Well, vode, here I am. I've got my first rough concept sketch more or less finished. My character, Novoc Mereel, is an expert Mandalorian sniper. I've started a scratchbuild WoF helmet from posterboard, and have begun planning out a paint scheme. Here's my first full-body concept art!
As you can see, I borrowed heavily from Thaxos's Legacy Era chest armor. I did ask him permission via Facebook to base some of my kit on his, and he agreed. If needed, I can modify the design so that nobody feels like my kit is a knock-off.
Features I wanted feedback on include:
- The kama--I decided that, instead of thigh armor with a kama around the waist, I borrowed a concept I saw on the completed kit thread and decided to make one harness belt that would have my cod piece and some basic, shaped thigh armor attached directly to the kama, for ease of use. Being a sniper, flexibility will be a key component of this kit, as a sniper must always have high mobility to quickly change locations. I am planning on somehow affixing the holster for my sidearm to the right piece of thigh armor, possibly integrating it directly into my armor, and attaching a strap across the top to hold the weapon in place.
- The knees/shins--Playing into the idea of high mobility/flexibility, I wanted to give a more simplistic (read: inexpensive... I AM a college kid, after all...
) look to my lower legs. I decided to use the rectangular knees and shin/calf wrapping style seen on the Montross action figure, and I reasoned that it would be impractical for a sniper to have shin armor, again, weight cuts down on mobility. Plus, theoretically, different colors/styles of wrappings can be substituted for different mission environments (i.e. plains, forest, mountain, etc).
- The rangefinder--I've been lurking around the site and asking questions for about a month now. I liked the idea of having an integrated rangefinder/macrobinoculars on my buy'ce, and have seen a few approved kits with them. I somehow (I'm still not sure how this idea came to me) thought of using two (heavily) modified drink lids, one on each side of my bucket, to allow the RF to easily go over my visor, or rest on my forehead, being that the lids will naturally stop at a certain point! I also have a small antenna planned, that will be placed on an earcap underneath the right side's lid, and be facing out at a slight diagonal angle (I'm thinking 30 degrees would look about correct, IMHO).
- Bullets (not shown)--I wanted to add a twist to my character, and make him have a preference for "slugthrowers" as they are called in the Star Wars universe. There are canon slugthrowers in SW KotOR and KotOR II (Sidenote: two of my favorite games of all time!), however, I wondered if this would be at all acceptable in the era I am placing my character. (As for the weapon I drew, I was really just doodling a random gun. I haven't picked the weapon I will modify yet, for my main sniper rifle.) Here's what I would like to do with the bullets, if this idea is potentially approvable:
Keep in mind that this may not necessarily be on my left arm. I haven't decided on placement, yet.
Whoa. Sorry for the wall of text, everyone! A little information about myself that will be relevant in building this kit:
I am about 6'2"-3", and weigh in at about 195 pounds, though I am about to start working out regularly with a friend to get in better shape (partially so that my armor looks good on me, not that I am grossly overweight.) I have an OM in one of my classes, and we will probably be having a planning/armor party in the next couple months, while I save money to begin this kit. I wanted to slowly post ideas and concept drawings, as well as refining my overall look to make a high-quality kit.
Hopefully, the community will find that I have put significant thought into the building of my character, as well as trying to make the kit as "practical" as possible. I will humbly accept any constructive criticisms, comments, pats on the back, etc. and look forward to hearing from you all! Oya!
