Hey all!
Got feedback from my Pre-App 2, and set to work over the last week, leading up to taking Pre-App 3!
Official Feedback Received:
- More Weathering on Flightsuit (grease and such to match plates), and Kama
- Trim about 2" off the bottom lame of my backplate
- Trim about 1/2" off each side of the chest plate
In addition to the above, as i showed my pictures to friends, the main comments people gave was 1) that the blue/red transition was jarring 2) that they thought it'd look better if i did only one color, and 3) asked if i was planning to have more than just my helmet blue. I also received a suggestion on how to make my my helmet wiring more efficient, and that i may want to add more weathering to the boots themselves
With that feedback set, i went to work.
- Weathering the flightsuit, i did a quick google search on ways to simulate grease, and my favorite answer was to melt Shoe Polish, then apply with an old sock. It worked wonders. I applied a good amount of black polish, then in certain areas i also did brown, just to mix the colors up a bit
- Weathering the kama, i tried doing the same "grease" but the patterned material just masked all the weathering i could do. So after a few small attempts, i ended up just grabbing a steak knife (don't tell my wife!) and made long/quick cuts, then grabbed my hand sander and attacked further
- Trimming the backplate was easy to accomplish. Just measured with a ruler, marked, and cut with dremel. Then sanded down, and re-applied rub-n-buff for consistency
- Trimming the chest was more difficult, due to the legacy strapping system. I was able to take 1/2" off either side of the pectoral plate and collar, but only 1/4" off either side of the lames. Even doing that exposed a lot of the strapping, so i had to cut into that to keep it hidden. I couldn't go more than 1/4" without having to re-do the chicago screws
- I decided to also address the coloring comments by popping the chest diamond off the pectoral plate and hitting it with the same blue coloring. Once dry, re-glued it back on
- I also decided to go ahead and do a blackwash based on Nano's comments, to add some more depth. Hung my armor up on a clothing rack, Mixed the acrylic paint with rubbing alcohol, grabbed a foam brush, and started painting it on, only to realize i was dripping paint onto the floor of my garage. Thinking quickly, i grabbed my flightsuit and used it as a rag to clean up the paint, then laid the flightsuit down under the armor so any further drops land on it (free weathering!). Applied blackwash to helmet and all armor pieces, then the pouches and as well.
- Lastly, i hit the boots with some quick white spray paint misting to show some weathering
With all of that done, i drove up to my Ruus'alor Sol'yc's house yesterday for round 3 photos with him and one other Ruus'alor. They convinced me to go ahead and keep using my bicep plates, so re-added them back to my kit. Those thigh plates though hopefully won't ever see sunlight again.
Aaaaand, here are the photos we submitted for Pre-App 3!
Finally, here's some closeups of weathering
After getting the Pre-App Photos done, it was time to go play at the Wings over the Rocky's Air and Space Museum! This museum has a life sized x-wing signed by most of the actors in 1996, and used by LFL for advertising. Now the Mercs, 501st, and Rebels routinely visit to "guard" the X-wing from museum guests.
As always, feedback is appreciated!
