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[Natan Vizsla]

Some Tampa Bay Comic-Con photos. Working with some guardians. Gotta love when Elsa wants to build snowmen. Chopper, R2, and I are protecting the sandperson and her bantha from Jetti filth. Rocking with the Avatar. Lastly, taking a contract from the Empire.

I am aware of the plates bunching up in the selfie with Queen Elsa.

[Havelock]

Awesome, vod!

[Natan Vizsla]

I'm going to call this my Mk1.5 kit.

I didn't wear my girth belt since it isn't as girth belty as it should be and I've got the sash and pouch and kama belts all wrapped around my midsection.

I have a door chain with a chest diamond and the mythosaur invasion tracker that I forgot to slide into the door chain holdy widget on my belt.

I also need to put a tab of velcro on the scrub legs to keep the knees in place. One was having trouble since the velcro I use on an elastic band to secure the back wasn't wanting to stay on even though it's stapled on as well.

[Natan Vizsla]

I'm back from the dead (yelled as I fly into the celebrations on Endor blasting Ewoks [robot chicken reference]). So over the long fall semester here at FSU I got very little accomplished. I've lost my will to make the grenades, they look off to me now.

I do have some things I'd like to update you all on, firstly I will be revamping my entire kit to Mk2. I got some new gauntlets from Dha'senaar (aka Wolfpack) and I'm using reflective tape to make the lights show up. Weathered my kama with some discoloring, tears, and burns. Finally I will be going towards Recon for Spec Ops Brigade, comm suite on my left upper backplate (which will be a SWG style design). Adding trauma plates of 3mm and going from 3mm to 6mm main plates.

What Recon BRLs say that I need on top of the norm light to medium (I'm light so check):
         Primary blaster - modified EE3
         Holdout/backup - might see if I can use the Westar for that, or if both can work I will drop the EE3
         Knife/beskad/Etool - I have a knife, working on a beskad, and the retractable blade from my new gaunts is something I want to modify to a full knife
         Additional comm stuff - my shoulder suite fills that
         Binos, macro or electro - no plans yet, may go with the TK special
         Pouches, lots of spares - got 3 small Jango and a larger misc, getting 2 extra large misc
         Optional: grenades, flares, ghillie, jetpack - may go with some flares strapping around a leg like the rebel pilots

I also found some pics from TBCC with me and Wolfpack (Dha'senaar).

[Natan Vizsla]

Real progressuuuuuu. Senpais notice me!!!!!

Pouches fulfilling the Recon Brigade requirement. The two big pouches in the center (will be more over my butt) are filled with some foam to give them shape but not weigh much. The final large pouch next to the door chain will be for wallet, keys, phone, and whatever earthly items I'm carrying.



New boots in distressed black, I will change the pointed gaiter cuff to a flat short cuff, should be arriving by the weekend. I will have pics of my feetsies in them when they arrive.



I have the majority of the plates cut out in 6mm using the templates from my 3mm set so the sizing is correct. Just need knees cut out then shaping. The back plate as seen here will actually be flipped so the "Comm Side" as I have marked will be on my left shoulder blade. More DeathWatchy goodness with the emblem and the Mando'a for DW written underneath, I'm thinking of putting Vizsla above the emblem as well.



I have commissioned a vest from Sidi as well to replace my old one. It's gonna be a standard one of her black diamond fabric with buckles closing the sides.

[Kavryn Falco]

Man, I wish my pouches were big enough to hold my phone I tried slipping it under my vest so my girthbelt would hold it, but that did not work at all

Can't go wrong with Sidi's vests, they're just awesome. I've got the buckles variety too, and I just slip it on over my head, with chestplates & backplate attached. Makes kitting up a breeze

All in all it's looking good!

[Natan Vizsla]

I've got the buckles variety too, and I just slip it on over my head, with chestplates & backplate attached. Makes kitting up a breeze

My current Kraam vest zips up the back so I have to remove my backplate everytime. I want it to be easier which is why I figured the Sidi vest would be good.

[Natan Vizsla]

Fine trimmed plates, won't shape until my Sidi vest arrives sometime this month. Still need to cut out trauma plates as denoted by the sharpie. Left shoulder (lower of two shoulders) bell will have a mythosaur as well. DW emblem is off center and the boxed off section on the top left of the backplate will be a boxy comm pack, probably sloping edge at the bottom, will have a mock up of that soon.



Boots arrived today. The boot itself fits nice but the gaiter wasn't tight enough for my taste so I punched new holes for the straps. I'll have to trim the excess from the straps and I want less of a widow's peak Vegeta looking point at the front of the gaiter cuff.
Edit: I thought a Mando wouldn't go to get things cut and stitched super nicely so I just used some scissors and trimmed the excess of the straps, then used some feuer just to melt the ends some. I also rolled under the scalloped Vegeta hair cuff.

[Kavryn Falco]

Looks good, I like the mods you did to that boot

[Natan Vizsla]

Got a vibroblade from helix. It's prepped and ready for paint. I'm gonna repaint my EE-3 so I'll do both at the same time.



I do have my trauma plates all cut out. Still need to glue them on and fine tune the edges. For the chest plate tabs coming up the will be slightly bent forward, I believe Kol Hokan was my inspiration for using the SWG look for trauma plates. It'll help tie in the SWG backplate with the standard Fett armor. The portion over the Fett main plate will be 3mm but I'm gonna make the upper tabs 6mm by adding an extra 3mm to the back.



Still need to cut out my knees and mock up the comm pack with some cardboard, then sintra.

[Natan Vizsla]

Vest came in from Sidi, great vest go buy one from her. I'm gonna keep one side clipped and the other side will be my slip on over head side, slip on side has the velcro neckseal closure as well.


Knees have been cut, rough shaped, and rough bondo'd. I will be sanding the bondo down more if the fuzzy velcro on the orbital sander pads actually wants to stay attached instead of flying off. Has anyone had this problem with orbital sanders? (sander and sandpaper that flew off in the background as I got fed up with reattaching it and just left it) Cod has also been shaped and is awaiting bondo.

[Natan Vizsla]

Picture of torso plates incoming



I shaped all my plates except for the backplate and trauma plates. The two chest pieces are gonna get a little bit more shaping on the sides, fangs are fine. I still need to adjust spacing before sewing on the velcro to the vest so don't worry about the current space it's only for proof of progress.

Updates without pictures because I'm lazy (will probably post the pictures over the weekend): Shoulders have been shaped and trauma plates added to them, just need to touch them up a bit sanding wise and some battle damage to the plates themselves before painting. Knees just need a tad bit of sanding and they'll be ready as well, already damaged. Cod is ready for paint entirely no sanding left.

My deadline for everything being done is the beginning of April when I'm going to CollectiveCon in Jacksonville, FL.

So anyone got any words of encouragement or critiques? I'll take either. I do know there is a lot of sharpie on all of the plates but it makes sense to me.

[Dha'senaar]

Looking good man! Eventually I'll have to get you to join the 6mm sintra club 

[Natan Vizsla]

It is 6mm sintra.

[Natan Vizsla]

Photo update: I haven't worked on the plates for about a week, Student Veteran business takes priority. I have decided to no longer pursue Recon Brigade in favor of the proposed Privateer Brigade. Paint scheme is still gonna be Grey and Red with Black undercoat. Below is my armor upgrades as it stands right now though.

Helmet: Still the same old NME Mercenary bucket, no changes.
Diamond: Not pictured but a 6mm diamond from old kit (see avatar).
Collar, Chest, Ab: Shaped, no trauma plates adhered yet. You will see there are two little trapezoid shapes right above the chest plates, those are gonna be affixed to
             the back side of the trauma plate upper prongs to give more depth to it making it 6mm there while the main trauma on the chest plates is 3mm.
Shoulder Bells: Need a little trimming on the trauma plate of the right shoulder (bottom in picture). Trauma plates have been adhered.
Back: Needs shaping. No longer gonna have a comm unit, trauma plate along spine. The DW logo (taken straight for Wookieepedia to fill 8.5x11 paper) will line up
             with the bottom of the point on the trauma plate.
Cod: Ready for paint.
Knees: Minor sanding, then ready for paint.
Gauntlets: Gonna try to get rid of 3D printing lines with sanding (maybe bondo), then ready for paint.



Edit:
The trauma plates for the back and shoulders will be black. The DW logo on theBack and the Mythosaur skull on the Left Shoulder will be red. I'm not sure if I am putting the 13 numbering on the Right Shoulder or Right Chest, color of that will depend on placement (red if shoulder, black if chest). Not sure if I mentioned it or not somewhere else but I will be using the reflectors that are in the gauntlets as chest lights (layout for that still undecided).

Visual of backplate with DW logo.