Cal-Hab Judge MacNeil

I AM in Scotland. Well, in Shetland - the locals might argue the point as to whether they are, in fact, part of Scotland! But for now, at least, we are still Scotland and UK.

I would very much like to attend a Scots convention in my CalHab. I had intended Glasgow Comic Con, but I simply can't make that and London, and had already committed to (and paid for) London. Plus I had promised my son he could patrol there with me (he is going to be a 2012 cadet Rico Dredd, while another ten year old lad, roughly same size and build, will be young Joe Dredd. The other lad's father gets to be Fargo - lol - while I am swinging my claymore (not a euphemism) around the convention.

It is rapidly approaching completion - just some finishing work on the lion buckler, and some gauntlets to be sorted out. My custom jacket and belt (the former by a professional bike supplier, the latter by Lee Morrisroe, of "Letters of Marque" - have both arrived and fit a treat. My belt pouches are sprayed up, my elbow pads made, my sporran (lol) is sorted out, and my boots are ready. Just the SkeanDhu boot blaster to make, and a boot mounted holster to fashion, once the lion is done, plus a back sheath for the claymore.

Busy busy!

Starting to take shape! And I know you're in Scotland, that's why I said this haha I am too xD

Take an old sporran (we all have at least one lying around, right ), some white Kydex, a heat fun, a scalpel, some black Kydex, a glue gun aaaand...
...ta-DAH!!

Over on the BritCit Judges and Judge Dredd Costuming Group (on Facebook), several months ago, I had put out repeated calls for any info on BritCit or CalHab lawgivers, as despite reading the comic and Megazine from the start of each, I couldn't remember seeing one of either - other than in John Ridgeway's CalHab drawings and then it was always in the damn boot holster!!

Finally, John Burdis came to my rescue (and that if my fellow CalHab Judge, it seems ), when he posted two pieces of info. The first is that the CalHab lawgiver is known as the SkeanDhu boot blaster (makes sense as it is in a boot holster, as that knife is sheathed in the sock), and two, that he hadn't found any pics, but had dug up this of a BritCit lawgiver. So, s the two are likely to be more or less the same, I shall just adopt it, for my purposes. I'd still like to see a proper SkeanDhu though...:/

So, it's off to the drawing board, with a donor gun, provided by a friend from Brit-Cit Judges...

Last update of the night...

The CalHab boots are uniformly white in Ridgeway's artwork (although the colourist bizarrely made them pale blue in the commonly seen colour pic!). I searched for months for suitable boots, to no avail. Nothing that looked real, and kick-ass enough for a hard-bitten Judge from the glens of CalHab. So I settled on a base boot (an older Forma motocross model) and went to work with scalpel, Dremel, sandpaper, leather and Kydex. I'm quite pleased with the results, which I intend to wear with my kilt socks (as per the comic book ideal) and my flashes (tartan tabs worn under the fold of the sock), which is another of my nods to my roots as a Highlander and a proud Gael...

- - - Updated - - -

Now there remains my pad to fix to my left shoulder, my lion buckler (STILL damn sanding and smoothing to be done!!) the same, a back sheath to sort, and gauntlets to stitch (the leather is cut and waiting).

Then it's time to unveil the CalHab Judge, in his entirety.

Fantastic Work. Look Forward to patrolling with you at LFCC next month :cool

Looks fantastic. I'm just about to start my own one in the next few weeks. I love what youve done with this so far.

Had a wee test fitting, yesterday, of the main parts of the costume, very hurriedly. I didn't put everything on, as getting highland dress on and off isn't a five minute job! I settled for the main parts of the costume, sans shoulders. In doing so, I found two things. One, that I'd forgotten to fix the kydex squares on my sporran, leading my four year old son to play with rearranging them, while Daddy's back was turned (bless...:/). And Two, that I've lost weight since last I wore the kilt. This meant that as I was adjusting everything and taking the pic, the kilt slid down an inch or two (the hem should just brush the floor, if you kneel down), so it's too long! Oh well, it gave me an idea of where I am with this. Just to fix the shoulder pad properly, then figure how to mount and fix the lion buckler (which is awaiting the paint to give it the final coats). Add on the belt pouches, the weapons and I'm done...

- - - Updated - - -

Many thanks, mate. Latest updates...secondary firearm for a CalHab Judge. Specialist ammunition is all very well in the big cities, where you can replenish your stocks as required. But when you're in CalHab, and your duties take you out into the wilds, among the mutants and the clans, in the hills and glens, you need to be able to renew your own ammunition. Which means that a good part of a CalHab Judge's first few years training, includes smithy work, and lessons from weapon smiths and armourers. Therefore, a secondary weapon is basic and brutal, and can be renewed from supplies carried, or from fallen opponents. This is as basic and brutal as it gets, and if I do run out of ammunition, it doubles up as a nice weapon, with the chain. The chain clips to the kilt belt, on the left side, and can extend to arms length for that necessary shot. And, should you just happen to have a Morningstar attachment lying around your supplies...


MegaCity One can keep their WidowMaker. In CalHab, we have the Bawzblaster...

I had some spare time so I set about making the boot holster, as inspired by Mr Bungle's friend's version of the set up. I used aluminium touchplates, epoxy resin, some thin foam, white kydex and some craft leather.

I glued the plates into shape, having used my granite breakfast bar as a former. I then cut strips of thin foam, to line the holster, as the gun I'm using is fairly heavy. Then I skinned it in the kydex, and finally sprayed the whole thing in spray adhesive and covered it in white craft leather. Job done.

And, of course, it saved them all mixed up... sigh. Saving from your mobile isn't easy, it seems. :/

Awesome work. Cal-Hab Judges always remind me of Jessie Rae's video from the '80's
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOad0FU9zF8





Oh and once watched It can't be unwatched. You have been warned.

Well, I got there, and not only did I patrol both days in the full CalHab, but we managed to get 38 Judges (comic & movie), including a certain two clone cadets (a young Joe & Rico Dredd) together to set a Guinness World Record for most Judges in one place at one time. I also met the man who began it all, John Wagner - who was a bloody star, so damn nice, he and his family both loved the uniform, (and the sword!) as well as Jim Alexander, the man who wrote and created CalHab Justice for 2000AD. He was blown away by the costume, and said it made a perfect end to a great weekend for him (his graphic novel won a True Believer Comic Award (formerly the Eagle Awards).

And i I got to patrol with my son, who played Rico, in the costume I made for him from movie accurate armour (trimmed right down) and vest plans. His white lid was painted for me by Neo2Daz, a good friend and mentor, whose own son played the young Joe perfectly.

I'm still buzzing. The crowds loved it - I lost count of the pics taken! - and we had a blast (heat exhaustion aside - both boys were affected, and the organisers wouldn't turn on the aircon, in a hall filled with 18,000 people, with temperatures of 31 degrees outside!! A damn disgrace, and one they should answer for, if there's any justice - pardon the pun).

Calhab Judge MacNeil will return, most likely to a Scots con next time, although I'm already receiving invites to four others. Oh, and I was interviewed for a Dutch entertainment web series (no muckiness!!) about the BritCit Judge costume group. A bloody wonderful time!!

More pics of the days at LFCC...

And a great pic prepared by a friend, from the Judges group, for Neo2Daz and I, with our sons, young "Joe" (Neo) and "Rico" (my son, Xander)...

Plus an unexpected treat...following them seeing my posts online, one of the movie production crew reached out to me, offering me this banner, which hung in the Halls of Justice, on the set. I don't know that it was ever seen on film - I have quickly searched since receiving it, and haven't been able to see it. However, it matches the classroom flag (from the interrogation scene) exactly, other than the addition of the Judges' Eagle symbol. A real prized bonus, I assure you!

Dusting down the CalHab Judge for a con in several weeks, I reckon.

Brulafu, did you ever get a start on your own CalHab? I know you had/have a lot going on....