bishopx Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Thanks very much. I'm working with Slave1pilot on the Sith Acolyte and with Stormleader on the Republic Trooper. It's a ton of work. The Republic Trooper will be done and ready by Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted November 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 (edited) Let's talk paint colors shall we? Armor white is actually light gray. Taking opacity mapping into account, the colors are translating into the following... COLORS: Main Armor Color: Pantone Cool Gray 1C (or slightly lighter) Gray Armor Striping Color: Pantone Cool Gray 9C Orange Rusty Color: Pantone 7598C The shades of gray appear to be close to dead on. The orange color is difficult to determine until you get it weathered and into the sunlight. QUESTIONS / ANSWERS: "Why are you providing Pantone colors instead of Home Depot colors?" Answer: Anyone and everyone can get Pantone color reference books and with that reference book, you can make your own color matches or go find something close. "How in THE Hell do I match to Pantone colors?" That's a good question. We purchased a Pantone Solid Colors booklet from Amazon to give ourselves a good reference for matching paint. How closely you match it will depend on what types of paints you use and how determined you are. For the gray colors, there may be a Krylon or Rustoleum out there that matches closely. The orange may be a bit more difficult. We will be mixing automotive colors by computer to match the Pantone colors called out. These paints will be sprayed through air guns and airbrush. In the end, you may just want to go with white paint and rust orange. I doubt anyone out there will tell you that you are wrong. We just want you to know what the real colors are in the trailers. Edited November 29, 2012 by bishopx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 These are the colors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted November 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2012 Did I post this in the correct forum? I couldn't really find a forum that covers this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 (edited) 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? Edited December 5, 2012 by bishopx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dday[501st] Posted December 5, 2012 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 Hah! Nah, we're just watching in awe and unable to speak! This set is coming out pretty fricking amazing man. I bet it will cost a fortune! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubSkip[TK] Posted December 5, 2012 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 Looks great. I'm sure several people are following the thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaa1304[TK] Posted December 5, 2012 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 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? Whats to say?! It's completely awesome. Simple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dday[501st] Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 Are you doing this project as a 1 off, or will you be making a run of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaa1304[TK] Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 Ach better start saving 0.o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dday[501st] Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 Will the armor be a complete custume out of the box, or will it be more along the TK line where there is still a good amount of things you'll need to complete the suit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 (edited) 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. Edited December 6, 2012 by bishopx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dday[501st] Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 I know this is still very rough, but what are you estimating the ball park for the suit will be. I need to know what my target saving is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dday[501st] Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 But I"m still torn, these are republic, not imperials... gahhh the good guys.... What to do... Maybe stick with the Sith Acolyte armor! Time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishopx Posted December 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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