Peregrinus Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Hokeh, so... I am doing TE2 for armour and bucket. I have insane modding skillz. I have a potentially dangerous costuming philosophy that I describe as "more accurate than the film version". This means I go the extra step -- or twenty -- to atone for the time and budget crunches endemic to making a movie or TV show. I know how to tailor, so my uniforms are made like real-world uniforms, and can take punishment and stand up to scrutiny. With the 501st, I'll do things and add layers that will never be seen by most people. *heh* I'm something of a costuming masochist. In the case of the TK, I don't want to change anything, but I do want to fix the little asymmetries in the helmet. Specifically the frown and the aerator shrouds. My desire to attain accuracy to one or another film version doesn't extend to reproducing all the flaws, and I want to know if that will keep me -- and anyone else whose helmets I do this with -- from meeting the Elite standards, as I didn't see this directly addressed in the list of standards. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperTrooper Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 These types of tweaks won't interfere with you getting elite status. There is noting wrong with an idealized stormtrooper, or any other costume. Think of it as a personal preference, some want to look as craptacular screen used suits, some strive for what they remember seeing on screen, and some go for idealized but accurate. Neither is wrong, it's all about that makes the wearer happy as that's who ultimately has to be pleased. Just make sure to take pictures of your journey for others to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted February 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 *nods* Thanks for the clarification. This is one of those things that only übergeeks of our calibre would ever notice the difference, but I'd see it every time I looked at my bucket. Word of warning on the photo-documenting -- I'll be doing things that will make a lot of people on here cringe, faint, or freak out. I'm also doing an interior, sound system, etc. And the amount of butchery I'm contemplating is not for the faint of heart or queasy of stomach. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattastic13[TK] Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Please show!! I am very interested in your methods and level of detail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Yeah. The proof will be in the pix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burge Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 There where pictures? Did I miss them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThayNerd[TK] Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Post pics as soon as possibble. I am curious about what mods you are planning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Trooper Posted February 20, 2008 Report Share Posted February 20, 2008 Post pics as soon as possibble. I am curious about what mods you are planning. I second that....I wish Guns had a layaway plan...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 *chuckle* Fortunately for me, he parts things out if he's able. I got the helmet kits first, as they'll need the most TLC. The armour will come later. As well as, hopefully, a spare breastplate and shoulder straps. I don't mind paying more in total, if it's broken down into more managable chunks. Pictures will be coming. I don't have a quality digicam yet. I'm getting 12-exposure film rolls so turnaround time is shorter. So we'll see... --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManInWhite Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 I like your new avatar pic Paul. I too am curious as to what you are doing to the helmet. I have a strong stomach so bring it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Well, preliminary description... The whole area South of the frown? I'm cutting that off straight across. I have some small noiseless computer fans that -- with the mounting corners rounded off -- will fit easily into the area behind the aerators. I'm opening up four pie wedges around the aerator screw hole, and reinforcing the crossarms and hole. I already opened up two "D" holes in the aerators themselves. That's going to be my inflow. I'm going to open up the chin grilles and mount a speaker behind them. The fans and speaker are all going to be vibrationally isolated from the helmet shell and covered over (except for the airflow openings of the fans). I'm going to remove the teeth, back them with plumbers' epoxy putty (also extending them a bit to replace removed portions and give some anchoring acreage, and scratch-build an upper and lower bridge to join them all together in the right configuration, and that will hook into the upper and lower parts of the faceplate the frown joins together. Things get masked off and the teeth get painted Ad Grey. Then black panty-hose nylon gets glued to the backs of the teeth and frame. Regular epoxy putty will be used to build up facings behind the teeth and around the border. I am going to fill in around the eyeholes with more plumbers' epoxy putty so the lenses have a flat surface to be glued to, and then the edges of the lenses will be covered over with more epoxy and blended into the substrate. The side tubes will get styrene shims where the aerator shrouds were cut off so they can be glued back together securely. And the left side (from the wearer's perspective) of the frown will be adjusted to eliminate the fifth opening and match the right side. Doing work with the tears, too, that is a whole thread in itself. Traps, as well, but that's a different piece. The teeth get glued into the upper faceplate. The lower faceplate gets glued back on to the teeth and side tubes. Lenses, nylon, and airflow openings get masked off, wires get isolated. Inside of faceplate gets several coats of black Plasti-Dip spray-on grip material. Then I go to work on the rest of the helmet. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattastic13[TK] Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 wow....sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted February 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Enh. I can do an addendum about the traps and tears. I'm carefully cutting out what will be the grey parts, cleaning up, straightening, and reinforcing the walls on the helmet parts, and extending the edges of the cut-out pieces. Those will get painted Ad Grey, get the black edging done, and the black pinstripes overlaid. Then they get glued back in place. Also, the exterior of the upper and lower faceplate pieces are painted white after all the cutting is done. After they cure for a week (while I build the new teeth fram and paint it), then the additions go in. Forgot to mention that. The Plasti-Dip goes on after all the mods are done for the completed faceplate adn it's reassembled and masked off. And I'm going to be doing all the test-fitting and cleaning up of parts before any of this starts. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Trooper Posted February 21, 2008 Report Share Posted February 21, 2008 Man it's not like you gave this any thought. I'm sad to not hear duct tape mentioned..As an engineer i'm interested in seeing this build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted February 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2008 Duct tape? Bite your tongue, man. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD2802[501st] Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Your plan is intriguing but does beg progress evaluation through pics to compare it against helmets completed with a more 'minimalist' approach as a control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daetrin[Admin] Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Yep, pix certainly help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 I know, I know. Pictures help everything. I need a good digicam. I've tried taking shots with my cell phone camera, but the contrast is awful. No matter how I hold it, it just ends up looking like a white blob. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammer3246 Posted April 27, 2008 Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 Anyone hear from Peregrinus???????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrinus Posted April 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2008 I'm right here. Been working, and my TR has been taking precedence. I've been a bad boy. I got to "passable" (for 501st entry standards), and instead of waiting to be able to take pictures in it once I'd been cleared by my surgeon... I impatiently moved right along to tweaking and upgrading. >_> So now I'm trying to finish my glove upgrade, my force pike tweak, and my robe retailoring in time to get pics in before the Emerald City Comic Con the weekend of May 10-11. *headdesk* My GML's gonna kill me... At least I'm waiting on the bodysuit, armour, boots, and DH-17 until after the con. Nice to know I have some self-control. --Jonah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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