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[Kala Kryze]

First off, heya! I know the title is absurd but it was the best I could come up with (and it’s true!). It’s usually the other way ‘round, eh? I’m a teenager in high school who pretty much decided to go the chaotic route and get a parent to OM so then I can apply. (Thanks to the to the part in the app rules that allows people under 18 to apply for OM (“Trainee”) if they have a Merc parent!) With a bucketload of determination, I decided that I’d like to make it to OM before I’m 18 and if making a parent a kit is what it takes, then that’s what it takes!

My kit is in the painting stage for all armor and some of the soft parts/weapons/little bits and bobs are still in progress. I’m getting close, and so, my mom and I have started the idea-creating of her kit in MandoCreator! I’ve taken to calling it the Crayola kit because it has slowly evolved from this:



To this:



She’ll definitely be eligible for the traffic cone brigade . Maybe not as day-glo as some, but pretty close! The kit will be Modern era and fall under light/medium armor (kind of in between, she doesn’t want boot plates). The idea is supposed to be a rainbow-y sunset with orange and yellow as the main colors, plus pink accents. I finally learned to work a heat gun, so the plan is that the majority of plates will be sintra. Though, for simplicity, the helmet and gauntlets will be 3D prints.

Everything else seems doable! I have a “whoops” flak vest that was supposed to go from a very light grey to a darker one using Rit dye and ended up like this:


(Pictured over my flightsuit.)

I’m passing it along to her, lol. There’s a whole pile of things that I’m donating to the parent kit at this point . In an effort to not have to sew another flight suit from scratch on my end, we’ll go the simpler route with scrubs or a jegging + matching top combo. Boots shouldn’t be too difficult to find secondhand, I have a spare set of leather-like gloves that fit her from when the company sent me the wrong size and I’ll figure out how to work with leather eventually for both my kit and hers. I have to say, it seems less daunting the second time around!

I’m definitely not using Montana Black paints again, though. They spray great in the cold and wash off skin easy if you’re clumsy like me, but even with better nozzles the cans spit and the finish is rough. Wetsanding is the way to go if you want a smooth-adjacent finish, but it’s yet another step. I’ve heard good things about Rustoleum spray paints and I still have leftover filler primer, so that seems like it’ll be the thing to do. I'm planning to use the paint + primer 2X ultra cover gloss spray.

That’s it for now! I’m still hammering out the specifics with her, she’s still debating the color and style of the knee and shin armor. I look forward to starting another kit!

Also, a question. By chance, can someone point me toward the people to ask about application rules relating to Verd’ikas and under-18s with OM parents? I assume it would be the App Team Q&A, but I’m not sure. The rules are a bit frustratingly vague and I’m someone who prefers to understand all of the specifics. Thank you!

[Karl Dha'Werda]

Awesome to see you helping your parent out with a concept kit for her!  It will be an awesome way to help each other out while building, both concepts look good.  Note the galaxies armor style can be a bit tricky for shaping the back plate.  Lean on your local clan Ruus'alor(s) for help and questions.  If possible attend an armor party or two with your parent(s) to help with armor shaping.

Side note; in order to apply your parent will need to create their own forum account, but you are more than welcome to post a thread for them in the meantime to show progress.

[Bowfanny]

App team q&a would get you an answer about applying as a trainee. You do have to get your mom approved first though.

Concept and everything looks awesome. Second kits are definitely easier than our first ones, experience makes a huge difference!

[Kala Kryze]

Awesome to see you helping your parent out with a concept kit for her!  It will be an awesome way to help each other out while building, both concepts look good.  Note the galaxies armor style can be a bit tricky for shaping the back plate.  Lean on your local clan Ruus'alor(s) for help and questions.  If possible attend an armor party or two with your parent(s) to help with armor shaping.

It's definitely going to be fun! The agreement is pretty much she buys the materials, I put it together, and then we troop together. I'm thrilled with that, I love crafting and Mando armor has been a challenge in a good way. I'm finishing up the last piece of my armor that needs sanding then I'm fully ready for paint, so it's as good a time as any to get started on sizing and shaping for her armor! It's not a holiday break if there isn't sanding involved . The galaxies style backplate is kind of odd, I might swap it out for another style. TBD at this point. I'm hoping to get to an armor party soon, it sounds like a great resource. My clan hasn't had one for a while, but I'm keeping an eye out.

Side note; in order to apply your parent will need to create their own forum account, but you are more than welcome to post a thread for them in the meantime to show progress.

Gotcha. She's not the most technologically inclined, I can help her make an account for app but I'll probably be running her WIP thread either way . This is as good a place to start as any!

App team q&a would get you an answer about applying as a trainee. You do have to get your mom approved first though.

Okay, that's what I figured. I know she'll have to be approved first. I keep laughing to myself about this, I feel like it's usually parents who bring their kids into the Mercs, but in my case it's the other way around . Thanks for the quick responses, I really appreciate it!

[Karl Dha'Werda]

The agreement is pretty much she buys the materials, I put it together, and then we troop together.

That is one of the best ways to learn.  My parents did the same when I was in high school.  I had to diagnose what was wrong with my car (61' VW Bug), they would buy the parts I specified, and then I'd have to learn how to fix it.  A couple of times my dad would help me out with install to show things like how to use a fueler gauge or have a little bit stronger force for loosening bolts.  I attribute a lot of my learning style from those experience and the repetition of how to research first, get parts, and then fix.  In your case research, buy, and then build.

[rlobrecht]

What a great project. Good luck with your builds.

[Kala Kryze]

That is one of the best ways to learn.  My parents did the same when I was in high school.  I had to diagnose what was wrong with my car (61' VW Bug), they would buy the parts I specified, and then I'd have to learn how to fix it.  A couple of times my dad would help me out with install to show things like how to use a fueler gauge or have a little bit stronger force for loosening bolts.  I attribute a lot of my learning style from those experience and the repetition of how to research first, get parts, and then fix.  In your case research, buy, and then build.

I absolutely agree! That's a way that has worked for us in the past. Wheelchair technicians upcharge for parts and any maintenance, so I've learned to replace and repair just about everything on my chair. There's a huge learning curve and it's odd to figure out at first (and there's a good chance you'll screw something up), but it's way cheaper to buy the parts direct and swap things out yourself. Experience is gained through making mistakes! Plus, it's great to be able to fix things on the fly instead of waiting for an appointment. Read the manual, figure out what you need, get the parts, then put it all together. The same applies to making a Mando costume

What a great project. Good luck with your builds.

Thank you! 

[Kala Kryze]

I’m back with detailed lists of armor pieces and types! Most things will be made from sintra, save for the helmet and gauntlets. Since I don’t have access to a 3D printer, those will be coming from Etsy most likely. I’ll drop the lists below.

Color:

Rustoleum 2X Ultra Cover Gloss Spray
“Real Orange” - Main color
“Marigold”/“Golden Sunset” - Secondary color #1
“Sun Yellow” - Secondary color #2
“Berry Pink” - Accent color

Rustoleum 2X Ultra Cover Clear Spray
“Clear Gloss” - Protective top coat

Armor:

Modern era
Light/medium armor

-Banshee or Nite Owl helmet (3D print)
-Galaxy style chest plates (Sintra)
-Rebels Sabine style shoulder plates (Sintra)
-BR-3C Modular Gauntlet System (“The Recon” and “Whistling Bird” variations) (3D print)
-Bo-Katan ish shin armor (Sintra)
-Boba-ish knee armor (no rockets) (Sintra)
-??? style backplate (Sintra)
-Basic hard cod (Sintra)

Soft parts:

-Post-Imp Bo-Katan style belt
-Right sided hanging holster (Post-Imp Bo-Katan style)

-Bo-Katan style gloves (already in-hand)
-Stretch jeggings/twill with matching top (flightsuit)
-Boots to match belt (leather-ish)

Just about everything has a reference to a character or era and that’s because while my mom has seen just about every Star Wars show and movie, she hasn’t rewatched them all multiple times like I have . I kept pulling things up until she decided on what she liked. It’s chaotic, but it worked!

She’s close to medium armor, but she maintains that she doesn’t want thigh or boot plates. It looks like she’ll be in between, I rest my case on this one. Light armor it is! She doesn't want any weathering or battle damage as well, so less work for me

My mom prefers the Banshee helmet over a Bo-Katan styled helmet, but I can’t seem to figure out if that style of custom helmet is approved or not. After I did some (inconclusive) poking around, I put it in the app team Q&A form and I’m waiting on a reply. The only other 3D printed part will be the gauntlets, which I’ve seen on a few approved kits and I don’t have any concerns about. The mix-and-match capability is pretty sweet.

I’m planning to get some mock templates for sizing made up during Thanksgiving break. I’m referencing these Jango templates and these galaxy templates. This isn’t going to be a quick build given that I’m working on two sets of armor at once, but gradual progress is better than none!

That’s all for today. K’oyacyi!

[Second Son]

Comment to follow, and also to say you are doing great work.

[Kala Kryze]

I’m back with armor sizing!

I started with a galaxy chest armor template that I found here. I printed it out at 115% and traced it onto tissue paper. Just to get an idea of sizing, I held it up against the flak vest and found that it went a solid inch past the edge of the vest. Per the Modern era CRLs, the ab plate can’t extend past the bottom edge of the flak vest. Eraser and redrafting time!



Since the sizing was alright width-wise, I shortened the chest plate on the first revision (V1).



The chest armor was still too long on V2, so I took off another chunk and shortened the chest diamond as well to keep it all proportional. You can see the V1 version under this second try.



It finally fit on the flak vest with some extra space at the bottom, so that seemed like a solid place to end. I cut out the tissue paper pieces, taped them to regular paper, and then cut those out. Having large paper around comes in handy!







I had my mom put on the flak vest, then taped the pieces to her. It’s little wonky-looking because scotch tape only holds paper to fabric so well, but for a few hours of drafting and revising it’s pretty good overall! The shaping and spacing on the pattern looks a little ridiculous because it’s printer paper, but I’ve seen the tutorial for sintra darts and I’m like 70% sure they won’t be needed.



I think the only thing that desperately needs resizing is the chest diamond, it’s poking into the ab plate and I just realized that as I was looking at the pictures. It’ll be a simple fix!

Do the sizing and spacing look correct? I’d love to get eyes on this and feedback. I know the spacing is kind of horrendous, I blame it on the tape mounting . It’s better when held in place, but that didn’t work well for pictures.

I also messed with patterns for the shins. I used Jango patterns from here, printed them at 100%, and realized how huge they were. I taped them together, put the pieces face-to-face, then cut them down into something more reasonable and redrafted the shin stripes.





The sizing on these turned out nice! The Jango shins are close enough in shape to those of Clone Wars Bo-Katan that my mom is satisfied. I’m just glad I don’t have to make something from scratch

I’m waiting for a response from the app team on the Banshee helmet, then I’ll be able to order the 3D printed items (helmet and gauntlets). I’m poking around and trying to decide whether I should order sintra from Amazon or if I should talk to local sign shops, but either way, I’ll do that soonish.

This part was fun! I spent a solid five hours cutting and drafting and revising, shaky hands make precision difficult but it’s a good time and it’s worth it in the end. I’ll work on the backplate and knees tomorrow. I love having free time on weekends.

So, that’s the additional progress for today! Until next time. K’oyacyi!

[Bowfanny]

Sizing looks good on the galaxies plates. Darts on the sides of the bust area are going to be extremely helpful once you do get to Sintra. You can coax it into a cup shape, but don't squish it while doing so, or you will end up with brittle spots that can simply crack and break out.
I've recently started doing some more patterning for my own gear and one of the first things was a set of shins. Looking awesome so far! Keep at it!