Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

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Shikkakku
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Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Shikkakku »

Hello my fellow Guards,

I've taken the plunge and have started my Praetorian Guard build. I'm doing this in conjunction with one of my garrison-mates at the Capital City Garrison. We're both dedicated martial artists and when I first saw that throne room fight, I knew that I had to build that kit and see how I can apply my martial arts training :D. In fact, the PG is reason why I joined the 501st in the first place!

But enough of that. I've split this WIP into five sections:

Base Layer:

We ordered our undertunic and pants from Daniel Stonebraker at Steinbrecher Designs. (https://www.etsy.com/shop/SteinbrecherDesigns) While my build partner ordered a complete shirt and pants, I decided to order one of Daniel's shirt kits- he sends you pre-cut squares of the crackle spandex that one can use to custom-make a shirt. I bought a long-sleeved shirt from the local thrift shop and salvaged it in order to create a pattern. I'll be posting the WIP of that as I get parts.

Boots and Gloves

We ordered our gloves and boots from Gio at Crowprops. (https://crowprops.bigcartel.com/product ... your-order) From what I've read on the Facebook build group, there might be a need to re-dye the leather to better match the armour and skirts. Will check once everything is complete.

Armour

The big ticket item. We ordered our armour from Jimmiroquai, who we both believe is the gold standard when it comes to PG armour. I opted for the Mando bucket (version 1) since the electro-bisento is my jam, while my build partner opted for the Samurai bucket (Version 3) for some vibro-arbir goodness. We both went with fiberglass ab sections (Jim also offers a vinyl ab section, which is more movie accurate) and plan to do multiple passes of primer, sanding and painting to get that very nice gloss shine.

Skirt

We also ordered skirts from Jimmiroquai. I was considering making my own, but red cavalry twill was difficult to find and expensive to boot, I decided to just use Jim's.

Weapon

After considering my options, I decided to purchase an Electro-Bisento 3d-print .stl files from Empire3D. (https://empire3d.net/) While I did have the option of ordering a complete print, I went with the file as it gives me the option of modifying them and adding little details in the future. Plus I have access to 3D printers so I hope I can get the electro-bisento printed in a timely fashion.

I'll be updating this WIP thread with images as things arrive and I make progress. Suffice to say that this will be a very complicated build and the most complex costuming project I've ever done. Ideal completion date would be by Ottawa Comic Con in May 2019, but if I can get it finished before then it would be amazing.

(Note: Mods if this WIP is in the wrong place please let me know and I'll move it to the discussion page. Gracias!)
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Shikkakku
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Shikkakku »

Entry #1

Base Layer:

Base layer is on the way from fabricator. In preparation, I created a mock-up of the undershirt I needed to sew. I traced out where I wanted the crackle fabric to be and cut the template shirt accordingly, then traced the pieces on some red fabric that I got from Fabricland.

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I then sewed the shirt together. I definitely needed the practice as my sewing skills are quite sub par. But the shirt did fit! Excuse the muffin top pictures. :P 

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Next step is to make necessary adjustments, take things apart again, and once the actual work materials have come in cut out the crackle fabric sections and put things back together. Will update post once that happens! 

Everything else:
Still in progress! 
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Shikkakku
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Shikkakku »

Entry #2

Oh boy, big update time! I got some medium-brown boxes today, with our base layers (c/o Steinbrecher Designs) and our leather items (c/o Crowprops).
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Base Layer:

All in all, we received a completed shirt, two pants and a shirt kit that is pre-cut sections of crackle-painted spandex.

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The pants are looser on me than expected, I think I overestimated m safety margins when ordering, and combined with some weight loss I can expect looser-than-preferred base layers. It should work out though; its better to be too loose and have the ability to take things in than to be too tight and be stuck.

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Interesting observation regarding Daniel's completed shirt: instead of using the crackle spandex as individual panels directly stitched to the non-crackle areas, Daniel just top-stitched the crackle spandex onto completed shirt panels and then assembled the final piece. I like this idea better and will be modifying my shirt to follow. Also note that the completed shirt is CRL-Version 2, while my shirt will be CRL-Version 1 (with a strip of trim at the top of the mandarin collar and a separate balaclava).

Boots and Gloves:

The boots and glove are from Gio at Crowprops and are of amazing quality, and came in on time! I'll be honest, I was kinda worried but I'm glad that my trust in him was well placed. Definitely consider him for your purchases.

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As stated above, I overdid my safety margins and so everything is just a liiitle bit loose on me. But that's okay, I can live with my gloves being loose and once I put my orthotics into my boots I predict they'll fit quite well.
Also the red is a tad dark. I'll know better once everything comes in and I can see everything in natural light, but we're open to the possibility of re-dyeing the leather to better match the overall costume.

Test Fit and Flexibility Test:
Of course I had to put everything together for a test fit. Note that the shirt is my prototype and as such is a placeholder until I get the crackle spandex cut and sewn. (Trust me, nobody wants to see me shirtless on the internet).

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I will need to rig up a system to keep the pants up, because right now a bit of motion causes them to wiggle down and it'll only get worse as I drop poundage. Maybe a suspender system? CRL doesn't say no to that...

Also I wanted to test the flexibility and give of the pants, given that I plan to perform kata (martial arts forms) in my kit eventually. An area of concern for me is the crotch seam that might give way if I enter into a very wide stance. This is more of a problem for chunky dudes like myself.

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Nope, we're fine! The pants will hold up no problem. (Also, someone will need to remind me to stretch prior to doing anything like this. Wouldn't want to fall on my arse and embarrass myself during a troop :oops: :oops: )

Armour and Skirt:
I heard back from Jimmiroquai right as I was typing up this entry. If all goes well and fate/God smiles on us, our hard parts and skirts should ship by the end of this week! *crosses fingers*

Once I get everything, the hard part (pun sorta-intended) begins! My build buddy and I are estimating a few months for strapping, sanding/primer/paint, so it'll be a challenge to find a location to do said work given the winter temperatures we're soon to experience here in Canada. I'm sure I'll figure something out!
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Michael Ren
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Michael Ren »

Awesome WIP so far!! I'm gonna love following this! :D
I have Daniels shirt and pants, as well as Gio's leathers (I helped him overhaul his glove design to the way it is now) and Jim's fiberglass kit. IMHO, the best products on the Praetorian market! :trsuit:
Seems like you saw my Facebook posts about redyeing the leathers. Definitely worth it, they are a much more vibrant red now and have an awesome shine, like we can see on the screen used gloves and boots in the photos made by Dawn and Luke.
If there are any questions on the build process, shoot me a question!

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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Shikkakku »

Michael Ren wrote:Awesome WIP so far!! I'm gonna love following this! :D
I have Daniels shirt and pants, as well as Gio's leathers (I helped him overhaul his glove design to the way it is now) and Jim's fiberglass kit. IMHO, the best products on the Praetorian market! :trsuit:
Seems like you saw my Facebook posts about redyeing the leathers. Definitely worth it, they are a much more vibrant red now and have an awesome shine, like we can see on the screen used gloves and boots in the photos made by Dawn and Luke.
If there are any questions on the build process, shoot me a question!
Thanks Michael! I'll most probably lean on your expertise re: strapping and fitting the armour, since I've never worked with hard parts before and I'll need all the help I can get :)
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Michael Ren
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Michael Ren »

Shikkakku wrote: Thanks Michael! I'll most probably lean on your expertise re: strapping and fitting the armour, since I've never worked with hard parts before and I'll need all the help I can get :)
Neither have I, still not done with all the armor strapping and fitting. My friend Lee Cooper, however, has nailed this. I'll ask him to post some photos and explanation here for you!

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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Shikkakku »

Michael Ren wrote:
Shikkakku wrote: Thanks Michael! I'll most probably lean on your expertise re: strapping and fitting the armour, since I've never worked with hard parts before and I'll need all the help I can get :)
Neither have I, still not done with all the armor strapping and fitting. My friend Lee Cooper, however, has nailed this. I'll ask him to post some photos and explanation here for you!
Thank you again. :D Every little bit of information will help.

Current plan is to use red webbing and snaps for the torso pieces, and use a paracord strapping system to thread the arm pieces together for maximum range of movement.
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Lee_C_77 »

Michael Ren wrote:
Shikkakku wrote: Thanks Michael! I'll most probably lean on your expertise re: strapping and fitting the armour, since I've never worked with hard parts before and I'll need all the help I can get :)
Neither have I, still not done with all the armor strapping and fitting. My friend Lee Cooper, however, has nailed this. I'll ask him to post some photos and explanation here for you!

I thought my ears were burning!
My Jimmi kit was completed and cleared about a month back. Let me dig out some photos of the strapping system when I get a minute.

Obviously, what works for me might not work for you, but it’ll give you an idea.

Personally, I’m not a fan of paracord on the arm parts. I used prom snaps fitted in the pre made holes on the arm sections, then 40mm red elastic with snaps to clip it together. It’s a far more sturdy set up.

Let me get some photos together and maybe a list of all the bits that I used.

But as I said, this is how I did mine. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but it works for me.
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Shikkakku »

Lee_C_77 wrote:
Michael Ren wrote:
Shikkakku wrote: Thanks Michael! I'll most probably lean on your expertise re: strapping and fitting the armour, since I've never worked with hard parts before and I'll need all the help I can get :)
Neither have I, still not done with all the armor strapping and fitting. My friend Lee Cooper, however, has nailed this. I'll ask him to post some photos and explanation here for you!

I thought my ears were burning!
My Jimmi kit was completed and cleared about a month back. Let me dig out some photos of the strapping system when I get a minute.

Obviously, what works for me might not work for you, but it’ll give you an idea.

Personally, I’m not a fan of paracord on the arm parts. I used prom snaps fitted in the pre made holes on the arm sections, then 40mm red elastic with snaps to clip it together. It’s a far more sturdy set up.

Let me get some photos together and maybe a list of all the bits that I used.

But as I said, this is how I did mine. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but it works for me.
Looking forward to it, sir! How's your arm mobility with the straps, and what didn't you like about the paracord method?
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Re: Joining the Praetorians- Shikkakku's Praetorian WIP

Post by Lee_C_77 »

Mobility is fine. A lot more movement than a tk.

I just think that snaps are more sturdy than paracord knotted. Jimmi put holes in the arm sections to allow for snaps to be fitted. Same on the screen used.

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Kind of seems a shame not to use them.
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