Shae Vizla Shae Vizla, SWTOR

[ShaeVizla]

Hello all,

Well after much tooing and froing about what to make for Auckland Armageddon (and Melbourne and Sydney & Adelaide) besides a ridiculously glittery frock (Glinda from Wicked) I finally decided to start work on a project that should be nice and timely

Last year I stumbled across The Old Republic website and was really curious about one of the avatars being used. Fairly soon after I spotted the full length concept art for her and it was clear she was art work around the female Bounty Hunter class.

And then the Deceived trailer came out and I was blown away. The cinematic looks amazing and the female bounty hunter just went from "cool" to "*** I have to make that!" The details in the trailer make the bodysuit a wonderful challenge
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Shae_Vizla

I debated about this for a while as I wasn't sure if I was up to making the armour or if I would get other armour projects done first as a real test. Well it didn't happen and the bug has bitten hard again with the new GG statue just released and the teaser for the next trailer that has just played in the states. The teaser that is, the trailer is a few days away

She has finally gotten a name which was also another prompt to get my butt into gear and make it.

Another was my continued allergy to Epoxy Resin. My loathing for plaster (well my current inability to work with it easily which is about to change) is matched only by my loathing of polyester resin also so I get to test some urethane again with parts of this project

This armour appeals as I can build it the way I started to build my Female Templar armour last year with sheet plastic and styrene glue. It's how I customised my Mara Jade greaves too.

That project is stalled for a while

And TK shins heavily modded with styrene strips.

I have some amazing rubber coated heavy duty stretch fabric that I have already used for one costume and will use for this. I also bought some more of the heavy faux suede I used for my Leia boots for the leather parts of this costume.

I got a soldering iron for Christmas and have been honing up on my 6th Form physics- electronics and circuits so I can make the jet pack, gauntlet and helmet ear bugs light up. Slightly nervous about this but I have enough LEDs to practice on and ruin

The helmet I am sculpting as it's cold enough that even my budget stuff is nice and carvable in this weather
An hour of slapping plasticine onto a head form (duct taped to my head size)

15 mins with a metal ruler and a little more plasticine on the face.

And felt tip pen on bodysuit for the crazy piecing:

I am trying mostly for the look in the cinematics but am also using images of the statue, t-shirt, concept art and whatever else may come up. Though they do all differ quite a lot!

 

[Muad Dib]

Very nice! Will the addition of the added styrene hinder the flexibility of the shins? Will you still be able to open them up enough to get them on?

 

[Nauur Baatir]

Looks great so far. Can't wait to see more

 

[ShaeVizla]

Muad'Dib: Thank you Yes it has made it tough to get feet through the ankles I am used to it though as I have a very high instep so have difficulty with boots and shoes as it is Those were essentially a test run (My mara Jade shin guards) the greaves Shae wears are likily flat panels so I may be able to hinge the sides and have shims in the back with snaps. I plan on international travel with them and I have no idea how well magnets go down these days. Prohibited items include "magnetised materials" and I don't fancy the risk of having my costumes cause me security checks

Nu-ur baatir: Thank you This should be a fun and challenging costume and when the next trailer goes live in a day or so I hope to see some more references I can use!

 

[Mandalorian Guard]

So thats who Shae Vizla is! WOW good choice! Related to Vor Vizla then?

This be great if you complete before the game comes out to shops. Be a big PR boost.

 

[ShaeVizla]

Thank you I hope to If I start now definitely I just finished a costume of similar complexity and it took 6 months. Most of that was learning how to work with gypsum molds in less than ideal circumstances thankfully there is none of that monkey business in this costume.. though there is wiring and LED use. Sigh.

What I have decided after several costumes that are full bodysuits it that this will not be a full bodysuit. It shall be two parts, top and bottom connected with snaps and other hardware. Not unless I can have a dedicated minder to help me change every time I need to during the day Not quite sure just yet as to where the join will go. I do wish designers would think about these things a bit more Women's costumes especially defy the specificities of reality. Zips up the back look great but oh so very impractical!

Aliens are fun

 

[mrsfett]

Im soooo excited to see it finished. im currently using her as a reference for my mandalorian costume as well!! its my first one, so i think ill save the embarrassing pics of me failing until im finished lol.

 

[Zuka]

I wanna see how good it is.... So I am subbing... I like the idea

 

[ShaeVizla]

Thank you

I have actually finally managed to get some more work on this (though nothing exciting) after several events got in the way

Today I have picked up my sheet styrene (3 and 3.5mm and 0.5mm). I will also go and pick up a new tip for my soldering iron and smack the snot out of it into a cutting tool (will be cutting with a mix of hot knife and dremel action ). Along with my lovely metal ruler I should get some nice clean cuts in this plastic. I will also need to pick up some more acetone before I can really assemble anything

I have patterned the back of the torso as well as the back collar thing. I will probably make that from some 2mm styrene I have.

I have also started shaving some more off the helmet sculpt (hopefully the only FG piece will be the helmet).

And to help with all this I finally have my printer working so I have printed off references for the helmet and jet pack.

So while no pictures uploaded there is some progress!

 

[Zuka]

I will be glad too be done my armor..... no more restless nights without a nice cozy helmet too sleep in

 

[Zuka]

BUMPED..... I WANNA SEE PROGRESS, NOW

 

[ShaeVizla]

lol! I have actually a lot of small bits of progress I'll have to copy and paste from another forum as I have really gotten behind

I had to put this on hold for a while due to health issues and responsibilities I really had to keep

Templating the chest piece tonight. I listened to Shorty and Survivor while doing this so it didn't take as long as I worried.

This was difficult as I am used to being able to tape directly to my mannequin to get shapes sorted. It's how I did the templar piece up there and my Human Hunter (templates for leather) but this chest piece is built over a fair amount of air so I couldn't. In the end I used a spot of guesstimation for angles to allow the paper to sit in the air. Happily most of it transferred well to the manilla folders I used for the real template though I do have a spot of fixing of gaps to do in the curve at each bust point.
Had this been a mannequin of the soft squishy sort I would have pushed pins to the right heights into her and used those for a guide

Next up is to fix those gaps and then build up the bottom section as I just have the base for that so far.

I did have an exciting photo of all my materials but I seem to have either deleted the file or never took the photo due to some sort of camera fail.

I do however have a photo of mark 1 test of the back:

I still have a fair bit of tweaking to do of that horizontal section. The concept art shows some interesting angles, slightly Escheresque one feels, which will be nice to include for those times a jet pack just is one accessory too far and the back plate is on display.

I also, finally, got a printer cartridge and have been cropping and editing images to use for the Helmet. I plan on doing a mix of sculpting and laying plastic to get the shapes on the mask area. I've been looking at visor options. I don't think I need quite the same level of safety as an off (or on) roader will need so I'm looking at budget options

 

[ShaeVizla]

(Sorry, too many images and text for one post)

Shae Vizla mini bust
Some really nice photos of the mini bust, this is really helping me decide on the shape of the helm
I am about to add a little more clay to the face and then will do a shell of FG and then remove the clay and back fill with expanding foam. My poor wig stand is just not holding up to all the weight of the plasticine and nor are my hands

Speaking of which, I do have progress! Much thanks to Matt for wielding hot knife and spending I think 2 hours cutting? I think it was at least that. Thank you, I do now have a new tip for my soldering iron that is able to be smacked into knife shape but 3.5mm styrene will never be easy to get through That was 45 pieces of varying sizes and at least one nasty interior curve!


So photo progress!
Helmet through the ages:
3/6/10

13/6/10

2/8/10

So quite a profile change 1.5kg clay put on then taken off In theory I could have just shaved and shifted the existing clay but it really was much easier to add too much and cut it back.
My tools for this have been a heat gun to soften the plasticine and a big budget metal ruler to shave with. I knew that horrible sharp edge would come in handy

Armour progress:

Welding of styrene:

Styrene welded and needing heat shaping:

I only removed the melted edges on the bigger pieces but sanded down the smaller a little so that I could get that overlap of the upper and lower chest. All the gaps and uneveness will be fixed once the welding starts on the front. I have had success with this sort of process on the collar of my Samara costume though that is a much much smaller scale!

If the weld is thin enough in the back then heat shaping is a doddle as it acts a bit like a hinge I did add a bit much in some places, but luckily not where the shaping will need to occur. I'm going to give it another day or two as I remember the foamy mess I made when I was too eager to shape my Mara greaves...

Styrene glue is much fun, unless you have a cut on your hand in which case the acetone isn't so fun

I have been using a glass jar to snip my 0.5mm sheet styrene into (about 2 by 1cm pieces) and about 150ml of acetone. The acetone luckily is hardly used up in the process so I've been able to add more styrene each night to make more glue for the next day.

I've also been working on a Sabe battle outfit as a slight distraction- I'm quite looking forward to her headdress too More plastic!

It will take a spot of work but no more than anticipated to tidy it all up

Shaping the cheeks and eye ready for first molding and casting:

Cats always help. It's a rule of life. Yes there is now fur in the clay. This is what a pot, the stove top and netting is for- cleaning clay

A truly exciting stage of development-

Budget silicon mold making- warm water with lots of detergent, squirt caulking* smoosh in hands and then onto sculpt:

End up with what looks like an alien... Next step is a fibreglass jacket- and trimming the silicon into better keys As the helmet flares and there is minimal undercutting I think i should be safe leaving the silicon one piece. I made a silicon mold of my Samara tentacles which popped on and off easily without distorting the silicon so this should be fine too. The jacket may be able to be in one part too given the flare and shape of the helmet.

But I did discover a stash of heavy card to template the greaves vambraces and probably jet pack.. It's amazing what you can find behind the sofa. There is even a huge canvas to be painted back there...

*I just cut off the tip of the tube this time I usually cut the entire end off to save on effort with the gun but the smaller hole means more surface of the silicon gets exposed to water which speeds up the curing process. Besides it looks like worms! Or those big Thai rice noodles. My inner child finds this delightful.

 

[ShaeVizla]

*Double post*

 

[ShaeVizla]

My mold is still a bit squishy but I managed to get a jacket on it tonight:

As I like to sleep at night rather than baby sit a mold I have wrapped the matting and resin (and filler) with glad wrap to keep it on the silicon. I am not after a pretty mold at this stage but functional. I tested it several times to make sure it wouldn't go boom on me too It is a thin enough layer that it isn't heating too much.

In the morning I will be able to slip the silicon and resin off the plasticine and then pop the silicon out and give it a good wash and soak in a big tub of water. I like to do this just to really make sure the whole thing is cured properly. As mentioned if you leave the caulk in the wtaer for too long it develops a crust so it does help set that last little bit up

And then I can weigh just how much plasticine I really used....

Casting and freeing the cast. Epoxy with filler and matting. very rush job as I noticed the mold was not perfect (I hurried the face, knew I did at the time but wanted to get out of the room fairly quickly).

But it didn't matter as I back filled the mold with expanding foam- notice how it will not quit... there might have been a little enthusiasm with this product.... Those extra bits have been cut off and will be used for other stuff. Not sure just yet but it will!


I am thankful that Plastic Putty sets up so fast and is really easy to sand and cut. This stage would be a nightmare otherwise.

This helmet is looking particularly girly with the pink bog and cream resin so I figured why not use pink pen to mark the quadrants and where I need to cut or add

I am using a mix of sandpaper (either rolled into solid tubes or around a snading block depending on need) and my rotary tool. The cutting blade so far but there is a sander I will use to get right into the visor to smooth that flat.

I ran out of putty so need to collect some more. That is a job for tomorrow as well as a new respirator. And coveralls. This is a very very dusty part and I forgot just how dusty. I am tackling a few unfinished projects as well as this so my brain is going in all different directions

And more with the pink I have new coveralls that are actually medium! No swimming around felling like a chorus of "pants on the ground" by that old guy on Idol And a nice brush to sweep away the fine powder of the sanding. Sanding is taking about as long as expected but I am also being distracted by a flash toy (a Babylock overlocker with useful features such as easy threading* and all the tools stuck to the machine!) But it is happening and the pink is in fact making it easier to see the symmetry and where it needs work.

*Seriously most are designed by people who never had to rethread or replace anything...

 

[RemoJadd]

very nice work

 

[ShaeVizla]

Aiee! Sorry yes I just spotted the double posts, I didn't think I'd had that much of a back log to post... Anyway...

Progress was on hold for a while but back on track I took mechanical pencil to the helmet last night to put a few markers for where the recesed lines and need to go. The time away from it has helped me to look at the shape with fresh eyes and I have a few spots I want to sand back (forehead needs to be softened, back needs raising- it's a very short helmet!)

A new overlocker and time away from the bodysuit of doom (Samara, Mass Effect 2) means i can start looking at her bodysuit again.

 

[Zuka]

I want this kit finished. ........... ....... Its taking as long as my mandalorian kit...... which is a problem because current era mando should be done by now

 

[ShaeVizla]

I'm finally back to finish this costume!

I'm waiting for my resin to arrive so I can finally start resining and glassing my chest armour

I have finally printed off a copy of the armour too:

I scanned my card pieces and used photoshop and the path tool to make a line graphic. It still needs some more tweaking. But it means if I goof the resining I can print it off again and make a new one


Score!
And today I managed to collect a heck of a lot of piping from the inorganic rubbish collection:

All free baby! It would cost a pretty penny here to buy all that new and it really just needs a wash, which would be sensible anyway. So I can also make the gun the two figures of her have

 

[ShaeVizla]

I had seen pictures of the Mini Bust, obviously but not the blurb that goes with it. Interesting to say the least. It is possibly a spoiler as I haven't seen anything on the official site or in the novel.... But yeah she is a vital character in the game Unless GG have jumped the gun...
Shae Vizla Mini Bust
Spoilers in there if they are true...

So, score one for inorganic collection! PVC pipe galore and all free! Most from one house too. Must have had a total plumbing refit.
So the greaves in the artwork are pretty flat, I decided to cut and shape from the pvc pipe. Sigh. Not as easy as it might have been due to a few issues. So I am going to have to make a solid base and then use these pieces over that. Luckily they soften nicely with a heat gun. It's trying to shape them that is not working out.I need to tape as I go which doesn't relaly happen to work well on real legs...
Now I should wind up with something closer to the maquette style which is not quite as complex as the cinematic but has nice dimensionality.

So here I ma putting plasticine all over the legs of my mannequin. She is alien. Her legs are really skinny front on but in profile really wide. What you don't see here is my final shape which has the clay scraped right back from the front and back and a little more from the sides taken out. I think I took off a good 800gm shaving with a ruler.

And tonight I got cloth over those legs and in the back of the chest armour.

As expected the card buckled a bit. No biggie as it really only buckled where the next layer goes over. This is more card and corrugated card all soaked in more resin and stuck in place. Cellotape is holding it in place while the curing takes place. Inelegant but it works. It should be sturdy enough once the final layer of cloth and tissue go over and be fairly light as the corrugated card is only soaked not filled with the resin.