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One of the tougher elements has been the belt.. its not only located in a spot that would mean breakage for the thing unless it was was made from metal, but the design itself just wouldn't work, because the posts on the buckle are facing the wrong way, and even if they were, they'd be a b*** to buckle.
first of course, was layout.. Drew up the design and made a tagboard and plywood mockup to lay out the belt. Will sculpt the insignia onto the plywood.
Then began the sculpting. Used super sculpey. I don't remember how long it took because I wsa working on & off between projects.
I had sculpted and baked the insignia in sections, to help avoid fouling up areas that already sculpted.
A lot of sanding was done to smooth out imperfections and such.
After a quick acylic paint test (and subsequent stripping of the paint, which proved tougher to do than i thought), I cast it in Moldmax 30, and poured a plaster support to keep it from losing shape when doing pours.
After brushing the inside of the mold with aluminum powder, I poured smoothcast 325 into the mold. Here's the result of the cast once it set.
After sanding the reverse side of the cast to remove the flashing and even it out, I did a "wash" of sorts using spraypaint and a rag.
theres the finished components. Added bolts to the back of the insignia, to connect it to a backplate shaped by heating 2 layers of Sintra and gluing them together with an epoxy to add strength. It'll protect the insignia when ones bending, as well as provide a base to mount the buckles onto. I cut the roller bars off the buckles, and they're mounted to the plate using framing wire. Added padding so the wire won't jab the wearer in the stomach.
The sash is actually fabric wrapped over a piece of vinyl in the approximate shape i wanted. Bunched it up to look as close as i could get to the references. slots and holes were cut into it to add it onto the backplate. Added hook and loop onto the ends of the sash, to make it easier to put on. the seam will be covered by the sash that hangs off the side.
The insigna was then bolted onto the backplate :)
Time to cut out & test the belt straps! When done with those, the insignia will hold the partial pieces of leather in place., because Ubi didn't' make a design that would actually WORK and theres "magic" involved XD
Used the cardboard mockup as a pattern for the leatherwork. After hooking the sash around the waist, I buckle the straps in the -back-, since that setup back there actually -does- work based on the references.
The AC logo in the back is purely decorative, since I'll be clipping pouches to the back of the belt once they're completed.
Since the insignia required a mold, I can make more insignia assemblies if one might be interested. Belt n' sash not included.. Here's some info and a request form here
Other elements of cosplay gear (left bracer, daggers, paulron clips etc. ) will undergo similar treatment XD
