Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Looks good, cleaver idea using the drink tub thing.
Looks good, cleaver idea using the drink tub thing.
Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Models, W.I.P. photos, and Con Results!
- Thread starter Ein
- Start date
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
I have an assortment of Createx Faskolor paints in my workshop from my tabletop wargaming days, so I mixed up a sickly looking blend of yellow, orange, red, and a touch of black to get a nicely thinned-out yellow for lining the armor. We airbrushed this onto the exterior of the armor as a quick yellow pass, followed by a closer-up spray for a more opaque line.
Pretty happy with how it looks at the moment. I wanted to seal the paint somehow, so I bought a variety of clear coats to try on the exterior of the armor. I actually like a number of these finishes, but I have one concern: scratchability. I know that I will be wearing this thing at conventions, and inevitably people bump into you and your costume gets significantly manhandled. Since the costume is clear, any damage is going to show pretty significantly. For example:
This is one of my test pieces of plastic with a matte enamel finish sprayed overtop. The lines you can see on the nearest bulge were me simply dragging a fingernail across. Not quite as hard-wearing as I had hoped. :\
Maybe I'm just being silly worrying about scratches on this thing - it is a piece that exists in a wasteland, after all - but the perfectionist in me is a bit dissatisfied and will be looking for a solution that protects the paint we've laid down on the armor without taking scratches so easily.
While I wait for my sample pieces to dry, I figured I'd give edging the armor a test. I need to figure the moleskin tape out a bit more, but I like what I've got so far:
This is vinyl weatherstripping like this stuff with the edging cut off and sliced lengthwise to create a seam that I can spread over the edge of the armor. I'm going to glue these onto the edges of each piece of armor, then wrap that in moleskin tape. I'm hoping this will make the armor a bit more wearable, as sharp plastic edges could be really uncomfortable over a long period of time!
I have an assortment of Createx Faskolor paints in my workshop from my tabletop wargaming days, so I mixed up a sickly looking blend of yellow, orange, red, and a touch of black to get a nicely thinned-out yellow for lining the armor. We airbrushed this onto the exterior of the armor as a quick yellow pass, followed by a closer-up spray for a more opaque line.
Pretty happy with how it looks at the moment. I wanted to seal the paint somehow, so I bought a variety of clear coats to try on the exterior of the armor. I actually like a number of these finishes, but I have one concern: scratchability. I know that I will be wearing this thing at conventions, and inevitably people bump into you and your costume gets significantly manhandled. Since the costume is clear, any damage is going to show pretty significantly. For example:
This is one of my test pieces of plastic with a matte enamel finish sprayed overtop. The lines you can see on the nearest bulge were me simply dragging a fingernail across. Not quite as hard-wearing as I had hoped. :\
Maybe I'm just being silly worrying about scratches on this thing - it is a piece that exists in a wasteland, after all - but the perfectionist in me is a bit dissatisfied and will be looking for a solution that protects the paint we've laid down on the armor without taking scratches so easily.
While I wait for my sample pieces to dry, I figured I'd give edging the armor a test. I need to figure the moleskin tape out a bit more, but I like what I've got so far:
This is vinyl weatherstripping like this stuff with the edging cut off and sliced lengthwise to create a seam that I can spread over the edge of the armor. I'm going to glue these onto the edges of each piece of armor, then wrap that in moleskin tape. I'm hoping this will make the armor a bit more wearable, as sharp plastic edges could be really uncomfortable over a long period of time!
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Would have been a smart idea, to be sure. It just seemed easier to paint the exterior due to the curvature, so I didn't really think it through. I sanded the inside to opaque the armor pieces up to the extent that they are now, and putting paint over that didn't seem to make sense to me, although it definitely would have worked to protect it.
I guess I could always strip the armor down with mineral spirits or something and paint the inside, but I like the way it looks now. Fuss, fuss, fuss! :angry
Would have been a smart idea, to be sure. It just seemed easier to paint the exterior due to the curvature, so I didn't really think it through. I sanded the inside to opaque the armor pieces up to the extent that they are now, and putting paint over that didn't seem to make sense to me, although it definitely would have worked to protect it.
I guess I could always strip the armor down with mineral spirits or something and paint the inside, but I like the way it looks now. Fuss, fuss, fuss! :angry
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
I got a thing in the mail this morniiiing~
Arda Wigs' Tauriel Classic in Titanium Blonde.
I need to trim the lace front a lot to make it sit further down on my head - it's just resting at the moment - and it could use a haircut to get it more to mid-shoulder length. Still, totally worth it!
I got a thing in the mail this morniiiing~
Arda Wigs' Tauriel Classic in Titanium Blonde.
I need to trim the lace front a lot to make it sit further down on my head - it's just resting at the moment - and it could use a haircut to get it more to mid-shoulder length. Still, totally worth it!
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
So until yesterday, I didn't really know how to sew. I had a sewing machine, but it was an arcane mystery to me. Girlfriend and I paid for some classes at the local JoAnns, since they do private lessons now, and we fixed that right quick. This morning I sat down with a nice canvas-denim-esque heavy fabric and made myself a pair of suitable joe-esque pants.
Borrowed Logan's reference image to get an idea of what I was working with:
I sewed a loop of elastic into the waistband to help keep them up and they're surprisingly comfortable. I need to stain/muddy/grease them up some, but that shouldn't be too hard. I know the knee patches are not exactly screen-accurate (and neither is the stitching) but they are almost entirely covered by the front leather shin piece anyway, so I'm not too concerned about it. They're just there as a bit of extra visual detail.
So until yesterday, I didn't really know how to sew. I had a sewing machine, but it was an arcane mystery to me. Girlfriend and I paid for some classes at the local JoAnns, since they do private lessons now, and we fixed that right quick. This morning I sat down with a nice canvas-denim-esque heavy fabric and made myself a pair of suitable joe-esque pants.
Borrowed Logan's reference image to get an idea of what I was working with:
I sewed a loop of elastic into the waistband to help keep them up and they're surprisingly comfortable. I need to stain/muddy/grease them up some, but that shouldn't be too hard. I know the knee patches are not exactly screen-accurate (and neither is the stitching) but they are almost entirely covered by the front leather shin piece anyway, so I'm not too concerned about it. They're just there as a bit of extra visual detail.
dementorRain
Active Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Holy crap nice work! Love the attention to details!
Holy crap nice work! Love the attention to details!
Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Really beautiful work! Just a warning. Give a lot of thought to how the wig and the mask straps are going to relate to each other. I am in the process of reworking mine with a new Arda wig identical, I think, to yours, because I ruined my first one by wearing it once at DragonCon 2015. My new plan is to put the wig on a block and then carefully sew the straps to the wig foundation after pulling the hair between the straps. You want the straps to sit as close to your head as possible and not trap a bunch of hair underneath. I will then put the wig and the straps on together each time. Otherwise, you have to pull the hair through the straps each time you put it on (or off) and that takes so much time, it makes getting dressed and undressed way too lengthy. It also means you need a very patient dresser to help you each time. I never dreamed how long it would take and missed the photoshoot last year. With the new system, I should be able to dress myself.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Really beautiful work! Just a warning. Give a lot of thought to how the wig and the mask straps are going to relate to each other. I am in the process of reworking mine with a new Arda wig identical, I think, to yours, because I ruined my first one by wearing it once at DragonCon 2015. My new plan is to put the wig on a block and then carefully sew the straps to the wig foundation after pulling the hair between the straps. You want the straps to sit as close to your head as possible and not trap a bunch of hair underneath. I will then put the wig and the straps on together each time. Otherwise, you have to pull the hair through the straps each time you put it on (or off) and that takes so much time, it makes getting dressed and undressed way too lengthy. It also means you need a very patient dresser to help you each time. I never dreamed how long it would take and missed the photoshoot last year. With the new system, I should be able to dress myself.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Bit of painting getting done. I masked off all the soon-to-be-metallic bits that I was concerned about so that I can lay down a matte lacquer overtop the acrylic paints I've got on there so far. Want to make sure this is a reasonably durable finish when everything's said and done.
Bit of painting getting done. I masked off all the soon-to-be-metallic bits that I was concerned about so that I can lay down a matte lacquer overtop the acrylic paints I've got on there so far. Want to make sure this is a reasonably durable finish when everything's said and done.
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
The matte clearcoat went down over the non-metallic bits of the mask without too much fuss and I'm confident the bone bits will be durable enough for convention wear. The hard part that followed that was the chroming/metallics, which required the reverse of the mask I just showed you!
Man, I did not have fun doing that. The yellow tape is 'delicate' frog tape that is specifically designed to be low-tack so it doesn't have as much a chance to pull paint. Great, but also means that it peels up after about five minutes, so I had to continually press it back down into the edges with a popsicle stick.
Let me pause here and talk about the mask(s) they used in the movie. A close study has revealed pretty clearly that there are a lot of different finishes on this metallic section in the film. In some scenes and promo stills, it looks very chrome:
In others (and especially the 'behind-the-scenes' featurette on the costume, well after the movie was finished), it's fairly dull and weathered.
I decided to try for a 'chrome'-esque finish on this part, on the rationale that I could knock the paint back to dull with a matte lacquer or something overtop if I needed to. Mostly just wanted to see how shiny I could get things!
I saw a technique online that I decided to borrow. First, I laid down a layer of glossy black as an undercoat and let that dry for about an hour. Then, I hit it with my glossy acrylic clearcoat spray. The clearcoat actually attacks the black just a slight bit, but that's ideal for this kind of thing because it produces a bit of a hammered texture. I let the clearcoat sit about 20 minutes, and while that was still a little 'soft', I started misting light layers of Spaz Stix mirror chrome from my airbrush. I did 2 light passes and then a heavier one at the end to really lay the material down. The idea behind this, ideally, is that the still-ever-so-slightly-soft clear coat will have the mirror chrome bite into it, which should make a slightly harder wearing finish? Maybe?
I think it worked okay.
This was after a bit of polishing with a soft t-shirt. We weathered it down a bit and repainted over any areas where there were overspray. Now, I'm sitting here wondering if the finish I have on the thing is too shiny and too chrome, if such a thing is possible!
Here's a bunch of different lighting conditions:
So, end question: Should I leave it as-is, or weather it more? A matte spray (or any varnish, really) will knock the shine down considerably but I'm not sure if that's going to be a better look than where it's at right now.
The matte clearcoat went down over the non-metallic bits of the mask without too much fuss and I'm confident the bone bits will be durable enough for convention wear. The hard part that followed that was the chroming/metallics, which required the reverse of the mask I just showed you!
Man, I did not have fun doing that. The yellow tape is 'delicate' frog tape that is specifically designed to be low-tack so it doesn't have as much a chance to pull paint. Great, but also means that it peels up after about five minutes, so I had to continually press it back down into the edges with a popsicle stick.
Let me pause here and talk about the mask(s) they used in the movie. A close study has revealed pretty clearly that there are a lot of different finishes on this metallic section in the film. In some scenes and promo stills, it looks very chrome:
In others (and especially the 'behind-the-scenes' featurette on the costume, well after the movie was finished), it's fairly dull and weathered.
I decided to try for a 'chrome'-esque finish on this part, on the rationale that I could knock the paint back to dull with a matte lacquer or something overtop if I needed to. Mostly just wanted to see how shiny I could get things!
I saw a technique online that I decided to borrow. First, I laid down a layer of glossy black as an undercoat and let that dry for about an hour. Then, I hit it with my glossy acrylic clearcoat spray. The clearcoat actually attacks the black just a slight bit, but that's ideal for this kind of thing because it produces a bit of a hammered texture. I let the clearcoat sit about 20 minutes, and while that was still a little 'soft', I started misting light layers of Spaz Stix mirror chrome from my airbrush. I did 2 light passes and then a heavier one at the end to really lay the material down. The idea behind this, ideally, is that the still-ever-so-slightly-soft clear coat will have the mirror chrome bite into it, which should make a slightly harder wearing finish? Maybe?
I think it worked okay.
This was after a bit of polishing with a soft t-shirt. We weathered it down a bit and repainted over any areas where there were overspray. Now, I'm sitting here wondering if the finish I have on the thing is too shiny and too chrome, if such a thing is possible!
Here's a bunch of different lighting conditions:
So, end question: Should I leave it as-is, or weather it more? A matte spray (or any varnish, really) will knock the shine down considerably but I'm not sure if that's going to be a better look than where it's at right now.
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Alright, I've gotten a fair bit done in the last few days, but I'm going to chunk it up into a few posts for my own sake. Let's start with one of the guns! My post from earlier in the thread:
This gun was a cheap and mostly accurate option, but two things about it nagged me to no end. The first is the size of the handle - it's not a childrens' toy, but the grips were just a bit too small for my slightly large adult male hands. My pinky basically didn't fit on the handle when I held the thing. The second problem also had to do with the grip, in that the film version has an ivory or pearl white handle, rather than brown. To be honest, if I were a smarter guy, I would have spent more money on an accurate gun so that I didn't just buy problems I had to fix, but... oh well!
The obvious answer is to break the gun and rebuild it!
The type of plastic used on the handles was not going to take paint well, I could tell from handling it. Instead, I used a sharp knife to cut the grips off the gun and then glued them to a piece of plastic I carved to hold them at the right distance to slide on and off the metal frame of the handle. Then, using some Apoxie Sculpt, I built up the bottom end of the handle to a more meaningful size.
This was sanded smooth, and then I poured a quick one-part mold around it because I was lazy and figured that'd work. I mixed a bit of Smooth-On's "Cast Magic Silver Bullet" powder into a white resin to get a bit of a pearlescent effect. It did take a bit of muscle and cutting the sides of the mold, but eventually I was able to get a few good copies out of it!
A little bit of polishing and a clear coat later, and we've got a new gun handle that feels a lot better in my hands.
Alright, I've gotten a fair bit done in the last few days, but I'm going to chunk it up into a few posts for my own sake. Let's start with one of the guns! My post from earlier in the thread:
The Peacemaker is a bit trickier. There's a bunch of crappy options, and there's no lack of overly-ornately-engraved plastic capgun versions of similar design. I ultimately went with a 'Cowboy Style 12 Shot Cap Revolver - Chrome' from collectorsarmoury. Generally, you might want to look for a "Gonher" brand Colt, which is what I think this is - they're on Amazon.co.uk, but not so much on the US side of the pond. I haven't received my order yet, but it's die-cast metal and I assume it looks enough of the part that it'd work. Be careful you don't get the wrong one - they have a version that's all filigreed up which is cool, but not accurate.
The handles on both guns, near as I can tell, should be black, so I may paint the peacemaker when it gets here.
This gun was a cheap and mostly accurate option, but two things about it nagged me to no end. The first is the size of the handle - it's not a childrens' toy, but the grips were just a bit too small for my slightly large adult male hands. My pinky basically didn't fit on the handle when I held the thing. The second problem also had to do with the grip, in that the film version has an ivory or pearl white handle, rather than brown. To be honest, if I were a smarter guy, I would have spent more money on an accurate gun so that I didn't just buy problems I had to fix, but... oh well!
The obvious answer is to break the gun and rebuild it!
The type of plastic used on the handles was not going to take paint well, I could tell from handling it. Instead, I used a sharp knife to cut the grips off the gun and then glued them to a piece of plastic I carved to hold them at the right distance to slide on and off the metal frame of the handle. Then, using some Apoxie Sculpt, I built up the bottom end of the handle to a more meaningful size.
This was sanded smooth, and then I poured a quick one-part mold around it because I was lazy and figured that'd work. I mixed a bit of Smooth-On's "Cast Magic Silver Bullet" powder into a white resin to get a bit of a pearlescent effect. It did take a bit of muscle and cutting the sides of the mold, but eventually I was able to get a few good copies out of it!
A little bit of polishing and a clear coat later, and we've got a new gun handle that feels a lot better in my hands.
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
I've been messing around with the trim on the armor and I think I've got a reasonable system down at this point. I mentioned in a previous post I used a bit of vinyl weatherstripping to cover the outside edges - this functions nicely as a bit of extra padding. I wrapped the whole pad edge in Moleskin tape, but I found it quite hard to actually get a uniform edge due to the nature of trying to bend straight tape around curved surfaces.
I gave it a bit of thought and decided to model up something I thought was reasonably clever - an Xacto knife jig.
The idea is that it holds the blade at a fixed distance from the edge (13.5mm) and you can just run the blade around the outside of the pad to get an even trim all the way around. Turns out that it actually works pretty well!
3d printing for practical purposes. Who knew?
Despite my best efforts, it has become apparent to me that I am not as huge a guy as Hugh Keays-Byrne. The bottlecaps should not be overlapping the trim like that, but I have the right number of them there. I refuse to cut them down by a row and column just to make them fit, so what I'm likely to do is to unhook all of the caps, grab a pair of tin snips, and trim around the edges of every bottle cap to make them uniformly a bit smaller, then redrill some holes and attach it all together again. I'm hoping that'll make them fit the pad properly enough that it won't look silly!
I've been messing around with the trim on the armor and I think I've got a reasonable system down at this point. I mentioned in a previous post I used a bit of vinyl weatherstripping to cover the outside edges - this functions nicely as a bit of extra padding. I wrapped the whole pad edge in Moleskin tape, but I found it quite hard to actually get a uniform edge due to the nature of trying to bend straight tape around curved surfaces.
I gave it a bit of thought and decided to model up something I thought was reasonably clever - an Xacto knife jig.
The idea is that it holds the blade at a fixed distance from the edge (13.5mm) and you can just run the blade around the outside of the pad to get an even trim all the way around. Turns out that it actually works pretty well!
3d printing for practical purposes. Who knew?
Despite my best efforts, it has become apparent to me that I am not as huge a guy as Hugh Keays-Byrne. The bottlecaps should not be overlapping the trim like that, but I have the right number of them there. I refuse to cut them down by a row and column just to make them fit, so what I'm likely to do is to unhook all of the caps, grab a pair of tin snips, and trim around the edges of every bottle cap to make them uniformly a bit smaller, then redrill some holes and attach it all together again. I'm hoping that'll make them fit the pad properly enough that it won't look silly!
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
And then there's the mask. Got the plugs for the gas mask hoses painted up and attached, bent a bit of thick-gauge copper wiring up and into the jaw, and I completely revamped the jaw hinge system to be a bit more stable and stronger for when the mouth moves up and down, since it had too much flex in it beforehand. Leather straps were sewed in line with what I could make out from the behind-the-scenes imagery, and it's all held together with heavy-duty brass snaps, which should let me actually pop the mask on and off pretty easily. I considered doing a bit of elastic behind the head to make a snug fit, but it didn't seem worth the trouble at this point.
Some glamor shots:
Some pictures of the ugly behind-the-scenes interior on the mask so you can see the mechanism:
Aaaand some pictures of me being an idiot:
And then there's the mask. Got the plugs for the gas mask hoses painted up and attached, bent a bit of thick-gauge copper wiring up and into the jaw, and I completely revamped the jaw hinge system to be a bit more stable and stronger for when the mouth moves up and down, since it had too much flex in it beforehand. Leather straps were sewed in line with what I could make out from the behind-the-scenes imagery, and it's all held together with heavy-duty brass snaps, which should let me actually pop the mask on and off pretty easily. I considered doing a bit of elastic behind the head to make a snug fit, but it didn't seem worth the trouble at this point.
Some glamor shots:
Some pictures of the ugly behind-the-scenes interior on the mask so you can see the mechanism:
Aaaand some pictures of me being an idiot:
towelkeeper
Well-Known Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
Wow, good work on that paintjob! Looks fabulous.
Wow, good work on that paintjob! Looks fabulous.
Ein
Sr Member
Re: Immortan Joe Progress Log - 3d Modelling and various other bits.
A good idea, Logan - and mostly what I did. I used this handy little nibbling tool that I've had for a few years and trimmed about a sixteenth of an inch off the edges of each bottlecap. Then, I decided to make my life easy again by manufacturing a quick little guide to help me drill the holes at a fixed distance and orientation:
Works like a charm!
With the bottle caps slightly trimmed down and ringed together a bit tighter, the whole thing fits properly on my pad now.
I'll figure out how I want to attach them tomorrow. It looks like the reference images I have show that some of the caps are actually riveted to the shoulder pad:
Since the shoulder pad itself is made of that acrylic plastic from the beverage jug, I'll have to test it to make sure it'll stand up to riveting without just cracking or shattering in the process. Would be a shame to ruin all that work!
Lastly, I'm playing with a bit of an idea...
I figured I could make use of the gas mask hose, the space in the air bladder, and the fact that my mask has openings for the hoses to rig up a rudimentary air conditioning system. I know from previous years at NYCC that the temperatures can be sweltering, and I'm basically going to be wearing a human blister pack, so any cooling helps.
I'm shooting for 60mm fans that can run off a 12v source since I have a number of rechargable batteries. I'm working on the air intake ideas, but generally speaking I think I can hide these in the airbag and let them blow a bit of comforting positive air pressure into my face. The fans in particular I have here are not quite strong enough, though - the standing air in the hoses and the reduction from 60mm down to the diameter of the hose means that there's a lot of static pressure and back pressure in the assembly, and these little fans don't quite have the oomph. They move air, but only barely enough to be noticeable through the mask. I'm going to look into sourcing some other fans with a bit higher pressure and CFM rating. If I'm lucky and this harebrained idea works, I'll have a much better time wearing this whole getup!
A good idea, Logan - and mostly what I did. I used this handy little nibbling tool that I've had for a few years and trimmed about a sixteenth of an inch off the edges of each bottlecap. Then, I decided to make my life easy again by manufacturing a quick little guide to help me drill the holes at a fixed distance and orientation:
Works like a charm!
With the bottle caps slightly trimmed down and ringed together a bit tighter, the whole thing fits properly on my pad now.
I'll figure out how I want to attach them tomorrow. It looks like the reference images I have show that some of the caps are actually riveted to the shoulder pad:
Since the shoulder pad itself is made of that acrylic plastic from the beverage jug, I'll have to test it to make sure it'll stand up to riveting without just cracking or shattering in the process. Would be a shame to ruin all that work!
Lastly, I'm playing with a bit of an idea...
I figured I could make use of the gas mask hose, the space in the air bladder, and the fact that my mask has openings for the hoses to rig up a rudimentary air conditioning system. I know from previous years at NYCC that the temperatures can be sweltering, and I'm basically going to be wearing a human blister pack, so any cooling helps.
I'm shooting for 60mm fans that can run off a 12v source since I have a number of rechargable batteries. I'm working on the air intake ideas, but generally speaking I think I can hide these in the airbag and let them blow a bit of comforting positive air pressure into my face. The fans in particular I have here are not quite strong enough, though - the standing air in the hoses and the reduction from 60mm down to the diameter of the hose means that there's a lot of static pressure and back pressure in the assembly, and these little fans don't quite have the oomph. They move air, but only barely enough to be noticeable through the mask. I'm going to look into sourcing some other fans with a bit higher pressure and CFM rating. If I'm lucky and this harebrained idea works, I'll have a much better time wearing this whole getup!
