rnlaing's fem mando gear

Originally i was going to go as boba, but ya know, reshaped chest to the degree i would need to reshape them would look "redonkulous" as fett. so i made my own mando (story and all) and put it together.
Remember, small budget. I'm a junior in college. Its a 35 dollar set of sintra armor from ebay and a fifty dollar jango fett helmet, a load of supplies from michaels and home depot. As of now , its maybe cost me 100 bucks boots included. The flak vest gets sewn tomorrow.

oh yeah, and the helmet needs a bracket at the base, a new visor and a touched up paint job after the new visor is installed. These are the pictures. Im a first timer at armor, be gentle with me.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_2761.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_2762.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...aing/front.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ng/helmet1.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_2764.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_2766.jpg

I have the chest tab, i just...need to find it. My room is a disaster , you know...work, school. repeat.

oh and this is me wearing what i'll have on beneath the helmet
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ing/kissme.jpg

Cool custom! Seen a lot of nice "bare metal" customs lately.
It almost looks like your toenails match the armor too.

Eric

LOL they do match!

Now THAT is the attention to detail that will make you successful on this forum!
Well done!

Welcome to TDH.

Armor looks pretty good for your first try.

Wow that looks great, really beat up, battle worn, rugged and rough . i love it.

just one thing, remove the paint from the visor, so the visor is in mint condition and you will be there.

That looks great. I like the baremetal look, and it certainly looks used and abused. What color is your suit and vest going to be?

Ronin...she is getting a new visor.

lol, yes i'm getting a new visor for that. Mainly because you can see through it when a camera flashes, but partially because the plastic opaque mouth cover of doom.

The vest, which im sewing today, is going to be that dark orange you see in the decorative bits on the helmet (its a shade darker than that) and the undersuit it black. I've got black boots with silver grips on them and silver mando skulls on the heels (that im wearing right now because theyre new and need to be broken in). Then i'm weathering the boots. The gloves are going to be black. I dont think im going to do knee guards because the costume has shorts and i think it would look rediculous with knee pads. I'll probably just do boot spats and hand gaurds, and if i wearing pants with the costume later, then i'll make knee gaurds.

See how easy it is for me to start rambling? Insane...
I'm off to Joannes to get a faux leather sewing needle and look for fabric for the shoulder cloth.

I really like the design on your...um.. bust. Though I dont want to imagine the amount of non mando'ade you take down for staring. The design and colors overall on your armor looks really great.

Thats a nice design, i think the kinda "tribal" art people have been doing on their custom mandos fits the armor really well. Who's the maker of that helmet?

thats the vinyl jango helmet. I have to replace the visor and sand the lucasfilm emblem off the back. I did the helmet in about two days i think it was.


LOL, the chest design went through about six concepts, i went with the simpler one , because idont want it distracting too much. lol. And i dont mind if they stare, but they'll have their shebs handed to them if they touch ;P

...and im thinking my mando girl collects the teeth of her prey instead of hair. ;P

well maybe the hair smelled better than the teeth

lol you can always wash teeth. Its a bit harder to get the stink out of wookie hair. lol

nah I'm sure they use the good apple smelling flea and tick killing shampoo.

I just want to comment on how awesome the chest plates look. The Fem Mando armour is a tough one to conceptualize, as a look has never really been established and virtually all of the attempts before seeing this one have looked awkward and as if it wouldn't really be practical. Most of them I've seen would just be pieces of cone-like plastic pieces where chest armour should be, which seemed to remind me more of something madonna would wear than a ****** Mandalorienne (haha, just came up with that word now :P).

This version, however, looks great because it's like the armour plating would fit naturally. It looks practical and uncumbersome once worn and doesn't try to force a sexy look into it. Still, the look is feminine and retains a sense of it while at the same time looking very "soldiery". A nice balance. You should look like a soldier in your mando armour, you should look like a woman in your mando armour, and there should be a level of cohesion that balances it out instead of juxtaposing it. I think you've done a great job with this balance.

Sorry if that didn't make sense at all. It was prehaps senseless rambling, but the armour was really well done.

no i totally get what your saying. i've seen some fem mandos out there with the 'dome' chest plates, and i just thought it looked a little ....goofy. Like the femme trooper armor, and that chest piece. I mean, there are ways around it, people. Ya gotta think, if im sitting and watching something licensed by LF, and a femme mando walks onto the screen with that chest plate, is everyone gonna laugh, and the answer is yes. I just decided to bend the plates a bit to accomodate a bust size that is very difficult to adapt armor too (theres no padding down, pulling in, any other type of technique used to hide it, method) which is one of the reasons going as boba fett wouldnt be possible for me. I would have to bend the chest pieces, and i wouldnt dare do that to a boba costume. It just seemed like a good alternative, making my own mando.

thanks for the comment! im glad you like it.

Great job, keep us posted on your progress.

Originally Posted by rnlaing

no i totally get what your saying. i've seen some fem mandos out there with the 'dome' chest plates, and i just thought it looked a little ....goofy. Like the femme trooper armor, and that chest piece. I mean, there are ways around it, people. Ya gotta think, if im sitting and watching something licensed by LF, and a femme mando walks onto the screen with that chest plate, is everyone gonna laugh, and the answer is yes. I just decided to bend the plates a bit to accomodate a bust size that is very difficult to adapt armor too (theres no padding down, pulling in, any other type of technique used to hide it, method) which is one of the reasons going as boba fett wouldnt be possible for me. I would have to bend the chest pieces, and i wouldnt dare do that to a boba costume. It just seemed like a good alternative, making my own mando.

thanks for the comment! im glad you like it.

Totally agree, you have to form it with some sort of style, to make it look "battle ready".

Here is an example of real "battle ready armour"



(sorry, cant get larger pictures) - but the shape of the bust flows with the armour, not just two pots on the front.

I never thought about having to reshape the armor to handle certain portions of my figure...*thinking* I was "blessed", and it does make for a strange look, seeing those pics of the "male" hunters with, well... . I was already thinking about a reduction, may want to get that done before I attempt my armor.
Your looks very nice. :thumbup Wonderful job

progress?

-=QuinN!

Originally Posted by CombatBaby

progress?

-=QuinN!

yes. progress?

School hijacked me, but i've returned with much returning. I dont have pictures yet, but the armor is set on the flak vest and im still picking up little accents for the suit. I still have to do the visor on the helmet (but i have money now ;P)
i should be done before the end of the month, if i can take a breather from *sigh* my life! ;P
after all that **** i'll be done...for now
i'll keep you lot posted.

just want everyone to know that for right now the costume is done. i attached my armor to my flak early this morning, im actually wearing it right now and working on modifications. will have pics before tuesday

You know, just by coincidence, Tuesday is this day called "Halloween" where traditionally, some people dress up in costumes.
How lucky are you?!

Post them pics!

LOL PICTURES!
keep in mind i still need to get a better under suit top. You can totally see my elbows ;P
oh oh yeah, and gauntlets are gonna have to be gotten later, cuz im totally poor right now.
HERE!
oh yeah, pics are big. ;P
im gonna keep working on stuff until C 4 (getting a more durable gun belt for starters.) and..ya know...da guants

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_3496.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...IMG_3497-1.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_3498.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...g/IMG_3505.jpg

probably coulda done with some make up ;P i'll be all scarred up beneath it come tuesday.

so i dont think it turned out too bad for my first major star wars costume (i was leia at 9 and padme at 16)

The suit looks likes it coming along nicely. I really like your colors and also how you did the left knee decal.

thanks, mate
i wish i had a :jet pack though. ;P

Cool! That came out great!
That's a heckuva head-bonker you're carrying around with you.

lol, a girl has got to protect herself from all those hutuun

Besides, you can always use the phrase "I wouldnt touch that with a ten foot pole," and mean it.

tru. i decided to attempt and make my own garage gauntlets involving a plast cat box, a heat gun, a home made mold to make an impresion in the gauntlets, spray paint and velcro. i figure, what the hell, give it a shot...Its sure to be amusing, if not successful.

That's a mighty fine ship you got there too! what's its name?

lookin good! love the braining pole! nice touch

Ship is called 'Deere 1' ;P Im going to paint my car to match my armor .I kid thee not . a big ole mando helmet on the hood
Now thats a sexy ride.

oh yeah, those gauntlets didnt work out, i dont know if i need a better heating gun. i think i should just stick with design and painting and let someone else make my hardware ;P'

so...looking for cheep gauntlets...who isnt, right?

Nice job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep the pix coming