Acrylikhan

I can't wait to start mine! Thanks, bro!

I see... so, different type of armor would equal a new designation. That's logical.

I'd figure it would be a regular clone trooper designation... but what do I know?

Thanks, Krizzle! I went back to work today, and in between coughs, a running nose, and my co-workers stopping me from drilling out my sinuses with a Forsner bit, I put a little effort into the buck. I started building up the raised panels on the lower portion of the armor. Some MDF strips, and then started putting the body filler to fix some sanding boo-boos, while building up the wall thickness. I'm following the MoM exhibit photographs and trying to mimic them. I'm also trying to visualize how the plastic is going to react and try to see where it may "lock" onto the buck. The top portion I am satisfied with for now. The indentation was created with a slight outward angle. The plastic shouldn't lock on to it. I hope. I'm saving the angled troughs after the whole thing is glued back together. Maybe before the end of this week if everything goes well. And just a taste of what it may look like when re-assembled. I know... she's still pretty ugly.

I'm still recovering from a sever cold, but I wanted to share with you my progress I've made so far. Did massive trimming to the block to get it into the proper shape of the knee armor. I'm also having to watch how to align the surface details, and to make sure I do not create any areas that will lock the plastic on to the buck. I had that problem with thigh boxes, and I don't want to repeat that. I really wanted to sculpt the block as one piece, but with the strange angles I need to cut and shape, it would be too difficult. I cut off the top portion for ease. The bottom of the block was easy. I made my cuts, and then smoothed them out with a disc sander. So far it looks fairly symmetrical. I added the front elevation from some scrap pieces of MDF. I drew the outline for the bottom sides, and will be adding material for the raised sections. Probably a combination of scrap MDF and Bondo. For the top part, I need to make a slight curve up around the depression, more MDF and Bondo. Then it'll be time to turn my attention to the troughs that outline the intersecting plates. Getting there. Slow, and steady.

Congrats!

I've concluded my research into the proper shape of the knee armor. From the stills here, to watching the movie again, and examining other armorers have interpreted the piece... it's been dizzying, and has become a slight obsession. I've transfered my outline to the top of the MDF slab. I will start cutting out the general outline (leaving a little fat behind in case of an accident). I am hoping to get the bottom front section cut in, and start shaping. I've purposely downsized my measurements to account for the thickness of the plastic. I am planning to use 1/8th thick styrene or ABS. Really doesn't matter, I'll be painting these anyway. After I cut off the excess, I will transfer the side portions of my drawing. (Right now, it's a bit uneven.) As Da Vinci said... just removing the unnecessary bits.

Oh Yeah! I think you might have to make the curve (the blue outline) maybe a little more exaggerated. Just to take into account the Digital-to-Reality Divide. Just want to make sure that there's enough room to walk comfortably and be able to do action poses without the armor popping off the boot! You are dead on with this!

Thanks so much! I hope you'll stop in and visit! MAGIC!!! :lol: Thanks brother!

Here we are at the edge of a new year, and new projects!!! A little recap. Some time back, I made a little cardboard mock up of the knee armor to adjust it to my knobby, giant knees. We're going the vacuform route, as it would be cheaper. I am making the buck out of MDF. I have a ton of scrap that I'd rather use than throw out. Besides, I haven't had my yearly over dose of urea formaldehyde. A SERIOUS NOTE: I have a lot of people following my progress, and some are trying out some of the things I have been demonstrating. Here's a fun fact for those who are new to buck making and using MDF. MDF (or Medium Density Fiberboard) is a great, cheap building material. It basically is wood fibers held together with a resin. One of these resins could be Urea Formaldehyde or Melamine-formaldehyde. This is very toxic if inhaled or ingested. Safety is TOP PRIORITY on this part of the project. If you DO decide to use MDF to create a vacuforming buck, be sure to have excellent eye protection, and a TOP NOTCH Respirator. Even if I was using sculpting mesh and bondo (Body Filler), I'd still be broadcasting this message. You do NOT want to breathe that crap! (BONDO or MDF dust!) Where was I? Oh yeah.... scrap pieces of MDF. It took all morning to get this sucker glued together. MDF is porous. To glue two sections together is a two step operation. you have to spread a thin layer of wood glue on the surface and let it soak in. That takes roughly 30 minutes. This "seals" the surfaces giving your wood glue something to grip to, and is a stronger bond. After the initial glue soak, put a generous wavy bead on one surface and then slap 'em together! Clamp it, and wait an hour for the glue to set. If you need more info, type "Gluing MDF" in any search engine. I just need to start removing the unnecessary bits.

Genius!

Updating very very soon.... The Knee Armor is my next victim.

I can't wait to see what new additions that will come available for this set! Thanks, Mike!! and Denise!!!

Mike.... This is AWESOME! I say again... AWESOME! I cannot wait to get my helmet! (Which is supposed to be coming soon! ) Dude! DUUUUUDE! :lol: Now... to pick out my camo pattern and colors!!

Excellent work! These are looking pretty awesome!

The search for accurate boots is starting to get expensive again... found these at BLACKHAWK... problem is there $170! They also come in Coyote tan... and then there was these... also about $150. But they only came in black. and would need the emblem on the side of the sole dremeled off...

This was the To-Do list for 2007 (from an earlier posting): 1. Bicep Armor - Molding and cast the parts 2. Forearm armor - Molding and casting parts 3. Hip Box - Modling and casting parts 4. Thermal Detonator housing - Molding and Casting parts 5. End Caps for Detonator - Molding and Casting parts 6. Knee armor - Construction, molding and casting parts 7. Shoulder Bell - RE-construction, molding and casting parts 8. Helmet - Rubies Modifications 9. Boot Holster 10. Scout Pistol 11. Chest and Back armor Did quite a bit this year. Probably the most productive over the past three! :D The To-Do List for 2008: 1. Knee armor 2. Chest armor (Back and front) 3. Tank 4. Boot Holster 5. Pistol (this one's sort of done) 6. Get TB ID 7. Get Pathfinder Status 8. Get Lancer Status Happy Holidays to everyone! See you all next year... if not sooner!

It's been awhile since I updated, but with the holiday here, it's time to ply a little catch up with all the stuff that's been going on. So it's been with the tank topper that I believe was the latest project that was near completion. That was until our lathe at work broke, and things took a drastic turn. Now that I'm back on track..... we left off with me glueing styrene strips to the tank topper to simulate the gear like pattern. The next was two little greeblies that are just above the gear pieces. I had to trim down a the ones I made to the right size. Then modding it with some sanding and filing, and adding styrene for details. A little more sanding, gluing them in place, and priming the whole piece to perfection. Then: Ya' make a mold. Then you make clones. Lots of clones. I double checked the casting against my template of the top of the back tank. Looks good! I threw my custom t-bits into the mold, just to make things simple. That wraps up 2007 for The Acrylikhan Biker Scout Project.

I'm sure we could mod something like this to get the pouches in the correct locations on the torso. Still talking with my nephew about this, he might have more sources to look into at Bragg,.

Dude!! THIS ROCKS!!!!! Great Job!!! Stupendous!

The color pigments are usually stable. It's the medium you mix them into that is not. I'm looking at some urethane paints my company works with. I'll play with some of the samples and let you know what I find when I get down time at work.

I think I have some spare rubber urethane to experiment with. How flexible of a rubber do you think would work? How thick is the shin guard walls? (rummages through desk... where is that comparison chart????!??)

Painting urethane rubber is next to impossible. It flaks right off. I should know, I've been casting urethanes for over ten years. The key would be to color the urethane and make the camo pattern by layering the different colors at the surface. As long as you use the same type of urethane, it should bond very well to itself. Won't fall apart or separate. There are a few rubber urethanes that don't bond to themselves after curing, but those are much harder to come by. Most urethane rubbers are buff to tan colored naturally. The biggest problem with the urethane rubber is that it yellows or darkens over time, even when intrinsically colored. So for example, if you add white to the clear rubber urethane, it will remain white for maybe three months. It will gradually turn yellow, tan, beige, to brown with time. The good news is that the urethane does retain it's physical properties without degrading. That is a good idea though.

Awesome work, MIKE!!! I love it! Top of Ankle to the bottom of my knee measurement on me: My wife measured me at just about 14 - inches, give or take an 1/8th. My calf diameter at the largest portion is only 15-inches. BUT.... I am flat footed, and have hyper extended calf muscles. I have what Bill Cosby refers to as "long ankles."