Thanks vode.
Apparently I'm a liar about not doing more hard parts. I got some new tools and had to try them out. I got some inexpensive radius dollys, in straight and curved shapes. They really make a difference when finishing edges.
I also tried out some simple annealing to work thicker stock than I have before - it worked well enough.
Like before, I'm doing a brass chest diamond. I think it turned out ok.
I riveted the belly plate to the lower extension - I countersunk the holes and then filed away until they were as clean as I could get them.
It was just warm enough outside to push a speedpaint, so I did a quick color set that my final color scheme will go over - I want to show a little bit of history/lineage with this piece, to lean into the Post Imp / scrapper feel. Colors selected by Mrs. Second Son, who continues to be a very good sport.
Self-etching primer, Winter Grey, and Summersquash.
For a 'throwaway' design, I really like how it turned out. The stripe thing is maybe a little trendy but it actually looks pretty dang good.
I also started doing some other parts. I had a spare modern back plate with a slightly more truncated base design, and clipped off the shoulder tabs to turn into the collar bits - Epaulettes is the term I've heard and I like it.
It runs the danger of being a little small, even by PI standards but I can add some coverage.
I've been giving some thought to my two knees and two shins scheme, and decided to add a little variety and flexibility. So, I shaped up a spare butt plate like my Modern kit's with nice edge radiuses thanks to the new dollys(didn't snap any pics of that yet) and a very brief cod plate. The design is a more male-ish variant on the PI cod worn by Koska and Bo - it's clearly identified as a cod plate in the
Understanding Post-Imperial Armor Guide in the Jadd Halls of Knowledge.
The funky markings along the top are from experimenting with a shrinking tool. The ridges I made by tracing a line with a blunted cold chisel and hammer - it put a nice bend and added stiffness, and made the plate a bit more visually interesting without much extra effort.
Pardon the "mugshot"
I'm thinking that with a butt plate, cod, one tall shin, one knee and shin plate set, and a second knee plate that I can make some choices and have some flex in the plates I wear for any given appearance. I'm thinking about how I'll do the mounting to allow for that flexiblity (it probably won't be magnets).
The final bit I got up to over the weekend was to lay down the first of my 'real' colors - a nice dark gray.
I'm experimenting with scattered salt for chipping in addition to my old standby of liquid latex. Almost all of the base colors will be invisible, but hopefully the shadow of the painted stripe and a bit of the layering around some chips and dents will show that story in a really cool, subtle way.
I'm really enjoying the design freedom of PI and not having to stress about every single thing affecting my chances at becoming an official member - this second kit is turning into something of a test kitchen for new tools and techniques. I can and will get it approved, but if something fails along the way I won't be too put out. I'm not setting any hard deadlines for anything either, since I have other stuff to do on my Modern kit as well.
