My armor kit is set to arrive in the next few days, so I figured I'd get my build log started to some extent.
This first post is just going to be some general background on my skills and experience with relevant things, just so people know where I'm coming from and how I'm approaching this whole process.
I'll also make a general rundown of my major concerns and how I initially plan on solving them.
I will be doing a Heavy Weapons Trooper build, but it will start off as just an ANH Stunt build.... HWT really just seems to be an addon to that, so I'll focus on the base first.
Right then!
I have absolutely no experience with costume making or anything similar. I'm not even a very artistic person.
I have a bit of a history with starting projects like this and giving up before I even make any progress because I get very overwhelmed, realize I'm in over my head and that things will never meet my own expectations.
I have a ton of electronics experience, so I'm looking forward to modifying my helmet in various ways. I think this is the only thing that I'm very comfortable with.
I have some painting experience, but it is limited to models. I do plan on replacing any decals with hand-painted ones.
Here are the major challenges that I see myself facing, aside from the general lack of skill or experience.
-I'm a fairly large person. 6'4" 250lbs.
Obviously, most armor is not designed for a person of such a height. I'm using an Anovos kit, as many are. (couldn't pass up that price!) I think that I'll be okay with the limb construction, might just have slightly larger gaps in the armor, but I have a feeling that my chest plate will not overlap the abdominal plate. I'm thinking that I might be able to fix this by separating the abdominal plate and shimming it to add a bit of length, then hiding all that with the belt. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated.
-I'm not too afraid to admit this...but my size issues aren't limited to my height. This slight gut of mine might get in the way a bit!
If the abdominal plate does not sit how I want it to then, well, something needs to be done about the offending fatness. I've been working on this issue for a while, but it's certainly a very slow process. In the mean time, if necessary, I'll probably end up using an abdominal compression thing for post-surgery. Yeah, it's silly... but if it achieves the effect I want, then so be it.
-As stated before, I tend to get very overwhelmed, which usually causes me to just give up on things.
This is probably going to be the hardest issue to overcome. I'm thinking about just setting small goals for myself and only focusing on certain parts of the armor at a time, rather than looking at the whole thing. We'll see how this goes! I also have a friend that is very experienced with costuming making and will likely get his help with the strapping system, as that is something that I feel like I'll screw up.
I think that's about it. I'll keep updating this as things move forward but for now, I'm just waiting around until I can finally get to work!
