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Great to see you back at this, very excited to see the progress!
 
Left bicep done today so far. I had to do a second attempt as the first one turned out way too small.
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Thankfully the second one fits after I made the scale a bit bigger and changed a few parts.
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Next update will be testing the scale with all pieces done so far, that includes the shoulder plates, if I can fit them in tonight after the right bicep is done. Hopefully I can get it done before I start work for the week. I'll try to fit building into my schedule as best I can, but otherwise the next update might not be until Friday when I get the day off.
 
Next update!

Today I scored a lucky day off work, so it became "pauldron day" (as well as "yay sleep in" day). The motivation kicked in when @Sierra107 and I finally sorted a new work space for building, this time with a comfy chair! Because since the earlier updates where I was building the torso and biceps, I had to sit on the hard wood floor of our bedroom and I'm surprised I got anything done.

So I tried building the pauldrons just after I completed the biceps a couple of weeks ago, and as I started putting the pieces of foam together I discovered that of course I scaled it too small. Having just under three months of time until Sydney Supanova rolls around, I'm ridiculously patient with the time and effort going into the scale accuracy of this suit, especially because I'm using foam rather than paper. It works for me, as I can get an honest look at how the foam pieces fit together. As long as I have the time, of course. ;)

Without further ado, I re-scaled the pauldrons and powered through them in about half a day. Here's the result:

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You can see in the first image the comparison between first and second attempts at the scale. The problem was not only the size of the first pauldron, but also that it did not sit correctly. I took a closer look at reference images, and I believe that with the second attempt, I hit the nail on the head.

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As you can see, the pauldron takes up the whole curve of the shoulder, and just slightly towers over the top of the bicep. The first pauldron was literally the size of my hand, which is tiny!

The only thing to worry about with the pauldrons now is how to make it sit without dangling out of place, which is a problem I had with my Spartan Mark IV suit's pauldron. Some 501st members stuck their pauldrons on the shoulder sections of the torso, so that they would hold in place but also to prevent a slouched look. I want to have as little issue with my pauldrons as possible, so I might try and replicate their technique when I get to the strapping and attaching of armour pieces.

Next update will most likely be the gauntlets, including the elbow pieces. I'm a little intimidated by gauntlets in general, as I've always had a difficult time putting them together. I'm also starting to brainstorm ways to build the neck seal and abdomen undersuit pieces. I work downstairs from a Spotlight store (Australian heaven for those fabric/sewing-based cosplayers). Either I use a thinner EVA foam, or invest in a new sewing machine and some pleather!

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Hey thatdamnjodie - I might actually have a neckseal for you that is 501st approvable. It was made for me so when I sold my Scorch kit the guy who bought it was too big for the neckseal. I'd be happy to send it to you (assuming I can remember where it is now) or happily tell you how to build one. It's of zero use to me.
 
Hey thatdamnjodie - I might actually have a neckseal for you that is 501st approvable. It was made for me so when I sold my Scorch kit the guy who bought it was too big for the neckseal. I'd be happy to send it to you (assuming I can remember where it is now) or happily tell you how to build one. It's of zero use to me.

That'd be awesome, thanks FANGS! I don't mind using a template if available though, as I'm super tiny in size and usually everything turns out fitting too big on me. ;)
 
Next update! We're over halfway there now!

I made the elbow pieces and handplates, including the left hand with the vibroblade piece. No vibroblade yet, as I'm trying to figure out what to build it out of. But it's happening. I was even thinking it could have a blue LED somehow. Again, brainstorming that for now.

Here's the progress so far. Excuse the funny looking carpet.

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I'm currently working on the thighs so the next update will come with those plus the shins. I don't want to update with too little. Then the backpack will be the last thing to build. There's a lot involved in that piece, such as the tubes (might have to get PVC pipes) and then the lighting for the tubes and this part:

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It'll be a lot of fun, but also lots of tears.

I've been thinking that I may have to redo the shoulder pauldrons too. They look like they can be a bit bigger, as some reference images are contradicting each other. For now, I'm getting the rest of the suit done first.
 
Thighs, shins, and half of the backpack done! I'm just about finished with the building process of Scorch, soon it'll be onto sealing and painting (and lights!)

Shins and thighs first. I had to put inserts in them due to my fat legs. The good thing about commando armour is that unlike the spartans they don't have fancy curves and edges all over. So I had the freedom to use inserts where they won't be noticed, especially after painting.
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My favourite part of the whole build by far has to be the backpack. I have to give mblackwell1002 a massive thanks for modelling the file which helped make Scorch possible in the first place. It was easy to unfold and especially fun to build. I still have the tubing sections to complete before it's 100% done, as well as the 'back' of the backpack, which I'll attach after I've installed the LEDs.
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That's it for this week. I have to work the weekend before I can continue. I'm really happy with the time I'm making. Just under two months to go until Supanova. I don't know if I'll have time for the DC-17m but fingers crossed.
 
Looking great.

Since you're doing Scorch, if you don't have time for the DC 17, you can always throw together one of the Door Breach charges. Should be kind of straight forward to free hand out of foam.
 
Quick update. I'm going shopping today to grab more hot glue and some foam. I'm considering experimenting the backpack tubes with thinner eva foam, rather than pvc. I'll also be drawing up a template for the neck seal and ab plate, they should be super easy to make with 2mm foam. I played some Commando yesterday to get some more image references of Scorch for those particular pieces (I never realised just how battered his armour is, BULLET HOLES ERRYWHERE).

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I got teary because I never realised just how GOOD the graphics of this game was for its time. CRISP

I also nearly forgot about the anti-armour attachment Scorch has on his thigh. It looks super easy as long as I can shape the tubes. Again, I'm being super budget with materials and trying to avoid buying pvc pipes, as I have no tools to cut them with (and no money, oops).

Even the neck seal is visible in the game, I never noticed it before. To be fair, I used to play it on Xbox on a tiny dinosaur box.
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As Cadet mentioned before, a demolition charge would be a nice weapon alternative for Scorch's deployment, and definitely an easy scratch build. I found files for the entire set of the DC-17 a few days ago too, and I'm feeling lucky. The LS-150 Heavy ACP Repeater would definitely be out of the question tho.

I'll be updating again soon once the backpack is 100% done. Then it'll be quiet for a while as I seal and paint the suit.
 
*Blows dust off thread* UPDATE!!!

Scorch is at 95% completion. The only things left to do now is the neck seal, ab plate, securing pieces as well as the shoulders, and of course weather the crap out of the rest of the suit.

Here's some juicy progress pics!
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There's just under two weeks left until Supanova Expo, the panic hasn't quite hit me yet. I'm glad I did a test fit early beforehand as I discovered some issues that need fixing. - The thighs are a bit loose, so much for me putting on weight. I'll have to strap them to the codpiece to keep them sitting upright.
- Lots of impact between the boots and shins, I already had to cut down the boots but alas, there's still friction at the back.
- As you can also notice, I had to cut down the back of the shins just to be able to slip them on, as they don't leave much room for my heels to go through. I'll either strap them with elastic to keep them closed or use zippers.
- The backpack is being barely held by two strips of velcro, so that will need more reinforcement. Maybe buckles.
- Gloves need reinforcement to keep the handplates attached. As soon as I slipped one on it was already loose, sometimes hot glue frustrates me.

Other than that, there's still so many improvements I want to make but won't have enough time before Supanova so I'll have to make do. I'll lay out that list after the con so that I have a proper chance to demo the suit. Normally I'd like to fix stuff before a big con, but life and work get in the way a lot.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. It feels hot, cramped and a little heavy, I'm dreading trying to walk around in it. It doesn't have as much freedom of mobility as Alice-130 does. In the meantime, my next task is weathering and making the remaining pieces. Maybe the DC-17 if I have time later. My next update will either be before or after Sydney Supanova next weekend.

Happy hunting!
 
Final update for Scorch "1.0". It's finished and kicked ass at Sydney Supanova this weekend!

I couldn't update much before deploying the suit as I was rushing to finish final touches the night before and had to get it all packed. I managed to fit almost everything into two suitcases except the helmet and the demolition tubes for the backpack. I had to literally tear off the tubes just to fit the backpack in a suitcase (ouch), and then carry them separately with the helmet. Luckily it was no trouble gluing the tubes back once we got to the hotel!

I wore it for two days, the first day was a test of what would break first. The shoulders came off due to the stress of the clips being stretched from me raising my arms, and the windy weather didn't help either. Easily fixed by a repair station onsite, bless them. The neck seal turned out to be too small, occasionally slipping out of the chest's neck hole from time to time. The gauntlets and shins would slide a bit because somehow they were slightly loose on me. I had to install straps and clips on the thighs to connect to the codpiece, which worked out great with no incident! Everything else behaved all two days without any malfunctions, I even managed to sit! ...Kind of

I made my way to the 501st booth to meet up with other clone commandos, and I managed to impress every 501st member I met. I don't think they're used to seeing a foam kit of a commando. They were all very kind and welcoming. I received a Drop Bear Company patch and sticker, as a way of saying "we can't approve your suit, but we DO approve of it." It felt like I was initiated in some way, if not officially. I've never felt so well received for my hard work. I'm honored that the 501st liked the suit.

Finally, here are some photos. There wasn't a whole lot, unfortunately, as I was still self conscious about certain inaccuracies.

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I snagged one professional photo highlighting some of the details and weathering.
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I plan to rebuild parts of the suit, as I know I can do better without rushing. Rushing and deadlines always kills a suit for me, as having life commitments such as work can make it hard to keep up with updates and improvements. It's a real motivation killer sometimes too, makes me dread working on the suit because I know I'm losing time while still having so much to do.

I've made a list of what worked and what didn't, and what will be improved for "Scorch 2.0", as I plan to continue suiting up and running him around - especially taking more photos for you guys.
  • Clone Wars-style visor hard to see out of, as well as inaccurate for RC game visor
  • Could not cross arms over chest due to impact of biceps and chest itself
  • Boots (which originally were cheap gumboots) were not primed properly therefore did not hold paint well, lots of chipping and flaking everywhere
  • Shins did not fit without cutting a seam up the back to fit feet through, then impacted with boots a little
  • Thigh pieces held up perfectly while strapped to codpiece
  • Codpiece not visually accurate, left some details out on the front and also very flat looking
  • Shoulders broke off once each side, do not recommend using clips alone as the stress will snap them off - straps will help next time
  • Gauntlets can do with a little more accurate detailing, and padding inside to prevent sliding out of position
  • Neck seal to be remade as it was too small, kept slipping out of position, and lack of detail due to rushed work
  • Balaclava to keep hair out of face and out of sight, super annoying as it was windy ALL WEEKEND
  • Gap between ab plate and chest piece due to ab plate being glued on top of codpiece, the idea sounded good but it kills accuracy
  • AA thigh attachment only came loose once but never fell off, also needs LEDs to make it pop and stand out otherwise it's just there
  • Need fans in helmet, it was a bit hot at some points
  • Lights for backpack tubes and number plate, it's a crime not to have them as the backpack is not really grabbing attention otherwise
  • Backpack tubes can be bigger, and will use PVC next time as foam sucks for making tubes symmetrically
  • Pieces had the pepakura fold lines a bit noticeable, maybe putty and sanding could make it a smoother finish?
  • Having a light up vibroblade would be cool
  • Undersuit with fine detailing of arms and legs? Why not
  • Light up visor, gotta have it
  • DC-17, no question, need it. Hated not having a weapon to pose with during photos
Overall, I was happy with the outcome of the suit. I hope I proved that anyone can make a clone commando out of foam, if they just put a lot of love and patience into it. If anyone wants the foam files that I used, feel free to ask. I got them from Fierfek's pep database with my own alterations for foam. I'd love to see more of you out there, and I don't speak for the 501st, but I'm sure they'd love to see your work too (even if they can't approve it).

The next project will be Scorch 2.0, which I will keep in this thread with comparisons to the old Scorch. The goal is to make the suit look even better than ever before, maybe even better than the 501st kits (wow, ego much?). I want there to be lights, 110% accuracy, every accessory will be attention-grabbing and unique rather than just "being there". Being my most favourite Star Wars character of all time, I want to do Scorch justice.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for the arrival of the Wicked Armor helmet!
 
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