A Stylized MAG - A Scratch Build - Almost Complete

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

cavx, im sure you can easily make a scratch pair. i dont think its impossible. If I (someone with no talent whatsoever) can attempt it, i think anyone can. The actual mag design is not that complex compared to other shoes apart from the heel cup and ankle strap holder shapes.

Don't forget the soles :lol

For some reason, I feel compelled to build these from the ground up.

ive found that by opening up these kmags, you can see how a normal shoe is put together.
There is usually a thin thermoplastic piece for the toe area, and some similar plastic/cardish type materials placed at certain points around the shoe to give it stiffness.

These sound as if they have a standard construction. The tricky part with doing a MAG properly is that you make a shell that is double layered and stitched so that the stitching is hidden, then you make an inner lining with the the stitching also hidden on the inside. Each time you turn a part inside out, it gets a touch smaller, so you need to plan ahead for the extra size without over doing it.

On the kmag, there is only one for the toe area and one for the back heel area.

I looked at my normal sports sneakers and running shoes, and these seem to have several areas at the sides. On my running shoes, the actual fabric materials are breathable and see through and very soft. They seem to be nylon/tricot fabrics.

With some foam and fabric on top, im guessing we should be able to make a decent wearable shoe ontop of the kmag sole.

I'm still searching for some other materials which could be used for lining. Or i may just go with some soft cotton to be more movie accurate (with the soft tongue thats in the movie compared to the stiff leather tongue in the 2011 released shoe)

Ultimately I want a leather pair, but given fabric is cheap, I will have to make a cloth pair to practice on. I will have to learn how to use that over-locker I have sitting in the garage.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

OK pulled the trigger today and bought some fabric.

This is light weight canvas (the recipt says "plain canvas stone") and is the closest thing I could find at Spotlight (The Australian version of Joannes?).

The vinyl is more of a leatherette than the last stuff I bought when I played with ankle straps on page 1.

Now I need that card stock and to work out how to use that over-locker. I might have to ring the mother-in-law for that one :love

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

Did more Vac Forming today and here is a Heel Cup. It is made from 3mm grey PCV and after the pull still has a wall thickness of over 1mm.

There is still some trimming to do but over all this part has worked out well and it beside the re-worked Ankle Buckle just for a sense of scale.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

More Vac Forms today.

My first pair of Heel Cups in grey PVC

the older style Ankle Buckle in white PVC

and some new revised Ankle Buckles in white ABS [centre]

A close up of the Heel Cups. The goal is to coat these with a stippled finish and glue laser cut letters to the surface. Because the letter will be cut out, I will even see if I can source the right aqua for the MAG. The NIKE is simply white, so no issue there.

I must say, I don't really like ABS and as you can see, some mixed results. And after all this, I still don't have a true matching pair. I should have just stuck to PVC.

The one on the left is PVC and was the original pull from this new shaped buck. It was 2mm and after the pull became less than 1mm, so all the latest stuff is all made from 3mm [PVC and ABS].

From a slightly different angle.​

 

[punisher]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

How do the heel cups look on the shoes?

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

How do the heel cups look on the shoes?

Too wide for my MAGs :facepalm They fit my Jordan 8 retros really well :lol and look good on them too. I reshaped the buck but lost the side profile so today I began making a new smaller buck out of plaster.

I also did these today.

These look good on the shoes even if they are not screen accurate. They are made from ABS with the hair cell side exposed. I'll make another set with the smooth side out. I wish I had just bought white PVC instead of ABS now because I think it Vac Forms better on my rig.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

Today's efforts Again 3mm white ABS with hair cell exposed.

These hugged the buck way better and as a result have more meat around the top and base.

Compared to yesterdays parts.

An end shot showing the profiles. Left is looking at the base and right is looking at the top.

Check this out. Because I am using 3mm material, you get a much nicer feeling part compared to the thinner <2mm material I was using. The part on the left is made from the same Buck, but look how thin the wall is after the pull. The part on the right is solid at still about 2mm after the pull.

Originally I was going to slush cast a polyester resin inside the thinner parts, but decided against that due to tears in thinner material whist doing the Vac Form and additional cost and time to do the slush cast.

I am using 3mm for the heel cups as well and I still got tears yesterday.

 

[punisher]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

I like your buckles! They are so close to being Nike accurate! Just need to add a little to the sides and compare them to a sideview and you will be finished in no time.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

I like your buckles! They are so close to being Nike accurate! Just need to add a little to the sides and compare them to a sideview and you will be finished in no time.

Thanks Punisher.

I could pad up the buck using Bondo or similar. The reason I have not is that when I first planned on doing this, I wanted a cast part because I wanted a nice thick solid par. If you go back to my original designs, I even had space for a battery. However as I progressed to actually make my master, the size needed for a battery became an issue and had to be cut down.

Casting is almost a science and rather than risk more loss like the clear sole episode, I decided to look for other ways to replicate the part with a higher success rate - hence Vac Forming.

The problem I had with the first Ankle Buckles I made with Vac Forming was the wall thickness. The first ones I did were made from 2mm HIPS and 2mm PVC. Whilst the PVC gave a result way better than HIPS, the wall thickness was paper thin after the pull. I considered slush casting resin inside this to thicken up the wall.

I have since moved to a thicker material which is now 3mm ABS. So decision had to be made. I either keep the detail with a thin wall, or I sacrifice some detail for a thicker wall. Given this part is required to be physically strong, I elected to go with the stronger, slightly less detailed version.

In the end of the day, they look way better than the supplied buckles on the K-MAG and are heaps stronger than the foam ones on the MP MAG. The decision to expose the "hair cell" was one of obtaining the best cosmetic finish. I have made a few pairs with the gloss side out, but 3mm is tricky to work without getting bumps from too much heat.

I'll post images of a pair on the MP shoes soon.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

And here is MP MAGs with an Ankle Buckle upgrade :love

An A/B of the new Vs the original.

Because theses extend around the ankle more than the standard foam buckle, I will have shorten the next pair of straps I make.

I have opened a thread in the Junk Yard for my spare Ankle Buckles.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

Today I heat formed the laser cut NIKE and MAG letters and glued them onto a Vac Formed Heel Cup. The letters might have distorted due to the heating and I think they moved a bit when I glued them down.

The letters were glues to the PVC Heel Cup using the PVC solvent so hopefully they won't ever move.

They don't quite appear straight here in this photo, yet holding the part, they certainly appear good. So hopefully just an optical illusion. The goal here is to suspend this in a pot and fill it with Plaster of Paris (with a heap of plasticine to fill in the void in the back of the Heel Cup) and take a negative imprint of the outer shape. I am hoping that because this part flexes, it will release when it is time to extract it and leave the detail of the letters intact.

From there I will attempt to Vac Form the new hollow shape which I am hoping will preserve more detail than my previous attempt at Vac Forming over the top of the buck. The cavity in the mold will be small and I have a hand Vacuum Pump that can pull a full 27.5HG!

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

Demolded the Heel Cup late this afternoon and maybe the plaster was still too green, but the A and most of the work NIKE broke away. The M and G of MAG look good though

I guess the best way to do this is to Vac Form the Hell Cup and then glue the heat formed laser cut letters on to the surface. Because acrylic comes in various colours, I will get some more done with the NIKE in white and the MAG is a colour as close to the teal or aqua that part should be.

I am thinking about taking a heat gun to the K-MAGs and once I have enough parts, I will buy a can of that polyester and add the stippled effect.

 

[AlexBC]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

Demolded the Heel Cup late this afternoon and maybe the plaster was still too green, but the A and most of the work NIKE broke away. The M and G of MAG look good though

I guess the best way to do this is to Vac Form the Hell Cup and then glue the heat formed laser cut letters on to the surface. Because acrylic comes in various colours, I will get some more done with the NIKE in white and the MAG is a colour as close to the teal or aqua that part should be.

I am thinking about taking a heat gun to the K-MAGs and once I have enough parts, I will buy a can of that polyester and add the stippled effect.

So, are you intending to completely replace the soles with another material?

Actually, looking at some hi-def photos of the Nike Mag soles, it seems the side that lights up is actually a separate piece to the rest of the sole.

Hell, if that's the case, I can now do the sole much more easily and maybe even have the splay that the genuine soles have.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

So, are you intending to completely replace the soles with another material?

I am going to have a go at making a new sole.

Actually, looking at some hi-def photos of the Nike Mag soles, it seems the side that lights up is actually a separate piece to the rest of the sole.

Hell, if that's the case, I can now do the sole much more easily and maybe even have the splay that the genuine soles have.

I think you'll find it is one piece, but there is a second rebate inside where the EL sits. My intention is to make the clear parts splay out. I was aiming for that effect with the floor mat and Shoe Goo, but the Goo slumped before it set properly and I ended up with a lump at the base.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

I've done a smaller version of the Heel Cup, but not sure if I can trim this to the right shape. It fits my foot better and so at least I know I have the width issue sorted.

An earlier version is sitting beside it and whilst it may not appear much smaller, I would say it roughly 80% of the size of the original.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

OK did something a bit radical (for me anyway) tonight.

This was done with a hot air gun and it is actually a little scary how easy they came off.

Also began reshaping my original Heel Cup to make it smaller.

 

[AlexBC]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

OK did something a bit radical (for me anyway) tonight.

This was done with a hot air gun and it is actually a little scary how easy they came off.

Also began reshaping my original Heel Cup to make it smaller.

It's worth the scare. I don't know about you but I had a sudden craving for syrupy waffles when I de-soled mine:lol

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

It's worth the scare. I don't know about you but I had a sudden craving for syrupy waffles when I de-soled mine:lol

Nothing like that for me, but I do want to cut off the uppers now :lol

 

[airair]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

cutting the uppers off the kmag was a real mission. anyone have any tips for doing it easier?

its glued to high hell on the kmags.

 

[cavx]

Re: A Stylized MAG Build

I am actually thinking about simply cutting them out but leave a small section on the toe for toe correction and then build that using Shoe Goo.