I might still use shoelaces or something stretchy of that sort of texture because the model in blender has it as a very matte texture, and some of the spots would benefit from a somewhat elastic connection for wiggling in and out of the suit. There is a spot on the back where there's an "x" of what I think are laces and what you think are staples. Either seem somewhat credible, but I think the little details are some kind of elastic string and I think I'll build with that in mind. (I did notice the spot on the arm where it's more likely to be a staple than a lace, but iunno, maybe it's a mix?)
I'm pretty committed to an EVA helmet and the Mark V neck. I know it's going to be a hard time to get the visor shape but I have some thoughts about vacuum forming machines, which would allow me to achieve the odd shape and potentially allow me to avoid foam for various parts of the armor. The neck looks like a common neck on sweaters/jackets I could find at the thrift store.
If I can go about a vacuum-form technique, then I could do large parts of the armor with this. The advantage is that I will have an easier time figuring out 3D-printing the molds than I would translating the STL to foam forms. Another advantage is that I can make some parts of the armor light and hollow but spacious.
That's a whole 'nother dependency, though, I might be able to get a dental-scale vacuum former with ease but anything bigger would require a fair bit of work, spend, and storage space to
just build a vacuum forming table
I think for the time being I'll prioritize finding the visible under suit, gilet, and armor strap donor pieces from thrift stores. I figure I'll be looking for big, baggy, black denim or canvas clothing, probably workman sort of stuff at the thrift store. Maybe overalls and die them black. For the gilet, I'm wavering between building it out of a heavy canvas fabric, or instead looking for a suitable like, windbreaker and then modify it. I feel the cleanest approach will be to find a baggy denim coat or shirt, dye it to the desired color as needed, and then sew in ridges to create some of the piped effect, adding a heavy zipper
I figure I could 3D-print most of the various strap loop elements and maybe paint them to have a metallic quality. It doesn't seem too hard to get nylon straps and smack grommets in place like in the lumbar area, but the wide back straps with the heavy fabric over them? The cheapo route is to get guitar straps. A fancier route would be to get nylon (or just buy guitar) straps and then use the same materials in the gilet on the straps, giving them an outer cover. I wonder if I could buy covered straps of this nature? Hm...
I feel like as far as patterns go, I might have some luck looking at motorcycle jacket patterns because the overall "stripes" of tough-looking fabric has a motorist quality to it.
Anyway the big decisions I need to work out are:
- what material for the under parts? Cotton/denim? Some kind of canvas (more likely to require custom work)? Or maybe some kind of synthetic fabric like that of a windbreaker or tent? A breathable tech fabric could be great for summer cons and look ok at a distance, but a heavier fabric might "feel" better and look good up close.
- Odds are, the gilet will the several garments that have been torn up and re-sewn together with piping added. I need to seek out close approximations and in time answer the prior question as well.
- what approach for the armor? Foam? Vacuum form? Something else?
- Do I even want to get all the straps? Are there other detail area(s) that I can skimp on at the outset?
- which clips can be printed, and which would be better off being an actual metal strap? If a real metal strap is used, the armor may need to be modified to make it work with something reclaimed. Casting in iron is a vague possibility, but the person who I know with the setup doesn't have a lot of free time to dedicate to my metalworking whimsy.
