Shay's General Kenobi W.I.P

[Shay Kenobi ()]

Hey guys. Well this one has been a long time coming but it’s time to get it going. When I started a thread almost a year back asking about Obi Wan Clone Wars armour ( and more specifically the chest piece ) I was pretty surprised that no one was making it. I think possibly since then, one maker has put his hand up and will do the chest piece, but I really thought it would be an easy piece to get hold of. Frustrated that it wasn’t accessible and that the pieces that had been available in the past weren’t really that screen accurate as they were a solid piece, I decided I would make my own.

I have done a lot of research for this build and I know that there are probably 9 or 10 elements some of which are going to be a nightmare. I think one of the comments from the other thread was something like “ You can use the regular Clone armour for the rest of it “. I thought ok great, that makes it easier BUT… when you look closely…..The boots are different. The leg armour is VERY different and specific to THIS General. The handplates are different. The forearm armour is different. The shoulder bells are VERY different and are almost the Clone bells but inverted. Even the bicep armour is different. All of these elements will need to be heavily modified. Then you have an impossible neck seal to deal with, a very distinct look of the belt and pouches etc etc. I think this will be a really challenging build. So wish me luck fellow Jedi I will need it!

I’m starting with the Chest Piece




I started with some graph paper and a lot of reference shots. I then looked at a size that would fit me to the same proportions as Obi Wan. Then I just drew the template onto the graph paper.

I thought that I could transfer this to a sheet of worbla



and then give the armour its “thickness” by backing the worbla with a high density EVA foam. Like this..


I hadn’t used worbla prior, I had only heard about it. When the sheet arrived it was a LOT thinner then I was expecting.

This would probably work but it isn’t the substantial and strong armour that I pictured…. OK change of plan. I am going to transfer the same pattern to a sheet of 3mm ABS plastic.

I’ve cut out the shape now in ABS and I’m much happier with the result.
I have cut 2 further pieces to add to the back of the armour as the “step up” section. I’ll glue those into place.


I’ve separated the panels

as they all need to have individual movement like the this..


Still thinking about how to join them as one chest piece, yet still allowing them to move forward and back.

Tomorrow I will start the shaping process…
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" Another happy landing "

[Anakin Skywalker ()]

Looks good so far, I can't wait to see more
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"All who gain power are afraid to lose it."
"The whole thing stank, but our noses had been out in the cold for too long..."

[Sarah1968 ()]

Giggity

[Obickay ()]

Nice work there Shay. Looks like it is going to be a great build.

[rogue9607 (Nick)]

Great work so far! I was finding similar issues with clone armor being close but not accurate when doing the forearms for my general.

[sarah_d (sarah drummond)]

Looking good Shay!
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[Adam.S ()]

I've seen this first hand and it's freaking amazing , the shins , the forarms and chest look insane , if you don't know Shay he is mildly obsesive with accuracy.
Let's say this is gunna set the bench mark for others to follow and he will look freaking amazing .
I can't wait to troop my Rex next to him in this. Straight outta clone wars.
Tython base will have one very accurate Jedi when he is complete.
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[luciferian ()]

Looks great so far Shay i really want to see this completed your Obi is always impressive to see.
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[Shay Kenobi ()]

Hey Guys.

Adam you are a very generous man, thanks mate. I cant wait to troop with Captain Rex he is totally awesome.

Hi Nick. Yeah , I think you have a really good idea. I have thought about that method a lot. It would give a very good result. Though I want the whole chest unit a little more solid, rather then a “fluid” type look. A solid armour unit rather then a soft garment with the panels attached. I will definitely be finishing the chest piece with a black stretch material in between the panels though to give the correct look.

So now the shaping. This was a lot harder then I imagined. Some of this might look more like a blooper reel then a WIP but I’m sure others benefit from seeing the screw ups as well.

Just started with a heat gun trying to get the right shape to the curve. So far , so good.







Ok, what started to become obvious at this point was that the double layer at the back was heating up at different rates and was difficult to get a nice curve.

No problem, start again, remove the panels and try to shape each section individually.



It was really looking nice across the back.




To check it was taking shape, I joined the front section panels together.


It is via this small piece of ABS plastic with a couple of plastic “nubs” or buttons under the panels that sit just outboard of the centre section to lift them slightly from their neighbouring panel to give the correct effect.



Ok its starting to take a much better shape.
This method will allow the panels to expand with movement but will stay nice and straight in their “rest” position. Like this.. ( the outside panels still need the final length trimmed )


Shaping the armour “step up” sections separately and then trying to “match” them to the rear armour already in place is quite challenging. It’s proving very difficult to get both surfaces to sit flush now that they have been separately heated and shaped.


That might be the least of my concerns.....

What’s wrong with these pictures…?





That’s right. Unless you are Captain America your shoulders don’t go straight out from your neck horizontally. They slope down.

At the moment, the armour is going to sit way up above the shoulders and look silly.
The outer panels have to be heated and bent in and down to follow the shoulder line.

HA HA HA. Ok then….. and that will look like this.






So what I will need to do is, once I have the right shape to the shoulder, measure how far from vertical the panels end up, then go back to my original drawing and re draw the pattern with those panels curving out by the same amount. That way, when I bend it to follow the shoulder line the outer panels will fall vertically and straight.

I guess this method was never going to be an exact science. Its like hand carving something, there are no real guidelines.








Ok, lets try this.


I’m going to start again with the new design, but I’m also shaping the armour with the “step up”sections in place, but I am cutting large sections out of the rear to reduce its resistance to heat and re shaping. It wont have to be heated so much and should be easier to do what I want to.








I know it looks pretty rough now but it’s all going to be cleaned up and you wont see any gaps in the back as they will be covered with the panels and the inside will be lined with white EVA foam.



Ok a little progress here…






Those rough pieces on the back around the neckline will be all trimmed up shortly..

It’s a much better unit after all those changes to the plan. It really is a learning curve right ? LOL I guess it’s how you finish, not how you start.

Tomorrow I will get the fit exactly right , trim up the edges, sand the whole thing back and start to paint ( Oh, if its not clear from the pictures, those dark lines all over the armour is just the protective coating of the ABS plastic that peels off when you are done. )
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" Another happy landing "

[Fyr Mureys ()]

Looks fantastic, Shay. I was looking at Anakin's armour with a similar aim in mind, although thinking of Sintra strips and riveting them to leather straps along the top edge rather than the stretchy fabric, as his moves in a similar way and it reminded me of Roman lorica somewhat. Love what you're doing with this!
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[Obickay ()]

Looks fantasitc.

Great work Shay

[Shay Kenobi ()]

Thanks Obickay

I'll have a bit more soon
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" Another happy landing "

[Shay Kenobi ()]

Ok so now I have tidied up the overlapping edges, grinding them back smooth. The back side of the armour had a few subtle “buckles” from the heat and manipulation. I sanded it back to get rid of most of them but a few subtle variations remain and I love it. Nothing you would notice until you are up close and then you see that it looks like its had a few knocks. Hey, it’s battle armour, and this is war! Still very smooth but not perfect, so it doesn’t look like he stepped out of the Academy yesterday. Classic Star Wars



The front section now has a perfect curve I think...






Time for some paint....


Sand the armour all over now and spray with an undercoat. Every area around the world will have their own equivalent or “as good product” but I used this “Zinsser” with great result.



Ok once you have a good covering of the Zinsser, its time for the top coats. I have used an acrylic lacquer which is an automotive paint. Again plenty of similar products around but for the Aussies, I really recommend this one.





Even though this is a “gloss” I am going to knock that back with final sanding. I put on about 3 – 4 coats of acrylic lacquer sanding lightly in between each coat.
I always do it in water with some washing up liquid and about 400 grit.

“ JUST DOING THE DISHES HONEY….”





OK so this is it so far..




I am really happy. It still needs the black “pin stripping” in between the outside and second to outside panels. It also needs the layer of stretch fabric applied in between the other panels and the final weathering.

This is the bit that I am agonizing over at the moment however –
After lots of heating and adjusting the armour fits really well, but more importantly sits perfectly. I was going to “3D” the chest armour with this EVA I spoke of earlier.



Just so it has that certain “thickness” to its appearance. The thing is, adding that foam will probably, significantly, alter its fit. The Obi Wan chest armour isn’t really that thick from the reference shots ie…



I want this build to be as accurate as possible but I think a better fit would probably benefit the overall look more than the panels being slightly thicker ? What does everyone think?

The ABS I used was thicker than normal – at least 3mm and of course the back section is double that.
Maybe I can just line the edges without affecting the way it sits ?? Anyway, I guess there is a little more fitting and testing before its final.

I’m going to leave this piece now and move on to the next section as my big box of armour has just arrived WOO HOO

Next phase soon .
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" Another happy landing "

[rogue9607 (Nick)]

This is looking great!

I really like the idea of foaming the edges for visual thickness (something I've considered doing on my forearms, but that'll probably be in version 2 of them), but I don't think the chest piece needs it. It looks like the right thickness already imo. I could seeing the shoulder bells, and other parts potentially needing that treatment depending no how much curve is on the edge. Perhaps get everything done/fit and then see if any of the pieces need to be beefed up?
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[Shay Kenobi ()]

Thanks Nick, that's really sage advice. Actually its quite a relief that you tell me the chest armour looks about right. You start to second guess these things. I'm just so happy that it sits well

I will definitely be "3D ing" the other pieces. As you say, they need it. Especially the Shoulder bells which are about twice the thickness of the other pieces. It took me a long time to find the EVA in white. I watched lots of youtube videos on sealing and painting of EVA. Soooo relieved to find it in white LOL
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" Another happy landing "