Australian Jango Progress

That's some nice equipment you have there, CaptJono! Love the blasters!

yupp.... really cool

looking good!

wooo another aussie!!!!!! pm for you capt :P

WOOT, go aussies!
watch out america, we are coming up to take the lead in greatness very quickly( if not already, hehe)

awsome job cap'n, look forward to seeing progress. Maybe i missed it in the first post, but where did the bucket come from? looks awsome

The bucket is from the 2nd run of the BKBT Jango. It has a few slight differences to the first, mostly in the 'cheek' thickness & earcaps.
And it came with that sweet metal RF stalk!
Also, most here would know, BKBT is a pleasure to deal with.

As for the other items I have....
Boots - Reinone, excellent reproduction boots.
Jumpsuit - Bobamaker (Jango style)
Boot, shin, Thigh, Cod & Back armor - JD
Knee Armor - BKBT / Purchased from Asok
Leather Girth Belt - Unknown Maker/Purchased from Shunned
Ammo Belt & Holsters - Unknown Maker/Purchased from Shunned
Dark gray leather Flack Vest - Unknown Maker/Purchased from Slave Five.
Gauntlets - Man of War, 2006 run.
Metal Details - Dark Side & Russ Replica
All Metal Blasters - Unknown Maker
RF electronics - Hyperdine Labs
Interior Helmet Kit - Marrow Sun
Arena Jet Pack - MLC
Jet Pack Harness - I think BKBT
Chest armor - Hopefully BKBT
Jango neck seal - Not yet.

And now, more blaster shots!

Originally Posted by CaptJono

The bucket is from the 2nd run of the BKBT Jango. It has a few slight differences to the first, mostly in the 'cheek' thickness & earcaps.
And it came with that sweet metal RF stalk!
Also, most here would know, BKBT is a pleasure to deal with.

As for the other items I have....
Boots - Reinone, excellent reproduction boots.
Jumpsuit - Bobamaker (Jango style)
Boot, shin, Thigh, Cod & Back armor - JD
Knee Armor - BKBT / Purchased from Asok
Leather Girth Belt - Unknown Maker/Purchased from Shunned
Ammo Belt & Holsters - Unknown Maker/Purchased from Shunned
Dark gray leather Flack Vest - Unknown Maker/Purchased from Slave Five.
Gauntlets - Man of War, 2006 run.
Metal Details - Dark Side & Russ Replica
All Metal Blasters - Unknown Maker
RF electronics - Hyperdine Labs
Interior Helmet Kit - Marrow Sun
Arena Jet Pack - MLC
Jet Pack Harness - I think BKBT
Chest armor - Hopefully BKBT
Jango neck seal - Not yet.

And now, more blaster shots!

HOLY HOTNESS BATMAN!
Dude they are some ultra sweet pistols, even more so becasue they break down... if you ever find who did these please let me know, i am after these pistols now like a moth to a flame....

The Blasters were from an e-bay seller named Roger, about 3 or 4 years ago. He claimed that only 3 sets were going to be made.
And they were very expensive....
Anyway, I finally found his contact info, so you got a PM.

Jono!

Whoa!! Great job! I love the Rangefinder, I would love to get an aluminum one drilled all of the way through, looks great!

Thanks GCNgamer, I was inspired to drill-out the RF stalk after I saw it done here recently.
All it takes is a long drill bit & a steady hand.

Speaking of Raingfinders...here's where I'm at.

I have modified my BM hollow raingfinder to give it a more Jango look, extending & thickening the lower screen housing.

I have slightly modified the Hyperdine Labs RF board. It controls the RF servo & provides 2 blinking circuits for the LEDs. But I also want to include the white backlight for the RF screen. Here is a demo pic (from my BOBA) of the image I'm going to put into the RF screen, made in Photoshop. Any suggestions of who to put in the pics? Mace, Obi Wan, Winona Ryder...

So I set 3 white LEDs inside the RF with a tilt switch (2nd Pic)

On the RF board (3rd pic) I have gone against the provided instructions & done the following:
The 2 blinking LEDs & 3 White LEDs all share a common negative (White Wire).
The 2 Blue LEDs have a Positive each (Blue wires).
The white LEDs are powered from the Radio unit power output pin with a resistor to drop the voltage. I have let this set-up run for 30 minutes and had no problems. All 4 required wires fit in the hollow stalk.

I have sealed the RF & will give it one more coat of primer before a final sanding. I hate the look of a RF top that looks like it opens & have gone to much effort to seal it good. The blue LEDs slip in from underneath & have been set & glued together to sit correctly when inserted (see pics). Adding the LEDs after painting gives a nice finish.
Anyone done it like this before? I suspect someone here has.
Cheers!

Here are a couple Jango RF images I did today.
I will replace the english words with symbols when I like what I have.
The plan is to take a few slides (REMEMBER FILM) of the comp. monitor & trim them up when processed.
Any comments / ideas / recommendations?

Jono!

I think I'll go with this one.
Comments, ideas....

Jono

ok, here's a coment......


CAN I HAVE ONE???? :P
you are a photoshop master, its beautiful.

Sure thing CB, PM me your e-mail & I'll send you a higher rez version.

I worked on the leg armor today, it's ready for the first coat of spray putty.
Yesterday I Rub'n Buffed my boots & added the studs for the armor.

It's all coming along.

Jono!

That's cool. Wish I could find the correct boots in my size.

..WOW thats cool

Must be time for an up-date!

I thought I might take some pics, and it started to rain about 15 seconds after I had it all laid-out.
So here's 15 seconds of fame! This is everything except by Blasters, MLC Stubby Jet Pack, Reinone Boots & JD back-plate.
The knees are still in progress, the helmet & Jet-Pack need painting (yep, still no luck) & I need a neck seal. Other than that I'm waiting for my Vest from Loanstar & replacement Jango style mini-darts for my Gauntlet from Dark Side. All the armor has a very nice finish, the pics dont do it justice, but 15 seconds......come on!

I decided to strip-back my MOW gauntlets & have another go at them. I am now Very Happy with the finish. Added all metal details & working switches to activate the Helmet Range-finder servo. Some light weathering to come...later.

Also, I (changed & then) photographed Slides of the RF pic & have installed a slide into the FR top. I haven't turned the interior lights on yet as the RF top is not connected at the moment, but it already looks cool.

So a couple items to come, find the Paints I want & Jango should be about there!

Oh, & I bought a mannequin yesterday too!

Jono!

Awesome Buddy! Truly awesome!

Is that Rocket Launcher from DS?

Where did you get the buttons for your Left Gauntlet?

Thanks JangoUri,
I have used a Russ Replicas' Gauntlet rocket as it's slightly bigger than the DS and looks more in scale with my Man Of War Gauntlets. The Dark Side rocket is a thing of beauty, just a tad too small for my MOWs.

The left Gauntlet switches are from an Australian electronics distributor called Radio Parts. Here is a link to the switch on their web-page.

http://www.radioparts.com.au/ProdVie...oduct=41162017


And since I'm posting....Here is the New RF Pic I have installed in my RF top!
It has a bit more play in the edges for cutting to size & shape.

looks great man. I tell ya though, the only thing i saw is that you're gonna have a heck of a time masking off that helmet to paint it with the rub n buff already on the dome and cheeks. otherwise, the whole seup is gorgeous!

Yea, Be careful when masking off the rub and buffed sections, Ive come to a realization that the masking tape will affect the shine. I found that after I pulled the masking tape off, that on the adheasive side, that it pulls some of the rubb and buff off with it.

-tubachris
(Spent countless hours trying to fix the R&B)

yeah, the reason i shy away from the rub n buff, paint rub n buff, is that you're making more work for yourself. the rub n buff needs a surface smoother than a babys butt to work on, if you do it, paint and then the tape pulls the rub n buff away that leaves you with high and low points making it even harder to achieve that fine shine. wayy easier to take your time, sand the heck out of it, paint each color and give the paint plenty of cure time, then mask it off and rub n buff (thus saving you from applying rub n buff onto your paint). either way, just different ways of doing the same thing. i find that it's like everything else in this hobby, if you rush, it shows. theres no way to circumvent taking your time and doing it right the 1st time, otherwise you spend more time fixing it

WOW!! Looking great bro!! I really like how you've documented everything! I wish I'd done that! Thought I'd remember all the parts, not just the majority! You've done a great, great job getting it all together, and I have no doubt it will look Fantastic when you're finished!!

-Rex

Thanks for the words of encouragement Rex, couldn't have gotten Jango to where he is without TDH!

I attached the boot armor today, looks cool! Made the straps with elastic & leather, held in place with snaps.

And here are MORE RF shots. I shortened the RF along the red line to bring it more in line with the BKBT Jango RF. Note the lack of any seam lines!!!
Its ready to paint.

So if the consensus is to paint & then Rub'n Buff a helmet, I'm happy to strip this one back.

Any other votes on the paint first Vs. Rub'n Buff first debate?
Jono!

Everything is looking good. Keep it up.

As far as the rub n buff then paint or paint then rub n buff question I would just try to paint it now that you have got it looking so good. The tape might change a few areas, but it would depend on how you tape things off. If you use some newpaper and just expose a small strip of the tape over the edge of the paper then it wouldn't mess up very much if any of the rub n buff. Also, if you weather the helmet it will cover up some of the areas if there are any. If you plan on using all tape then it might mess it up more. It can't hurt to try painting it now.

Hey Jono,

Use a low tack painters tape & it won't mess up the r n b. I also use a 1/8 low tack vinyl tape to get crisp lnes on the curves. It is used for professional automotive painting. If any area does get messed, you can
r n b that spot & weathering blends everything together nicely.

Shine on sweet Jesus, that's looking great!

Jono,

What can I say..love all the mods you've made to the gauntlets..Some of the cleanest work I've seen..Superb job buddy

Christian,

Nice work so far...PM sent

WOW! That r b amazing! Good work so far

That is too cool

Thanks BKBT, I'm very happy with the result. I look forward to a Picture of my finished helmet with that RF pic reflected in the visor...that should look cool!

So progress report time...

33 studs later, the BKBT chest armor is attached to my Loanstar vest!
Thanks to BKBT for the great armor, Loanstar for the great vest & Cruzer for your pics on how to attach it.
Here are a couple pics on my Mannequin.

I also did MORE work on my RF top. (Obsess much?)
I set in a bolt & nut to attach it to the RF stalk. I also counter-sunk the screw so it sits flush with the RF stalk.
I'll post a pic next time I have a digital camera handy.

Cheers!

The pic in your RF, is that just a picture printed on clear overhead plastic sheets, with a light behind it?

-tubachris

The RF pic is a photograph taken on slide film & cut to shape.
I tried printing on the ovehead sheets (with all the right gear & printer Overhead sheets) but the resulting resolution & saturation was very poor.
Good old slide film is the way to go. I used a whole roll bracketing the exposure & zooming out a little between shots to get the needed size.

The light behind it is the 3 white LEDs shown earlier in this thread.

..holy **** ! **** coll

Maaaan that rocks

Originally Posted by CaptJono

Speaking of Helmets....here is a photo of my installed RF image. The interior lighting looks much better to the eye, but the camera has added contrast to the image. Also there is a top clear screen to go over the image after the RF has been painted.
Anyway, enjoy!

Too cool Jono, very inspiring work, keep it up!

Wow, looks amazing!
I'll have you do mine next time!

I know whats going on my upgrade list

I just love the range finder image idea, the blasters could have been made by master replicas - they're so accurate.

10/10 work!

Slowly slowly....

I have been busy doing a few of the 'little things'.
The helmet 'ears' have t-nuts fitted, it all bolts in nice & tight.
I installed a new Helmet liner & have wired all the electronics from the helmet to the Gauntlet switches.

I finished my knees, at long last. The kit I got was in very bad shape, but I completely re-worked them & think they look fine. Check out the before & after shots.

I got my new Cruzer Backplate & Girthbelt yesterday, both are amazing! The belt is already on my Mannequin & looks great.

I have decided to retire my Bobamaker flightsuit, I wonder if the maker will recognize the new one...

I cant get my Gauntlets onto the Mannequin yet, the arms are too thick. I'll try to 'thin' them in the next week.

Also, because of the work I was doing to my helmet interior, I have decided to sand-back & re-do my helmet Rubb'n Buff. It got a tad too dull from handling & one or two small scratches so, what the hell, lets do it again, but even better with more experience this time.

Enough chat, here come the pics!
Cheers Jono!

You are doing awesome. One of the best Jangos I've seen, no joke.

Freakin' amazing. I love it. I wish I could troop next to you some day!

"Boot, shin, Thigh, Cod & Back armor - JD"

PM me on who JD is. I want those thighs and shins!!!!

JD doesn't make armor anymore. He has retired.

I will have a few JD items to offer in the cargo hold soon, the thighs, shins & Backplate.
It will be a while though.

Jono!

Today was a good day.
I was working on my Cruzer backplate when there was a knock at the door.

It was a delivery from the US containing the Rust-Oleum Royal Blue & Krylon Ocean Blue paints (not available in Australia) for my Jango helmet.

Big thanks go to my mate Ken from California who sent the paints to me.
It cost about US$100 to ship them with FedEx as 'dangerous goods'.

This was the last hurdle for my project, I'm all set to finish this baby now!

In other related news....
I have started painting my Jet Pack, will post pics when I can.
Also I'll be getting a set of BKBT's Jango thighs soon.
I meet with my seamstress on Sunday to discuss the helmet gasket.

It's all happening, slowly but happening!

Some new pics of my progress.
I have painted my Jet Pack, it is in need of some weathering, but so far looks OK.
The top cones are attached with bolts for easy removal (Thanks Cruzer!), only roughly placed for this pic.

Next, it was time to crack open the paints I had couriered from the US.
So I painted my RF, and it's nearly complete!
All I have to do is put the RF pic in place & attach a clear screen over it.
Just putting that off till I figure weather or not to put a black edge around it.

You can Also see the bolt I counter sunk into the RF post to hold it all in place.

So there it is, a RF with 2 blue (blinking in sequence) LEDs, A back-lit RF screen with image & NO SEAM on the top of the RF.

OK, sure it took a year.....but its looking the business.

JR

Could you share how you attached the top cones with bolts? I am about ready to put my pack together, and this sounds like a good method.

Oh yeah. Everything is looking great. Your jet pack came together very well.

Here you go FettFanatic, but I got this idea from Cruzer so all props go to him.

Just drill a hole & glue in a Tee-Nut.
The pics should explain it better...

By the way, my RF is not as light blue as it appears in the last 2 shots I posted.
Thats thanks to using a flash.

JR

beautiful jango man!

Very cleaver with the jet pack fuel caps

I forgot to post a pic of the finished (with picture installed) RF top, so here it is, seen from the Helmet's POV.

jono, this is all too cool. great job man!

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys.

Looking forward to painting my helmet, its getting close...
My plan has been to get all the helmets internal componets installed before
painting so I don't scuff the final Paint job/Rub'n buff finish.
This includes a Helmet Liner, a Mic, a Fan, Mesh Screen (for keyholes), RF Servo, electronics, Visor & bolts to hold it in place.
Installing the Visor is tougher than I thought, and raised a question:

Does anyone know the width of the Visor on the screen used helmet? (See pic)

And BKBT, if your listening, what's the width of your visor, or what would you recommend?

Also, because I had to remove my armour, heres a shot showing the vest stud placement.

Kandosii! Can't wait to see the finish pics!

Awesome, awesome, awesome job!

I'm not sure if I follow your question Jono, the width of the visor area is around 1 7/8" to 2" (47 to 50mm) depending on how you trim the opening & mount the visor. As far as the visor shape, I am not sure how to post the visor template I have so it prints out full size. If someone knows how to do this, pm me & I'll post the template.

aaaaahhhh.... BEAUTIFUL flight suit! Hey Jono, if you get tired of that one too you let me know.

haha! great Jango!

Hmmmmmmm...That gap between the helmet and visor appears to be at the top/center of the mandibles. I dont know what you can really do, maybe try adding a bolt on each side of the visor in that particular area, but I can see the fiberglass part being warped/pulled into itself.

The only thing I would say that would probably creat a truly sealed visor look, would to just get a much thinner visor, because it would flex alot easier, and would form better to the inside.

-tubachris

Mighty fine looking work you have there. Its going to be one the top best Jango's when its finished, and I really think so. Great job man, your doing an outstanding job!

This is looking fantastic Jono, are you going to have it done by Melbourne Supanova in March?

Awesome!!! I kinda hate the backside of your belt though. Looks wrong, ugly and just.. just... I can't even think of a word. I recommend you find another "solution" for the belt so it looks good from the back. Maybe some other good guy around here, e.g. Cruzer or Bobamaker can give you a tip or two about it. Except for the backside of the belt, it all looks great. Keep up the good work!

Originally Posted by Drake

Awesome!!! I kinda hate the backside of your belt though. Looks wrong, ugly and just.. just... I can't even think of a word. I recommend you find another "solution" for the belt so it looks good from the back. Maybe some other good guy around here, e.g. Cruzer or Bobamaker can give you a tip or two about it. Except for the backside of the belt, it all looks great. Keep up the good work!

I think the back looks fine, just need to run the belt strap on the outside of the leather snapped cover. Nice job Captjono.


CAPTJONO, I know I'm not Cruzer, but I followed his lead on this also. Kinda depends on your height. I set the knee armor, so I had the correct relastionship between the knees and thighs first. I then the holsters according to pictures by spacing the thin leather leg strap the correct distance from the bottom of the thigh. I once I did that the pre-existing hardware will mark the leg armor with scratches showing where to drill. I used the hole on the holsters where the front and back straps meet. Hope it helps, beautiful job on your suit.

Looks fantastic Jono!!!

Thanks for those pics Jango 5204. Those will help me out also. Does the screw on the thigh go through the holster?

Again, Great job Jono

yeah, it's a chicago screw, so it's smooth inside the holster. Uses the pre-existing hole where the 2 straps meet. I keep the flat head screw side against my leg so I dont mess up my MR's.

It's a work of art, that's how beautiful the armor is.

This Jango is coming along great I love all of the upgraded parts, and your RnB skills are phenomenal!

WOW! another great looking Jango!

Great job man! i love the backplate. I hope Cruzer sends me one of those one day.

keep it coming.

Very nice...

Outstanding work there CJ..love all the mods

I'm back baby!
Its been a while, but at last, here are some progress pics.
I finished my Jet Pack, installed the voice amp speaker (& some other bits) and put a sturdy locking system on the jet pack door. Here it is attached & some pics showing the door.
Next-up, the girthbelt. I bolted the Girth-belt, Ammo pouches, Cod, Thighs & Holsters into a 1 piece belt, now it all holds in place. Thanks Jango 5204 for the great instructional pics. I'm contemplating weather to attach the Girth belt to the Flack Vest. This would hold it in position, but might also pull down on the Vest.
If anyone has attached their Belt to the Vest let me know how it turned out.

After (too) many attempts, I have installed the visor, & am happy with it.
Some guys seam to get this right first go (I'm looking at you Tubachris), but not for me. I have a pile of ALMOST perfect visors, and one that will do as a back-up.
Installing the visor ruined the primer coat I had applied, so more sanding & paint & sanding later, and its ready, again.

As soon as I get a wind-free day I'll be painting the blues onto the helmet.

Thanks for the encouragement guys!

Hey CJ,
Your grear is coming out fantastic. Keep up the
great work and updates.

looking **** sweet!
will have to catch up with you so I can see it in the flesh

I attach my vest to my belt. I sewed a tab of velcro at the bottom of my vest and the other side on the back of the cod. It helps keep my vest tucked in and keeps my gut from pushing out.

I attach the top of my codpiece to the bottom of my vest with a snap. It keeps the whole vest down (including the collar from cutting my neck) and keeps my holsters from sagging with the weight of my westars.

By the way, that is an amazing suit.

Sounds like attaching to the vest is the go, thanks guys.
It's been wet & windy of late, so no helmet painting progress yet, but it's ready to go!
I'll be posting a pic as soon as I start painting.

Chansplace, I'll be giving you a call soon...about time a TDH member got to give my Jango the once-over!



Cheers!

lookin great Jono! can't wait to see it done!!!

Amazing job Jono, just amazing!!!

G-Fett

This is just inspiring, to see such dedication and attention to detail. Makes me want to work harder on my project!

Thanks again for the feedback guys, I'm on the home stretch now.
I have added 5 press studs to the Girth Belt & Flack Vest to keep them in place, looking good.

Now everything from the neck down is finished, just the Helmet to go.
I spent a couple hours masking the cheek curves for painting, but I'm concerned it will look rough when painted, so I did some research and have a new approach.

I have traced the curve of each cheek, and am going to cut the shapes from adhesive vinyl. The hard part is to then position the vinyl exactly in the right position, and I now know how! The trick is to wet the cheeks with soapy water, this allows the vinyl to slide a little when positioning, then when its in the desired position, use a small squeegee to remove the excess water & leave for a few hours to dry. I have had a practice & it looks like this will do the job.

There is one other item I'll be working on after the helmet is done, the new Man Of War Arena Jet Pack! I couldn't resist, I expect to receive it in the next week or so. I'll be putting my current JP in the Cargo Hold some time soon.

Cheers!

Shots as promised.
The first is the 'from the neck down' finished Jango.
The 2nd shot shows my first attempt to mask the cheeks. I have removed the tape & I'm going to try the vinyl masking right now!
I'll let you know how it goes!

Wow! I'm loving your suit man. Looks outstanding, keep it up.

It has arrived!!!!
My Cruzer BKBT cold cast is here, I'll post a pic tomorrow.

I have been going over cold cast threads here at THD and cant find a good (or any) tutorial on how to bring out the best finish.
I read of Duragilt, steel wool & sanding sponges, but not the process.
Can anyone point me to any info that might already be posted, or drop a post here if you have the answers.
Cheers!

Any of us will be hard pressed to match the quality of your suit. Great job!

Thanks Rupidupe, TDH made me do it.

Got the CC instructions, Thanks Cruzer.

Another question: do I need to put a coat of primer on the areas I'm going to paint blue? I assume not, but assumption is the mother of all stuff-ups.....

Here is how it looked out of the box (except for the guide marks I added).

Cheers.

I would recommend polishing the whole thing with the sanding sponges and then tape off and paint. No need for primer because you'll already have a smooth surface the paint can stick to. Then hit the unpainted parts with the steel wool once the paint has dried. I'd even lightly hit the painted areas with the steel wool to get all the dust specks off, and then buff the paint back out for some shine with some rubbing compound. It's exactly what I did with the one I painted. http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f28/bkbt-cold-cast-helmet-project-30075/

OK, I have the clips to hold the helmet liner in place.
The bolts to hold the fan are in.
The 'ears' have been aligned, gaps filled, holes drilled & it all bolts in place.
The Servo is set in place & has been successfully tested.
I have finished the Key holes & almost finished the Visor cut-out.

I got some chicago screws for the visor and plan to drill in from the front of the helmet, I think Cruzer pioneered that method & its the best IMO.

Enough talk, PICS PICS PICS!

Looking good! Check out post #22 in this thread. I would recommend using this method. http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/f28/bkbt-cold-cast-helmet-project-30075/

Looks good Cruzer, thanks for the info, I'll try to find those anchor posts.

Here are a couple shots showing the bolts I glued in for the helmet fan attachment.
About the fan, I cut two corners off a square PC fan to keep it lean & change the look from a common item.
Enjoy!

All I can say is just wow. Your work is amazing and I really, really love what you did with the rangefinder. Kudos to you my friend, I can't wait to see it finished.

can't wait to see this finished Jono. It is really going to be awesome!