BigJasoni

Congrats Marek, that's a great looking kit. Go Ducks!

So I had an interesting conversation over the weekend about this. Someone reached out to me asking about an ROTK accessory. I asked them who the maker of their armor was because the sizes they were providing seemed very odd, and they replied that it's a "scaled 3D print kit from Makerofthings." I haven't found the STL files yet, but if what this person told me is correct, Makerofthings has taken their recast of @jimmiroquai's work and scanned it into 3d files. I'll keep looking, but it's just another thing to be aware of, especially since 3D printing is becoming a popular option.

This is a great point. I think sometimes we get carried away using the spray putty/ filler primer when a good sandable would work fine. On 3d prints, I use it religiously, but on fiberglass and ABS, I'm much more conservative.

It looks like you got some pretty good suggestions, but I’ve recently started using higher end paints such as SEM. Coverage is a lot better and it takes far less to do the same job. It is a little weird spending $30 on a can of paint, but I’m literally getting about 4x as much out of a can as I was with the cheaper stuff. The only Rustoleum I’m still using is their sealer primer. Search around though. I would suggest using something that has a fan tip. The acrylic auto paints are typically equipped with one, but you might be able to pick something up for a reasonable price that gets the job done. Also, since you’re painting a fairly decent surface, you don’t need a high build formula. A good sandable primer or filler sandable will get the job done.

Daniel, Thanks for posting. I’m always excited to see ROTKs coming together. By selecting the Jimmiroquai kit, you’ve already done yourself some favors, but those fibers are a bit of a nuisance. When I first got mine, I immediately dug out the shin armor to try them on and was instantly reminded off how bad fiberglass can be. With that said, I found that Jim’s material is very forgiving once it’s washed, dried, and sprayed with primer. A lot of the builders here have experimented with different “top dressings” but when I began experimenting myself, I found negligible differences between bed liner, rubber coating, and filler primer. Honestly, the kit I currently have has a layer of sandable filler primer, as well as a layer of primer sealer on the backside and it almost has the same feel as the flex seal my friend used, and the bedliner I have in my helmet. Once I spray a layer of paint on it, I’m confident the fibers will be a thing of the past; even now, the itchy feel it has straight out of the box is completely gone. Which ever path you choose, I would advise you to avoid trying to sand the interior. This only seems to further exasperate the issue and draw more fibers to the surface. Please reach out with any questions and I look forward to seeing this build take shape.

Justin, Great idea! You definitely knocked this one out of the park. For @RINZLERz: I’m glad you received your helmet. As you’re starting off, I’d encourage you to focus in on what Justin did for the eye. He and I discussed this a while ago and the two of us took very similar, but different approaches. Justin accentuated the eye bump with Bondo Spot and Glaze Putty and it turned out great. I actually used a 2 part epoxy when I did mine, but I also “squared” off the corners of the eyes just a bit. Either compound works well, but just remember that these details are very subtle on the ROTK helmet; less is more. I would also like to echo what Justin said about reinforcing the helmet. In comparing kits, it’s clear that the casting process creates slight variations from pull to pull. I didn’t have any thin spots on mine, but I did steal his bedliner idea and now use it religiously. Finally, do a careful examination of your bucket for pinholes and the low spots @gmrhodes13 pointed out. I spot checked mine with Spot and Glaze Putty, but also hit it with a guide coat prior to blocking it. I’m also using primer sealer now in order to create a perfectly seamless painting surface and the results have been fantastic. Anyways, check out the build thread and please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Taylor, From a fellow Garrison Tyranus (Inferno Squad) member, Welcome Aboard! As you’re more than likely aware, there’s tons of great resources here and even better people. Congratulations on the approval and now, onward to EIB. I can’t wait to catch up with you at a troop.

@Arvin, I read your post and this is what I keyed in on. Trust me, you’re not alone. Lol Regardless, welcome to the FISD. You’re going to find an incredible wealth of knowledge here and a community that’s willing to bend over backwards to help you along the journey. Your question about fans is excellent. For the longest time, I knew about fans, but just decided to sweat it out instead. This was all fine up until I did my first real outdoor troop. Even in decent weather I had to keep taking breaks to wipe out my bucket lenses, clean myself off and decompress a little. While the fans won’t work as air conditioners, they do provide some comfort and keep things clear. Check out the link @wook1138 posted, but keep those questions coming. Welcome aboard

Glen, I've heard some talk about this, but I can't find them on screen. Have you found where the extended stocks are on the show? They're probably somewhere obvious and I'm just overlooking them.

I think this is an excellent plan. Everyone here is more than willing to help you make something awesome. Also, if you haven't done so already, link up with your local garrison. The troopers in Knightfall will be an outstanding resource. Then, when you're ready to start building, we'd all love to see a build thread. Good luck!

Justin, I put this together for a friend a few days ago and was just as surprised as you. I've spoken with 3 people over the last month about issues they've had with their helmets and each of them say "something looks off." But, team this up with the warped resin issue @TI25674 (David) had and I'm a little hesitant. Another issue I saw up close was a weird resin pull which left the helmet bumpy like my OT TE Trooper helmet. Since it's resin, it can be sanded out, but this was on a finished bucket.

@RINZLERz, you seem to keep going back to the ROTK style helmet; this is what 850 and Jim Tripon make. But let me address a few of your comments: I'm not going to put them on blast, but I have concerns with the 850 helmet. Additionally, a few customer experiences have left a lot to be desired. For an example, please see David's build thread here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/52357-davids-rotk-850-aw-build/ The 850 helmet is resin, which is great, but if David's is any indication of their quality control, I'd pass. You're right in saying "the picture doesn't look so great," and there's a few reasons why. There's a line in our CRL for basic approval that says "The helmet is accurate in detail and proportion to official references. Many commercially available helmets or those considered disproportionate in size or shape are ineligible." Again, I don't want to blast them, because we've seen several successful builds come from 850 kits, but their helmet is off... considerably. The first and most obvious to me is the overall narrow appearance of everything as well as the flat ears. Here's the picture you were likely referencing side-by side with the original render pic from @gmrhodes13's R1TK reference album: Jim's name has become synonymous with ROTK on this forum for good reason. First, he's the CRL model. Next, other than Nico Henderson's 3D ROTK helmet, his stuff is the most accurate currently available. There's a few more makers out there putting out great TK helmets, but they're all 3D print files. I believe Jim's is a recast of the black series helmet, but he did all the work we've been referencing before recasting. Now, regarding it being a kit, that's debatable. This "kit" consists of only 3 pieces, technically four if you consider that there's two hovi mic tips. Also, don't worry about being a "first time builder." Jim's fiberglass is incredibly easy to work with. Here's a picture of mine that I spot checked with an $8 bottle of bondo spot and glaze putty, sanded lightly, then sprayed with <$20 in filler primer and primer sealer. It's now perfectly smooth and ready for paint. I did make a few adjustments to the eyes for centurion requirements and cut out the teeth (frown) and tubes, but other than those alterations (the tubes are totally optional), it was essentially ready for paint out of the box. Also, keep in mind that even considering shipping from the Philippines, Jim's bucket costs almost half what the finished 850 helmet costs. Paint, and prep materials will set you back another $40-$150 depending on what you buy. I'd stay away from both of these. They are both 3D printed helmets from Geoffro's free files on Thingiverse which are found here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:391664 It's funny also, the first listing is definitely from these files, but the second listing shows a different helmet in the listing than the one that's being sent out. If you look at the buyer photos, they're pictures of the Geoffro helmet. Additionally, in most of their listings, they name the maker of the files, but don't for this listing. I'd ask before buying. Also, both makers say in the listing that they're using PLA to make the helmets. PLA is great for printing small dense objects or things that'll sit on a shelf, but it warps badly in any kind of heat. The Geoffro files are fan made .stl files meant to emulate the Original Trilogy Stormtrooper, but they're horribly inaccurate. It's a fun little project for those of us who enjoy the 3D printing hobby, but if you're looking for a future TK build, these helmets would pretty much be useless. Plus, if you do the simple math, they got the files for free, spent about $30 on filament, and are charging you another $200+ for finish. Also, neither vendor offers free shipping and the first one is coming from Spain. So, in the end, I'm obviously partial to the Jimmiroquai helmet, but like I said previously, you really need to gameplan what type of build you want to accomplish. If you're looking for a budget friendly point of entry, I would really consider finding someone who can 3D print a helmet for you, then later when you're ready for armor, possibly start looking into the 850 armor kit. Or, for a little more, you can grab Jim's armor kit which is a lot easier to work with and much more accurate. There's other vendors out there, but please post here before you invest in their armor; we're seeing recasters out there who have stolen Jim's design as well as several other inaccurate offerings. Also, start searching through the forum and other classified listings for armor. I just talked to someone last week who picked up an unused Shepperton Design Studios kit for <$800. We'll see this a lot where someone buys a kit, opens the box, realizes how much work is involved, puts everything back in the box and lets it sit for a few years. There's others who just decide that they need to move another direction and offer to sell their kits for unbelievable deals. Keep your eyes open. As always, please ask a lot of questions. Everyone here wants to help you get suited up, but we're going to make sure you go about it the right way.

I think the key takeaway from this is how short the webbing/ elastic is that's holding the dropbox to the large ammo box. The current ROTK Centurion requirement states: The two drop boxes hang no more than 1” 25mm below the front belt and the black strap is visible. But from the reference photos I've seen both here, and other Anthology era shows, I would suggest future CRLs call for maybe a 1/4"-1/2" visible strap. Honestly, these hang almost identical to the Shore, muddy, and ICAT Driver costumes, but aren't hinged like those examples. Regarding the thighs, if you look closely at the trooper on the right, you can make out the sleeve that covers the side thigh strap. The wavy elastic look is definitely there. For those who haven't gotten a good look at this, here's the Mimban TK thigh armor strapping: Good catches Glen!

@RINZLERz, I know you said you’re not “specifically focused” on Rogue One helmets, but @TheRascalKing’s suggestion is an excellent option. However, having spoken with Nico, he asks that both parties buy his files from him before you commission someone to print and finish a bucket. I think one question that needs to be asked though is what your intent is? Do you intend on buying a helmet to display, or are you thinking about putting together the rest of the armor later on? Obviously, with the differences in helmets, it’s a good idea to plan this out. There’s options out there, so please take a look at all the resources @gmrhodes13 posted. But, knowing you’re on a budget, you might want to consider the 3d print route. The files and 2 rolls of filament will cost you approximately $85, but then you can start buying paint and finishing supplies as your budget allows. However, this means you’d be finishing and painting it yourself which can be challenging, but rewarding. If you want someone to do a full commission build, the price can get out of control.

Great video Glen. Thanks for sharing. I watched the entire thing and was rewarded with this pic at the end: So much to take in (check out the TD ), but it makes me start wondering about future CRLs. Any thoughts?

Thanks Glen, Those are two of the threads I've been watching, almost since their creation. The paint job on @Sano's Pyre is especially what got me interested and led me to watch Resistance again. Lol. Also, what you said about needing a finished costume confirms what I was thinking. However, as I alluded, I've had a few separate conversations which led me to question whether this was happening, or if the detachment (or LMO) needed more justification for CRL creation. I think the main things throwing me off are the conversations about building a CRL off of an action figure, 'a la Mountain Trooper, and Pyre's absence on the New to the Legion Costume in Progress page. Since you brought it up, I wonder is if any vendors are willing to create animated armor. Other than resistance, do we have any other animated examples that would make the juice worth the squeeze? Is there a market? Are there any... cringe... 3D kits out there? @JAFO, I'm looking at you brother. Lol. I'm sure you guys know the feeling where you think "I'm not going to buy another kit," but deep down you know that all it'll take is a little whisper from a bad influence. Unfortunately, I've got plenty of those guys close by and I'm definitely feeling the urge. Fortunately though, I've got enough costume builds to keep me busy through my birthday, or possibly Christmas, but it's never too early to start thinking. Thanks again Glen, I'm afraid I'll be reading these threads again in their entirety over the weekend.

Hey all, I'm routinely asked if I ever want to do a FOTK build. Due to the frequency of this question, I've formulated this response: "Yes. As long as it's either Captain Cardinal or Commander Pyre, but there's no CRL." Oh to my surprise when I saw Captain Cardinal listed in the Databank as a New to the Legion Costume in Progress. https://databank.501st.com/databank/New_to_the_Legion_Costumes_in_Progress With that said, I've heard a few different things circling around about potential Cardinal and Pyre CRLs, but it looks like information on the forum is somewhat limited. Also, while I lean more towards Commander Pyre (yes, I'm one of those guys who actually enjoyed Resistance) I love the Cardinal Character and would gladly add this costume to my never-ending build list. However, I really want to know if we have the full "blessing" from the LMOs before I commit to anything. Anybody want to get rid of a FOTK kit????? So with all that out there, if we do have the go-ahead, I'll plan on changing this topic title to The BigJasoni's Captain Cardinal WIP at a later date, but I want to make sure first. Now, swinging topics a little bit, I saw the Pyre discussion regarding realistic vs. animated armor. Personally, I'm not a big fan of differing between realistic and animated kits, i.e. Clone armor, because it complicates things. I understand that there's differences, but why? I had a similar conversation with the Underworld Detachment regarding Hondo Ohnaka and it kind of turned me away from doing the build. Regardless, Pyre would be my "dream First Order build," but I'm not getting the feeling that a CRL is ever going to happen. If any of you can answer my questions, I would be forever grateful. Lol Thanks as always!

David, I think snaps are your best option. I bought tactical suspenders that already had snaps on the ends which made it easy to place on the corset. Additionally, the snap webbing had Velcro on them, so I'm kind of doubled up. Here's a few pictures of how I mounted mine along with a pic of the screen used corset: End of suspenders Inside armor Mounting Location Screen used armor

David, everything's looking pretty good so far. Regarding the cuts, all of this depends on your body shape/ height. Personally, I have a slightly longer torso, so I tend to leave mine uncut. However, from all the pictures I've seen, the 850 chest plate does appear to sit lower, so you should be able to get away with trimming a little extra, just don't eliminate those recessed parts altogether. Here's a picture of my two abdominal pieces; different makers and different costumes, but a shared part on screen. Paul's design on the left is regarded as the most accurate, and you can see here how he handled the top. Jimi's on the right is almost identical height-wise, but since it arcs upwards, cutting the top out, similar to @11b30b4, to give the sternum a little relief isn't uncommon. Your 850 kit appears to be a mix of these two styles. If the top is sitting directly on top of your sternum or just rubbing you the wrong way, cut it down a little, but don't follow the line of the chest armor. It might help to see the front box taped up on the armor so we can gauge where it's all sitting. Also, since you're still on the abdominal armor, I have to tell you that this is probably the most important part of your kit. From your pics, I can't tell if you have suspenders for this yet or not. So, before you start cutting anything, you need to make sure you're wearing it exactly where you'll be wearing it when it's finished, which means getting your suspenders set now. Basically, your abdominal placement affects your chest and back placement, which affects your shoulder bell placement, which affects your biceps placement. In turn, your abdominal also affects the placement of your belt, which affects the cod and butt, which determines the placement of your thighs. I always suggest getting a sturdy set of suspenders with little to no stretch. FInally, you may want to consider cutting down the sides, but that's ultimately determined by how your side straps are sitting in relation to your abdominal. Basically, you don't want a ton of white abdominal armor peeking up over the top of the gloss black strap that connects your chest and back. I stole the following picture from @TheRascalKing's build thread so you can see what I'm talking about: Hope this all helps.

Bryan, all thanks to you. The resin printer was a pretty good investment, but it just makes me want an even bigger one. Lol.

And honestly, I don't know if Mike puts the TKs in the same bucket as Mando builds, but his current flight suit wait is a year. The best thing you can do is just reach out. Two years ago when he wasn't nearly as busy as he is now, it took about 5 months for me to get mine. Hit me up on Facebook Messenger if you want Jim's ROTK order form. I sent you his email info; he responds fairly quick. I knew he was getting annoyed. Lol. Regardless, don't get the wrong impression about the helmet. You can get the 850 bucket approved, there's just a few things that should be addressed. I know Andy said you had plans of eventually submitting for EIB and Centurion. However, if you do go the Black Series conversion route, @TerribleBen was recently approved in both the BS helmet and an 850 kit. If you haven't checked out his thread yet, it's here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48870-terriblebens-r1tk-adventure/ Keep in mind when you're doing the helmet conversion, regardless of what many of us have done previously, per the CRL, you're not required to cut out the stripes on the tears and traps. The CRL simply says "engraved," and a nicely painted engraved trap looks way better in my opinion. Trust me on this one, you don't want to cut those stupid little stripes out. I've done it on two 3d printed helmets and a black series. The tubes and "teeth" are pretty easy, but the others will make you cry. This is one of the reasons I like Nico's helmet: I think we discussed the belt briefly, but you're going to have to get a little creative with the 850 kit. You should have been supplied with some extra strips of ABS, but if I remember correctly, you'll still have to cut your own tabs which is easy to mess up. Just remember, curved surfaces measure different than flat surfaces. I'll definitely be watching your build closely.

So getting back to it: The first thing I wanted to do is highlight @gmrhodes13's tip about using a black overspray to find low spots: I touched on this briefly, but in the automotive paint world, this is referred to as a guide coat. If you look around the internet, you'll find a lot of products that are specifically formulated for these type applications, but for costumes, I really don't think we need to go so far as to buy these specific coats. As Glen indicated, a very light mist of black works just fine. However, when I use a guide coat, I like to use sandable primer for ease of removal. Rustoleum's black seems to do the trick just fine, but really any kind will get the job done. Also, if you choose to use a regular paint instead of the sandable primer, it does have a way to find even the smallest low lying areas including pinholes. Since this is an automotive trick, you can imagine that it's generally used on larger semi-flat surfaces during the "blocking" phase. This is an excellent trick for gentle curving areas such as the chest, thighs, shoulder bells, helmet dome and things of that nature, but if you try it on items such as the back armor or objects that have more of an ornate design, there's just a few areas you're going to have difficulties getting into to sand out. Regardless, here's the steps I followed for the chest armor: First the tools. I went to Amazon and picked up a 3M Hookit Soft Interface Pad and an assortment of sanding discs ranging from 80-2000 grit. The benefit of using the interface pad is it allows you to apply light even pressure to the surface without pressing in with your fingertips. These are typically used with an orbital sander, but also afford similar benefits of a sanding sponge, but to me it seems a lot more versatile. To get started, I lightly ran the 400 grit over the filler primer just to flatten out the surface. As you can see from my picture, even doing this lightly, you still have to be careful of the edges. However, since this is still at the filler primer stage, I'm not as concerned as I would be if this were my base coat. I then "dusted" it with the sandable primer which resulted in this: Just looking at the first picture, it doesn't look like I did much more than just speckle the primer, but in reality, by holding the can back about 2.5 feet away from the surface, the entire chest "fogged" over with a light black film as seen in the second. I stuck with the 400 grit and lightly sanded the surface, again paying attention to applying light even pressure over the entire part and not pressing with my fingertips. In this picture of my first pass, you can see how I primarily stuck to the flat surfaces and avoided the edges which left the black resting in the low spots. However, after a few more passes, sanding in one direction, I was left with what appeared to be a very flat surface which was ready for primer sealer. I also performed this step on my arm pieces which revealed a lot more low spots than this chest. Additionally, since I reformed the resin bicep the night prior, after spraying it with filler primer, a few crack appeared that I didn't notice previously. I didn't take pictures of how I reformed the biceps, but since resin manipulation has come up in other posts this week, the process was pretty simple. Basically, I soaked the resin pieces in hot water for about two minutes, then held it in place until it cooled. Of course, this small open piece is easier than a helmet, but it's the same idea. Just take your time. Also, in the second picture, it looks like there's an enormous crack on the inside, but that's just how the bicep is shaped. For the cracks, I debated what the best way to fill them would be. I thought about using more resin, or wood filler, but ultimately, since they were relatively small, I opted for Spot and Glaze putty. I filled the cracks, resprayed them with filler primer, gave them a light sanding and was left with this: Here's a shot of the inside of the bicep. After taking this picture, it dawned on me that I forgot to fill those little cracks, so I'll take care of that tonight. Honestly it's not a big issue, but I know they're there. --EDIT-- I just went out there, sanded down the large crack, and sprayed it with filler primer. Totally smooth now. Ok. Sealer primer. I've said those words a few times, and even posted a picture to the FISD Facebook group, but haven't really talked about it too much. Primer sealer is simply a thin primer coat that's formulated to fill in any remaining scratches and seal porous surfaces as a final prep for your base coat. I haven't used it on any of my costumes previously, but started entertaining the idea when I decided to use an automotive 2k paint for my Deathtrooper and 2k clear on this costume. Essentially, if I'm going to spend that kind of money on paint, I want the surface as perfect as I can get it prior to laying down my base. So, after a round of filler primer, light 400 sanding, guide coat, light 600 sanding, cleaning and tack rag, I started sealing my parts right as it was getting dark. Don't forget to show some love to the inside of your armor. And of course, I muffed up the chest a little bit. Not a big error, but I made one mistake when I was applying the sealer. As I stated, this stuff does apply much smoother than most primers, especially filler or sandable primer which you can pretty much glob on. So, if you use it, you have to keep moving in a smooth even motion until the part is covered. The best way I heard this described was on a Paint Society Youtube video where Brian (the host) said "robots don't stop, so neither should you." Keep in mind that he's speaking about painting car panels, but his tips are priceless when it comes to just laying down paint regardless of it's source. For what we do, he's got plenty of videos of getting professional results from rattle cans, which is essentially the guide I'm following with this build. In this instance, I kind of stopped "mid stream" and my finger got in the way of the spray which kind of shot a "blob" right at the surface. It cleaned up perfectly fine with one pass of 600 grit. For anyone interested in a professional car painter using rattle cans and 2k clear, this is an outstanding video. He doesn't cover sealer primer in this particular video, but does in most of his others: So, since I'm not ready to hit my back and abdominal yet, I decided to go back to my bucket. So, quick note about this; I have called this a Remnant build, but I'm sensing a little uncertainty regarding the creation of a Remnant CRL. So, to cover all my bases and make the determination on Remnant vs. Anthology/ New Generation TK, I'm making multiple versions of the helmet. So here's the helmet in it's Saturday state. Back in October, I sprayed it with some white primer and thought it was ready for paint. However, I've learned a lot since then and knew I wouldn't be doing it any justice if I just threw white on here and called it good. Additionally, as I showed a few days ago, it was still littered with pinholes and cracks, so it wasn't even close to ready. So, I grabbed my glaze and spot putty, filled the cracks, sanded it all out and flattened the surface with the interface pad and some 400grit paper. Since I already sprayed the interior with truck bed liner, I didn't want to get overspray on the awesome surface it created. I masked off the inside of the helmet and realized how much I like the blue painter's tape inside the tube vents. I can see why they used this on set, but it's just not practical for extended use. Regardless, check this out: YEAH BUDDY! I posted this to the Facebook page a few nights ago and almost instantly had three people reach out asking what paint I used. This is the primer sealer almost immediately after I sprayed it. I think up to this point, I was liking what I was seeing with the sealer, but after I sprayed the helmet and found that I couldn't find any flaws in the surface, I was purely ecstatic. The other thing to note about the sealer is after spraying the arms, chest, a few accessories including the thermal detonator, and helmet, I'm only down one can, so I don't mind the slightly higher price tag of approximately $10 per can. Though it looked cool in that last picture, this is how it looks now that it's fully cured and ready for paint. So that pretty much covers all the armor updates, but last night I FINALLY started another project I've been flirting around with for a few months now. Thanks to @JasonG for loaning me his airsoft gun a while back and @trooper96's awesome Rogue One files, I was able to start building the accessories I needed for the rubber/ resin E-11B I've talked to a few of you about previously. This isn't a resin/ rubber molding tutorial or anything like that, but does show you the direction I'm traveling for the time being as well as an example of the accuracy of Bryan's E-11 parts. --Spoiler Alert-- His files are awesome. Here's a few of the parts loosely held together next to the airsoft gun minus it's barrel. Small Eagle Style And finally, a comparison of the airsoft magazine (top) and Bryan's magazine. I'll get back to work soon, but as always, thanks again for viewing.

Gary, Glad to see you on the forum. I’m getting ready to hit the sack, so I’ll be quick. I spoke with Vincent at Imperial Boots a while back about their neck seal. They’ve started sending them out as a one size fits all item rather than offering several different sizes. The idea is that you’ll take it to a tailor to get adjusted. I was going to do a tutorial on resizing it, but I got rather busy. Regarding the undersuit, I can’t say enough good things about the full body suit from Imperial Boots; it’s phenomenal. However, like most ROTK undersuits, the ribbed knit fabric is hot. I also have a shirt and gaskets from the Darkside Closet which looks incredible, but again, you’re going to sweat a lot in it. Additionally, Mike has a rather long wait list, so if you want to get one, you should order it now. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with a Jimmiroquai undersuit. The price is right, Jimi completes the work and ships quickly, and the fabric combination is a lot more suitable for hotter weather. Finally, regarding the helmet, I know I passed some info along while you were at the armor party, but if you have access to a 3d printer, I’d really encourage you to print the Nico Henderson bucket. Ultimately, the amount of work you have to do to his helmet (filling, sanding, painting) is about the same as the Black Series modification, plus it’s a lot more accurate. Anyways, I’ll be watching this build with great interest.

James, I’m right up the road if you guys ever need a running buddy/ coach. I’ve got over 30 years distance running experience and would be more than happy to join up with you in RVA. I can’t wait to see how this works out for you and congrats to Jarod!

Glen, You beat me to it. I was planning on going over guide coats tonight. This is a technique typically used in auto paint which would be especially useful on a large piece with minimal contours like the chest. Awesome tip.