Don't like ads? Help support the Mercs by becoming a Supporter or Auxiliary Member today! (You will need to be logged into the store)
Official Members also get to use the forum ad-free - so kit up and join us!


 The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show

  • 24 Replies
  • 6177 Views

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Hellooooooooo, Mercs!

I could make a bunch of definitely-hilarious jokes about things that are long overdue, but the truth is that nearly six years ago, I was pretty much broke, under a load of stress from my senior year of college, had a pretty nutty schedule, and a real lack of commitment. I want to own the fact that maybe at that time I wasn't as good at deadlines as I thought I was, and maybe bit off a lot more than I could chew at the time.

But that was then.

I've been toying with the idea of starting my kit back up for a couple months, but when I discovered my only remaining local Mercs (BedlamX and his wife) were moving away and that Tommy was selling some of his old kit, I knew it was the big sign I needed to jump back in. So I picked it up, and have been working on my kit most evenings after work. Now that I'm older, wiser, and have a stable career, I can really crack down on this project. Below, you will find my progress and some commentary. You can check out the original planning thread in my forum signature, if you so desire.


This helmet has been staring at me for a long time on my shelf. I really just need to do some detail on the interior and reset the visor in place. I've got some visor clips I found out about on a forum thread coming in the mail. I'll update my helmet thread as soon as those arrive and I have some updates to share.



Here's pretty much everything else I have.




I acquired the clone trooper shins and thighs as b-pulls from KWDesigns a few years back. I've rough-trimmed them and will hopefully be attending an armor party in the near future with some Kansas City-area MMCC and 501st folks to help me with putting them together. I'm aware that per the CRL's pieces from other Star Wars costumes must be modified in some way as to not immediately give away what they are. The shins/greaves will have kneecaps built into them, and I'm planning to have calf-mounted jump jets of some sort. At this moment, I'm still kinda part hunting for something that feels right for them, but am confident I'll figure something out soon. The thighs won't change a whole lot other than being cut down a bit, because even on my 6'3" frame, they're a bit long. I suppose it's always easier to cut away material as opposed to add material! My main plan is to have attachments on the outside of the thighs to put my blasters on. More on that soon!


I got this backplate from what Tommy sold me. It had an ammo pack mounted to it with an ammo chute that attached to the gauntlets I bought from him (below).


Said gauntlets as mentioned above. The minigun is the left side. I'm looking to clean them up a bit, add a greeblie or two to the right gauntlet (I'm currently thinking a vibroblace and/or a comm pad), and of course repaint them. I'm going to re-use the ammo chute pictured, but I've got a different idea in mind for the ammo pack on my back plate.




Also pictured with my back plate was my chest armor I've started on. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why it came out sideways. I removed and re-uploaded it probably four times. There's also the gloves I'm trying to decide on. They're actually from my marching band days, and had only really been worn once. For now they'll do, but I may end up replacing them. Thought if nothing else, they'd be a cool way to give my kit a personal flair and tie to other parts of my life that wouldn't ever be noticed by the public. Also, didn't mean to glare, it had been a long day. I promise I'm a lot more friendly-looking!


Here's a pic of the chest plate and a collar for sizing purposes. Didn't have a second person on hand, and it's sitting a little weird, but I think I got pretty close. I made a cardboard template out of an old pizza box and triple-checked everything. I think I did ok, but am open to constructive criticism as always


Better pic of the chest plate. I cut out the diamond shape and made a chest diamond below.


Thanks for reading! Oya! (Seriously, why does the forum uploader randomly rotate my pictures?!)

P.S. Please feel free to check in on my WIP for my blasters, if you feel so inclined. Thanks again for reading!

Bryn Cin'Prudii


    *
  • *
  • 5705
  • ~What killed the dinosaurs? THE ICE AGE!
  • Awards 6 or more Education Points in a single year. Airmobile brigade member Shock Infantry Brigade Member Special Weapons EnviroOps
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #1 on: Jan 08, 2019, 12:20 PM »
Love what you're doing here. That gauntlet is beastly.

On the non-mando note, I personally would go with the thighs more modified as those shins are really dope. You might find that you will want to cut more of the thighs than you think for mobility's sake.

I eagerly look forward to seeing how this kit develops.

Logged
 
Cerar Clan OM#1935 Tri-Division Brigade Member#262
Apply to Brigades here!
New Item Approval

Straka Zulu


    *
  • *
  • 11911
  • Ke nu'chayaiki ni, gar kar'tayli ner bora...
  • Awards Hard Contact - Clan with the most recorded invasions Donated four quarters of 2024. Awarded to individuals with at least 40 hours recorded of Invasion service in a 6 or more Education Points in a single year. Award for 25 official invasions.
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #2 on: Jan 08, 2019, 01:13 PM »
Following for updates.

Love the look of that helmet, and those gauntlets! :like: :like:

Logged
MMCC # 1126, W.B. #000 (founder), MAJIC #152, M5SP #19, L.O.B. #5, S.O.S. #007, MIB #13, QMU Support #44, Draluram #006

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #3 on: Jan 08, 2019, 03:06 PM »
Following for updates.

Love the look of that helmet, and those gauntlets! :like: :like:

Wish I could take credit for the gauntlets, but I'll be adding my own personal touch to really make them "mine" now. Definitely going to keep the minigun, though. I'm grateful Tommy gave me a great deal on them. I plan to give them the good home they deserve!

AUSfrostbite


    *
  • *
  • 201
  • Awards Ground Pounder - Official Member with the most recorded invasions Poster Boy - Official Member appears in costume in the most photos Special Operations Brigade Member
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #4 on: Jan 08, 2019, 10:19 PM »
Looking forwards to seeing how your gauntlets turn out, i'm loving the minigun!

Logged

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #5 on: Jan 14, 2019, 03:20 AM »
Got the rest of my plates cut out of 6mm Sintra. Here's a rough test fit of them duck-taped together. Took pics holding each side for the sake of clarity. I'm able to comfortably cross my arms in front of my chest with the way they are constructed, and I think once I get a vest, they should be okay. The bottom plate should be trimmed a half inch or so on each side to get the tapered Legacy look more correct, but wanted to show a test fit before I did so. There's also a bit more shaping to do, as you can see, but anyway, here's where I'm at:





Again, my apologies. I do the uploads from my phone and it seems that the forum uploader doesn't want to show them oriented the way I took them. :( I may have to try again uploading them in a different way if it's a problem.

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #6 on: Jan 17, 2019, 01:06 PM »
Sorry for the double post, hadn't gotten any replies in a few days, and had some progress to report.

First, I bought some different gloves. They're very comfortable, and I've removed all the logos from them.


Next, I cut out and rough shaped some hand plates. These aren't finished yet. I'm planning to use some Apoxie Sculpt to add a bit more detail to them. I haven't yet decided how I want to attach them, but will likely just have some velcro sewn onto the gloves and the underside of the plates.




Additionally, I bought a keyboard switch testing block. The plan for this is to greeble up the right gauntlet and add these buttons. Still a little more work to plan out there, but I'm happy with the size of these so far. The plan is to cut a hole in the top of the gauntlet and pop these through the inside, thus concealing both the logo and the large block.


And with a test fit:

« Last Edit: Jan 17, 2019, 02:14 PM by Novoc Mereel » Logged

Straka Zulu


    *
  • *
  • 11911
  • Ke nu'chayaiki ni, gar kar'tayli ner bora...
  • Awards Hard Contact - Clan with the most recorded invasions Donated four quarters of 2024. Awarded to individuals with at least 40 hours recorded of Invasion service in a 6 or more Education Points in a single year. Award for 25 official invasions.
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #7 on: Jan 17, 2019, 05:34 PM »
That doesn't count as a double post.  Now, if you were to do it the same day, like within minutes of the previous one, now that is what would rankle the mods. :laugh: :laugh:

Where'd you find that tester?  I might have to borrow that idea from you....

Logged
MMCC # 1126, W.B. #000 (founder), MAJIC #152, M5SP #19, L.O.B. #5, S.O.S. #007, MIB #13, QMU Support #44, Draluram #006

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #8 on: Jan 18, 2019, 01:23 AM »
That doesn't count as a double post.  Now, if you were to do it the same day, like within minutes of the previous one, now that is what would rankle the mods. :laugh: :laugh:

Where'd you find that tester?  I might have to borrow that idea from you....

From Amazon! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G3BJOHO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A friend recommended it to me when I mentioned I needed some buttons to greeblie up my gauntlet.

Malakier Vhett


    *
  • 'The Craziest Merc'
  • 4439
  • No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
  • Awards 6 or more Education Points in a single year. Family events Award for 50 official invasions. Award for 75 official invasions. Celebration Anaheim 2022
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #9 on: Jan 18, 2019, 09:51 AM »
Off to a good start. Look forward to seeing more of your progress

Logged
Armor does not make a Mandalorian. The armor is simply a manifestation of an impenetrable, unassailable heart.

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #10 on: Jan 25, 2019, 02:34 AM »
Quickly popping in to say I'm still alive! I attended an armor party with some 501st/Rebel Legion folks this past week. It was great to have a second pair of hands helping to shape my plates with a heat gun, and helped me get the edges of my plates really nicely and evenly shaped. Didn't bother to take pics, but the sizing didn't really change.

Someone at the armor party suggested permanently attaching my collar plate to my chest plate, and letting the ab plates kind of free-float on some nylon strapping attached on the back. I wanted to ask the folks here on the forums whether that is an ok plan before I haul off and do it. Also, does anyone have a suggestion of a certain brand or size of nylon strapping? I will most likely need some for other parts of my kit as well, but it seems like there's quite a bit of variation in availability and such. I'd rather spend a little more up front than buy something that won't do the job very long that I'll have to replace after just a couple troops anyway. Same with velcro that I'll need on my kit, I'm a little intimidated by the variety and want to buy the best, most heavy-duty stuff I can find to minimize chances of anything coming off at an inopportune time. I plan to use Velcro both on my gloves and vest, as well as part of the closure on my shnees.

Any guidance on the above would be appreciated!!

I haven't gotten into painting yet because it's been below freezing here in Kansas since I got my plates cut out. Hopefully the weather will warm up soon... I'm a warm-weather Mando at heart.

« Last Edit: Jan 25, 2019, 02:38 AM by Novoc Mereel » Logged

jett drexel


    *
  • 2558
  • a long time ago in a living room far far away...
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #11 on: Jan 25, 2019, 03:13 AM »
just remember mate, when it comes to industrial Velcro you want the sew on type for your soft parts and the adhesive type to go on any plates as trying to sew the the adhesive type is a nightmare. ;)

« Last Edit: Jan 25, 2019, 11:39 AM by jett drexel » Logged

Malakier Vhett


    *
  • 'The Craziest Merc'
  • 4439
  • No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!
  • Awards 6 or more Education Points in a single year. Family events Award for 50 official invasions. Award for 75 official invasions. Celebration Anaheim 2022
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #12 on: Jan 25, 2019, 09:18 AM »
For Velcro, at some sewing stores you can get what they call "Home Decor Velcro". It is 3/4" wide, and the "loop" side side is sew-on, while the "hook" side is stick-on industrial. That's what a lot of people that use Velcro get these days

For nylon strapping, it's really personal preference. When I used nylon strapping I just used the whatever 'default' at Jo-Ann's is. 3/4" wide nylon strap. Never had any issues.

Logged
Armor does not make a Mandalorian. The armor is simply a manifestation of an impenetrable, unassailable heart.

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #13 on: Jan 25, 2019, 12:38 PM »
For Velcro, at some sewing stores you can get what they call "Home Decor Velcro". It is 3/4" wide, and the "loop" side side is sew-on, while the "hook" side is stick-on industrial. That's what a lot of people that use Velcro get these days

For nylon strapping, it's really personal preference. When I used nylon strapping I just used the whatever 'default' at Jo-Ann's is. 3/4" wide nylon strap. Never had any issues.
just remember mate, when it comes to industrial Velcro you want the sew on type for your soft parts and the adhesive type to go on any plates as trying to sew the the adhesive type is a nightmare. ;)

Thanks for the tips, all. Sounds like I'm off to the store!

Dar'manda


    *
  • 2432
  • Awards Clan with the largest number of new OM's in 12 months Award for 10 official invasions.
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #14 on: Jan 26, 2019, 09:17 AM »
Commenting to following!

Logged

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #15 on: Nov 20, 2019, 02:42 PM »
Not dead, I promise! This year has been difficult with work and schedule changes, and such, but some better hours and a promotion & raise are good things for me professionally, so I've been focusing on that predominantly, but doing some small bits here and there, mostly with blasters and other smaller items. Someone local to me made me a really great flak vest, and I've got a set of Dickies work clothes I plan to use as a flight suit - just need to get those tailored.

Anyway, my big focus currently are my enclosed shins/shnees/whatever you want to call them. I went to an armor party a while back and they helped me size the parts I had better, and made a suggestion for my knees. A 501st guy working on his TK suggested I use those knees flipped upside down, and since they were parts he didn't need, just gave them to me.

My concern is that the point facing up, while cool-looking, may not be approve-able. The corners are rounded off, and I could even round them off further, but I wanted to post here for some feedback in case it's just going to be a non-starter.





Thoughts?

(Unrelated, but if anyone knows how to get the forums to stop making all my photos horizontal when I upload them from my phone, some advice would be much appreciated! I swear I'm not doing it to y'all on purpose!)

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #16 on: Nov 27, 2019, 08:48 PM »
Big shout-out to Havelock for answering my question about the knees here.

I had a local 501st member 3D print me a set of hand plates, and I've started sanding the print lines down this evening.

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #17 on: Dec 02, 2019, 12:00 AM »
Sorry for the triple-post. Actually have some updates again, though! I did some work on my greaves/shnees/whatever you want to call them. If you've been following my thread, you may remember that my lower leg armor are Clone Trooper b-pulls, and the knee plates are Sandtrooper knee plates from a 501st friend in my area. The first thing I did was cut two "backing plates" out of 6mm sintra (same as my chest plates) to help bulk up the area and really help to make the legs feel unique. I attached them using E6000 and a couple rivets.



Made a small error with drilling out the pilot hole for the rivet on one side, but it won't be visible after the knee plates get attached.




Next, I eyeballed where the knee plates should go, marking them up with a pencil. Then, I used more E6000 to attach these in place. I'm going to let them dry overnight, but so far, I'm actually really satisfied with the result.


The next step once I can clean up a small amount of squeeze-out from the E6000 will be to mix up some Apoxie Sculpt and fill those little gaps between the pieces. They will eventually blend nicely into each other, and the bottom edges near the rivets will get shaped a bit to fit the shape of the legs a bit better rather than being a big squared-off plate.

Straka Zulu


    *
  • *
  • 11911
  • Ke nu'chayaiki ni, gar kar'tayli ner bora...
  • Awards Hard Contact - Clan with the most recorded invasions Donated four quarters of 2024. Awarded to individuals with at least 40 hours recorded of Invasion service in a 6 or more Education Points in a single year. Award for 25 official invasions.
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #18 on: Dec 02, 2019, 09:35 AM »
As long as there's a day between posts, give or take, you don't have to worry about "double-posts".

Those shnees look good, vod!

Logged
MMCC # 1126, W.B. #000 (founder), MAJIC #152, M5SP #19, L.O.B. #5, S.O.S. #007, MIB #13, QMU Support #44, Draluram #006

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #19 on: Dec 02, 2019, 12:31 PM »
As long as there's a day between posts, give or take, you don't have to worry about "double-posts".

Those shnees look good, vod!

Much appreciated! I'm always super critical of my own work, so it's so weird to me that I'm actually satisfied with these so far.

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #20 on: Dec 05, 2019, 11:34 PM »
Got some more stuff done this weekend (my weekend is in the middle of the week haha). Added some Aves Apoxie Sculpt to help fill the sides of the knee plates, sanded them down, and then hit them with a layer of filler primer.








I also sanded down my hand plates and used the same filler primer on them, as well.








After the filler primer, I added some Bondo filler putty into the remaining cracks of the hand plates. I'll let that dry over night tonight, then do some sanding tomorrow. After that they should be ready for another layer of primer + paint.



Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #21 on: Dec 08, 2019, 02:08 AM »
Update! Shnees and handplates have been bondo'd and sanded down. Hand plates I'm happy with and will prime next time I have painting time, but the shnees will likely get a second pass. I might leave them as-is and just do some heavier weathering. I'll have to mull it over. I'm really happy with how they shaped up!










Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #22 on: Dec 12, 2019, 01:57 AM »
The plan for tomorrow is to try and get some paint down on the shnees. I also did a little rough mock-up of what my paint scheme will look like on a few things.


The little gray bits on the side are some latches I'm working on that will be attached to the front side of my shnees. There will be velcro on the inside as well, but I liked the idea of having some sort of hard closure on the outside, as well. Basically, it'll look like this from the top:


There will also be a second piece of sintra over the top of this feature, but that's just a cutaway to give you an idea.

Next, the thighs. The yellow boxes on the sides will be where my blasters attach on each side.


And the gauntlets, with the right side having a screen and a speaker.


Finally, the chest plates. I took the collar piece off of mine because I wasn't quite satisfied with it, but here's the paint scheme all the same. As soon as I have a collar cut out that I'm happier with, I'll post that up.

Novoc Mereel


    *
  • 994
  • Back with a vengeance! He/Him
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #23 on: Dec 22, 2019, 02:53 AM »
Got my neckseal in the mail from K'raam (and a blazingly fast turnaround, to boot!) and I realized I don't really have pics up of my soft parts. I'm going with a two part flight suit, using a Dickies work shirt and pants together. My flak vest was made by someone local to me. I knew it fit pretty well before, but it was hard to get the velcro on the neck fastened with that neck seal underneath. I'll have to look into that. I know my pants need to be taken in a little bit, and this is of course without a girth belt or ammo pouches, as well.

Excuse the dumb look on my face, I was trying to give my roommate some last-minute direction for a photo. I think the lighting is good enough?


And the back:


Boots are just a black pair of Chelsea boots I got for like $40-50 off Amazon. I've worn them to work a few times to break them in, and when it snowed or rained, I've been trying to toss them on and walk around for a bit to get some natural weathering going on them. The plan is to tuck the shirt into the pants since it is so long, and I'll just wear suspenders under my flak vest. They will be easily hidden between my flak vest and girth belt (that has not yet been purchased, ammo pouches are in the mail, though).

As always, I welcome any comments and constructive criticism! I really wish the forum's uploader tool wouldn't rotate my pics from my phone. :(

compdrag


    *
  • 292
  • Awards Special Weapons EnviroOps
Re: The one where Novoc Mereel actually has some work to show
« Reply #24 on: Dec 23, 2019, 01:37 AM »
It’s all coming together looks really good. Keep up the good work.

Logged
 


Don't like ads? Help support the Mercs by becoming a Supporter or Auxiliary Member today! (You will need to be logged into the store)
Official Members also get to use the forum ad-free - so kit up and join us!



Powered by EzPortal
SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk