Jump to content

sharkbait

Imperial Attaché[TK]
  • Posts

    850
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

Everything posted by sharkbait

  1. 93. Rise of Skywalker @ Lemoore NAS, Lemoore - 1/31 Boba's FIRST TROOP! And Nihilus' first troop in that costume. Bonus, the ESB Crowd (from the BEST movie):
  2. Aw yeah!!! Finally!!! It's really me under there. I'm about 6'4'' - 6'5'' in all. I can't actually bend my arms enough to put the bucket on myself, so I now I get to tell a handler, "Bucket me!" when getting ready. Still needs minor tweaks, but they're dwindling, at long last. I need to tighten the elastic connections on a couple of the boot spats, glue a spacer in the left ankle spat (left and right are the same size, yet left wants to rattle and is loose), take in/tighten glove fingers so the finger armor fits better and the fabric doesn't bunch up and generally be too tight because of the bunching, the bottom chest plate to bottom back plate doesn't close and therefore connect fully- it's just not big enough, so I need to adjust the velcro attachment and maybe shim it. Thankfully it will be hidden. I might need to take in the gaskets a little bit, as I've lost weight since I measured for them, but that's just taking in a seam. And then those damn blasters. I have to pick away at the liquid latex and get it off, then I basically start over on paint: fillable primer over the entire thing, black glossy coat, mask off parts to stay black, then champagne mix Alclad it. I'm going to be disassembling my air brush to see if there's a blockage somewhere that's preventing paint. That wouldn't make a lot of sense since it's never had paint run through it before and has actually never been used beyond hooking up the compressor and checking air flow, but it's all we could come up with. I would love to finish them before the debut troop so I can have a blaster (I feel so awkward without one in full armor- I'm missing something), but between the weather and the effort and time it's going to take to even get them cleaned up to where I can fillable primer and black coat them, I have no idea if I'll have time. It's a Con so I'll probably just cheat with the pike if I have nothing else. Anything goes at Cons. New photos sent for approval, now we just wait and cross our fingers! I'm feeling so much better about her now- everyone at the build party loved her, the neighbors driving by were slowing down and checking us out, and she went on a whole lot easier this round. The sunlight did wonders. We had a total of five app picks taken that day- our Squad's newest ESB Boba, myself, and three new Mandos!
  3. Pretty much! I keep thinking I'm at the very tail end... there's only so many things left to do, therefore so many things to go wrong... but every time I turn around there's something else to do!
  4. Well, that was hugely anticlimactic. I submitted Friday night, was all set to debut her at the game on Saturday... and then... nope. Somehow in my packing and trying to organize, my freaking gasket harness didn't make it into the bin- and I didn't get to troop. Thankfully I found it on the floor in the garage (narrowly missing where the car tire tread would have backed over it). Without it I have no shoulder gaskets, no bicep attachment (therefore no arm attachments), and no thigh attachments (no leg attachments). The event was still super fun and handling was a lot of fun. Everyone who trooped and handled had a great time, which is what matters. And then I need broad daylight for photos, even though we tried really hard with lights, a white background, camera strobes AND a shop light. So new approval photos to be taken on Saturday, outside, at a build party (hoping for good weather! It's dark, foggy and wintry today). I've found it's difficult to capture the true nature of the paint- it really likes direct light best. There is a distinct fuzzy reflection in direct light, which fits with the weathered nature of TFA Phasma, but in some photos it's just not coming across. I warmed both the blasters and the airbrush paint and still nothing- airflow but no paint. I give up. I have to start completely over on the paint on the blasters. I decided as a last ditch effort with a specialty rattle can I found- the picture of the product on an actual piece looked like the perfect pale champagne color. Nope, it's way too bright and way to dense, if that makes sense. Not at all what was pictured or advertised. Should have known. Also liquid latex is not meant to be left on for extended periods of time. I'm having a hell of a time picking it off. And it's taking some of the coloring with it. I need to strip it all off, hit the entire blaster with filler primer, then black, then mask, then airbrush, remove latex ASAP, and pray. I'm beginning to think this costume is cursed. I know there aren't a ton of Shiny Sisters (and Brothers) out there, but did anyone else have just such huge and consistent issues like I'm having? It just feels ridiculous at this point. It does give me more time to tweak even more things. I need to cut off the wonky tiny trim from the bottom of the ab plate, and mount a new, flat one there, for belt connections. It will never stay in place as is. I'll also add on on the kidney, which will keep the butt plate in place where it should be, not way high like it's wanting to sit. I had to tighten a bunch of elastic connections. I also need to add more to keep the parts in firm place. Somehow my left shin spat is loose and the right is perfect, though I used the actual shins in their actual size over my actual boots to size them. I'm pretty sure the chest connection needs work, but it will be okay for a few troops and photos. Longevity-wise it will need a better connection- that at least is the kit and the armor design itself, not me. So I'm afraid to even put a new proposed debut date, lest I jinx myself, but the next event worth taking the time to put her on is our Weekend Blender, a two-day con at the end of February. So I guess that's it.
  5. Well, the bad news is the magnet closure didn't work. The good news is they were easy to remove. I had a bad feeling about it and test fit it at the 24 hour cure mark (I leave E6000 for 48 hours), and it was a disaster. I think the concept works (well, I know it does, because a friend and fellow Squad member did it with his KB FOTK and it worked, I copied the design from him). It just doesn't work if you've got a snug or very fitted armor. Then I think the pieces shifted a bit when gluing, and so they didn't line up as perfectly as they did when I left them. Basically the magnets just didn't line up perfectly (and they have to be PERFECT), it's an awkward spot on a woman (contending with hips and bust, one would be enough), and it's a snug fit, so the magnets just didn't have the strength to hold. I ripped them out and have snap plates gluing now. Probably should have gone this way to begin with, because several of my concerns about using the magnet idea did turn out to be realized. My advice, and if I were doing this again- either shim it or make it fit so it's not a snug and fitted fit, but extra wiggle room and do the magnets, and line them up perfectly and use math and geometry to make them perfect, or just do snaps. You might want to do snaps anyway. I think women will benefit from snaps way more than men regardless- or at least women with prominent hips and/or busts. If it attached decently at the bottom, it wanted to overlap at the top, and if it fit right at the top, it wanted to splay open at the bottom. Are you ready for the weirdest selfies I've ever taken in my life? I had to stop working for a while because I dissolved into uncontrollable laughter after I took these. They're just too ridiculous. The cod fits in the right spot, the belt looks good. Except... Falcon wanted to get in on the action, too, and posed appropriately to match. The butt plate sits REALLY high. I need to fit it again with the armor, but even then, on previous test fits it's kinda riding high. I mean it's totally covered by her cape, but it just feels so weird. I don't exactly know how to fix this, as there's a very obvious connection at the top of the plate and that fits under the belt, and the belt goes where the belt goes, and the cod is sitting pretty good. I'm actually wondering if this is another male v. female body type issue- it's because of how it hits on the hips and then how the curves are different (on different people, as well). Not to keep blaming that, but hey, we're shaped differently, it's just life- and these suits were designed with men in mind- and very lean men at that. My TK butt plate does stick out similarly at the top, but it's larger and so it's less noticeable because it covers more and evens itself out. Way to give me a complex, armor. I can shimmy it down a bit, and that helps. I could raise the cod a bit, but it is pretty much sitting perfectly in terms of how much you see of it. I'll figure it out, it will just be an awkward and hilarious processes. I added the piece of Magic Eraser into the helmet in the front. It still touches my nose, but it's better. When I have time I need to take out the lens and trim it. For now, I think it's fine for a trial run- there's always issues you never find util your first troop anyway, it won't be the only thing I'll be tweaking. The shoes fit snug enough I can't shove a foam piece/Magic Eraser in there, so I'm back to trying to do an elastic stirrup around the boot ant my foot. Thankfully cutting elastic and sewing the ends together to make a loop is a less than five minute job. I finally just added a whole lot of corresponding Velcro to the belt for the butt plate attachment. It's longer than I need, I think, but then I'm covered in terms of attachment. Having the ab/kidney did help do the trick on placement. To Do: Elastic stirrups for shoes OH YEAH, AND THOSE DAMN BLASTERS. My dad's a genius- he said to put the paint bottle in warm water and hold the blasters directly in front of the space heater for a bit before trying to paint. Gonna try it and hope, it's all I've got left until Spring at this point. Test fit! Approval photos!
  6. Your greeblies and fingers look like pretty good casts, but I'd recommend hitting them with filler primer. Mine benefited greatly from it. Your Spaztix is looking good! I'm curious to see what you find for a protective clear coat. My guy used an automotive clear coat, but it was also over an automotive paint- not sure how that'd react with Spaztix.
  7. There is still progress! Slow and uninteresting progress, but progress. I'll take it. As we inch towards the finish line, here's what's been accomplished so far: Glued Velcro onto the inside edges of the chest plate, and corresponding to the outsides of the back plate. Because that top connection is tiny, and there's no way it's going to hold, even with lightweight ABS. (Totally forget about it with Jimmi's fiberlglass set, fyi) As well as the snap plate to the top of the yoke for the shoulder bell connections. I also made the connections. I just used Nylon webbing, rather than elastic for this one, because unlike the OT TK bells, these won't be taken on and off, therefore need the stretch to be connected. They'll basically be stationary and semi-permanently attached. I ended up not MacGuyvering my suspender attachments, which is probably for the better. I used D ring picture hangers. They were a bit narrow at the top for my large suspender grips, so I just mounted them sideways so they fit perfectly. They do make larger D-ring connections, but on a timeline I wasn't going to go on the hunt. But if you have the time and plan ahead, that would probably be advisable. For inquiring minds, my MacGuyver plan involved straight picture hangers, spacers from a TV wall mount kit (cut in half because otherwise they were too tall), and ABS scraps. The D-ring way has way less glued together pieces and is therefore more stable, but the MacGuyver way was pretty ingenuous for stuff found around the house. The bases are sandwiched between two pieces of ABS for extra strength and connection. This is what I was talking about with my extra piece of ABS to reinforce the elastic connections: So that's done on the knees and boot spat pieces. Helmet liner is in: Fans installed: Lens installed: I will probably trim the lens at a later date, when I have more time- cut out the nose area so there's not excess material there. Luckily the lens is easy to remove and replace for cleaning as well. I got started on the ab/kidney closure. I'm hoping these magnets are strong enough to keep it shut. I had a moment of crisis when I test-fitted it and it was a snug fit. This is a female thing- it's contending with both a bust and hips. It sits right at the top of my hips, so that will help, but it's just at the bust line. I thought about snaps, but I didn't want to go that route because I didn't want to put repeated stress on that area. My OT TK has some stress cracks there that I need to reinforce, granted after 4 years of heavy trooping (90+ troops), but still, due to the paint job Phasma will not be as easy of a patch up at the white ABS OT TK, so I want to avoid any known potential issues in the future if I possibly can. I'm going to trial run the magnets, see what happens. Maybe do a second magnet set if needed, and then if that still doesn't work, then I'll switch to snaps. Velcro seems like more trouble than it'd be worth, though it would hold if you could get it into place. Also didn't want to go that route as first choice because it would involve a handler getting up close and personal every time to get it attached and I try to not put handlers in awkward situations if I can help it. I mocked up a rough pattern for my design: Now, since my handwriting is akin to a doctor's handwriting, here's the key: 4x Magnets (mags) 2x cut out - 1x half and 1x full 2x solid - 1x half and 1x full (Original idea- now known two sets of these are needed, so the new numbers are: 8x magnets, 4x cut outs (2x half and 2x full), 4x solid (2x half and 2x full.) Glue the cut out pieces on top of the corresponding solid pieces so the magnets are set in. These are the magnets I'm using: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07S6GJXCZ/ They are stupidly fragile and I shattered one by knocking it off the table onto the floor (granted it was the garage floor, so concrete, but still, only a height of maybe 4''). They seem to not shatter themselves when connecting in the plates because of the inset, but this is a concern. I'd recommend some nice N52 ones from KJMagnetics, like these: https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BX882-N52. They still have the ability to shatter on direct contact (and slightly more so being a stronger pull force), so make sure you inset them. I'm using the Amazon ones because I got them cheaply and with free One Day Shipping on my timeline. Maybe they'll hold up, we'll see. Then time to make the ABS connectors: I used my dremel with a cutting wheel to cut them out and it made quick work of it. Sand them down and trim the edges so they're not sharp and pointy. Remember this is internal, so you don't want it catching on your under suit or poking through to skin. Next I glued the magnets into place: The circle magnets are just there for gluing purposes- they're not attached. I'm using my washing machine (since the magnets stick to it) as a way to keep pressure on the pieces to glue together. I decided to let these cure for 24 hours, then I'll stick them into the suit, and glue, and wait for those to get the full 48 hour cure. Too many moving parts trying to glue at once would just be a challenge to try and clamp in place. The more I look at it the more I think I need to do a second set of these for closure. I should be able to knock that out tonight and get it gluing. That half scrap sheet of ABS I got at a local plastics place has been amazing. It's not smooth/smooth ABS, because I guess that's special order, but it's been working great as scraps and unseen stuff. Well worth the $20 I paid for it. To Do: Glue in first magnet closure set Make and glue second magnet closure Add foam or padding in front of helmet in middle of forehead to keep it from falling back into my nose. (Probably a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, since I have those on hand). Cut Magic Erasers for padding on top of foot to keep boot from lifting when walking Figure out butt plate attachment to belt - why is this so hard? It's simple, yet alluding me because of placement. I think I should wear the ab/kidney and belt to get the placement right. Kind hard to do on yourself. Maybe I'll just wear it backwards for fitting, since it will be basically the same placement. Test fit!
  8. 92. Rise of Skywalker Premiere (Day 3), Fresno - 12/22 Death Star Plans secured! Take that, rebel scum!
  9. 91. Rise of Skywalker Premiere (Day 3), Fresno - 12/21 Next to the Mando.
  10. 90. Rise of Skywalker Premiere (Day 2), Fresno - 12/20 On the right.
  11. 89. Rise of Skywalker Premiere (Day 1), Fresno - 12/19 Tracking down a photo. Coming soon. Every day was a four costume day and only one of said costumes had pockets for a phone to take my own photos, lol.
  12. A little sneak peek before I get a chance to do the write up, further progress and more photos!
  13. Well, I got something done! Finger tips are glued onto elastic connections: This will never not look weird and hilarious to me. I used them because I had them, but now I actually recommend investing in some sewing clips (like these)- they're cheap, come in abundance, and are great for little spaces you need to clamp, like the fingers. I finally made my helmet fans- so here's a quick and dirty tutorial on how to make basic helmet fans (they're basic, but they work great, and I've had great luck with them lasting). Supplies: 9v Batteries (I use Amazon Basics - in my experience, each battery will last at least one long troop (3+ hours), or several shorter troops (roughly up to 6 hours) - https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00MH4QM1S/ Battery packs - https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07BXBS93X/ (you speficailly want ones with on/off switches, and the better ones are pictured with the screws separate. I never use the screws, but they're a better product than the ones without that pictured) Fans - https://amazon.com/gp/product/B0775ZM4DW/ Heat shrink tubing (two sizes- I can't say I know what size, but I recommend getting a box of assorted because then you'll be covered for all projects) - https://amazon.com/gp/product/B072PCQ2LW/ Solder Soldering iron Lighter or other such heat source (heat guns work, though overkill) Optional but can be helpful: Helping Hands - https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07H4XCRTF/ Velcro (for attaching to the inside of the bucket) - sticky back works fine here Supplies Step 1: Strip off the ends of all wires Step 2: Slip smaller heat shrink tubing onto one of the wires- doens't matter which wire (red or black), doesn't matter if fan or battery pack Step 3: Slip two sizes up from first heat shrink tube onto both wires - doesn't matter if fan or battery pack (I used only one size up, and it was barely big enough). Ignore that they're already connected here, I missed this step and had to go back after I'd taken the picture. Step 4: Twist together like connections from fan and battery wires - red battery wire to red fan wire, black battery wire to black fan wire. Install battery and test to make sure working. Step 5: Solder connections. Test to make sure working. Step 6: Slide smaller single wire heat shrink into place over the solder connection and use lighter to shrink. Test to make sure working. (In above photos this is the red tube). Step 7: Slide larger heat shrink into place over exposed and previously covered connections and use lighter to shrink. Test to make sure working. (In above photos this is the yellow tube). Step 8: Attach Velcro to back of fan and back of battery box, and corresponding Velcro into desired placement in bucket. I once again ran into a roadblock that I decided it would be best if I had the armor back to do it- you can guess at placement, but it's better not to. And since it doesn't matter for this weekend anymore anyway, I'm going to wait. To do: Glue elastic connection into finger tip armor - This is actually more of a pain that you'd think, and you probably think it's a bit of a pain. Make helmet fans - I was all set to do this last night, found the fans, the battery packs, the soldering iron, the wire strippers... and no solder. No where to be found. Because of course. Prep suspender/strapping attachments for ab/kidney (to be installed once back) - MacGyver is seriously going to be proud of what I have planned for this. To be honest I just didn't feel like going into the cold outside to use the dremel and so I didn't get to these. Airbrush blasters - Maybe if I just glare at them long enough they'll spontaneously explode and/or paint themselves. Maybe. I'm about at that point. Re-do elastic bands for around the boot and/or find something thin and soft to shove in the top of the shoe as a spacer. My foot is a woman's foot and flatter/shorter than a man's, but I'm wearing men's shoes, so they're a bit big in the top. When I step they want to come up a bit before the rest of the shoe follows. Having big feet and wearing men's shoes before this is not an uncommon problem for me, I've fixed it before. I'm thinking a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Because I already have a stash of those for Jawa masks. When I get the rest of the parts: Glue magnets into lens in prep for corresponding magnets into helmet - I started to do this, then realized I really need the helmet for exact placement, so it has to wait. Cut and glue in elastic connection into final boot spat Glue in helmet liner Install fans Glue in magnets and install lens Glue corresponding Velcro to yoke for chest connection (already glued into chest) Install suspender/strapping attachments to ab/kidney I got this!! Right? I hope everyone has a great time at their respective theater troops for the premiere!
  14. I received a call back last night, and it's confirmed: she won't be ready for the premiere. They had to order more paint (which is somewhat specialty therefore special order and not Amazon Prime Two Days), and it should be here Wednesday (tomorrow). They expect to have her finished by Thursday evening or Friday sometime. I almost feel better that it wasn't my failure to get things done. I wouldn't call it their failure, just that the stars didn't align. I don't think they quite knew what they were getting into when they quoted me the original timeline (I suspected, but was hopeful regardless). I'll take a break from the Premiere Weekend to pick her up whenever she's ready regardless, but she's basically going to get set aside (I'll bring the helmet to show off) until after. Then it's Christmas. So I'm thinking the weekend after Christmas is when the finishing bits will happen and start their glue dry times. I won't have to worry about sticking my head in a glue fume-filled bucket, so there's that. So, new goal: this popped into my head last night: I want to debut her, not just show up to a troop and suit up (the first time, at least)- the premiere was the obvious, but she's not ready, so, what's our next one? I don't want to wait for ages for it... Fresno State Basketball Star Wars Night - January 4th. We've never done Fresno State (or basketball) games before, this is our first, but I'm hoping this will be the start of another annual sporting event for us. Sporting events are by nature larger venues and with luck larger attendance. I'm also thinking she's now going to come out at our Fresno Grizzles' Baseball Star Wars Night in May- that's arguably our biggest event of the year when there's no premieres, and only second biggest when there is. January 4th is it. Let's do it! Provided I get her back on the rough timeline proposed above, or even around Christmas, then this is doable, so long as I just keep working at what I can do. The pressure is lessened by still on! Oh yeah- and those fingertip magnets: they're not strong enough to go through the glove fabric and still have pull to the inside of the finger tip armor. So either use stronger magnets or just use the elastic connections (based on preliminary fittings the elastic will be more than enough to keep them on and not get lost if they do come off). I have extra magnets that are small enough to fit, so I'm going to try and salvage it by letting them connect to the existing glued in ones, and see if the extra pull is enough. I am glad I didn't go through the trouble of sewing those stupid things in to each finger, though, that would have been a nightmare and it wouldn't have even worked. To do: Glue elastic connection into finger tip armor - This is actually more of a pain that you'd think, and you probably think it's a bit of a pain. Make helmet fans - I was all set to do this last night, found the fans, the battery packs, the soldering iron, the wire strippers... and no solder. No where to be found. Because of course. Glue magnets into lens in prep for corresponding magnets into helmet - I'm debating on how many and placement, and depending on how many I do I might need to do it n two installments. Or, I might see if I can use another magnet on the opposite side to keep them in place while gluing and not suck to each other. Prep suspender/strapping attachments for ab/kidney (to be installed once back) - MacGyver is seriously going to be proud of what I have planned for this. Airbrush blasters - I have to find my space heater, that's the only way I'm going to even attempt to warm up the garage enough to paint. I think it's in the rafters in the garage? Re-do elastic bands for around the boot and/or find something thin and soft to shove in the top of the shoe as a spacer. My foot is a woman's foot and flatter/shorter than a man's, but I'm wearing men's shoes, so they're a bit big in the top. When I step they want to come up a bit before the rest of the shoe follows. Having big feet and wearing men's shoes before this is not an uncommon problem for me, I've fixed it before. I'm thinking a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Because I already have a stash of those for Jawa masks. When I get the rest of the parts: Cut and glue in elastic connection into final boot spat - Easy, will probably take five minutes total, then 48 hour cure time. Glue in helmet liner - Again, should be easy, getting it into the helmet with glue on it and not getting said glue all over the outside of the helmet will be the hardest part. At least E6000 rubs off easily. Install fans - Glue in corresponding Velcro to helmet, 48 hour cure, stick in fans and battery packs. Install lens - I'm thinking put glue where the magnets are supposed to go, then put the magnets onto the lens itself, held by the back corresponding magnets, and then set into place, let the magnets do the work for me. Glue corresponding Velcro to yoke for chest connection (already glued into chest) - My only concern with this is there's a return edge on the chest and I will have to get enough surface area of the Velcro to attach for it to stick. This is an FOTK style armor thing. Install suspender/strapping attachments to ab/kidney - Once those attachments are made, it will just be a matter of gluing them in and letting them cure for the 48 hours.
  15. San Jose Sharks v. Vancouver Canucks - Star Wars Night 2019 4 - 2 Sharks! So that's what I got done this weekend. I went as a guest of Rebel Legion's Endor Base (I'm Sunrider), and also did their Honor Flight for the Cops Care Cancer Foundation that morning. My Jawa was unfortunately a hot mess and everything that worked when I tested it and put in in the bin the night before failed epically, so I just handled at the Sharks game (that eye that was working? Nope, wire and solder came loose. That bag of zip ties you swore you saw in the bin? Nope, only one bando for you today. Those three sound gloves that two of which were working at full capacity? Nope, only one works, it has only four of five sounds, and Utinni is not one of them). It worked out because they had several handlers have to drop out so they were in need. It was also fun to handle again- I'm always in costume these days, but I handled extensively while I was building. I actually miss it a bit. How Friday afternoon went: Paint all over the table? Check. Paint all over me? Check. Paint on the blasters? Not a drop. The internet is telling me it was probably too cold- I couldn't get it to suck up the paint. Air was flowing, but no paint. Maybe the pressure was off, too, but it appeared fine as it did have good airflow. I was going to try again on Sunday when I got home from San Jose, but I didn't do anything. Except re-sew my finger connections to the Velcro, because of course there was a loose thread and it didn't actually sew on well at all. So yeah, that's basically how my entire week last week went. One screw up after another. I called the painter's on Friday morning- haven't gotten a call back yet. I'm going to call them again today and see if there's any update. At this point- I don't think I'll have time to finish before the premiere. Even if I get her back tomorrow (if I can't pick her up at lunch today, I'm booked until tomorrow), I don't think I'll have enough time for glue dry times, let alone the last finishing tasks I have to do. I really wanted to debut her at the premiere, but honestly- I won't rush it just to finish if it is at the cost of quality and longevity. I did the same with my TK- I was so close to getting into the Legion and trooping the TFA premiere, but I just needed that little extra time. I was finished in January and approved and assigned my TKID February 1st. It was worth it. I still had a blast handling at TFA, and I have a ton of other costumes to choose from now, so I'm not hurting for something to wear (quite the opposite). It's almost a relief that it's a possibility. Now watch they'll call me back today and tell me she's ready and it will be off to the races again. To do: Glue elastic connection into finger tip armor Make helmet fans Glue magnets into lens in prep for corresponding magnets into helmet Prep suspender/strapping attachments for ab/kidney (to be installed once back) Airbrush blasters When I get the rest of the parts: Cut and glue in elastic connection into final boot spat Glue in helmet liner Install fans Install lens Glue corresponding Velcro to yoke for chest connection (already glued into chest) Install suspender/strapping attachments to ab/kidney
  16. Well in looking back at my list I didn't get nearly as much done last night as I planned to. But it took just about as long and I quit a bit early because I was running into walls and couldn't think straight. It's been a rough week, the weekend was busy and while great, stressful and tiring. I just want a break from everything. I started to hand sew in the magnets, and before I could even get the first stitch in, I knew I couldn't do it. It was just going to be a huge pain and more trouble than it was worth. I decided to glue them in, instead. Because they're going in on the inside, I think they'll hold or at least hold enough that they'll be workable. I had to put the fingers far apart to they couldn't connect with each other while they were drying: Similar with the Velcro patch on the palm- Velcro is hard to sew through by hand, it's thick and tough. I just maneuvered, shoved, folded, and twisted it into my machine and got them sewn on that way. Gloves are now done. I managed to get the Velcro glued onto the cod (which apparently I forgot to take a picture of), corresponding sewn onto the belt (again, out of it, no photo), and glued to the butt plate. I tried several times to figure out the corresponding placement on the belt, but I think I might need the ab/kidney first to get the placement right. The belt will fit differently over that than without. The cod is fairly easy because it's directly below the two horizontal boxes, and I know where those go. I might try the butt plate again tonight, but I might also just wait until the ab/kidney is back. I'm going to call the place tonight and check on the status- it's been a full week now since I picked up the last parts, so I don't feel like I'm bugging them too soon. And as of yesterday, the premiere is one week away. To to (what I set out to do and what I managed): Sew magnets into glove finger tips (inside so they don't shatter each other) Sew Velcro onto glove palms Glue elastic connection into finger tip armor - I guess I forgot about this. Oops. Airbrush blasters - I didn't forget, I just gave up for the night. It was for the best. Yoke snap plates for shoulder bell connections (so they can be ready to glue in once back/yoke is received) Make helmet fans - I forgot about these, too Velcro to top of cod for attachment to belt, most likely Velcro to top of butt plate for attachment- CRL says to kidney (well ab, but it's the kidney back part of the kidney/ab, so technically kidney), but I'm thinking placement might be belt. I'll hold it up and see, either way. it's getting Velcro Corresponding Velcro to belt for cod Glue magnets into lens in prep for corresponding magnets into helmet Possibly corresponding Velcro to belt for butt, or maybe it will go on the kidney and we'll hold off 'cause I don't have that part back yet - Decided it does go onto the belt, but the exact placement so it sits right is currently unknown. I did cut the corresponding Velcro, so it's ready to go when I get it all back. - Going to do this when I get the parts When I get the rest of the parts: Cut and glue in elastic connection into final boot spat - I could probably figure it out pretty easily now, but it will take about 10 seconds, so it's not a real worry. Glue in helmet liner - Shouldn't take too long, I've been playing with the placement on my other prop one to get an idea of where I want it. Install fans (I will tape them in if needed, that's my current "temp" fix on one of my TK ones) - either glue in Velcro or tape it, either way won't take long. Install lens - Add corresponding magnets to helmet Corresponding Velcro to yoke for chest connection (already glued into chest) - It's cut, just needs to be glued on.
  17. You know you're in the end stages of a build (or project) when you start going to the hardware store daily. Or maybe also the beginning, too. Well, I always did say it's not a real project until you have to make at least two trips to the hardware store. Bonus points if they're in the same day. I got nearly everything done I wanted to get done last night, and since my goal was a bit ambitious, I'm calling that a win. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to glue the elastic connections into both the finger armor and tip armor, because of the magnets also gluing into the finger tips, and I was right. I will be able to glue the finger tips onto the elastic tonight, since the glue has set enough the magnets won't shift anymore. I also didn't get to sewing in the other magnets into the gloves. But I also hate hand sewing and avoid it at all costs, so I'm not that upset about it. Otherwise, last night's work: A whole lot of gluing, some sewing, some planning, and thank god for sewing clips (the little colorful clips). Corresponding Velcro glued or sewn in (belt box covers, chest plate, thigh holders), snap plates made and glued in (cod/butt connection and shoulder bells), elastic straps (wrist guards, hand guards, toe boot spats, heel boot spats, knees). My shoes arrived! They're actually pretty comfortable, and I will be able to stand in them at length which is obviously very important. They fit! For reference, I used Calto's size chart and measured my foot- I normally wear a Men's 10 (Women's 12), and I was spot on to their Men's 10, per measurement and now fit. So I'd say they run true to size, and/or at the very least true to their size chart (what a concept, I wish more vendors were like that). I wish I had some more ankle support, so I'd recommend, if you can find it, a boot version, though if you can't these are a valid option. Because they're men's shoes and while my foot is long, it's narrow and not particularly high, when I walk the shoe doesn't come with my foot when I lift up- the heel slides off. So I made a quick elastic loop to slip around the base of the boot and around my ankle. Problem solved. (I feel like I learned this from a motorcycle trick, but what application that would have on a motorcycle I have no idea- maybe I was just inspired by the strap on gear shift toe guards or stirrups on pants to keep them down). I got the belt done! The other two soft pouches with covers are not on there, but I have them, have sewn the needed Velcro to one, and the corresponding Velcro is gluing to the plastic covers. They just slide onto the belt so they can be added at any time. I used Chicago screws to attach them- punched holes in the back box and belt with my soldering iron, put glue on the inside around the holes so the inside part of the screw would stay in place, and screwed in the second half from the back of the belt into them. I also glued the inner boxes into the outer boxes, since they're not going to be functional anyway. This finger armor mess just looks hilarious: To make the finger connection contraption, I took a piece of Velcro, sewed five strips of elastic to the back of it, and then glued each of those elastic strips into the base of the fingers. I will do the same with the base of the finger tips tonight. This creates a stretchy connection between each of the parts, so that I can pull them on and off, but they will stay in place when on. And, if one does manage to get bumped or otherwise come off, it will dangle as the Velcro will be stuck to its corresponding piece on the palm of the glove. I can also take them off to wash the gloves (which I do every now and again, because those can get gross, especially after summer troops). I stole the idea from @LadyInWhite- it's been a couple years so I have no idea what connection material she used, but the concept is the same. Due to the placement of the corresponding Velcro, I'm going to have to hand-sew it into the palm. Lots of hand sewing in my future tonight. I decided on trying out suspenders to hold up the ab/kidney- I snagged a pair at a local Boot Barn. They seem sturdy, hopefully they'll hold up. I think I'll skip the neat ones as they're probably more decorative than heavy-duty and I want service over look. I want to avoid putting extra stress on the armor itself as much as possible, so I plan to get some sort of bracketing and glue it into the ab/kidney, and then clip the suspenders onto that. This is the custom champagne color I plan to use to airbrush the blasters- it's made with a mix of Alclad Chrome and Gold, with more chrome than gold. What's kind of interesting is when it settles, they split into their respective colors. But they mix easily and well, and the separation in the bottle when sitting is normal, so I'm thinking it won't be an issue once painted. I probably should have noted how much of each I used, so I could replicate it, or at least help out a future Shiny Sister, but I made this randomly at a build party in November, and I didn't write it down. Roughly it was 3:1 silver to gold. I used pipettes to transfer from the original bottles to this one. So about three pipettes of silver and one of gold, then just tweak it until you're happy. To to (tonight): Sew magnets into glove finger tips (inside so they don't shatter each other) Sew Velcro onto glove palms Glue elastic connection into finger tip armor Airbrush blasters Yoke snap plates for shoulder bell connections (so they can be ready to glue in once back/yoke is received) Make helmet fans Velcro to top of cod for attachment to belt, most likely Velcro to top of butt plate for attachment- CRL says to kidney (well ab, but it's the kidney back part of the kidney/ab, so technically kidney), but I'm thinking placement might be belt. I'll hold it up and see, either way. it's getting Velcro Corresponding Velcro to belt for cod Possibly corresponding Velcro to belt for butt, or maybe it will go on the kidney and we'll hold off 'cause I don't have that part back yet When I get the rest of the parts: Cut and glue in elastic connection into final boot spat Glue in helmet liner Install fans (I will tape them in if needed, that's my current "temp" fix on one of my TK ones) Install lens Corresponding Velcro to yoke for chest connection (already glued into chest) ...is that really it? I think it is. Wow. I'm really at the point where I don't care if y'all have to duct tape me into her- she's getting worn and debuted at this premiere! They sell silver duct tape, right? It worked for Izzy at TFA with his FOTK! (Half a roll of white duct tape every time he wore it, no joke. Good times. Actually it was a great adventure, I got pretty good at it by the third time, too.)
  18. Last night's progress! It doesn't look like a whole lot, but it was. That was a good three hours worth of work. E6000 is famous for oozing, but man, it was just being awful last night. I ended up scraping a lot off the table and using it rather than squeezing the tube because there was so much there. I glued Velcro to: The top and bottom inside of the biceps, for gasket connections The top of the forearms, for gasket connections The bottom of the thighs, for gasket connections The top of the shins, for gasket connections The shins for closure seam The ankle spats for closure seam I also cut out little pieces of ABS (from scraps) to act as a sandwich for the elastic connections- underside of armor piece, elastic end, ABS scrap. The elastic will stay in place better is stress areas (constant on/off of hand guards, wrist guards, etc.). Pictures of that when I glue the elastics in I ran of out of time, ran out of glue, ran out of clamps, and ran out of energy. I am confident I used every drop possible out of that tube of E6000. My elevator shoes should arrive today! Got lucky- the company is based in Arcadia, which is only about 3.5 hours away from me, and they shipped same day. Tonight I will glue in all the elastic connections- Hand guards Wrist guards Knees? (Debating between elastic wrap around or Chicago screwing them into the gaskets for semi-permanent attachment) Boot spats (toe) Heel spats Fingers to each other to base of glove And glue in the magnets into the finger tips Later: Top boot spat (not yet back from painters) I also will make various snap plates, I can't make all the connections yet, but I can at least get some of the base plates gluing and assembled ready to go. Snaps on shoulder bells to yoke (yoke not back) Snaps on cod and butt for cod strap (all in hand) I'm thinking Velcro attachments for the thighs- so cut some more Velcro and glue to the inside of the thighs and sew to the strap on the harness. My TK is snaps, and it works, but I don't see why Velcro wouldn't also work. I can always rip off the Velcro and add snaps at a later date if needed. Belt boxes to belt- Chicago screws through the back box and through the belt. I have enough pieces and still have Izzy's FOTK in my garage for sizing and placement over the missing ab/kidney. I'm a little concerned about the belt to the ab- mine doesn't have a good lip to Velcro or otherwise attach the belt. Worst case scenario I get it as tight as I can and hope it does't slip (no holster to weigh it down at least) for now. Later I think I'll cut off the tiny, not flat lip from the ab, and add a new, flat backing piece to which I'll add Velcro or snaps to attach the belt. I'm going to glue the head of the Chicago screw into the inside of the inner belt box, then glue the inner box into the outer box- they're not going to be functional anyway. I ordered gloves, they've shipped already so they should be here soon. In the meantime I'm taking back my Phasma turned TK turned Phasma again gloves and using those. I can still wear them with the TK with magnets in the fingers if needed in the meantime (for the premiere I plan to wear as many of my costumes as I can, as many times as I can- it's tradition, and I have four whole days to do it). I also ordered more magnets- One of the dang finger magnets broke from connecting with another. I also am using the ones I had planned to use for the ab/kidney closure for clamp magnet purposes, and don't feel like prying off the blue tape I have on them. And then some more rounds just in case the rectangle ones don't work for the closure. Plus, you can never have too many magnets. Thank you, Amazon Prime- they will be here tomorrow. I'd like to say I could then also airbrush the blasters but I know the above will take up all the time I have after work tonight, so that will have to be Thursday's job. Gonna be down to the wire but I think I can make it!
  19. Well, look at that… The lighting in my living room is terrible, so it's really not showing it off well. There is a fuzzy but noticeable reflection when outside in sunlight and in better, more direct light. It's much more impressive looking in person than here. I think it's perfect for TFA! They were still working on the back/yoke, ab/kidney, one of the boot spat sets, and the helmet, but I picked up the finished pieces! I had a marathon weekend of trooping and setting up (six troops in three days, two on Friday, three on Saturday, and one on Sunday; plus setting up for the parade that was the third troop on Saturday, and setting up at our local theater for ROS). I have neither the energy nor the time to even think about this, but yet, I must press forward. The weather is awful for painting, but all I have left is the Alclad. I mixed up some custom champagne from silver and gold, and I’m happy with it. I just now have to get up my neve to hang the blasters up somewhere and get to town with the airbrush machine. (I’ll add a photo here later or in the next post, whichever I remember to do). I cut out a bunch of Velcro and elastic pieces for the connections. Elastic for the hand guards, wrist guards, boot spats, internal strap for the fingers (to attach to the palm of the glove, so if they come off, they’ll just dangle), and cod/butt connection. Velcro for the shin closures, ankle spat closures, some for the chest to yoke (hopefully it will have enough edge to attach to, we’ll see), and inside the biceps (upper and lower), forearms (upper), thighs (lower) and shins (upper) for the gasket attachments. I’m going to use the gasket harness to hold up the thighs (I believe this is what its’ designed for- it’s the right length and the right position, so I’m going with it). I’m going to get some suspenders to hold up the ab/kidney. I wanted to get some fun special ones, but right now, I’m just getting whatever I can find for now, then I’ll go on Etsy and find some cute personalized ones (I’m thinking either Ravenclaw or Doctor Who) when I have more time. I just want to finish right now. Upgrades and mods will be inevitable anyway, so might as well do them later. I just about tore myself apart going over how to work on my lifts…. I added some material to the bottom so it wasn’t as steep of a drop, I was looking into expanding foam like Wookiee feet to add a backing for the slant in the back… I even bought a can of expanding foam. And then when I was just so frustrated I didn’t know which way was up, I found some elevator shoes with internal lifts on clearance and just bought them. 4.4’’ of lift, between internal and heel. Should have just done this in the first place, but I was trying to keep the cost down (only spent $40 total on the lifts, so not a huge loss, I can use the boots for something else). Another learn from my mistakes- if you want serious lift, just get shoes made for that purpose. They also make these in much less extreme lift (I think about 1.5’’), though for that little I’d do the inserts and use a cheaper shoe. The lifted shoes are kind of expensive, but not bad as far as good and specialty shoes go. Also like such things, they have a big price range- anywhere from $100 - $400. These are Calto (I've heard that brand thrown around before, appear to be well-thought of). At our last build party of the year (November), I did manage to mod and ¾ paint my blasters: There were a few subtle modifications needed to convert the F-11D to the F-11D Phasma carries- remove part of the trigger guard (she’d never get her finger in there with the finger armor with it, and honestly, even without it’s close), and remove the second part of the grip (again, she can’t bend her fingers well, so the smaller grip the easier she could grab it). I used a dremel with a cutting wheel to cut off both pieces, then filled in the open space with epoxy putty (I’m using Gorilla brand). It’s quite subtle, but after you do it it’s install like “That’s Phasma’s blaster!” v. “That’s an FOTK blaster.” At least for nerds like us. I mean I got called “Superman” at a recent troop (as a TK… specifically Reindeer TK, so I had my blinking red noise and antlers), so there’s that. Instead of acetone knocking down the 3D print lines, I used filler primer, per a suggestion from a Squad-mate. Worked great. There were just a couple of steps in the order I did them that I should have done differently, but it’s too late and not worth it for me now. What I did: Used liquid latex to mask off all areas that were going to stay black Paint entire thing with filler primer Paint entire thing with glossy black. Paint entire thing with Alclad (next step, not yet completed as of now) Remove latex (will be done after Alclad) What I should have done, and what I recommend doing: Paint entire thing with filler primer Paint entire thing glossy black Use liquid latex to mask off areas that remain black Paint entire thing with Alclad Remove latex My original thought process was the black parts that are staying black are already black, save myself the step of re-painting them black. Except I could have just masked them off AFTER and I still would have done the masking only once, gotten the fillable primer on there to knock down their 3D print lines and probably a slightly nicer black gloss (though they basically disappear with the rest, because your eye tricks you, and they were quite subtle to begin with. Plus, there’s not a lot of black on the blaster, so you don’t really notice). But, like I said, not worth taking off the latex, painting it black again, letting it dry in this cold weather, re-applying latex, and then airbrushing it. If I weren’t on a deadline, maybe. Still a maybe. And FYI, you burn through this stuff pretty quick- so buy more than one can. There was an emergency Home Depot run in the middle of the build party. Ignore the weird textures- that's where the latex is. What’s left to do: Glue in all Velcro and elastics Install lens in helmet (once received) Install helmet liner (once received) Make and install helmet fans (can make fans now) Get suspenders, and install once ab/kidney received Glue belt boxes together and attach to belt Make magnet closure for ab/kidney (armor isn’t back, but I can make the structure and glue it in once the armor’s back) Add corresponding Velcro to yoke (once received) Glue magnets into armor fingertips Sew magnets into glove fingertips Tailor in gloves? I seem to recall them being a bit big in the fingers (I have long, thin hands), but I couldn’t find them last night because I lost my TK gloves and they’re the same (Nomex) so I yanked Phasma’s and totally forgot until right now. Would you like a metaphor for how my week has been going? There you go. Order Nomex gloves ASAP (trying to remember my size- man my eBay purchase history is WEIRD) Airbrush blasters Make various snap plates for connections, and what connections I can make now with the parts I have ??? Probably something I’m forgetting but that’s most of it! Why does it seem like less when written out like that?
  20. 88. Toys for Tots Marathon Weekend (Day 3), Fresno - 12/8 When your Ladies of the Legions shot IS your group shot! (Since it was a marathon, Friday at 6 am until Sunday at 9 pm, we had shifts- this was just our shift. We had another guy come out for the afternoon that day).
  21. 87. Zoo Lights @ The Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Fresno - 11/30 It looks like a hyperspace tunnel! We also couldn't resist- we had to get our picture taken with Santa. Santa thought we were great- he really loved my antlers.
  22. 86. Hanford Christmas Parade, Hanford - 11/29 Fantastic turn out! I'm the Reindeer TK next to the Royal Guard (his first troop!) "Sandie" Claus and his Reindeer: And a great shot of the Ladies of the Legions we had that night: (Totally going to steal that Gingerbread Man Jawa idea some time!)
  23. It's one battery pack per fan- so it's basically the same thing, twice.
  24. 85. 100th Annual Veterans Day Parade, Fresno - 11/11 Yes, you read that right- 100th Annual. It's the largest and longest running Veterans parade in the nation. It was our first year attending (though I marched in it a million years ago as a Girl Scout), and we will definitely be making this an annual event. We had two Garrisons represented, Central California and Golden Gate, Mando Mercs' Wolves of Mandalore Clan, and Rebel Legion's Endor Base, with members from the most Northern reaches of CCG territory (Reno), to the most Southern reaches (Visalia) in attendance. It was a ton of work to organize and myself and the Wolves event coordinator couldn't have done it without the support of our respective clubs and the participation of everyone who came out, whether it be a five hour drive or a fifteen minute drive. Also, pre-party dinner on Sunday night for our early arrivals and a late lunch after the parade were a blast! One of our drivers and five of our troopers were Vets, themselves! The two non-costumed guys holding the lightsabers in front are our sponsored veterans who we asked to join us in honoring all Veterans this Veteran's Day. Bonus Ladies of the Legions (501st, Mandos and Rebels represented! Most of us are also members of multiple clubs, too!)
×
×
  • Create New...