Koda Vonnor

More work on the lightsaber holster: I laced up the gap in the "leather" lining (it's actually flexible fiberglass) using embroidery thread, then soaked the thread with superglue over a polypropylene tube insert. Glue didn't stick to the plastic but made the thread semi-rigid. Shout out to Thomas Spanos for that idea. Jedi Leda will be adding the weathering. In the background is the hollow and very lightweight shoulder bell for the blind/drunk Kota. I also cut and weathered a tabard (not shown) to loop over the belt. All ready for Celebration now. ~ vonnor

Today was a prime day. I tack-glued the hollow shoulder bell for the blind TFU Kota armor, then bondo'd the two half shells together. I also put the tsuka-ito wrap on the final version of the lightsaber, and primed the bell and the lightsaber-holster liner. More to come. ~ vonnor

Although not technically part of the TFU2 Rahm Kota costume, I did a little work on another shoulder bell this weekend. It is for the blind/drunk version of General Kota from TFU. Pam Simpson gave me a suggestion a long time ago about reducing armor weight. Her idea was to cast inner and outer shells and fix them together. I need an extremely lightweight solution for the blind Kota shoulder bell since he only wears one and I don't want it to pull the shirt neckline all out of kilter. I used the old clam shell mold that I cast the original bells in and laid a rondo gel-coat followed by 4 tight cloth layers. It came out very light weight. I will bondo the two halves together and smooth out the edges. ~ vonnor

Thanks Tlana.

Here is the de-molded saber holster liner. The opening is still rough cut and needs the wavy edge and the lacing. If any of you build fiberglass production pieces, I can highly recommend a bit of the flexible resin in the mix (see previous post for source link). As you can see in the first photo, it REALLY flexes, and that's only about 25% flex-resin to 75% normal laminating resin. It snaps right back into original shape as soon as pressure is let off. There were three layers of glass cloth in this casting, and I could have gone four with no problem. I plan on using a little flex resin in the mix for the ab-plate. For the lacing I plan to use plain un-waxed dental floss, and make it rigid with superglue (Many thanks to Thomas Spanos The Clone Emperor for the idea). Next up is the new leather wrap on the (now longer) lightsaber hilt. ~ vonnor

Here is the fiberglass casting that will be the lightsaber holster liner. It is made from three layers of glass cloth and a mix of 75/25 rigid/flexible polyester resin. Note the cloth is cut on the bias (45 degree angle) in order to follow the contour of the mandrel. When this sets up I will prime and sand it inside and out, then paint a base of satin brown on which Jedi Leda will paint the leather pattern in acrylics. This is also a test to see if the flexible polyester resin will be viable for the abdomen plate. ~ vonnor

What's THAT thing?? Practice. It's the whole clay-sculpt / plaster-backed-rubber-mold / rigid-casting process applied to build a mandrel for making the "leather" liner for the lightsaber holster. The Hydrocal mandrel will be shaped a bit then sealed and waxed. Three layers of fiberglass cloth will be laminated over the mandrel using a blend of rigid and flexible polyester resins. Since I need to make the abdomen plate out of "flexible fiberglass" this will be a test to see how the recommended 75/25 (rigid/flex) resin blend works, and if I need to adjust the mix one way or the other for the ab plate. The production holster liner will be painted by the real artist in the house (my GF) to simulate leather, then cut off at the black line and fixed down inside the holster frame. The lacing will be a heavier fiberglass strand from package sealing tape, which I stumbled upon by fluke. Stay tuned. ~ vonnor

Thank you maestro.

Vambraces test. A little teaser. ~ vonnor

Twins! That's it for the arms. Now it gets real. I will be working on some of the soft parts, not the least of which is the flubber on my body. Finish the shirt and make a 2nd one, build the lightsaber holster, weather the boots. Torso cast comes as soon as 20lbs goes. ~ vonnor

I just received some satin finish paints for the scapula plate and the back plate's center panel. These will be dirtied up and scratched down to a TK-white like the references. From Art Primo. Highly recommended for color matching. ~ vonnor

More shiny stuff! Gotta wait a few days for the paint to dry completely before sand-weathering to match the left assembly. ~ vonnor

Today I received some aluminum strips that I had cut to size. The references suggest two clips that attach the lightsaber holster to the bandoleer. I'm experimenting with how to form and attach them. Details, details... Painted and weathered vambraces coming this weekend. ~ vonnor

Thank you very much! I looked at your work on https://www.facebook.com/VillainworksLtd and it's quite impressive. ~ vonnor

Shiny!