DarthBiscuit

6/29 update: I outlined my supplies and process to prepare for the armor here. Take a look please and let me know if you have any suggestions! Thanks! So I ordered my R1TK helmet from Jimmiroquai and within a week he has it finished! He’ll ship it out soon, so I need to get ready! In the meantime, I’m looking through the forums to determine equipment requirements and gather supplies so I’m ready when my LBB (little brown box) arrives. I’ve listed below the items I expect to need, along with my to-do list when the helmet arrives. I don’t have any cosplay experience, or even much crafting, so I’m hoping to keep my tasks simple. Some of my vendor options are limited (pretty much focused on Amazon or Target online), since I can’t go out to Home Depot or anywhere else (for now). I appreciate any guidance anyone will give to better prepare me for this undertaking. Otherwise, just ignore me and I'll keep updating this for my own future reference. Thanks! Equipment Eventually I’ll want fans, a mic and speakers, and possibly hearing assist, but those can wait until I have the full costume and go trooping. It looks like ukswrath has everything I need, and I don’t think I’d go wrong with him. Obtained ukswrath's speaker system Dremel My buddy has one he’ll lend me, along with 1.5” cutoff wheels. Will those be good for all the vents, or should I get smaller Lukcase 22mm (7/8”) wheels too? Needle file set I’ve seen R1TK helmet vents start out rugged and end up perfect after taking some needle files to them. I also read that up/down works best and breaks vents less than in/out. I found some assorted shapes (Flat, Flat Warding, Square, Triangular, Round, and Half-Round) with 3mm width and 4” file length. Glazing putty To fix imperfections, I found Bondo 651 Glazingspot putty tube. CA glue E6000 glue I found a 3.7 oz tube, which I figure will be enough for the helmet (vocodor, mesh, maybe vent backing) Two-part epoxy I don’t think I’ll need this since I’ll have E6000. Am I wrong? Sugru I saw someone recommended using Sugru moldable glue to permanently glue the lens in place, if I don’t go removable. Popsicle sticks, for spreading Interior coating Some R1TK builds recommend coating the inside of fiberglass with resin or Plasti Dip; does that apply to the helmet? I’m not sure if I’d want to insulate the bucket if there’s no need, but I’d want it strong enough to sustain minor hits/falls. If recommended, which is easier/better for inside the helmet: Plasti Dip spray or an Epoxy Resin? Sandpaper I found a pack of 220, 400, 800, and 1000. One sheet of each should be enough for just the helmet. Painting Tape: a few rolls of 48mm (1.88”), maybe one roll of 24mm (0.94”) for smaller areas A few good paintbrushes Drop cloths: 0.7mil clear plastic (will hang some to make a little paint booth) Rust-Oleum 241526 Comfort Grip for easier, more even spraying? Justin (TheRascalKing) outlined his paint walkthrough really well. Since he’s using rattle cans like I want, I’m going to mimic his process. Primer Rust-Oleum 249088 12 oz. flat gray primer spray Paint What does the CRL means by “tears and traps may not be hand painted”? I figure that means brush strokes should not be visible, so spray paint would be acceptable. White: Rust-Oleum 249090 12 oz. gloss white spray paint Gray (teeth, tears, traps, ear bars): Rust-Oleum 338924 (edit) 12 oz. gloss smoke gray spray paint Black (tear, trap, and ear bar outlines): Sharpie oil-based extra fine (edit) point paint marker Black (interior): delta Ceramcoat black acrylic craft paint Clear coat: Rust-Oleum 249117 Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2X gloss clear spray paint Black (vocodor, brow, neck trim): Justin recommended Plasti Dip rubber spray Any issues with these choices? Mesh Jim said the helmet comes with mesh. Is he only referring to the frown? I’ll want breathable black fabric for the traps/tears and blue for the tubes. Any suggestions? I’ll probably wait until I can go to a crafts store so I can feel it and cut how much I need. Obtained mesh for the frown Still need mesh for the tears/traps Still need blue mesh for the tubes Lens Jim said the helmet comes with a lens. Does anyone recommend a different lens? Padding I have some extra pads from an old kevlar helmet that should do the trick and can be attached with velcro Neck trim Is it fine to just spray it with Plasti Dip, or do I need to attach a separate piece of tubing? Velcro Strenco 2” black hook/loop heavy duty strips with adhesive (5 yards) Clamps (I don’t think I need clamps for just the helmet) Magnets Mikede N45 grade neodymium magnets 32mm x 3mm (12 discs) PPE Respirator mask DEWALT DPG94-1C Dominator Safety glasses Nitrile or latex gloves Dowellife level 5 cut-resistant gloves Lamp LED desk lamp with 5x/10x magnifying lens To Do Unbox! Wash the fiberglass with soapy water Interior coating? (with Plasti Dip or epoxy resin?) Tape off openings to prevent external adhering Cut out the vents Should I instead cut out the vents before applying an interior coating? I figured the coating would strengthen the trap vents so they might not break as easily. Dremel with cut-off wheels Needle files Sand the interior, tape some openings, and brush paint with black paint Sand with 220 grit Tape off lens and vent holes Prime Fill imperfections with glazing putty Sand with 220 grit Spray with Rust-Oleum gray primer Wet sand with 400 grit Repeat for 2 or 3 coats Wet Sand with 1,000 grit Tape off non-white areas Paint White Spray whole bucket Wet sand with 1,000 Repeat for 2 or 3 coats Tape off white-only areas Spray gray on traps, tears, teeth, and ear bars Wet sand with 1,000 Repeat for 2 or 3 coats Black outline of traps/tears/ears with paint marker Glossy clear coat Spray black Plasti Dip on brow, vocodor, and Jim’s Hovi tips After clear coat so they don’t end up glossy Is it acceptable to paint Jim’s brow, or do I need a separate rubber tube? Attach vocodor with E6000 CA glue Attach Hovi tips Probably drill holes and bolt from inside, so they can be switched out one day with ukswrath’s speaker system Drill holes to attach Tony's speaker system Attach lenses Permanent with Sugru? Temporary with magnetic strips, velcro, or something else? Leave small opening to cut down on fogging Attach frown mesh Permanent? Attach vent mesh Permanent? Maybe with magnetic strips or velcro for removability. Attach padding Adhere velcro hook side to helmet Enjoy..?

Hey man, glad to see you're back at it! In planning out my Jimmi helmet, I'm stuck on paint. It's awesome to see your walkthrough and supply list! Do you know what you're going to use for the gray and black helmet parts? I saw Daetrin’s R1TK Paint Guide which listed Humbrol and Testors colors, but since I'm planning rattle cans only, those aren't really options for me. What are you going to use? You've primed the whole bucket and then plan on taping and painting the different parts? I'm just trying to get my supply list together and paint colors and types are the hardest to plan for so far... Thanks man!

Hey everyone! Long-time Star Wars fan, first-time cosplay! I'm talking movies, shows, books, and games; canon and legends; all of it! I have a bunch of Disneyland lightsabers, even one from Savi's, and a Rubie's Jedi robe, but nothing so legit as a movie-quality Stormtrooper costume! I met up with a guy in Feb who showed me his ANH TK and ESB TS. So awesome! I wasn't supposed to be interested, but I couldn't help myself. He introduced me to the websites and resources and I was hooked! I started looking around the 501st and thought I'd check out some Phase II Clonetrooper armor (the customization options were intriguing), but I knew that my first costume just HAD TO BE a Stormtrooper! Looking through the versions, I really like the crisp lines, refined details, and vent depth of the Rogue One TK! I checked out the vendors and decided on Jimmiroquai! Sadly, my wife was not on board with the financial cost or required time to produce a full suit. She was more open to starting with a helmet, and if I enjoy it enough and improve my DITY skills, then supposedly we’ll readdress the rest of the armor. So I ordered Jim’s R1TK helmet a few days ago and, COVID-19 restrictions permitting, it won’t be too long before I get started! For now, I’ll just keep scouring the forums to gather everything I’ll need for my helmet so I’m ready when it arrives! The work looks daunting, but I think starting with just the bucket will help me focus and ease in. Plus, I’m sure this community will provide plenty of guidance as needed. So excited to take my first step in joining the 501st!

Justin, thanks for you input and suggestions so far! I just spent the night reading thru your R1TK build. First of all, I hope your treatments go well. You explained pretty much everything you did, which helps me feel like I can mimic your armor prep, like what to sand with, paint/primer method, even resin reinforcement. All of it is a bit intimidating, since I don't have any experience with this stuff. I think I was more prepared for ABS trimming, fitting, and mounting... I think I just like the R1 bucket with its cutouts instead of painted lines or decals.

Thanks for the explanation! You've got me leaning back to Jimmi's now lol. Does trimming to fit still work out alright? Does the whole thing need to be painted?? I figured the white finish is fine and I'd just need to paint some black/gray on the bucket. I guess I'm still early in my research and don't have a full grasp of what's required. I'll keep going thru R1TK Jimmi builds.

I just found out Jimmi is fiberglass...I don't think I'm proficient enough to modify that. I don't have any modeling or costuming experience. Do Jimmiroquai offer an ABS option? If not, looks like 850AW is what I'll have to look at. I'm not sure what I'll do about the helmet though. 850AW says it comes with the Black Series, but I'd have to disassemble that and make a lot of mods, right? Does Jimmi sell a standalone R1TK helmet? Is it also FB? Does it require mods? Just trying to get my ducks in a row before I commit...appreciate any help!

Thinking about go toward R1TK, if/when I convince the wife... So Jimmiroquai and 850AW are the only options?

What a great post! Just quietly reading forums and checking out some WIPs to get a sense of what I'm in for if I convince my wife... Are there other R1TK options besides Jimmiroquai?