Rav Bralor progress thread (big build pics)

Thanks for the, um, encouraging?/ supportive? commentary on my solution for chest armor.

If you notice the torso I got to use is not of the pointy, or super anatomically correct with undercuts variety. I did search to find a torso which would be smoothly curved, and chose the larger size to take into account my girlfriend's chest, the flightsuit and armor vest layers. I also made sure to get one that was pretty much a straight on normal stance, as opposed to one that was more 'posed', which wouldn't allow for nicely symmetrical armor panels. I also made sure to get one that was a sturdy injection molded plastic, not a thin vac form or ridiculous thick fiberglass one. The torso actually ended up being a pretty good match to her and the armor panels cut out couldn't have been sculpted better myself when I hold them up to her.
Yes, if you choose to go the way I did you're only going to really be able to find roughly two sizes. However, you never really find much variety in any other armors out there (stormtrooper, vader, fetts, etc) anyway. You will have to be mindful to pay attention to the pictures and not choose too *ahem* realistic :D of a female form. You want to find one that is smooth shapes and looks like it could be actual armor. Don't get too thin of one and I would advise avoiding the fiberglass ones (they're about 3/8ths of an inch thick!) It took me maybe a half hour of interneting to find what I did on Ebay, and it worked out awesomely.


Anyway, I'm sitting here in the Vegas airport at the end of a vacation trip, and I have been itching to get back to working on this build and my own mando designs. My flight has been delayed some more, so by the time I get back to Philly I don't think I'm going to be working on the stuff tonight, but Memorial day is gauntlet sculpt day:lol:. I'm gonna tear it up with some epoxy and bondo. Might even get a little work done on holster and pistol work. I've got til June 21st to get it done, so I gotta pull out the stops! I'm just itching to get back to it! Once I get cracking some more on this expect more pics from me (I know I'm a bad updater of threads, lol)
 
So over the weekend I drove back home to Cincinnati for Cadet's college graduation party, but Tk-2257 came with me and I brought her armor with me to work on. I got the red main paint coat down on the armor. Here's a little pic:
IMG_1750.jpg


Tonight I primered and spread some more spot glaze putty on the gauntlet sculpt.
IMG_1751.jpg


I'm working some more on doing another round of sanding on the gauntlet sculpt. I'm also putting some epoxy putty filling on the pistols. I had to take some old earcaps I had sitting around and fit them to the helmet. We had misplaced the earcaps that came with the helmet. So that's some more filling and sanding on the helmet before I can paint the grey on the helmet. I also have to fabricate the rangefinder stalks.
 
Little update. Got the basic colors painted on most of the armor. Got the black and the gray on the armor parts that get it. Been working some more on the gauntlet sculpt, and I'd say that they have to be sanded one more time, then primered, and they'll be ready for silicone. Started working on the pistols a little more too.
IMG_1752.jpg
 
Looks great!

So, the gauntlets you're building... you said they'd be ready for silicon. Are you sealing them or making molds to cast? Just wondering. Many FemMando's out there would love to have female sized gauntlets they don't have to scratch build. You may have a market for them.

I know I'd be interested in a set for my GF. I just got a set of BradleyFett Jango gauntlets for her and they are going to end up being a tad bulky on her.
 
Thanks for the kind words guys.

I've been a little slacker on the last day or two, but I've needed to get sleep:lol:

I am planning on putting the sculpts in silicone to cast them in resin. I'll plan on making them available. I'd say they'll be a tad bit smaller than Bradley Gauntlets, but not extremely smaller.
 
About time for another update to this build, and its a biggish one. I just got done pulling the maiden set of casts of the gauntlets from their molds tonight. Not too bad overall, will need a little bit of clean up here and there. I modified the one mold a little to make the next casting a little better. I didn't get pics of me making the molds themselves, because my hands were really sticky from the mold rubber, and I did not feel like ruining my camera. But here's a quick description of what I did; I made a mold of the outside of the gauntlet pieces, turned that upside down and spread clay into it the thickness I wanted the gauntlets to be, then made the other side of the mold over this. This left me with a complete mold with a void that was the gauntlet. I didn't feel like slush casting it, so this will give me a consistent thickness in one shot. I also extended my new mold rubber supply by chopping up some old useless molds into itty bitty pieces and mixing that in to it.
Here's the master sculpts in their final clened up form:
IMG_1754.jpg

Sawing them in half to be able to mold each piece of them individually:
IMG_1755.jpg

The pieces before getting molded:
IMG_1758.jpg

And the resin setting up in the completed molds:
IMG_1759.jpg

First pieces rough out of the mold:
IMG_1760.jpg

The helmet in its initial stages of weathering. The scratches are done, now its just time to do washes over it and the armor to dirty it up. The rest of the armor is currently at the same point as the helmet, I'll try to get pics up in the next day or two.
IMG_1761.jpg

And she'll hate me for posting it, but here is the ultimate recipient of this suit in the vest, holding the armor on while I made a template for the shoulder pads, which I will cut out of leather along with the holsters in the next few days:
IMG_1753.jpg
 
I'm still very tempted to do this, but I think I will put a layer of glass over it to give it a little heft.
I was waiting for Rotton, like a lot of us are, but for $30.00 from fleabay, I can do that.
 
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