Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume (Vest finished)

Be forewarned, everyone, this will be a slow moving thread.

Warning complete. Now, on to reference photos.


I am currently on the fence on whether or not to include the trench coat. He isn't depicted with it yet in NOW, but at the same time the black leather coat reads "Punisher" almost immediately.

My first plan of action, which happens to be the main object that requires some degree of fabrication, is to tackle Punisher's plate carrier. So far as I can tell, gone are the days of a simple spray paint stencil on a vest or a shirt. From the looks of it, the skull is an actual armored plate in of itself, the M4 molle pouches making the "teeth". Once I get a molle plate carrier (probably from voodoo), I am going to start experimenting with kydex to create the skull plate. I decided kydex because it is impact resistant and easy to work with, but if anyone has something better that I have overlooked, I appreciate the chipping in.

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

Looking forward to seeing this project unfold.

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

I did a punisher vest on a Condor Quick Release a few years back and I used a silk screen in a can paint and it looked pretty solid (non-fabric looking). I saw recently that Bat Under the Sun did one for their Superhero Beat Down that looked like the same technique (I'm sure better quality paint and/or dye) and theirs looked amazing

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

I just ordered a Condor quick release, actually. I would do a silk screen for the top of the skull, but in these comics it is an actual ballistic ceramic (I'm assuming after leaving the Thunderbolts, it is no longer vibranium) plate that goes over the molle / velcro.

I might use that silk screen in a can for the skull on the balaclava, though. Do you recall the brand you used?

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

Just got my first wave of materials

The vest is a Condor Molle Quick Release

Kydex plate with the skull sketch. I'll bake and cut it tomorrow.

The m4 is a RAP4 T68 Punisher from my old painball days, modified to fit the appearance of the Warzone Punisher film.

As always, comments, crits, and suggestions are welcome.

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

Awesome job so far, will be watching this closely!

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

The Death's Head is nearly finished. Figures, I have every shade of primer except black, so the eyes and nose will have to wait until later.

This was my first time working with Kydex for fabrication and I have to say, it didn't suck too bad. As a preliminary note, I know aspects of the skull are asymmetrical, which they are in several frames of the comic. It was intentional.

Now, if anyone wishes to work with kydex in the future, it is a labor of love. I didn't have the recommended cutting tools, nor do I plan to get them unless I start doing things like this on a regular basis. After making the guidelines on the kydex sheet, I went in with my utility knife and started scoring around the lines. You will probably make some mistakes, but thats fine. I'm using a .08" sheet of kydex, which is relatively thick and sturdy. This gives a massive margin for error and I found that the mess-ups made for some easy battle damage.
Once you have scored about halfway through the sheet, find a table edge and alternate sides on bending the kydex until it snaps along the scoring line. Be sure to alternate sides, otherwise the sheet will end up warping. for the areas of smaller detail, like the cheek bone protrusions, I went in with a set of pliers and worked away at them there. If you have a sander, go in and smooth the edges afterwards if you are going for a cleaner look. I'm going for a more mid-combat appearance, so some munched edges work just fine.

For the white primer, I used Rust-oleum 2x ultra-cover. It is waterproof, gives a nice texture similar to a ceramic armor plate (visually and to touch), and can easily worked away with a nail file, which I am using to put in chips, scratches, and scores from combat. For reference, kydex sheets come with a smooth side and a textured side. I ended up going with the smooth side simply because the texture made the areas too visually busy, and it would lead to paint bleeding into the cracks when I go in to do the skull details. If you use a rust-olem primer, or some brand similar, you'll get a nifty texture on the smooth side anyways.

Now, all that remains is getting velcro for the back-side to attach it to my Condor carrier and get some black spray paint for the eyes and nose of the skull.

If anyone wishes to do this process, you will notice how durable kydex is, which is exactly why I chose it for the skull. It won't get crinkled or warped in luggage, nor will it get crunched in those overly crowded convention halls. Chances are, the incomer will get hurt long before the kydex does. For you paranoid folk, yes, it is essentially stab-resistant and shock-resistant.

Re: Punisher - Marvel NOW! All New Costume

The plate carrier is done.

I went in a did some metal texture work on the chipped areas with a silver sharpie after spraying the eyes and nose on via stencil. I should be getting my mag pouches soon.

Got the mag pouches and sprayed them accordingly.

Everything above the belt is pretty much done, save for minor details like his watch and some smaller pouches on the flanks.

For the limb armor, I used an Armortec sport shirt. It feels great and breathes like a dream.