Greetings ner'vode!
Welcome to the revised version of my legacy build. I had about ten pages going of updates over the last two years as I've been making my way, slowly but surely through this first armor creation project. A little while ago the image hosting site I was using decided to shoot itself in the foot, by extorting money from it's members without notice. So, instead of going back and editing every single image in those threads, I decided to clean them up, condense my progression, and show you what I currently have on the table. I've also edited my signature to reflect the new build pages, instead of relying on those out of date ones with the images that have fallen into the digital abyss.
Backstory
Get'al Aran is the name for the armor I've picked, simply translated as
Red Guard. The meaning behind this is part of the character's backstory. So here's a brief rundown about how this is playing out in my head. This particular Mandalorian hails from the planet of Corellia where he was recruited into Corsec at an early age, becoming an officer in their ranks where he earned his stripes. His career took a sharp turn once the Empire rose to power, and he transitioned into the ranks of the highly secretive, and highly loyal regiment of the Royal Guards. He tested in the top of his class there, and rose to the rank of an Imperial Guard serving the Emperor. However upon Palpatine's demise and the second time the Deathstar had blown up - he was left without a post. Along come the Mandalorians, and in them he finds a new purpose, a new family, and a new loyalty. While governments lapse, and empires fall - the Mandalorians live on.
Thus, I have designed this legacy kit to reflect his heritage and his past by incorporating various themes of Corsec and the Imperial guards into a build that is going to tell his story of this warrior that eventually found his place among the stars. I hope you enjoy it - as I am having a blast putting it together.
Updated Checklist
- Helmet - Painting
- Flight Suit - Tailored
- Vest - Tailored
- Armor Plates - Partially cut and molded/Other parts in design phase
- Gauntlets - Roughly formed and shaped, with hinges attached
- Girth Belt - Pre-Design Phase
- Cape - Measured and Cut, needs pleats.
- Boots - Obtained
- Gloves - Obtained
- Kama - Re-Design Phase
- Harness - Pre-Design Phase
Buy'ce
Originally I fell in love with the Stalker Helmet from NME Props. After looking over the design, I decided to do a custom drawing and setup a challenge for them, that they readily accepted.
The Stalker
Custom Re-Design
From there, they went on to create the custom helmet, and it was well worth the wait.
Fabrication at NME Studios
Received the Bucket
Functionality
The bucket is beyond amazing, super high-quality casting, and very sturdy. The next step was to do a test fit, and figure out a plan for wearing it properly. After some discussion and trial and error, I ditched my first try (which was just foam inserts) and went with a hard-hat harness that would keep the bucket from weighing down and for ease of movement.
Blue arrow indicates the velcro I attached to all four points.
Below is the suspension rig that I purchased.
This is
North by Honeywell 4 Point Ratchet system suspension rig. Follow the link and you can purchase it, and even pick it up to try it on if there is a Grainger store around you. Their chat help on the site was very helpful in choosing the right one.
https://www.grainger.com/product/NORTH-BY-HONEYWELL-Replacement-Suspension-39T777?functionCode=P2IDP2PCP
Once that was done, I had taken a break for a while before meeting another vode in town, and we started getting to work again on this project. Painting was next, and I already had my color-scheme in mind. First up was the visor, which was going to be the main hallmark back to the days in the Imperial Royal Guard. I found a paint-shop for vehicles do this this part for me, and it came out fantastic!
From there I went on to do some painting myself, and this is where the progress train has ran it's course for now. Still, I'm digging how close I am to a fully wearable functional bucket!
First Pass Base Coat
Second Pass Base Coat
Then I started to mask off for the first coat afterwards. I didn't do any wet masking to add weathering, but I plan on getting to that very soon.
And then for the second coat, I went with a metallic black finish.
And that's it for now folks. Tune in next time when I add in the next edition to this new progress build thread. I know they will likely be long and drawn out posts - simply to chronicle the two years I've been working on this - but it's a lot better than trying to fix all those photos. I'll be getting these linked with the old threads so the followers can add this to their bookmarks and keep an eye out for upcoming additions. Till next time vode, Oya!
