Shoretrooper...cardboard scratch build.

hey Alex,
I would supply/share templates...if i actually made any! I've always just kinda made stuff as i go, rough drafts that i hack at when its not a perfect fit. I guess most of my makes are one off's...to be worn once, so i never feel the need for templates, but i shall make more of a conscious effort to take pics of individual pieces before i put them together, apart from that...good luck my friend, i'm sure templates will be about real soon.
 
managed to find an hour or 2 this weekend amidst work and the chaos of 3 kids!(one of them is tugging at my hand & demanding a yoghurt as i attempt to write this lol)..and then fighting off utter exhaustion & resisting the bodies urge to fall asleep as soon as i sit down in the evenings(what a snorting, dribbling nightmare...not a pretty sight!)...anyway...where was i?:facepalm I whipped up a couple of hand guards, probably the easiest, most enjoyable bit yet!
received_1829785057261422.jpeg received_1829785077261420.jpeg...I've begun to seal all of the edges with hot glue, 1...to protect the edges from collapsing, due to handling & 2...from the effects of paper mache, but as a result...these bad boys are as tough as old boots!

I've also been thinking about the shoulder bells & how i'm going to get the perfect shape, seeing as cardboard is a utterly impractical for curves! so...having had the idea for some time to use my old friend the pop bottle(extra large 3 litre size) the top neck curve seems ideal.
received_1829785100594751.jpeg...well, i got this far before i had a duh! moment, i decided to support the inside with card strips & totally melted the plastic, resulting in the edges being a mangled mess! so...its got potential, but i shall have to put some more thought into this.
 
hey...long time no speak!
its been half term, so...even less time for any building, but as i said...this one is a labour of love, not to be rushed, but to get it looking right, so thanks for your support if you're reading this.
well...this week I've been doing nowt but paper mache!...it should be therapeutic, but sometimes its an uphill struggle to complete layer after layer of paper pieces, i really must branch out into other mediums someday.
View attachment IMAG4225.jpg this is how I've been spending most of my evenings, sitting in the kitchen up to my eyeballs in newspaper! i think i may have got carried away & accidentally paper mache'd next doors cat at one point.
View attachment IMAG4227.jpg View attachment IMAG4229.jpg I've made some minor changes to get it all looking correct, added the back shoulder straps ports & bulked out the edges of everything to give the appearance of armor, rather than cardboard, its beginning to take shape:thumbsup...even the wife has offered noises of encouragement... eek!
next job is to add the details to the back box276202_s6.jpg
that's all for now, better things to come next update, so cheers people.

I've decided i should have a motto, and it should probably be...Just Keep Going!
 
hey rockit, very tricky stuff that fablon at the best of times...but i like the idea, maybe try a small amount of heat over curves...like a hairdryer? still waiting for the day they make an actual product that gives a great finished surface for us cardboard crafter's.
Unfortunately even curves under heat refused to cooperate. But I have discovered that a better plastic finish on EVA foam can be achieved with brush-on polyurethane resin, smooth-on 65d and easy flow 120 seem the best candidates. Might work for cardboard too? Albeit a more expensive alternative to fablon, it'll have to do until they do come out with something more useful! :lol
The chest armour is looking great by the way.
 
Everything looks great so far. This is on my list too just not sure if it's 1 or 2 projects down the road.

I'm not sure how well this would work on armor pieces, but I use drywall putty (or joint compound) to smooth out the cardboard. After paper mache and several thin coats of wood glue you can apply thin coats of drywall putty and sand it smooth. Drywall putty is pretty cheap too and non-toxic. Once sanded you can give it another thin coat of wood glue before priming and painting. I've used this technique on helmets and you can get pretty smooth results if you work at it. I've never tried it on armor parts that require a lot of flex though so some testing might be required first. For interior strength, I've used drywall tape embedded in wood glue especially at joints or near strapping.

Wish you the best of luck and can't wait to see the progress.
 
the basic back piece is almost complete, bar sanding & a few coats of primer, so decided to start preparing some of the smaller details to be added after the sanding is finished.
received_1839595486280379.jpeg...the devil is in the detail, especially trying to make cardboard look like something other than cardboard!:wacko...i think im trying to convince myself here...ha!
received_1839595426280385.jpeg received_1839595432947051.jpeg received_1839595422947052~2.jpeg...right, time for sleep!
 
its been a few weeks...but finally managed to find a moment to write an update.
I managed to solve the shoulder bell problem's, after many failed attempts, but I'm pretty pleased with them now.received_1850860328487228.jpeg received_1850860351820559.jpeg...as you can see I've started the abs section...& yep...plenty more paper mache has been done, its like the most tedious chore ever! but progress is being made...HAZZAAR!
so whilst trying to rub down the paper mache & not getting the results I'd wanted, I decided that i would push the boat out & try out some wood filler! I'd been watching cosplayers tutorials on YouTube & that's the product they seem to go with. well, i'm really glad to say that the results are pretty sweet! still got lots of sanding to do & probably another couple of thin layers, but its so damn satisfying to have a nice finish to my work...at last! received_1850860228487238.jpeg yet to see how it stands up to cracking, but its a one off & its smooth...haha!

picked up some real cheap strapping & various buckles from ebay in readiness for shoulder straps/harness etcreceived_1850860218487239.jpeg received_1850860208487240.jpeg
not an exact match, but close enough for my needs, gotta work out how to attach the shoulder straps, but i'll cross that bridge when i come to it.
cheers for looking in, keep building!
 
s'me...still here...slowly building away:wacko
this week i couldn't hold back any longer & got cracking with the bucket! I've been very good & kept away from it, concentrating on the armor first...but the urge just got to much & i gave in to my inner voice(build it!...build it!...build it!)
so...a very quick mock-up lid was put together to get the sizing right & in doing so, less grief & some templates to make the final piece.
received_1853029894936938.jpeg...I'm doing all of this in the kitchen, so the wife & kids don't stand there pointing & laughing at a grown man playing with cardboard lols.
received_1853029814936946.jpeg...as a natural progression from the mock helmet, the obligatory photo of some of the parts together....oooh!
the design is quite a lot simpler than previous Star Wars helmets, so for the most part, it went pretty smoothly, no major headaches... which was nice.
received_1856243577948903.jpeg received_1856243574615570.jpeg...and there she is, what a beauty!(the design...not my actual handy work...ha!) i finally have my own Shoretrooper bucket(much joy & a grin from ear to ear)
 
received_1856690811237513.jpegreceived_1856690801237514.jpeg received_1856950947878166.jpeg that's both shoulder straps done!...you wouldnt believe the amount of work that went into those small parts...phew! how to attach them to the chest plate?... ideas please....
 
not much achieved on the crafting front, due to the 2 weeks Easter holidays. but now they are over, i decided that i would remake the bucket, there were many little mistakes that i wasn't happy with, so...bucket mark 2 was given life. paper mache done & started with the first layer of wood filler. really pleased with how this one looksreceived_1871373829769211.jpeg received_1871373833102544.jpeg received_1871373839769210.jpeg
 
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