Star Wars The Force Unleashed II - General Rahm Kota WIP

Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

I love seeing your progress pics. Nice work! I hope to someday use mold processes like this for projects, so thank you for sharing. What events will you be wearing this to? Since we're in the same general area and I've seen you at Baltimore Comicon in your first version, I hope to see this one in person as well.
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Bizarro Lois said:
I love seeing your progress pics. Nice work! I hope to someday use mold processes like this for projects, so thank you for sharing. What events will you be wearing this to? Since we're in the same general area and I've seen you at Baltimore Comicon in your first version, I hope to see this one in person as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks Biz. I will try to hit BCC 2013 with the new armor. Right now I'm set for CVI and D*Con next year, but want to hit NYCC and a bunch of other con's before I cut off all the Kota hair. :p
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Personal reflection: Kota TFU 2 Do

  • Sand/shape left-bell & add corner
  • Fill/sand/prime shoulder bells
  • Lay fiberglass in left handguard mold
  • Make block mold for right handguard model
  • Pour production right handguard
  • Shape/sand/backfill/edge left handguard model
  • Make block mold for left handguard model
  • Pour production left handguard
  • Blueprint machined parts
  • Blueprint leather parts
  • Make loin pad
  • Make hip pad
  • Build sculpting stand for arm
  • Sculpt wrist clip
  • Mold wrist clip
  • Fiberglass wrist clip
  • Shape/sand wrist clip model
  • Make block mold for wrist clip
  • Pour two production wrist clips
  • Make sintra elbow guard model
  • Make shell mold of elbow guard model
  • Pour two prodction elbow guards
  • Sculpt left gauntlet front
  • Sculpt left gauntlet rear
  • Make left gauntlet molds
  • Fiberglass left gauntlet front
  • Fiberglass left gauntlet rear
  • Shape/sand left gauntlet front model
  • Shape/sand left gauntlet rear model
  • Make shell molds for left gauntlet halves
  • Pour production left gauntlet halves
  • Repeat previous nine steps for right gauntlet
  • Make sintra left forearm plate model
  • Make shell mold for left forearm plate
  • Pour production left forearm plate
  • Repeat previous three steps for right forearm plate
  • Make mandrel for belly plate
  • Cut/bend sintra belly plate
  • Lifecast torso
  • Sculpt backplate
  • Mold backplate
  • Fiberglass backplate
  • Shape/sand backplate
  • Sculpt breastplate (BP)
  • Mold BP
  • Fiberglass BP
  • Shape/sand BP
  • Fit backplate/BP to armature
  • Sculpt jetpack bracket
  • Mold jetpack bracket
  • Fiberglass jetpack bracket
  • Shape/sand jetpack bracket
  • Build bandoleer ribbed straps
  • Make metal strap for bando
  • Assemble bandoleer
  • Make shirt and pants
  • Make kama
  • Locate hip straps on pants
  • Assemble main belt with custom hardware
  • Make clips for saber holster frame
  • Sculpt contour mandrel for saber holster
  • Mold holster mandrel
  • Cast holster mandrel
  • Lay fiberglass over holster mandrel
  • Shape/sand saber holster
  • Paint and lace-up saber holster
  • Paint armor
  • Weather armor
  • Build armor mountings/closures
  • Paint glove fingers and belt front
  • Weather boots

80 items. 46 weeks.

:eek
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

You're resetting the bar again on this costume. AWESOME work Bill! Can't wait to see this completed.
I wish I could see it in person, but no plans to go to CVI.
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

AMP said:
You're resetting the bar again on this costume. AWESOME work Bill! Can't wait to see this completed.
I wish I could see it in person, but no plans to go to CVI.
Click to expand...
Thanks Tony. Coming from you that's greatly appreciated!
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Didn't get much building done this weekend, since my body is hosting the mother of all respiratory viruses, but I did get some blueprints made. Still have the bandoleer blocks and the saber frame to go. These will be sent to my machinist in Fresno for fabrication.

TFU2_Cylinder.jpg


TFU2_TopPlate.jpg


TFU2_CenterBox.jpg


TFU2_EndClip.jpg


TFU2_SideClip.jpg


~ Vonnor
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Sometimes the challenge...

kota_hardware_01.png


...is finding the perfect hardware. :D

Strapworks and CDWplus FTW.

~ Vonnor

p.s. hat-tip if you know where these thingies go.






p.p.s. super-hat-tip if you can tell what's wrong with the photo layout :p
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

I didn't get much done this week, due to the weather, but I did get the rear corner cut and edge trim build-up on the left shoulder bell and got both bells filled, smoothed, and primed. I had a ton of air bubbles in the right casting and hardly any in the left. Those are all filled and smooth. There are still some slight bumps and dips in the curved surfaces, but not readily noticeable.

Both are bright TK-white now and ready for the metallic. :cool

kota_bell72.png

kota_bell74.png

kota_bell73.png


~ Vonnor
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Weekend Update:

I got the shoulder bells covered in thick metallic silver and the left handguard hard model fiberglassed. For some reason no matter what I did with the lighting and camera, the pix all came out underexposed. I'm guessing all the shinyness confused the camera's brain. The silver is just stock metallic silver, very light in color tone. It's only the base coat for the weathering. Next is to hit it with one very light coat of a darker metallic for sand-weathering, paint the bird (dreading that - freehand masking yuk), then dry-brush in the crevasses and scrape the screen-accurate scuff pattern down to the white.

I used a slow mix on the resin/bondo catalyst today, and broke out the right handguard hard model before it had completely set up. This is because the hand lifecast I did had my thumb out unnaturally far, and I wanted to put some pressure on the hard model to kind of pull it bit tighter to the hand while it solidified. Note the strap in the photo.

More to come.

kota_bell79.png

kota_bell78.png

kota_bell77.png

kota_handguard57.png


~ Vonnor
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Today I finished putting the raised edging on the right handguard model and started on the production mold. I sprayed shiny clear stuff all over it then superglued a heavy paper flange on the back. This was to help delineate the halves of the rubber block mold. I hot-glued a sintra box and put the model in the box, then carefully filled up all the back side with clay. I had to put in a breathing tube for the thumb-side undercut and one near the pour hole. I also pressed in some registry keys although they probably weren't needed due to the funky shape of the mold. After I had a good seal all around I poured in some OOMOO 25 tin-cure silicone rubber and let it set up. I probably would use a platinum-cure like MoldStar 30 next time. It is a lot stronger and stretchier. I was looking at my money when I ordered it.

FYI, the OOMOO 25 spec sheet says 15min pot-life. Um, yeah, it'll POUR after 7min... but it won't self-level. Luckily I didn't mix quite enough the 1st pour so I hurried on the top-off mix and it came out nice.

I'll pour the other half tomorrow.

kota_handguard59.png

kota_handguard61.png

kota_handguard62.png

kota_handguard63.png

kota_handguard64.png


~ Vonnor
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Here is the finished right handguard block mold. The full block silicone mold should work very well, but I will look for another way to make the left handguard production mold, as what you see here is about $35 worth of rubber. It was good experience and practice though. I wanted to see if I could navigate the complex curves and undercuts of the piece. Thankfully none of the other armor elements have undercuts and the prod molds can be just rubber-lined plaster clamshells (much cheaper).

More to come.

kota_handguard65.png

kota_handguard66.png


~ Vonnor
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

I did a test pull of the right handguard today. I used Smooth-On Smooth-Cast® 45D semi-rigid urethane resin. One thing I learned was you can NOT pour into an unsupported rubber block mold. I should have built a box around the block to help hold the two halves in place. As a result, the resin started oozing out of the cracks and I had to stand there and hold in the sides a bit for 15 min until it kinda set up. You can see the major flashing on the piece where the resin seeped out.

I say test pour since there may have been some distortion from the loose mold, plus I got an air bubble in one of the thumb-side notches.

Also, I had a little 1/4"" thick disk left over from the bottom of the pouring cup. I wanted to show how flexible the cured resin is. This should work well for the handguards. :D They say you can finish-sand the material. I'll give it a try when it's fully cured.

Later.

kota_handguard67.png

kota_handguard69.png

kota_handguard70.png


~ Vonnor
 
Re: Rahm Kota TFU2 - WIP

Thanks WT. So far it's just the base colour on the shoulders. The photos do not show the light silver metallic accurately. Still need the bird and the weathering.

~ Vonnor
 
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