Makeshift Unorthodox Costume (In Progress)

[DarthProdigal]

Thanks. Yeah, I saw some like that, but they all seemed to either be too much/bulky to work with the torso armor I have, or were pretty close to the $70 the other arm armor would be, at which point I’d just get those. An option to test out armor visually like in a video game would be sweet. I’m sure VR will be there one day.

"Nope, nope, not that one either... oh bulletproof, water resistant, and one size fits all! Even in my fav color, done deal!"   *scans sub dermal chip in wrist*

"Order confirmed, railgun fired capsule containing the fully automated delivery drone will be in flight to you within 15 minutes or it's free."

[SirLiftaLot]

Proof-of-concept for a thigh holster for the nunchucks, so I can keep them with me while also using the saberstaff. Using the nuncuck case I got when I bought the nunchucks, and two large dog collars for the straps. They're just taped on for now, but I'll have to come up with a better way to adhere them for a final design. It does not seem to conflict with the knee/shin armor, or with the lightsaber in the belt clip on the same side.


The little paws on the clips should probably be covered/sanded/replaced though haha. Not really a very Temple Guard or Grey Jedi symbol I suppose.

[SirLiftaLot]

Upgraded the nunchuck thigh rig. I knocked out the clips and replaced them with the same style circular carabiners. I still found that it tended to slip down a bit over time, so I added a loop on the top to attach to the belt, which would serve to keep it from falling down, even if the two thigh straps became loose. It worked very well, but then I realized if I had the belt over the robe as I normally do, I couldn't have that configuration, as the robe would be in the way of the attachment point. So I switched the attachment point on the belt to be more towards the front than the side, and used one of the extra ring-type things on the upper thigh strap as the attachment point. It serves essentially the same purpose now, but it is slightly suboptimal, as the holster can slightly rotate now if the thigh straps come loose. But it's still fully functional, it's more of a minor aesthetic nagging point I suppose. All points are adjustable; the two thigh straps and the strap that connects the rig to the belt. That said, I do have to play around with the adjustments and sizing a bit, as the thigh ones are a bit loose, and the connector is a bit tight, as I now see it sort of pulled the belt down a bit. I don't have to wear it all the time, and I probably wouldn't wear it when sparring, as I don't think people would appreciate me sparring with nunchucks, but I think it's a cool and fun addition to the overall outfit and versatility.

A work in progress, always evolving:

[mrg149]

looks good. Its interesting to see the small tweaks  as you continue .

[SirLiftaLot]

looks good. Its interesting to see the small tweaks  as you continue .

Thanks. It’s more of a situational thing than anything I suppose, as I don’t think I’d actually wear it when sparring, both because it may still be a little bit restricting, and because I’d rather not have them risk getting hit, even though they’re made out of the same materials as the lightsaber is, but perhaps not heavy grade to take repeated dueling impacts.

Bu if I were to go to a convention or event in the future, I think it would be pretty cool to be able to keep the staff and nunchucks on my person without having to hold them or anything and while still remaining totally in-costume, not having to put them in the carrying case I have. Although the case does fit them both very well.

I suppose it’s just another fun little project, and more options is generally something I enjoy having.

[SirLiftaLot]

Decided to practice some basic flourishes and stance changes inspired by Maul in his fight with Ahsoka in The Clone Wars. Practiced with a wooden staff first the other day, and today for the first time with the saberstaff. The next step is to try too add in some Maul-inspired strikes after it.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frFwdvWLnqI&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frFwdvWLnqI&amp;feature=youtu.be</a>

But the real highlight is when the one-handed spinning activated the quick release coupler and sent one of the blades flying with some respectable hang time. Not really sure what the remedy to that is for times when there's a good deal of one-handed spinning with the sole grip exactly on the coupler in the center of the staff.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTQbOnnE_uI&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTQbOnnE_uI&amp;feature=youtu.be</a>

[SirLiftaLot]

Been a little while, so I figured an update is in order. Been practicing spinning, forms, and pell training since I last posted.

QR coupler needed a good cleaning, not sure if I mentioned that here, although I know I discussed it somewhere. It was getting rather difficult to separate, and impossible to join together without activating the coupler. So put a few drops of lubricant into the four little nubs/balls, and let it sit. Fixed it right up, good as new at the least. Easy to separate, and simple to re-join without activating the coupler first. It did create some nasty black/grey residue on the internal parts of the coupler that would rub off on anything the male end touched when it was separated, likely due to the lubricant dislodging accumulated gunk if I had to guess (?), but nothing a little cleaning didn't fix. Should be good as new in all regards now.

That said, as much as I love the o-rings, they do like to shift a bit after some spinning. This is really not an issue with the QR coupler on, as it really limits how far any ring can actually slide. But if I'm using the standard flush coupler, they can shift a lot further, which can mess with my grip a little bit. Replacing them every so often as they get loose has worked, and they're pretty cheap, but I don't know if that's the best idea to have to continually replace. Again, it's not a terrible issue with the QR coupler, but it can get a little bit irksome. Perhaps some form of leather-wrapping would be in order? I'll have to think it over, look for some inspiration and see what options are out there.

Still thinking about what to do for deltoid armor. There's always the fencing full deltoid/upper-arm/elbow/forearm fencing ones for $70, but considering I already have elbow/forearm pads, this is a bit pricey. This neck and shoulder armor is under $30, but they currently don't have the padded part in black (only beige with black armor portions), and not in my size in either color. I also probably don't need more neck padding given that I have an actual fencing gorget too.

I guess I could try to find some similar smaller shoulder armor pads and adhere them to the torso armor I already have?

[SirLiftaLot]

Finally put up the wall mounts for the sabers, and improvised something for the fencing mask:

[SirLiftaLot]

Got a better photo by using my camera's flash with the sabers lit up, to make the mask design more visable:

[MercuryKungFu]

Got a better photo by using my camera's flash with the sabers lit up, to make the mask design more visable:

Nice wall display! Point.

[SirLiftaLot]

Removed the o-rings and added some leather wrap. The adhesive seems to be doing its job, but I'm not going to test them out until tomorrow.

 I ordered one black and one white wrap to see which one I liked better, and decided to go with one of each, for a yin-yang look. The black one isn't perfect in that it starts a tad far from the coupler and isn't totally flush at the top edge by the button, but I'd still say I'm quite pleased with how the finished products look given my experience working with leather, that is to say none.

[DarthProdigal]

Look at how busy you've been! Pretty dang impressive overall. I really like that leather wrap! I hope it works out functionally well, in addition to looking great. I know you (like me) pride you lightsaber's combat functionality over sheer appearance. It's been a pleasure watching them evolve as you customize and personalize them little by little.

Interesting holster rig for the saberchucks that also functions for your staff when split. Good idea for convention going and such. Your need/desire for those shoulder pads is something I'd struggled with providing any ideas on for sure. Everything is either expensive or conflicts with other item zones needlessly. It's hard to find something that fills that particular gap in your armor setup.

Anyway, glad to see you got that wall mount done! It looks pretty dang good, and I'm sure you're pleased with it. It's ironic there is a bit of balance present between the blue and red blades as well. Like you're arguably more light aligned, but there is a bit of darkness in there too. You've for sure accomplished a pretty great overall outfit and armor setup since your first lightsaber(s) arrived. Well done good Sir. Needless to say, a point is on the way.

[SirLiftaLot]

Look at how busy you've been! Pretty dang impressive overall. I really like that leather wrap! I hope it works out functionally well, in addition to looking great. I know you (like me) pride you lightsaber's combat functionality over sheer appearance. It's been a pleasure watching them evolve as you customize and personalize them little by little.

Interesting holster rig for the saberchucks that also functions for your staff when split. Good idea for convention going and such. Your need/desire for those shoulder pads is something I'd struggled with providing any ideas on for sure. Everything is either expensive or conflicts with other item zones needlessly. It's hard to find something that fills that particular gap in your armor setup.

Anyway, glad to see you got that wall mount done! It looks pretty dang good, and I'm sure you're pleased with it. It's ironic there is a bit of balance present between the blue and red blades as well. Like you're arguably more light aligned, but there is a bit of darkness in there too. You've for sure accomplished a pretty great overall outfit and armor setup since your first lightsaber(s) arrived. Well done good Sir. Needless to say, a point is on the way.

Thanks! So unfortunately it looks like the lightsabers aren't done being modified and tweaked. I forgot that I like to put a bit of tape on the bottom of the hilts where the pommel/coupler attaches to keep it from spinning loose (half the tape on the coupler/pommel and half on the hilt), so some of that tape will have to be on the leather. Not the biggest deal in the world, as the gaffer tape is meant not to leave residue when taken off. And also the end parts of the leather wrap (towards the emitters) pulled itself loose after some spinning. I think my fingers sort of pushed it up and wore out the adhesive. So my current solution, as I already tried more contact adhesive, is yet again another strip of gaffer tape around the top to hold it in place. This tape will also have to be removed every so often if it comes loose, but hopefully it should allow the leather wraps to do their job. I don't want to use super glue because then it would never be removable really.

Also, the white leather wrap has already started to get pretty dirty, I suppose it will become grey soon. Apparently my saber doesn't want to remain entirely on the light side.

You can see here the greying of the white leather, as well as the additional tape strips on either end of either leather wrap.



On a side note, I found a nice area in my community that I can use as a good backdrop for filming. Maybe I'll do a little test footage there.

[mrg149]

Your saber should look dirty…unless you are a space chicken who ddoesn't fight but just looks pretty?!?

[SirLiftaLot]

Your saber should look dirty…unless you are a space chicken who ddoesn't fight but just looks pretty?!?

That's actually quite reassuring. Oh, trust me, there's some "imperfections." A few scuffs on the metal here and there from dropping it, some greying of the white leather, etc. But it does give it some character, character that will continue to evolve and adapt over time to better suit my needs.