dashrazor's ata incinerator trooper build thread[*ATA]

[dashrazor]

i am starting out my incinerator trooper build thread

 

my plan of action

1. helmet

2. armor

3. custom pauldron

4. flamethrower

 

got my brown box of goodies

also my scrap built ammo pouch is complete (click here for templates and howto)

 

 

HELMET

 

before i do any trimming, i am coating the inside of the helmet with rustolium truck bed liner, first i scrubbed the inside of the helmet with dawn dish soap and a steel wool, then i wrapped the helmet in an old walmart bag to prevent over-spray, also i taped around the edges to hold the bags in place

after 2 coats

 

now ill let this cure over night and then begin trimming

 

now for rough trimming

 

i will be using my craftsman radial arm saw to do most of the rough trim work no im not kidding... i made a makeshift hot wire cutter using my radial saw and some junk

making first cuts, it works very smoothly and by adjusting the voltage i can fine tune the cutting speed

you cant see the cuts because they almost re-weld after cutting

 

the cut pieces just pop off after cutting

 

this is the cutting circuit it is made from a 12 volt transformer, variac from a sewing machine and a guitar string i tested this on some scrap plastic first and was surprised how much easier it was than scissors or a blade, i like this method because it reduces the risk of cracking the plastic, also it is very easy to guide the cuts and you can change cutting angles on a dime...

 

*ATA

Edited December 2, 2010 by dashrazor

[TK_LEPER]

Oh man! Great idea!

[Pyro[TK]]

This will help alot as I am doing the same build

 

thanks for posting this!

[Daetrin[Admin]]

I will watch your career with great interest...

[dashrazor]

i love the smell of burning plastic in the morning

 

i made a short demo video of my hot wire trimmer (please note i am cutting with one hand while filming with the other)

 

here it the other ear rough trimmed

 

 

now i will start fine trimming with a dremel

[dashrazor]

i hope this is looking ok

 

the final trimming is scary....

 

i am trying not to over trim but i dont want to under trim.. any input would be helpful

 

thanks to jessie for your ata helmet build thread, it has been a big help

[dashrazor]

 

test fitting ears

Edited May 16, 2010 by dashrazor

[dashrazor]

i am attaching the ears with a combination of 3 glues. gorilla super glue gel, automotive goop and hot glue

 

i allied the goop to the edges of the ears and clamped in place

then i put in all the ear screws and tightened, applying small drops of super glue gel in any small gaps

i filled the seams inside the helmet with hot glue for reinforcement

 

i cleaned up the little bits of visible goop with an exacto blade and pencil eraser

 

then sanded every inch with imperial wet dry sandpaper and claened with automotive surface prep cleaner

 

first coat of primer

[ajax407[TK]]

i hope this is looking ok

 

nope... not right at all. you should just get a new kit and send this one to me. i'll pm you my address.

 

 

 

 

kidding, obviously. looks great, and some pretty innovative methods here to boot.

[dashrazor]

starting the helmet detailing, i taped the areas to be detailed with automotive masking and filled in gaps with blue painters tape and plastic bags to prevent overspray

i painted all areas black first then re masked the details

 

after i went over the black with grey

 

it didn't come out as good as i would like, but hopefully the battle damage will cover the problem areas

[dashrazor]

i masked off the tube stripes and touched up some overspray with an airbrush

then masked off the red areas

i airbrushed it with 3 different shades of red starting light around the edges and then darker shades

next im gonna do the battle damage, weathering and fine detailing

Edited May 22, 2010 by dashrazor

[dashrazor]

weathered

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Mason - your skills are complete. It is as the Emperor has foreseen...

[Scootch[TK]]

Yeah that looks great!

[dashrazor]

thanks guys iv actually done a lot since those photos, i have almost the whole set trimmed and ready to assemble, i also touched up the helmet decal areas some, it has been a good learning experience

 

i did learn a few do's and donts

 

i used rustolium appliance epoxy for the white finish (great stuff) but be carful when applying painted details, fortunately i tested on scraps first, testors model paints are ok but if you thin them too much you will get orange peel (cracked finish) i ended up using acrylic craft paints from wal mart (they can be thinned with water or windex so there is no chance of a bad reaction) but then the deatails need to be sealed, i tested several clear coats before i found one that didnt react badly with the rustolium finish. the only one that worked was krylon matte finish

 

even the rustolim clear finish reacted badly with the appliance epoxy to do the cracked battle damaged areas i applied hot glue to the area then ripped it off slowly, this removed the epoxy finish to expose the bare primer, then i filled the cracks with khaki colored craft paint and sealed with clearcoat, oh and a other helpful hint... if you live in a buggy area like me burn a couplel citronella candles nearby when painting it helps keep bugs from getting in your paint

 

also the hot wire trimming is insanely easy and quick i recommended it to anyone doing an ATA it cut the hips like butter

 

 

enough ramblings lol..

 

installing lenses

 

i put 2 part epoxy around the eyes and inserted female threaded hex nuts (from an old pc card) into the epoxy

then i cut the lenses and warped them slightly with my propane heat gun

 

 

i drilled out holes and bolted in the lenses with the same PC card hex screws

almost done

Edited June 2, 2010 by dashrazor

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Hot wire trimming? Is that a new TIP thread I smell?

[dashrazor]

Hot wire trimming? Is that a new TIP thread I smell?

ha the melting hips actually smells quite nice, but i haven't tested on abs yet. i cant remember exactly where i got the schematics (i made it a few years ago for cutting foam insulation sheets) but if you google hot wire foam cutting, you can find plans to make one or buy a premade foam cutter pretty cheap

[dashrazor]

i took out the foam lining from an old hokey mask i got at a yard sale and glued it into the helmet with plumbers goop (i also may use the helmet strap from this also)

fits perfect and is really comfortable...

 

then i installed Smittys awesome mic tips

 

doing the final sanding and trimming was taking forever with a dremel and the dremel (no matter how good your skills are) is prone to kickback and slipping.. so i decided to take a gamble and try my bench belt sander i was a but reluctant at first, but using the drum end it was super easy to trim/sand in one easy step, i used an extremely worn out belt so it removes the excess plastic slowly and precisely. i am in a bit of a time crunch on this build because my cousins 10yr old son son having a birthday soon and him and his brother are super crazy about Star Wars .. i sure to give them one big surprise since they have never seen a real life star wars character before.. enough rambling on... i hope to start priming and painting some parts today if all goes well

 

 

here is a video of me trimming with a craftman belt sander (my daughter filmed it so the camera work is a bit wonky)

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Nice work Mason. I understand from others that used it that a belt sander is the fastest way to trim armor and get nice edges. Alas, it's also a dangerous tool to use too. Can't wait to see how this shakes out

[bluehickey]

Looking awesome, can't wait to see it finished!

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Yes, a garrison mate of mine used a belt sander on an AP kit he helped a new member to build. Made for quick work.

[dashrazor]

i started fitting the pvc trim before i start painting.. this stuff looks nice and for 75 cents a foot it was a great deal

 

 

tip: leave the trim out in the sun for a bit...it makes it easier to work with

Edited June 12, 2010 by dashrazor

[dashrazor]

you can get the marine grade trim HERE if anyone is wondering

[bluehickey]

Wow, the trim looks great!

[dashrazor]

i joined using a strip of white rubber and hot glue

 

i will reinforce the hot glue seam permanently soon as i come up with a good way of doing it

Edited June 16, 2010 by dashrazor