BigJasoni

Michael, That looks great. I'm going to start working on my kit.

Justin, Thanks for resurrecting the thread. I was just having this conversation with someone yesterday and was about to reengage, but you beat me to it. So, maybe a little my fault for getting this thread off course earlier with the action figures, but I believe LFL has had no problem marketing the Remnant character. As of this post, we now have a black series figure, two vintage collection versions and a sideshow collectibles sixth scale figure. Yes, Hasbro and Sideshow are independent companies, but it shows that the blessing was given by LFL for the naming of this character. The rest of my reasoning is pulled from anthology films and Disney+ features because there's screen references and that's what we need. Post-Endor and Post-Civil War Remnants have been covered extensively in both Canon and Legend writings. Please refer to these references for additional information: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Imperial_remnants I thought I pointed this out earlier, but neglected to actually do so. In Chapter 15 "The Believer," Mayfield and Cara Dune have a very specific conversation in which Mayfield states "these Remnant bases are set up by ex ISB." Cara then goes on to state "you sure do know a lot about Imperial Remnants." This exchange, along with the figures and visual references from this episode and the ones in Season 1 solidify the idea of Imperial Remnants as their own established character/ faction in the Star Wars universe and New Republic era. Next, after seeing Moff Gideon's forces in season 1 and then the seizure of the Imperial Gozanti Freighter in Chapter 11 "The Heiress," as well as the revelation of Grand Admiral Thrawn's existence at the end of Chapter 13 "The Jedi," we've also got an abundance of 'healthy' (shiny white) Imperial forces who appear to be disconnected from the Remnant factions... AND ALL WEARING ROTK ARMOR! We don't know anything about Thrawn's forces other than what we assume were annihilated in Rebels, but now we can expect to see these guys make an appearance in season 3. Thrawn sounds like he's alive and well. These instances as well as every other occurance of ROTK armor in Anthology projects is why I wholeheartedly believe the name should be changed from ROTK to New Generation Stormtrooper. This also opens the door for new weapons and accessories used on screen including the SE-14R. So, with that said, The Remnant Stormtrooper appears to have ROTK armor, heavily weathered/ damaged an OT Helmet, and a plethora of different weapons. I'll look for the reference photos I haven't posted.

Jeff, hope all is well. I was pretty surprised when I figured out was framilon is and was also wondered if TPU would hold up to this application. However, after playing around with it, I've discovered that the filament is actually very strong. It's got a good amount of stretch, but returns to form and really needs a good pull to get it to break. Right now I've got more clear TPU than I know what to do with, so keeping some extra in my bin for "field repairs" isn't an issue. I've got two other areas I'm planning on using it, but I'm probably going to grab some of that shock cord also. Thanks for the link. This is a great idea. I was thinking about laying down some resin around the cuts, but I love me some PC-7. I was fairly surprised at how clean this cut came out compared to the abdominal piece. I kind of figured it was because it was a much smaller cut, but it also may have been due to the files just cleaning up the edges. I was also afraid that the raw edges might cut through the filament, but so far I haven't found any marks on the TPU. I'll update this after I start moving around in the costume a lot, but so far it seems to be working out.

Jason, Best indications are that the cordage used by the costume designers was Framilon. Framilon as it is used here is a stretchy cord made of Thermoplastic Polyurethane or TPU for short; it's commonly used in the states as elastic seam tape for sewing and is difficult to find in its corded variant... well, unless you shop around for 3D print supplies. TPU is the filament I used on the 3D print shoulder straps but for this application, I just cut some off my spool and wind it through the boxes and J hooks. I outlined this back in January when I was experimenting with the forearms, but here's a pic of the TPU and "boxes" I made for the project. I used Inland TPU from Microcenter for my trial straps and for the cords in the biceps, but it's a little pricey. Additionally, I bought this spool before TPU really started gaining popularity, so now you can buy a full kg for what I paid for 500g of the stuff last time. You can't paint it though, so if I do decide to print any more parts with it, I'll likely buy a spool of white filament and print it very, very slow and at a high resolution with my .2mm nozzle. I'm talking like .1 or less layer height. I also printed a larger version of the box for the shoulders, but I made them way too big. To answer the question of "tab with a hole through it," that's probably the easiest way to explain it. Here's the pics: Again, I made the boxes too big, but that's an easy fix.

Whooooaaaahhhh Buddy! I've been slacking, but have officially returned to this build and I couldn't be happier. So basically, it goes something like this: Lol. Long post coming. Here's my timeline so far: 1: October-November; Beg wife for Jimi's kit 2: November; Get kit 3: November-December; Celebrate receiving kit and don't start working on it, because it was supposed to be a Christmas gift 4: December; Watches The Mandalorian Season 2 Episodes 6 and 7 (More on this in #9 below and biceps later) 5: January; Fiddle around with it a little, but don't dive in. Post a few things in the thread 6: February; Open online store making Star Wars costume accessories 7: Also February: Fellow Garrison Tyranus Squad member, @minimo buys kit from Jimi for his Minbam Stormtrooper project 8: February- March; Get too busy making Mandalorian cummerbunds and aprons. Answer friend's questions about the ROTK, but ignore my own. 9: March: Become obsessed with ICAT Driver costume after rewatching episode 7 and seeing pictures of friend's costume. 10: April: Weather starts to get good in norther Virginia. Blow off the dust and get working on these three guys simultaneously, but the TK definitely has priority 11: Today: @minimosends me this picture and I'm disgusted with my myself for slacking off. I got to watch his entire build and didn't realize how fast he had built the same stinking costume I have until he sprayed his gloss white a few days ago. Broke my heart a little to see it get muddied, but I think we can all appreciate this outstanding kit. Unbelievable, and great job Joe! Ok. So that gets us caught up a little bit, so let me dive back into my build. A lot of this may seem like little progress, but trust me, it's been a ton of research and adjustments to get to where I'm at. So, with that said, I've been asking around about the "petals" on the bottom of the abdominal, or what I've since learned is referred to as the "Roman Belt" by our FOTK brethren. Please see the pic I posted previously of Mr. Paul's shoretrooper. From speaking with guys a lot smarter than myself on these matters, I've learned that the "petals" were used to fasten the abdominal section to the original harness on the FOTK, but were later switched over to the suspender system. Not definitive, but it's assumed that this system was also used for the ROTK, but then traded out for something a little more practical. Regardless, I'm not building a harness for my kit, but rather sticking to the tried and true. However, valuable lesson: DON'T GET STRETCHY SUSPENDERS After a solid review, here's what I chose https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSYTS6P/ So, I started getting everything set up. First things first, I followed the advise of @TheRascalKing and washed the fiberglass with soapy water and purple Scotch Brite. After that, I tried it on and realized that after losing 40lbs since October it was rather big. I know I've posted this pic before, but it kind of showcases the size of this armor and it's flexibility So, the one thing I fear is cutting up expensive things, but fortunately there's enough people on the FISD who have shown how to do this, so it makes me a little more comfortable. Additionally, I used to tear apart the President's helicopter and put it back together, so this is nothing. After a lot of careful measurements, I determined that in order to have approximately 4" gap in the back that I would have to take off nearly 4" on both sides of the ab section. So I scored the fiberglass with the blade, then busted out the Dremel and started taking off small segments: The idea was to get the abdominal to wrap around my waist and have a perfect butt joint in the back. Once I got there, I measured 2" on either side and made a final cut. This left me with a near-perfect 4" gap that I immediately filled with another zipper enclosure: Lol. I call this one the "Gold Edition." Really, I don't care since it'll never be seen, but the ones I sell in the Etsy store are all black. I also posted a tutorial on how to make them on page 4 of the 3D print ROTK build thread found here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49826-the-bigjasonis-rotk-3d-print-build-thread/page/4/ Here's some that are a little more "subdued" I've cleaned up my process a little bit since posting that thread, but overall most of the walkthrough remains the same. This was the first trial fit after cutting it up. Next, I sprayed the abdominal down with filler-sandable in order to get a good view of any pin holes and imperfections. Surprisingly, this one's pretty clean. Following this step I started fitting the abdominal with the suspenders. First of all, these things are strong and have little to no flex. They're made out of poly webbing and come with these cool fasteners for a duty belt: I carefully removed the fasteners and was left with this: What's especially cool about these fasteners is that they're outfitted with heavy duty snaps (don't ask me what size) and backed up with Velcro. Once I had the suspenders adjusted to the correct length, I was able to sew one side of the fastener to the straps and E6000 the other side to the abdomen: Notice the placement of the front harness. This, according to references, is the correct placement of the suspenders which I initially doubted until I held up the chest armor and saw how the straps fit perfectly under the shoulders. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this, but I was pretty surprised at how well they fit. Again, it'll never be seen, but if this keeps the suspenders from making an appearance once the shoulder bells are connected, than I'll take it. Also, after looking at this pic, I decided to lower the abdominal section just a little bit. With the suspenders, the only thing I wasn't particularly fond of was how they bunched up a little bit in the back when I raised my arms. This was due to the added trapezoid portion in the middle of the back, but I also like that thing because it keeps the suspenders from spreading. So, those pics were taken last month. Yesterday I had some sanding to do and realized that I lost a little more around my midsection. I'll get to the helmet in a few minutes, but I had to make a few adjustments and refit the ab section. Also, I lowered the ab a little more as I stated previously. So, here's my first question for the community. Do you think I'm going to have to trim anything down on the sides of the abdominal armor. Keep in mind that when I put on the side extensions you shouldn't be able to see any white "peeking" over the top of those gloss black sections. I really don't feel like cutting any more, but will if you think it's needed. Also, I like how the helmet's sitting, but do you guys think it's up too high? I.e. do I have too much neck showing? If I do have it like this, my DSC shirt's neck seal isn't tall enough to cover the skin and it doesn't look right trying to cover other stuff up with the balaclava. I'll finish this up after I get some feedback. Ok, so this is something I've been looking forward to. As I stated previously, episode 6 and 7 of The Mandalorian season 2 changed a lot for me. Let me put this pic up again: Yeah buddy. Did I ever mention that this was the bane of my existence with the other TK costume? I couldn't keep the bicep and shoulder together. So, to illustrate what we're working with, here's another picture courtesy of Paul Prentice. His stuff is phenomenal and can be found here: https://www.mrpaulsshoretrooperbuild.co.uk/ I really need to do a better job at citing people's photos. My apologies if I've failed to do so in the past. Regardless, to avoid the difficulties I experienced last time, I got out the drill, some nippers, a blade and my files, and I got to work. I started by taking measurements from my ICAT bicep armor and discovered that the TK bicep fit perfectly inside the ICAT. Lol. So I traced the shape and started cutting: And there we go. I think I spoke to Jeff @11b30b4 about this previously, but opted not to go through with it last time. Plus cutting 3d print plastic is not worth it. This is much better to work with and I'm starting to feel spoiled. For those who are nervous that the J hook will be seen while I'm suited up (I was initially) this is what it looks like while I'm wearing it: Pretty freaking happy. Ok. So one of the things, actually, the only thing I don't like about this kit so far is the shoulder straps. This is nothing against Jimi's design; every system I've seen is the same or similar. I've got pretty bony shoulders and having hard straps just doesn't seem natural. I also have a set of Jeff's flexible straps, but even though they're great, they're a little different from what I'm after. I mentioned a while ago that I've started experimenting with Fusion 360, so I've decided to model my own flexible straps that match the contours and dimensions of Jimi's kit. I started by gathering measurements and then just got to work trying to figure out this program Lol. I need to invest in a better set of dial calipers. After pulling a couple references from other TKs, I came up with this: I then went back to my old friend TPU and printed out a test of my new model, and I'm pretty happy. Here's how it turned out: And side by side with Jimi's. You can see where I got a little impatient with the printer and decided to turn the speed up to 125%. Whatever, this was just a test. Eventually I'm going to get around to buying some supplies and casting this in rubber. They have come out with some good gloss white TPU now, so I could try that if I can't figure out how to cast stuff in rubber, but I'd rather go the other route. Any advise would be appreciated. Finally, since the weather was forecasted to be great this week, I jumped on Amazon and grabbed some supplies: After reading some good reviews, I decided to go with Rustoleum 2X Gloss paint. I tossed around a bunch of different ideas, brands, and techniques, but ultimately decided this will suit me best in a few short weeks. But since I got a hold of my paint, I decided I needed to start making progress on some other stuff. Charging straight ahead, I decided to give my bucket a nice little squint in order to bring it up to centurion standards. I started by masking off the eyes and making a little dam for my Bondo resin to sit in. I filled that bad boy up and let it cure overnight which left me with this: I then got out the files and sandpaper and just started having fun Love it!!! However, while I was sanding down the bump, I remembered a discussion a few of us had over on a Facebook group a few weeks ago about the pointy Black Series eyes. After I left a subtle squared off edge on the right eye (left as your looking at it), I taped off the corner of the left eye and repeated the process: After some filing and sanding, I was left with this: I then busted out the drill and files and got to work on the teeth and tubes: For those of you who endured my ramblings in the 3D print thread, you probably recall that I'm not a fan of this part. However, other than getting dust and itchiness everywhere, Jimi's fiberglass is a joy to work with. Since there's a ton of sunlight shining in the garage, I took the bucket outside and sprayed it with some filler sandable, which left me with this: Lol. I posted this to the FISD page on FB with the name "Springtrooper" and a few of you hit me up. I appreciate the feedback and kind words. Yes, this is gray primer, I just took the picture right after spraying while it was extraordinarily sunny. The bucket had a few pin holes, so I brought it back inside and brought out my old 3D print filler of choice, Bondo Glazing and Spot putty. I call it Chicken Poxtrooper or CPT for short. So, CPT lasted less than a day, because I felt bad covering that beautiful bucket up with the red stuff. After some sanding and a little TLC, CPT was ready for another coat of filler sandable Wasn't as sunny as the day before, but I still love how this looks. Also, I used 2 coats of the filler sandable just to ensure the pinholes would be gone; it worked like a charm. Ok. So that gets us caught up for now. For those of you curious, because I've received a lot of questions via PM lately, I have not abandoned 3D printing. On the contrary, I've begun working it into other projects and actually stepped up my game a little. I love the first pic because it shows how massive the CR-10 Max is compared to a CR-10s. As a reminder, the CR-10s has a 300x300 platform and is considered a large printer. But, that's an entire ICAT chest printing in one piece and I just printed off an entire Shoretrooper abdominal section for a friend without slicing the file. Also, that chest piece is PETG printing at 120mm/sec, so I've got that figured out as well. Finally, this is the other thing that has been taking up a lot of my time: With all the cummerbunds, aprons, and flight suits I've been sewing, I had to step up to an industrial machine. I know most will look at this and think "what does sewing have to do with TK building?" but let me show you a tiny sample: This doesn't look like much, actually, it looks pretty sloppy and I would never use this color combination, but this was a 5 minute trial to see if I can make ribbed fabric as per the CRL standard as well as neck seals (I haven't forgotten, just needed the new machine) . This will lead into a future part of the build, but in the meantime, I just got my fabric and thread for ICAT tunics... I'll stop talking about ICATs. Thanks as always for viewing.

Hey Jason, I'm an approved ROTK in Garrison Tyranus and am currently building another kit; I've just been slacking on updating my WIP. If you need assistance, please hit me up. I've got a ton of resources and can point you in the direction of others who can help. Sneak peek on what I'm working on Whaaaaatttt????? Jason C

James, You should probably check out the ICAT Trooper Build Group on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/147936167085649/ They'll definitely get you set up nicely.

Bravo Justin. Well done!

Ben, Glad to move our conversation from the FB group to here. Please see the very similar question I asked during my 3D Print ROTK Build: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49826-the-bigjasonis-rotk-3d-print-build-thread/page/4/ About 2/3 of the way down page 4, we had a discussion about what I was calling "holes." I ended up making full on tabs, but am now replacing these with something way more accurate. Hope this helps.

Those are the ones I was just looking at; I'll try them out. Great job so far. Also love all the neodymium magnets. Giving me ideas...

Justin, Awesome progress. I am so stealing the adhesive foam idea. Where did you find this stuff?

So, similar to how I started the 3D print build, I'm going to continue this one with some boring (totally subjective ) stuff. Hey, some may be incredibly entertained by a dude sewing accessories and that's cool, but in order to get this costume to the level I want it, I'm not leaving any stones unturned. Let me explain why I'm going this route first. Ahh... more solid advise from Justin @TheRascalKing. So, after completing my last build, I realized that I kind of treated strapping as an afterthought. This is a very easy mistake to commit when you're looking at a ton of cool pieces like the helmet, chest, back and abdominal armor. Yes, the strapping is hidden for the most part, but wouldn't you know, strapping is where I experienced all my immediate failures. The bulk of these failures were a result of snaps coming undone, but there were others that really made me look like a sack of doorknobs after about an hour of costuming. This is the first of two (maybe three) strapping updates I'll be posting over the next couple days. Again, I swear the abdominal armor is the base of the costume. What I mean by this statement is: If you jack up the fit of your abdominal section, everything else will inevitably get jacked up as well. For the upper body, the chest and back have to overlap the abdominal correctly, if they don't this will be immediately noticeable, especially on your side connectors. The shoulder bell positioning is relative to the shoulder straps, which are connected to your chest and back; again, if the chest and back are misplaced, so are your shoulders. Bicep armor placement follows shoulder bells and the forearms need to sit correctly with the biceps. With the lower body, the abdominal section determines the placement of your belt, which conversely dictates your cod and posterior instillation, which leads the placement of your thighs, which determines the placement of your shin armor. Some might argue that since the cod piece is separate from the abdominal section that you can make up abdominal misplacement by adjusting where the cod piece hangs. However, the belt is only so tall, so you're limited on covering mistakes. That's a mouthful, but necessary knowledge for someone building this kit. The same can probably be said about OT armor as well. Let's start with a photo of screen used (allegedly) armor, and a second of the Shoretrooper kit which is nearly identical: EDIT-- Credit to Mr. Paul's Shoretrooper build for this picture, I didn't realize it was his awesome kit... I guess it's that good. So a couple interesting things here. First, there's the closure system. I made one of these last time and it was amazing. The stretchy closure allows you to breath freely while wearing the costume and the zipper actually enabled me to put everything on without assistance. Next, the suspenders. I used a cheap set from Amazon last time and they ended up being too stretchy. As I moved around, the abdominal section began to sag, which caused buttons to snap. The system shown here appears to be more "rigid," meaning the straps don't stretch, but are adjustable. Additionally the padding likely covers the fastening system which will save the undersuit from additional wear and add a little bit of comfort during long troops. Finally, the soft belt appears to provide an anchor point for the front hard belt and a place to secure the rear belt section via velcro. Finally, I'm still trying to figure out the posterior armor, but it appears to be hanging from "bungees" attached to the ab section. I asked around in various forums and people have confirmed my suspicions. However, we still lack anything solid regarding the screen used strapping; this seems to be the best reference photo available. Though I'd like to see more before I begin, I'll go off this photo for the time being. Additionally, everything I'm looking at will contribute to solid fastening and be hidden after armor instillation. Also, I threw out this question last night to our Shoretrooper cousins: What is the purpose of the petals around the base of the armor? It can't be simply to hold the belt. If so, why not leave it solid as pictured below. What functional use comes from having the tabs underneath the belt? The reason I ask is because Jimi's team left the outlines of the tabs and if there's a no-kidding benefit to having these, I'm cutting them out. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. So, one of the things I mentioned back in November was this: Since the 3D build, I've lost over 30lbs, and about 8 inches around the waist. When I initially ordered my kit, I was nervous about the ab section fitting, but Jimi assured me that he had added enough room for larger costumers and the kit is pretty flexible. Here's a picture that showing this: So we're good there. But now that means that I have to do some cutting. So I took some measurements and determined where I'll have to make my cuts. I mocked up the abdominal armor and will get to cutting this week. Now, while I don't feel like gaining weight back, I did notice that the CRL talks about the rear opening, but no longer states that it is "approximately 4 inches." I outlined how to craft the closure system in my 3d build, so here's that link: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49826-the-bigjasonis-rotk-3d-print-build-thread/page/4/ Also, if anyone wants one of these, pm me for the details. Here's the one I made for this kit: Not pictured is the Velcro I'll use to secure it to the abdominal section. The main difference between this and the old one is the size. I'm going to leave a 3" gap, but also some "fudge factor" on either side for fluctuation. Additionally, during my last build I extended the closure down through the belt area. This time I cut it short at 8 3/4" tall. Also, I got a little crooked on the right side because I tried using a different stitch. My bad, it's still strong. For the rear belt, I started off by taking some measurements on the mock-up and marked everything because I have a bad habit of not writing measurements down. While doing this, I also discovered that the teeth on the front belt don't fit as nice as I'd like them to, but I'll take care of this later. For mocking up the rear belt, it fits fine, but the tabs will either have to be filed down, or moved before painting and I really don't want to move them. I decided to use duck cloth for the rear belt, because it provides a thick canvas that'll do well at holding the belt in place. Steps are as follows: Square off the fabric and take measurements. The final height of the belt should be smaller than the most narrow section of the belt so it's not seen. I aimed for 85mm which is roughly .2" less than the height of the rear belt. Fold canvas and stitch around perimeter of bottom and one side using a 3/8" seam allowance. So, this means the overall height of the canvas before sewing would be approximately 4 1/4 inches. The length is determined based off your measurements. My belt was going to be 25 1/2 inches, so with the the seam allowance it ended up being 26 1/4 inches. After realizing how flimsy the fabric is, grab a piece of fusible interfacing. This is the stuff that's in the collar of button down shirts that makes it significantly stiffer than the rest of the shirt. Iron on the interfacing (preferably before sewing everything) and clip the corners of the belt, but don't cut the threads. This helps in assuring square corners when you turn the fabric. Using a yard stick, turn the fabric and use it to shape the corners square (picture below). Iron flat and sew the other end shut. I forgot to take a picture of this, but basically I tucked the open end inside the belt and sewed two stitches down the side. Grab some 1" webbing and cut off about a 5" section for either side of the belt. Sew them down and admire the cool stitching. This pic shows the squared corners and double stitched line closing the belt. I'll be adding snaps later when I begin fitting the front belt. Open up your brand new box of Strenco hook and loop and realize you ordered 1" instead of the 4" you wanted because you're an idiot. Angrily throw Velcro at the wall, but then immediately scramble to pick it up when you realize you can use this on your forearms and shins later on. Ok, just kidding about that last part, I did mean to order the 4", but this will work great for other stuff. So, I'm at a minor stand still with the canvas belt, but tonight I'll be working on the suspender system which should finish off the abdominal strapping and get me started on the arms. Also, I read through the OT CRLs and my guess is that this same process can be used to create the "soft belt proper." The difference will obviously be the height of 2.75” (70 mm) to 3.25”(83 mm) and I would highly encourage builders to use a stiffer fusible interfacing which can be picked up for cheap at any fabric store. I'll finish this stuff off soon and get to the armor pretty quick. Thanks for viewing.

I saw the logo too and forgot to mention it. Those things always rub off whenever I get clothes with them. However, not all the styles had the logo. So, if you want a slightly thicker version for the colder months it's there logo free.

Hey all, I just went to target and while I was there I saw these. As @AnSkeleton said, there's several different options, but the ones that were probably the best were the Fitted Tights- All in Motion Black DPCI 041-06-0578 $22 and the Long Sleeve Fitted T-Shirt DPCI 041-02-5596 $20. I would have grabbed a pair of the pants, but the only ones they had had a noticeable cell phone pocket on the thigh that would be visible in costume, the good ones were either size S or XXL. The ones I listed are the thinner compression options. They had heavier ones that they called "fleece" (even though there was no fleece), waterproof ones, running ones with zippers on the ankles etc... If you look at Target.com, in the picture, the shirt appears to have different colored shoulders, but it's all the same. Good find!

Wow. So it's been a while since I've even thought about updating my build thread. I have a bunch of reasons, but ultimately they're all excuses. Long story short is I haven't really been working on anything significant. In the end however, I have a feeling all this "down time" is going to pay off huge. I have been doing a lot of 3D printing for myself and others, but a lot of the stuff I've been doing kind of revolves around this build. Yes, I'm using Jimi's kit, but does that mean things can't be modified to make the costume more accurate? Of course not; I've seen others do the same. Additionally, a lot of the work I'm now doing involves resin printing and finally learning Fusion 360. Yes, I'm going to start modeling my own stuff. Let's get started. So, while watching season 2 of The Mandalorian, it was quickly apparent that Lucasfilm has gone all in on this costume. So, do we keep ROTK as the name, or is there a point where we just refer to this costume as "Anthology" or my personal favorite, "New Generation Stormtrooper?" Should there be different CRLs? I think I've broached this subject with the Remnant Stormtrooper discussion, but that was an entirely different costume. The Mandalorian has made the ROTK costume a former one-off and has established this as the version going forward... this is the way. However, I still have plans to build an ANH (Stunt)... someday. Here's the thing... many of the costumes seen in The Mandalorian have seen better days. The ones in use today were clearly used in Rogue One. As such, uniform items keep popping up such as this: Now, initially I kind of laughed at the white trap, but it led me on a long trip where I started researching the screen used costumes and really how it's all put together. This led me to the New Generation Stormtrooper Builders group on FB. This is where I started piecing together a plan for my kit. Back to my kit. This is where I started. These were my first attempts at modeling parts with Fusion. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. If anyone remembers from my 3D build, painting the black lines around the traps actually destroyed my first helmet. Well, the oil based paint mixed with Rustoleum clear killed it. After I started digging into the "trap pieces," and asking questions on the FB group, Paul Prentice of Mr. Paul's Shoretrooper fame explained to me that the screen used traps consisted of a gray plastic piece secured to a slightly larger black backer. He suggested printing the top parts out in resin and the backers at .5mm. The picture above was not done in resin; this was my trial run. I'll discuss the white stretchy thing later. Setting one on top of the other, I was amazed at how good this looks. I need to adjust the size slightly, and print the final pieces in resin which will smooth things out a bit, but overall, I'm sold. The other thing that's good about actually learning how to model these things is that I can determine the exact size I need to fit in each area. The Jimmiroquai helmet is great, but there's still some asymmetry due to the fiberglass casting process. Regardless, these fit like a glove and look a lot better than the cloth backing I used last time. Essentially, all I did was stick the backer in there (a little crooked) and then place the gray pieces on top. When I do this during the final helmet build, I'll assemble the pieces on my workbench first. Gluing them in place skewed the traps a bit. Now, I do have to say that this is not how the helmet was intended to be finished, but once I actually do this for real, I'm pretty confident that it's going to look awesome. Additionally, as was the case in the picture earlier, these pop off if you want them to. So, if I decide later on that I want the cut look with fabric backer, it's no problem. Also, the tubes and teeth get cut regardless. So back to this piece: A few days ago, Paul Prentice posted this video of his Shoretrooper forearm armor on FB. https://fb.watch/3hH-ZWTuvW/ Video courtesy of Mr Pauls Shoretrooper Build; @totalgrunt; https://www.facebook.com/totalgrunt Mr. Paul claims that what he did is most representative of the screen used armor. I also remember speaking to a few people about the bungee cord used to secure arm pieces on the set of Rogue One. Additionally, I couldn't figure out the proper application of bungee cord as stated in the CRL. So, after that video went up, it sent off a flurry of comments with one asking what the stretchy string was called. Someone answered with Framilon, which got me Googling. Apparently, Framilon is also known as Thermoplastic Polyurethane... my old buddy TPU. So, I got to modeling in Fusion 360 and came up with these: My wife thought I made Legos, which gave me other ideas about snapping the forearms together... but I digress. Here's my simple steps using my 3D print forearm as the Guinea Pig: Forearm pieces, loop blocks, TPU, CA glue, and accelerator. I already had Velcro on one side, but will be replacing everything with the ultra thin stuff @TheRascalKing spoke about in another thread. Glue blocks in. Thread TPU through Tie it off Stretch open. So, this got me wondering if the same application could be used with the shin armor. And that's a big Yup. Also, don't judge, I don't typically walk around in sweat pants and white boots. Also, this was a very quick test, so the leg armor is nowhere close to a finished product. I did discover that the CA glue sticks a lot better to the fiberglass than the 3D plastic, so when I do this "for real" that's a permanent fixture. So that's my first update in quite a while. All I've been doing for the last two months is printing stuff off, "war gaming" this build, and trying to come up with practical solutions that'll be easier, movie accurate, and consistent with the Centurion standards. This weekend I'll tackle the foundation of the costume... the abdominal armor. Thanks for viewing.

Funny, last week this conversation came up on a FB group I follow. I used the technique Glen outlined on my 3d Print ROTK. The mesh fabric found at most hardware stores is a very flexible plastic that can easily be held in place with a few drops of hot glue. This is a very simple install. Please excuse the sloppy interior and the chips from where I dropped my bucket on the driveway. The only issues I have with it is that all the window screen mesh I've found stateside appears to be square shaped rather than rectangular if that makes sense. Also, the fabric is not "woven" and seems thinner that what's available overseas. I told people that this mesh will hold you over, it's cheap and easily obtainable, but keep looking for something a little more accurate. One of the German members posted a pic of textilene mesh which is commonly used for outdoor furniture and seems to be a great option. Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I just looked at all the TK CRLs and they all simply say "mesh," but don't really specify the type or details. This looks like some amazing work, but someone definitely needs to explain what's going on inside this bucket. Is this a black series conversion? It appears to have a regulated air system and pretty complex electronics, but I can't tell.

David, Welcome aboard! You are not alone, we've all been there before. Honestly, you've taken the first appropriate step and introduced yourself. You can now expect to be flooded with information on how to get started. Absorb as much as you can, because the people in this community are awesome and more than helpful. I'm assuming that you've already started navigating the forums, but just in case, check out the Getting Started section. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/38-getting-started-read-this-first/ For me, I kind of already knew the direction I wanted to go, but still I naturally gravitated towards the "avoid these sellers" threads. Unsurprisingly, there were a few suppliers on those lists who I had already stumbled across. Regardless, check out that "Getting Started" section of the forum. Anyways, glad to have you aboard and I look forward to seeing you suited up as a TK.

Art, I haven't looked at your build in a while, but am now very interested in what you're doing with the tears and traps; we just had a discussion about this on the FB group. Question: I can't tell from the pic whether yours are put in over glued in styrene, or if you just replaced the rear tears with the 3d ones entirely? The reason I'm asking is because of these pictures: The top pic is the Nico Henderson helmet, but it's pretty consistent with the other pics which were posted by Paul Prentice. The third pic are resin printed tears and traps with a .5mm black backer. These gave me a few ideas for my Jimi build, which would be similar to what you posted. Also, one last question, did you ever cut the ab greeblie out and replace it with the 3d one? Just curious. Thanks!

Romain, I really like your plan. I've been thinking about repainting my old ROTK armor into something from The Mandalorian, possibly a Remnant Stormtrooper, the Incinerator, or even the newer Mortar Trooper. I think these new variations are outstanding. Let me throw up two screen shots: The Mandalorian Incinerator is entirely a Rogue One/ Anthology/ New Generation Stormtrooper. For that reason, I think your choices are spot on; either the 850 Armor Works or Jimmiroquai armor should work. Please check out @Nicker's WIP here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49446-remnant-incinerator-trooper-wip/ He's got an awesome build using the 850 Armor Works set, and has provided links to the flamethrower/ pack 3D files. Additionally, your soft parts selections are all great choices (they're actually the same ones I have.) For the Pauldron, I really like Katarra8's offerings on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/150178963/classic-star-wars-stormtrooper-shoulder?ref=shop_home_feat_3. So, when you begin your build, pay careful attention to the ROTK CRL and reach out with any questions, there's tons of people who will be excited to help. Now, lets get that CRL created.

Jason, Welcome aboard! Nice to have another Jason checking in from Garrison Tyranus land, especially since you live right down the road from me. If we both start trooping in ROTK armor, we can really mess with some people. We'll have to meet up after the world calms down a bit. However, in the meantime, you've found the right place. This community is awesome and more than well prepared to assist. I'm glad you stumbled across my 3D print adventure. I feel that both my satisfaction and frustration in attempting the project are well documented. While I like the kit I built, there's definitely things I keep finding that I want to change. However, a lot of that is because I keep comparing it to my other kit which is kind of like comparing apples to oranges... or maybe oranges and tangerines... you get the point. Regardless, 3D printing TK gear is fun, but simultaneously evil. There's plenty of options available to us now, and even more to come. While you're searching around, keep your eyes open for the Nico Henderson helmet. Also, if you're on FB, stop by the New Generation Stormtrooper Builder's group. There's a lot of us on there sharing tips and tricks for both 3D prints and more traditional approaches to armor building. The group was created by Paul Prentice, aka Mr. Paul, who is well known for researching the armor of Rogue One and his dedication to creating screen accurate 3d files (his Shoretrooper file is mind-blowing). Anyways, great to have you here and I look forward to seeing your build. Jason

Lol. This goes straight back to the question I asked about being stuck on an "interest list" for four months, while receiving unlimited emails about other junk I'm not interested in. So, it looks like the helmet is street dated for January 10th with a US price tag of $99. Must... hold... back... do... not... buy...

That's a really good looking helmet. I love that they went with the die cast aerator. Looks like Hasbro is starting to step up their Black Series offerings. I just don't know if I could bring myself to repaint it, the red looks amazing.

James, WE ARE!!! Welcome from a Penn State Alum and member of northern Virginia's Garrison Tyranus, Inferno Squad. Please reach out with any questions, we're glad to have you aboard. Hmm... Now that I'm thinking about Happy Valley, I think I'm going to order some Berkey Creamery Grilled Stickies ice cream for home delivery.

James, Welcome aboard. I think the easiest thing to do is just provide you the link to my 3d print build thread. https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49826-the-bigjasonis-rotk-3d-print-build-thread/ Unfortunately, you're not going to find any accurate ROTJ style 3d files. If you have your heart set on a TK, I would strongly encourage you to look at the Rogue One/ Anthology style armor. There's several makers who have designed files, but I would reach out to them first to see if they're willing to work with you in case you find things that need to be changed (you're going to find plenty). Please look at my build. Also, spoiler alert... on page 4 of the build, I break down the cost. When it was all said and done, I still spent nearly $1000 on my armor, soft parts, boots etc. If you do want to go forward with this, this is what I'd encourage you to do: Get Nico Henderson's helmet and start with that. You can buy the files from his Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DesertFareCosplay You can also message him on Facebook. His helmet is pretty accurate and pieced together very well. The helmet file I got was designed by Nerdforgedesigns, but I really had to do a lot of modifications to get it to an acceptable level (some things I didn't document in my build thread). Ultimately, even if you don't go forward with building armor, you'd still have an awesome helmet. Build everything with either PETG or ABS. I used PLA+ which was very easy to print, but doesn't have the flex @Sly11 talked about. All of my new stuff is being printed with PETG which is almost as easy as PLA, it's flexible, and not susceptible to warping from heat. It's a much better plastic. ABS is difficult, but if you can figure it out, it's a great product. Finally, while I enjoyed doing the build, I probably should have started with something else like the Shoretrooper. I'm not trying to discourage you, there's just some dead accurate files out there and a solid support network full of people who have already 3d printed their armor. I love my 3d printed TK armor, but I'm going to be doing something else with it in the future. My primary trooping armor will be the Jimiroquai kit I'm currently working on. Oh yeah, Nico is currently working on a set of Rogue One Armor. I just spoke with him and it sounds like it's still a ways off, but you better believe that when it's done it'll be good. Please hit me up if you have any questions. 3D printing armor is very fun, but man, it's a lot of work... a lot of work.