thksdad
Active Hunter
So i really haven't been in the Fett scene lately so im really excited to be back into it. This time, im making a Jango Fett costume...mostly for an awesome display but also for fun convention times... :cheers Anyway, i was shopping around here in B'ham and saw that the local Goodies was going out of business. I went in there hoping to get some great deals on a few shirts but sadly they didn't have much of a selection. LOL. so, i started to leave when i saw a row of mannequins all for sale. I went over there and saw that the full mannequin displays with stand and arms were only $50 out the door! I was so stoked. LOL. Long story short, I bought the mannequin and wanted to mod it for my Jango outfit. So, I posting this for those who would like to do the same. Im winging it to be honest So...Here we go....
Here are all the materials I will be using. Materials were a little less than $50. I got fiberglass resin with the harderner (usually comes with the can but check), fiberglass cloth (the cloth makes it a lot stronger and will be easier to mold), a box of gloves, plastic tarp, gorilla tape, a few $0.92 paint brushes (get cheap ones), and be sure to get a mask. I already had one so that wasn't in the $50 quote.
*Step One- Be very Patient. Do not rush things and try to have some fun with the project. Remember, you can always fix something if you mess up so try to relax and enjoy the projec.
*Step Two- Buy the mannequin of your choice. Mine was made from fiberglass which makes it so easy to work with. Take it to a good open area with plenty of ventilation. You will be working with fiberglass which is very strong and could be harmful if used in an inclosed area. Place the mannequin on the stand and cover the enitre stand with paper and or masking tape. I did both just to be extra safe. Decide on how you want your mannequin to look ie his or her pose. I started with the leg but will mod the rest later.
*Step Three- Mask off the area you will be cutting. This will give you a clean cut and will keep you from cutting too high or too low for the connecting line. You can use a dremel or a saw. i used one of these.
I already cut the leg off at the knee cap so I didn't get a complete pic of what the mannequin looked like before...
*Step Four- Play with the leg to get it to the position you would like it to be. It takes a little looking at at different angles. Just mess with it until you get to a look you like.
*Step Five- With the Gorilla Tape, tape the leg into the position you would like it to be in. I started off with a couple strips just to make sure thats where I wanted it to be.
*Step Six- Next cut strips of the Gorilla Tape and tape the leg into position. I used about 6-7 strips. You do not have to tape up the whole leg, but that would be up to you. This just keeps the leg into position and will give added strength for the leg.
*Step Seven- Next comes the kinda tricky part. If you have never used fiberglass its very simple. Its basically adding the correct amount of resin to harderner, stiring, and applying to the cloth. Instructions are on the back of the can. However, I usually just eyeball everything. You will need a bowl (I used a recycled butter bowl. You can use a disposiable cup or whatever you would like), a paint brush (the very cheap ones), the fiberglass cloth, gloves and YOUR MASK.
...and don't forget your Milos Sweet Tea. Your mask doesn't have to be the one I have but you do need something. The cheap white ones with the nose pinch clip will do just fine.
Start by unfolding the fiberglass cloth like so...
Then cut 2 (roughly 5-6") strips. Enough to wrap around the entire leg.
Do a quick test fit to make sure they make it all the way around or close to all the way around. Mine was about 1" shy of connecting.
*Step Eight- Now comes the Fiberglass part. Make sure you are wearing your mask and your gloves. Pour some of the fiberglass resin into a bowl (again, make sure its not valuable ).
Add in the correct amount of harderner. If you add too much, thats okay. The more you put in the faster it will cure, or dry. This can be a good thing if you don't have much to do, however can be bad if your taking your time. Take your brush and mix the resin and harderner. Make sure that its mixed well. If its not, it will not hard. Then, Take one strip of the cloth and hold it in the middle of the seam. you want about 2-3" of cloth on above and 2-3" of cloth below the cut you made. Take your brush and apply the mixd resin to the cloth. the cloth should almost become a yellowish/ brown opaque look. That means you have a good amount of resin on the cloth. Simply mold the cloth to the body. You can leave the cloth higher in some areas for more realistic "knee cap" areas but doesn't matter. A jumpsuit will be covering up all that. Here is the finished knee with the fiberglass. I put 2 sheets on it. This makes it stronger so it will not break off.
Thats it for now. I'll try to work on it again in a few hours and will be sure to post more pics and steps.
Here are all the materials I will be using. Materials were a little less than $50. I got fiberglass resin with the harderner (usually comes with the can but check), fiberglass cloth (the cloth makes it a lot stronger and will be easier to mold), a box of gloves, plastic tarp, gorilla tape, a few $0.92 paint brushes (get cheap ones), and be sure to get a mask. I already had one so that wasn't in the $50 quote.
*Step One- Be very Patient. Do not rush things and try to have some fun with the project. Remember, you can always fix something if you mess up so try to relax and enjoy the projec.
*Step Two- Buy the mannequin of your choice. Mine was made from fiberglass which makes it so easy to work with. Take it to a good open area with plenty of ventilation. You will be working with fiberglass which is very strong and could be harmful if used in an inclosed area. Place the mannequin on the stand and cover the enitre stand with paper and or masking tape. I did both just to be extra safe. Decide on how you want your mannequin to look ie his or her pose. I started with the leg but will mod the rest later.
*Step Three- Mask off the area you will be cutting. This will give you a clean cut and will keep you from cutting too high or too low for the connecting line. You can use a dremel or a saw. i used one of these.
I already cut the leg off at the knee cap so I didn't get a complete pic of what the mannequin looked like before...
*Step Four- Play with the leg to get it to the position you would like it to be. It takes a little looking at at different angles. Just mess with it until you get to a look you like.
*Step Five- With the Gorilla Tape, tape the leg into the position you would like it to be in. I started off with a couple strips just to make sure thats where I wanted it to be.
*Step Six- Next cut strips of the Gorilla Tape and tape the leg into position. I used about 6-7 strips. You do not have to tape up the whole leg, but that would be up to you. This just keeps the leg into position and will give added strength for the leg.
*Step Seven- Next comes the kinda tricky part. If you have never used fiberglass its very simple. Its basically adding the correct amount of resin to harderner, stiring, and applying to the cloth. Instructions are on the back of the can. However, I usually just eyeball everything. You will need a bowl (I used a recycled butter bowl. You can use a disposiable cup or whatever you would like), a paint brush (the very cheap ones), the fiberglass cloth, gloves and YOUR MASK.
...and don't forget your Milos Sweet Tea. Your mask doesn't have to be the one I have but you do need something. The cheap white ones with the nose pinch clip will do just fine.
Start by unfolding the fiberglass cloth like so...
Then cut 2 (roughly 5-6") strips. Enough to wrap around the entire leg.
Do a quick test fit to make sure they make it all the way around or close to all the way around. Mine was about 1" shy of connecting.
*Step Eight- Now comes the Fiberglass part. Make sure you are wearing your mask and your gloves. Pour some of the fiberglass resin into a bowl (again, make sure its not valuable ).
Add in the correct amount of harderner. If you add too much, thats okay. The more you put in the faster it will cure, or dry. This can be a good thing if you don't have much to do, however can be bad if your taking your time. Take your brush and mix the resin and harderner. Make sure that its mixed well. If its not, it will not hard. Then, Take one strip of the cloth and hold it in the middle of the seam. you want about 2-3" of cloth on above and 2-3" of cloth below the cut you made. Take your brush and apply the mixd resin to the cloth. the cloth should almost become a yellowish/ brown opaque look. That means you have a good amount of resin on the cloth. Simply mold the cloth to the body. You can leave the cloth higher in some areas for more realistic "knee cap" areas but doesn't matter. A jumpsuit will be covering up all that. Here is the finished knee with the fiberglass. I put 2 sheets on it. This makes it stronger so it will not break off.
Thats it for now. I'll try to work on it again in a few hours and will be sure to post more pics and steps.
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