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The Acrylikhan Armor Project Files


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So here it goes... a new mock-up. It still needs to be about one inch or so bigger on all sides. At least this one looks better than the one I did yesterday. Though this one is smaller.

 

knee10.jpg

 

knee11.jpg

 

knee12.jpg

 

knee13.jpg

 

knee14.jpg

 

knee15.jpg

 

knee16.jpg

 

Amazing what a little cardboard and some hot glue can do.

 

I took some photoes with my boots. The angles I used for the sides is too narrow. I think I will go closer to 40-degrees or 45-degress. The plastic will a bit more rounded too. I think the extra inch or inch and a half that I will added to the entire piece will help with foam padding on the inside.

 

knee17.jpg

 

Using this screen still, I compared my set up with the movie costume. I folded the cuff over a little, and it looks more closer to the movie boots. From the pictures I have strap for the sides, looks like it falls right under the back of the knee joint, where the calf muscle "folds" in.

 

knee18.jpg

 

knee19.jpg

 

Tried simulating what it would look like on a speeder bike. :lol: Yeah... The knee armor needs to be a little bigger and wider! :lol:

 

Progress marches on.

- fk

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It looks like need to drop the height of the boots a little. Did you just fold them down inside in the picture? It would be a good thing to get the height of the boots right before you install a holster. Did you want us to make that adjusment for you?

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Thanks for the adjustment offer, ladyghost! :) I think I'm going to complete the knee section first before i send the boot to ya. So It could be a month or so. For now, I just folded the boot cuff inward until I get everything just right.

 

Thanks for the comments!

 

-fk

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Here we go again! Increased the size of the knee armor like I last discussed. Took a photo of V2 with V1. I used the Lucasfilm archive shot of the Scout for some different perspective. I kept all the angles the same from the last time. I also changed the shape of the top front piece. The side still cut back at about 60-degrees and the top section slopes back at 140-degrees. The increase in size looks right, and feels better. I should have some room for foam padding.

 

knee20.jpg

knee21.jpg

knee22.jpg

 

In other news: The shoulder armor is still elusive. Should be posting new pictures next week for that.

 

I'll post pictures with my boots after I get home from work tonight. That is, IF they let me come home! :unsure:

 

-fk

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knee23.jpg

knee24.jpg

knee25.jpg

 

Okay... some snape shots with the boots. The cardboard is a bit more flexible than plastic. But, what do you guys think? On the money? Close? Comments are well come!

 

LadyChost: Probably we'd take the cuff down to about mid-calf, if I'm reading the movie stills right.

 

-fk

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A slight detour from the knee armor direction:

 

thermal4.jpg

 

thermal5.jpg

 

Great thing about pushing overtime, sometimes good things happen besides getting double pay for those extra hours. The last three days, I have been knee deep in dead. I mean, silicone. Since we mix batches by hand, any extra silicone is free game. We have a system were we estimate how much silicone we need to pour a section of a mold. Sometimes we're short, and sometime were over... but not by much. I think in the six years I've been in the prototype industry, the most we were EVER over was four pounds. Overjoyed, I hastily assembled a parting-line block in twenty minutes, and poured the first section. Then again on wednesday morning with two pounds left over. My buddy got there first, but I was able to scrap just enough out of the bucket to pour the second half! I started casting this morning, and got some great parts! My biggest worry was that the castings wouldn't fit on the ends of the sump pump hose. As you can tell, I was sucessful! Attaching the end caps to the hose will be very easy. First I will coat the tube part of the end cap with epoxy. After the epoxy has set for a couple of hours, I will drill a pilot hole through the hose and the end cap tube, and then use a regular self tapping wide head screw to keep it secure in case wear causes the glue to fail. The screwheads will be facing toward my back, so that they will be hidden from view.

 

Urethanes tend to yellow with age, and with exposure to UV light. These will have to be painted, but I really don't mind it at all.

 

Next stop, the detonator housing, and then how and where to attach the ALICE clips! Also, working on that Knee Armor.

 

More to come!

-fk

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I did a quick overlay of the knee armor scaled up over your cardboard version. You're pretty darn close!

!

 

Looks like I should shorten the bottom front just a tad, and narrow it slightly. Damn! I guess the research paid off!!

 

-fk

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Frank - check back for the new requirements. The hose has to be grey now :)

Nice job on the moulds for the caps!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Very nice work, I'm very impressed!

 

Many thanks, Nairod. Should be posting some new pictures in a few days. Work has been unforgiving as of late!

 

Should have some new shoulder picks, and hopefully a set of pictures for the knee armor.

 

-fk

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Frank - check back for the new requirements. The hose has to be grey now :)

Nice job on the moulds for the caps!

 

 

If anyone finds grey hose, I'll be impressed! I looked through Home Depots and Lowe's for a month and finally just spray painted my black hose grey.

 

That overlay bit was pretty cool!

 

Since I haven't sounded off in a while... still nice work coming Frank. I saw there's a couple more pics in the gallery of some behind-the-scenes dressing on some biker scouts that might be worth checking for the shoulder bells if that's still a tough spot.

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Hmm, I've been to local stores and they all got them - even in the right length. Maybe a bit too muhc circumferance but I think they work.

You can mail MC if he can send you one maybe - I know he is offering the correct hoses with his armor. Maybe he is so kind and helps out.

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When I was hunting for parts, I tried every hardware store in the area... more specifically the mom and pop ones that are still alive and kicking in my area. No luck trying to find a light gray/primer gray colored hose.

 

The hose I now use is from our very own Arcturus. It's a charcoal grey sump pump hose. I used that for sizing my template for the detonator, after I found out that my original detonator was too small.

 

I should be able to paint it with a latex or an acrylic. My tests this week point that it should work, and probably will stay on for a while before needing to be repainted.

 

Good to have you back Mazik, and thanks for the compliments! I am still reworking the shoulder armor. I almost got a break a few weeks ago to draft the shoulder armor in SolidWorks and then machine the pattern on a CNC. We were slow that week at work when my boss looked at my stuff I've been working on, and suggested it after seeing what I've been doing to the current armor piece.

 

So... I've cut the original shoulder armor length wise down the middle, and inserted a plastic strip to make it wider. I've bonded it together, and resin filling the gaps. Now it's files and sandpaper smoothing and shaping now. I have to increase the bottom by about another inch, and the sides by about another half inch. I'll model it again and see what you guys think. I've been talking with my boys at work and then agree it fits better on the shoulder. It's getting there.

 

I have production pictures but I need to get them off the camera and on my computer and processed for posting here.

 

Going back to work! Wish me Luck!

 

-fk

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Started the shoulder modification:

 

Here's the shoulder as it started out last year:

 

photo49.jpg

 

And now with the widening adjustment:

 

shoulder1.jpg

 

shoulder2.jpg

 

shoulder3.jpg

 

I got another styrene elbow and sliced about an inch wide strip. I took the original armor piece, and cut it directly in half. I styrene bonded the pieces together, and the used thick superglue and cure accelerator to fill any gaps. I did a test fit and it feels more comfortable, and sits better.

 

To combat the warp-age from heating and rechaping, I am using polyester resin (bondo) to fill gaps and then sanding with a medium grit sanding pad for now. I still have more applications to do, and then a coat of primer to find the "invisible" gaps, dips, dings and what-the-f***s?

 

I will do a little more of the shaping, and the start expaning the sides to cup around the shoulder a bit more, probably about a 1/2-inch. Then extend the botomm down by at least one whole inch.

 

My boss proposed that I build this part in CAD, and then we could machine it. But we've been busy and I haven't be able to get on a computer at all these past few weeks. So I'm resigning back to my warped plastic and good ol' elbow grease.

 

I stopped work on the knee for the moment. I need to get more plastic to restart the project. Plus I got another photo to work from. More adjustments!

 

Back to the shop!

-fk

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It's my impression that contrary to the TK shoulders the scout shoulder is more squarish than rectangular. Check proportions on the references - I think it could be a tad broader. But it's difficult to see on photographs due to lens warp.

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I think a picture of the shoulder bell in relation to how it fits on your shoulder would give a more accurate aproximation of its size. It may not be too narrow, it may be too long. Can't tell without seeing it over your shoulder.

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It's my impression that contrary to the TK shoulders the scout shoulder is more squarish than rectangular. Check proportions on the references - I think it could be a tad broader. But it's difficult to see on photographs due to lens warp.

 

 

Yeah, I think your right. I'll double check all my photoes again. I still need to expand the edges out a little more to. I could still square it up. I did force it back into a cylinder, but I can correct that now.

 

Great eye there Madphisto!

 

-fk

 

I'd take your boss up on his offer and possibly see about doing the knee on there too. ;)

 

 

Oh.... that would be sweet!!!!! I need to get time on the computer and that has been very difficult with the extra work we've been hauling in this week.

 

If you'll be at ACME in March, I'll try to bring my stuff in. This and the lightsaber I've been working on.

 

-fk

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I think a picture of the shoulder bell in relation to how it fits on your shoulder would give a more accurate aproximation of its size. It may not be too narrow, it may be too long. Can't tell without seeing it over your shoulder.

 

Here's my original master pattern pictures, with the armor pieces in the positions most commonly found in the movie:

 

old1.jpgold2.jpgold3.jpg

 

The updated photographs:

 

new1.jpgnew2.jpgnew3.jpg

 

I was originally using the Chronicles as my base for all my referrences. Madphisto re-directed me to the MoM pictures in the gallery. From what I can gather now, it looks like I need to be at least another inch or two lower toward the elbow, and expand the sides toward my torso by about another 1/2 inch to a full inch. I should draw a line where the chest armor should rest.

 

Lady Ghost, What ever help you can give me, I'd greatly appreciated it! I would rather get it right the first time. If you would like large stand alone picture of teh shoulder piece with a grid on the back, I will post it here.

 

These will not be a vacuformed piece. All parts I am creating will eventually be resin castings.

 

thanks!

-fk

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Can you enlighten me - What chronicles and ehat is different there regarding the scout?

 

One thing you have to keep in mind is that especially the scout costume is cool looking because the whole pieces in black and white are extremely well composed. It is a hard part to create one piece without seeing it in the context. I compiled a selction of screenshots to help you a bit but seriouyl without a torso and helmet to balance out the proportions it is a hard task.

 

bell6.jpg

bell5.jpg

bell4.jpg

bell3.jpg

bell2.jpg

bell1.jpg

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