Sculpting a GM from the ground up

And here's a few shots of the wide vs. narrow side by side for comparison:


These knees I actually made a few years back, but here they are anyway for the sake of the thread




And here's the latest addition to the family, the chest.








I did a preliminary test pull for a master and was fairly pleased with the results...still got a few nitpicky things to do to it, but they're minor so shouldn't take long.

Hope to have this done by the end of the week. Take a look:


Here's a test fit with me wearing V1

Barry over on CT informed me that the arch on the flat area was too tall. After thinking it over while at work last night I decided to take the plunge and correct it. Got home this morning and knocked out the necessary corrections...after ha humming and walking around the garage for about ten minutes and looking at the mold and the ref pics I finally balled up and did it. I still hung onto the old master just in case, but as I started sanding it down I became very pleased with what I was starting to see. Here's the results:

Comparison side by side with the old V1

I also decided to slope down the upper chest area just a bit more so it didn't look so bulbous and for more ergonomic conformity (correction version in the background)

OK here's what I came up with after one failed attempt....the second try was good though. I'm pretty happy with the way it looks and fits, very comfy!


Here's what I modified it from the original


In this picture you can see the awful one on the far right...looks completely wrong


I don't think it's going to be physically possible for me to make it look exactly like the screengrab given the angles and curvature (as seen from that last photo of my 3 chest sets)...not to mention that a lot of the CG characters have bending/stretching armor while in motion (which defies all laws of physics lol). I have a feeling this might be the case in the screengrab regarding the GM chest piece....it's so askew of an angle that it's difficult to tell.

I'm still trying to make these wearable in the real world while staying as true as possible to the reference materials and as we all know it's a hard thing to accomplish.

Super happy with this master pull.







And some more pics

Here's some test shots of me wearing it -








Up next was the right shoulder bell.
I pulled this in the .090 white cause that's likely what I'll be using for this piece. I noticed that it kept it's form much better than the .060 on the initial pull (pics of that ugliness over on CT.net) so I was much happier with the results. I trimmed it down to where I figured looked about right and I'm pretty happy with it. Obviously I still need to add the loops, but I need to get this part down first before moving forward (not to mention I need to know exactly how big this shoulder bell will be before adding them).

Here's where I'm at right now on this piece. This piece has kind of been a thorn in my side. I originally thought it to be a very simple quick sculpt (I'm beginning to learn there is no such thing, especially given how anal I am )

After doing the math and marking all the proper lines over the curvatures, I cut grooves into the mold (not before pulling another scrap master just in case). These had to be absolutely straight because they would become guides for the Audio Video cable that I was about to use for the raised ribs/loops (yes, I said Audio Video cables...hey we all know how it is, use what you can and what works and what's cheap right? ) I just super glued them on there cause I really only needed it for one pull anyway. Afterwards the final master will be completely plaster. Here's pics:








And here's what happens when you get your finger in the super glue...yes that's part of my finger print ...ouch!







Next, I chopped off the bottom edge of the mold to square it and size it properly

Here's a preliminary pull. I still need to clean up the tops of the ribs and fade them into the bell...easy stuff and shouldn't take too long

Got the mold cleaned up and ready for vacc'ing






And the first pull for a customer in Ozzyland







That's it for now, gonna take a short hiatus before I tackle the backplate....stay tuned!

Looks like .090 Boltaron (which is basically a kydex equivalent....very tough and durable stuff) was the answer for this particular piece.

If 1 pic = 1000 words, then here's 5000 words






A few quick family photos :P

Got a bit more progress to share with you all. I'm on the home stretch on this piece and just have some edging lines to carve in as well as some quick smoothing/surfacing to finish up. I'm very happy with how the shoulders turned out, as they were a real pain to get them just right...but it was worth it as it fits great. I took some pics to show you all where I'm at with this. I'll post pics in a few days with me wearing it so you can get a better idea, but for now here's a preview











That's it for the moment. As always, stay tuned!

Wow! Looking really **** nice dude!

Now that's really cool...!
Love watching these threads come together. keep up the awesome work bruv.

Awesome work, RKD! I'm glad you started to scratch build it, all the fun and the ground work is on your shoulders. Keep us posted with your excellent updates!

Thanks guys for the great comments, it's very appreciated
I've been working on this since last August and finally decided to post up in here to share with you all. At the moment I'm pretty much at a stopping point to take a break cause I've been busting my @$$ on this trying to get it knocked out (pile on top of that my regular 40+ /hr a week job, staying on top of orders, spending time with the gf, working on my own costumes, etc) and well you get the idea lol. I'll keep more pics comin as I progress. Thanks all for checking the thread and stay tuned!

Most impressive!

Awesome work! Thanks for posting this here. I will keep watching this thread. I always wanted to do a GM.

you may sell me on a GM if you keep this up.

Awesome! I am with Mullreel... you may have me sold too

Nice work matey well impressed

**** COOOOOOL****
more please!

Thanks guys! I'll have more pics posted up soon of the fitting session (need the gf to help out with that) and then up next: left shoulder bell

Here's a few shots of my roommate wearing the chest and back (I kidnapped him and held him at gunpoint :P...actually he was happy to do it and very helpful). It gave me a good chance to look at it while not wearing it so that was a huge plus for me. I have to say I'm a little surprised (and proud) at how well it fit him. He's got a 42 inch chest for those of you who are concerned about size (AND he's wearing a hoodie...he said it was snug but not too tight)...anything larger than that and you're likely going to have to shim it up.










And of course the obligatory family photos




That's it for now. Gonna take a bit of a break to catch up on some stuff (as well as some orders) before I start up on the next piece...as always, stay tuned!

Everything looks awesome! Keep up the excellent updates and the nice family photos!

Thanks brotha! More to come in a month or so, stay tuned!

Got a few more pics up for you guys of the finished backplate with all the final details added. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Will

That is really cool. Is it going into production soon? If it is let my know.

RICH

your doing an excelent job on this....keep up the great work

Already in production now Rich! I start doing runs as soon as each piece is made, so hit me up!

Thanks again you two for the comments

Got a little more progress for you all. I was still really nervous about this backpack sculpt and felt like I was paddling down uncharted territory (which I was...for me at least) due to the size and shape of this mold. This is by far the most complex and complicated piece (forming-wise that is) that I've ever set out to do and I really didn't know if it was even going to work until I did a few pulls... everything up until that point has been strictly theory not to mention this piece is so tall and deep as well as oddly shaped for a pull that webbing and stretch of the plastic was certainly a major concern.

Honestly I thought I was taking a huge risk and wasting a lot of time and resources on this but I had to at least try and see what would happen....and boy am I glad I did and I'm glad to say that I'm super pleased with the results.

Not only was I worried about getting it to form, but I also didn't know if this funky shape was going to allow me to release the plastic from the mold. Happily, my theories on the angles were correct (either that or I just Forrest Gump'd my way through this one lol :P) and the mold practically fell out of the plastic

My biggest reason for making the frame in one piece was for easier assembly and for strength and I really hope that I have achieved this as well as keeping it as accurate as possible (being super anal helps too :P)



Take a look at the pics below as well as the side by side 'paint' photo I assembled and let me know what you think. Keep in mind that this piece is still in the early stages and there are a few things I still need to do to it to tweak it a bit, but I think for the most part the shape is correct.

Enjoy!







Obviously I still need to make the outer 'floating' pieces and this is just the under frame, but this side by side will explain things better than I can with words



I've still got those 'floating' pieces to sculpt (and they really shouldn't take long at all) but at least the hardest part is behind me now (relatively speaking )

Here's a few shots of the mold








As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned!

Here's a couple of teaser shots... still need to clean this mold up so it's still a bit rough, but at least it gives you all a better idea of which direction I'm moving with this ...slowly making progress

Great thread! Love the build so far. Photo's are great

Thanks a ton mate! Still got a long ways to go but makin' progress

your build looks great

Thank you my friend! Still got a long ways to go though

wow, my wallet could be your best friend... this looks great. gonna need one in the future bro

Originally Posted by Brail khan

wow, my wallet could be your best friend... this looks great. gonna need one in the future bro

Hehe, thanks bro! I could see your wallet being my best friend as well lol :P

I know it's been a while since my last update, been super busy with orders and ...well just life in general, but I am making progress on this. I hope I'm going in the right direction with this backpack, but as usual I like to hear all your feedback. Please keep in mind that this was a quick mock up and the pieces are haphazardly held together with tape, so they're not placed perfectly and are not keeping their proper positions
On a related note, what's the general consensus on the SB backpack pouches? Are they considered accurate size wise? They seem a bit on the small(ish) side to me, but I always like to get another opinion. The reason for my question is because I'm at a point where I need to decide what to do with the lower portion of the pack frame, and I'd like to make this compatible with those pouches (for those who already own them) if they are indeed accurate. LMK!
Here's some pics, enjoy!

ya certainly have the skills to pay the bills with that work, like the from ground up approach you have with the gear you make, awsome!

Thanks Roba! Still got a long ways to go but it's gettin there

We'll call this Version 2 of the pack frame (if you will).
Just made some minor adjustments to it as well as added (GASP) mounting tabs to the sides
Simply line up the pack to where you want it to sit on the backplate and then make your marks and cut some slots to insert the tabs The first test of this worked really well and I was very pleased with the results. Keep in mind though, the one in the pic has a few issues going on with it - 1. I had already cut slots into it from the V1 pack frame so they're off a bit and 2. the tabs on this particular V2 were cut a bit too short, but you get the idea. Notice too that I also made the tabs as part of the flares for the mold so they angle outward and flatten out a bit to conform better to the inside of the backplate so they're not stabbing you in the back. Once properly secured, they pull the edges nice and snug along the most of the entire surface of the plate. So far I'm pretty happy with the results, take a look!







For these next pics I just threw the outer pack shell on top to see how it looks. The PVC coupler is sitting on it for size reference only as well...it's just under 3" inches in diameter (outer) which is what I'm looking at for this pack. I'll mock up some foam boxes soon for the total look and see where I'm at (will post pics of that too when I get to it )

OK got a few more thousand words for you all. I did a few more pulls after tweaking the backplate outer shell mold and the side canisters (made them shorter by about a 1/2" inch) and then worked up some mock pouches out of foam for a size check (let me know what you all think about the size on them boys too) and did a quick dry fit of everything for a snapshoot Also threw on a pvc pipe (even though it's still a bit too narrow...still looking for the 3" inch diameter stuff), just for grins to see it all put together. Take a look:

Not too much to report, but I did get a few pouches sculpted up real quick tonight. They're pretty much ready for rubber. I'm also gonna be hitting a few places in town today to see about sourcing some larger PVC pipe for a more correct look. I'll likely be vacc'ing the rear canister detail (with the raised lines/ribs on it) as an extra piece to cover it for a nicer look...was thinkin of going with .040 white styrene
Here's pics in the meantime:

Poured the masters for the backpack pouches in resin today. I was surprised at how easily the clay originals came out of the mold and that they retained their shape as well as they did..I thought for sure they'd have been destroyed trying to get them out. Here's a pic!

Up next, copies in foam. Will be the first time trying that medium out, so got some experimenting to do

Some more progress - All I pretty much have left to do is make the end caps for the detonator and get some better material to make the pouches. On the pouches: I was able to make a few slush cast and then back fill them with foam (albeit the wrong kind of foam, but at least I know the method works). I really like the way they came out but I still need to do something about the back in order to make them mountable to the pack. If I can't find the right type of foam for these, this may end up being the way I offer them. I'm not giving up yet though, I ordered another type of foam from Smooth on and hope to have it by the end of the week or early next week. According to their description of what this stuff does, it should be the solution...but we'll see. In the meantime, here's pics
I made a slight change to the outer/upper shell to make it a bit more accurate...I'm much happier with it now (cause it was bugging the cr@p out of me :P)

Here's what I wound up doing for the det. I kinda like it and it was a simple solution


And the rest all together

OK guys (and gals of course), I just about got this backpack knocked out. I'll be making these available in a day or two after I find out if my 'caster' has been able to pump out some pouches for me (I've only got like 2 on hand at the moment). Keep in mind, in the pics below of the kit is just a dry mock up for sale thread purposes only so the placement is not ideal, but you get the idea. Hope you all like it!














That's pretty much it for now. I still need to assemble one of these for a vid tutorial, but honestly I don't know when that'll be. I need a break...totally burned out right now :/

Beautiful, there's a lot of work gone into this i bet. And a lot more to do.
I love this armor and cant wait to see it come alive.

Thanks a ton beans
You nailed it when you said "And a lot more to do" lol...too true. Well, one piece at a time, but eventually I'll get there. The hardest part is just sticking with it week after week when a lot of times it just doesn't feel like I'm making any progress at all...then BAM, I do a photo shoot like this last one for the pack and it looks like it's starting to come to life.
As always, thanks for looking and stay tuned!

Slowly makin progress. Finally finished up the left shoulder bell. Here's a full frontal shot of what I have so far



More to come soon...

super build !! so cool!

Your one talented dude will

Thanks a ton guys. Still got more to do on this, but it's comin' along. Stay tuned!

Will,

That is looking great.

Thanks Rob

Up next - Epaulets

Great thread, I love this kind of stuff!
Keep up the good work.
Darren

Originally Posted by DW Design

Great thread, I love this kind of stuff!
Keep up the good work.
Darren

Thanks Darren, appreciate that! Hope to have some more progress up by the end of the year

Working on the mantle...not too much longer before it's ready...

Very nice will!

Thanks again bro!

More progress pics on the epaulets: (special thanks to Gatzski for inspiration on the design)

Mocked up a quick comparison photo just to see what it looks like. Pretty happy with it

AMAZING Brother!!!

Thanks bro!
More to come

Seriously awesome stuff RKD. Of course we expect none-the-less from you bro.

This what you were doing last night huh

Looks great. The boot armor looks nice. The only problem I can see is that all those parts aren't boxed up and headed to my house.

Haha you know it Dom!
You're absolutely right FF! Send me your addy and we'll get that issue resolved

Thanks guys!

Construction on the helmet begins!





More to come, stay tuned

That's gonna be hard to wear, but I think I can make it work.

Good to see you back in the shop. I am glad things are getting better for you. Keep up the good work on this.

Originally Posted by FettFanatic

That's gonna be hard to wear, but I think I can make it work.
Good to see you back in the shop. I am glad things are getting better for you. Keep up the good work on this.

Haha! Dang, back to the drawing board on this helmet lol
Thanks my brotha, appreciate that!