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[D'shon Lorra]

Moved from my self-intro thread:

Building up to start a suit of armor, I have questions that are more specific than I find answers in the forums. Doesn't mean they aren't there, just my searching is mediocre. It may be a case of having more artistic liberty than I expected.

First, I want my character as a Mandalorian to have a back story. Not detailed, but a rough RPG-style bio with six-degrees-of-separation link to the universe we know. Try this:

-:- My name is D'shan (sounds like "dish on") but I respond just as well to Mando.
-:- I was affiliated with Bo-Katan's Nite Owls primarily as a technician until the fiasco that was her/our falling out with the rest of Death Watch. Never met the woman, I was too low level.
-:- Around the time of the purge, I got separated from the clan - they probably think I'm dead - and I haven't found any of them yet. I hope they are in hiding.

Is there any reason not to run with that?

Then, my custom armor concept based on the recent TV Death Watch style with a Night Owl bucket:



My goal is to land somewhere between this woman from Wookiepedia:

 
and this man from the Disney TV show:


I really like the Nite Owl helmet but I am totally willing to give that up if it will prevent me having a shot at approval as an OM. I am all in for this, the first cosplay idea to really get my attention.

I want the soft goods to all be shades of burgundy and dark brown and the armor to revolve around a dark cadet blue. Simple enough to buy a quart of the darkest shade I like and cut it with white for two or three lighter shades, right? Footwear can be whatever dark color I find that meets the needs of the judges and my comfort - I let black be a placeholder for now. A gun belt and a utility belt, likely found items from resale shops or the army surplus store will be my two waist items. I think those need to be opportunistic and dyed dark if the color of the cool things that turn up isn't what I want.

I will probably buy an armor kit from someone on the forums - Gungan Armory got my attention - and then keep the "professionally made" parts in reserve while I play with Sintra (or the Home Depot equivalent) for the parts that aren't included in the kit. Learn shaping and finishing on self-made simpler parts, the ones I can reproduce for cheap when my learning curve consumes them, then tackle the kit when I know what I'm doing. I do think the Death Watch kit there is missing either a back plate or thigh guards; I confess my identification of the parts in the Death Watch kit shown is iffy, but it doesn't add up to to all the non-helmet blue parts of my vision. It does have a cod piece, that I specifically do not want to be blue. (Gungan Armory thread.)

In the CRLs, I see I must use a cod piece. Would it be ok for the cod piece to be colored like the soft goods instead of like the other hard pieces? I am enamoured of the crew who rescued Din Djarin and want to emulate them most of all.

Is there a technician or construction battalion type insignia in use? I figure that, at their height, the Mandalorians were like the Marines: everyone trained to fight well enough, and those with additional aspirations were cultivated for specific support jobs, like that gorgeous armorer in the show. I have put a simple placeholder in on the right chest piece, right thigh, and right shoulder (not shown). Death Watch/Clan Visla tag on the left shoulder.

If there is no such insignia, can I make my up own? Nothing fancy, those three lines can be interpreted as a cutting tool in action, a mathematical operator, a construction scaffold, and/or a tripod-mounted weapon. (Yes, I am an engineer IRL!)

Thoughts?

[Kris Jasra]

You can have whatever backstory you wish - it won't change or effect the CRLs.

Night Owl can be used with any modern era custom armour.

You must have a groin covering of some form. This must be either a hard cod plate, or a soft fabric covering that is long enough to cover the whole of the place a cod would sit. Fabric must be made from sturdy material and well finished (though it may be then weathered). You may colour it, no matter which you pick, however you wish. As long as you are staying away from glitter paint and earth based symbols and designs, your paint scheme is your own.

You may wear a personal symbol, it must not be drawn from earth symbols to the extent that we can see the origin. You may also modify or use as is symbols from the show that are not worn only by a canon character (eg Sabine shoulder designs are canon only).
We have a set of orientated symbols for use in the Brigades - this is a set of further CRLs (called BRLs) that are intended for use after base approval. At least one of those is an engineer.

[Kryamla Redalur]

Kris hit everything that I would have so I’ll just say this. I like your concept and think it can work well (just be sure to have a cod plate of loin (which can be the same color as your flightsuit) and you’re good!). Following with interest

[hazelspikes]

I like your concept and am following with great interest! Yay more Nite Owls!

[D'shon Lorra]

Great! Thank you for the encouragement.

I think I will let go of the wish for burgundy textiles and make my first cut black and dark gray soft goods. I already have very plain black leather gloves that I like, I have very plain black leather boots that I can wear all day, I have long sleeved black shirts from which to choose the undershirt, and I found what I think is a great belt for a waist band cover at a resale shop on my way home tonight. The otherwise super-silly loop design that was intended to be the front will be very useful at the back of my kit as a place to hang accessories. The belt I got for $1.50:


thinking it will work out fine worn backwards as a covering for the waist of scrub pants:

.

I found scrubs on Amazon for about $20 that are dark gray, to break up the monotony of all black under the plates. I'm short, so I think I'll cut off enough fabric to make a small fit me that I can use the left overs to make a neck seal. I don't want to go too heavy on the fabrics, knowing I'll have on three shirts under the plates and I live in southeast Texas!

Or, check my layer count: long-sleeved undershirt, scrub top, heavy vest, then the plates on top. And, oh yeah!, I might decide I want a capelet or duster, just because I think they look cool. :-D

[Kris Jasra]

If the belt is elastic you'll need to be covering the elastic portion.

And a tip for if layers get too hot - on any underneath layers cut out panels where they can't be seen and replace with mesh.

[D'shon Lorra]

I was expecting that... is it enough to cover it with a layer of other fabric or thin leather/pleather and add a greeblie or two?

Vents! I'll add that to my late-add list.

[Kris Jasra]

Yes, that's a great way to easily mod it.

[D'shon Lorra]

The accumulation of first-attempt soft goods is complete. I cannot say I am satisfied at all with the scrubs-as-flightsuit. Check this out:



Now, I have thrown the scrubs and custom vest from K'raam Xrati into the washer. I have faith the vest will 'weather' nicely with just regular washing with cold water and hanging up to dry. Worst case, it is so very sturdy that it needs to be beaten up by going through the washer with an old pair of running shoes.  The scrubs are not so straight forward to me. My current plan is to wash them repeatedly, and dry them on hot to try to shrink them as well as relax them. Going in, this size small set fits me as if I got it from Tent & Awning.

Dare I leave the lower legs essentially as they are in confidence that tucked into boots, covered with thigh plates, knees, and greaves, the pants don't matter much?



I do not like how the hips and rear fit me - Tent & Awning? - but waist items, a codpiece, and duster or cape might make them not matter either. Thoughts?

This has reinforced my hatred for drawstring pants as a concept.

[Kris Jasra]

Wearing them round the house will also get them nice and worn in. I went through a flightsuit as everyday wear time to get mine away from that crisp new feel.

I would recommend some elastic on the trousers, either as an underfoot stirrup or round the ankle to keep them in the boot and not blousing and wrinkling at the knee.

I use a cod with an elastic strap that goes up to the rear of my belt and a kama. You can't notice you could fit two of my rears into my flightsuit and at least I'll never worry about ripping that part.

[D'shon Lorra]

LOL That is one upside of the fit, these pants will never rip.

Thanks. I will figure out some elastic placement to help them fit.

[D'shon Lorra]

After modifications per the armor party yesterday (Thank you lots, Kai!) I have laid out the full set of custom armor templates on the half sheet of 6mm PVC Rissa gifted me (Thank you lots, Marissa!).



Now, I am going to leave that solid inch or so on the top curve of the ab plate in case that piece needs to be taller, but otherwise try to be efficient with use of the PVC sheet. I want to at least have bits left that can be replacement/spare/alternate iron hearts, as well as that back-plate-sized chunk in the upper right of the image. Is that a decently good idea, or does experience say I ought not try to place them so close together?

Inventory in image: chest plates, iron heart, ab plate, back plate, two thighs, two shoulders, a two-part collar, and a three-part cod. Thoughts?

[Kay Toh]

Can't claim experience with sintra (yet...) - but it's easier to remove material than add it back in! Plus if your chest plates will be curved you'll end up needing more material than you think. You can always hit up your local sign shop for sintra scraps if you need small replacement parts later

[Kris Jasra]

I cut mine out one at a time. So I can nestle them right up to each other as the cut edge from the first becomes the edge of the second etc. I start with the biggest or straightest edged bits first and put that in a corner and just work from there.
Yes, leave excess on the ab plate and I recomend excess on the outside edge of the chest plates. Depending on how much shaping the chest plates need the angles can change a fair bit having excess means you can shape then trim it to have the line you want.

[D'shon Lorra]

I cut mine out one at a time. ...start with the biggest or straightest edged bits first and put that in a corner and just work from there. ...leave excess on the ab plate and ...on the outside edge of the chest plates.

Thank you for the advice, Kris. Will do!