My Zam Project Progress

[JDFett]

here is the cummerbund

 

[Langsuir666]

Wow!!! Well Done!!!

 

[sl tk8456]

Hey dude, that's looking well cool. Especially if you did it yourself.

Glad to see you've left a gap under Jamie's arms for the eyelets. I started mine too high for Becky. The neoprene will bunch up but it look slike you're ok

Good work

 

[JDFett]

finally got the rest of the lace and finished up the skirt

 

[Thumper]

WOW!! Looking great!

 

[MaulMaus]

Looks good!

Bet you're glad that part is done!

 

[JDFett]

thanks...and yes...i was actually not looking forward to doing the last 5 rows when the lace come in...but a relief now that it's done...we are pretty much done with the costume at this point...we have a couple greebs left to paint, a couple things to do for hanging some greebs like snaps and stuff and our gauntlets...hoping to see those soon as they are the biggest hurdle left...we do have the cape and the veil as well but thats a day project...a bit of sewing and a little dye...lol:

 

[JDFett]

so as the zam world turns....as you guys know the possiblity of me getting the gauntlets from moncal before dcon is still up in the air...we decided to go ahead and try our hand at making our own for the time being. if they turn out better than expected then maybe they would be an option for anyone who wants to zam it up in the future as we will keep the molds. The plan is to make them out of liquid plastic...the same as the greeblies we did. they will be two halves like the real ones and hindged together as well. not really sure how we intend on pouring them but for Jamies we will probably just waste a bunch of the plastic and pour the halves solid and then cut out the inside to fit her arm. quicker and easier than making a two part mold at the moment. here is the sculpt i did today for one of the gauntlets...

I'll be handing this off to Jamie tonight for final clean up of the sculpt and then we will make the mold for this tomorrow hopefully, along with the other set of ovary bits and half moon greebs we redid...then i figure a quick sanding and touch up of the first cast of the gaunt then a remold if we have enough material...if not then we will just clean up the one set for now and depending on any possible interest in the future make another for recasting purposes from the same mold and then re cast for interested parties...

we still have to sculpt out the other gaunt and the top part for it...I had thought about getting this one casted first and then using the base clay sculpt to do the other side as they appear to be the same size with different details and the addition of the top section...

 

[Bama Trooper152]

Nice work! Like you , we are stuck w/o gauntlets too. Holly has been trooping with some makeshift ones for a while now, holding out for some better ones to be produced in a timely manner someday....

 

[sl tk8456]

Hey JD, this is looking great. Any chance of a fully suited shot to tease us?

 

[JDFett]

maybe after we get the greebs finished up...maybe by weeks end...and hopefully some pictures of Jamie in action at Dcon...ive been holding out on dying the vest and cummer cause im a bit nervous...i just picked up a bunch of different colors from turtle feathers.com, they had numerous leather dyes in various shades of purplish reds..so we bought them all...7 different colors...now to test them and see what happens...

 

[JDFett]

so...on a wing and a prayer...i picked up every known color of leather dye from turtle feathers....i wasn't taking any chances on not having the right combination...as you guys know we wanted to go darker and more like the visual dictionary zam...

the colors we found that worked with the vest was 1 part cordovan, 1 part wine, 2 parts reducer...we did the whole vest with that using the cotton dobber...i then used a paper towel soaked with reducer after it partial dried and rubbed it almost off in most part to give the worn look...after that i used 1 part purple deluted with about 10 parts reducer and gave the vest a couple go overs with that to bring in a little purple over tones...

for the cummer i used 1 part purple to 2 parts reducer...after it dryed a bit again i used a heavy delution of reducer...and then washed it litely with a blend of cordovan and wine to tone down the purple a bit and make the belt closer to the color of the under suit....

i think it looks pretty close...closer in person but we all know how that goes with these colors...

 

[sl tk8456]

Thats looks very close dude. Not much left

loving the skirt but I like the hand plates best

 

[JDFett]

like all zam pics...this is no exception....looks much better in person...we were thinking about possibly hitting it once more with the reducer to lighten and weather it a tad more cause when it dried up it got a bit darker than i like...cant get to it till tomorrow so im hoping once it's dry that i can still use the reducer and take a bit of color off...:rolleyes

 

[JDFett]

added the side part to the gauntlet and now it's ready for casting....

we also came up with an idea on how to cast it so there will be no need to dremmel out the inside area and be able to cut the halves in the proper spot...i'll share that after we do it and hav e a product to show you...

also fixed up the brim on the helmet...just have to dye it today and make the veil...

 

[JDFett]

so finally the helmet is finished. put on the new hose thing in the back, painted that, and finished up the weathering and dying of the brim...process you may ask? well started with some purple around the edges...then in the stain areas went with a little cordovan....then finished the whole thing with burgundy...then the fun...took it outside and beat the snot out of it on the front cement stairs, took a razor to the brim, holding it flat against them brim and scrapped off down to almost the leather color...added a bit more brick and brown dye...then a bit more scrapping with the razor...then a bit of wiping down with some reducer to blend the now totally destroyed brim..LOL I then rubbed it in dirt, cleaned it off, and then scrapped it a bit more around the edges this time, with the razor...finished it off with some actual oil near the stained areas...and whalla...instant...well okay not instant...weathering...it's nice cause you can still see the purple in it as if one time in a galaxy long long ago far far away...it might have started out as purple..LOL

i also secured the scope binocs with a dab of hot glue under each so it doesnt slide off the helmet, seeing as we have no intention on moving it around...

now for the veil...

 

[JDFett]

in these pictures you can see we are about 95% done...all thats left is the gauntlets, paint a few greebs and a few straps, and the new ovary bits...which are sitting in the mold compound as i type along with the first gaunt...

so here are a few cool shots...i think Jamie has the look down face wise and the colros and the suit really look good on her!

 

[Thumper]

Wow, Looking good!

 

[sl tk8456]

Hey JD almost there dude, looking really good.

Slap me if I'm wrong but isn't Zam's veil meant to be suede not skin? Jamie's looks like skin there mate....?

 

[JDFett]

ya...temp fix for now..used the unfinished side of some pig so it is a bit suede and not smooth...may change it later but it was a tough dye to get it right so we may just go with it...the cape is the same material...some left over leather we had from doing the boots...if we have time before dcon we will re do them in suede...but we'll have to wait and see...also had a real bad issue with her pants...had put them on our mannequin that we made and the humidity caused a leak of the expandable foam inside the duck...got all stuck to the inside near her calves...were able to get most off but now that area is kindof stiff from the foam...will have to make another pair of pants...more for her comfort cause you really cant tell when she has it on...i think we have enough material to get them done but again...dcon is-a-coming and dont know if we will have them done by then

here are some shots of the finished right gauntlet...one more gaunt to go till done time!