WIP: Nico's Beskar'gam

[Nico Fett]

I read Abby Perry's tutorial, im thinking of attempting the weathering for sword slashes, watermarks, and mud. Maybe if i can use my friends dremel again, i could do some carbon scoring.

[Dar'manda]

Nico, a general black wash of thin black acrylic paint, or ground up charcoal/artists chalk brushed on and sealed, will help a lot. The main problem with non washed/dusted kits is they look almost too new and bright, and tend to be more like costumes than lived in armor. Case in point, your armor as it stands v.s. say Rob's Kal Skirata or such.. Not HUGEly damaged, but it has a lived in look to it.

[Nico Fett]

I know, for the moment I'm just trying to get the paintjob at least started in the direction I want. I also painted my helmets visor and cheek areas orange (it looks awesome!) after te paint dries and I get an idea of what I want to do with the weathering, I'll make it look more lived in.  When I get back to my house I'll try that charcoal/chalk idea out

[tk2280]

I know, for the moment I'm just trying to get the paintjob at least started in the direction I want. I also painted my helmets visor and cheek areas orange (it looks awesome!) after te paint dries and I get an idea of what I want to do with the weathering, I'll make it look more lived in.  When I get back to my house I'll try that charcoal/chalk idea out

Didyou mark off areas on your mask with liquid latex or toothpaste between paint layers?? Could not tell by posts made.  If not, how do you plan on westhering the bucket?  Just someblack wash to look older?  How will you go about doingall the marks,dings,scratches,chips and dents.  If they are just painted on. It will take a lot away from the look.  If you marked off between coats. All you wouldhave to do is scrape off or sand your marked areas and then it would look like the paint came off due to normal ware and tare.

[tk2280]

I'm going with blah and orange for high school colors. I plan on adding black to the armor, as well as weathering. I just need to know the best way to weatherly kit, any suggestions?

Weathering should have been done durring the painting.  An aluminum under coat, them areas marked off with latex or toothpaste. Then your next color of paint, marked off again and then your final orange layer.  Wet sand with 1000 or 1500 sand paper under running water and all your marked areas would be washed/sanded off and your top coat a tad bit duller so it is not bright and new looking. 

Then a nice black wash or used the same stuff I used for in the "motor city armor give away" topic I have on our clan section.

[Hondo Karr]

If you didn't mask, you can always hit random raised areas and edges with a 180 grit sandpaper then wash it off and paint the exposed plastic with a silver paint pen before baclkwashing.

[Nico Fett]

Didyou mark off areas on your mask with liquid latex or toothpaste between paint layers?? Could not tell by posts made.  If not, how do you plan on westhering the bucket?  Just someblack wash to look older?  How will you go about doingall the marks,dings,scratches,chips and dents.  If they are just painted on. It will take a lot away from the look.  If you marked off between coats. All you wouldhave to do is scrape off or sand your marked areas and then it would look like the paint came off due to normal ware and tare.

The helmets black paint has been fading a little due to me taking it places, and wearing it to ren fest twice. Dust being kicked up at other locations has been helping to look like its been worn for a while. I'll update my posts in the helmet section with pictures soon.

For my armor plates i decided to do a little natural weathering from rocks and pavement. I saw a youtube video that suggested natural ways that worked out vary well. It shows that Nico's taken some tubles and rolls on street ways and rockey terrain. The scuffs on the paint and the scratches look real because they are from that type of terrain. I will upload pics later today.

[Nico Fett]

This is my armor after being painted orange, taped on to my modified flak vest. I know that the plates (mainly the shoulders) are a little off, thats just because their taped on with painters tape. Velcro will be sewn on soon when I get more of it.


And this is the armor laid out with the helmet and painted rifle. And my gauntlets.


What do you guys think of the armor? And will the flak vests armpits work for CRLs?

[Slade Kel (Marrok)]

I think you might need to have the vest adjusted a bit more around the armpits, but the plates do look pretty good. When you get the velcro on and all, you'll definitely want to bring the neck plate up, but otherwise the spacing is just about what it needs to be.

[Nico Fett]

Their off because I was trying to add tape and attach them without letting the other plates fall, it was a big circus act trying to take the pic.

[Nico Fett]

Just as an add on to the thread, here is a pic of my crushgaunts so far. Their made with the work gloves i had already, with studs hot gluded on top the padded areas.

[tk2280]

Just as an add on to the thread, here is a pic of my crushgaunts so far. Their made with the work gloves i had already, with studs hot gluded on top the padded areas.

odds are high that those will pop off all the time.  You should have left the screws on back and just made holes through the gloves. Hot glue on metal in cold = not going to work out to well.  When you adjust costume parts, pick stuff up or just store them, things will pop off. 

[Hondo Karr]

I had actually done that with an old pair of gloves for my kit. they held forever. Problem was, they severlly effected dexterity and made holding my rifle a pain in the shebs. Not to mention they tore up the paint on my rifle and helmet, from carry and taking the bucket on and off.

[Nico Fett]

I had actually done that with an old pair of gloves for my kit. they held forever. Problem was, they severlly effected dexterity and made holding my rifle a pain in the shebs. Not to mention they tore up the paint on my rifle and helmet, from carry and taking the bucket on and off.

The pic of your old gloves is where i got the idea from.

[Slade Kel (Marrok)]

I too tried that route, and with similar effect. First time I pretty well covered the palms and undersides of my fingers and it was a royal pain in the shebs. Granted, my guns were all wood-grip, so it was okay to wear away the finish, but it does make holding things kind of a shabuir. I found that keeping just a few on the palms for effect did the job without screwing my dexterity completely. With something like this, less is definitely more.