Apollo's Build

[GCNgamer128]

Very nice job there. There are a ton of custom mandos out there, but they never seem to reach the level you're at. The weathering is awesome and I love your use of well placed dents on the armour. I also like how you're using leather pouches instead of nylon, which is a cheaper alternative. I also love the originality with the shoulder armour and gauntlets. The only thing that I would change about the costume would be a helmet upgrade. Rubies is a nice start, but once you have a solid helmet on your head, then you're where it's at.

 

[Apollo]

It's actually a fiberglass cast of a DP95. It's nice for now and I've learned a lot putting it together, but you're right; I will be upgrading to something nicer in the future

 

[GCNgamer128]

Nice! A fiberglass cast you say? I would recommend trimming away at the visor though. The thickness of material between the outside of the helmet to the visor should be about 1/8" or 3mm.

The main problem with Rubies/DP helmets is that they are mushy. Since yours is fiberglass, it's nice and strong.

 

[Apollo]

thanks for the tip. I think the excess material around the visor may be why I'm having such a hard time installing one.

I just got my targeting system all set up. Now I just need to figure out how and where I'm going to install it. The targeting system is really 4 AAA batteries, a switch, and small circuit board with 2 LEDs built in, some sintra, and an aesthetic circuit board on top that controls the lights in my RF. The lights on the inside blink when it's on so I know without having to lower the RF or take off my helmet or anything. It looks pretty cool too. You can kinda make out the LEDs in the last pic

I also redid a little bit of weathering near the visor and RF

Before

After

 

[987654321a]

I like your progress man. It's looking good!

 

[Myles]

Look'n great ner vod.

 

[Apollo]

Here's what the targeting system looks like in the helmet. Right now it's sort of out of place since there's nothing else in there with it, but I think it will look better when The interior is all completed. The indicator LEDs are perfect because I can't see them until I actually look for them, so they do their job without being distracting

 

[SarlaccBits]

Looks great so far!
=)
Keep them picts comin'

 

[Apollo]

The left gauntlet is also done now as well.

With the ivory highlights before the guns are added

And with the guns added

 

[Lizard]

looks great apollo, keep up the great work man

 

[jodo]

Your making me want to build some custom Gauntlets man! Do you mind me asking where you got your ammo belt/pouches? That is unless you made them yourself.

 

[Apollo]

I wish I could work with leather like that! I got these beauts for .99 cents a pop from some ebay army surplus store. To be honest, I think I might upgrade them later because this particular Yugoslavian WWII pouch is used by at least half of all custom mandos so I might try to go for something a little more "custom". They look really nice though since they're 60 years old and naturally weathered

 

[jodo]

I wish I could too! I'll give you $2 a pouch if you decide to sell them....Thats a 600% profit!!!! But seriously.

EDIT - I asked, because I have something like this in mind. -

 

[Mercke Lutso]

This is quite impressive.

 

[Ijaat Ka rta]

Nice Job man. I need to make some custom gauntlets. Yours are pretty good and i also like the belt i'll have to look for some army surplus. Keep up the good work

 

[Jango72]

Go to Home Depot and head straight for the fastener aisle. close to the end you'll find the upright spinning tower bins that hold all of the "specialty" fasteners... that's where you'll find the chicago screws.

I want to install my visor with Chicago screws but I don't know where to get those. Can anybody help me out with that?

 

[Ronin677]

This really is one of the best customs colour schemes i have seen

WOW

 

[Apollo]

Here is my newest gauntlet. It's supposed to be bare Beskar and it's like that because it was taken from a suit of Mandalorian Crusader armor; that's also why the Crusader emblem is on it. It's all sintra and wood filler, the pewter color is rub n buff on top of grey krylon primer, and the weathering and detailing was all done with acrylic paints.

Here it is primed or possibly with rub n buff, I honestly can't tell

And here's the final product

and a pic of Mandalore the Indomitable's gauntlet from which I copied the symbol

The text reads Tsad Droten or something like that. It means "just government"

 

[Apollo]

I weathered this helmet a long time ago but never posted pictures. It's not very overt, but I think it really makes the helmet look better. The weathering was done with acrylic paints

 

[Mercke Lutso]

I consistently find that most of the custom projects on this board lack creativity and/or craftmanship. Half the projects I see just look embarassingly bad, and the other half look like foreign comic book characters.

You, my friend, are an exception. I am not easily impressed by customized Mandalorian memorabilia, but you sir have really struck me as a genius.

I would be interested in working with you in the future. That armor would look great on camera.

Lutso