So Phoenix Con has come and gone, and I enjoyed every second of it. I was able to wear my mando both days that we attended, and overall was very pleased with how well everything held up! It was also really great to meet some of the Arizona family. You guys really welcomed me right in, and I am even more excited now than I was when I first started building my kit to join y'all.
Ok, I will put up a couple of pictures from con. I purchased a belt as my ammo belt while we were in town and finished hiding my closure on the girth belt, so I feel like I looked pretty put together. A few people even asked if I was already official, which was a great feeling for a beginner like me.
having some fun with the hubs
Things that need fixin':
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attachment of shnees at boot. The chicago screws on the inner portion came undone. I added velcro after the first day, but they still came undone on the second day
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reshaping on shnees. I think I can get a better wrap around my leg with my current armor. I am also contemplating changing the shape to something that flows more with my back and tail armor (not sure if I will deal with that now or sometime after approval though)
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reshape collar. I want to put a little more bend in my collar plate. In some pictures it looks like it might be lifting a little. May even do a little more velcro to hold it down.
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stick down chest. Holding onto my electrostaff really caused my chest plates to rotate. Maybe more velcro will help? If you have a suggestion please let me know. It looks fine if my arms are at my side.
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girth belt. I want to add a material backing to my girth belt to keep all of the rope together. It kinda did whatever it wanted to since it wasn't sewn through the whole length. It didn't look bad, but it bothered me.
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tail bending. I had some issues with my tail wanting to wrap around one way, especially after sitting down. I am wondering if a thicker wire is in order, or if I should just avoid sitting with the tail on.
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tail armor twisting around. I need to attach the tail armor to a strip of metal or something sturdy that i can attach to the tail directly. All of my walking and people bumping into me caused pieces of the armor to rotate out of place
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Cover zippers. need to figure out how to cover the zippers on my boots since they are gold. I am thinking of picking up black leather/pleather and riveting it to one side and adding some velcro to the other. My shnees cover most of it, but not all of it.
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visor. I still have issues with the tinting in my visor being wonky. Maybe it is just because mine is custom built, or maybe it is because I don't know what the heck I am doing, but the layer is crinkled and I can't straighten it out. Thinking of purchasing a legitimate tinted visor from here.
Things to add to my kit:
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bucket fans. I knew I would need fans in my bucket, just hadn't gotten around to it by the time con came. This is #1 on my purchase list.
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ambient hearing aid for bucket. As much fun as it is to make people get in your face to talk to you, it would make my life easier to be able to hear
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microphone. I don't like to scream in my own ears.
This is probably #2 on my list
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Prosthetics. I know this is more of a "want" than a "need", and I know it can wait until after approval, but I would love to get my prosthetics in order either making them myself or purchasing them. I feel it adds to the character to be able to take off the helmet.
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more weapons. Attach my whip and knife. Maybe even make some pistols or other guns once I am official
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pouches More pouches and maybe even some tech on my ammo belt
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remake flight suit Thinking of remaking it in a heavier material. I can see some fabric wear from where my plates rub on my arms and legs, and I worry that eventually it will rip through. I also keep popping a snap in the back when I bend. Not a huge issue since it can't be seen, but since I have to take everything off to get the tail off I may as well go for a front zipper suit instead. This is not on the top of my list, just something I have thought about for a while.
If you see anything else that needs improvement or have any suggestions please throw it out there for me.
