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[Catra Veshok]

Su'cuy, vode! Here's a concept for my first build. I used the Mando Creator for the colors, a basic idea of the armor style, and whatnot. For this first time around, I'm going for something relatively simple. (I say that now. We'll see what actually happens.) Let me know what you think! Thanks in advance!    

[Catra Veshok]

I've started trying to figure out patterns and sizing. The helmet is too big, but I'll post a picture so others can learn from my mistake. I should've looked closer at the CRLs and also done more measuring before I bought the bike helmet. It's a kid's helmet and still too big. But hey, I can use it . . .  as a bike helmet. So now I understand  it shouldn't be wider than half the width of my shoulders (does that include the ear caps?) and I'll need to take into account the width of the plastic cut from the bucket, not the paper pattern.

Any feedback or suggestions on said faceplate pattern. Is the sizing on the plates ok? Does sintra shrink under the heat gun? Also, what temp works best for 6mm and for 3mm? Thanks guys!

[Tramp Graphics]

I've started trying to figure out patterns and sizing. The helmet is too big, but I'll post a picture so others can learn from my mistake. I should've looked closer at the CRLs and also done more measuring before I bought the bike helmet. It's a kid's helmet and still too big. But hey, I can use it . . .  as a bike helmet. So now I understand  it shouldn't be wider than half the width of my shoulders (does that include the ear caps?) and I'll need to take into account the width of the plastic cut from the bucket, not the paper pattern.

Any feedback or suggestions on said faceplate pattern. Is the sizing on the plates ok? Does sintra shrink under the heat gun? Also, what temp works best for 6mm and for 3mm? Thanks guys!

The helmet shouldn’t be wider than half the width of your shoulders when fully armored. The work around there is to wear larger shoulder pauldrons that make your shoulders appear wider than they really are. This is often an absolute necessity for both men and women who are of slight build.

[Catra Veshok]

The helmet shouldn’t be wider than half the width of your shoulders when fully armored. The work around there is to wear larger shoulder pauldrons that make your shoulders appear wider than they really are. This is often an absolute necessity for both men and women who are of slight build.

Thanks for the clarification! I'll see what I can do with those pauldrons, then. Maybe this helmet is destined to be not a bike helmet after all...

[Catra Veshok]

Fabric and paint. The color scheme is coming together.  I wonder if the silver paint is too shiny though. Now for a test...

[Catra Veshok]

First paint tests today.

I marked the insides of the spoons so I would know exactly which layers I was doing, and then remember after painting.



At first, I liked the two silver colors layered, with the shinier one on top. But then I decided I liked the way the other paint colors end up smoother over just shiny silver.




Here are the colors. I like how the gold-copper turned out. But the orange and burgundy are a lot more saturated in color than I'd like. They make me think of Sabine. She's cool, but I'm going for more of the earthy tones.





All the colors with different metallic bases. Grayish on top row, then silver, then both.



I tried layering the orange and burgundy. I like that better than them alone.  The camera really likes to bring out the orange. I still want the color toned down. I'll browse through the paint sections again. But if I can't find anything more earthy without being flat out brown, any ideas how to layer colors to mute them a little bit, take off the bright edge?

Colors with layers of both metallic bases. Note how the gold kind of crackled.



Colors with just the silver base.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

I'm loving this concept -- big fan of earthy tones! I very much appreciate your thorough logging of your paint tests, they'll come in handy for me too when I decide on paint for durasteel plates.

It doesn't surprise me that the paint gets more textured as you add more layers, I'm going through some paint tests right now attempting to get a perfect gloss finish, and it is tough. Extra layers get the orange peel effect and can even wrinkle if it's too humid out. If you're trying to minimize texture, you can try sanding high grit between the layers (if the sanding dulls the shinier paint, you may need to clearcoat after sanding), and wait up to three days for each layer to fully cure before adding another. The uneven texture can be caused by an uncured lower layer gassing off while the upper layer dries.

...Yeah, there's a lot of factors to getting a smooth texture! Hopefully my own experiments go well and I'll have better advice in the following weeks!

About toning the colors down, how weathered of a kit are you going for? Black washes dull the colors in a way that helps with realism, check out some armor WIP threads for some before/afters -- it's quite a difference and may help with the look you're going for!

[Rilal Birom]

I love the desert palette Earth-tones you've chosen!  Your concept looks great!  Can't wait to see how it all turns out!

[Catra Veshok]

It doesn't surprise me that the paint gets more textured as you add more layers, I'm going through some paint tests right now attempting to get a perfect gloss finish, and it is tough. Extra layers get the orange peel effect and can even wrinkle if it's too humid out. If you're trying to minimize texture, you can try sanding high grit between the layers (if the sanding dulls the shinier paint, you may need to clearcoat after sanding), and wait up to three days for each layer to fully cure before adding another. The uneven texture can be caused by an uncured lower layer gassing off while the upper layer dries.

Thanks for the advice! I admit I was in a bit of a hurry doing the tests. I had no idea about uncured paint letting off gas, but it makes sense! Good to know.

[Catra Veshok]

About toning the colors down, how weathered of a kit are you going for? Black washes dull the colors in a way that helps with realism, check out some armor WIP threads for some before/afters -- it's quite a difference and may help with the look you're going for!

I'll definitely take a look at some of those before/afters. Thanks for the idea. As far as the amount of weathering... I want it to look like it's been through some things and out in the elements, but not so much it looks like it's been through a sarlacc.

[Catra Veshok]

I love the desert palette Earth-tones you've chosen!  Your concept looks great!  Can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Thanks vod!

[Catra Veshok]

A couple notes on patterns:

This first one, for making a vest, I discovered on another WIP thread. It's apparently a vintage pattern, so I could only find it online. The nice thing about that is it was cheaper, even with shipping, than a lot of new patterns you find at, say, Joann's. I got it from a little site called Pattern-Walk.com, and they left this little thank you note, which was a nice personal touch. It did take a little longer than expected in the mail, but hey, with times as they've been, it's not too much of a surprise. The thing to be aware with vintage/used patterns is they might already be cut. This can be convenient, or make the pattern too small. I think I'll be fine in this case, though.



This second pattern I got new. I will have to add a zipper, which isn't included in this pattern, and find a way to hide it.  This pattern is intended for stretchy fabric, so I might have to make a couple other little modifications. It was all I could find after a bit of searching that was simple and non-frilly. Haha. I'll of course have to make it look like part of a one-piece flight suit.

Also, here's something my mom taught me that might be helpful when it comes to patterns. Cut out the largest size, even if you're a smaller size. Then cut it into tabs so you can fold them down to your size. Then if you find the pattern runs small, or if you want to use the it again years later and you've grown a bit sideways, you still have the larger sizes to work with. I've also been learning with my last couple projects why my mom never took shortcuts with the instructions. I am not as patient (or ambitious) as she was with sewing, but I'm finding it actually makes life easier to just go through all the tedious steps. In fact this time, I think I'm going to add some extra rows of stitching along the seams for reinforcement.

[Catra Veshok]

More colors, with no metallic base. Just wanted to get an idea what these looked like.
More experimental layering later.

[Skub Dunkhus]

Su'cuy, vode! Here's a concept for my first build. I used the Mando Creator for the colors, a basic idea of the armor style, and whatnot. For this first time around, I'm going for something relatively simple. (I say that now. We'll see what actually happens.) Let me know what you think! Thanks in advance!    

I really love this design concept!! Earthy tones look great on Mandalorian armor, I am using a similar color palette in my build!

[Catra Veshok]

I really love this design concept!! Earthy tones look great on Mandalorian armor, I am using a similar color palette in my build!

Thanks vod! I could probably take notes from you how to get the right colors in paint!

[Catra Veshok]

I've seen a few tutorials and WIPs where people are using a black primer beneath the metallic paint. So I decided to try it out, and wow! It makes a difference. It gives it more weight and substance somehow. It makes it really look like metal, not a plastic imitation. I really like it.

Preparing for more testing:



Black, grayish, and silver, in that order:



I waited for a longer between layers, and gently sanded the gray layer before applying the silver this time.




Black and two layers of silver:



Doing two layers of silver made a difference, but I think I sprayed the second one too close so it wasn't quite as smooth and even.



Comparison - Silver alone and silver with black underneath:



Comparison - Gray/silver with and without black:



The gray by itself really isn't my favorite:



Conclusion: Right now it's a tossup between the gray + silver and the two silver layers on top of black. I like the darker sheen of the gray/silver. But I'll have to be careful it doesn't come off as glittery. I think the sanding helped. The smooth color of just the silver on black is nice too.

[Skub Dunkhus]

Thanks vod! I could probably take notes from you how to get the right colors in paint!

I'm down to compare notes 

[Sylvilagus]

Hey, I'm using that same wine red on my kit. Pairing it with black and brown.

[Arco'thyel Wyshla]

Ooh, great tests! I was going to put my silver directly onto sintra, but given your findings, looks like I gotta do a black backer. That gray/silver backed with black has great depth!

[Catra Veshok]

Ooh, great tests! I was going to put my silver directly onto sintra, but given your findings, looks like I gotta do a black backer. That gray/silver backed with black has great depth!

Awesome! Glad that helped!

[Catra Veshok]

Hey, I'm using that same wine red on my kit. Pairing it with black and brown.

Cool! It's a nice, rich color.

[Catra Veshok]

Hey, all. I feel like it's been awhile. I had a couple big deadlines with work and chipped away at this when and where I could, or when I just needed a brain break from work. I just started a helmet WIP thread if you want to check it out/offer advice. https://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=205036.0 . I'll post more stuff here on paint testing when I get back to doing that.

Oya!

[Catra Veshok]

Hi all! Here's a link to my soft parts thread: https://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=205883.0

[Catra Veshok]

Okay, I've started an armor thread!

https://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=206562.0

[Karson Wren]

Liking this colour scheme.

The wraps are much much cool!