NotRookie’s very slow R1TK build (Jimmi)

[NotRookie[501st]]

Almost forgot, I also plan to resin the cod and butt plate, but I’m waiting until I get them sized right, since they’ll almost certainly need to be cut down some. I think the shoulder bells and (maybe) the thighs might be good candidates for resin, too. What do you all think?

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

I spread resin on everything (except the TD and ammo boxes)! I didn't want rough fiberglass edges pulling on my undersuit, and I've heard they get scratchy... What're you cutting with? My Dremel cuts through the resin just fine.

[Trooperman]

Are you using a degreaser to remove the release agent on the armour?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

5 minutes ago, Trooperman said:

Are you using a degreaser to remove the release agent on the armour?

Warm soapy water usually works fine

[Trooperman]

4 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Warm soapy water usually works fine

Not always! Im looking at the paint finish and to me it looks like theres some agent there stopping the paint laying on the armour, ive always used a degreaser... it does the job perfectly.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 minute ago, Trooperman said:

Not always! Im looking at the paint finish and to me it looks like theres some agent there stopping the paint laying on the armour, ive always used a degreaser... it does the job perfectly.

I've had a few Jim kits and not had any issues cleaning with soapy water but each to their own  

[Trooperman]

1 minute ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I've had a few Jim kits and not had any issues cleaning with soapy water but each to their own  

Ive been making resin and fibreglass parts for a long time and always recommend using degreaser.. comes with experience ;-)

[NotRookie[501st]]

Hmmm.... I sort of washed it in that I was wet sanding the armor, but I was not aware of the release agent. That explains  the crud that kept coming off as I sanded it. Hopefully the next few pieces will go by more quickly after I use degreaser on them. 

Edited September 3, 2020 by NotRookie

[NotRookie[501st]]

On 9/3/2020 at 4:13 PM, DarthBiscuit said:

I spread resin on everything (except the TD and ammo boxes)! I didn't want rough fiberglass edges pulling on my undersuit, and I've heard they get scratchy... What're you cutting with? My Dremel cuts through the resin just fine.

I haven’t actually tried to cut resin with it. I just sort of assumed it would be a pain in the an impolite person. 
did you also resin the forearms and shins?  I never even considered those because they kind of need to be flexible. How did they work out?

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

I haven’t actually tried to cut resin with it. I just sort of assumed it would be a pain in the an impolite person. 
did you also resin the forearms and shins?  I never even considered those because they kind of need to be flexible. How did they work out?

I did resin them, if anything, to reinforce the flexible parts so the fiberglass doesn't crack...hopefully... I'm also planning to use small strips of velcro to hold them together, allowing more flex than permanently gluing them together.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Definitely wear gloves, mask and safety glasses when cutting any resin, most has fibers added in and go everywhere when cutting, I remember I had an old Tshirt on once when I was cutting, forgot it was inside out (I was in a rush) went through the wash but next time I put it on was pretty scratchy, ended up going in the bin, was only an old one  

[NotRookie[501st]]

While I’ve been sanding, filling, sanding, priming, and sanding, I’ve redone the tears/traps with a fine point sharpie (as compared to the ultra-fine sharpie I used before). I think it’s gotten a bit better. It doesn’t look great up close, but from 3 feet out it looks acceptable, IMO. I’ll use the new tape I purchased to tape off the grey and repaint the rest of the helmet white around it. Hopefully it looks decent. 

I’ve also done the rank bars, but I forgot to take of picture of it afterwards, so just use your imagination here.

 

They’re currently taped off. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by NotRookie

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good, nice work

[NotRookie[501st]]

It’s been a couple of days of bad painting weather, so I figured I’d post pics of the taped off helmet for you all to peruse (and point out if I made an error). This is all with the vinyl tape recommended by Firedog (Thanks!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by NotRookie

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Added tape to the helmet can be a tedious task, especially when it won't conform to where you want it to go, nice work

[11b30b4[TK]]

looking good, tape on the helmet is a real pain but it comes out looking great afterwards. FWIW, since the white paint I used was automotive paint with several layers of gloss, I painted the whole helmet white then after the gloss was cured, I masked and painted the grey and black areas with an air brush. Even if I had any bleed of the grey or black, removing it from the white gloss was easy and the tape did not take any of the white paint paint since it was more durable. I just figured, painting the grey first then masking over it would take some of the grey paint when I removed the tape.

[NotRookie[501st]]

I sort of fell down the perfectionist rabbit hole and painted this helmet many, many times.  I managed to pull myself out of it, but I don’t like how the paint ended up. There were at least 2 times when I’ve painted it better, but redid it because of minor imperfections. I guess I should’ve quit while I was ahead. Regardless, I’m counting this paint job as done unless I get it kicked back from my GML for being too sloppy. 
 

I had a weird issue when I put on the clear coat where it sort of crinkled up in places, and when I sanded it down, the crinkles were still there, even though the helmet was perfectly smooth to the touch. (Shrug) If anyone can tell what this is (and how to avoid it with the rest of the armor), I’d be very grateful. 
 

 

I realized after taking the photos that I forgot to do the ear bars/outline, but this is what the helmet looks like now. I took the pics from 3 feet away, so hopefully the paint looks acceptable. 

 

 

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Crinkling of paint can be due to a few things, too much paint, paint underneath not fully dry or paint reaction with a different brand/make of paint.

 

This is why I prefer automotive acrylic paint, dries very quickly and can be cut and polished.

 

Looks good from a distance, great to see you persevered 

[NotRookie[501st]]

It must have been too much paint, then. I waited a few days before applying the clear coat, and it was all Rustoleum brand. That makes sense, since there must be 20+ layers on that thing. At this point, I think the helmet is mostly made of paint  

 

Thank you!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I stopped using Rustloeum for blasters and other props, too many issues with the paints but I see others don't have as many, I thought it may also be shelf life of the paint, it was never consistent out of the can either from one can to another, even shaking for 10 minutes didn't do a thing.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Sadly paint fry as it's also known is common with Rustoleum but does happen with other paint type as well. Most in my garrison wont use the brand anymore, as it has been very inconsistent. Glen could be right with shelf life, as it's odd that two cans of the same brand react with each other for no apparent reason.