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[DuroLankisst]

Quick update before I call it a night.

Dirt Wash:



Dry Brush:



I have also started work on my Westar 35:



I have the other materials to finish off the blaster coming tomorrow.

Here's my modified template if anyone wants it.




Next weekend I will probably start on the soft parts as my needed fabric will finally be here on Thur/Fri.
 

[DuroLankisst]

Brace yourselves for a long post, it's been a while. PIC HEAVY

Not long after my last post I attended Summercon in Washington state with Clan Gurreck with my helm. They gave me the honor of displaying it at their table along with helmets of clan OM's







Shortly afterward we ran into trouble. My helmet is a rather thin cast and the cheek gash, despite being epic, was too much for the cast and cracked. I took it to a local armor party and they helped me patch it back up, good as new.






I also cut out and layered up the design of my center diamond with some initial weathering.





My Westar M-5 arrived and I've spent some time sanding and prepping it for primer. I also decided to scrap the idea of making my own 35s and ordered some 3d printed ones. I don't have a lot of pictures of them as I've been working on other aspects of my kit.







I made the decision to make my own combat knife as part of the kit and made it myself from foam and dense cardboard







Coated it in plasti dip and acrylic paint. I repurposed a computer screw and used airsoft BB as the 'stone'








I started working on a sheath to hold my new knife in the small of my back. I decided that a small set of magnets would be my best bet at keeping it secure during troops. Man was it a test of faith to drill out the hole in the knife to set it in!






I decided the main body of the sheath would be a faux-leather vinyl attached to sintra and mounted to a sintra plate covered in duck cloth, it all attaches to my belt via chicago screws. I also decided that I would place my characters initials in mando'a on the sheath







And so I started on my waist items. I had this tactical belt I got at a surplus store back from when I used to play paintball 10 years ago. I figured it'd be a great base for my waist items. But I wanted something wider to lay underneath it, so I took some thin foam and wrapped it in more faux-leather vinyl and made it attach with velcro.







To fill out more of the belt itself I decided to add pouches made from duck cloth and spacers made from sintra and wrapped in a lighter colored duck cloth. All will attach to the gromets in the belt via chicago screw.














Remember to stay warm while sabding during this winter season



Still have to dirty everything up, but I'm really pleased with how the belts have come together





And finally I patterned out my shoe armor and cut it out of sintra

[RedBirdXlll]

Look good Duro!! I LOVE the layering on the belts.

[Baelin Halon]

nice work. On the shoes, will you have spats?

[DuroLankisst]

Thanks, RedBird.

Baelin, I didn't have any plans for spats.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I can remember I didn't see any thing in the CRLs that called them out as required. The current plan is to hem my flight suit to be a bit tighter around my legs than from the factory and/or tuck the leg ends into the shoes if needed.

[RedBirdXlll]

Thanks, RedBird.

Baelin, I didn't have any plans for spats.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I can remember I didn't see any thing in the CRLs that called them out as required. The current plan is to hem my flight suit to be a bit tighter around my legs than from the factory and/or tuck the leg ends into the shoes if needed.

You'll need something to cover the tops of your shoes, since you're using more of a loafer/pull over style. The tabs need to be hidden I think - but I could be wrong.

[DuroLankisst]

You'll need something to cover the tops of your shoes, since you're using more of a loafer/pull over style. The tabs need to be hidden I think - but I could be wrong.

As far as I can tell the CRLs just talk about Shoe-laces, Labels and brand names getting covered on footwear.

Also, for those interested in following my weapon builds please follow this new thread I have made.
http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=181851

[Kruser]

The "boots" section of the CRL's indicate that a boot like foot covering is required. Boots typically end above the ankle.  If you choose to use a loafer style shoe, you will have to add something to ensure that it is not apparent it isn't a boot, since boots are what are implied.  Spats, or gaiters can help with this.

Keep in mind that the CRL'S are a huge sandbox to play in and not every single conceivable instance can be defined in the written word of the rules.  If this were so, then we would lose a lot of the freedom we have to be creative.  If every single thing we're defined specifically, we might as well just be cookie cutter Mandos or Canon only characters.

The advice you were given previously was good.  Look into spats or gaiters or come up with some sort of covering if you are set on using shoes and not boot like footwear.

[Anansi]

As far as I can tell the CRLs just talk about Shoe-laces, Labels and brand names getting covered on footwear.

Also, for those interested in following my weapon builds please follow this new thread I have made.
http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=181851

Definitely good guidance given above. To your question, per the CRLS...

Boots:

• Combat/Utility boots are considered the primary accepted boot for armor.
• Labels and brand names should be removed or covered.
• Shoe-laces MUST be covered with armor or some sort of boot/ankle spat.
• High heels/stiletto female boots are not acceptable mandalorian armor attire. Platform, wedge, and chunky style heels are acceptable.
• Laces on gaiters and half-chaps are acceptable as long as they do not appear on the top of the garment where boot laces would normally appear. These styles of gaiters and half-chaps are not recommended as there are other styles without laces readily available.
• Exposed zipper closures on boots are acceptable as long as they are located on the inside of the foot and match the color of the boot. Zippers that do not meet the above requirement must be completely hidden from view by armor plates, spats, wraps or an extension flap.

I definitely get that availability and comfort might be important factors when you're choosing your footwear but it has to be an ankle boot like Boba's at least. A really good place to find a costume boot at a very low price is Value Village (known as Savers elsewhere). If you can get past the stigma of pre-owned footwear, you can get some amazing deals on quality, pre-weathered boots.

[DuroLankisst]

First of all the feedback is much appreciated.

Kruser, thanks for the app team clarification.

Anansi, I have no problem with pre-ownd footwear, but I can never find any my size, let alone boots, since I need a 14 double or triple wide to a 15 wide depending on the manufacture.

I am considering moving to this boot since I'd like to avoid another layer of stuff on my legs.
I would cover the logo on the outside heel with some armor or "stuff."

Leaning towards the armor on the death watch boots.

[RedBirdXlll]

Those would look rad with some armor on them!

[Mirran]

This looks awesome! The deep scratches and paint work on your bucket are really great inspiration, and I hope to pull off something even close to that cool when mine comes in!

[DuroLankisst]

Thanks Mirran,
If you want I'd be more than willing to assist you in weathering and battle damage if you want. Just message me and bring what you got to a Gurreck armor party. 

[Bajrx2]

Be careful with that kind of boot armor that comes over the from of your ankle, if it isn't just right it can pop off when you walk as you bend your toe and ankle together when your back foot leaves the floor to take another step. Maybe try elastic bands around the bottom of your boot to help with that.

[DuroLankisst]

Hey everyone,
Update time.

I went ahead and did a small modification to my bucket. I added a bit of sintra to the visor mounting area and painted it a metallic blue to help hide it.



With the added support the visor fits snug enough that I only had to tape in the corners to keep it looking good.
With that done, I added my foam back in and enjoyed my work on the last Blue Friday of the season.


On to the Boots.
I went and got the boots in the previous post and here's what I did.

Covered the logo and lettering on the heel with some recycled sintra.




Added some plates to the toes.



Gave it a good paint with fresh new vallejo airbrush metallics. 



Temporarily taped them in place for progress shots.


The plates still need a good amount of sealant and the shoes overall need to get weathered, but I'm happy with them so far.