PAz Vizsla (HEavy Mandalorian Armor)
The beginning steps to this project were addressing and smoothing the 3D printer layer lines. I applied a general layer of Bondo across all the 3D printed parts.
The next step for getting rid of the layer lines is to sand down the Bondo back to the base of the helmet. This creates a smoother surface as Bondo gets down into all the layer lines and in between the layers to create a more even surface all over. I then wet sanded to get closer to a mirror finish before adding grime and texture back on later after painting.
After the helmet was smoothed, it was time to Bondo the base of the armor set. Depicted here is the two gauntlet halves at the top and bottom of the image with an unsmoothed ab-plate in the center.
Applying Bondo to a large area of the chest piece was definitely time consuming. This was followed by sanding away most of the Bondo to hide the layer lines. Wet sanding then took out the texture.
I sanded the thigh and calf armor to hide the layer lines, but still kept some of the grit from Bondo as these would be the spots that would ordinarily receive the more wear and tear and not battle damage.
I then continued sanding the remaining sections of the armor.
Before applying the color, armor like this requires a basecoat of silver underneath. The dark gloss color adds depth to the silver and helps make it feel shinier and more realistic.
The final step for smoothing away layer lines is to apply a thorough coat of sandable filler-primer.
The silver undercoat is applied for later when the color is added.
I applied various combinations of different silver paints in different layer combinations to create visual variety amongst the armor plates.
The next step was to apply latex masking fluid in the high-wear spots to remove after painting the final colors. This leaves the look of exposed metal in spots, implying age and damage.
Some pieces got extra grit in the form of texture paint to assist in the aging process later.
I had a test fitting of the armor.
I put textured paint on the central parts of the armor, then masked off the parts that need to stay dark. I then sprayed several coats of gloss paint and blue ink.
I then started applying the base color for what would ultimately be the primary color.
The dark visor helmet is the center of the Mandalorian aesthetic and is the mouthpiece from which the characters emote. The helmet has to remain static while still expressing the spectrum of all the emotions that the characters require.
