To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Amphibia Costumes - Armor Color - Part 1

Jumping around a touch, but figured I'd share an update about the armor color choices. First off, as a reminder, these are the two images we're working from to create these characters (link). Anne has a gold armor (with three different shades) and Darcy has a dark purple/black (with two different shades). Both have a metal appearance. This is why we invested in the airbrush setup because we didn't think we could achieve the look we were aiming for with acrylic based paints. I spent a lot of time reviewing different options and ultimately settled on the Alclad II brand lacquer (link) based paints based on the following videos:

One of the most important advantages of Alclad II was the flexibility of the paint and how it didn't break up when flexed. So we're hoping that's true for most of their lines of product.

I've purchased them either through Amazon or Ebay as neither seems to have them all.

We're still in the testing phase, but here's what we've done thus far.

First off, I put down two layers of Flexbond (link). I'm still on my original bottle, so it goes a long way. I used a paint brush to apply it to a piece of 2mm thick high density foam (link). In varying thicknesses, this is the foam we plan on using to construct the armor.

After two layers of Flexbond and allowing it to dry overnight, I then laid out a grid pattern for testing out my 12 different combinations.

View attachment 856184

For bases, we're initially testing the following:

View attachment 856186

ALC 701 - Bright Silver Candy Base
ALC 305 - Gloss Black Base
ALC 315 - Gloss Pale Grey Base
ALC 300 - Black Primer & Microfiller

Each of these have different preferred number of applications and pressure settings on the airbrush.

For colors, we're initially testing the following:

View attachment 856185

ALC 118 - Gold Titanium
ALC 417 - Hot Metal Violet
ALC 711 - Candy Indigo Enamel

For application, I went through and added a layer as described of each of the bases. I should note that some of these look vastly different in person than they do in pictures.

View attachment 856187

The ALC 701 bright silver gives off a true metallic appearance, but shows the brush strokes way more. The first three are all shiny, and the fourth has a more matte appearance.

ALC 701 only calls for a single layer, and it's possible it was already in a good place, but I went ahead and added another layer. The other three called for 2-3 layers.

View attachment 856188

I don't think it harmed anything having a second layer for ALC 701. The other three definitely benefited from the second layer. I let everything dry overnight and checked it the next morning.

View attachment 856189

Ultimately, the appearance the next morning was overly different than right after the application. Maybe a little more shine in the bright silver. After showing these based to G, and without even applying the colors to them, she was most interested in ALC 701 Bright Silver Candy Base. Which is hilarious to me. Because we spent a lot of time reviewing Youtube videos, and she was adamant she didn't want the super reflective metal appearance because that's not "tv show accurate". But I told her there's a difference between tv shows and real life. It's really hard to draw reflective surfaces in a cartoon over and over because it requires so much extra work. And so in real life, they're metal armor may very well be reflective. Once I gave her this explanation, she encouraged me to buy the even better and more reflective bases (ALC 107 Chrome and ALC 124 Black Chrome).

One thing that was very evident is the importance of the Flexbond layer. I wasn't completely accurate in my airbrushing and some of the base ended up on portions of the foam that I didn't apply Flexbond to, and those sections turned out completely different and blah. So the stroke pattern and doing it period is really important for the Alclad II paints to work well. I was going to skip that step, but you can't.

Next up was applying the colors. So all the bases were vertical, and now the colors were applied horizontally. So ultimately we'd get 12 different combinations. Again, each of the colors had their own instructions on application. Additionally, some recommended different base choices, but we wanted to branch out and try several different just to see what happened.

After the first application:

View attachment 856190

ALC 118 Gold Titanium was super spotty on the three other bases (305, 315, and 300) but it really stuck well to the candy base base (701). I was really surprised to see that neither the violet or indigo worked on the two black bases. They both worked well on silver and grey, but definitely needed more layers.

After a second layer:

View attachment 856191

All three colors got a second layer. I'm not sure the ALC 118 Gold needed another layer. It was in great shape after two layers. All three gloss/shiny ones are super reflective. The matte has a different appearance. G's top choice is the first quadrant (ALC 701 Base and ALC 118 paint). So that'll cover the majority of her armor, and then we'll need to figure out options for the other two slightly paler golds.

For the Darcy costume, it was clear the second layer of violet and indigo wasn't enough. Still to blotchy, and not quite the color we're aiming for. So I added a third layer to both. I'd say there were 20-30 min between layers.

View attachment 856192

After the third layer for violet and indigo, they were definitely darker and less blotchy. So I think that's a good ending place for them. We let the whole set sit out overnight to dry.

View attachment 856193

The next morning saw little change from the evening prior. The ALC 118 gold is noticeably gold from any angle, and has a high shine in light. The ALC 417 violet and ALC 711 indigo are definitely light dependent. If you're off direct light, then they're both a deep dark color verging on black. But then in light brighten up to the rich violet and indigo colors. G isn't sold on either being the right color. I'm more in favor of violet, and Steph thinks the indigo is closer to right. Alclad only has one other violet (it's a candy violet) so we don't have many other options. I've got a couple of thoughts.

1) I could try mixing the violet and indigo at a set ratio (like 2:1) and then see if it gives me the desired color.
2) I could try painting a thin layer of indigo over the violet to see how much it dark purples it.

I'm also interested to see how the violet and indigo appear with the new bases of Chrome and Black Chrome. I've got some hope for Black Chrome giving me that desired slightly darker purple on the violet color.

We also ordered one other Gold (ALC 706 Candy Golden Yellow) to see if we can get a slightly different tone of gold for the Anne costume.

All in all, it was nice to change things up for a bit and work on a different aspect of the project given so much time has been placed into Anne's hairpiece at this point. The airbrushing was definitely the right choice. The final product at this point is far superior to what I would have been getting with the acrylic based paints.

Next - Anne's Hair - Part 17
Next Armor Color Update - Armor Color - Part 2

Interesting, in that Alclad usually refers to the thin layer of more pure aluminum on one side of aluminum sheet.
If you don't already know this, aluminum is not paint friendly, so definitely a coat of self-etching primer is called for to make sure the paint doesn't want to flake off.
If this is stuff you already know, please disregard, but loving the costuming progress.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Interesting, in that Alclad usually refers to the thin layer of more pure aluminum on one side of aluminum sheet.

Interesting. I have to assume the manufacturer of Alclad II is using that term for a reason then. The paint I'm using is typically meant for painting on metal or plastic mini-figs/kits (like toy cars). So it might have something to do with that.

If you don't already know this, aluminum is not paint friendly, so definitely a coat of self-etching primer is called for to make sure the paint doesn't want to flake off.
If this is stuff you already know, please disregard, but loving the costuming progress.

I didn't know that!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Helmet - Part 8

Alright, so we last left off with the Darcy helmet having been constructed and all the joints filled with caulk and sanded. So the piece was ready for Flexbond primer. I ended up putting a total of four layers of Flexbond on it. Then used my wetted gloved finger to attempt to smooth out the Flexbond to eliminate the paint brush lines. This proved harder on a larger piece than it did on the small test pieces. I didn't actually like the look as much on the larger piece and so I didn't do as good a job of it towards the end. I sort of half committed to it once I had already started the process.






Once the Flexbond was dry, it was time to paint on the Bright Silver Candy Base (ALC 701). The helmet was too large for my new spray booth (which was expected). So I set up a makeshift booth in the garage. We just bought a new electric lawn mower, so thankfully I had a cardboard box big enough. The lighting was a bit tough, but I found a lamp that had an adjustable arm, and then I also placed my running chest lamp into the top slot to illuminate from above. I also parked the cars aways away so no stray paint would end up on them. I also wore a respirator and googles for protection.




I then applied 2 layers of the ALC 701. It took about 1.5-2hrs per layer. It was slow and meticulous, and unfortunately took more paint than I had anticipated. So thankfully each bottle of Alclad is relatively inexpensive, it's going to add up to cover all the pieces. This was the piece after a single layer of ALC 701 and I had run out.




A little more splotchy than I had hoped. Definitely harder to airbrush paint such a large piece compared to the tiny practice ones. Got more ALC 701, and then finished off the piece with a second layer. I also painted the back port with ALC 305 (Black Gloss Base) because I intend on painting the port in black chrome. There was discussion about painting black around the eyes as well, but G wanted to see the piece without the black rims first, and then decide if we wanted to paint over it at a later point.

The final base coat turned out really nice. I truly looked like a piece of reflective metal, despite it being foam. In fact, G thought it might be too bright and hazardous as it sometimes caught the sun and felt "blinding". I didn't think it was that excessive.



But it's quite clear from the pics how reflective is. You can clearly see the green grass and blue sky in the reflection of the piece that is behind me when taking this pic.












In person, it's still a little more splotchy than I wanted it to be. But honestly, based on how it's going the amount of paint necessary to get a smooth finish might end up being cost prohibitive. So I decided to call it and stick with the look as it is.

But look at this reflectiveness when I was inside and held my hand up.



Not quite a mirror, but it's pretty darn good.

With the base layer finished, it was time to move to the purple overcoat. After the amount of paint it took to do two layers of ALC 701, I was worried how much paint would be required for the Hot Metal Violet ALC 417 since I had found it needed three layers.

Next update -
Next Darcy Helmet update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Helmet - Part 9

Next up was the ALC 417 Hot Metal Violet overcoat. For as difficult and time consuming as the Silver Candy Base was with each layer taking 1.5-2 hrs. This ALC 417 Hot Metal Violet overcoat was harder. Mostly because you're suppose to apply it as a fine mist. So it takes a lot of paint and slow movements to get it to apply without being too much.

Now in testing it was quite evident that this had some color changing qualities to it. It's primarily why I chose it. In direct light in the basement (white lights) it appeared like a hot violet. Not dark purple, but not bright pink. But then as you moved it to not under direct light, then it became more and more black. Well turns out that sunlight has a totally different appearance to it. It definitely delves further into the iridescent pink. It's really actually kind of cool how much depth is in this color depending on the conditions.

But like I said, it took FOREVER and a lot of paint just to get the first layer down.












For as splotchy as a silver base was, this was even more so. But I anticipated some of that was due to the need for three layers. I also convinced myself that we're now going for a hammered metal appearance instead of a smooth metal appearance just given how the paint is playing on the foam's surface. But now compare the above look to what the helmet looks like in the basement.




To me, it just appears as a much darker purple indoors under white light compared to outdoors. It's kind of fun, albeit maybe a little off cartoon accurate script. I also like how the edges don't fully absorb the color effects and have this framing/outlining appearance.

It took a few days to get more paint in from A to Z Toy Hobby (link). I ordered so much that they had to refund me some because I sold out their stock. It's a small family owned business so I'm opting to support them when I can. But after about a week, I was finally able to get back out there and do some more painting. To me the second and third coat make the inside and outside differences even more stark.















I'm very happy with what is essentially a final painted product. G called it "the greatest piece of art she's ever seen". Which I'll take as high praise. I'm interested in taking it outside in the sunlight this afternoon to see what it looks like under those conditions.

I've still got to do the black chrome paint on the back port. I've also got to start working on the eyes and finishing the helmet into its final form.

Next update -
Next Darcy Helmet update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Armor - Part 1

Thus far, the Darcy Helmet has been its own adventure, but I've decided to keep that separate from the rest of the Darcy armor update because of the uniqueness of the helmet. So let's dive into the other parts of the costume armor.



Darcy has a chest plate, two shoulder pieces, two forearm pieces, and her boots. There is possibly some armor on her upper legs as well. The rest of her outfit is black and might be made out of metal.

So let's start with the forearm pieces. I looked through my Kamui Cosplay patterns and found the closest match was Bracer #6 in this pattern set (link). Only issue was that it was not a completely surrounding piece and so I had to play around with some extra paper strips to get the piece to ramp around the entire forearm. But it wasn't overly difficult to get that to work.




While not exactly the same, I was pretty happy with the look of it. So I took it from paper form and traced it onto the EVA 6mm foam. I traced a little outside the pattern to account for the thickness of the foam so that the final piece would remain large enough to actually fit my arm.



I only glued the top seam together and kept the bottom seam open. The thickness of the piece doesn't allow me to move my arm through it. So the bottom needs to be made such that I can attach and detach it.





I wanted to do all of the extras (caulk, sanding, flex bond, and painting) to the arm pieces in the same shape as they'd be on my arm. So I needed to decide how I would affix the bottom of the piece and how I'd get it to stay on me when wearing it. I've used magnets previously for the Ms. Marvel hand, and for a few other things, but what was apparent from that use is that when it comes to a curved structure you shouldn't rely on the magnets to help hold the curve. So I didn't want to use magnets in this case. I opted for a wider version of velcro instead. I found some inexpensive velcro on Amazon (link) that's 4 inches wide and 9 feet long. It came with glue on the backside of each hook and loop side. I added additional Barge glue, and it seems pretty secure.





So then I caulked it, sanded it, and FlexBond painted it as previously described in the Darcy helmet section.



I figured there's a chance that people will be able to see some of the undersides of the arm piece given how it flares out. So I also caulked, sanded, and Flexbonded some areas of the underside on the off chance people will see those as well. G decided she wanted the underside to be painted the Hot Metal Violet.



This time around, I didn't use the water smoothing method as I thought that might have played a role in the splotchy appearance on the Darcy helmet. I painted two layers of Flexbond. It still had the splotchy appearance. And that was despite some pretty heavy layers in areas that still appear somewhat uncovered by paint. So I don't have a good explanation really for what's going on there. But again, we're going for a hammered metal appearance (at least that's what I'm telling myself and others). See it was intentional all along.



All in all they look pretty slick. They still need a coat of ALC 417 (Hot Metal Violet), and then there's some extra details with a port and hosing of some sort that'll need to be added on later.

Next update -
Next Darcy armor update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Armor - Part 2

Next up were the shoulder pieces. Super uncomplicated. I had a simple Kamui Cosplay round shoulder pattern (link) that was a good match. Made a paper copy and confirmed the size.



Traced it onto EVA foam, cut it out, glued it together, and then caulked the seams.



Sanded the seams down.





Used four layers of FlexBond on the top, and one layer on the bottom. Didn't use the wet gloved finger smoothing method. Then painted with two layers of ALC 701 silver candy base.





Again, tried really hard to get the splotchiness out, but I think it may be cost prohibitive on such a large scale to keep pushing that issue. For the smaller pieces sure. But there's entire chest plate, and helmet armor and I want everything to look cohesive.

All in all the shoulders were pretty straightforward and easy. The legs however have not been.

I looked through my Kamui Cosplay patterns and felt like the shin #6, plus knee guard, plus full foot cover might be my best option. But each have them had to be modified to achieve the look we're going for. So I'm not totally convinced at this point whether this is the right direction. But at this point, this is what the paper copy looks like.







The leg armor is still in early development phases. I considered just buying boots, but it wasn't easy to find men's tall pink/purple boots that weren't in heels. Plus I'd like to color match as much as possible and that's unlikely in a premade product.

Next update -
Next Darcy armor update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Armor - Part 3
So the chest armor was less straight forward and difficult because Steph had to help some. Darcy's proportions on her body are unrealistic for a human. So it's near impossible to pull off the exact look she has mostly because her arms are rail thin and the chest armor kind of disappears without a connection point that I see. So I had to make the piece a little bigger overall so that I could still get a point and then upwards motion from the center chest. I found this was the case with many other Darcy cosplays I found online as well.

I started with the black undersuit. I wanted to wear black leggings, but Men's running leggings/tights always seem to have that opening in the front. Which I get, but I also don't get. But I found a pair of black columbia leggings in Steph's area of the closet that fit and had a flat front. I'm going to also wear a pair of black running tight shorts underneath it all to help hold everything in. I don't own a compression/tight black long sleeve, so I wore a black tight t-shirt for some of the early decision making, and then found an inexpensive black long sleeve that was suppose to be tight and had a turtle neck (link).

Of the Kamui Cosplay breastplate patterns I had available to me, the Knight armor was the closest in terms of shape (link). So I started with that one, and then edited the design to the desired shape. This is where I needed Steph's help, because I couldn't draw the pattern design edits on the breastplate while I was wearing it. She was getting so frustrated and had "high anxiety" during it. It didn't really make any sense to me because it was just paper and I could reprint it. But eventually we survived the ordeal and came out with a product that was close to desired. The Knight armor is missing shoulder straps so I added those in.





I'm not overly concerned with the back of the costume design because it'll be covered by a cape.

I then cut the paper apart once we had a good pattern to work with.



To reduce seams I tried to lay flat any areas of the pattern that would let me. There was only a small section that wasn't flat on its own, so I cut that part off and would glue that on later. Otherwise, the piece was mostly all one which meant less seams to glue/see in the final product. I only used 1/2 the pattern so that I could exact mirror the other side since I had made so many edits to the original. I also added a few extra millimeters to the edges to account for the thickness of the piece and when it bends. Easier to have too much then not enough.

It was a trial and error once the piece was cut out of finding the areas that needed to be trimmed down to the right shape and size. Quite a bit had to be taken out of the back and sides to allow it to hold the right shape and be relatively tight to my body.





Then I glued the front together once I felt like the back was in a good place.



It still needed some tweaking on the sides, but it wasn't too bad.

So I glued everything except the back of the piece together (it'll be held together by velcro). Then dremeled the edges so they were beveled like the helmet (I did that on the forearm pieces as well). And then caulked it.









It's at the sanding stage now. But it's coming together well now.

Next update -
Next Darcy armor update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

??? Weeks to go

5/27/24-6/2/24
Tues (5/28): LIIFT More
Wed (5/29): 5 miles @ Easy (8:45 min/mile, 139 bpm)
Thurs (5/30): 5 miles @ Easy (8:47 min/mile, 142 bpm)
Fri (5/31): 5 miles @ Easy (9:20 min/mile, 138 bpm)
Sat (6/1): GOTR 5k
Sun (6/3): 5 miles @ Easy (8:59 min/mile, 137 bpm) + LIIFT More


Total Run Miles - 23.1 miles
Total Run Time - 3:51 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:53 hours
Total Training Time - 4:44 hours




Been a while since I've had a running update. As LIIFT More is coming to a close, it's time to get back into the routine and start looking forward. Training has been relatively light since the Disneyland HM in January. Looks like Feb, March, April, and May were 9-15 hrs respectively. Which honestly was what was needed during that period of time. But things have become more settled recently on most fronts. LIIFT More was beneficial. I didn't do a full blown measurements but I did check my biceps pre and post. Back in Nov 2018 I did 21 Day Fix and my biceps measured 11.5-12 inches. Through my first run through of 80 Day Obsession they ended at 12.25-12.75 inches. After my first run through of LIIFT More in 2023, I peaked at 13.5 inches. Before I started LIIFT More this time around, my biceps were 12.5 inches. After roughly 8 weeks, they're 14.5 inches now. So for anyone wondering, the program really works if you've got the time. I'm going to try and stay consistent with upper body strength workouts as I start to transition into running 6 days a week again. But we'll see how that goes.


Wednesday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 4mph to 11mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 67°F + 50°F; FL - 66°F
End: Temp+Dew = 67°F + 50°F; FL - 66°F

I've only been running two times per week at 5 miles each for the last 9 weeks. So this didn't really feel any different than that.



Thursday

Conditions - Few clouds, Wind 7mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 71°F + 43°F; FL - 69°F
End: Temp+Dew = 62°F + 53°F; FL - 69°F

Felt good to run on a second consecutive day. Not tired or sore from it, but knew that "easy" was probably still too fast.


Friday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 9mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 78°F + 44°F; FL - 77°F
End: Temp+Dew = 77°F + 42°F; FL - 77°F

Made a concerted effort to run slower and was successful with that. Ankle felt a little sore, but it was determined to be a running shoe not tied tight enough.



Saturday

Conditions - 🌧 Heavy intensity rain, Wind 0mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 59°F + 57°F; FL - 59°F
End: Temp+Dew = 59°F + 57°F; FL - 59°F

Girls on the Run 5k with G. G made a joke earlier in the week that she was happy the forecast was calling for some rain during the race. She regretted being happy about that during the race itself... The race was held at an area high school (Verona) which has EPIC (the company) money. So it was absolutely beautiful. It was raining pretty good. Steph and I both failed in our parent duties in not fully realizing that the forecast for Cottage Grove wasn't the same as Verona. Just far enough apart that one area was getting a steady rain and the other was not. So we didn't come prepared with any wet running plans. No jackets, no ponchos, no really anything except we did have some umbrellas. G had a lot of fun hanging out with her crew pre-race and just being goofs. Eventually it was race time.

We talked about goals and she didn't really have any. Just wanted to enjoy the race and run/walk when she wanted to. So that's what we did. Sometimes we ran. Most of the time we walked. Despite the rain our spirits remained high. We did our best to pep the other girls up as we went along. At one point we ran on a muddy mess of a trail surrounded by trees. G said that it was fun to run under the trees on a trail and maybe she'd enjoy doing a trail race instead of a road race the next time. So we might try one of those to compare.

We ran into her friends every once in a while, but for the most part it was just the two of us. And we had a good time cutting up jokes and such and the time passed quickly. No pressure on the racing aspect of it. At this point, it doesn't seem like running is her jam. She likes the caumreaudirie of the group, and the practices, but not so much the running itself. She does like the super boost race to the finish. And she was interested to learn that there are races like that where it's just a short 15-30 second race and then it's over. So maybe she wants to try sprints instead. We'll see. We did get down to a 5:30-ish pace during our sprint finish. All in all, we had a good time and didn't allow the heavy rain to dampen our spirits.

Also, the kid knows her way around a camera. So it was mostly walking except when we passed a camera. Then it was time to hamm it up for them.
















Sunday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 3mph to 4mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 61°F + 57°F; FL - 61°F
End: Temp+Dew = 63°F + 59°F; FL - 61°F


Just another easy day that I felt like I was turning a corner and getting back in the groove of things. Still about 60 sec/mile off peak fitness, but a good place. I also squeezed in a LIIFT More in the evening to try and stay on track.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Armor - Part 4

We left off with the shoulders, forearms, and chest pieces all being in a good place. But I wasn't satisfied with the leg armor appearance. So I went back into my Kamui Cosplay patterns and found a different leg armor (tight) that I thought might be a better choice. So I cut it out and made a paper copy.







I thought that this was a better representation of the look I was going for. Except the piece was too small (they must have tiny calves) and so I had to add an additional two inches or so onto the back. I traced and cut it out onto the 6mm EVA foam and then glued the pieces together (except for the very back which will be velcroed together).







This is definitely the right look. G thinks the back of the piece is a tad bit too bulky and wants me to slim it down a touch. So not 100% there yet, but definitely in a better place than the other option.

As for the chest armor, I finished sanding it, primed it with three layers of Flexbond, and then it was time to base coat ALC 417 silver candy onto it. Here's the thing. I haven't been satisfied with the splotchy appearance of the silver coat or the violet coat. I did some reading and didn't come to any grand conclusions. But I thought one area for possible improvement is using a bigger airbrush. My FIL had seen the previous iterations and thought my "tiny" airbrush wasn't going to cut it. He's been a car mechanic all his life. So he brought over some equipment he commonly uses for painting cars. He gave me a large air compressor as well as a spray gun instead of the airbrush I've been using.




You can see the size comparison of the two compressors in the above image. With my hobby compressor in blue and the legit one in red. It did make me a little nervous to use it, but after some trial and error and nothing blowing up, I did eventually figure out how to get it to work. So I put a little paint into the spray gun and tested it out on cardboard. A little more spitty than my airbrush, but much larger coverage area. I tweaked the settings a little and settled on about 20-25 psi. Tried it again, and it had a much better appearance. And if the airbrush I had been working with was about a 0.25-0.5 inch circle, then this was more like 1-2 inches. And that ended up making a BIG difference. What was taking me 30-60 min per layer was now taking 5-10 minutes at the most. And the coverage was SO much better. Biggest issue though is it just consumes massive amounts of paint. But I couldn't argue with the results, and there's no longer a splotchy finish and it takes almost no time.




I truly looks like a piece of metal now.

For the chest armor, I poked a hole in the top of the box and then I weaved a hanger into it. This allowed me to hang the chest piece from the box and I could be handsfree as I was painting it. The first and second coat of the silver base had no splotchiness and covered really quickly. It turned out fantastic!







I mean look at that reflection on the backside. You can see the table, the grass, and the sky. It's crazy to see in person.

After that, I did a second pass on all the other pieces that hadn't been covered in ALC 701 violet yet, just to get a nice smooth finish. Then I broke out the ALC 701 Hot Metal Violet to see how it would do on the new fresh base. I didn't have much remaining, so I just worried about one of the forearm pieces.






But the coverage was great. That's only one coat, and it looks really good. It's nice to see the base and violet finish next to each other. It'll probably only need 1-2 more coats to get it to be a little darker. But the coverage is already pretty flat.




So all in all, I'm pretty stoked about using the new compressor and spray gun on these larger pieces. It's much faster and has better coverage. The only downside is that it absolutely gobbles up the paint since it's intended for car painting. But I tried to rationalize it by saying I don't think I'm wasting a ton, and I would have used that much paint anyways.

Next update -
Next Darcy armor update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Helmet - Part 10

To be fair, I couldn't have the rest of the armor have all the fun with the new spray gun. So despite me saying I was good with the helmet as it was, I decided to pull that out as well and give it another layer with the spray gun. With the hopes that another layer might be able to even out some of the splotchiness. Although, if I keep adding layers of ALC 701 Hot Metal Violet to the helmet, then I'm going to have a hard time replicating that same deepness in color on the other pieces if I don't do as many layers. Part of me regrets at this moment not having tried the spray gun sooner, but outside of remaking the piece (which I'm not that crazy that I feel like I need to), I'll just see if another layer or two with the spray gun will even everything out.

I'd say it definitely improved it. My MIL feels as if it needs one more layer. But it's in a really good place now.















It's definitely violet and it's definitely reflective. It really looks like violet metal now. Which is hilarious because it looks like a deep purple black when it's taken into the basement.








The back port is a deep black, and look how you can barely tell the difference compared to the other areas that aren't in direct light (unlike being outside in the sunlight).



So maybe one more coat on the helmet will get it into a smooth finish, but things are moving along well. Ready to start putting the final touches on the helmet, but after this last discovery, I think I'll wait to do that until all of the armor has been finished just in case something else new comes along.

Next update -
Next Darcy helmet update -

 

[azrivest]

Also, the kid knows her way around a camera. So it was mostly walking except when we passed a camera. Then it was time to hamm it up for them.

She seems to have grown up in the past few months!

 

[DopeyBadger]

She seems to have grown up in the past few months!

As I've been told, "blink and you'll miss it." It's also why we haven't started working on her costume armor yet. She might grow out of the costume by the time October rolls around.

 

[kps7795]

As I've been told, "blink and you'll miss it." It's also why we haven't started working on her costume armor yet. She might grow out of the costume by the time October rolls around.

You're preaching to the choir. I'm still trying to deal (quite unsuccessfully) with the fact that my baby girl is going to college starting a summer session in only three weeks. In one fell swoop, I'm losing my little girl and my running buddy.

 

[avondale]

??? Weeks to go

5/27/24-6/2/24
Tues (5/28): LIIFT More
Wed (5/29): 5 miles @ Easy (8:45 min/mile, 139 bpm)
Thurs (5/30): 5 miles @ Easy (8:47 min/mile, 142 bpm)
Fri (5/31): 5 miles @ Easy (9:20 min/mile, 138 bpm)
Sat (6/1): GOTR 5k
Sun (6/3): 5 miles @ Easy (8:59 min/mile, 137 bpm) + LIIFT More


Total Run Miles - 23.1 miles
Total Run Time - 3:51 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:53 hours
Total Training Time - 4:44 hours


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Been a while since I've had a running update. As LIIFT More is coming to a close, it's time to get back into the routine and start looking forward. Training has been relatively light since the Disneyland HM in January. Looks like Feb, March, April, and May were 9-15 hrs respectively. Which honestly was what was needed during that period of time. But things have become more settled recently on most fronts. LIIFT More was beneficial. I didn't do a full blown measurements but I did check my biceps pre and post. Back in Nov 2018 I did 21 Day Fix and my biceps measured 11.5-12 inches. Through my first run through of 80 Day Obsession they ended at 12.25-12.75 inches. After my first run through of LIIFT More in 2023, I peaked at 13.5 inches. Before I started LIIFT More this time around, my biceps were 12.5 inches. After roughly 8 weeks, they're 14.5 inches now. So for anyone wondering, the program really works if you've got the time. I'm going to try and stay consistent with upper body strength workouts as I start to transition into running 6 days a week again. But we'll see how that goes.


Wednesday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 4mph to 11mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 67°F + 50°F; FL - 66°F
End: Temp+Dew = 67°F + 50°F; FL - 66°F

I've only been running two times per week at 5 miles each for the last 9 weeks. So this didn't really feel any different than that.



Thursday

Conditions - Few clouds, Wind 7mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 71°F + 43°F; FL - 69°F
End: Temp+Dew = 62°F + 53°F; FL - 69°F

Felt good to run on a second consecutive day. Not tired or sore from it, but knew that "easy" was probably still too fast.


Friday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 9mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 78°F + 44°F; FL - 77°F
End: Temp+Dew = 77°F + 42°F; FL - 77°F

Made a concerted effort to run slower and was successful with that. Ankle felt a little sore, but it was determined to be a running shoe not tied tight enough.



Saturday

Conditions - 🌧 Heavy intensity rain, Wind 0mph to ?
Start: Temp+Dew = 59°F + 57°F; FL - 59°F
End: Temp+Dew = 59°F + 57°F; FL - 59°F

Girls on the Run 5k with G. G made a joke earlier in the week that she was happy the forecast was calling for some rain during the race. She regretted being happy about that during the race itself... The race was held at an area high school (Verona) which has EPIC (the company) money. So it was absolutely beautiful. It was raining pretty good. Steph and I both failed in our parent duties in not fully realizing that the forecast for Cottage Grove wasn't the same as Verona. Just far enough apart that one area was getting a steady rain and the other was not. So we didn't come prepared with any wet running plans. No jackets, no ponchos, no really anything except we did have some umbrellas. G had a lot of fun hanging out with her crew pre-race and just being goofs. Eventually it was race time.

We talked about goals and she didn't really have any. Just wanted to enjoy the race and run/walk when she wanted to. So that's what we did. Sometimes we ran. Most of the time we walked. Despite the rain our spirits remained high. We did our best to pep the other girls up as we went along. At one point we ran on a muddy mess of a trail surrounded by trees. G said that it was fun to run under the trees on a trail and maybe she'd enjoy doing a trail race instead of a road race the next time. So we might try one of those to compare.

We ran into her friends every once in a while, but for the most part it was just the two of us. And we had a good time cutting up jokes and such and the time passed quickly. No pressure on the racing aspect of it. At this point, it doesn't seem like running is her jam. She likes the caumreaudirie of the group, and the practices, but not so much the running itself. She does like the super boost race to the finish. And she was interested to learn that there are races like that where it's just a short 15-30 second race and then it's over. So maybe she wants to try sprints instead. We'll see. We did get down to a 5:30-ish pace during our sprint finish. All in all, we had a good time and didn't allow the heavy rain to dampen our spirits.

Also, the kid knows her way around a camera. So it was mostly walking except when we passed a camera. Then it was time to hamm it up for them.

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Sunday

Conditions - Broken clouds, Wind 3mph to 4mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 61°F + 57°F; FL - 61°F
End: Temp+Dew = 63°F + 59°F; FL - 61°F


Just another easy day that I felt like I was turning a corner and getting back in the groove of things. Still about 60 sec/mile off peak fitness, but a good place. I also squeezed in a LIIFT More in the evening to try and stay on track.

Congrats, Billy and G! Running might not be her jam...except when it involves really elaborate Disney costumes.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Armor - Part 5

G and I had to do some editing on the leg armor. It fit, but not when I would sit down. And I'd like to occassionally sit when I'm in costume too. Otherwise, that's going to be a long 9hrs. So we kept making small marks of where to cut, and then did so.









The leg armor is meant to have a zipper on the back, but we opted for velcro. So I added the velcro, and then caulked it, sanded it, and Flexbonded it. That's where it's at at the moment while I wait for more Silver Candy Base.

The arm pieces went through another round of Hot Metal Violet Alclad, and I feel like their outer color is finished now. Just a little extras here and there that are missing, and I've got to do a little painting on the inside since it'll be visible.





Next update -
Next Darcy Armor update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Helmet - Part 11

The Darcy helmet had a relatively even layer of Hot Metal Violet Alclad. On the back port I used ALC 124 (Black Chrome). It only took one layer to get nice coverage. Then I painted over the entire piece with ALC 600 (Aqua Gloss Clear Coat) that will help it shine and protect it.







Since the painting of the Darcy helmet was finally finished, it was time to add the eye pieces in. The first step was determining whether the Kalevala Visor (link) flame color needed any other pieces to it to get the look we were going for. There appears to be four layers to the Kalevala visor. There is the top layer that is the flame orange, then a one way mirror level, then the plastic itself, and then another backing cloudy transparent layer (probably a film you're suppose to remove in normal use). When held up to light the visor has some transparency. And because we're putting the skull Hallowing M4 behind the orange layer, I wanted to maximize hiding it as much as possible. Additionally, the other non-animated eyes needed some testing to get the right look. So G and I decided we needed to do some testing on backings to find the right background color.

We tried black felt, orange felt, white felt, black paper, white paper, orange paper, purple card stock, and orange card stock.



After testing them all, we found the orange card stock gave the best appearance.





The next step was finding a good LED color that would give us the non-animated eye look we were looking for.



That's a yellow LED with the lights on.



And yellow with the lights off.



Orange LED with lights on.



Orange LED with lights off.

The camera doesn't really pick up the differences well. The yellow LED has less illuminance and looks like an eyeball, but the orange LED has a better glow. G liked yellow, but Steph and I liked the orange LED. But once we started putting the helmet together, and G started to agree that the orange looks good. It's a little bit before we'll need to finalize, so we'll see.

Next update -
Next Darcy helmet update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Helmet - Part 12

I was super excited for this part. Now it's time to really pull the helmet together into it's final form. First up was cutting out the eye pieces.



Because of the spherical shape of the helmet, it wouldn't be possible to keep the visor as one large piece. So I needed to cut out eye piece wedges.



The exact shape didn't need to be matching since the visor was going on the backside.



I liked the look and so I moved forward to the next step. I traced out all the visor pieces onto the orange card stock, and cut out a piece for each. Then I put a thin layer of Barge All-Purpose Cement around the edges of the card stock and visor to conjoin them. Then I turned on my running chest light and traced out the piece on the inside to know where to put the cement glue.



Then I put a layer of cement on the visor/card stock and the helmet itself. And then pressed them together.



I liked the look so I went ahead and did the rest of the seven small eyes.



Then I tried the two different color LEDs (yellow and orange).





The orange LED definitely has the right look in my opinon, but we'll see which direction we go.

Then we took the helmet outside to see what it looked like out there.



It had a great look, but this is when we realized we might have a big problem with the animated uncanny eyes.

Next update -
Next Darcy helmet update -

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amphibia Costumes - Darcy Helmet - Part 13

And the problem was that you can't see the eyes from behind the orange visor in the sunlight. And you can barely see them even without the orange visor.



This is why it's important to color test things both inside and outside. Because sunlight just has a different look than indoors. So with that, G and I had to rethink our strategy with the uncanny eyes. After some back and forth we decided to test whether we could cut out squares in the middle of the visor piece. I pulled out the plastic cutting tool from the Monster's Inc Laugh Canister. But the tool was too destructive on the visor plastic. I considered cutting it out, but then I'd have to leave a cut line to get to the middle of the visor which wasn't ideal. We found that the exact knife was the ticket. We could cut away the top two layers (orange foil and one way mirror layer). That left the plastic layer and then the transparent layer on the backside. We flipped it over and cut away the transparent layer. This only left the plastic layer.



It had a good look to it. It's only after I started working on the second one did I realize that I probably cut the hole slightly too big. This meant you could see the black border that wasn't part of the LCD screen. So I tried to cut it slightly smaller so that it had a more cohesive appearance.





I felt like this looked better. So I had to remake the middle piece with the slightly too large of a cutout. Can't make too many mistakes because I've got limited material with the visor, but I was thankful I had opted for the larger visor size even though I had originally calculated that I probably didn't need it.



With the pieces done, then it was time to glue them in. So I followed the same procedure with some Barge cement on the visor edge and on the inside of the helmet. I did the middle one first, and then did my best to align the two side eyes. I got really close, but I think the helmet's left eye is just about 1mm off down and to the right. But it was a one time shot given how it was glued on the inside. And I'm fine with that, because it looks awesome.







I would have preferred to not have the cutouts and have the eyes behind the visor, but it just wouldn't be visible during the daytime, and mostly visible at night. I held the middle eye up to the hole indoors and it looks like this.



And outdoors it looks like this:



It's really hard to see it on camera, and I'd say it's somewhat visible to the naked eye. But definitely not super easy to see. Overall, I give it a 10/10. We definitely succeeded in bringing the Darcy helmet to life. The only part to finish up is putting the orange visor over all of the gill holes, then finish the back port, then figure out how to attach the Hallowing M4 eyes, then figure out how to keep the helmet affixed to my head.

Next update -
Next Darcy helmet update -