Spikes???

[Dha Syntir]

I need some honest and unbiased opinions for a few things I'd like to add to my helmet. I carved the wooden spikes out of the pegs for coat racks-you just have to carve the point evenly. In the pic below you can see the basic shape(minus the "male" pegs will be cut off and sanded flush before affixing them)and size they'll be...

As you can see, it goes from smaller (about 2 1/4" to about 3 1/2" roughly-but I'll play around with the size before affixing them-I may leave them longer, or maybe shorter-you let me know which you think would be best.) on to increasingly larger spikes. I'm going to run them as a kind of crest down the center of my buy'ce-shortest in front and the larger in the rear. Any thoughts so far? I'm planning on popping a chalk line right down the center of the helmet, giving me a way to keep them all perfectly in line. Then I'll drill the holes when I'm sure that size and placement is ok, and epoxy/screw or bolt them down tight. Color has been an issue. I'm not sure if I should go with white, the yellow I've used here and there for an accent color, or the rub-n-buff silver leaf I've already put on it. Thoughts? I've left just enough imperfections in the wood so that they look used and after weathering, it should look sweet.

I know it doesn't jive with my customs era as the spikes scream KOTOR era, but who's to tell a mando he can't put spikes wherever he wants on his armor, no matter the era? Let's hear your thoughts...And thanks!

 

[Toragh]

You could use all of the sizes, having the tallest in the front and going smaller as you go back, vise-versa, or some other pattern.

 

[ShatirLavan]

Personally, I'd also put the largest spike in front, and I'd finish them so they look like bone affixed to your buy'ce.

 

[Grizzly]

Personally, I'd also put the largest spike in front, and I'd finish them so they look like bone affixed to your buy'ce.

im going to agree color them a bone color and arrange tehm longest in front shortest in back

 

[GCNgamer128]

You should have one broken in half or chipped.

 

[Dha Syntir]

Very good ideas guys! So the longer spike up front stepping down to the shortest in the rear? I thought about that but wasn't sure if it'd look right. A bone color actually is a great idea. Any suggestions on what colors I should use to paint something in an aged and weathered bone look. Actually I'm getting more jazzed about the bone idea by the moment! I could write it into my backstory as Mythosaur teeth or carved from Mythosaur bones-Mythosaur, as in the extinct Mando critter which the Mythosaur skull is probably the most well known image that comes ito mind when I think "Mandalorian"... So let me know if anyone has painted something to look like a real weathered bone, or hook me up with a tutorial or some pics of some finished work etc. I could use the help, that's for sure! I'm going to place more spikes on my foot armor plate, and maybe a couple other places too. I thought some stormtrooper or clonetrooper hand armor that's cut down a bit to fit comfortably with our gauntlets with small spikes on them as well across the knuckles...Thoughts? Oh and thanks alot guys, you've really helped me a great deal with your advice as per usual!

 

[ShatirLavan]

To make them look like bone, get a wood burning kit, or even just heat a craft iron up really hot, and just make the wood a little crispy, not to the point of blackening it though. Just shape the wood a little. Then don't paint it, stain or varnish it with a natural wood colour. I would prefer a lighter colour, but the choice is yours. And the longer spike up front would symbolically represent your willingness to go headfirst into battle. If you put it on the back, it would represent that you expected to be attacked from behind. A mando wouldn't be scared of that.

 

[Dha Syntir]

Absolutely great advice, especially with the spikes. I was thinking that the spikes smallest in the front and longer in the rear would be more streamlined. I'd never thought of it from the philosophical point of view of a Mandalorian...Thanks alot for that-let's just hope it doesn't turn out looking unicorn-like... And no ***** jokes-I can just imagine them forming in your dirty little minds!!!

 

[BobaFettDaddy]

Spikes are cool on your Beskar'gam! Check mine!

 

[Dha Syntir]

Cool Spikes. Did you buy or carve them yourself? I've been carving on some different sized dowel rods but I'm really not satisfied with my progress. I thought about checking out some of the spikes similar to yours that are made of metal-kind of like the studs/spikes bikers wear on their leather stuff sometimes etc...

 

[BobaFettDaddy]

Go to Hot Topic in your local mall. They also have a website by the same name. They sell the 1" and the 1/2" spikes. They run about 9.00 for the 1" and about 7.00 for the 1/2". They have machine screws that you can use to fasten them to things. They work great.

If you put it on the back, it would represent that you expected to be attacked from behind. A mando wouldn't be scared of that.

Yeah. My Mando has spikes above his left ear in case he is in a scuffle he can rake you with them. My Mando is mostly melee.

 

[Hydra]

Haha, I never thought about putting spikes on a helmet before but kudos to you, good idea. Though what's your armor's colors? I'm not so sure about adding bone colored spikes unless you have other bone like accents about the rest of your armor, to even it out, you know?

 

[Rotton]

Hey cool! I had that idea years ago and then a while ago and then recently! For a custom Mando, but decided to go in a different direction. This was my idea, just a row of rubbery spikes from a halloween store. I actually got these spikes as a punk "necklace" at a local place that carries birthday/wedding/party suplies year round, but is totally huge at halloween. And BobaFettDaddy, I had that idea as well, good to see it actually worked like I invisioned it! Good job!
Of course I would have removed the velcro ends and centered it and attached it flat and such, and I know they are kinda cheesy pics, but you get the idea! I decided it is going to be Vhonte Tervho, BTW. heh heh.. about 60 % done too. Anyways thought I would share and see if this helped.

 

[Dha Syntir]

I thought that somewhere, someone had already thought of my "bright idea" of a spiked crest. Mine was going to be more like a half crest I suppose, so it would be a little different. I wanted the spikes to start higher up the brow of the helmet though.

I haven't found a suitable deer rack to cut the points off of to make spikes out of them yet. I'll have to crawl up above my garage to dig for them tomorrow and see what I've got stashed up there.

 

[Rotton]

Ya, I see you like the "organic" look, like a "real" type creature horn/antler/spike piece, where your mando would have gotten them from hunting, something, somewhere! The degrading spikes is cool, along with the bony kinda look, as long as the rest of your armor goes along. I agree my spike idea was a more punk, rebel, metallic, future whatever! look. You are looking for that Magnetix toy look, the greenish one! Well good luck with that! Thats all I got..

 

[Dha Syntir]

To be perfectly honest, I'm still not sure exactly what I want the finished product to end up looking like. Like you said about the spikes going along with the rest of my armor, I'm not certain if the yellowed/brown deer tines will work with my grey and white armor. I wonder if they'd look ok painted-but then they'd not have the "bone/natural" look to them anymore. If I'm going to do that, I might as well go along with my initial idea and using the rub-n-buffed silver spikes I carved...I'm sure I'll change my mind 10 more times before I settle on a final design...As always, I'm always open to suggestions...