stormtrooperguy's ATA build

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

Hello troopers,

 

I just got my ATA kit in the mail on Saturday, and am looking forward to building it up! Right now I'm soaking in build threads and assembly tips. This will be my 3rd trooper kit. I started off in 2004 with an FX TK.

 

 

5 months and about 40 pounds later I fit the suit better and got a GF2 helmet

 

 

Then 2 years and another 10 - 15 pounds later I ditched the FX armor in favor of an AP:

 

 

...which I then converted to a sandtrooper.

 

I've spent the last couple of years deeply entrenched in the Clone Wars, and making my own animated style clone helmet, armor and weapons. Now that I'm "done" with that, I want to spend some time in the OT again.

 

The only thing I kept along the way was my E-11. It's a deactivated Sterling with original scope and counter. The T-track is from an RPF run of vintage cabinet drawer track. May not be the exact same stuff, but it's close and I like the idea of having something on there that's from the 70s.

 

 

Since the E11 is ANH style, I'm probably going to go that route with the armor. Though to be fair, I don't really plan on trooping with the 14 pound beast of a gun all that often. I'll probably mold some parts of it and make up my own scratch built / cast parts trooping weapon.

 

I'll skip the pics of the ATA parts coming out of the box... you've all seen those already.

 

I'm hoping to start assembly later this week or early next. I'm working on this, an animated clone pilot helmet, and a rehab of the NEG's Jabba the Hutt puppet, so time is tight. But, I haven't had any original trilogy white armor in a few years, so I'm excited to get back to a classic.

 

One question I have is regarding the "missing arm" from the kit. I seem to remember that 1 of the arms was a fan sculpt and one was cast from original. Is it the more flared one that's original? If so, I'm thinking of making up my own new bicep to make the pair match better. It seems a simple enough piece to work out.

 

Anyway, this space will soon be full of glue and paint

Edited September 28, 2010 by tk7602

[Madmartigan]

How mainstream of you!!

 

Looking forward to it.

 

-Chris

[DarkTrooper[TK]]

Well done. I think you'll do a fine job with the ATA.

 

I eagerly wait for my set of WCA Animated Clone armor.

[dashrazor]

good luck with the build, ATA is a fun kit... nice blaster BTW

[Quebectrooper]

Wow what a difference from the 1st to 3rd photo. Congratulations mostly on losing all that weight!

[v7sg[TK]]

Brian, remember to get 501st clearance here

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

Brian, remember to get 501st clearance here

 

thanks for the heads-up. request is in

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Great seeing you here Brian - this should be a fantastic thread! My own journey started out as 100% FX, then like you the AP helmet upgrade before moving entirely to something else (TE2 in my case).

[zsavk[TK]]

Hey Brian cant wait to see you in action here!

[vicsouders]

Looking good trooper! Can't wait to see this build.

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

I'm not posting pics of the mundane stuff, but I've trimmed most of the kit. I have 1 thigh and 1 shin left to go. Sadly, that was when I realized that it was 3:15AM and I needed to leave for work in 7 hours.

 

Trying to figure out what to do about the arms. The cast-from-original one is such an odd shape. I'm not sure I'm keen on it, and am considering banging out my own version. Lose the heritage, make it more idealized?

 

I'm really sad about the ab/kidney. I'm 1 inch from closing them without shims. An inch!!! Grrr.... So, a-shimming I will go. Or maybe a-dieting I will go

 

I still have my old caboots, but they are a mess. So, I'll be in the market for new stormie shoes.

 

I'm also thinking that I'm going to replace the dome/cap with a non-bumpy. While the bumpy cap is accurate, I'm just not a fan. I love the detail in the face, and in my mind it's a shape to put such a sharp face with such a soft dome/back.

 

Once this stuff is sorted I suspect the assembly will go fast.

 

Am I right that most folks are using rustoleum appliance epoxy? I use that on Palpatine canes and it works wonders. Nice and strong and super shiny. So, I'll likely use that anyway. There are no other painted HIPS stormies in the NEG, so I don't have to worry about matching. Actually, we barely have any stormtroopers at all, which is why I'm doing this. I think we have 2-3 regular troopers at this point.

[SuperTrooper]

You can find great stormtrooper boots here:

http://tkboots.com/

[Madmartigan]

Sadly, that was when I realized that it was 3:15AM and I needed to leave for work in 7 hours.

 

There's the Mr. Anderson we know and love!

 

 

I'm really sad about the ab/kidney. I'm 1 inch from closing them without shims. An inch!!! Grrr.... So, a-shimming I will go. Or maybe a-dieting I will go

 

 

There's always Spanx! lol

http://www.spanx.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3955558

 

I lost about 2 inches over the past 3 months to get into my TM. It can definitely be done. I bet you can even get it done before Woburn if you want to ditch Pre and march old school!

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

I lost about 2 inches over the past 3 months to get into my TM. It can definitely be done. I bet you can even get it done before Woburn if you want to ditch Pre and march old school!

 

I'm trying. I'd love to get back to that 175 I was at a couple of years ago!

 

But ditching Vizsla? That I don't know about... I mean, rumor has it that I should have a couple of minions by then. I can't let the Deathwatch go unled!

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

You can find great stormtrooper boots here:

http://tkboots.com/

 

Nice! Way better looking than the caboots, and CHEAP!

[Madmartigan]

I'm trying. I'd love to get back to that 175 I was at a couple of years ago!

 

But ditching Vizsla? That I don't know about... I mean, rumor has it that I should have a couple of minions by then. I can't let the Deathwatch go unled!

 

Really? Cool beans! Looks like it's going to be quite the crew assembled.

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

I just ordered the boots. I had been planning on over $100 for them so I'm really glad to have had tkboots.com pointed out to me.

 

Tonight I had been planning to work on Jabba the Hutt in my driveway, but it's looking rainy again. So, I may have to work on the stormy indoors instead

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

All done trimming the armor... just gotta sand the edges.

 

I couldn't resist, so I put the helmet together. I'll have to take it apart to sand it and paint it, but it was cool seeing it together.

 

 

One AWESOME side benefit of all the clone stuff... a dark green face shield yields 1 clone visor and 2 pairs of stormy lenses. And I've cut out 15 clone visors in the last 2 weeks

 

The eye holes aren't even fully trimmed there, but I taped the lenses in anyway, just to see it.

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

finished cleanup on the helmet, sanded it all out, and put down a coat of white. it's not as smooth as i'd like, so i'll wet sand it tonight and do it again.

 

i hope to have the helmet done in the next couple of days.

 

holster is ordered, boots on the way. it's coming together!

 

i'll be recycling my under armor and gloves from the clone. i'll need to make a new neck seal though. i've got an extra underarmor shirt, so i'm thinking i'll use that for the neck seal material.

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

i tried the white rustoleum appliance epoxy.

 

YUCK.

 

24 hours to handle and a WEEK to recoat? forget that! i typically spend about 10 hours total painting a clone head to toe... base paint, colors, weathering, etc... no way am i spending a month painting something white!

 

i stripped the epoxy stuff back off the helmet. huge pain in the butt, but it was faster than doing the whole suit would be with the epoxy. i grabbed a bunch of other brands of gloss white. i'll use whichever i like best of that lot.

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

Since the recessed areas where the hovis live was sort of thin, i painted a layer of JB kwik along the insides to shore them up.

 

Camera Roll-88 by stormtrooperguy, on Flickr

 

The helmet is on the road to doneness...

 

Camera Roll-91 by stormtrooperguy, on Flickr

[Madmartigan]

Looks nice, B! What paint did you end up going for?

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

krylon gloss white. the color is close to the epoxy stuff, and it dries in 10 minutes.

 

i'm hoping to troop in this suit next wednesday, so speed is of the essence!

[Madmartigan]

*snip* ...so speed is of the essence!

 

When is it not with you?

[stormtrooperguy[501st]]

not much progress last night... the ab and kidney plates are sanded and painted, and the thighs have the front seam glued. my thighs are big at the top and really skinny at the bottom, so the backs are going to need odd V shaped shims. i'll have to trim them down at the bottom, but add about 1.25" at the top.

 

not sure how i can blend that in with the proper strip down the back, unless i go clone style seamless with filler and such, then glue the strip. hmmm... something to think about.

 

i've accepted that i'm not going to wear this on the 13th, so i'm going to be taking it a bit slower. too many other projects going on to really blast through this one.