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[Fenn Beviin]

That's some dedicated sintra cutting right there. Well done

[Jaren Calderian]

Watching your build with interest! I have lots of sintra ridges in my future, too. Look forward to seeing how the Apoxie Sculpt works! I hear it cracks less than bondo, so hopefully it's good to fill in the seams.

Love all your clamps, by the way.

Thanks vod. It’s curing really nicely on the parts I’ve done so far, we’ll see how it sands. The stuff I have is (I think) right at the end of it’s shelf life, around 3 years. Which, incidentally, is the length of time since my last kit attempt  .

Shoulder bell looks great! Keep up the good work

That's some dedicated sintra cutting right there. Well done

Cheers vode!

My paint swatches came out pretty nice.





The lighting in these pictures makes the colours look lighter than they actually are. I gave myself a couple options, and after feedback from family members I’m going with the lighter tan colour. I’d love to know what you guys think, but that one hews closer to what I wanted initially, it’s got a sandy desert/shoretrooper vibe that I really like.

Time to sand! My girlfriend and I have the next week off work, and it’s going to be spent finishing those filled plates, mounting everything for our test fits, painting and finishing our helmets (they should get here soon). Ya’ll should check out her WIP if you haven’t already, we could use some advice on her plate spacing. I’m also waiting on a stock notification from Kalevala Armory, where we’re planning on buying our gauntlets from.

[Fenn Beviin]

Yeah, I really like the lighter tan option as well. If you really want to make the exposed metal areas pop more underneath your primary colors, are a dark grey as the second coat after your base silver, then layer your kit colors ontop of that. Good weathering is all about the layers!

Looking forward to more!

[Jaren Calderian]

If you really want to make the exposed metal areas pop more underneath your primary colors, are a dark grey as the second coat after your base silver, then layer your kit colors ontop of that.

Ooh, good idea! I do have a lot of lighter colours, that'll create some nice contrast. Also it gives it that passed-down and repainted look that fits with my backstory (I'll have to explain that someday). Thanks vod!

[Aster Veris]

I like the lighter option too, good choice!

[Fenn Beviin]

Ooh, good idea! I do have a lot of lighter colours, that'll create some nice contrast. Also it gives it that passed-down and repainted look that fits with my backstory (I'll have to explain that someday). Thanks vod!

Awesome. Can't wait to see it on some plates.

Also - I popped on over to your girlfriends thread like you asked and gave some input as well 

[Jaren Calderian]

Awesome. Can't wait to see it on some plates.

Also - I popped on over to your girlfriends thread like you asked and gave some input as well 

That’s fantastic, thanks vod!

I love my chestplate  .



It’s got a bit of both V1 and V2 to it, and it just makes me happy looking at it. Both shoulders and my right shin have been sanded and primed, and I’m ready to start applying attachments. I think it’ll mostly be velcro, with the shins riveted to the chaps. I’ll glue some foam behind the rivets and on the back of the knee for comfort. I’ve been practicing buttonholes for the thigh and knee straps, and I think I’m ready to go.

I also have a shiny blaster.



I can see why so many mercs use Rubies, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to get them looking real nice. I‘ll  airbrush Tamiya silver for the main body and a blue-ish grey for the handle.

[Fenn Beviin]

Keep up the progress dude!

[Aster Veris]

Very nice!

[Jaren Calderian]

Cheers, vode. Our helmets arrived today!



These things are gorgeous, mine had some minor surface imperfections but 20 minutes with some sandpaper fixed it right up. Stein Designs, pricy but highly recommended.

With that, it’s time for a deflated mando.



Still waiting on gauntlets, holster, belt buckle and helmet liner. It’s so frustratingly close, I just want it to be done!   

[Fenn Beviin]

In the words of Kylo Ren.... Mooooooooooooooooore!!!

[Aster Veris]

Very nice! Can't wait for paint 

[Jaren Calderian]

Ask and ye shall receive  .

Started with the lower legs.



I ditched the rivets, it was proving too difficult to figure out, so everything in this post is held on with velcro. It’s surprisingly sturdy! I had a few headaches figuring out the thigh attachments, but it worked out in the end.



Those snaps came with the suit, I’m assuming they’re part of a harness system. They will not be used.

Finally all the vest plates got attached.



I feel powerful.

I just need to attach the shoulders properly (I already had everything on before I realised I hadn’t sewn the velcro to the sleeves  ) and I’ll be ready to paint! Also our helmet liners shipped this morning, so it shouldn’t be more than a couple weeks before I’m ready for pre-app. We ordered them from White Shadow Customs, I’ve seen a bunch of 501st guys use his liners in their TK helmets, so hopefully his mando liners are just as good.

[Aster Veris]

Yay, you look awesome!
Only thing I want to point out is the knee plate looks a bit droopy, you may want to add some more velcro to the sides of the plate or something so it stays level.

[Fenn Beviin]

Looking great!

As mentioned above, yeah, adjusting the R knee will be good. It does appear to be floating.

How does the flak vest fit you? It looks like it might be floating a little too far off your stomach. Could you take some side shots of that on overtop of your flight suit and post them up?

Also still really digging the color combos

[Leinad Ichslab]

How did you get the curves so perfect on the top piece you made for your thigh?
I have Sintra post imp thighs I'm making and can't figure out for the life of me how to do that!

[Jaren Calderian]

Alright, it's been a busy few weeks but I'm back.

Yay, you look awesome!
Only thing I want to point out is the knee plate looks a bit droopy, you may want to add some more velcro to the sides of the plate or something so it stays level.

Looking great!

As mentioned above, yeah, adjusting the R knee will be good. It does appear to be floating.

How does the flak vest fit you? It looks like it might be floating a little too far off your stomach. Could you take some side shots of that on overtop of your flight suit and post them up?

Also still really digging the color combos

Thanks vode, and correct on both counts. The knees I'll have to play around with next time I put everything on to get the placement right. The vest does need a little adjustment, I've since sewn in some velcro to dart it a little so I can still slip it on over my head.



It's not perfect, but it gets it closer to where it needs to be. Also the backplate needs to be shaped more. I hate backplates.

How did you get the curves so perfect on the top piece you made for your thigh?
I have Sintra post imp thighs I'm making and can't figure out for the life of me how to do that!

Take it slow and don't try to cut through in one go! I learned that lesson the hard way  . Also make sure your blade is nice and sharp.

All of my bits have been delivered! First up, the holster.



This is super lightweight, really nice construction. It's a bit tight, but it should loosen up with use, and it makes it harder for someone to nick my blaster  .

The belt buckle.



It's a "Darth Vader Inspired" buckle, and I love it. Unfortunately it doesn't fit over any of my (normal size) buckles, so my ammo belt will need to be modified to accept it (literally just punching a new hole, no sweat).

One of my favourite pieces, the helmet liner.



This is a White Shadow Customs piece, cast in a lightweight urethane foam and handpainted. I got the BH-Slim on their recommendation, and it turned out to be a bit thin, so it'll need some foam backing when it gets installed, but I'm super happy with it. Gives the helmet a bit of realism if someone asks to look at it. Also it smells concerningly good  .

Last but certainly not least, the gauntlets.



These are modular resin printed gauntlets from Kalevala Armory on Etsy, we both got the default/compad topper version. They all come with the darts, dart plug and Axe Woves-style blade. I asked around the forums as they weren't on the approved vendors list, and no-one had ordered from them before. I'm here to tell you these things are GORGEOUS. Their customer service is really good, they didn't have any in the size we wanted so I messaged them, and got a quick reply once they were back in stock. They must have appreciated us buying two sets because they sent the second with free rocket and whistling bird attachments.



I'd already started sanding and priming before I remembered to take pictures, hence the shiny rocket . I was planning on upgrading to a rocket at some point anyway, so this was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

They close with a dual pin system built into the print, and they feel robust enough to stand up to trooping, which I understand is the main concern with printed equipment.



They take a bit of prep, as with all 3D prints, but once assembled they're beautiful. More than worth the price.



Next up I need to attach the knee darts, adjust the backplate and do a whole lot of painting. After that it's the helmet hardware and I'm pretty much ready for pre-app!

[Fenn Beviin]

Woah! Those gauntlets are awesome.

Makes me want to try and print some on my resin printer now 

[Aster Veris]

Gauntlets look epic!

[Jaren Calderian]

Woah! Those gauntlets are awesome.

Makes me want to try and print some on my resin printer now 

Gauntlets look epic!

I love them, I'm 100% on board with resin prints now. 

Updates!

Gunbelt is assembled. I may take the holster to be recoloured, there's a cobbler in town who might be able to do it. It's just a little lighter than I'd like.



To go with it I have a fancy art-deco raygun  . Still needs weathering and clearcoat, hence the placeholder in the later picture.



And some fancy silver plates.



I needed to change up the shoulder attachment, as it wasn't enough to hold them on properly, so I decided to do a full suit up since I had so many bits on already.



I think I've fixed the knee drooping issue, it looks much better than it used to. I also reshaped the backplate and tightened up the vest to fix the floating. I can no longer put in on by myself, but at least it looks good  .

[Aster Veris]

Looking good! Love the belt and your plates are looking nice.

[Jaren Calderian]

Looking good! Love the belt and your plates are looking nice.

Thanks vod.

Ugh. It seems like every time I get on a roll, something happens to derail everything. This time not just work, but family and pet issues as well! Oh joy.

Anyway, I've done a paint and weathering test on my backplate, and I'm pretty happy with it. I might make the grey undercoat a bit more obvious in some places, but there's a good bit of subtle contrast between the silver and tan now, compared with my original colour tests.





I also weathered and repainted my blaster, as the blue got covered in black paint that I couldn't get off, and I kinda prefer it this way. Not that I don't like prequel designs, but it seems a little more era-appropriate now. Just needs a clearcoat and it's good to go.

[Jaren Calderian]

Another quick paint test on the bootplate:





This one has grey between the tan and silver and it’s much better. Not sure why the black is bleeding through the silver but I kinda like it, it dirties the piece up a bit.

[Fenn Beviin]

Looking good!

Keep at it!

[Aster Veris]

Oooh the plates look great, if you gave the tan a light black and brown wash I think it would all come together really well.