Apollo's Build

I keep on forgetting to post progress over here. This is going to be one large conglomeration of everything I do on this project so get set for a loooong thread.

Here's where I'm at right now.


Helmet

Gauntlet (left)




Shoulders




Chest Armor

Awsome!!! Love the racing stipes!

i've seen some really good customs, but it's not very often that one makes me stop and just say, "wow." i like this one, a lot!

awesome man! that is some great design and nice paintjob right there!

looks great, so far! I love the unique shoulders!

That is very awesome I cannot wait to see it with soft parts. Very nice belt too. I love the origionality.

vary nice job ... did you make the armor or just paint it? either way its looking great

I made it all except for the helmet. Gotta love sintra

Really like the stripes on the armor. Good choice of red too. Looking forward to seeing it all done

That reminds me, the red is Krylon Satin Burgundy and the white is Krylon Satin Ivory

looking really good so far!


Keep up the good work my friend!

looks awesome!!!
i might take that shoulder design and twist it around, if you dont mind
two thumbs up

If you'll take a little bit of constructive criticism... the weathering on the helmet looks awesome. However the weathering on the armor looks a little too uniform all over. You have alot of edges with no weathering at all, and alot of weathering in places where there really shouldn't be much, i.e. flat surfaces. The dents look GREAT! I'd definitely keep those. It's the scratch/flaking in the center of the armor that I'm talking about, as well as the shoulder bells and gauntlets. With the amount of weathering that you've got, all of the edges should be banged up pretty bad.
Just something to think about, man. Please don't take it personally, 'cause I love the work you've put into this.

Now that is a nice Mando

Originally Posted by saint_nasty

i've seen some really good customs, but it's not very often that one makes me stop and just say, "wow." i like this one, a lot!

I second that. This is a very well done custom. Bravo!

Originally Posted by samlynn79

If you'll take a little bit of constructive criticism... the weathering on the helmet looks awesome. However the weathering on the armor looks a little too uniform all over. You have alot of edges with no weathering at all, and alot of weathering in places where there really shouldn't be much, i.e. flat surfaces. The dents look GREAT! I'd definitely keep those. It's the scratch/flaking in the center of the armor that I'm talking about, as well as the shoulder bells and gauntlets. With the amount of weathering that you've got, all of the edges should be banged up pretty bad.
Just something to think about, man. Please don't take it personally, 'cause I love the work you've put into this.

to be honest, I'm not entirely pleased with the weathering on the chest pieces either. I'm not going to repaint these ones, but when I upgrade it will look much better 8)

Gah! I forgot I had a thread up over here. I've been working on the helmet recently since I got in my T-visor and my Range finder and stalk came in from BM. I'm wiring a couple of LEDs into the RF and it's looking pretty good. The RF really brings the helmet together. Once these are installed I can start on the inside!

With the T-visor duct taped in



Some WIP with the RF.





I want to install my visor with Chicago screws but I don't know where to get those. Can anybody help me out with that?

This looks fantatic, really like your shoulder bells and the helmet kicks all kinds of arse. Great stuff!

Yeah I gotta say, I've seen many "Custom Mando's" but this one tops my list. you've done an outstanding job on the paint and damage. although the damage looks great on the Armor and Gauntlets, they still look a little "clean". maybe mist some black and add some scratches other than that, sweet looking stuff you got bro.

Originally Posted by Bountyone

Yeah I gotta say, I've seen many "Custom Mando's" but this one tops my list. you've done an outstanding job on the paint and damage. although the damage looks great on the Armor and Gauntlets, they still look a little "clean". maybe mist some black and add some scratches other than that, sweet looking stuff you got bro.

Don't worry, I am going to do some grime weathering with them, I just haven't gotten around to it. I'll use the same methods that I used on this piece

Very nice job there. There are a ton of custom mandos out there, but they never seem to reach the level you're at. The weathering is awesome and I love your use of well placed dents on the armour. I also like how you're using leather pouches instead of nylon, which is a cheaper alternative. I also love the originality with the shoulder armour and gauntlets. The only thing that I would change about the costume would be a helmet upgrade. Rubies is a nice start, but once you have a solid helmet on your head, then you're where it's at.

It's actually a fiberglass cast of a DP95. It's nice for now and I've learned a lot putting it together, but you're right; I will be upgrading to something nicer in the future

Nice! A fiberglass cast you say? I would recommend trimming away at the visor though. The thickness of material between the outside of the helmet to the visor should be about 1/8" or 3mm.

The main problem with Rubies/DP helmets is that they are mushy. Since yours is fiberglass, it's nice and strong.

thanks for the tip. I think the excess material around the visor may be why I'm having such a hard time installing one.

I just got my targeting system all set up. Now I just need to figure out how and where I'm going to install it. The targeting system is really 4 AAA batteries, a switch, and small circuit board with 2 LEDs built in, some sintra, and an aesthetic circuit board on top that controls the lights in my RF. The lights on the inside blink when it's on so I know without having to lower the RF or take off my helmet or anything. It looks pretty cool too. You can kinda make out the LEDs in the last pic





I also redid a little bit of weathering near the visor and RF

Before

After

I like your progress man. It's looking good!

Look'n great ner vod.

Here's what the targeting system looks like in the helmet. Right now it's sort of out of place since there's nothing else in there with it, but I think it will look better when The interior is all completed. The indicator LEDs are perfect because I can't see them until I actually look for them, so they do their job without being distracting

Looks great so far!
=)
Keep them picts comin'

The left gauntlet is also done now as well.

With the ivory highlights before the guns are added




And with the guns added

looks great apollo, keep up the great work man

Your making me want to build some custom Gauntlets man! Do you mind me asking where you got your ammo belt/pouches? That is unless you made them yourself.

I wish I could work with leather like that! I got these beauts for .99 cents a pop from some ebay army surplus store. To be honest, I think I might upgrade them later because this particular Yugoslavian WWII pouch is used by at least half of all custom mandos so I might try to go for something a little more "custom". They look really nice though since they're 60 years old and naturally weathered

This is quite impressive.

Nice Job man. I need to make some custom gauntlets. Yours are pretty good and i also like the belt i'll have to look for some army surplus. Keep up the good work

Go to Home Depot and head straight for the fastener aisle. close to the end you'll find the upright spinning tower bins that hold all of the "specialty" fasteners... that's where you'll find the chicago screws.

Originally Posted by Apollo

I want to install my visor with Chicago screws but I don't know where to get those. Can anybody help me out with that?

This really is one of the best customs colour schemes i have seen

WOW

Here is my newest gauntlet. It's supposed to be bare Beskar and it's like that because it was taken from a suit of Mandalorian Crusader armor; that's also why the Crusader emblem is on it. It's all sintra and wood filler, the pewter color is rub n buff on top of grey krylon primer, and the weathering and detailing was all done with acrylic paints.

Here it is primed or possibly with rub n buff, I honestly can't tell


And here's the final product






and a pic of Mandalore the Indomitable's gauntlet from which I copied the symbol


The text reads Tsad Droten or something like that. It means "just government"

I weathered this helmet a long time ago but never posted pictures. It's not very overt, but I think it really makes the helmet look better. The weathering was done with acrylic paints

I consistently find that most of the custom projects on this board lack creativity and/or craftmanship. Half the projects I see just look embarassingly bad, and the other half look like foreign comic book characters.

You, my friend, are an exception. I am not easily impressed by customized Mandalorian memorabilia, but you sir have really struck me as a genius.

I would be interested in working with you in the future. That armor would look great on camera.

Lutso

This helmet is actually done. It's not really close to being done, it's not done except for a couple upgrades that I want to make, it is actually done and I am psyched about that. I added the earcap (which actually makes it look so much better for such a small piece) and finished up the inside. The padding is made from that stuff that goes underneath carpeting and I spray painted it grey. The visor is bolted in with regular bolts because I could not find chicago screws. If your helmet is kind of small DO NOT USE REGULAR BOLTS. I had to stick padding on top of them because they were gouging out the skin on my forehead. The copper piece on the left is actually a cooling fan from the inside of a IBM Thinkpad so it serves a real purpose besides looking cool. This helmet is very small and it is ridiculously uncomfortable to wear since my head is kind of big. This said, I think it's worth it because I have never never put on a helmet that I would call comfortable and the inside just looks cool. The color in these pics is a little off because of the lighting but if you look at earlier pics in the thread you can see what the burgundy color actually looks like pretty well.

Dude, that helmet looks amazing.

Dude what kind of wepons dose your mando carry.
Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the kind words guys. Here are some examples of my weaponry

Outstanding! I'd not seen this thread 'til now! This is going to be one awesome custom!! I love those twin pistols!

Liking the bowcaster.

Very nice work.

thanks guys. I just got word that I'll be getting the display for my back piece pretty soon so I can finish that up, then I've also got to finish my shin pieces and make knees (I have no idea what I'll be doing for knees). After that it's basically just soft stuff like a pauldron and the vest and I'll be ready for Halloween

Wow. Nice armor you got.
I love your color scheme and the cool details.

That is really a beautifull beskar'gam.

Kote!

Your weapons are so cool I want them. Where did you get your arc pistols? Are all your other weapons custom too? If so can you tell us how you made them.

I make all of my weapons out of wood, sintra, and pvc. The ARC pistols are rubber and were cast by Stomper, but I made the master. I think there's a thread in the cargo hold (although it's pretty old) that you should be able to go to if you want some ARC pistol goodness lol.

I've been thinking about other good guns to make for this guy. I'm leaning towards a double barreled shotgun after Halloween. What do you guys think?

I'm also trying really hard to get this up and running for Halloween and an Expo that weekend. I bought the vinyl for a vest and pauldron today, my shins are getting ready for paint, and I am trying really hard to get my revamped shoulders molded so I can cast them.

AWESOME ! Can´t wait to see the complete costume.

I think a shotgun would be really cool. You made all the bowcasters yourself man your good. I do not whant to mess with that guy.
Keep up the good work.

I got the display for my backplate today so I can restart work on that. I need to buy some useless switches and whatnot from radioshack to stick on there and then I can finally paint something. I'm a big fan of painting

Here's the backplate as it stands now. I still need to add some grime, possibly some lettering, and I need to install the electronics. For some reason the krylon grey primer did not go over well on top of the krylon hammered silver, so the final coat has some weird texture on it that's a bit more noticeable in real life. Aside from that, I think it came out pretty well.




That display was made for me by a guy on the mercs boards named Scur

I also have done some work on my shins. The one in silver will be the right shin and the unpainted one will be the left. There are some symmetry issues between the two with the left shin being wider than the right, but I hope to lessen that effect by putting 2 explosives cannisters on the right shin. I also used rub n buff for the base coat after the debacle with the hammered silver on the backplate and I finally got it to come out really well.






I wore my helmet to hand out candy last night and I found a few problems that need to be addressed. The battery pack for the rf lights slides down so I need to put some plastic in to help hold it up better. Also, this helmet is extremely uncomfortable and I could not stand to wear it for two hours straight. This is mostly due to how small it is and the way that the top bolts on the visor push into my forehead. Fortunately, it does not overheat at all and I didn't even have the fan on. The kids loved it

Wow, that backplate is awsome!

I'm with Jodo, I really like that backplate too. Nicely done bro.

that is absolutely amazing now you make me want to redo my armor and helmet

I got some work done on the right shin last night




and the paint on the backplate is completely finished. All that's left now if to install the light display. The color in these pics is horrific. The real piece looks less like barney

That is just so cool. this has to be the best custom mando i have ever seen. keep it up .

Here are the shins. They are complete except for the leather straps that will hold them together and the cannisters that will be attached to the right shin. I'm really happy with how all of the weathering came out even though I had some problems painting spray paint over rub n buff. I think once I figure out how to do that well I will go back and repaint my chest armor.

Anybody know where I can get straps of leather like would be used for jango holsters?

Before topical weathering



After

Looks great Apollo, keep the pics comin'!!

I like the belt , did you make it or did you buy it?

I bought the various pieces. The belt itself is just a regular leather belt from walmart and the pouches are WWII yugo pouches that were all the rage with mandos last season. I actually got some nasty mildew on one set of em so I'll try to fix that, but I might end up having to do some other stuff with the belt. I've got some metal pieces that I'm going to put on it, and then I think there will also be some holsters involved

wow, I love that back plate, I was just going to go with a cape on my back and no armor, but seeing yours gives me an idea. Love the custom work, cant wait to see you in the completed set.

I'm redoing my chest plates an I got them cut out and formed today. I need to find a new place to buy sintra since my old supplier closed shop 2 weeks ago and I am running dangerously low on 3mm. These pieces will all eventually be doubled up for some nice extra thickness so I'll have to wait until I get the new sintra in before I can paint much. I started planning out my paint job tonight though with pencil. I've got two more sigils like the ones on my shins that I want to incorporate here instead of the straight up stripes that I had on my old set. However, the size of the plates limits how large I can make the sigils and the placement of dents also will obscure parts of the sigils with paint chip weathering. Based on what you can see drawn onto the plates in these pictures, do you think it's worth it to put the sigils here or should I incorporate them somewhere else?

Thanx for the advice earlier, Apollo. Now, for some of my own advice. I would keep the sigils. It looks fantastic, and would be perfectly realistic if some of it got scuffed/scratched. As long as you can tell that there was something there to begin with. Might even make you a meaner mando, having your careful planning damaged. Feel sorry for the guy that messed your sigils up in a fight, lol!

haha yeah I think I am going to keep them. I ended up just going with 3mm sintra for the top and then a layer of 6mm to back it up. Since they can never get the measurements exactly right it looks like I'm going to have some 1cm thick armor when all is said and done. I'm just making the right chest plate right now to see if I like it that thick

Beautiful helmet!!! and great weathering on the back of it, i love your armour aswell! the stripes were a nice touch in my opinnion.Those guns on your left gaunt look deadly i was thinking the same thing i might have a gun on my right gaunt along with toxic darts and my whipcord it would look ace! anyway great work! loveing the idea of colour! can't wait for the finished design!

~Marco Fett

Now seemed as good a time as any for another of my sporadic updates. I got my collar armor and shoulder bells finished completely so my armor is actually starting to look like something now.

Shoulders:
here fairly early in the build. I haven't done any grime yet and this is before a lot of work with the skull. I could wear them now, but they wouldn't have any of the finishing touches


a shot with all of the tools that I needed for the skull (minus the painters tape). I use pretty much the same method for detail work that Tag does and I was going to make a mini tutorial until I saw that he had saved me the work by doing his own. The acrylics and brush are for touch-ups where I have to mix the two colors to match the krylon ivory


and with some extra detailing done, here they are finished (except for adding snaps)





and I also made the collar armor
this is a good example for how useful a mannequin is. I needed to match the stripes up from the chestplates to the collar so I just snapped the collar on the vest and eyeballed the tape that way. Much easier than my usual method of endlessly measuring weird angles


after I got all the spray painting done I had to make sure that the grime matched the rest of the set so I brought down one of the chestplates. I think they go together pretty well


a couple closeups




the almost full set of chest armor


I'm also working on a new set of gauntlets. The idea I'm working with is that they were taken from a clone and painted over, so instead of a metal basecoat I have a white plastoid basecoat. These pieces haven't gotten a lot of attention recently, but they're what I'll be working on next

Right Gaunt




based off of this pic


Left gaunt



I added a sigil



gotta finish those up, make some back armor, make a chest diamond, and add a way to attach shoulders to the vest and I will be done with that whole section of the armor. Whew

Awesome! Your weathering really gives some depth to the armor, nicely done my friend!

I finished the gauntlets today. I'm still going to build a compad that straps on to the left one, but the gauntlets themselves are all done. I ended up using two different kinds of paint and while it's noticeable when they're side by side, I'm not too worried about it. I was a little disappointed with the grime on the left gaunt, but hey it's not a big deal.

Left




Right


Both



And a couple of the full set



I need to get that chest diamond made lol. I've already started on the back armor and it is not easy so far. After I get that done I'll be pretty much finished with hard parts so that's cool

Amazing work, I will watching this thread with great interest.

Sorry it took me so long to post again. However, your work is amazing, and your painting skills make me afraid to attempt to paint mine. You are very good at this, and I love your work. Keep it up, man!! It is coming out fantastic looking.

Ahhh! You're weathering is just awesome! The gauntlets look great.

amazing job on the weathering/ really moved the piece from paint into a real worn look. i like the sigils but just remember less is more. edges and corners will get hit more than open fields

this is sick, very impressed

Amaazing work!! absolutly fantastique!!

You are a master of weathering.

Well it's been more than a year, but I figure I can dig this thread up since it's mine. I've been working on a radio pack this past week and here it is. All I've got left is some electronics, weathering, and some way to actually wear the thing