My first Captain America shield build

C

clanleader16

New Member
Hi All!

Just getting started on my shield build! :) I started with a 26" Flexible Flyer saucer sled, and am starting to make some progress. Got the powder coat stripped off of the front, and working on the back now. The front has also been sanded, starting with 120 grit, and worked my way incrementally to a 320 grit sand paper. Next steps are to finish strippping and sanding the back of the sled, and then measure and cut the sled to size. I'm a bit concerned about warping the edges when I cut the sled, so any tips to prevent this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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I did this project a few years ago. I used a jig saw and metal cutting blade to carefully cut the edge off the sled.

I didn't have any issues with warping. It's pretty sturdy.

Good luck with yours!
 
Thanks Celtic007! I rented a jigsaw from Home Depot yesterday and it worked a treat! :) My drilled hole was a bit off centre, but oh well. Got it cut out. Need to take a dremel to the edges and do a bit of wet sanding, then will add the spun metal texture as per Valor's technique. Then it's on to painting! Removing the paint on the back was a lot tougher than the front, had to resort to the dremel to get some of it off
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Sorry for the delay in updates, have had really rainy and windy weather the past week. I've made some good progress! :) Got the spun metal texture on the front and back, though the back doesn't look as good as I'd like. Oh well, once all the brackets and everything are in place, I hope it'd distract a bit from that. Once I got the spun texture, I had a bit of a struggle to get the circles even, but after the third try, I think I got it right :) Went with a 10" circle for the centre, then divided the remaining diameter by 3 for the rings. Used a piece of scrap aluminium that I drilled holes into to get perfect circles. Then masked off the shield, and painted the red circles! :) It turned out looking so good! I'll have to use some rubbing alcohol or acetone to remove the remaining sharpie lines, but a bit worried about damaging the paint. Should get the blue painted tonight!
 
Got the centre painted this evening! Also got the star cut out of aluminium, spun with 80 grit sandpaper, and details added, all thanks to Valor's template. Seriously, his guide is solid gold! Hopefully will get the star attached with E6000 tomorrow! :)

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That looks really cool.I've always wanted to make a metal shield but they were very costly.Now I have a cheaper option.How did you get the spun metal look?
 
Hi Alcadude! Sorry for the late reply. I have a small hole drilled in the centre of the shield. I used a paint stir stick that I attached some 80 grit sandpaper to, and a nail in the end. The nail went into the hole in the shield, and then I spun it around the shield a few times. It's really easy! :) I am drawing heavily from Valor's build, found here: https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=128238

Hope this helps! Best of luck on your build, and feel free to message me!
 
Time for another update! It doesn't seem like I've made much progress lately. The weather has been very disagreeable here lately, so haven't got the clear coat on the shield yet :/ I've got the star attached to the shield though, used some E6000 so if there are temperature changes, there will be some degree of flex so it doesn't pop right off. Also attached some fake rivets to the points and the center of the star. I've cut the main brackets for the back of the shield, and attached some rectangular loops with JB Weld. Doesn't look perfect, but oh well. It works. For the leather I got some cheap belts from Walmart, which I cut up. They also had removable buckles, so I reused them for the straps. Found some wonderful jean buttons with stars at the local fabric store, I think they work nicely. Also taped the back of the shield in preparation for clear coat But that's about it for now!


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George said:
Looks awesome !
When the shield is done,are you going to build the costume as well?
Click to expand...

That's the plan! When me wife and I were in LA, we went to B Black & Sons, and we bought some of the actual fabric they used in Civil War. :) My wife is going to be helping me on that project, as I've never used a sewing machine before. I plan to use a pair of overalls for the base, then build the costume on top of that. I'll try to make a similar post to this one when I get started on it :)
 
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clanleader16 said:
we bought some of the actual fabric they used in Civil War.
Click to expand...

The fabric used in Civil War is a custom printed lycra, done exclusively by Marvel's costume department. It resembles Cordura or a similar fabric but that is just the screen printing tricking the eye.

Kevin Gosset is the only person to have replicated the fabric exactly as it's seen on screen. There are many *similar* fabrics though that will be close enough that no one but us weirdos will notice the difference.
 
TheNickFox said:
The fabric used in Civil War is a custom printed lycra, done exclusively by Marvel's costume department. It resembles Cordura or a similar fabric but that is just the screen printing tricking the eye.

Kevin Gosset is the only person to have replicated the fabric exactly as it's seen on screen. There are many *similar* fabrics though that will be close enough that no one but us weirdos will notice the difference.
Click to expand...

Took a look at his Facebook site, and oh boy, he does quality work. I don't think I'll be able to get even close to that good. I sincerely don't mean to spread misinformation, and I sincerely apologies. The gentleman at the store insisted it was the fabric. Could it be the fabric used in the design tests possibly? Anyways, the colors are perfect matches, but it doesn't have the texture like Kevin Gosset's. Oh man, those suits are #GOALS!

PS: If anyone has any pointers on getting the suit built, I would be eternally grateful, as I have not sewn anything in my life, and this project has me a bit intimidated. Luckily, I have my wife to help me.
 
Alcadude said:
It's looking really cool.Can't wait to see the finished product.How thick is the aluminum for the shield star?
Click to expand...

I used a roll of aluminum flashing, the thinnest I could find was 28 gauge, or 0.0149 inches. Now I have about 90% of a roll at home that will go unused for the forseeable future. Oh well. :p
 
The helmet file can be found in JfCustom's foam files thread,page 1.That is,if you are going for the live-action movie design.
For the actual (movie) suit I would highly recommend searching the forum and read/watch how others before you made them.Often they have lots of pictures to accompany the (elaborate) description.
 
George said:
The helmet file can be found in JfCustom's foam files thread,page 1.That is,if you are going for the live-action movie design.
For the actual (movie) suit I would highly recommend searching the forum and read/watch how others before you made them.Often they have lots of pictures to accompany the (elaborate) description.
Click to expand...
I've got a local guy printing the D03D helmet files for me already, thanks so much though! :) I've been scouring the forums for ideas/inspiration. I'm just hoping I don't muck it up too badly. Surprisingly, I found some near perfect boots at the local Walmart already :)
 
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