bishopx

Well. We got some final vac pulls back today. They look great. We were hoping to get 4 sets back but we got 2 sets....Someone can't count. they look great anyway.

I think it's time to get an interest list going since this is an interest thread... Obviously, price will be a factor for everyone. We all know what kit style armor usually goes for. I'm imagining this will be more expensive that normal kits that are out there but within reason. We'll nail down the price once we get closer. We'd like to get a general idea of how many people will be interested in this armor as it will most definitely impact the price of the armor kit.

Version 2 of the shoulders straps....ready to mold

Tonight we got a lot done. We drilled the final chest and back armor bucks. The ventilation holes ensure the details is captured during the vacuum forming process. Shoulder bell, biceps and shoulder pad all had final coatings and will get molded. The shoulder bell and biceps will become vacuum form bucks and the shoulder pad will get molded twice in two-part molds. The shoulder pads will be cast in hyperfirm rubber. The rubber will be fairly light weight and durable but mostly, it will allow the shoulder bell to ride up higher at the proper level. We were also able to remodel the shoulder straps longer by 2" tonight. We will 3D print them to save time and get them back into a mold quickly.

HELMET RUN - OPEN UNTIL DEC. 21ST Our helmet run closes out on the 21st. The list will be updated. We are at about 1/2 capacity of our list. I will update it later today. There are some other great helmet kits out there so if you miss out on this one, you will be able to get one of those to wear with the armor if you are intending on purchasing our armor.

We will be adjusting these shoulder straps. They are a tad short. They are accurate but they do not fit a normal person well. Extending them by approximately 2". They look really good though. They are cast in a solid elastomer (rubber) and reinforced with a canvas webbing. The ends have 1/8" aluminum plate cast into them. The plate is drilled and tapped for a 10-32 button head screw. holes are drilled from the inside of the armor and the screws pull the straps to the armor. Solid lock. Very sturdy. The straps are not yet painted.

The helmet run is now open. I've posted the purchase info in the Ongoing Sales forum. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/22367-armormx-republic-trooperhavoc-squad-helmet-run-now-open/#entry279305

We've started working on the shoulder straps now that the chest and back armor bucks will be completed today. The shoulder straps are interesting. You can't really see them but they have some really neat lines to them. It's a shame that they are mostly covered.

I don't know anymore than that. I think it's just Lucasfilm lore at this point. I don't recall having seen any artwork of the squad at that point.

I'm not even certain at this point. We will need to cast one set to get an understanding of the difficulty in making one set. I know what the base materials will cost but no clue on the amount of time it will take to make all the rubber parts etc. We'll start posting estimates as soon as we get a tad closer.

Yeah. Me too. My understanding is that the Havoc Squad goes bad later though. I think that is the loop hole for the 501st vs. Rebel Legion.

It will be a kit like the TK armor. We are only supplying the hard parts. The bandoliers and accessories, undersuit, neck seals, boots, gloves, etc. will need to be sourced elsewhere. Although, we will be giving our recommendation of sources for these additional parts. I believe Thundercat337 will also be taking a crack at the undersuits but will probably only be offering them in a L, XL, XXL type setup vs. custom tailored.

Me too....oh wait I'm so excited to build this armor. I can't wait. I'm dying to get the legs going on this thing. The chest and back armor bucks will be done by tomorrow. We're using 16-30 for a 3/8" (9.5mm) thick outer layer, fiberglass and then rigid foam. The bucks become almost indestructible and hold up to the heat very well without continual shrinkage. If you use materials like polystone, etc., it's common to run into chipping and a slightly warbled surface due to uneven heat exchange. A thinner layer of material that transfers heat well like 16-30 will help with a smoother pull. Also a 240-400 grit final sanding on your bucks will help tremendously. The texture left behind from the more coarse sand papers will allow air to travel along the surface without affecting your pull. Too heavy of a grit will lock your part to your buck, so there's a definite balance that needs to be met.

The armor will be offered upon completion. The helmets will actually go up this weekend. I will post details for the helmet sale in a separate thread. The bandoliers will be offered in a short initial run and if it goes well, he may continue to offer them in short runs.

LOL. Four posts in one day and not by me! OMG ! It' a record! A couple new developments tonight. I'm not going to explain too much. The pictures tell enough. Patrick made a laser cut file for the tinted visors tonight. We laser cut the first test from a piece of polycarbonate face shield replacement. Outcome is perfect. Lee (Thundercat337) worked on the waist belt sample and the bandolier some more. Outcome=baddass! The waist belt will be especially tedious to make. This is a lot of sewing.

Nobody ever comments on my thread. The views go up every time I post but no one bothers to interact. Are we scaring you guys with our angry building style?

Thundercat337 also found some time to work on the costume today. We decided to use ballistic nylon for the base of the bandolier. The reference photos show a heavy weave fabric that looks very similar to ballistic nylon. The pouches will be molded and cast in the end. The bandolier belt will be sewn ballistic nylon. It will have some adjustment up to 4". The curves are being sewn into the bandolier to ensure a correct and comfortable fit around the armor. This is not just a flat, straight belt.

Alright, here are a few updates.... We've started painting the first pull helmet. We're painting it as a test of the colors we've chosen as "the" colors from the trailer. We are using a 10% lightened Pantone 1C for the base "white" of the helmet. It's a very light grey. It almost appears white until you hold white up next to it. I know it's difficult to see int the picture, but this is a pure white cloth held next to the helmet.

We cast the visor in 3 pieces using pressure pots to ensure no bubbles in the castings. The 3 pieces are de-molded, trimmed, and assembled. T-nuts are inserted into the visor and glued into place.

Again, awesome work Brian. I can't wait to get mine done. Woohoo!

We have started casting helmets and visors today. We will post more progress tomorrow. We have also molded the masters of the chest and back armor. Proper, non-shrinking, heat-resistant bucks (vac form molds) will be cast by Wednesday and we will start pulling final parts for assembly.

PROJECT STATUS: We finished the molds for the visor this weekend and took some test pulls. The visor is cast in 3 parts to ensure easy casting for us. The molds are filled and then we use two pressure pots to relieve any bubbles that might form in the molds. All parts pulled today have been perfect with ZERO bubbles in the resin. MOUNTING: After gluing the visor parts together and sanding off any flashing, we embedded t-nuts into the visor that match up with a hole on the main body of the helmet. A 10-32 screw is inserted and holds the visor to the helmet. These t-nuts are recessed (see pictures below). They will be filled over and blended back into the visor. This method will help make the visor mount strong and give it a positive location rather than gluing it in place. The visor is also removable. We will also, be adding a small wedge under the visor, on the forehead of the helmet, to help support the center of the visor as the two screw points create a pivot. We may go as far as adding 4 screws with t-nuts to the visor to prevent this from happening. Here you can see the small wedge inserted to help support the visor.

Did I post this in the correct forum? I couldn't really find a forum that covers this.

These are the colors...

We only had a few minutes to work on the helmet tonight. I'm in the middle of removing evidence of the mold seam. We should have a painted sample by this weekend or early during the week.