Let's talk boots.
I've said it before and I'll say it again (probably 100 times by the end of the year because it keeps coming up)...
> Build from the the ground, up
That means boots, then shins since they ride on the boots, then thighs so you can see if any of those parts cause conflict and joint lock up. They are all dependent on each other. They are also below eye-line, weathered the most and looked at the least. So do all your learning while you work upward to the center peices of your armor: The chest and helmet. Those two you do last after all your skills are as good as they are going to get from doing legs, then arms, then back. Chest and helmet are what everyone studies on those 50 photos a day that get taken at conventions and we all post on line.
So boots... Apparently this is
a thing because I keep getting asked about it on the 405th Discord channel lately. My approach is no better than anyone elses. If your approach works for you, and my approach works for me then we are both winners. A lot will also depend on the concept behind your boots and the build technique of your armor.
My build technique is 3d printed. The boots I'm building are from
this MK-VI/Gen3 files set by ArmoryOfCaminus.
The boot armor fully encapsulates the real boot.
I'm using zip up work boots to go inside the armor boot. I did try sneakers in the armor and it was a big mistake. The soft sides provided no protection against the hard armor pressing into the foot. I don't recommend it.
So... without further adue...
1. Scaling, the lazy man's way
Make sure my avatar is accurate-ish. Grab a workboot.stl file off the internet and scale the boot to match the length and width of the sole of my real workboots. Then put it on the avatar. Now put the armor on the avatar and pull those scaling handles until it fits the work boot.
Send the files to my favorite print farm (
Starbase3d.etsy.com) and tell them the scale I want. Have them print the armor in a solid material, and the soles in a squishy rubber-like TPU. Because while I might be a rough-tough Spartan, I want to be able to walk for 12 hours at a convention and not have my feet screaming in pain.
[Full disclosure, I am Starbase3d, so that's why its my favorite print farm]
2. Sand and clean up and paint
Nothing any different here than every other bit of 3d printed armor. Sand, prime, repeat until happy.
3. Assemble
Apparently this what I do different than a lot of folks. Maybe that's because the armor is complete and not like some I've seen where the armor is just a set of hard spats and your real boot sole is what you're walking on. Anyway... I take the armor boot parts and connect them from toe to heal with a strip of seat belt webbing. Just lay out the parts, tighten them up to each other like they are one shoe, and connect them by gluing and screwing the webbing to the armor on the inside. The webbing becomes a living hinge.
4. Finished result
Then I just shove my big work boot in. Don't use a steel toe because it won't squeeze through the center/arch bit. A zipper-side boot is nice and easy to slide a foot into then just zip it.
Slip the bottom of the shin/calf over the top of the work boot to hold up the shin and keep it all cohesive.
