11B30B4’s ROTK Build

[11b30b4[TK]]

Hello everyone,

So I have been an official member of the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club (MMCC #2001) since January 31^st 2018. I live in Atlanta and have attended almost every DragonCon since the very first DragonCon in 1987. I have always wanted to do a TK build but never made the leap until now. I chose the RO TK because I loved the film and I prefer the look of the ROTKs. That said, this is my build thread and welcome all the suggestions and recommendations you guys can provide. White Armor is new to me and yes I have built a Mando but with mando armor, we have a lot of leeway in how we build our kits. This is not the case with a TK build and my end goal is level 3 501^st, centurion here on FISD. For an idea of what I have done so far, here is my Mando kit form the Atlanta 2018 Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. If you are interested in the Mando build here is the link:

http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=144162.0

 

 

And so it begins…

Today I placed my order for a Jimmiroquai full kit (Armor, helmet, undersuit) and paid 40% down. I will most likely make some modifications that have been posted here with the armor but I need to see what I am getting into first. So, until the armor arrives, I cannot say what level of modification I will be doing. Recommendations and suggestions welcome.

 

 

Other items I am sure I need are:

Boots- considering Imperial Boots T7 (recommendations and suggestions needed????) I prefer comfortable boots, Im old and my feet hurt.

 

 

Gloves- considering Imperial Boots Anthology Trooper Gloves (recommendations and suggestions needed????)

 

 

E11 Blaster- Considering the S&T Full /Metal E11 Sterling.

 

 

I plan on modifying the scope with this 1943 M38 replica.

 

 

I know that the primary scope used in RO is the 1942 variant but I cannot find a metal replica of it and from what I have read, there were some 1943s used in RO. I do not want a resin replica and finding an actual one is way too expensive. Perhaps I can modify this replica to look like the 1943 version. I will also need to remove the scope rail off this E11 and fabricate a new one. I will need to evaluate the flashlight, rail, counter, and power cells to determine what is correct and what needs to be replaced or modified. I will also need to add new T-tracks I think. I did a cost comparison and buying all the parts and a base sterling vs buying this E11 replica and modifying it with parts and going this route will save me about 200.00; however I am interested in what you guys have to say about this.

 

I already have helmet fans but I am also considering a voice changer system, recommendations welcome.

 

So for you guys who have built this kit, please chime in. Also, what type of paint and clear cote did you guys use? I can use rattle cans, airbrush, and automotive paints and I am outfitted for all but I need to hear from you all to make a decision.

 

So that is my plan as of now. I look forward to y’alls comments.

Edited August 3, 2018 by 11b30b4

[darthcue[TK]]

Hello Jeff! Looking forward of your ROTK build! your choice of boots and gloves from IB is highly recommended, they are ready for higher levels of approval. The S&T Full Metal E-11 is a great base for the RO E-11 blaster but not ideal for trooping... There are rubber ones available that are good to troop with. As for the paint of my ROTK kit i use Automotive Paint. 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Ted, thank you for the information. I will look at some of the rubber gun options but I am not concerned about the weight for trooping. Serving 24 years in the army has prepared me for carrying a heavy gun for extended periods of time. My Mando sniper rifle is based on an airsoft FAMAS F1 and it weights almost as much as my M4 did

[Big Deal]

There aren't a lot of us Rogue One's yet, so there aren't as many resources built up as other TK versions. I've ordered my boots and gloves now from Imperial Troopers, so I'll keep you posted. I'm looking at a rubber kit to use as a blaster, but I have to see how it lines up with Rogue One and if it will work. Since you have experience in building armor, you should do fine with Jimmi's kit. I was a little overwhelmed, but found that once I just started moving forward, it was a pretty straightforward build to do. Good Luck.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Big Deal, thanks. I also just ordered the boots and gloves from IB. How did you paint your kit? 

[Big Deal]

I haven't painted yet. I'm hoping to have it ready for paint as soon as the white stuff finally leaves. I'm looking at the krylon paints - they've always worked really well for me and are almost fool proof. Probably a primer then Gloss White. 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Ted you convinced me to go the way of rubber guns. I will be ordering an HFX Rogue One E11 as soon as they reply to my message. I would prefer a more functional gun but I will see what I can do with the rubber one. Perhaps later I will build a metal gun, but I ma hoping to have everything in order for approval before DragonCon so I can troop one day as a TK and another day as a Mando.

[Big Deal]

I'm looking at HFX too. I'm just not sold on the rail. It would be nice to switch it out, but I don't know if that's feasible with rubber.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Big Deal, I agree and I have seen a couple of people’s pictures where they have modified a HFX E-11 but none where they cut the rail off. I think I will be building a doopydoos in the future but I wanted a nice rubber gun in the interim.

 

Ok guys, before I get to the juicy stuff, I will give some smaller updates.

First, I have been gathering stuff for the Jedah backpack.

Currently I have:

LC-2 Large Alice Field Pack

M75 Swedish Pack Frame

LC-2 Shoulder Straps

Norwegian Grenade Box

Shelter Half

¼” Black Latex Surgical Tubing

RAF Quick Disconnect

 

 

I still have the buckles and webbing on order so I will begin to build the backpack sometime in the future.

 

Also, my HFX Rogue One E11 arrived. It’s a B grade but good enough for trooping.

 

 

And now the juicy stuff…

 

BBB Day!!! Well FedEx tried to deliver it but I was at work so I had to go pick it up at the FedEx center. Anyway, I got it and looked over everything. Jim did a good job on packing it all. Everything is here and I do not see any damage at all.

 

 

 

 

The only issue I have is the back plate that has the additional cutout on the left side but this is easy to fix.

 

So my first impressions are:

Damn this is a lot of work, where to start….

Lots of the armor parts look big, like the thighs are huge on me so I will need to do a fair bit of fitting.

The undersuit fits well.

I have no idea how to tell the difference between the left and right on most of the parts. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

So that is everything at this time… Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Decided to start on the helmet until I can get some feedback on the armor parts. Tonight I rough cut all the openings. I have decided to cut out the tears and back panel lines as well. I will back them with a black breathable fabric and hopefully it will improve ventilation.

 

 

 

This weekend I will file the openings and make them uniform. 

Thanks for the interest.

[Big Deal]

On 4/23/2018 at 10:55 PM, 11b30b4 said:

Big Deal, I agree and I have seen a couple of people’s pictures where they have modified a HFX E-11 but none where they cut the rail off. I think I will be building a doopydoos in the future but I wanted a nice rubber gun in the interim.

 

Ok guys, before I get to the juicy stuff, I will give some smaller updates.

First, I have been gathering stuff for the Jedah backpack.

Currently I have:

LC-2 Large Alice Field Pack

M75 Swedish Pack Frame

LC-2 Shoulder Straps

Norwegian Grenade Box

Shelter Half

¼” Black Latex Surgical Tubing

RAF Quick Disconnect

 

 

I still have the buckles and webbing on order so I will begin to build the backpack sometime in the future.

 

Also, my HFX Rogue One E11 arrived. It’s a B grade but good enough for trooping.

 

 

And now the juicy stuff…

 

BBB Day!!! Well FedEx tried to deliver it but I was at work so I had to go pick it up at the FedEx center. Anyway, I got it and looked over everything. Jim did a good job on packing it all. Everything is here and I do not see any damage at all.

 

 

 

 

The only issue I have is the back plate that has the additional cutout on the left side but this is easy to fix.

 

So my first impressions are:

Damn this is a lot of work, where to start….

Lots of the armor parts look big, like the thighs are huge on me so I will need to do a fair bit of fitting.

The undersuit fits well.

I have no idea how to tell the difference between the left and right on most of the parts. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

So that is everything at this time… Thanks for the interest.

I think, because of the "symetricalness" of the R1TK a lot of the parts will work either way. what you will want to consider is how the joints look and what will be most visible. Like when you put your shins together - depending on what you use to fasten them, you will want the closed overlap on the outside front, so that the "open" edge is towards the inside of your stance. I hope this makes sense.

 

I trimmed the thighs from the top and that helps to make then get smaller as that is where they are largest.

 

If you just start trying the armor on, I'll think you see how it goes together and you might not be as overwhelmed. I dragged my feet quite a bit because I wasn't sure where to go next, but once I just started doing stuff, it's sort of straightforward. 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Big Deal, thanks for the information brother. I will give it a go once i finish the helmet. I am still not sure I will be doing all the mods others have done. At this time I think I want to move the shoulder connection points down a bit and re-cut the front collar area. I will fill in the odd oval on the left back plate. We will se how the rest progresses. 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Hello everyone, I got some work done this weekend on the helmet.

 

After I had rough cut all the holes in the helmet, I used the dremel and some mini files to finish out the holes. Here is a shot of the back vents after they have been cleaned up.

 

 

Next, I took some think HIPS and cut it to fit then heated it with a heat gun and fit the parts inside the helmet.

 

 

This is how it looks from the outside.

 

 

Next, I sanded the whole helmet with 250 grit and primed it.

 

 

This made an impression of the vents on the vent covers. I then removed the vent covers and traced outside the vent area with a sharpie. I will be cutting out the traced area then gluing in breathable color matched fabric.

 

 

I took a trip to JoAnn’s fabrics and found this polyester/ spandex that is a very close match to the painters tape blue.

 

 

I will be using some black polyester fabric for the other vents. I have not decied if I will make the vent covers removable or not. I am concerned that the fabric will become soiled after some time and need to be replaced.

 

Next, I started sanding with 320 grit to determine what needed to be filled and cleaned up.

 

 

Unfortunately, I realized that the glazing putty I had was three years old and dried up and there are no auto body paint supply stores open on Sunday so I will need to wait till this week to continue to work on the helmet.

And that is the update so far. Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Ok just a short update. I dropped $200.00 on Automotive paint, primer, and clear coat. This means that I will not be painting till all the armor and helmet are ready for paint so that I can paint everything at one time. I was torn with going this route or just rattle can but after all the time I plan to put into this kit and the amount of money I have already spent, this will give me the best finished product possible. It remains to be discovered just how hard it will be to do touch ups after trooping. Anyway, progress is underway.

 

 

Thanks for the interest.

[sskunky]

Ok just a short update. I dropped $200.00 on Automotive paint, primer, and clear coat. This means that I will not be painting till all the armor and helmet are ready for paint so that I can paint everything at one time. I was torn with going this route or just rattle can but after all the time I plan to put into this kit and the amount of money I have already spent, this will give me the best finished product possible. It remains to be discovered just how hard it will be to do touch ups after trooping. Anyway, progress is underway.
 

 
Thanks for the interest.

I hope you’ve got extraction and a good face mask. 2K is killer otherwise. Good choice for finish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[11b30b4[TK]]

sskunky, yep I got all that covered. We did a 1950s sci-fi space suit a few years back and painted everything with auto paint at that time. My best friend who helped is a BMW master mechanic (they must do everything from mechanical to body work) so he knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, he has moved back to CO but I have him on speed dial. I will be careful. Here is a link to the 1950s sci-fi costume if you are interested, it started with a Guinness Can  

https://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=244683

Edited May 1, 2018 by 11b30b4
spelling

[zeddy]

Im really digging what you are going to do with the vent covers. Ive been tossing up what to do with mine and i think this is a good solution if you ever want to replace the fabric. I was thinking of using suguru to seal the edges of the fabric to prevent them being pulled off. And that way if i was to make covers like you are i could remove the suguru pretty easily. Just some food for thought.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Zeddy, thanks for the comments and suggestion. I am still working out how I will do this.

 

So last night I sanded the helmet again and got everything to 320 grit but I need to fill in a few more spots (marked with the sharpie).

 

 

Also, I cut out the inserts and super glued the fabric into them. I know they look like crap as they are,   but once installed you will only see what is visible through the vents so I think they will be fine. I hope to finish sanding the helmet tonight and I will take some pictures of the vent covers temporally installed.

 

 

 

Thanks for the interest.

BTW, anyone have a United States source for the helmet S type trim for the opening? I have found people selling them already cut into 30” pieces but the opening on this helmet is over 31” so buying the gasket in bulk or by the inch would be preferable.

[GilFran007]

that bucket looks awesome so far.  I've always liked the squeaky clean lines of the ROTK......what is your opinion on working with fiberglass?  I've only worked with ABS and sanding is not that big of an issue......the particles are heavy and the mess is easily cleaned/vacuumed.

 

I've seen some very nice FG kits and was wondering if a build would need to be in the garage instead of my downstairs "factory"...

[themaninthesuitcase[Admin]]

 
I know that the primary scope used in RO is the 1942 variant but I cannot find a metal replica of it and from what I have read, there were some 1943s used in RO. I do not want a resin replica and finding an actual one is way too expensive. Perhaps I can modify this replica to look like the 1943 version

A bit late perhaps but seeing as I’ve only just noticed this build and you seem to going to a decent amount of effort:

The scope used on Rogue One was a DoopDoo scope, or I am sure one of many they recast. I noticed the serial number matched mine when I was doing some weathering.

[11b30b4[TK]]

GilFran007, thank you. I like the fiberglass. I think it’s more forgiving than High Impact Poly Styrene, which is what I vacuum formed my Mandalorain armor is with and often TK armor is made from. As far as dust, it is heavier than the HIPS and heavier than most roto-cast helmet plastics I have used. Most of my sanding is wet sanding so that cuts down on the dust considerably. I did not wear a respirator while working on this helmet, but to be fair, there was not a lot of “serious” sanding to be done on it. I expect when I get to the armor, the respirator will need to be employed. I hope this helps answer your question.

 

Themaninthesuitcase, thank you for the information. I was aware of the doopydoo’s scope form the Rogue One E11 thread here on FISD and over on RPF. I originally wanted an all metal E-11 and I still may go that route in the future. The HFX is nice but I prefer something more “functional” looking. I do not like the absence of a buffer spring in the rubber guns. I have been considering a 3D printed E-11 from Blaster Master and modifying it to meet Rogue One CRLs. The idea of the metal scope was to have something that I can actually look through and the one pictured at the top of my build thread is affordable. Regardless, I have a ton of stuff to work on for this build before I revisit the E-11. The T-21 I am hoping to build after the Jedah Crystal Pack will most likely be my primary weapon.

[LTM[TK]]

Hey Jeff,

 

Reach out to Master Blaster and see if he has a R1 version (or can make one). I built one and am a happy customer. Using his electronics kit and Tramp as well.

 

Lou

[11b30b4[TK]]

Lou, thanks for the recommendation. I have messaged him on FB and got no response. I will see if I can find an e-mail for him and contact him. I like the look and “function”(moving charging handle) of his blasters and the prints look really good. I have my own 3D printer and I have considered printing my own E11 but none of the free models really look good to me and I do not have the time to make my own 3D model at this time. Therefore, I am willing to pay for all that work to be done and Blaster Master seems like a good choice. From what I have seen, everything look fairly accurate and the fact that he uses ABS over PLA is a real plus in my book. So perhaps this is the direction I will go, only time will tell.

 

Ok so last night I finished sanding the helmet (I hope). Everything is sanded to 320 grit. Anything smoother and the primer and paint won’t stick.

 

 

And as promised, here are some shots of the fabric screen temporarily installed. I think the fabric will “pop” more when the helmet is a glossy white. If you look closely you should see the blue fabric inside the tube stripes and the black fabric inside the tears and rear vents. I still do not have a permanent installation solution yet.

 

 

 

Additionally, I went ahead and assembled my Etsy Hovi Mics. I would have preferred to buy a set from the people here on FISD but everyone I could find either did not respond to my requests, no longer sells them, or their product did not look as good as these. I digress… So these came as a three part kit plus the screen and everything looks correct to me. I added the screw and used some two part resin to set it in place the cut and bent the screens (note the shaped wooden dowel). Re-assembled each mic and installed them.

 

 

 

Lastly, I cut the lens and shaped it. I used a product called PC-7 to install the T-nuts for holding the visor in place.

 

 

 

And that is it for now. I hope to get more work done this weekend and a start on thee armor. Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Hello guys,

Well I have mounted the visor in the helmet and started on fabricating mounts for the fabric screens. You can see the two mounts on the forward most parts of the tube stripe screens. This is two pieces of HIPS that I glued together with an overhang and the screen end inserts into them. I think at the other end of the screen I will make a rotating spring metal clip that will hold the screen in place with tension. If this works, then this is what I will do for all the screens. It’s a very simple and low profile way to make the screens removable. Anyway, I wanted to get started on the rest of the armor because there will be a lot of gluing and filling that will require 24 hours of cure time so the soon I get started the better.

 

 

 

Well I was told by someone who has built several TK armor sets from the OT that for sizing and fitting, you start from the center and work your way out. This being my first and only experience with TK armor, I started with the abdominal armor. I am a somewhat thick guys so there will be no cutting on this part but I need it to better conform to my body snugly so I have chosen to install three ¾” adjustable straps with slide release buckles along the back. I made them from black ¾” polypropylene webbing that I had in my shop. I cut three sections a 6.25 inches and folded them over the female end of the side release buckle, sewed them in place then installed them inside the abdominal armor with E6000. I used some rare earth magnets to hold them in place while they cured. Next I cut three sections of the webbing at 12.75 inches and glued them on the opposite side of the abdominal armor with E 6000 again using magnets. Once this is all cured I will add the male ends of the slide release buckles and test this method. I plan on putting the abdominal armor on backwards, connecting the buckles then rotating it 180 degrees then reaching behind to tighten it down. I may add an elastic section to each strap if needed after I test it. My hope is that this will ensure a snug fit and I can don the armor without assistance.

 

 

Next I wanted to get started with the belt. Jim’s belt that comes with the kit is not aligning up cleanly with the abdomen. Either one side fits snugly or the other but not both and the gap between each “tooth” is not evenly spaced on each side of each tooth.

 

 

 

So I think I will remake this part with some HIPS that is .125” thick. This is very close to Jim’s belt thickness and my only concern will be how well the teeth will hold up when I wear it or will the snap off? I may reinforce them with some fiberglass but I do not want to make the belt too thick. Each tooth is roughly 3/8” tall and I think I will attempt to cut everything out first then bend the belt. Hopefully it will all still align properly.

 

 

Lastly, I went ahead and filled in the improper holes on the back plate with some bondo. I have marked where I plan on moving the shoulder connectors but until I test fit the back plate with the abdomen and chest plate, I do not want to cut anything.

 

 

So that is the update so far. I do not want to make any predictions on a time frame for this build at this time. I learned from previous projects, I tend to be way too optimistic and then rush to meet a stated deadline. So for now I can only way that once all the armor is fitted and strapped. I will need to sand the hell out of everything then begin the painful process of priming and painting. Thanks for the interest.

[Dragon_a[TK]]

I can't see properly on your pic but did you fill the round hole behind the right hand shoulder? That is supposed to be there.