Rosebud
Member
I've got 6 months to do this, so why not do a build thread along with it.
I won't promise I'll be super in depth about the building process, but the details of this suit tie back to something I'm passionate about.
You can skip this first post. It's just about decorative details of the armor.
This Rakshasa build, this armor, is mostly about conservation and the history of orcas in humanity's care.
This Spartans name is Kilroy-267.
I've named him this because of a few reasons. Firstly; Kilroy was one of the first orcas to stay in Ohio. He was also one of the first orcas to be caught back in the 60's [Febuary 15th, 1967] Thought it isn't specificly stated in his records to say he's named after this, but he shares a name with the famous WW2 meme "Kilroy was Here" It's something I've been fascinated with since I was a kid.
Orca Markings translated to armor
Translating the iconic orca markings to armor without being mistaken as Venom can seem difficult, but it's simple if you remember they key ingredients of shapes and colors.
Venom's eyes are wide at the bottom and taper up the skull. This is the same with most Orcas, especially the icelandic and resident orcas, but there are orcas species with a small and uniform eye marking.
My eyes will be reminiscent of Nami-chan, an orca that was captured off the coast of Japan in the 80's [October 1st, 1985]. She was one of the first orcas I researched back when I was first learning about the history of orcas in human care. She meant a lot to me.
But then comes the difficulty of incorporating the saddle patch. This marking is the bane of our existence when it comes to merchandise related to orcas. The majority of the time they just forget to add it. This includes detailed animal figurine companies like Schleich.
I don't just want to add an "unfolded" saddle patch on my back. In most cases it looks like a butterfly or a heart and in my opinion it just looks bad. Besides the Rak armor doesn't exactly have a full back plate if I'm not mistaken.
Instead I've decided to add it to another integral part of this kit, my favorite weapon, the brute shot.
I say the brute shot is important is because it helps with the silhouette of the armor; I can't exactly call it my orca armor without giving it a dorsalfin. Since the brute shot mounts on the players back blade side up, it's perfect
The patch will be painted onto the weapon. I've decided to go with the open variant because it's mostly seen on males. Unlike the last two whales I used as refrence, this one will go out to a wild whale known as K21-Cappuccino. His passing rocked our community back in 2021. I still get sad thinking about him.
Bonus Features
I also plan to repaint one of my Halo Nerf guns to look like a Chinook Salmon. This is the main food source of the critically endangered Southern Resident population off the coast of Washington. On the weapon will also be the words: "No Fish No Blackfish!"
The Brute Shot will also have: "Breach the Snake River Dams!"
This is a cry echoed throughout the community when it comes to the plight of the SRKW. The dams prevent the salmon from spawning properly which means their populations are on the decline. This means the orcas have significantly less food to eat.
My armor will have tally marks on one of the arms. These marks represent the SRKW population as a whole. The numbers will change with every birth and every death. Currently there are around 75 whales.
Lastly: I'm debating on adding a QR code or atleast one that can be taken off via velcro. This code would take users to the Whale Museum website so they could donate to their efforts. In all honesty their the only group I trust people giving their money to, but it would be controversial as I'm not partnered with them.
In conclusion, I know too much about whales and the common man isn't gonna give a crap about these little references, BUT I CARE. MY COMMUNITY WILL CARE...and that's enough for me.
I won't promise I'll be super in depth about the building process, but the details of this suit tie back to something I'm passionate about.
You can skip this first post. It's just about decorative details of the armor.
This Rakshasa build, this armor, is mostly about conservation and the history of orcas in humanity's care.
This Spartans name is Kilroy-267.
I've named him this because of a few reasons. Firstly; Kilroy was one of the first orcas to stay in Ohio. He was also one of the first orcas to be caught back in the 60's [Febuary 15th, 1967] Thought it isn't specificly stated in his records to say he's named after this, but he shares a name with the famous WW2 meme "Kilroy was Here" It's something I've been fascinated with since I was a kid.
Orca Markings translated to armor
Translating the iconic orca markings to armor without being mistaken as Venom can seem difficult, but it's simple if you remember they key ingredients of shapes and colors.
Venom's eyes are wide at the bottom and taper up the skull. This is the same with most Orcas, especially the icelandic and resident orcas, but there are orcas species with a small and uniform eye marking.
My eyes will be reminiscent of Nami-chan, an orca that was captured off the coast of Japan in the 80's [October 1st, 1985]. She was one of the first orcas I researched back when I was first learning about the history of orcas in human care. She meant a lot to me.
But then comes the difficulty of incorporating the saddle patch. This marking is the bane of our existence when it comes to merchandise related to orcas. The majority of the time they just forget to add it. This includes detailed animal figurine companies like Schleich.
I don't just want to add an "unfolded" saddle patch on my back. In most cases it looks like a butterfly or a heart and in my opinion it just looks bad. Besides the Rak armor doesn't exactly have a full back plate if I'm not mistaken.
Instead I've decided to add it to another integral part of this kit, my favorite weapon, the brute shot.
I say the brute shot is important is because it helps with the silhouette of the armor; I can't exactly call it my orca armor without giving it a dorsalfin. Since the brute shot mounts on the players back blade side up, it's perfect
The patch will be painted onto the weapon. I've decided to go with the open variant because it's mostly seen on males. Unlike the last two whales I used as refrence, this one will go out to a wild whale known as K21-Cappuccino. His passing rocked our community back in 2021. I still get sad thinking about him.
Bonus Features
I also plan to repaint one of my Halo Nerf guns to look like a Chinook Salmon. This is the main food source of the critically endangered Southern Resident population off the coast of Washington. On the weapon will also be the words: "No Fish No Blackfish!"
The Brute Shot will also have: "Breach the Snake River Dams!"
This is a cry echoed throughout the community when it comes to the plight of the SRKW. The dams prevent the salmon from spawning properly which means their populations are on the decline. This means the orcas have significantly less food to eat.
My armor will have tally marks on one of the arms. These marks represent the SRKW population as a whole. The numbers will change with every birth and every death. Currently there are around 75 whales.
Lastly: I'm debating on adding a QR code or atleast one that can be taken off via velcro. This code would take users to the Whale Museum website so they could donate to their efforts. In all honesty their the only group I trust people giving their money to, but it would be controversial as I'm not partnered with them.
In conclusion, I know too much about whales and the common man isn't gonna give a crap about these little references, BUT I CARE. MY COMMUNITY WILL CARE...and that's enough for me.
