Mando Mercs Costume Club
Mandalorian Armor => Female Armor => Topic started by: Straka Zulu on Aug 30, 2015, 10:58 PM
-
Ok, at the request of my wife, I'm starting in on her Legacy armor. We got a good number of her plates measured and cut at the armor party last weekend, using templates provided by my vod Evad. Have back, chest, abs and some thigh plates.
Pics to come, not at a real computer. Will also be posting her concept from MandoMaker 3.0.
-
Commenting to follow
-
Well, here they are, a couple pics to get the ball rolling:
Plates cut-
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_7.jpg)
And her concept-
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_11.jpg)
Going with a pretty basic, streamlined kit, with a "minimized profile" (i.e. not boob-shaped). She's also not going in heavily armed, building her the minimum of a pair of knives, and a single Westar-34. Bengals Orange for the main, and some Vietnam-era tigerstripe camo in black.
-
Well, here they are, a couple pics to get the ball rolling:
Plates cut-
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_7.jpg)
And her concept-
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_11.jpg)
Going with a pretty basic, streamlined kit, with a "minimized profile" (i.e. not boob-shaped). She's also not going in heavily armed, building her the minimum of a pair of knives, and a single Westar-34. Bengals Orange for the main, and some Vietnam-era tigerstripe camo in black.
All sound good except the tiger striping. This is not allowed if she is to become offical!
-
All sound good except the tiger striping. This is not allowed if she is to become offical!
Possibly, depends on how you go about creating camo. Direct copying of modern Earth based camo will not be allowed, however modified or from scratch patterning may be. Best way is to draw up, or using a spare bit of plate material do a section of paintjob as it will be on the kit, photograph it and ask the app team if it will be allowed.
-
Was thinking of just misting on the black in a vague stripe shape, similar to the Endor camo. I'll post up a test when we're further along.
-
Figured you had a handle on this. ;D
-
Ok, got a question ( kinda obvious that I do... :rolleyes: )...
Are half-shell vambraces allowed? Looking for comfort and mobility for her, and trimmed down the PVC pipe to the length she needs, just waiting on a "yay or nay" before cutting it in half. The plan is to make a leather liner to attach it to, the lace or paratrooper clips to close it.
-
Yes, half bracers are allowed. It is preferred that they be secured by buckles or clips rather than laces though.
-
Cool, thanks! :D
BTW, having Indestructible from Disturbed on while you build armor ... Chills.
-
Cool, thanks! :D
BTW, having Indestructible from Disturbed on while you build armor ... Chills.
Right there with you, vod!
-
Ok, have been handed two orders on this kit. Not only does she want this by December 17th, but she also wants non-lethal weapons.
So, to comply with her demands, I'm looking for a stun stick tutorial.
Now, if only I could get her to stand still long enough to make a duct tape dummy of her...
-
Progress!!
Got my wife to sit still long enough to shape the back and upper chest plates! Ruined the ones I was going to make shinees from, so going to either make boot covers, or ask her to get a pair of lace-less boots.
Will update with pics later, not at my computer ATM.
-
Here we go:
New concept art:
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_48.jpg)
Plates shaped:
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_49.jpg)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_50.jpg)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_51.jpg)
-
You may need to do a couple of darts at the chest to get it to lie smooth and I'd pull up the abs (trim off the top one) or take the bottom one of completely, as they look very long. Loving that concept though.
-
Figured on the darts, just need to get some Bondo or something to smooth it out after. Still early days for this, hoping to get it finished by Indiana Comic Con, at the latest.
-
Okay, minor update.
We have all the plates shaped and sanded, waiting on the darting and paint. She is using black scrubs for her flight suit, and wants to use something like an UnderArmor shirt under that for the double sleeve look. Waiting on taxes to get some more of the parts, but had a question about helmets. Does anyone use the HSP Generi-Fett? She is kinda torn between the standard Mandalorian and the Nite Owl helmets.
-
Will be posting an update later, been working my shebse off in 31* weather to get this ready by her newest deadline: Wizard World Cleveland (26-28 of this month).
-
Photo update!
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_94.jpg)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_97.jpg)
Some paint applied (let's hope it holds...)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_98.jpg)
Should have waited till after I put the shnees all together, but the cold can do adverse things to your judgement... ;D
Since this, I have marked where I need the plates to be for attachment, and have started scrounging for parts to make her electrostaff.
-
Keep up the good work, vod.
-
I have a lot of friends that use the HSP Generi-Fett and they're happy with it. It's a great and super clean bucket for someone with a relatively smaller head and it's also relatively inexpensive when you can catch one of HSP's sales. There is usually enough room for fans but you'll need a slim battery pack if you want have all of the wiring in the bucket itself. Night Owl buckets look great but they're a little harder to find and generally more expensive. I really hard to search hard to find mine for my budget.
I'm really loving the plates! Legacy armor always looks super cool to me. I can't wait to see how the rest of the paint job goes.
-
Ok, had a burst of work done, due to being off work for a week for an injury (not work related, thankfully! Have enough trouble with Worker's Comp...)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_107.jpg)
All shaped and painted.
Test fit, using duck tape to keep them together
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_111.jpg)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_112.jpg)
Was told on FB that the chest & collar need to come up, and that there is a sizeable gap between her chest and the upper plates. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllpppp!!!!
On the plus side, we did get her electrostaff done.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_109.jpg)
-
Sweet, vod. You're making awesome progress.
-
So, got some work done to her helmet. And she comes at me with a reminder of her phobia of things being tight around her neck, so I have to get creative.
Already running this idea past a couple members of the app team:
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_133.jpg)
a scarf to cover the gap between her helmet and her upper armor.
Have her first coat applied, antique nickel.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_131.jpg)
-
I like the scarf idea, and that antique nickel is beautiful!
By the way, I came across your art thread, and I was really impressed. You do good work, vod. I'd have posted on that thread, but don't want to get griped at for necro posting. :laugh:
-
Thanks. I necro that post every now and then, whenever I get a new sketch I feel like sharing.
-
So, it's been a little while, but there has been some progress.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_153.jpg)
Still needs a LOT of work, but at least she was comfortable enough to try it on in public.
And... Jaig Eyes!
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_154.jpg)
-
This is going to look sooooo bad-shebs when it's done, vod!
-
Oi vey...
Between work, life, and other things, progress has been slow. Got the nylon strapping to link the plates, now I just need some tips/tricks/advice on actually getting them all together. We also got a sewing machine (FINALLY!), so work can start on her flak vest. Now if only we had an AP to go to...
And a minor setback. Need to reattach the earcap and RF. Somehow the epoxy never finished setting, so it sloughed off.
-
Yikes. I hope you get the earcaps fixed. And I understand slow progress, vod. We'll be here, though.
-
So, slow going, but some progress:
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_64.jpg)
Got the plates linked for the front half, used nylon webbing and epoxy.
Thinking for ease of use and storage, linking the back plate and the collar by velcro.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_65.jpg)
-
Looks very long Straka. Have her tuck her t-shirt in and throw on a belt to simulate where the girth/ammo belts will sit - you may find they're being squeezed into a small area to avoid clashing with the bottom of the plating. Collar and top half of the chest look fine though.
-
The point of the bottom plate sits right at her belly button.
-
It still looks very long. Using the belly button is not an exact rule since everybodies navel is at different heights. If I used my navel for height checking I'd have a big gap between my plates and my cod.
If you're one of those who has a long torso and short legs you may want to take the armour up a little, have a very slightly taller cod and a wider girth belt - basically you want to try and balance the armour.
-
If I can add one point to this conversation that may have been overlooked:
Straka, you're a really tall dude. If you're taking the pictures of your wife at your eye level, the pictures will look off becasue of the forced perspective of looking down on her. Her head will look big, torso will look elongated and legs will look short and feet will look tiny.
Try retaking the pictures again, this time with the camera about level with her chest. Keep the camera perfectly horizontal, or again, you can end up with forced perspective of head or feet looking larger then they are. This will give us a better idea of her actual proportions, and we'll be able to help out better on sizing.
-
Minor update:
Got some of the strapping done, still a LOT of work needs to be done.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_63.jpg)
-
Good grief... So much osik going on IRL, I have not been able to work on this at all. Weekends I usually would have been working on this, have instead been spent at work.
Seriously need an armor party...
-
So, some progress has been made.
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/WP_20160810_15_41_21_Pro1.jpg)
Scrapping the backplate, for now. There's just too much wrong with it to continue to press forward on it. Going to make a small plate, similar to the collar, to put on the back. Also going to be making a cape/scarf combo, similar to Mara Jade's.
Progress has been made on the vest, but I'm having trouble with figuring out closures, and how to hem the collar. Also need to thicken up the shoulder part, so the shoulder armor won't flop all over the place.
-
So, some big changes happened. Will post pics after Cincinnati Comic Expo, at her request. Need to get her to post something in her own words. Maybe someday... :rolleyes:
Here's a taste:
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/WP_20160913_13_02_48_Pro1.jpg)
-
So, here's where we're at:
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l122/x_so_x/temporary_74.jpg)
Found a couple things that need some work.
Another attack with the heat gun to the upper plates, round them off a bit. They are sitting too flat for her form, ATM. Getting some rare earth magnets to help keep them attached to the vest, as well.
Gauntlets need a trim near her wrist, for fit and mobility.
Knees need the stripes painted, and an adjustment on the elastic and Velcro to keep them from sliding.
All in all, I feel we're close to getting her app in. Just a few tweaks, and find a trio of weapons she's comfortable with, and it's good to go.
-
Watch that the girth belt doesn't get under the ab. It tends to mean that the ab plate needs more shaping to sit closer to the body or that it is too long and needs a trim to give the girth more space.
The boot plates may need a little more securing, they seem a little lopsided.
I would highly suggest even just a touch of weathering.
All in all though, definitely getting there :)
-
Thanks! The advice means a lot, vod. ;D
She wants a clean kit, but I keep trying to get her to al least allow some scratches on the joints of the upper armor.
-
That is pretty much what I'm talking about. Totally undamaged kits tend to look more like a halloween costume to me. Those with even just a touch of scratching at joints/rubbing points and perhaps a tiny bit of dirt on boot plates and the front of knees where you kneel down tend to look more like very well cared for armour kits. It's a very subtle difference that really changes the final product.
-
Going to fix things up, whether she likes it or not. ;) :laugh:
-
Well, unfortunately, the build is on hold. We had to move short notice, and our usual place to build stuff is no longer accessible. But do not fret, this will see completion!
-
Well, unfortunately, the build is on hold. We had to move short notice, and our usual place to build stuff is no longer accessible. But do not fret, this will see completion!
So sad to hear this. I just got caught up on this build. And was loving the great strides you'd made. But I know you'll get it done.
And you know, it would be kind of nice to hear from your wife directly. *hint hint* I mean, she has to at least have a forum account to apply, right? ;D
-
Yeah, she has one, but she has issues with forums for some strange reason. She has a FB that she is on almost every day... :rolleyes:
-
That sounds remarkably familiar....*looks over to my wife...* hehe
-
Been a while, but... Work continues.
Did a bit more shaping, rounding the ab plate a bit more, and shaped the chest a bit more. Will post pics when I can.
-
Always glad to hear you're making progress, vod. Even if it's just a little.
-
Once again, some pic-less progress. Honest injun, I am taking the photos, but uploading them from a mobile device... Not fun.
We are going to be using magnets to attach the plates to the vest. The plates are ready, I just need to sew the pockets for the ones on the vest. Will also be seeing where any additional magnets will be needed, if any.
Thankfully, her brother was able to assist in setting all the magnets in the right direction. ;D
-
Awesome, vod. Glad to hear you're making progress on this. And maybe one day we'll get some photos. ;D
-
If you are on Facebook, and friends with me, you can see some new ones I posted.
-
Can't wait to see how this kit turns out, so commenting to follow. It sucks when life slows down progress, but glad to hear it's still coming along.
-
Ugh!!! I am seriously considering scrapping this build, and starting over from scratch. Seems every time I pull the chest armor out of its bin to work on it, the plastic has flattened itself back out.
On the plus side, we have ordered an actual vest from K'raam Xyrati. Hope to have it in in time to test it out in Cincinnati.
-
Could someone point me in the direction of the Clan Wren templates?
Asking for a friend... ;) ;D
-
Hey there :)
I made ready to print Wren templates here (http://blauret.com/mercs/wren_grunts.pdf). They may need tweaking of course to fit perfectly :)
It worked well for me. (But it's just the chest part. Collar, chest and ab plate)
-
THANK YOU!! ;D
These will be a big help!
-
Wow... It's been a minute since we last posted anything.
Well, things happened. That vest? Well, somehow a measurement got lost in the communication, and the thing fits ME instead. Not K'raam's fault, though.
And I came up with a way to get the armor to stay in place. A harness. Straps from the shoulder tabs on the collar, meeting a belt on the chest and ab plates. It will be harder for her to kit up solo, but at least it will fit.
-
Work continues.
(https://i.imgur.com/OWQG7XE.jpg)
Did some touch-up work to the paint, and finally got stripes on the knees.
Will be posting up some pre-app pics soon.
-
Looking forward to the new pics!
-
*covers eyes* she's a traffic cone!
I don't mean that as a bad thing though. We're mandos. Skme of us do our job by blending in. Others do it by ensuring the enemy knows we're coming for them and just give up..
Look forward to seeing more progress
-
And the fun continues... She's watching me work on my new metal plates, and is now asking me to make a set for her. Again.
-
It's been a minute. So, here's where we are.
(https://i.imgur.com/7GHxAQg.jpg)
Did some weathering of the plates, not too heavy, though.
Not pictured is her electrostaff.
-
That is nice! Totally bad-shebs! And I like the way both your kits have the same style. :D
-
Yeah, she has some back trouble, so the coat was a better option than a back plate.
-
Ohh that looks so awesome!!
-
Really excited to see more progress, vod!
-
So, any critiques? What needs fixing?
-
Not a CRL issue, but there's very little contrast from the waist down right now.
Upper legs might need a bit of tailoring or tucking, but hard to say given the black jacket black pants arrangement.
Boot armor needs a second attachment point and/or better shaping so it stays put on the boots.
Again, not CRL, but I would move the girthbelt up a little so it covers the bottom of the vest neatly.
Cod might need a litle rounding from top to bottom, looks flat based on this pic.
Overall, she's really close :)
-
I need to make a new set of boot plates for her. The right one cracked in half. The cod is probably in need of some reshaping, it was from my original kit. She wants shin guards, I'll see what happens when I build mine.
-
Sorry, was doing a bunch of stuff all at once. The only thing I saw that needs to be tweaked that Sep didn't mention was her cod plate, which you've already mentioned. :)
-
Well, you are a busy guy, Have. ;D :laugh:
Going to be trying a few new things this week, I hope...
-
I think the guys about covered it. I'm more of a 'moderate' weathering kinda guy myself, but since it's overall lightly weathered there's nothing I can point to weathering-wise. So yeah, good looking kit there :D.
-
Well app pics were taken and submitted. Just got the reply today, and she was turned down. I'll update with the pics when I get to a real computer.
-
I'm sorry to hear that vod. I hope they're easy fixes. :(
-
They were.
So, I present to you: Atiniir Atin
(https://i.imgur.com/q4OPpUS.jpg)
She got her approval about a week ago, just waiting on her ID number.
So, now begins the upgrade phase of this project... It never ends. :laugh:
-
Woohoo! Grats! And welcome to upgrades. :P
-
Grats!
-
Time to talk upgrades. She wants to keep the same feel for the kit, but the Legacy style is getting to be uncomfortable for her to wear.
-
Be sure and check with your ruu before you go to far. changing from layered to spaced torso may require a re-app to maintain official status
-
I missed her getting approved! Pass on my congrats!
-
Thanks, vod. :like: ;D
-
Congrats on the approval! :like:
Adding the green stripes was a great idea. The kit looks really great. I'm looking forward to all the upgrades.
-
I'm looking forward AND dreading it at the same time! :laugh: :laugh:
Hoping I can talk her into a Wren fem-grunt set.
-
That'd be a good compromise between the legacy look and the more flexible separate plates modern style. The design isn't terribly complex, either, should be pretty easy to knock out!
-
State of the Build, 2019.
So, I think I just got her into the idea of the Wren Fem-grunt plates. With this:
(https://i.imgur.com/ZWuoMLs.jpg)
I had a spare Jyn Erso 6", so I tried sculpting a version of Atiniir as a more Modern style. The helm is not there, as Sculpey is a MAJOR PITA to work with. It's also why Straka has an Executioner, as opposed to the ComMando. But that is one of my future upgrades, as well. I'm hoping to talk her into a new helmet, maybe a Nite Owl or something....
-
Been WAY TOO LONG on updates.
Well... the strapping busted. This is the third time trying to fix them, so we both said "Forget it." Now, she wants more traditional Boba/Jango plates.
Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.
Just for laughs, we printed out the 5'9" set.
-
Trick one. Print 2 sizes of templates.
Size one should fit across the bust - ignore it being too wide anywhere else. Size two should fit from neck to a position on the belly that is in line with the bottom of the elbow/top of the gauntlets (do not use the navel - it can be higher or lower on different people, use the elbow/gaunt marker and it will fit better).
Combine the 2 templates to create a personally fitting set of templates that are snug against the neck but don't hang off the outside of the shoulders, that curl round the outside of the breast, and that stop at the belly and allow good bending movement without being too long.
Remember for Fett style armour the unmodified position for the chest plates is over the pecs - that is higher then the breasts so the bottom of the chest plates should not be fully covering the breast and the ab will sit over the bottom of the breasts - this is completely normal for unmodded. If you wish to have the plates sit lower you will need to extend the collar plate down a little so that the chest plates can be shifted down and you must remove the same amount of material that you added to the collar from the ab plate to keep the sizing correct. If you just shift everything down the plates will bew too long.
-
Thanks for the advice! :<3:
-
Well, the templates were a bust, but we did find a solution. A set of Rav Bralor plates from April Storm.
-
That oughtta work out just fine, April's stuff is usually pretty on point.
-
Pardon her expression, I interrupted her episode of Criminal Minds.
(https://i.imgur.com/9QsWbe3.jpg)
Main trimming is finished, now comes trueing it up, and settling on an attachment method. Might stick with magnets.
-
Looks pretty good! A little heat treatment to snug of the shaping on the collar and at the corners and you oughtta be good to go.
-
That's the plan. ;D
-
Work continues.
(https://i.imgur.com/8IfFULm.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/d5kKjTu.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/iRTmRrZ.jpg)
New gauntlets are in the works, as are new shoulders.
-
(https://i.imgur.com/4TFiZZH.jpg)
Work continues, again. Been knocking things out in pretty sizeable chunks. So, all the upper plates are painted, and steel tabs are epoxied to the back for the magnet attachments.
(https://i.imgur.com/xHGQtgJ.jpg)
We need to do a few alterations to the vest. She's lost a lot of weight since the measurements were taken, and the bottom was about 3" too short. NOT a knock against Kraam Xyrati's work in the slightest, as the vest itself is of top notch construction. We just goofed on measuring.
(https://i.imgur.com/8hO0LTh.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/wv96UMv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vqKItFB.jpg)
Photo dump of new gauntlets.
Edit: And now I need to remake the gauntlets. She has suddenly decided she doesn't like them.
-
Wow wow wow, looks amazing so.far
-
Full kit debut today at Cincinnati Comic Expo!
(https://i.imgur.com/hERlfuV.jpg)
-
(https://i.imgur.com/ncwnznV.jpg)
The couple that hunts together... :<3:
-
Wow... REALLY negelcting my duties as chronicler for her build!
Not much has changed, trying to talk her into a set of new gauntlets, ones that might fit better. Also trying to talk her into a weapons upgrade.
(https://i.imgur.com/yaQBDIN.jpg)
-
“Thread..?”
Yes, Master?
“RISE.”
It’s been too long for updates to this. Not much has changed. I’m in the process of trying to convince her into getting upgrades to her soft parts, mainly her belts. Need to get pouches made for her, and some holsters for her blasters, blades, and a radio for the comms network our clan is setting up.
So, lots planned, nothing set in stone.
-
Me: "Thread..."
Yes, Master?
Me: RISE!
Been TOO karking long since I was able to update this!
Passed on my older gauntlets to Deb, since hers had become too uncomfortable to wear.
(https://i.imgur.com/zusFJra.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/haeIgqW.jpg)
But we had a good time with her first kit-up in a long while at CCE.
(https://i.imgur.com/3SOfNIo.jpg)
Trying to talk her into making a Post Imperial kit, with the Bo-Katan or Koska Reaves style chest. Downside, she wouldn't be allowed to use her duster anymore.
-
Slow going on updates. She’s living up to her name, stubbornly fighting me on making any changes or improvements to her kit. Need to get her in-kit and to an AP to see what needs work.