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[Neomandalore]

Hey everyone! So technically I have finished with this build and am waiting approval, but I thought I would do a wip from pictures i had taken.

A little backstory on my character: I went to see TFA last year and was a little diasappointed with my towns lack of costumers and cosplayers so with a little convincing, my wife allowed me to begin building a kit. I joined some of the forums and began researching. Originally i was going to do a Boba build but then i saw this guy:



I thought man that looks awesome! I want that! So i dive into the early crusader build head on with no experience using fiberglass, bondo, etc. So here we go

First thing i decided to do was build a mythosaur axe. I used cardboard for the blades and a piece of pvc for the handle



I used seugtai's build as a reference and followed her suggestion of using drywall tape. I also decided to make the tip of my axe a spear point. After that i cut out my other pieces and taped them up



On to fiberglass. I can say that both my wife and our roommate started hating me at this point



Bondo was next, and working with it in the virginia heat was a challenge. I ended up with cottage cheese quite a few times




I dont think im skilled enough to make a bucket from scratch so i ordered a proto fett helmet from the mandalorian arsenal



Filled in the earcaps, dome, and mandibles with bondo



I also wanted more of a "y" shaped visor. The hose attachments on the helmet were pieces of a gas mask that i epoxied to it. Visor is a #5 welding shield tha iis attached with velcro which lets it flex because i wear large frame glasses. Its also kinda obvious now that i wanted a bone look for the plates. Heres a close up of a thigh plate



And my shoulders



I used rustoleum in heirloom white, then did a wash of burnt and raw umbers. For some reason i couldnt find any cinnamon. Black was used for accents. I tried both rubbing alcohol and windex for mediums and preferred the windex. I used a very watered down wash at first and built up until it was almost a paste, then would wipe off. I did this for all the plates and was very happy.


For the ab plate i cut along the sides with my dremel, but not all the way through. I used jb weld to hold it at an angle then filled the seams with bondo





Here is the finished product. I scrapped a backplate in favor of a cape, and used scrap osnaburg for a revised loincloth. Flightsuit is a pair of red kap coveralls, and i used some scrap plate pieces to do some boot armor. Upper body is attached with velcro and magnets, and lower body with just velcro

Sorry for such a long post. Hopefully this can help someone with their build. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated!

[Naran Baatar]

Based on what I am seeing your chest plate is very very square, generally speaking the more organic a shape is the better.

When making EC plates it is key to think about how the "material" you are using would react to being turned into a piece of armor. Bone for example chips, cracks and shatters. Now with that being said bone can also be polished and bleached. But it will always have those natural pocks and divots from where muscle once attached to it.

I think you have are at a good point to start off from. But there is work to be done for sure.

Your gauntlets that you have currently look more like shin plates than gauntlets. If you have any skill with leatherworking you can easily work up a pair of leather bracers, or if you want to go with hard style gauntlet you can use the toilet brush holder method and with some work and bondo you can easily make a pair of full "bone" gauntlets. I good guide on that style of gauntlet can be found here-http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=43869.0

I would also suggest adding more fur to your kit, replacing the piece of fabric you are currently using for a loincloth with leather or fur or a mixture would do a lot for your kit.

Also some app style pictures-front, side, back, side would be really helpful so people could get a full picture of the stand of your kit currently. That way people can give fully informed advice

Like I said I think you are off to a solid start, take a look at some of the other approved EC builds on the forums and see if anything that others have done jump out at you. I think with some work you can easily have yourself a solid EC kit!

[seugtai]

We share a common inspiration...LOVE that guy too! 

I also agree, you're almost there, just a few more tweaks.



Here is what I suggest.

-Can't see what your cape looks like but if it's that same dirty white fabric I would add more of a drape around the neck. This will hide that awkward transition from the neck of the flightsuit into what looks to be a neck seal.

-Soften up the edges of the chest plate to give it a more organic feel, maybe adding a few nicks and gouges along the way.

-I would suggest adding some leather straps on the ab plate.

- Personally, I feel your current belt is too Modern looking. I would switch that out for something more substantial and maybe add a few trophies on it. And maybe add some hanging trophies at your left shoulder. I mean we EC's are bad -censored-, so we collect a lot of trophies right?

-The sleeve and legs of your flightsuit may need to be taken in a bit. They are on the baggy side right now.

-I would beef up your arm wraps, more like how you wrapped your hoses. And pull them up just a bit as they look like they might have slid down your arms.

-Make sure that left boot plate is covering your laces in your next round of pictures.

-Tatter up your loin cloth a bit more so it doesn't have that squared off dish towel look and you could add a sigil design on it to add some interest.

Not everything listed is required for CRL'S but, I feel they will add to your overall look and give you that wow factor. I look forward to seeing what you do next.

[Neomandalore]

Seugtai, it's like you're reading my mind! I moved my wookie/Padawan braids that were on my belt to my shoulder, and have added some antlers as hanging trophies. I also used to have leather straps on the ab plate but removed them.....shouldn't be too hard to put them back. I like the suggestion for the neck drape and the arm wraps. I want to redo my cape as well as extend my wraps further up my arm just waiting on more fabric. The wraps are actually sewn to the suit so I don't have to re wrap all the time. 

Side note...I really dislike the shin plates I made originally mainly because they're so heavy. I think I'm either going to do some out of Sintra or trash cans or do leg wraps. Maybe both.

Also taking naran's advice and picked up some toilet brush holders. Thinking about doing a fur "bite guard" under the wraps on one side.

Really bored at work today and you guys have gotten my creative juices flowing

Thoughts?

[Neomandalore]

Update! So ive been fairly busy lately but have bunkered down to get things done to go to a certain movie thats coming out. I recently moved into a new house with a full workbench so making things for my kit has been so kuch easier than the back patio of my old apartment.

Here are my braids and antler trophy mentioned in my last post



Tattered my loin cloths (breaking my wife's piza cutter in the process) i also went with the good old crusader symbol on the front and dirtied them up a bit by pouring paint into my hands and literally wiping them like a towel.



Made some hard gauntlets from a toilet brush holder. My arms are smaller so i didnt need to cut and hinge them



Finally i couldnt see myself sitting through a movie with an air tank on my back.....not my idea of a good time. Solution: a breather filter off a small block chevy. Throw it around, smack it with a hammer, throw some paint on it and done. Fits perfectly in my hose attachment too!

[Neomandalore]

Yet another update! I trooped in my kit for the first time thursday at the rogue one premiere in my town. My social anxiety was flying off the charts but once i walked in, full kit it felt awesome. Making people smile made it all worth it. However i waited to do any more work to my kit until afterwards. Excuse the poor lighting in these pics.



I extended my armwraps further up my arms, took some out of the chest plate (made it less square) and added some new scratches. I also added a leather strap to my ab plate, another shoulder dangly made from jute rope and jewelry "teeth", and a cape drape for my neck which is sewn to my cape on one side and fastened to the other with a snap, or i can wear it down.



I also decided to redo my cape since i got a new bit of osnaburg in. Dyed it in coffee then went to town with the scissors and pizza cutter then dirtied it up with paint.

Got a pair of boot spats coming in monday, then i might be finished.....

[Neomandalore]

Not so exciting update. I realized with the addition of a cape and how it attaches and drapes, i had to scrap my air tank idea because ultimately i never was really happy with it and it was very awkward for me to wear. I decided to do a smaller belt mounted tank. This one is made from an old aerosol deodorant can, a r134 freon fitting, and a nipple off of one of my hoses. Painted it black and wrapped it in fabric. It will actually fit in the straps of my Mosin ammo pouches.

Air tank:



I took the bag my old air tank was in and turned it into a pouch:



I got a pair of "steampunk" boot spats on the cheap. First thing i did was remove the buttons going down the side



How to spruce them up? One word......FUR! Fur is covering my entire floor!! This is actually my original fur loin cloth that i didnt use. I tried to get my wife, who is a seamstress to sew these on for me, but she told me i needed to learn. What i didnt know is the foot pedal to our sewing machine has run away. Since i didnt feel like using our old belt fed machine, these are hand stitched "with love"



All i'm waiting on now is another hose to extend my existing one, then i'll be ready to take some new app pics

[seugtai]

Make sure the top of your cape sits at the base of your neck. It can't drape like it currently is showing that there isn't a back plate per CRL'S. 

The rest of your new additions look good, can't wait to see those new App. Pics.

[Neomandalore]

I hope everyone has had a fun safe and relaxing holiday weekend. I believe that i have finished with all my current changes to my kit (although it never really is finished). I convinced my wife to help me take new "app pics" so any feedback is welcomed before i officially submit them.

Front:



Right side:



Left side:



Back:



Helmet off.....excuse my ugly mug 

[Naran Baatar]

Much better! Looks pretty solid by my count. I would say at this point get in touch with your Ruus'alor so you can get rolling on the pre-app process

[Neomandalore]

Back again! So my app came back today with a fix it list. This is what was sent:

1. Weapon needs to be better detailed and less boxy. round the edges 
of your blaster or even consider using just your melee weapons.
2. Completely wrap the legs please.
3. Form the plates to fit the body and chest better, they appear to be 
too flat.
4. Please add a neck seal to your kit, visible beard is not allowable.
5. Next round of application pics be sure to please add a front, back 
both right and left sides along with the helmet off and weapons pic

Number 1 i am fine with not having a blaster. Wasnt really happy with it anyways.

I have some extra fur to put on my spats for number 2.

I didnt wear my neck seal in my last pictures and my beard poked through

Also in my haste i posted 2 back pictures instead of one side.

My main concern is number 3. Since all my plates are fiberglass and bondo, I cant really reshape them. What im going to try first is gluing some sintra to the sides, shape them, then fill the seams with some bondo and paint. I also have this



Which was going to be a backplate for my brigade app (if i ever make om)  but i could dip the neck some more and shape it to fit my chest, along with cutting a hole for the air hose fitting and finishing the paint. Just not too sure of what to do

[Neomandalore]

After racking my brain I decided to modify the sintra backplate into a chest plate. There was no way i could modify my existing one and still be happy with it. I can always buy more sintra and do anothr backplate. Here is what i have so far:



I literally just finished clearing it, and i repainted the air hose fitting to give it a more metallic look. Now all thats left is to glue some attachment methods to it.

I also made a girth belt to fill out my midsection, and to hang my loin cloth from



As well as another knife



Ive already finished attaching the rest of the fur to my legs and im hoping to have updated app pics in by the weekend, although im fighting a bit of a cold (thanks virginia weather!) so we will see

[Neomandalore]

Pic heavy update time! I had my wife take some new app pics and every time my beard seemed to make an unexpected appearance. I finally broke down and bought a balaclava.

One unexpected thing that happened is i discovered that my chest plate hadn a crack in it! I used 3mm sintra and dropped it at one point so that could be the cause. I put some jb weld over the crack and added some bondo to the entire middle section so hopefully it will hold. If not i have some 6mm on order and will just make a new one.



As you can see the glorious bondo patch! Also my hose attachment would fall out......you know the whole flat thing on a curved suface/square peg, round hole deal? Solution: cut the top, or bottom of the attachment and notch it then fold it over. Holds nicely now. I also put some snaps on the top just as an extra bit of hold.

Anyways, here are the new and improved app pics

Front:



Left:



Right:



Back:



Helmet off:



Weapons:



And because im fidgity and cant not be still, especially while sick, ive been working on my helmet upgrades. First is a voice amp i got from adafruit. Its the 20w amp with their mini stereo speakers. Its supposed to have a powered mic but the one i got was doa so im waiting on a replacement. Runs off a 9v and has a toggle switch.



Next is the actual bucket. I have 4 fans (2 in the back and 2 on the visor) wired to a toggle switch. Power is a rechargeable battery for like recharging your phone. I just spliced a usb cable into the rest of the wiring. On the backside is a velleman super stereo kit. The mics are on the sides where the earcaps would be, and they run into motorcycle helmet speakers.