Looking great! I can't wait to get mine and start the process!
Modifying the Struss Dredd Vest
- Thread starter Art Andrews
- Start date
Honestly, this is the best part of making a costume. LOVE the weathering process! Looking forward to seeing pics of yours.
Backplate armor is complete... again, in the STYLE of Dredd, but not trying to match scratch for scratch. I went a little heavier than what is seen on the original costume, mostly so it will be visible in person and maybe even in photos.
From the last stage, I used a LOT more of the cinder block scraping, followed by another round of the exacto, both cutting grooves and creating scrapes. I then sanded with 320 grit. Next I used a file for more scratches and to wider some of the exacto scratches. Finally used the soldering iron, both to create melted points and to "shine up" a few areas.
The one thing I am really disappointed about is that a different piece of material was used for the last plate and it is REALLY obvious it doesn't match the 3 above it.
Here you go...
From the last stage, I used a LOT more of the cinder block scraping, followed by another round of the exacto, both cutting grooves and creating scrapes. I then sanded with 320 grit. Next I used a file for more scratches and to wider some of the exacto scratches. Finally used the soldering iron, both to create melted points and to "shine up" a few areas.
The one thing I am really disappointed about is that a different piece of material was used for the last plate and it is REALLY obvious it doesn't match the 3 above it.
Here you go...
Max Replica
Well-Known Member
Great job.
Did a couple more things on the vest pieces and am shipping them off to Eveningarwen today for recutting!
Here is what I was talking about previously.... there is a TREMENDOUS amount of weathering on these pieces... but you put just a little light on them and bam... so much of it just disappears and outside of the deepest and heaviest marks, you see very little. Obviously, added fullers earth will help bring some of it out, but my point is, if you want damage to show up, you REALLY have to go heavy.
I did make a few slight changes... and I should have documented them better... but I didn't, so I will just tell you what I did.
On the inside of the breast plates are two sets of 1" buckles for connecting the neck. Why? I don't know. There should be only one set, so I removed the outside set as they serve no purpose.
On the backplate, half of my tri-glides (used on the side straps that have the Cobra buckles) were sewn on backwards... and why they are sewn at all is a mystery. The whole point of a tri-glide (which isn't screen accurate to start with) is to give you the ability to adjust a buckle without the need to sew. Either way, because the faux Cobra buckles used weren't the right ones, the tri-glides are currently necessary. I unsewed them, put them on correctly and tightened them down. I did this for all four of the 2" straps on the backplate.
I did the same on the front plates, but since those lack triglides, there is nothing to hold the buckles on at the moment.
While haven't done it yet, there are also an extra/unnecessary pair of straps on the neck. I am trying to determine how to remove them without the neck looking weird.... more on that later.
Anyway, here it is. Ready to send to the seamstress.
Here is what I was talking about previously.... there is a TREMENDOUS amount of weathering on these pieces... but you put just a little light on them and bam... so much of it just disappears and outside of the deepest and heaviest marks, you see very little. Obviously, added fullers earth will help bring some of it out, but my point is, if you want damage to show up, you REALLY have to go heavy.
I did make a few slight changes... and I should have documented them better... but I didn't, so I will just tell you what I did.
On the inside of the breast plates are two sets of 1" buckles for connecting the neck. Why? I don't know. There should be only one set, so I removed the outside set as they serve no purpose.
On the backplate, half of my tri-glides (used on the side straps that have the Cobra buckles) were sewn on backwards... and why they are sewn at all is a mystery. The whole point of a tri-glide (which isn't screen accurate to start with) is to give you the ability to adjust a buckle without the need to sew. Either way, because the faux Cobra buckles used weren't the right ones, the tri-glides are currently necessary. I unsewed them, put them on correctly and tightened them down. I did this for all four of the 2" straps on the backplate.
I did the same on the front plates, but since those lack triglides, there is nothing to hold the buckles on at the moment.
While haven't done it yet, there are also an extra/unnecessary pair of straps on the neck. I am trying to determine how to remove them without the neck looking weird.... more on that later.
Anyway, here it is. Ready to send to the seamstress.
Last edited:
leatherneck
Well-Known Member
Art,
What are you going to use to blacken the zipper? Also, just curious about the mannequin that you are using, what model is it? I am trying to find a decent one to display my costume but I know I am going to have issues with it standing without using the calf or heel rod.
What are you going to use to blacken the zipper? Also, just curious about the mannequin that you are using, what model is it? I am trying to find a decent one to display my costume but I know I am going to have issues with it standing without using the calf or heel rod.
I won't. I'll just replace it entirely with the correct one. According to StudioCreations the vest zipper is a YKK #8 Heavy Duty Brass Zipper. There is some debate about whether it is just painted black or is YKK's "Antique Brass" but either way, the zipper that comes on the vest is a #10, not #8... so it has to go.
Last edited:
leatherneck
Well-Known Member
I wasn't aware that the zipper was different. Thanks for the info!
Last edited by a moderator:
Well... I am getting some conflicting info... there are two people we know who have original vests. One says it is a #8, the other a #10... It is a YKK for sure and I feel pretty confident that it is the antiqued brass (just don't think it was painted), but I am struggling on the actual zipper size.
So... what have we learned today? Dissimilar materials take Goldfinger Soverign Gold metallic paste VERY differently!
While it is completely the wrong material, it was VERY easy to work with on the left shoulder armor which is covered in leather on the Struss armor.
The other shoulder has the large eagle which is vacuformed haircell plastic (much closer to the original). For some reason I thought the paste would go on (and come off) the same way. WRONG!!!!
You need to be MUCH more careful how you apply the paste to the eagle.
Here is what I did:
Started off just like last time. Tape off the eagle.
Second step, again, same as last time. Apply paste sparingly to the heaviest areas with a q-tip.
Here is where we began to run into a problem. At this step the last time I used a paper towel to spread and even out the paste on the leather covered armor. That doesn't happen on the plastic. The paste doesn't move at all and does not spread! I moved from the paper towel to a scotch brite and an interesting thing happened. First, there are parts of this pull that were handled poorly resulting in some of the surfaces being smooth instead of textured. On the smooth surfaces, the paste wipes right off (not the upper left wing). You can't make it stay. However, on the rest of the eagle, where there is texture, you can SCRUB come of the gold off and it will deposit trace amounts in other areas, but it is all but impossible to blend and smooth like I did on the other side. Because I left huge gaps of black area and because there is virtually no smoothing, the final result is not nearly what I had hoped for. This is where I am at the moment.... not happy. Going to go back, fill in some of the gaps and then try a tooth brush and water to work it out a bit. Will report back when I have more progress.
While it is completely the wrong material, it was VERY easy to work with on the left shoulder armor which is covered in leather on the Struss armor.
The other shoulder has the large eagle which is vacuformed haircell plastic (much closer to the original). For some reason I thought the paste would go on (and come off) the same way. WRONG!!!!
You need to be MUCH more careful how you apply the paste to the eagle.
Here is what I did:
Started off just like last time. Tape off the eagle.
Second step, again, same as last time. Apply paste sparingly to the heaviest areas with a q-tip.
Here is where we began to run into a problem. At this step the last time I used a paper towel to spread and even out the paste on the leather covered armor. That doesn't happen on the plastic. The paste doesn't move at all and does not spread! I moved from the paper towel to a scotch brite and an interesting thing happened. First, there are parts of this pull that were handled poorly resulting in some of the surfaces being smooth instead of textured. On the smooth surfaces, the paste wipes right off (not the upper left wing). You can't make it stay. However, on the rest of the eagle, where there is texture, you can SCRUB come of the gold off and it will deposit trace amounts in other areas, but it is all but impossible to blend and smooth like I did on the other side. Because I left huge gaps of black area and because there is virtually no smoothing, the final result is not nearly what I had hoped for. This is where I am at the moment.... not happy. Going to go back, fill in some of the gaps and then try a tooth brush and water to work it out a bit. Will report back when I have more progress.
Max Replica
Well-Known Member
Re: zippers
For the South African suits, the zippers varied, which is why you're probably getting two different zipper sizes. Some of the background/stunt unis even had black plastic zippers.
I think Dredd's zipper may have been painted, actually. Either that, or it was darkened with that chemical the turns brass almost black.
Here's why I think that:
This is Anderson's zipper in bright sunlight:
That is antique brass, or I don't know my zippers. (Standard brass would be super polished and shiny in full sunlight like this).
Now look at Dredd's zipper in the same sunlight. Look how much darker it is.
But there's no question that there is some brass under there (below is from a publicity shot):
(I should mention that the zipper closeups above are of the lead actors, during non-stunt scenes, minimizing the chances that these are non-hero suits being worn).
For the South African suits, the zippers varied, which is why you're probably getting two different zipper sizes. Some of the background/stunt unis even had black plastic zippers.
I think Dredd's zipper may have been painted, actually. Either that, or it was darkened with that chemical the turns brass almost black.
Here's why I think that:
This is Anderson's zipper in bright sunlight:
That is antique brass, or I don't know my zippers. (Standard brass would be super polished and shiny in full sunlight like this).
Now look at Dredd's zipper in the same sunlight. Look how much darker it is.
But there's no question that there is some brass under there (below is from a publicity shot):
(I should mention that the zipper closeups above are of the lead actors, during non-stunt scenes, minimizing the chances that these are non-hero suits being worn).
At Kurt's suggestion, I went back and reapplied the Goldfinger Sovereign Gold with my finger. This is definitely the way to do it... but again, I can't stress enough how LITTLE you need to use! I now have a great base coat of gold. Going to allow that to sit and dry for a bit and then going to go back and tone it down and weather it a bit for the final look.
Max Replica
Well-Known Member
Someone said that the bodyheat through your finger actually helps the paint go on better. All I know is that I get better control with my fingertip than I do with a q-tip. I guess they call it goldfinger for a reason.
Another tip - when Rob did the original, he first spread the goldfinger paint on a piece of cardboard and then worked from that, insuring that he only used a tiny bit at a time.
If you feel like you've used too much and want to remove some or start over, I find that Motsenbocker's Lift-Off for graffitti (you can get it at Home Depot) removes it very easily.
Another tip - when Rob did the original, he first spread the goldfinger paint on a piece of cardboard and then worked from that, insuring that he only used a tiny bit at a time.
If you feel like you've used too much and want to remove some or start over, I find that Motsenbocker's Lift-Off for graffitti (you can get it at Home Depot) removes it very easily.
In putting this together, I realized I am going to have to replace the tabs that hold the bicep strap. Now, someone who owns an original might be able to give us a better design, but based on all the images I have from San Diego Comic Con and Dragon Con, here is the best I could come up with for a template. If you print it out at full size it should be 1:1.
Max Replica
Well-Known Member
Art, here's a real one, along with measurements if someone feels like making a revised template.
(Note: the ruler shown in the photos is in CM).
(Note: the ruler shown in the photos is in CM).
Thanks, Jared. Will revise my design based on your measurements and post it up.
A friend asked for pics of the vest, so here it is, in its current state, just before being sent to the seamstress for some heavy alterations.
Now, with pants!
And here is the latest/final on the Struss eagle. I am planning to replace it with Jeff Allen's eagle soon. Will post a comparison as soon as it comes in.
