent spacing. I'd need to see it with a fitted vest to tell you if its too narrow though....
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No I'd definatley say that it looks too short. Can't be more than 4 inches below the underarm. you want it all the way down to your natural waist in line with where your chest armour sits.
And even without the fitted vest I'd say that's too thin. Maybe if you had it more like this:
(http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a530/Kitala_Enby/back_zps0c732d98.png) (http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/Kitala_Enby/media/back_zps0c732d98.png.html)
It's hard to keep the nice curve of your back plate and not chnge the width of the shoulders.
But what I did for my partner was take a small jango back plate template, Plase their collar over it and cut it down to match upthen drewa curve from the edge of the collar down to the top of the wingy bits, then trimmed off a lot of the wings and some of the length of the wings. Worked better than my own back plate that I spend hours modifying the template to suit perfectly against me. theirs took five minutes :L
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This build is looking excellent! :)
I've had Bondo trouble with chest plate darts in the past. What I learned is that if the seam moves at all, the Bondo will fall off. If you're looking to fill a gap in the seam, it might be worth considering something that sets up in a less brittle fashion.
Something like hot glue might work as a filler, but it won't sand down!
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Good call Arch.
Maybe something like a 2 part epoxy that sets up very hard and usually doesn't crack unless you get hit by a bus. I hope you don't get hit by a bus.
Then maybe bondo just to smooth and finish everything up?
Bondo work proves that what we do is a labor of love. Because %#@&! all that sanding! :P
-
Another idea is to use duct tape on the back side and fill with a pvc friendly super glue which can be sanded and then use bondo to make it smooth.
I've never used this on armor so I don't know how it would work but it worked well on some pvc pipe I used on my sidearm and the duct tape pealed right off.
Also I love your shoulder and gauntlet designs.
Also do you have any plans for this seam?
(http://i.imgur.com/3G8GKnH.jpg)
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Well, the top outer line is angled the way it is because it matches my collar plate in the front, and I do want it to match. I'll go ahead and make a new paper mockup before I finalize anything - because it's bound to look different in real life than a 30second sketch, haha - but I dunno, my new concept seems to cover roughly the same area as Ashen Kelborn's backplate:
(http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee43/reapwind/Mando%20in%20progress/IMG_180414_053802_zpsbuxv8t1i.jpg)(http://i57.tinypic.com/21jdnyx.jpg)
Keep in mind that the flight suit has "wings" on the back that flare out and increase the apparent width of my back. It's not fitted very closely. When I redo my template, I'll take pics both in my flightsuit and in a tshirt. Wish I had my vest, but alas, that exceeds my sewing skills :laugh:
I hope I don't get hit by a bus either :laugh: It's good that we're all in agreement, here.
Thanks for the info, Arch. I'll try the two-part epoxy, then, to fill the seams, and then the bondo on top. Is epoxy sandable? I may need to add a second backer plate to the top of one of the seams, though - it's got a larger gap than t'other, and I'm not sure the epoxy can bridge the gap on its own. Or the temporary duct tape backer - I'll have to think about that.
Actually, I was going to leave my gaunt mostly just like that, though I've since sanded it to a nice rounded edge. I like the 'wrapped around' look, and if I don't glue it together, then it's got a bit of give when I pull my hands in and out. That may in fact change once I get it painted if the paint scrapes or breaks and I can't get it to look right - I'm going to just primer it and wear it for a while, take it on and off a bunch. Stress testing, whoo!
-
Actually, I was going to leave my gaunt mostly just like that, though I've since sanded it to a nice rounded edge. I like the 'wrapped around' look, and if I don't glue it together, then it's got a bit of give when I pull my hands in and out. That may in fact change once I get it painted if the paint scrapes or breaks and I can't get it to look right - I'm going to just primer it and wear it for a while, take it on and off a bunch. Stress testing, whoo!
Ah ok I thought you mite be planing some sort of blade there to go with the awesome elbow spike and claw gloves.
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Yeah, I had thought about giving the edge some curvy spikes - you can see the lines on the flat gaunt. I decided not to cut them out because I decided that I actually did like the plain squareish flap; I didn't want it to wind up too fantasy-y.
Don't worry though, I'll have plenty of spikys by the time I'm done :P
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Yiiss! Epoxy works pretty well with sintra and other plastics!
I like the spiky design of your kit a lot! That gauntlet design might prove a little troublesome if you end up trooping in places where there are lots of kids, though. I've accidentally elbowed kids in the head more than once while in kit; it turns out that their heads end up at just the right height! :-X
The gauntlets might be easier to manage if the spike lines up with your elbow instead of protruding past when your arm is bent, but it is, of course, up to you! I fully recognize that not all Mercs are as clumsy as I am. :P
-
Just wanted to say this is coming along great!
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....... My name got used *looks around at prior thread* looking cool, love what your doing with the gauntlets and Shinknees.
Keep it up Vod
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Yiiss! Epoxy works pretty well with sintra and other plastics!
I like the spiky design of your kit a lot! That gauntlet design might prove a little troublesome if you end up trooping in places where there are lots of kids, though. I've accidentally elbowed kids in the head more than once while in kit; it turns out that their heads end up at just the right height! :-X
The gauntlets might be easier to manage if the spike lines up with your elbow instead of protruding past when your arm is bent, but it is, of course, up to you! I fully recognize that not all Mercs are as clumsy as I am. :P
I'll take my chances :laugh: I'll just have to be aware of where I'm putting my elbows, that's all.
Thanks A'den!
....... My name got used *looks around at prior thread* looking cool, love what your doing with the gauntlets and Shinknees.
Keep it up Vod
Yep ;D Thanks ^^
M'kay, updates! No pics, though.
-Sanded & Formed Gaunt #2
-Epoxied chest seams together
-Sanded Stabby a little
-Greyed Collar, Belly & Neck Armor; Silvered Cod
Immediate-future plans:
-Redesign back
-Primer & silver plates as they get finished
-Bondo shnees & stabby & chest
Soon-future plans:
-Draft Kama
-Work on shooty & 'splodey
-Thigh - Design/cut/sand/form
Gotta do:
Softs:
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren (when she opens back up again :( )
Belts - acquired; gotta test fit
Flightsuit - Provisionally done; may need to take in arms
Girth - 75% done; going to have to hand-sew the rest
Kama - meet with tailor
Hards:
Back - Redesign
Chestplates - Reform/glue/bondo
Shnees - Finish bondo, figger out leather strap attachment
Things ready to paint:
Gauntlets
Collar, Belly, Neck - Primered
Hands, Cod, Boots, Biceps, Shoulders, Diamond - Primered & Silvered (wait on rest of plates for color)
Hurty things:
Claws - mostly done, gotta finish painting & attach
Shooty thing - detail work, put back together
'Splodey things - paint, attach to belts
Stabby thing - bondo, paint
Bes'bev - cut, paint
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Your suit is looking very cool. Excited to see it all set up once you get into the final production point but doesn't look like it's that far out.
-
Thanks vod! Ya, once I get everything to a certain point it's gonna snowball real fast. It's just getting there that's the trouble! :laugh: I'm trying to get stuff done before the snow sets in, because once that happens I won't be able to cut or sand any more. Dad vetoed having Sintra dust all over his garage again :laugh:
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*Dusts off cobwebs* Hokay, big update time. Despite appearances, I have actually been making progress :laugh:
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2mo5qnb.jpg)
Made updates to hurty things (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1243255#msg1243255)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/23lysnp.jpg)
Why, whatever could this be? (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=83226.0)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/1zf0wo2.jpg)(http://i57.tinypic.com/vrzw9j.jpg)
New backplate template - whatcha think? I'd especially appreciate it if any app team members could weigh in if it covers enough area - I'd like to move ahead with this very soon, but I don't want to waste sintra.
Chest plates:
(http://i61.tinypic.com/22fbzs.jpg)
(http://i60.tinypic.com/21eqcra.jpg)
Bondo, round 1
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2qny3jo.jpg)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/ju8x8y.jpg)
Bondo, round 2
Gonna sand more, bondo it up again, and sand again. Third time's the charm, yes? Also gotta round the edges.
Shnees:
(http://i57.tinypic.com/3447azn.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/oktv9h.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/20zb8u1.jpg)
Bondo, sand, bondo, sand, glazing putty, sand. :laugh: Next up is a test primer coat to see how it looks when it isn't all speckly, then probably another coat of glazing putty. It's getting closer! I swear!
(http://i62.tinypic.com/1gn3w9.jpg)
Just because I can :P
Immediate-future plans:
-Cut/form/sand edges/paint back
-Sand edges/bondo/sand chestplate
-Sand edges/test-primer shnees
-Work on hurty things
-Primer & silver plates as they get finished
Soon-future plans:
-Thigh - Design/cut/sand/form
-Order pouches
-Order vest (kinda important, lol)
Softs:
Girth - 100% done
Kama - 100% done
Flightsuit - Provisionally done; may need to take in arms
Belts - Have; need pouches
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren (when she opens back up again :( )
Hards:
Back - Redesign
Chestplates - Sand edges round/bondo/sand
Shnees - Sand edges round/test prime/bondo/sand
Things ready to paint:
Gauntlets - Primered
Collar, Belly, Neck, Hands, Cod, Boots, Biceps, Shoulders, Diamond - Primered & Silvered (wait on rest of plates for color)
Hurty things:
Claws - mostly done, gotta finish painting & attach
Shooty thing - detail work, put back together
'Splodey thing 1 - attachment point, paint
'Splodey thing 2 - bondo, paint
Stabby thing - bondo, paint
Bes'bev - greeble end a bit, paint
-
(http://i59.tinypic.com/1zf0wo2.jpg)(http://i57.tinypic.com/vrzw9j.jpg)
New backplate template - whatcha think? I'd especially appreciate it if any app team members could weigh in if it covers enough area - I'd like to move ahead with this very soon, but I don't want to waste sintra.
Pretty sure its enough coverage as its 2/3 or more :P
(http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee43/reapwind/Mando%20in%20progress/7073a193-afaa-458e-be2f-3e35ea4aadb4_zpsdd424db0.jpg)
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Greeting fellow upstater. Very good quality stuff going on here. Your paying attention to the small details and not settling for good enough. Lots of good multiple and concepts.
If you ever need a shop or help it is your for the asking vod.
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Thanks, vod! If you're interested, I'm putting together a map of the Falcos (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82423.0). Upstate's looking a little bare :laugh:
Guys look look look what came in yesterday!
(http://i58.tinypic.com/f5a7wp.jpg)
(http://i58.tinypic.com/icvcc6.jpg)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/ezett1.jpg)
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2u8i6v7.jpg)
(http://i57.tinypic.com/28bv3wl.jpg)
(http://i58.tinypic.com/zn6m8y.jpg)
My face is here! So excited, you have no idea. Then again, maybe you do :laugh:
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Bucket looks great. Also I love your hair. It would look amazing braided over your shoulder or down your back.
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Thanks Kitala! Yeah, if I leave it loose it -almost- fits the CRLs for a cape! :laugh:
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Ooo! What kind of bucket is that, anyway? The fit looks perfect!
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It's a Jango-sized/styled helmet - Kalaval Zil sold it to me. I'm pretty happy with it.
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Awesome stuff vod ;)
Bucket looks great
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(http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o95/Adabiel/Chat%20Macros/threadrevive.jpg)
Thanks to Peregrinus for the image xD
So yeah, I haven't been working on this at all since fall. I started up again these past two weeks, and here's where I'm at. I do believe that some of this progress was from before my winter hiatus, but I just haven't posted it yet. Anyway, here we are:
(http://i.imgur.com/UnhLjWl.jpg)
Latest inflate-a-mando. Notice that all the bondo work is done on my plates (WHOO FINALLY) and all of them, sans backplate, have at least been primered.
Backplate. heh.
(http://i.imgur.com/TMjCxiU.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oAWWFRz.jpg)
Got the top plate shaped, you know, the pita one. Then I realized that it doesn't line up with my collar plate. Yup. It's about an inch too thin, right in the middle. So I don't know if I should cut a brand new plate, or cut this one down the middle, add a spacer, and call it a day... thoughts? opinions? I'm so sick of this thing XD
Next up: pouches!
(http://i.imgur.com/8FOFGrf.jpg)
Got these pretties from Liberty Tree Collectors. (https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/ltc-default.asp) Being WWII pouches, they were in slightly sorry shape. I used this handy dandy tutorial (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=70081.0) from Carter to shine 'em up - not sure why it didn't get more attention, it's a great resource.
(http://i.imgur.com/KJGehkS.jpg)
Here you can see my gauntlets and collar being silvered. Nothing spectacular, except that I actually DID manage to get both gauntlets rolled symmetrically! That was harder than I'd anticipated, haha.
(http://i.imgur.com/kKpuAv1.jpg)
Chestplates, shnees, bes'bev, and splodeys #1 being primered. All of these (well, except the bes'bev) had some pretty serious bondo work done on them, and I'm fairly pleased with how they turned out. I put a LOT of hours into these things :blank:
(http://i.imgur.com/T1X0ayc.jpg)
Beauty shot of the chestplate seam before primer (:
(http://i.imgur.com/QDSkNpv.jpg) (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1357640#msg1357640)
Beauty shot of my stabby pommel ;D The rest of those pictures are in my hurty things WIP thread (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1357640#msg1357640).
Softs:
Girth - 100% done
Kama - 100% done
Flightsuit - 100% done
Belts - Have; have pouches; working on greebly bits
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren
Hards:
Back - Redesign AGAIN ARGH
Things ready to paint:
Chestplates, Shnees - Primered, paint's drying (:
Gauntlets, Collar, Belly, Neck, Hands, Cod, Boots, Biceps, Shoulders, Diamond - Primered & Silvered (wait on rest of plates for color)
Hurty things:
Claws - paint & attach
Shooty thing - detail work, put back together On hold
'Splodey thing 1 (round) - Paint
'Splodey thing 2 (tube) - wait for glue to dry, paint
Stabby thing - paint
Bes'bev - paint details, attach string
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Everything looks awesome! Great job!
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Thanks vod! Feels good to get back into the swing of things after being away so long (:
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If you really don't want to redo the backplate, perhaps using some sort of connector over the two plates? I've seen extra plates, fur, leather etc all used there. Kind of like two mini pauldrons.
Looking forward to seeing it as an inflated mando ;)
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I agree with Kris here. It's a good look and i think it could look nice with your build :).
Everything looks amazing. very excited to see more of this.
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Hmrr, that might work. I do still have all the rabbit fur I yanked out of my gloves xD It depends - I'm not sure why, but the plate wound up very very close to my neck. It may actually not fit on over my flightsuit. ):
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Yay angular plates ! o/
Can't wait to see what it looks like with a mando inside :p
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Me neither XD I still need to get my vest and I wasn't planning on attaching plates until they're painted. We are, however, rapidly approaching that point ;D
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Do your shoulders overlap? Because if they don;t then not meeting up perfectly/being the same size isn't as much of an issue. you could just leave it. or trim the collar slightly/extend the back slightly
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Looking good vod.
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This looking great. I can't wait to see more.
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I am loving the looks of this and the segmented back should prove beautiful as well! I can't wait to see your paint job because your concept looks great! I can not wait to see more!
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Looking good vod.
This looking great. I can't wait to see more.
I am loving the looks of this and the segmented back should prove beautiful as well! I can't wait to see your paint job because your concept looks great! I can not wait to see more!
Thanks vode!
And Sidi, I'm holding out for one of your vests. They're lovely <3
Hokay, so it's been nearly a month. I have not been idle, despite the lack of pictures. Here goes:
I have, quite honestly, been procrastinating about painting my armor. I see a lot of less-than-awesome paint jobs, and I see some very high-quality, well-weathered, well-designed kits. Having never really done this before, I was a bit nervous about diving in all the way. ...so I stole one of my friends' kit and painted it for him! Haha, no really:
(http://i.imgur.com/z38IwPO.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/S58rnZ0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/p4BQGwK.jpg)
So I'll be moving along with my own paint job now. I have silver on all of my formed plates, and all of them save the chest array and the gauntlets have the false primer layer applied. I'm using toothpaste as my masking fluid of choice ;D No pictures for you yet because the light went too fast, but I'll see if I can get them up soonish.
(http://i.imgur.com/N41LgpX.jpg) (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1372008#msg1372008)
The rest of my progress is entirely hurty-things-related and can be found here (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1372008#msg1372008). (: Big update, lots of stuff -gasp- completed! :o
And last but not least, here's a bit of a preview picture of my halfway-painted neck armor:
(http://i.imgur.com/ILQ3LOR.jpg)
Until next time, vode!
Softs:
Girth - 100% done
Kama - 100% done
Flightsuit - 100% done
Belts - Done (I think?)
Flak Vest - Order from Sidi Ren
Hards:
Back - Redesign AGAIN ARGH
PAINT ALL THE THINGS:
Shnees, Cod, Biceps, Shoulders, Boots, Neck - False Primer
Gauntlets, Collar, Chestplates, Belly, Diamond, Hands - Silvered & ready to paint
Hurty things:
Claws - paint & attach
Shooty thing - detail work, put back together On hold
'Splodey Model 1 - 100% Complete
'Splodey Model 2 - 100% Complete
Stabby - 100% Complete
Bes'bev - 100% Complete (Also, new name "Noisy.")
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Those shins and hand attachment look amazing. Can't wait to see it done.
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I painted some stuff.
(http://i.imgur.com/6yQJAxp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/OM2sE5B.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/gifPh7Z.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Eneem9f.jpg)
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I painted some stuff.
And painted really well, looking good 8)
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And painted really well, looking good 8)
Well said. that is some beautiful work
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Yeah...that looks brilliant.
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Thanks vode :). I'm going to try to finish painting this weekend; I'll post the rest of the pics when it's all painted.
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Big update time!
I held off posting my paintjob until it was all done and weathered. I still have the gauntlets to do, but I didn't really want to wait any longer! Also I got my vest in from Sidi Ren (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=62756.0), who makes FANTASTIC vests <3
Here's what's wearable:
(http://i.imgur.com/23WOLsq.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Dslw8d4.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ZGsk6f7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/pknZITp.jpg)
My knife is at the back of my belt, but you can't see it because HAIR. Things I noticed: I had to move my girthbelt up quite a bit, so now it sags rather badly in the front. I'll need to take it in (sewing nooooo). I may also need to tailor my arms on my flightsuit, so I haven't placed my bicep plates yet. Anything else I didn't notice?
I got my hand plates painted and attached:
(http://i.imgur.com/rXsQMfz.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xZZD3RR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Waa1WOD.jpg)
And here's the rest of my plates:
(http://i.imgur.com/4RYWRzo.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/iLlm5wi.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/WIMx0OG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/T8wV6vG.jpg)
Codpiece is also ready to go, I just didn't bother to take a picture! :laugh:
And a spacing test:
(http://i.imgur.com/f97WjFZ.jpg)
Not that you can really see anything, heh. The chestplates are gonna come up a bit, but that's about it.
Gotta do:
Helmet LOL
Backplate LOL
Gun - body work, attach hanger, paint
Vest/Flightsuit - sew ALL THE VELCRO
Softs - weather
Girthbelt, flightsuit - tailor
Kama - iron
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Wow! That's excellent armor! :o The whole set is just phenomenal and I look forward to seeing your amazing paint skills used on that helmet.
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I like your paint job, very nice weathering especially on the blaster shots.
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Very nice job! I'd say that you do indeed need to tailor the flight suit arms just a bit, but they're not too bad. I'd also say that despite the fact that it covers 2/3rds of your back I don't think the app team will accept your hair as replacement for a back plate. But I guess you could try. LOL
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This is beautiful and amazing work.
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wow, niiiiiice vod! Love the damage and the new vest looks great. Keep it up!
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Awesooooome.
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That weathering is gorgeous!
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Thanks for all the kind words (:
I'd also say that despite the fact that it covers 2/3rds of your back I don't think the app team will accept your hair as replacement for a back plate. But I guess you could try. LOL
The CRLs don't say hair ISN'T an acceptable cape material! You can't tell me what to do! /sulk
Finished sewing my velcro onto my vest, so I put it on for a test fitting. Thoughts? (Click images to embiggen)
(http://i.imgur.com/jkBXK8R.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ISrSry7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/UTzuoPU.jpg)
Ignore the wonky helmet angle; dishcloths make for terrible padding xD
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That helmet looks really big on you, even with the armour. I'm concerned it may be too big.
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Ive got to agree with Carid, usually helmets are about hal of shoulder width
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Yeah, that helmet is definitely a bit too wide. you can negate that effect by padding out your shoulders so your shoulder bells sit a bit closer to horizontal
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I am a tiny girl mando with 14" shoulders; believe me I've looked for small helmets. They don't make 7" helmets, haha! This one is 10 1/4" wide including earcaps. I bought it because it was $80 and I was told it was Jango-sized which is, apparently, not entirely accurate.
Part of it may be also that it's sitting at least an inch too low and is offcenter and too far forward. Like I said, padding. I absolutely do intend to make the shoulders less droopy, which should increase apparent shoulder width.
What other tiny helmet options are there? I do still need to have room in my bucket for glasses, as well. I also REALLY don't want to buy another helmet any time soon; I don't really have the money for it.
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Look into the Jango 2 Piece, it's a bit smaller, i don't know if there would be room for glasses though. There is a way to mount an old pair of glasses inside your bucket so it doesn't have to be quite as large. i don't know exactly what it is, but I know it's been done. I really do think that undrooping the shoulders will help though.
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I'm taking into account that you don't have all your stuff on, which I think makes a big difference with "padding" you out. I honestly don't think the helmet is too big, at least not to the point of needing a new one. Without your flight suit, girth belt, gloves, etc., we're just looking at the raw plates, which isn't a fair representation of the full kit. Suffice to say: you don't look like a bobble head! I think take the pointers that Jorad, Carid, and Dresdon and see what you can do with bulking out the shoulders, but there's only so much that can be done when you're a thinner person :) Just my two cents!
I think everything is coming out amazingly and I really can't wait to see it all come together!
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The J2P is a surprisingly good bucket for what it is. Add some bondo / fiberglass reinforcement to the seam, a little reinforcement along the back, and rigid T-visor and you've got a lightweight piece that is fairly durable!
It's what I use on my kit. It looks like you're built a bit smaller than I am, so it might be worth considering if you're not happy with your helmet when everything comes together. As was said previously, it all depends on how your kit builds out.
My glasses fit fine under my J2P as well, though I suspect that large broad-framed glasses could pose a problem.
Rubies made two full Jango helmets that I know of. One is the "Deluxe," and the other is the "Two Piece." Though named for the former, I believe this Amazon product is the correct thing. The price is right in the neighborhood.
http://www.amazon.com/Rubies-Costume-Deluxe-Injection-Molded/dp/B00IMWB3D6
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I'm only a newbie myself, but I have to wonder if once you have the full kit on, with the adjustments suggested above, it will look a lot better. scale-wise. I think Corriban is right on.
I haven't seen where you have a scarf as a neck seal, but you might consider that instead of (or in addition to) a tighter collar neck seal. It might also help balance out the appearance and prevent the bobble head effect.
So far your kit's looking awesome, so don't let this discourage you! :)
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Looking at the pictures further up the last page (without the plates) the helmet size looked much better, and I think it's because the "vest shoulders" were not weighted down by the bells, so they made your shoulders look wider.
Jorad mentioned moving the shoulders more horizontal. I think that would help a lot.
Also, when I saw those pointy bits on the gloves, for some reason my first thought was that double shoulders would complement the look. No idea why that occurred to me before reading further down, but it did.
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Thanks for the suggestions, vode. A J2P would probably be better size-wise, but I view that as just one step up from scratchbuilding (as in, definitely too much trouble :laugh: ) Like I said, I'll bulk up my shoulders some and we'll see how it turns out. If I can make this helmet work for approval, I'll consider getting a J2P down the line for a project bucket.
A scarf might help, but I built neck armor and it'd cover it up xD I may wind up needing another neck seal in addition to the built-in one though because my neck armor weighs it down quite a bit.
I'll see about getting full kit pics soon. I'd like to get my arms tailored and my biceps attached first, but I don't know how soon that'll happen and I might get impatient :rolleyes: We'll see.
I also need to fiddle with my boot plate strapping because it keeps popping off :( I used sew-on snaps but I dunno if they're strong enough.
As for design - I knew from the start I wanted this to be a pointy kit. Double shoulders just seemed to fit :D
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Looking closely at the pic I noticed the shadows cast on the background was making the helmet look wider than it really was.
Practicing with photoshop, so I figured I'd try something:
Took out the background and straightened the head, then added additional shoulder plate extending off the collar.
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j377/davidmills2/Kavryn_1.jpg) (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/davidmills2/media/Kavryn_1.jpg.html)
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You know, I was wondering what the difference was - why it looked SO BIG in this set of pics but nobody had noticed it before. That makes a lot of sense, and thank you for taking the time to photoshop it for me!
Still fairly large for my poor tiny frame, but not comically so. At least, that's what I hope :laugh:
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Like that is fine. Look at my WIP and I had the same issues as you, which is how I know where to point them out. Mine was fixed by luck, and DW wings.
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Your kit is looking amazing! Props on the paint job and awesome glove (you must share this pattern with us)
Helmet problems are not that uncommon among us hobbit-sized mercs, so I understand your dilemma. I personally think it looks a little large but not comically large, and should be fine for now....maybe you and I will have to look into scratch-building teeny tiny buckets for someday when we're all out of other things to do. :P
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My mind keeps going back to Jay Krayt's kit when she switched from a J2P to a Pre Vizla bucket. She bulked up her shoulders with pauldrons on both sides. She is very small like you as well. But with your collar extension and shoulders I really think this looks good. To me the helmet isn't too big.
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Absolutely fantastic kit so far. As others have said, I'm in love with your weathering. We can tell you've put a lot of work into it!
If this hasn't been suggested, you may want to think about weathering your soft parts. Since your armor is so very torn up, it makes sense your soft parts would be too. You can either actually tear up your kama etc (Check out Dar Kyram's kama post for ideas) or you can simply dust it and the flight suit with spray paint to give it a dirtier look. Can't wait to see this one done!
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Oh yes, that's coming too. I just work at snail pace xD
The secret is little styrofoam globes cut in half. It makes a lovely chipped texture when you dip it in toothpaste :D
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Awesome job with all your work. Love the details on gloves. Well done.
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Thanks vod, your work's not half bad yourself ;D
Nothing's finished, but I thought I'd give y'all an update on where I'm at with my bucket.
(http://i.imgur.com/H8I0ohw.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/jl5WlBv.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cChqA9S.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/82HImpf.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6j30MAl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/AiULEMT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/8p3MtFP.jpg)
-Earcaps are glued on
-Dome has been spotfilled
-Bondo applied to earcap / cheek seams
-Bondo applied to various other divots and holes
-Keyslots' pilot holes drilled; gotta file it out or something.
-Rangefinder filled and sanded
Still have to do a couple more bondo/sand rounds, but it already looks better.
(http://i.imgur.com/CfyO0Wj.jpg) (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1404065#msg1404065)
Also made progress on my shooty. (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1404065#msg1404065)
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Looking great!
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Awesome vod, thank you (:
Still working on my helmet and gun. Work is slow, as always, and anyways sanding and bondo isn't especially interesting :laugh:
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...and anyways sanding and bondo isn't especially interesting :laugh:
No!! Say it ain't so!!
;)
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Amazing love the style and mostly really digging the gloves look forward to updates :)
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Everything looks great! I especially love your gloves :)
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Thanks vode ;D
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So I painted another thing.
(http://i.imgur.com/wDMknv5.jpg)
Pre-blackwash
(http://i.imgur.com/FvRiLnd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/m3s0B5X.jpg)
Comparison shots
(http://i.imgur.com/CxiRnrq.jpg)
Post-blackwash
Incidentally, if your hand doesn't look like this after blackwash, you may not be doing it right:
(http://i.imgur.com/drYcdE2.jpg)
I worked on my helmet some too. Bondosandbondosandprimerbondosand. It needs another coat of bondo still, mostly on the earcap seam.
(http://i.imgur.com/2iv1e4Y.jpg)
Anybody know what to do with these keyslots? I've drilled starter holes into them, but I'm not sure where to go from here. My dremel cutting wheel is too big to fit :( I hear people recommend metal files, and I could go buy a set, but I was wondering if there was an easier way to do it.
(http://i.imgur.com/qlnkYlc.jpg)
TO DO:
Flightsuit - Tailor sleeves
Back - Redesign AGAIN ARGH
Shooty thing - finish bondo, attach scope & hanger, paint
Boot plates - keep sliding around, fix strapping
Helmet - Bondo, cut keyslots, paint, attach visor
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I used a super small Drexel cut bit to do mine then cleaned it up with files. I'll give you one on sept if you still need it. Jeweler files are very handy aswell. Hit up a harbor freight store.
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This is looking absolutely amazing!
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That's an impressive weathering job.
Gratz!
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Very nice weathering. And yea actually I'd say your hands are pretty tame for blackwashing :P
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I used a super small Drexel cut bit to do mine then cleaned it up with files. I'll give you one on sept if you still need it. Jeweler files are very handy aswell. Hit up a harbor freight store.
That would be super awesome actually. Much appreciated :)
This is looking absolutely amazing!
That's an impressive weathering job.
Gratz!
Thanks vode :)
Very nice weathering. And yea actually I'd say your hands are pretty tame for blackwashing :P
Is true :'(. I'll try harder next time :D
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latex gloves are your friend.... :)
(http://images.allegrocentral.com/1F/BE/latex-powder-free-exam-gloves-560801-MEDIUM_0.jpg)
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latex gloves are your friend.... :)
(http://images.allegrocentral.com/1F/BE/latex-powder-free-exam-gloves-560801-MEDIUM_0.jpg)
But only if you remember before halfway through. By that point it's too late and you might as well rock the grunge look :P
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It looks really good, I likey!
I drilled my key slots out with various sizes of drill bits, moving them along and drilling out parts as I went, sort of like using a dremel...not that it did me much good since you can't see them now... :P Not sure if that'll help you or not at this point, but it's another suggestion.
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Right now I have a good amount of black spray paint under my finger nails. I'm never patient enough for my paint to dry completely before I peel off the masking fluid....and I always forget to wear gloves.
Everything is looking good so far!
I use a toothpick to remove the masking. I use toothpaste though, so it might be different with masking fluid.
Moc'd up my helmet colors. Was planning on putting designs on the dome, but the Jango pinstripes are messing with me. I might just wing it when I get to painting... we'll see.
(http://i.imgur.com/FeycmCU.jpg)
Also debating getting a mirrored visor from the Seragons, because that would be rad. Not sure what color it should be, though... help a vod out? ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/Hk2ZKIn.jpg)
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Ooooooo, really digging the top left mirrored visor!
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I've got a Seragon in my bucket...it's so pretty and shiny. It's all about the kind of look you want to go for, you'd want the visor to stand out from the color that's immediately surrounding it, so unless you change the visor border color of your helmet the two on the left may not pop as well, if you swapped your tan/beige and your blacks on the helmet, it'd still look good and those visors would work great. As it stands with the current design I'd definitely go with a red, see if they have maybe a darker shade, but if not it should work.
I actually re-worked some of my initial color design desires for my helmet just to make sure an orange visor would work (and that was long before I even picked the specific helmet...which created all sorts of other color design complications)
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I like the top left as well, however it is true that it might not stand out as well. Is the bottom left gold or silver? I'm not 100% sure, but if it's silver then it should stand out nicely against the tan.
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the jango pinstripe can be bought in an auto store just get some black speed stripes and cut to size. :D
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I like the gold visor! Great work so far
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That gold visor won't do at all.. just.. just send it to me... I'll deal with it..... :blank:
For real though I vote for that one. I dig the dirt wash too! I'm a sucker for some good dirt :)
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I like the first bronzey gold, asuming your visor trim will be a light champagne gold
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Gigantipost, go!
Ooooooo, really digging the top left mirrored visor!
I like the top left as well, however it is true that it might not stand out as well. Is the bottom left gold or silver? I'm not 100% sure, but if it's silver then it should stand out nicely against the tan.
I like the gold visor! Great work so far
Clockwise from top left: Bronze, red, silver, plain.
I like the first bronzey gold, asuming your visor trim will be a light champagne gold
Close - it's a light tan, like the rest of my armor. Not much shine to it.
That gold visor won't do at all.. just.. just send it to me... I'll deal with it..... :blank:
For real though I vote for that one. I dig the dirt wash too! I'm a sucker for some good dirt :)
Well now, that's mighty kind of you, but since I don't own one as of yet, that'd be a mite difficult :P I just stole the product pictures from the sales thread.
You? Like dirt? No way :o
I've got a Seragon in my bucket...it's so pretty and shiny. It's all about the kind of look you want to go for, you'd want the visor to stand out from the color that's immediately surrounding it, so unless you change the visor border color of your helmet the two on the left may not pop as well, if you swapped your tan/beige and your blacks on the helmet, it'd still look good and those visors would work great. As it stands with the current design I'd definitely go with a red, see if they have maybe a darker shade, but if not it should work.
I actually re-worked some of my initial color design desires for my helmet just to make sure an orange visor would work (and that was long before I even picked the specific helmet...which created all sorts of other color design complications)
Thanks, is good advice. I'd not have thought of that... I'll see if I can play with it some more.
All in all I think I favor the bronze as well... My first thought was maroon-mirrored, but that's a custom color, and so will undoubtedly cost extra (and they're not cheap to begin with).
the jango pinstripe can be bought in an auto store just get some black speed stripes and cut to size. :D
Eh, I was in a hurry and didn't make myself very clear. What I meant to say was that the helmet came with pre-molded Jango pinstripes, which are getting in the way of my design work. I don't want them, but they're there anyways. I either have to include them in the design or ignore them and paint over them... I'm not sure how visible they'll be once I've got 3-4 layers of paint on the darned thing. It's FAR too much work to sand it off, btw. Thought about it, nope.
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oh sorry lol have you tried sanding them off?
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oh sorry lol have you tried sanding them off?
When I was sanding everything else, yeah. The resin's pretty hard, so it would take forever to get flat to the rest of the helmet, and I'm concerned about scratching up the rest of the dome. Basically the work to reward ratio is just too high :P
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Suited up in full today.
(http://i.imgur.com/17vEL2d.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/TVgQgHQ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/VZoSfIm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/PMNX92J.jpg)
Still to do:
-helmet keyslots & paint
-backplate
-gun bondo & attach scope & paint
-kama & flightsuit weather
-boot plates reattach straps
Do y'all see anything I'm missing?
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Looks and sounds like you've got everything under control. This has been a great build to watch!
Your bucket looks a bit on the wide side. Not bobble head wide though. I don't think it would be a deal breaker at all but think about adding some bulk to your shoulders (in the areas between the shoulder and collar plates). Maybe some fur or if you decide to add a cape some of the material could gather up near the shoulders. Just something to keep in mind as a "Plan B". But honestly I don't think you'll have any problems.
Just remember to take your time. When people are this close to completion they get excited and cut corners or rush. Just keep working your magic and you'll get those killstripes in no time!!
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Maybe a galactic marine style pauldron, to add some bulk.
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So very nice. Great work, vod.
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Very nice, I love your weathering!
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So very nice. Great work, vod.
Very nice, I love your weathering!
Vor'e, vode ;D
Looks and sounds like you've got everything under control. This has been a great build to watch!
Your bucket looks a bit on the wide side. Not bobble head wide though. I don't think it would be a deal breaker at all but think about adding some bulk to your shoulders (in the areas between the shoulder and collar plates). Maybe some fur or if you decide to add a cape some of the material could gather up near the shoulders. Just something to keep in mind as a "Plan B". But honestly I don't think you'll have any problems.
I'd love to have a half-cape like Boba's... I'd not go for anything more 'cause together with the kama that'd definitely swamp the armor, haha!
Just remember to take your time. When people are this close to completion they get excited and cut corners or rush. Just keep working your magic and you'll get those killstripes in no time!!
Pfff, even if I wanted to rush I'd be bad at it :P In the words of the repairman from Toy Story, "You can't rush art!" I'll have my helmet done for sure by NYCC (Oct 9) and more than likely my shooty, but if it's not app-ready then it's not app-ready. Quality over quantity ;D
Maybe a galactic marine style pauldron, to add some bulk.
Those are nice - kinda like a pair of oversized shoulder bells, but attached to the collar/neck armor... I don't 100% like the stormtrooper or clone pauldrons, but I could definitely add "generic pauldron" to the upgrade list. It's getting longer by the day :laugh:
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My helmet is by necessity very wide, and I'm not a fan of big pauldrons either, so I came up with these: low profile but add to the illusion of bulk.
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j377/davidmills2/zdfgzdfgzdfg.jpg) (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/davidmills2/media/zdfgzdfgzdfg.jpg.html)
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It's getting longer by the day :laugh:
Haha ain't that the truth. I know the feeling, but I think your kit is coming along great! Keep up the great work, the end is in sight!
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Thanks vod. It's closer than it was this time last year, that's for sure! :P
My helmet is by necessity very wide, and I'm not a fan of big pauldrons either, so I came up with these: low profile but add to the illusion of bulk.
(http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j377/davidmills2/zdfgzdfgzdfg.jpg) (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/davidmills2/media/zdfgzdfgzdfg.jpg.html)
Aye, something like that. (And a pauldron does make it easier to hook a cape underneath). Out of curiosity, how did you attach them?
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They are epoxied on to the collar and backplate, making one piece.
On the back edge I riveted four snaps facing down. These and some velcro will be how my cape is attached.
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Sweet, thank you ;D
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*dusts off cobwebs*
The closer I get to the finish line, the slower I move...
I have, however, gotten quite a bit of work done on my backplate. I had to split it down the middle and add a spacer plate so it'd be wider, and then I had to reshape it. I believe these are the most recent pictures, not 100% sure though. It was a week or two ago that I took them.
(http://i.imgur.com/1YUAJAv.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/sidSEuD.jpg)
Bondo added:
(http://i.imgur.com/s2BPeBA.jpg)
First round of sanding, and all the plates together:
(http://i.imgur.com/vepF1bK.jpg)
Weathered my softs:
(http://i.imgur.com/q7Kumfz.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/optHow0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cGvFge4.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/5L140YM.jpg)
And finished my helmet:
(http://i.imgur.com/bL0NUGK.jpg)
(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtl1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/12074507_10200981397892715_3157302055855780962_n.jpg?oh=fe668d32edd577ae47d9f389de796c40&oe=569B5BB3)
(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/12020040_10200982977212197_2415066161971074667_n.jpg?oh=6fb6cd0764d45a662cee766a9f2dfa28&oe=569DA36D)
(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/t1.0-9/12096018_10200987825093391_6922368391812180645_n.jpg?oh=7f989fedc257293ba41745f4a0c1310c&oe=569458C8)
(http://i.imgur.com/k4u2nIv.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xnDnAGT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ib40Gid.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KqMZ92k.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/sqTIiPs.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/e8WVLgk.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/CNKOePc.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9rxJaDy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/avvQGTL.jpg)
And there's updates on my shooty, too, if you're interested. (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1434657#msg1434657)
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Looking super awesome. Your shooties, too.
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That's amazingly awesome vod. Wanna see the whole kit together now lol! Looks really good
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Looks great!
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Oh man, that helmet is wicked. I can't wait to see you all finished!
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Wow!! Looks amazing!!! Your weathering is superb!
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That weathering is fantastic!
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Thanks vode (:
Tested out my kit for a few hours at a local con today. Nothing broke, so that's good - now we're ready for NYCC! ;D
(http://i.imgur.com/XtVhwpq.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/zQ9lUWE.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/9VkrhC3.jpg)
Now the only thing left is my backplate ;D
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Looks awesome!
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Love seeing this together! Good work vod
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So much bad shebs in those pics!
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Why did it take me so long to get here is beyond me. You. Look. Stunning! Oya Manda!
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(https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-0/p180x540/12020040_10200982977212197_2415066161971074667_n.jpg?oh=6fb6cd0764d45a662cee766a9f2dfa28&oe=569DA36D)
(http://i.imgur.com/e8WVLgk.jpg)
That's an interesting look.
What did you use as a masking fluid to get that bubbling spotty look?
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Toothpaste is my masking fluid of choice. I use those little craft styrofoam balls - the 1" seems to work best. I just cut them in half with a knife, and it gives it a nice random pattern (:
We stumbled across it on accident when we were trying out a bunch of different weathering implements. I use a toothpick for the scrapes, but the styrofoam for just about everything else.
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Toothpaste is my masking fluid of choice. I use those little craft styrofoam balls - the 1" seems to work best. I just cut them in half with a knife, and it gives it a nice random pattern (:
We stumbled across it on accident when we were trying out a bunch of different weathering implements. I use a toothpick for the scrapes, but the styrofoam for just about everything else.
^^^^^ THIS IS BRILLIANT. My mom used to do that for craft stuff, but I'd never thought of trying it on a kit!
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Photos from NYCC are in!
(http://i.imgur.com/ErrGQik.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/c5sl22l.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/ojoHsRl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/OJ4ursy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/0toqxjR.jpg)
Fifteen hours in kit does a number on your gear. In addition to finishing my backplate, I now have to:
Touch up paint
Repair my gun's mounting system
Fix a few handplates
Figure out how to keep my rangefinder up (I had to use a wad of paper jammed in the earcap, hahaha)
Install fans
Figure out a better hair management system
Attach my gun's scope better - it got knocked off on the floor >:( Luckily my pouches are big enough to hold a tube of superglue! But now I need to attach it permanently.
Weather the leather on girth & belt & shnee straps
Weather gun hanger & gun
Remove ugly-shebs orange tip I had to paint on my barrel so it wouldn't get confiscated >:(
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This kit is amazing! I love it! :D Awesome job, vod.
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Have you considered braiding it all the way down? I do with mine and I find it's so much more manageable; granted, mine isn't nearly as long as yours :D
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Thanks :)
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtl1/t31.0-8/12079837_10201014657324180_8957715335372383031_o.jpg)
This is as good a picture as I have of my current hair management system. It's basically the same as a Hair Cinch (http://www.haircinch.com), except I made it myself. The problem is that I have a lot of breakage right at the nape of my neck, so unless I French braided it I'm not sure that would help (and those aren't very fierce and warriorlike, haha). I also get my hair caught in my vest's Velcro, which I might be able to fix with a neck seal, and in my neck armor. Those things are going to happen regardless of how I tie up my hair, I think.
I'm thinking the solution is probably going to be bobby pins and a hair spray helmet. I'm not practiced with either one, so it should be an adventure :-\
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Kavryn your kit is top notch from the color combination to the weathering you did a fantastic job you deserve your Killstripes
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Thanks boss :D Don't worry, I'm getting there. My backplate's got silver on it now, I just gotta add the real paint and then we should be good to go.
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I have really long hair and can relate. For now, I always braid them, so it looks nice outside of the helmet, and is really confortable. (But I wear a poncho on my kit, so, no "hair getting caught in velcro/plates" issue :x)
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Visited a convention, fought a Jetii:
(http://i.imgur.com/y9apYce.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1tt5Z5g.jpg)
Wore my bucket to work (0/10 would not recommend. hard to see screen)
(http://i.imgur.com/Hb3JOPq.jpg)
Ran the shooting booth at my church's Halloween event. Don't worry, the Nerf isn't a permanent addition:
(http://i.imgur.com/k1c95nJ.jpg)
Painted up my backplate. Still gotta weather & strap together & attach:
(http://i.imgur.com/swYQRnr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/q7ToeDJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1RP01cC.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/YEfRuom.jpg)
Got materials for a Boba-style halfcape, and started on a throwing dagger:
(http://i.imgur.com/iwLZn0C.jpg)
For the rest of my weapons-related progress, click here. (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=82252.msg1451366#msg1451366)
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That back plate though! It looks awesome! :)
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You have an amazingly well done kit. Seriously...colors, weathering, design-work...it's all top notch.
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Awesome ! So sad you're so far, I'd love to troop with my opposite color scheme :p
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Thanks vode (:
Yeah, sadly I can't really see myself traveling across the pond any time soon :( Maybe one day, though ;D
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Your kit is amazing!!! Looks great!
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I've taken preapp pictures! Lemme know what you think:
(http://i.imgur.com/UTKNub7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/f0tiWKp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/VpAmGLq.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/4FGtcvR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kkFk606.jpg)
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I wish you the best luck for your app !
As I said, the only thing that may bother is the tiny cod piece :)
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Love the design, especially how well it all fits together :)
EDIT- saw hair tie explanation further up now, nevermind previous query :P
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Good luck with the application! I especially love your picture of all your hurty things!
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Very nice kit, love your bucket 8)
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I wish you the best luck for your app !
As I said, the only thing that may bother is the tiny cod piece :)
I don't think that will be a problem.
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I think you're golden
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I don't know if they'll ding you on this, but your left shoulder plate seems to be a little lower than the right plates. That's the only thing I see. Everything else looks spot on and you should be so totally proud of this kit. You've come so far and everything turned out amazing! Good luck vod!
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I think you look great! And I gotta say those gloves are just sweet! The whole kit is. Good luck on the app vod ;)
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Thanks vode! I appreciate your kind words :)
As far as my shoulders go - the two lower bells are at the same height, not the top one. It's hard to line up because it's asymmetrical, haha. Dunno if it'll be a problem, if it is I can reseat it I guess, but I'd rather not have to.
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Aaaaand app submitted! Wish me luck :)
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No need for luck ! You have talent ;D
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Yeah, I think you're fine. You have a super nice kit, and your attention to detail is amazing. I'm sure you'll have your stripes in no time!! :)
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Aaaaand app submitted! Wish me luck :)
Luck is for the un prepared.
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I would say the only things I could see you getting remarks on would be the shoulder bells. I understand that the single and the lower one are supposed to be matched, but as far as symmetry goes, they'd probably look a little "better" if the top bell and the single bell were matched. Also, (and this is just nitpicking), but the weathering should follow through to the lining of the kama, as the bright red stands out a bit for me. But again....nitpicking
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Fair enough, and an easy enough fix, haha.
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(http://i.imgur.com/cSw1Wk6.jpg)
;D
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congratulations and welldone vod :D :D :D
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Yay!! Congrats Kavryn :D
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(http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p541/EXALDEAR/carid5_zpshy6cmiyc.png) (http://s1155.photobucket.com/user/EXALDEAR/media/carid5_zpshy6cmiyc.png.html)
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Yay! Congrats!
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Oya ! Well done !
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Congrats madam
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Congrats to you!!!!
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Grats vod!
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Thanks you guys! ;D
I've created a thread (http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=103377.0) for my kit photography now, but I'll keep updating this thread with WIP stuff ;D
In the Works:
-Bowcaster
-Halfcape & Extra Collar Plating
-Throwing Daggers
Stay tuned ;)
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Late to the party, but a big congrats Vod.
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No worries vod, the bouncer will still let you in even if you are late =D
Thanks :)
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Oh wow. That glove is totally RAD. Your kit is awesome, I like absolutely everything about it. Congratulations!
(And I am in awe of your hair. You make me question my sexuality. It's awkward.)
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Thanks vod! (And that's okay, hairsexuality is a valid orientation)
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Ladies please don't make me squirt y'all with the spray bottle
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Behold the upgrades!
Er, upgrade. Winter is not my favorite season :rolleyes:
I have discovered that it's just about impossible for anybody to hear me during larger/louder events, so I bought a voice amp. The original plan was to stuff it under my chestplates, but it's bigger than I had anticipated, and that didn't work.
At all.
So instead, I built a cover for it! I started with a plastic school folder, gave it a vinyl skin, and added a snap. It's not quite done yet - I still need to add sound holes in the front and one on the top for the mic cord to go through - but it's constructed, at least. :D
(http://i.imgur.com/okfNHJB.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kxaT750.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/pyoCPNA.jpg)