TK - Stormtrooper: Tales From the Galaxy's Edge: Last Call - First Order Lt. Gauge Research and Build Thread

[revlimiter[Staff]]

I has a sad. Really wish you hadn't withdrawn, brother! Things were getting so close to done!

[Sly11[Admin]]

Hopefully you come back to this project in the future.

November is a very important month for you indeed, hope your preparations for the new arrival are almost complete.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

 

@Chemi/ @starsaber25/ @Sly11 - Are we happier with the width and angle on the template this time...?

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

I love graph paper! And that you’re sticking with this, dude!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

10 minutes ago, MaskedVengeance said:

I love graph paper! And that you’re sticking with this, dude!

 

Begrudgingly, but thank you! Just the backside of old wrapping paper.

 

I've put in too much work already to let the naysayers win by giving up, and I think the critique on the front panel was a bit excessive but not wrong. Remaking it myself now that I'm in my new house and things are settling down. Leather is exceptionally expensive in the size required for this pauldron, so I reeeeeeeally don't want to make any more changes after this and will hold for feedback.

Edited March 23 by TheRascalKing

[Nairy[Staff]]

1 hour ago, TheRascalKing said:

 

Begrudgingly, but thank you! Just the backside of old wrapping paper.

 

I've put in too much work already to let the naysayers win by giving up, and I think the critique on the front panel was a bit excessive but not wrong. Remaking it myself now that I'm in my new house and things are settling down. Leather is exceptionally expensive in the size required for this pauldron, so I reeeeeeeally don't want to make any more changes after this and will hold for feedback.

I think that this is a great approach, to hold for feedback, especially considering the amount of time and money you're putting into it! We all want the same thing in the end!

[Nairy[Staff]]

 

I have played around with triangles and pasted a non-slanted triangle on one of the reference photos where it is pointing basically at the camera (minimum distortion), and I was just thinking if you need a triangle ratio to go on, this could help!

 

I think what you have right now may be a little too slanted, compared to the screenshots I've seen, what do you think?

 

I know that the triangle needs to be a little slanted just because of where it is located, and I know that the bottom of the triangle follows the bottom curve of the circle shape, and the top of the triangle is cropped, and right now it may be juuust a little too slanted by the looks of the blueprint you've made, but then again I don't know how the fabric will bend and stuff, so perhaps if you cut out your shape on the paper and place it on your body it would show a little more clearly if what you have now is good or not?

 

I also noticed that the left side of the triangle (the outside) has a smaller black area than the bottom side, and in your blueprint it pretty much looked like you had the same size all around, is that correct?

[Nairy[Staff]]

From a design perspective (thinking from the developers POV), it would make sense if they designed it to reuse as many measurements as possible, so if you could just try to use the same distance as you have at #1 (the distance between the black and red leather around the neck) on #2 (the top of the triangle shape, making the black area at the top have the same distance), and on #3 minimize the distance to the edge a bit?
 

[Nairy[Staff]]

Sorry if I'm not helping at all  Just trying to contribute the with what I can to move it forward! Feel totally free to dismiss it!  

[Chemi[Staff]]

@TheRascalKing I have no intention of adding anything else to this thread. Thank you very much for the excellent work in creating this CRL. I hope you get to finish it and enjoy it.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

1 hour ago, Nairy said:

Sorry if I'm not helping at all  Just trying to contribute the with what I can to move it forward! Feel totally free to dismiss it!  

 

I appreciate the evidence-based feedback and desire to help, not just saying it isn't good or accurate enough. 

 

I had it at about a 75° angle and ratio of 1:0.31 instead of 80° and 1:0.3743, but I have moved the angle a bit (a little over 78°) to adjust and kept the same 0.75cm gap all the way around, including at the top (distance 2). The original slice was closer to 70° and 1:0.64 and the bottom width of the front pie slice has been cut almost in half to better match reference.

 

Should be even closer and hopefully good enough to be passable to Staff and the LMO team.

Edited March 24 by TheRascalKing

[revlimiter[Staff]]

18 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

Leather is exceptionally expensive in the size required for this pauldron

 

Agreed. Which is why I'm suggesting.... cardboard.

 

Cardboard and some red spray paint, my friend. Cardboard. Not for the final product, but for mock ups and test fits. Heck, don't even have to do red spray, but it might help in the visualization of the final thing. Even red construction paper might work and be sized about right for each panel. Cut and stick to the cardboard. Or tape. Or anything.

 

Never give up!  

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

24 minutes ago, revlimiter said:

 

Agreed. Which is why I'm suggesting.... cardboard.

 

I wish, but cardboard is too stiff to lay correctly for mockups. The grain of leather I went with this time is thinner though, so it should lay a bit more organically and less rigid, to address other feedback I received.

 

Instead of a thick base layer with a thin layer glued on top, then the red panels on top of that (3 layers), I went for a single medium-thin layer and then will just have the red panels on top of that, with a flexible leather glue. Using the first pauldron that was made for me by a vendor who makes clone pauldrons, I can kind of tell what angles needed to be adjusted slightly, and the other upside of templating myself like this is I can hopefully ensure a level of consistency and symmetry that is good enough for everyone's standards. I paid (handsomely) last time and trusted a vendor, then ended up modifying and rebuilding it myself anyways, but at least he did all the initial templating. A side of leather as required for a pauldron of this size is an easy $150+ USD and I get one chance to cut it up. I appreciate succinct and supportive feedback so we can get this done right this time.

 

I mean, I think it looks pretty good and captures the character, but the new pauldron will hopefully be even closer.

 

Edited March 24 by TheRascalKing

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Would something like a craft paper work? Here I'd use lining paper (for wall papering) as it's cheap, large and would drape more than card.

[revlimiter[Staff]]

I was thinking something like chipboard. It's like just one layer of cardboard and doesn't have any corrugation. It also gets a little floppy the more you work with it. May be a good simulade?

 

Wall paper is an excellent idea as well. ACE Hardware has lots of that kind of thing in small squares vs huge rolls.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

I don't want to get lost in the weeds here gentlemen - I can find material to do a mockup of the red pie slices before cutting them out of leather, but I haven't heard any complaints about the shape of the base of the pauldron, so I think I feel okay to move forward with that unless anyone objects. I have enough leather to cut multiple sets of pie slices, but really only one base.

Edited March 25 by TheRascalKing

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

On 3/23/2024 at 11:04 PM, Nairy said:

From a design perspective (thinking from the developers POV), it would make sense if they designed it to reuse as many measurements as possible, so if you could just try to use the same distance as you have at #1 (the distance between the black and red leather around the neck) on #2 (the top of the triangle shape, making the black area at the top have the same distance), and on #3 minimize the distance to the edge a bit?
 

The vertical spacing looks significantly thinner than then bottom one, and the gap at the top of the slice appears to be closer to the side then the base.  This suggestion seems more accurate to my eyes.  Though you might want to check the relative proportions of the various black elements.

[Nairy[Staff]]

I think you should try my suggestions, there were some points that I think would make it a bit more like the original, like the black area on the left being smaller than the bottom spacing! (But that isn't the black leather pieces concern, only triangle related/red leather)

 

As for the big black one that is underneath, I think you can go ahead, if it is anything like the old one! Is there anything you can think of regarding the fitment in the back? I haven't seen any images in this thread of the back from the old one!

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

 

At first, I thought it might have been an artifact of the game rendering, but looking again - I can see that the varying thickness of the black trim is pretty consistent even in the press/"hero" images. I'm using those as my primary source, not the game renders as those can vary and be limited by graphic processing, but the spacing at the inside edge is definitely thinner than the outer edge, and the spacing between the panels larger still. I've adjusted the template again to match and will go over it with a marker to make it easier to see if we're all feeling good about it now.

 

I actually didn't take a photo of the back when I threw it on at the end of my TFA submission set, but I have a decent shot from this weekend's WonderCon convention. The pauldron is secured along the bottom edge with some bar magnets to hold it down, and the same round magnets that hold the outer chest to the yoke in the front. As discussed, I plan to increase the thickness of the perimeter and the spacing between the panels over current. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1 by TheRascalKing

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Been letting the summer heat in my workshop and decision paralysis hold me up on this one, but it's time to keep moving and close this out. I finished up my new template, which was approved by my production supervisor:

 

 

Under the watchful eye of my shop assistant, I covered the back of a side of thinner black leather with self-adhesive felt sheets so that it does not rub or bleed dye into my armor:

 

 

Then traced my updated template with white wax pencil:

 

 

And cut out the new base layer with leather sheers and a ruler/razor blade for the straight lines:

 

 

Working on the pie slices now, but here is a mockup of the first one, which I think was the major, valid point of feedback to be addressed - it's almost half the size of the previous one when set on top! More to come.

 

Edited August 4 by TheRascalKing

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

LOVE seeing work continue on this, brother! Keep it up! *meow*

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Charging ahead with some new panels...

 

 

Probably need one more coat of paint to be rid of any streaks, but laid where they should go...

 

 

Should be much closer to reference but still some time to adjust before gluing them down. Just the front connecting piece left to re-template and cut!

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

Using this reference you might want make the front black gap slightly more triangular and less parallel if you can but otherwise this is far closer than the previous one.

[revlimiter[Staff]]

That gap shape may appear naturally when worn. The chest might open it up to be identical to that screenshot.

 

The black gaps look PERFECT to my eyes. Very well done!

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

On 8/13/2024 at 9:48 AM, themaninthesuitcase said:

Using this reference you might want make the front black gap slightly more triangular and less parallel if you can but otherwise this is far closer than the previous one.

 

Trimmed the middle panel a bit more to emphasize the triangular shape of the gap, good call. More pics after another coat of red.

 

Been working on the center connector and cut new pieces after templating based off the old one, but increased the gaps and it is more consistently symmetrical.

 

 

Mixed up some leather paint but needed to darken up the available grey. It dried lighter than I'd like so I may do another coat with more black mixed in.

 

 

 

And laid out, almost completed.