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 Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Merc Approved**

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update APR 19**
« Reply #100 on: Feb 08, 2017, 11:56 AM »
Revisiting this. Hoping to have something ready for Celebration Orlando in April. The girlfriend is doing Jango, so this will be a good couple's costume

My girlfriend's armor on the right which is for normal sized people. Gonna be finishing up my armor masters hopefully sooner than later and will be doing some mold making



I've got someone to tailor my flak vest finally. Last major hurdle is the flightsuit and the cape. I'm also thinking of re-doing my arm sleeves too...

I've ordered some boots as well, which hopefully will arrive in time from the UK

-TC

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Solus Raam


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 8 2017
« Reply #101 on: Feb 08, 2017, 04:54 PM »
 :D good to see ya back at it.

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 8 2017
« Reply #102 on: Feb 09, 2017, 09:58 PM »
Thanks Joe!

I got a bit more done today. Taking a few days off so I wanted to get the ball rolling on making the other pectoral piece. This is a technique I've been wanting to try for awhile and discovered this from Bobamaker's page on how he had to create the opposite jango pectoral. I will say, maybe due to the significantly larger scale my piece is to a normal jango pec, it was seemingly more difficult than it looks. Nonetheless, I feel it worked well enough for my needs so I can't complain. While the outcome is not a smooth surface, the idea is you're mirroring the overall shape so you're not trying to make it symmetrical by sculpting it.

The one thing I will be doing differently, however, is that Daz used his resin copy as the final master. For myself, as I did with the first sintra pec, by creating a form and heating/shaping the sintra, I'll be doing the same with this piece, by reinforcing and cleaning the surface, pressing into the plastic.

The surface is funky as I had used talcum powder to thicken the resin. Unfortunately, despite the work time stating 10 minutes, it was already starting to cure closer to 5, therefore some of the larger clumps. Was my first time doing that, so I'll just experiment next time...











-TC

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 9 2017
« Reply #103 on: Feb 09, 2017, 10:36 PM »
Fixed the first post's images.

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 9 2017
« Reply #104 on: Feb 10, 2017, 06:06 PM »
Little bit more work today. While doesn't look like much, trying to sculpt this was a chore. This piece will sit on the lower-center part of the belt. I used magic sculpt and just went at it. It's not perfect, but considering I suck at sculpting (anything in clay) I think it's alright. Once it cures I'll be scribing in the teeth details. Once it's done, I'll make a quick mold and cold-cast the piece. Think it'll look good once that process is done.



Additionally, I reinforced the rear of that resin copy I did yesterday. It's no longer going to flex, so I can start cleaning the top-side without fear of breaking anything. As I said, this will just serve as the form for the sintra.



As for the other armor parts, I'm gonna reinforce the collar piece the same way as it's pretty flexible. Another thing to note though, I'm wondering if the collar may just be a bit too wide for me, but I'll consult with locals about that before proceeding forward

-TC

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #105 on: Feb 12, 2017, 12:08 AM »
Despite running around most of the day, I've got this piece pretty much done, the hard part anyways. Piece is cold cast and polished. Just needs some weathering.

Placement on the belt, think it's a good size



I added teeth to the sculpt and made a quick mold



First cast cleaned up and polished!



-TC

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Vhett Naast


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #106 on: Feb 12, 2017, 03:23 PM »
Nice work! That is a great unique part on his kit

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #107 on: Feb 13, 2017, 07:03 PM »
Nice work! That is a great unique part on his kit

Thanks! Was difficult to really get an idea of how I really wanted it. It's a shame since theres very little reference for it but at least from a distance it still looks pretty much as it does in the comic

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #108 on: Feb 20, 2017, 10:21 PM »
No new pics at the moment unfortunately but I did get my boots in the other day. So I'll be modifying those and need to beat them up a bit however I may just dirty them and let them naturally scuff.

Additionally I have found a local seamstress who will be fabricating my body suit, modifying my leather flak vest and making me new arm glove sleeves. So it's going

I'm still waist deep in my girlfriend's jango build so that's been keeping me busy.

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Dresdon Acacin


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #109 on: Mar 02, 2017, 11:38 AM »
I have some tips for weathering leaher boots-try kicking around in the fenders of your vehicle to scrape up the toes and leading edges of them, then hit them with some roughly 150grit sandpaper to take away the shine

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #110 on: Mar 03, 2017, 10:24 AM »
I have some tips for weathering leaher boots-try kicking around in the fenders of your vehicle to scrape up the toes and leading edges of them, then hit them with some roughly 150grit sandpaper to take away the shine

Good idea. Fortunately these boots are dull in appearance. I'm gonna try and make them more stained/dirty rather then deliberately tear it apart - I'd rather let that happen naturally

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #111 on: Mar 12, 2017, 09:56 PM »
Not much to show today since the past 2 weeks or so I've been focused on the Jango helmet and gauntlets. However, I did finally get my belt rig done. I may push the side pouches a bit more forward though. I added the skull w/ some weathering and took scrap leather, "etched" the line detail, dyed and attached to the center belt. Glad w/ how it came out. I'll eventually want to trade out the front-hanging straps with something more detailed and functional for future dual-pistol holsters....



-TC

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Vhett Naast


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #112 on: Mar 13, 2017, 11:41 AM »
Looks good!

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #113 on: Mar 20, 2017, 09:49 AM »
Molding supplies arrived last friday. Looking at the calendar, I am needing to produce the armor molds NLT the weekend of the 31st. I'm gonna focus on finishing the last of the Jango parts for the girlfriend this week, so that I can focus on completing my armor masters

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update FEB 11 2017
« Reply #114 on: Mar 27, 2017, 08:04 AM »
OK, more of a substantial update this time

I've been able to re-focus on the chest armor components finally. I've been doing the final clean up and surface prep for molding over the weekend. I initially felt that the remaining work would put me through till the weekend, however, not the case. I've got all pieces ready except for the right-side pectoral, which should be done and ready by tomorrow.



Added the slots to the pec



I spent last night prepping 2 of the pieces for molding, as I'll be doing 2 at a time and starting the molding process tonight.



Also, I received my re-tailored flak vest yesterday. I need to re-dye the entire thing into a royal/navy blue, so this will be fun

Additionally I think my phone's camera is starting to die out...getting some really bad images lately

-TC

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Vhett Naast


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update MAR 27 2017
« Reply #115 on: Mar 27, 2017, 01:44 PM »
Those look nice  8)  8)  8)

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update MAR 27 2017
« Reply #116 on: Mar 28, 2017, 09:13 AM »
Got started on the armor molds last night. Messy process, but all cured as of this morning. I'll be adding the mother mold tonight and I should be able to demold these 2 on Wednesday. The last 2 pieces are almost ready and will hopefully be adding rubber to them as well on wednesday. If all goes as planned, I should have those done by Friday. I may even try and start the casting process on wednesday or thursday and friday. Would be nice to have the armor parts ready for mounting to the flak vest over the weekend



-TC

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update MAR 28 2017
« Reply #117 on: Mar 29, 2017, 02:18 PM »
So last night was frustrating. I was all ready to start the mother molds for the collar and ab plate molds....I open my free form air tubs....and part A is effectively dried up and non-usable. I was told I could just add water and it'll be good...nope...made it more of a mess than anything. Due to needing the molds done by the weekend and being broke till thursday, my buddy saved my ***** and secured a new batch which should arrive friday, allowing me to complete the mother molds that night to be ready by saturday. Additionally, I was having a hard time trying to dye jango gauntlet hoses but that crisis is now averted. I prepped the last 2 pectoral pieces for silicone today. While I applied a clear coat on the first 2 pieces, it had a weird reaction on one of the pectoral plates, leaving what looked like heavy scratches..I'm not sure what happened, but I decided that for these last 2 pieces I'm not gonna risk that again, just sanding them smooth up to 2000 grit.

I'll do a once over with the 2k grit before we start adding the rubber. Additionally, I've dyed the linen to be used for my cape and neck seal, though I realized that the neck seal should be the same tone as the body suit, so I'll play with that at some point. I did throw it in the dye bath a 2nd time since this pic, so it'll hopefully be a little darker, but the color is pretty close. I'll add some black as well to it which should help, then of course the weathering later on...







-TC

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Vhett Naast


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update MAR 29 2017
« Reply #118 on: Mar 29, 2017, 10:55 PM »
Sounds frustrating man, glad things worked out in the end. Good luck with the dying, my attempts never turned out how I would have liked lol  :-X  :laugh:

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update MAR 29 2017
« Reply #119 on: Mar 31, 2017, 10:50 AM »
Alright, well, I've had a minor set back yesterday. I was trimming the excess silicone from the right-side pectoral mold and mis-identified the edge...well, the pic below speaks for itself. Fortunately, as upset as I was, I still had a whole night before I get the new mother mold material, so I removed it and re-did the mold...I just cannot make this mistake again....



I wasn't having luck with the dye, so I scrapped it and sourced a new fabric..luckily, I found this nearly perfect color cotton fabric..which I'll be using for my cape. I need to find a shirt for it or have one made of the same fabric, but I'm not gonna stress too much.



Not pictured, but I did start working on the cod piece sculpt again. I need to have it ready no later than wednesday next week if I want to have it mold, cast and integrated onto my suit.

Lastly, a friend of mine pushed through making shoulder bells for me. The first ones he's sending me won't be refined, but he will re-do them after celebration. I should get them next week and can more than likely get them wearable.

-TC

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update APR 3 2017
« Reply #120 on: Apr 03, 2017, 10:57 AM »
Alright, got a big update now. Last Friday we did the mother molds, the girlfriend helped me out and we got it knocked out. I will saw I learned after the fact that I need to apply much more clay around the sides as demolding, I had discovered a few spots w/ undercuts, making demolding a challenge...

That being said though, the molds turned out well other wise.



We didn't waste time though, starting casting immediately. I used smooth on 326 to make the 'gel coat" cold cast and then backed that w/ cotton flocking and then Epoxamite w/ fiber cloth from west marine. I do need to tweak the process a bit though as some of the casts aren't as nice as I hoped (the cold cast portion at least). Additionally, much to my judgment, we made these a little too thick, so if I get around to doing another set, I'll have to cut it down.

This is after the cold-cast layer, a 2nd layer being that of just 326 w/ black tint and then the cotton flocking added to it.



And here are the first pulls. The collar and left-pec I had demolded first, and cleaned up. The ab plate has some swirls going on, but I was able to take almost all of it down while polishing it. Overall they are useable. I don't need them to be shiny like Jango and it's still much more silver in person than in photos. Honestly, at least for my costume I don't see a need to replace them down the road unless they break, but I'll tell you this epoxy is incredibly strong



Also over the weekend, another friend who has leather working experience dyed my flak vest to the navy-blue color I needed. I love the contrast with it and the armor. Another friend of mine also made my neckseal and (you'll see below) worked on my cape. Lastly, I made a quick chest diamond and made a mold of that...



And so here's where I'm at as of last night



Overall I'm quite happy about how it's coming along. Everything major is wearable now.

The last major things are:

-Finish/mold/cast cod piece
-Apply red design on chest armor
-Weather it all

I am also just waiting to get my stuff from the seamstress....which is the last major hurdle..

This is the home stretch for celebration

-TC


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Solus Raam


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update APR 3 2017
« Reply #121 on: Apr 03, 2017, 04:56 PM »
So exciting man!

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update APR 3 2017
« Reply #122 on: Apr 04, 2017, 09:28 AM »
Not much to report today but I did get the red-line emblem painted on the chest armor. I think it came out pretty good



The shoulder bells did arrive yesterday and they're pretty much cleaned up and ready for paint. Had to focus on the Jango build. Tonight I will be meeting with the seamstress to find fabric for the rest of soft parts..after that, I am hoping to shift gears back to the cod piece, but I may or may not attempt to make a quick one-off just to get through celebration...We'll see how much I can get done tonight with it

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Vhett Naast


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update APR 4 2017
« Reply #123 on: Apr 04, 2017, 12:10 PM »
Its really coming together! stoked to see it complete!

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tubachris85x


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Re: Open Seasons: Montross "The Brutal" **Update APR 4 2017
« Reply #124 on: Apr 05, 2017, 10:12 AM »
Progress from last night.

Got the shoulders bells cleaned up and added the notch details, and painted the base-blue. Just have to add the red square. My friend is coming back over today so we'll get it fitted and add the leather strap, then those will be all done.

Last thing to rush through is this cod piece. I built up the main body for it awhile ago, but just now really getting to it. Using the floral foam to get the overall shape and then I covered it with magic sculpt. Smoothing it out took quite a bit of time. It's not perfect but it'll do the job. Just gotta continue sanding and cleaning it up as best as I can, but I could have it ready by friday for molding...coming down to the wire....










-TC

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