finaly starting my armour

i finaly started my armour today...ive been coming on here and checking out the mandos on here for some time...so i though...i dont really want to wait any longer...i got my buy'ce coming tomoro and im going for trash can armour...(im pretty cheap lol) my custom mando is going to be called Brisk arpor...he is an expert sniper who specialises in threat interdiction (assasinations) and he will be slightly different to most main stream mandos...for instance...his flight suit doesnt have sleeves...so he can show off his arms lol...and the armour is going to be double layered with mesh in the between the peices so the battle damage i will be adding to it will look like it has gone so deep the armours secondary systems are exposed...and his leg armour will have to be triple layerd..because i am doing leg armour similar to the mando groom picture (his leg armour is like jangos...but parts of it is double layerd...it looks amazing) the armour and bucket will be red and it will have a cream kama with a red outline, for weapons he is going to have a farscape peacekeepers pistol seen below:-


and im not sure for other small arms and the obvious sniper rifle
for his background he was the youngest cuy'val'dar who was hired by jango to train clone troops...he was saved by jango some time after the battle of gallidran...and raised by a mando who served on a mercenary ship...he was a expert sniper by the age of 18...and has killed everything from privates and battle droids, to generals and planetary governers...up close...and from a distance.
anyhow...for now thats me done...i'll keep you guys posted
kandosi

Hey, sweet! I've been thinking about getting a one of those pistol kits. Good idea.

sounds awesome, i like the no sleeves idea, reminds me of the S.A.W gunner from Full metal jacket

Originally Posted by Izim

sounds awesome, i like the no sleeves idea, reminds me of the S.A.W gunner from Full metal jacket

Ummm...
Tha's an M-60, not a S.A.W.
Trust me on that

The only problem with a short sleave mando, you need to be toned/Buff to pull it off.

That's the only problem? How about that the suit is designed to protect you inside of your ship in the case of depressurizations, hlep keep you warm in the icyness of space and on a cold desert night or a warm summer day on Hoth?

I do look forward to seeing how it turns out though.

Originally Posted by The Asylum

That's the only problem? How about that the suit is designed to protect you inside of your ship in the case of depressurizations, hlep keep you warm in the icyness of space and on a cold desert night or a warm summer day on Hoth?

I do look forward to seeing how it turns out though.

Well I guess when I see you at a convention I have to ask how all your gear works, and why you have it eh?

Originally Posted by Cylrul Pbz

Well I guess when I see you at a convention I have to ask how all your gear works, and why you have it eh?

Yup. That's what you have to do, I guess.

but anyways the guy from the movie reminded me of an example of a soldier without sleeves, i dont really know much about those kind a guns

The sleeveless could work and I think it would look pretty cool if pulled off. Montross wore short sleeves so its not that big of a deal.

I was going to say that the term SAW as his role in the squad but not his weapon.

I think sleeveless could work out well if the armor is very attractive. I'd say for a ground based warrior who's probably spending a lot of time in a tropical/hot climate, it's very doable.

i forgot to mention...he's a desert ops sniper

Originally Posted by setra

i forgot to mention...he's a desert ops sniper

Well, that makes more sense then.

if hes a desert ops guy i think the sleeveless armour would be cool but maybe some forearm wraps like the sand people and elbow pads or somthin

im going to go with gauntlets i think...my buckets arrived...im readin triple zero the republic commando novel atm and one thing i noticed is that most of the clone trropers listen to music inside their buckets...so it got me thinking...ive looked at my buckets inside and it has room to fit a headphone system inside...and one of the sides (the one without the range finder) can be fitted with an mp3 player(removable)...so i could practically have a massive pair of mando headphones lol...just an idea im kicking about...it seems doable anyway...still not sure of a rifle though might just convert a longshot to look more sniper and less combat rifle...any thoughts?

ok so update...iver given up on my bucket...its really badly warped and is really bad (not my fault......really lol) but i have found a costume store down the street from my college that stocks rubies products...so i got a rubies jango on the way...hopefully 2 weeks...my armour is on stand still atm (moving house) and as soon as im setled the armour will begin in full...im definatly going trash can (moving house...cant afford anything better lol) but i am qwuite handy with a dremel and a craft knife...i think i can pull it off........i hope...any advice or tips for when going trash can would be greatly apreciated

Originally Posted by setra

any advice or tips for when going trash can would be greatly apreciated

Absolutely no glue I know of sticks to these sterilite trashcans.

I used:

Super-Glue (Cyanoacrylate)
GOOP
Gorilla Glue
Elmer's Ultimate Glue (about the same as GG above)
High Temp Hot glue
E6000 (I think that was the name of it)
Plasti-Weld
and MULTIPLE different epoxies

Some stick a little, but eventually work their way loose. Usually if the plastic is flexed in the least little bit, the glues just "pop" free.

I guess since they are trashcans the plastic is designed to be as stick proof as possible.

So if your design calls for anything that is attached directly to the armor, you may want to figure out a way to bolt it on!

Or better yet vist a local sign shop and get a piece of Sintra.

you might have a point there...how much is a piece of sintra usually? (i really have to watch how much i spend on this project...the girlfriend isnt too thrilled ive taken up costuming...and we just moved in together...so i need to keep this to a minimum...what is sintra btw?..i see it mentioned here all the time...but still have no clue what it is?

Originally Posted by The Asylum

Well, that makes more sense then.

Montross had short sleaves. So much for protection eh?

Originally Posted by setra

you might have a point there...how much is a piece of sintra usually? (i really have to watch how much i spend on this project...the girlfriend isnt too thrilled ive taken up costuming...and we just moved in together...so i need to keep this to a minimum...what is sintra btw?..i see it mentioned here all the time...but still have no clue what it is?

Sintra is an expanded PVC sheet plastic. It forms extremely well when heated, formed, then cooled. You can do this with a heat gun, dipping in or holding over boiling water, or if you have the patience a hairdryer. Then hold it under cold tap water or dunk it in a cooler with ice water.

The only thing to be careful about is that it produces some nasty fumes when heated. just do it in a well ventilated area and use a dust mask and you'll be okay.

Last time I bought some it was $39 for a 4'x6'(or 4'x8' I can't remember now) 1/8th" thick, but it can be found cheaper.

If you have a plastics supplier corp. close to you you may be able to find it relatively cheap. I could have bought two sheets of the same size at GE Polymershapes in Lexington, KY for only $25 a sheet, but I just didn't need that much and they had a minimum of two sheets.

Just call different sign shops in your area and get prices. Some will sell it some won't, but some of them may even tell you where they get it from and lead you to a cheap source. Good Luck!

thanks...i think i know where i can get some...my father is a motor bike paint artist...so i have a cupboard full of masks and heat guns at his house...just itching to be used...i will probably go for this now then...i'll keep you guys posted...thanks for the help

It sounds like you have a good plan for your mando. I too have a sleeveless tunic. It is great in hot weather and allows me to show off my mando tattoo. I'm the one kneeling in the red and black.



As for Sentra, I contacted my local sign store and they had some scrap pieces they just gave me.

wow cheers, ive seen pics of you before, i think it was at the same place, but you could see all the mandos and the hutt in the back ground lk, loving the coif idea, i toyed with that idea myself, but im more into stealth, and i bet that a coif would be really quiet lol, cheers though, i actually think i found somehwere that i can get some sintra so i could well be on my way...oh and i have a paint mock up of my bucket, with weathering, obviously i havnt got it yet, but this i did on paint on my pc...anyway here goes:-



the yellow is acctually cream, but paint doesnt have cream so i had to go as close as possible lol...any critisisms welcome, im new to the mando world (i dont really think every mando would have a range finder...so i went with a torch instead, thats what is there instead of the rf...its a torch lol)

cool...thats a good idea lol

great news...my bucket arived yesterday...over a week early...good sign lol...anyway...mods start tonight and tomorow...i'll keep you guys posted

ok internally the bucket is complete, externally the first coat of paint is drying, and my armour begins tomorow...woo hoo, i should have a whole suit of armour in time to wear it to builth well motor bike show!!! yes!

ok, my hands are covered in paint, my back feels lk i have a hipo balancing on it, but im done, the bucket is complete, my sister has taken my camera with her to a party so i'll have to take pics in the morining, all i have to do is reatatch the torch (ive lost it, so i cant put it on tonight lol) and im done...my armour starts tomorow!

ok guys its been a while in the making (not 4 days doesnt exactly count as a long time lol) but here it is...my almost complete bucket...paint is done extept for a little bit of cream i still ned to add one coat to...but here goes:-



this is me in my bucket



this is a close up of the "mandalorian cat scratch"



this is a shot of the weathering and acid burn



more weathering shots



another weathering shot...and also i have s shot of my unmodded blaster pistol:-





and finnaly i have WIP shots of my chest armour:-

The helmets looking sweet. I like the rusty weathering, makes it look like it's been handed down from father to son over the decades.

Really creative choice for the blaster. Is it some kind of air hose attachment? It'll be neat to see how it turns out. Keep up the good work!

the gun is an expandable foam spry gun ,it srays the foam into holes in buildings to seal the hole...but its main mechanism is broken...so my father gave it to me as a weapon for my costume

ok so i have fixed a torch to the open RF point until i can find something more substantial to put in its place or incorperate to it...im thinking some kind of scanning device, that goes to a HUD inside the bucket (obviously non functional....for now!)

I'm loving that bucket...8)

lol...cheers shadow...it's nearly finished...i tried on all the armour i have so far today...doesnt look too bad...just a little bit of reshaping i have to do to the gut plate and then its down to paint....i desperatly need a tidy vest...the one im using is terrible lol

Can't wait to see what you end up doing with that unmodded blaster you plan to use..... outfit is looking great so far... Keep up the hard work...

the gut plate went from bad to worse when i went to reshape it...but i have plenty of sintra, im going to start again...the gut plate was too small anyway lol...cheers valcar, the mod's to the pistol come as soon as my armour is finished

Just remember to use patience =D Visualize what you want, then do it.

cheers valcar...i did a new gut plate...turned out much better...its all painted now aswell....just a few details and the weathering to do now !!!!!!!!!

Can't wait to see it........... your doing great my friend.....

ok so its update time...i have had an idea...because of some damage to the back of my gut plate the velcro cant stick to it...and i havnt got enough sintra left to make a third...so i have a remedy...if i were to put o coating or some sort of the back of the plate...the velcro should stick....any idea's what kind of coating i can use?

Your sticky velcro won't stick to the sintra? Hmm...thats wierd.

Have you tried hot gluing it? If that doesn't work, try some plastic epoxy also if hot glue won't work.

cheers novall...i was thinking of hot glueing it myself...good to know i was on the right track lol

just to clarify...its just the gut plate it wont stick to...the chest peices and bells are soll#id and firm...the velcro doesnt budge...but there is damage to the back of the gut plate which prevents the velcro from taking hold....**** second had sintra off cuts lol...cheap though lol

Hi Setra, Hot glue is good, but its not the best to use. Have you thought of using Araldite - Epoxy Adhesives. They are 2 part chemicals. They will hold almost anything together.... just remember to get it right first time... cos it's a hard job to part after its stuck

ok so its update time...i have had a test fit today and have repainted the armour plates, it went together pretty well...anyway i am going to dye the flight suit black...but here it is:-

I'd recommend a fitted vest if you can, instead of the t-shirt. It makes the armour sit better and stops any unwanted movement of the plates. Aside from that it's looking great.

Another idea would be to buy a couple Tshirts that fits perfectly on you...not snug or lose. Then sew them together with some backing between them and that should give you a decent thickness without costing more then a McDonald's value meal.

now thats a good idea novall...i may try that

ok update...another test fit of my armour with the new and improved vest:-

The vest looks great now. I assume the armor plates are just taped in place for the photo?

Looks great.
Novall that does sound like a great idea for a vest.

sweet job so far, keep it up!

Yeah, you need to work on armor placement. It looks good so far though!

It's going to look great, and it's looking better all the time my friend...

cheers guys....yeah the armour isnt secured there its just taped...and today work begins on V.3 of my neck plate luckilly enough i have now got enough materials to make another suit of armour...so i can do as many neck plates as it takes to get it right!

wow this hasnt bin updated in a while...heres mine as it stands now:-



i also made the silver and the black and lime green mando's

gauntlets are curtousy of novall!