Captain Rex

i've been working on this since the sunday of dragoncon weekend, and put it all on for the first time tonight!





i've got a list of about a dozen adjustments i need to make for comfort, and some things that still need doing / redoing.

• shoulder straps need to be adjusted - digging into shoulders and pushing up mantle
• mantle needs to be better attached to my body (straps under arms)
• thighs need some trimming at the bottom
• forearms need better curve at the bend of the elbow
• trim on the kama stinks. gotta be darker and wider
• kama is too wide, and overlaps in the back. gotta take a good 2" off either side
• build the thermal detonator
• make the holsters and guns.
• better secure handplates to the gloves
• get better gloves. mine don't have long enough cuffs and are too bulky
• put round greeblies on the sides of the shoes

but despite that long list of things to do, i'm pretty happy with my first time putting it all on!

That looks awesome, Brian!! Turned out great

Beautiful! Well done!!

That looks sweet! I really dig the toon-style parts you did. Are those TB bells for the shoulders? They fit the bill nicely!

Very nice dude.

Originally Posted by MandoMan

That looks sweet! I really dig the toon-style parts you did. Are those TB bells for the shoulders? They fit the bill nicely!

good eye

yup, TB bells that i rounded out at the bottom a bit. the dish style clone ones just didn't look right on the toon style suit.

i'm going to keep working on more stuff to toon-ify it. first up will be the shins, since that's my least favorite part of the armor. too... bulbous... needs to be much more fitted and curvy.

Looking good Brian!

That is some wicked talent!

You've done an excellent job!

Jeff

You are my new hero!

Are you freak'n kidding me! That turned out AWESOME!!!!:thumbup

Brian,
WOW that is great! I've been waiting to see one of these done.
BTW I recognize those IKEA displays behind you, I have 2 of them full of Preds and Aliens LOL.

Awesome costume.

Tre cool.

super awesome!

Wow, thats preety awsome!

Nice gear Brian

wow 1st time for me to see Capt Rex...and it's awesome

i always liked that they used one of Boba Fett's concept art eye designs over the visor for captain rex's helmet.

Originally Posted by Kye Katarn

i always liked that they used one of Boba Fett's concept art eye designs over the visor for captain rex's helmet.

that's actually why i did rex vs. a white clone... i liked the prepro fett eyes

well i had taken a liking to him when i watched the clone wars movie, i didn't know, then i came acrsoo the face that he had the same eye mrkings and now i figured that had to be it, i liked him subconsciosly because of that. it would ahve been cool if they had given him the range finder on the left side going the other way.

Very nice!

I love it! When I saw Rex and Cody, I was amazed. I want a set of Commander Cody's armor. We could troop together haha. Amazing work!

El1te

where the last couple of days have been all about the fail... tonight went well!

in addition to getting the duster done for mr. snowy, i re-painted all of the blue parts of my armor with a better shade of blue, and started cleaning up the first of my pistols.

i've poured both, and done some basic sanding / drilling on one of them:





the belt sander tomorrow will take out the big chunks, like the sprue from the pour hole.

and here's the helmet now:



and here is before:



the reason for the repaint was realizing that he was a distinctly darker blue than the 501st clones that he leads. there are a couple of scenes in the clone wars with him and the 501st in the same frame, and he's really not at all the same. the action figure in the before pic is actually pretty much spot on, near as i can tell. a little too close to navy, but in that general vein.

i'm much much happier with it now!

tomorrow night i make the holsters (new mold is done cooking!) and hopefully wrap this project up!

Love the blaster! I modelled this one in 3D to make templates of it. Looks very similar to yours there. I like the new blue alot too!! The difference may only be subtle but it is better I think.

holster, all bondo/sanded/primed. i painted the insides black, so that when the gun scrapes on them, there's a better chance of it coming out ok



pistol painted, but not weathered yet:


comm pad in place, also not weathered:

version 1 of rex is done. now to start sculpting my own parts!!!

Very awesome!

Great job, really well done!

killer job man! keep it goin

I love it. I always get a little jealous when I see a really well done Clone, and this one has me greener than ever!

Well done Brian. Can't wait to see your custom parts.

Great job Brain !

first real troop in the rex suit today! a couple miles of unseasonably warm parade will sure break in a suit. the shoes have GOT to go... comfier ones are in my future SOON!







and just WAIT until you see the rest of the parade group... WOW! what a day!!!

Originally Posted by stormtrooperguy

Best picture, right there. The look on the kid's face as he's waving at you, just awesome. Looks like that very large-headed construction worker is cuttin' in on your territory though.

And I do believe we need more pics of the Dewback. 8)

Next to that kid is another little one dressed in a clone outfit too? I bet he was thrilled!!

I wouldn't mind seeing more of that Dewback too?

Amazing and I love your display case in the background. I have the Legos collector edition AT-ST in my room XD. I kinda would like to do an Omega Squad suit eventually.

Great work mate.

Darn you Bob the Builder!

It looks like there a little Clone right outside the frame too, I bet he was excited! Your suit looks great!

Originally Posted by jodo

Darn you Bob the Builder!

It looks like there a little Clone right outside the frame too, I bet he was excited! Your suit looks great!

oh man... all these kids in their anakin, obiwan, ahsoka and rex costumes were just freaking out when they saw our little mini-group in the parade. lots of cody costumes too.

grievous and ventress were getting a lot of love too. you can really tell that the animated series is resonating well with kids!

wow that is a really good looking captain rex have you thought at all about dry brushing some chrome silver on the edges and barrels of the blaster to give them a more weathered metal and battle worn look?

Originally Posted by Punhulk

wow that is a really good looking captain rex have you thought at all about dry brushing some chrome silver on the edges and barrels of the blaster to give them a more weathered metal and battle worn look?

i'm going for a look that's as close to the animation as i can get... the animated ones have no silver weathering on them, so neither do i

Awesome suit!!

Are you going to eventually mod the ab and chest plates to make it more like the anim version? I like it the way it is, just curious.

you armor looks amazing! One day...

I'm going to be making a kama for my mando armor eventually, do you have a pattern or template?

thanks!

Originally Posted by Bubba Fett

Awesome suit!!

Are you going to eventually mod the ab and chest plates to make it more like the anim version? I like it the way it is, just curious.

I'm eventually going to build an entirely custom suit. I wanted to cut the chest plate on my current one, but I need to make a new ab plate first, since mine is too short for that.

Well it looks great now, but will be fun to see your mods as you do them.

Aww I love Rex so much! This is such a great costume! Well done!

Nice job - the toon version of the clones is growing on me...well done!

BTW, have you seen some of the sneaker mod threads at Clonetroopers.net? Could be the help you need...for more comfy boots

what kind of bucket is that?
could we get some more info on the building process of the armor?
I'd love to know how you did the Kama, I can't figure out how to do trim.
Any tips on making those DCs? I thought that'd be more originale for me then westers.

Rex is The Bomb! I want to make ani-clone armor when i finish my custom Mando.... That will be a while I need to repain it.... but that Rex kicks tinny butt!!! He was the bomb tonight on Clone Wars did any one notice the parental warning on tonights episode!?

Originally Posted by verd1138

what kind of bucket is that?

i made the bucket. it's version 1 of a modded hasbro. just wait til you see version 2!

my rex web page is pretty sparse right now, but it does have a section on the helmet:

http://stormtrooperguy.com/rex/

could we get some more info on the building process of the armor?
I'd love to know how you did the Kama, I can't figure out how to do trim.
Any tips on making those DCs? I thought that'd be more originale for me then westers.

how i made it all is sort of a mess

silly as it may seem, this is a temporary suit.

i'm doing my own 100% from scratch clone kit, based on the clone wars style armor. from head to toe, it will be all made by me. i've got the first pulls of the forearms done:



those are the prototypes. i need to tweak the masters a bit to get some better detail in a few spots.

you can see the biceps and hand plates untrimmed here:



the pistols i made out of MDF:



then i molded them and made a pair in resin. but i trashed the mold by accident, so i had to do a LOT of cleanup to the resin ones. i'm planning to make a new mold at some point soon.

overall, it's going to be a loooooooong road on this one.

Have you ever worked with sintra? I'm considering trying to make some Clone Wars armor now that my Mando is mostly done.
But the full body armor is a pain to mold in my experience, I can't tell you how much time we spent trying to make gauntlets, and we still didn't figure it out.
If you have any ideas to make molding easier that would be helpful.
(on a side note, after seeing you make that bucket, I think I may make one regardless)

I'd still love to hear anything about that kama trim!
and do you have anything that could help ME make some MDF DCs?
I'd really be thankfull for ANY help!
THX, and good luck!

Originally Posted by verd1138

I'd still love to hear anything about that kama trim!

there isn't much to say about the trim... i just picked up some bias tape that was about the same color as my paint, and then sewed it on

and do you have anything that could help ME make some MDF DCs?
I'd really be thankfull for ANY help!
THX, and good luck!

sadly i've got nothing for you... i didn't make templates or anything, i just eyeballed it then used a ruler to straighten out the lines.

it took a couple of tries. the first ones were WAY oversized. the second pair came out just right though.

i've done a couple of quick updates to the rex pages on my site. i've got some details on how i made the new forearms and the pistols:

http://stormtrooperguy.com/rex/

Nice Rex!!

speaking of rex... one new forearm almost done:

Costume looks great man.

Sweet! I do like that the elbows and knees for fixed to the shins and forearms

more on the helmet... the one i have now is not clone wars accurate enough for my tastes, so i'm redoing it.

this is where it started:


i started marking off where things needed to be changed... sort of like a plastic surgeon would. the biggest cut though was on the back:



OUCH!

yeah, the entire back is different, so i had to cut it all out. that circle won't stay as-is either, but for now i want it there as a good center marker. in addition to the resculpt, cutting the back out also allowed me to push the sides out a bit. the animated helmets are just very wide at the bottom.

the first set of changes to the face were mostly focused on the area around the visor. the cheeks have been squared off, and the cheek tubes are being flattened out, then will be extended a bit to flare out more.



the second set of changes was more on shaping the resin bits... removing the brow trim, reshaping the visor a bit, reshaping the fin...



the indents on the sides of the helmet don't come as far foward in the animation, which got in the way of painting the stripes in correctly. so... i moved them back:



more to come! i'll be working on it for a couple of hours tonight, so there should be something good tomorrow.

Man i love your work ^_^ you have such pasion for this !!

Indeed! Your dedication is second to none! I can't wait to see how this version turns out!

Are you giving that bottom trim the wide flare?

Originally Posted by Skupilkinson

Indeed! Your dedication is second to none! I can't wait to see how this version turns out!

Are you giving that bottom trim the wide flare?

yep, i will be! i'm going to smooth out and shape what's there as much as i can, then add on as needed. should be fun!

Great! I can't wait to see that!

Keeping both sides even there will be a small challenge? Though after seeing your work here I don't think it'll be too much of a headache for you.

You're killing me with your creativity for this Brian, really really inspiring stuff!!!

I know its borderline and not what you want to hear but..

I'd hit that ****!
fap fap fap fap fap.
lol

looks great!

sorry to ask, but does anyone think this may be possible with a little (lot) of work on a fett bucket?

Originally Posted by adonian

sorry to ask, but does anyone think this may be possible with a little (lot) of work on a fett bucket?

not sure what you mean? convert a clone to a fett? they are so different you'd be better off just scratch building it using the templates here. i can't think of any part that you'd preserve from the base.

the latest updates... rockin the custom sculpted forearms!

Wow Brian, the forearms definitely take it up a notch.

Looking good!

Beautiful!! I'm very envious of your skill.

It's getting very good, great job!

looking good bud! Love the new pulls. I have been getting really stoked on the Clone Wars look after watching the movie like 10 times last weekend on Blu-Ray. Partly because the film looks so good in 1080p on 65" inchs wide. I actually like the T-Visors way better on the Clone Wars clones over AOTC.

more work on the helmet...

Lovin' that left side there(our right)!! That flare is looking so good.

where did you get ur hemlets? i've been thinking about doing an ARC trooper, and i've had a hard time finding a good clone helmet with a range finder

It's a heavily modified Hasbro voice changer lid. And lookin' mighty fine too!!

Bro, you are my new favorite Rex!

Now that there's this shiny new clone section and everyone else is bumping up old threads, here's mine...



I've done a bit more tuning to it since that photo... I took about 3/4" off the length of the thighs, which will help a LOT with my mobility. I shortened the forearms about 1/2" for the same reason.

The mantle was recently redone, since I felt the blue shoulder part was a bit undersized. I reused the main piece, but built a new shoulder. Still hand stitched leather, just bigger.

I'm not 100% happy with the helmet, so I'll be doing Yet Another One soon. I'm on Boba bucket #9 right now, so doing a 3rd Rex doesn't seem all that insane. I want to make it a bit smaller, particularly in the back.

I've also been getting more and more into the Snow Clones from the recent episode. I think that they'll mesh well visually with Ep V. Snowtroopers, and will be comfortable to wear, which is of GREAT importance for trooping!

I was going to work on my new ab plate last night, but once again got distracted. I'm trooping tonight, but it's an early one... maybe I'll get something done after that!

"Snow Clones" !!! I love it! I really liked Snow Rex in that episode too! It was called "Trespass", a great episode it was too! Right up there with Cloak of Darkness!.

So you're doing one of these??!! Can't wait to see it buddy! I was going to make templates for one of these for scratchbuilders when I get some time. Though coming from you I know yours will be amazing!!

I like the original bucket better, the new one is too large, especially at the bottem.
everthing elses looks really good though, keep up the good work!

P.S. anyone going to Steller-con in March?

Awesome work, I'm jealous. I love that someone pulled off the Rex armor so well

Originally Posted by verd1138

I like the original bucket better, the new one is too large, especially at the bottem.

it is a bit too large, but not hugely so. the next version of it is coming in a bit smaller, but only about 1/2". the animated helmets should be about the same width as the shoulder straps on the armor.

they are supposed to be a bit bobbly headed

...some new pics Id not seen before of your awesome Rex, Brian - you never fail to amaze me with that build....

Simply outstanding. The craftsmanship displayed by you guys rivals that of the original ILMers.

I'm equally as impressed that you are able to keep from totally burning out and abandoning halfway through.

Kudos to all

Originally Posted by Skupilkinson

"Snow Clones" !!! I love it! I really liked Snow Rex in that episode too! It was called "Trespass", a great episode it was too! Right up there with Cloak of Darkness!.

So you're doing one of these??!! Can't wait to see it buddy! I was going to make templates for one of these for scratchbuilders when I get some time. Though coming from you I know yours will be amazing!!

I agree - the abominable Snow Rex was totally cool. That show continues to impress - original and action-packed.

And speaking of "Toon Wars Mods" check out my Tiger Clone mod (just a paint job, really). They're the squad dispatched under Plo Koon. One of the freekin' coolest paint schemes I've seen, yet.

I does impress! Even more so now. I saw the latest episode here yesterday. Can't remember what it was called but a clone named "Slick" betrayed the republic after being offered freedom by the seperatists. I really liked that as it (to me anyway) ties in nicely with the Karen Traviss Republic Commando books.

Anyway I'm off topic, I'll shut it now.

I am very jealous of your awesome forearms!

Originally Posted by Cadet

I am very jealous of your awesome forearms!

I'll be doing up a batch of them some time in the warmer weather... It's just too much of a pain to do vac forming when it's 2 degrees!

I've been making a lot of progress on reshaping my Rex helmet... The changes are subtle, between 1/8" and 1/4" adjustments here and there, but the difference is really impressing me.

Looking forward to seeing it Brian!!

I know what you mean about the weather too! I want nothing more than to be able to get back into the garage but it's just too cold here.

Nice work as usual Brian

Originally Posted by stormtrooperguy

I'll be doing up a batch of them some time in the warmer weather... It's just too much of a pain to do vac forming when it's 2 degrees!

I've been making a lot of progress on reshaping my Rex helmet... The changes are subtle, between 1/8" and 1/4" adjustments here and there, but the difference is really impressing me.

Very nice job, love the job you've done. Makes me want to make a set of clone armor if I only had the skills and resources. At any rate, will you be planning on selling forearms when you get more made? I'd be interested in getting a set for my Jedi general outfit that I'm (slowly) working on.

I wish that I could offer some critiques or suggestions...but you nailed Rex perfectly!

Man..that looks great!!! I'll take a set of that armor any day!!!

Too nice my friend, too nice.

looking good dude!

it's about time i got back into this!
so here's the REALLY rough shape of the belly:



it is a BIG stack of MDF and a lot of bondo. i smoothed it out using:



so fast! that thing just TEARS through the bondo... think of the little dremel sanding drum, but scale it up a LOT. it's nothing you'd want to do picky work with, but it sure gets the job done for large flat areas!

additional sanding services provided by:


and while i was at it, i did a bit more tweaking on the helmet:

The MONSTER dremmel!!! Nice work bro!

nice STG, you are a machine!!! love the C. rex, very nice indeed.

Originally Posted by Skupilkinson

The MONSTER dremmel!!! Nice work bro!

hahaha! you know, when i bought the big sanding rolling pin, folks laughed at me. but seriously, it is WELL worth the $80 or whatever i paid.

it's such a great hybrid between a dremel, a pad sander and a belt sander. i can't imagine not having it.

a big piece like that is too heavy to move around the stationary belt sander i have in the garage, so this was a total win.

tomorrow morning i'll probably smooth it out the rest of the way and carve the details in.

here's the new helmet sanded out... it's now at the point where i'm doing small filler spots, smoothing, etc... i still need to carve in the vent slots, but i want the thing pretty well smooth before i do that.



this was rinsed a few minutes earlier, after a messy round of wet sanding. the way the water is drying on the visor looks pretty neat. also neat is the layering of primer. i alternate coats of light grey and dark grey so that i can see if it's a nice even coat. when doing fine sanding like this (320 grit wet), you end up with some pretty awesome patterns.

It does look cool! Sort of scorched. The helmet is coming along really well. I thought it was a beauty before but it just keeps getting better!