Asmus Toys: Eowyn in Armor

[Anthrapoid]

Here's the finished chainmaille curtain for the rear of the helmet, a total of 710 rings. I'll be trimming a few rows off the bottom, but the ring count as it wraps around from ear to ear is a perfect match to the film prop helmet.
The maille shirt (hauberk) is under construction.




I've been able to count the actual number of chain ring-rows on the film prop helmet and maille shirt. As it turns out, 2mm was the perfect size for the rings to be 1/6 scale. Any larger or smaller, and the row count wouldn't match.



update: I have oficially farmed-out this process to a very talented chainmaille artisan. I went as far as I could on my own, but the tiny scale just kills my eyes- and having a tremor in my left hand doesn't help either, as I am left-handed. What you will see is my researched LOTR design and pattern measurements, linked together by younger, more steady hands. I'm really glad I found this guy, because he's amazing.

 

[Star Puffs]

Here's the finished chainmaille curtain for the rear of the helmet, a total of 710 rings. I'll be trimming a few rows off the bottom, but the ring count as it wraps around from ear to ear is a perfect match to the film prop helmet.
The maille shirt (hauberk) is under construction.


View attachment 419632

I've been able to count the actual number of chain ring-rows on the film prop helmet and maille shirt. As it turns out, 2mm was the perfect size for the rings to be 1/6 scale. Any larger or smaller, and the row count wouldn't match.

View attachment 419643

Fantastic work.

Would you be willing to share where you got these rings? I've always wanted to try this.

 

[Travis Baumann]

It says fall which seems kind of optimistic and a general $199.99 for everyone but none-the-less... there is a definitive plan for release.

 

[Anthrapoid]

Fantastic work.

Would you be willing to share where you got these rings? I've always wanted to try this.

Thank you! I'm sorry, but they are running low and I may need to buy more to complete my project. Anyway, they aren't individual rings, it's chain. I've devised a way to link-up lengths of chain to form chainmail. The photo below will show you how.

 

[Anthrapoid]

...the work goes on. About one-third of the total square inches are done. This chainmail feels so silky- like liquid metal.

 

[FlyAndFight]

 

[Sassafras]

View attachment 420089View attachment 420089

It says fall which seems kind of optimistic and a general $199.99 for everyone but none-the-less... there is a definitive plan for release.

IMO ASMUS should just take the time they need to get stuff right.

Meanwhile, impressive re Eowyn's chain maille - useful to me re thinking about a BOFA version of Thorin custom, which would need chain maille. If u really want to give yourself a project, you can make your own maille rings (jump rings).

https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Jump-Ring

Lots of other YT vids etc.

Purchased chain would be better but if u need specialty rings really starting from scratch would do it.

 

[Anthrapoid]

There are several great qualities to this particular chain:

1) It's stainless steel. It'll never rust or discolor.
2) Each ring is 2mm in diameter, perfect for 1/6 scale.
3) The wire is square, not round- which matches Eowyn's type of mail.
4) All the rings are pre-welded shut. That means individual welded rings can be harvested
and used for all the edges, which will add a lot of strength to the finished piece.

Making rings is a chore I can happily do without. Even if I did make them, there's no way I could weld them closed- they're just too small. Fortunately, the Chinese have access to advanced shrinking technology. They shrink their welders down to 6 inches in height, so each ring appears doughnut-sized to them.

 

[Lee in MI]

And you happen to have access to that elf factory that you aren’t willing to share...that’s...odd.





For this community.

 

[Sassafras]

There are several great qualities to this particular chain:

1) It's stainless steel. It'll never rust or discolor.
2) Each ring is 2mm in diameter, perfect for 1/6 scale.
3) The wire is square, not round- which matches Eowyn's type of mail.
4) All the rings are pre-welded shut. That means individual welded rings can be harvested
and used for all the edges, which will add a lot of strength to the finished piece.

Making rings is a chore I can happily do without. Even if I did make them, there's no way I could weld them closed- they're just too small. Fortunately, the Chinese have access to advanced shrinking technology. They shrink their welders down to 6 inches in height, so each ring appears doughnut-sized to them.

LOL. Good point about closing the rings. This is beautiful work. My problem *may* be that I vaguely remember reading BOFA dwarf mail had diamond shaped links, not round. And probably square wire. I need to check that. I might be forced to make links - I've done it, but never that many or that small.

 

[warlock664]

And you happen to have access to that elf factory that you aren’t willing to share...that’s...odd.





For this community.

QFT

 

[Anthrapoid]

And you happen to have access to that elf factory that you aren’t willing to share...that’s...odd.





For this community.

I'm only unwilling to share until my project is complete. As of now, my source only has 3 rolls left in stock. They tell me it's impossible for them to be sure they will get more, and if so, when.

 

[Sassafras]

I'm only unwilling to share until my project is complete. As of now, my source only has 3 rolls left in stock. They tell me it's impossible for them to be sure they will get more, and if so, when.

IMO that's just the way it is for anything connected with the jewelry industry (chain, settings, studs), and some craft items. You go back for something and they don't make it anymore.

 

[Sassafras]

Lee... Another member a few pages back shared their own customization of the Eowyn figure, so I'm doing the same here. I've helped people on the board many times, but not on demand. I can't afford to buy the remaining rolls of chain at this time, not even for profit. I'm sure if you do some searching, you can find similar 2mm chain to use. However, you have no idea how difficult this process is. Weaving large sheets of chainmail with 2mm rings is GRULING, tedious work, and it takes forever. Be careful what you wish for.

Besides most people I know who do customs or any kind of craft stash leftovers. Selling is a pain and no guarantee. And 2mm is like the size of a small nail head. IMO folks could search women accessories, sometimes mesh is used in jewelry and accessories that can be cut up. May not look as perfect as chain weaving but is another option. Tho if I mod Thorin I will weave chain. Quick search yesterday plenty of folks selling bulk chain esp. on Etsy (Thorin would need a bronzed chain)

 

[olebienkopp]

Unbelievable - what a great job!!!

 

[Anthrapoid]

Unbelievable - what a great job!!!

Thank you! It's 50% done now.

 

[Neko]

Crazy work but incredible result. Hats off !!

 

[superdoug]

Wow! It looks incredible. I am very curious to see how it sits on a figure and how much it restricts articulation. Incredible undertaking for sure. Thanks for sharing the journey with us.

 

[Anthrapoid]

Wow! It looks incredible. I am very curious to see how it sits on a figure and how much it restricts articulation. Incredible undertaking for sure. Thanks for sharing the journey with us.

It won't restrict motion at all. It's so slinky and 'drapey'. Even though each ring is 2mm in diameter, the thickness of the finished maille is about 1mm, because the rings lay at a low angle against the body. This stuff is extremely fluid.

After the maille shirt is done, then I make a new leather cuirass and vambraces.

Finally, I'll replace the crude plastic helmet fittings, face shield, and thin brass trim with much more accurate real metal parts. The leather cuirass and its pair of hanging tassets have (what I believe to be) inlaid brass/bronze plates which have fine engraved scrolling; the face shield has some engraved detail as well.
I found a company that does laser etching on thin brass and aluminum. So, I'm researching and reproducing those details in Photoshop, and I'll have the parts laser-etched on thin pieces of metal. Then I'll grind off the original features, and carefully bend the metal parts to fit the helmet, and glue them in place.

Here's a sample of my research. And, as Spock would say, "My calculations are accurate, of course."

 

[Anthrapoid]

Before I started taking measurements for the whole costume, I knew I needed to fix the body proportions of the figure itself. I removed the enormous rubber bubble-butt... I shaved a lot of thickness off her Olympian thighs. I removed the hard plastic inserts under her boobs, so the soft outer rubber can now be pressed in with very little squeezing from the tight leather cuirass. I shortened the lower legs quite a bit, and added some length to the upper arms. I shaved off a LOT of thickness from the forearms, so the green undergarment sleeves can run under the vambraces accurately.

With the torso-to-limb ratio corrected (more or less) the new costume will look a lot more accurate. I also replaced the tiny stock hands entirely with 'Red Sonja' gloves I bought on eBay; (five different posed pairs) They are much more size-accurate, and they actually LOOK like leather gloves.

I cobbled together images that show Miranda Otto's true body proportions. As you can see, I still need to make the shoulders more broad, and somehow fix the skinny pencil-neck.