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Dear all,

I'm new to the forum and just beginning work on my Carnor Jax costume, and some advice from more seasoned costumers would be very valuable.

What's the general consensus on Crimson Empire vambraces/gauntlets? As far as I know, Carnor Jax's are both identical (raised vertical ridges) while Kir Kanos wears one "standard" and one "high-tech", with buttons and circuitry. Am I correct?

Also, must they always be vacuuformed pieces of armour, or is any other material acceptable?

Any input is appreciated.

Cheers!

You are correct about the difference between Jax's and Kanos' vambraces. As for materials, you should feel free to use whatever you want to get the right appearance. Vacu-forming is one of the easier options for some people, and those pieces are out there if you don't feel confident in trying that approach yourself.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

--Jonah

Peregrinus wrote:You are correct about the difference between Jax's and Kanos' vambraces. As for materials, you should feel free to use whatever you want to get the right appearance. Vacu-forming is one of the easier options for some people, and those pieces are out there if you don't feel confident in trying that approach yourself.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

--Jonah

Brilliant! Thanks a lot!

As I said, I'm barely starting out here, but I was thinking of trying out a "stiffened patent leather" approach to the vambraces. I'll keep you posted.

Cheers!

Ok, just off the top of my head, I'm thinking of using the following materials for the vambraces:

Soccer shin guards (size and shape TBD):



Toothbrush cases for the ridges:



For the handplates, I'm considering car or bike pedal rubbers:



They shouldn't be too difficult to put together and paint. Any thoughts are welcome.

Cheers!

I'd play around with Sintra or Styrene, just to get yourself acquainted with the material if you are a novice at working wth such materials.

I know there was a guy on the Spec Ops Det that experimented with making vambraces for the Storm Commando and did a pretty good job.

He had some pics up. I've never done it myself, but the theory seemed simple enough; heat the plastic and wrap it around your (protected) forearm to get its shape, trim edges down accordingly and seal the ends somehow to make it one solid piece and you have a vambrace. If your aim is to make it a single,seamless bracer the best way to achieve that would be to cover the seam with sme bondo and sand everything down smooth. The painting process should cover up the rest and give the illusion that the vambrace is a single unit.

Like I said, I have never practiced the theory, but I have seen the end result of someone taking those steps and the results were nothing short of spectacular.

- Bill

Thanks for the tip, Bill!

Even if you don't have any practical experience, it's always good to know about the best practices from elsewehere.

Cheers!

All right, here's a first approach at my vambraces using the materials I mentioned: soccer shin guards, toothbrush cases and rubber car mats.

As always, any comments are appreciated!

Cheers!

That turned out pretty well.

Nice job, George! Way to get creative!

Thanks for the feedback, guys!

I'm either being creative or just plain darned cheap, as the shin guards cost only 5 bucks a pair and the cases were just lying around in the bathroom cupboard.

Cheers!