11B30B4’s ROTK Build

[DEVOLVER[501st]]

That is a lot of damage. Luckily nothing that takes you completely out of the game.
I do agree, however, it shouldn't be in this condition after one troop. That said, I have seen similar issues with the flexible fiberglass FOTK kits, too. Hopefully, once these spots are repaired and reinforced they will no longer crack. I am curious what the vacuumed formed kit looks like vs fiberglass. I would imagine less detail if it is ABS, but it may be worth it for the sake of durability.
Good luck man.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

1 hour ago, 11b30b4 said:

So, I have my work cut out for the foreseeable future. Some of this stuff will be touch up but some of it will require more extensive repairs. Overall, I am not a happy camper. A $1,200 set of armor should not be this damaged from one troop. Granted it was parade, but come on, I am in the process to getting a full vacuumed formed rogue one kit and we will see if it holds up better.

 

That’s the update, thanks for the interest.

On a positive note it's what we call battle damage! 

 

That said, if someone is producing an ABS version of this kit (without visible assembly joints) then most of your concerns seen in this kit will disappear. Lastly regarding this kit, if you'd pro painted it 85% of your paint issues would not exist, but then again that would have tacked on an additional $1K to the over all cost 

 

 

[darthcue[TK]]

Update,

 

Well DragonCon has passed and I wore my kit with the Crystal Patrol Pack for the parade. This is my first troop in this kit and I had some issues with the kit that I will detail here:

 

1.       I needed to remove the thermal detonator from the back belt because the pack was pushing down on it and was causing the back belt to come off. Luckily, I realized this before the parade and made the adjustment. Thank God I made the thermal detonator removable.

 

2.       Even with the added felt strips to the pack frame I still experienced some damage to the back plate.

 

3.       One of my biggest concerns about the pack was that it would damage the armor shoulder straps but that turned out to not be an issue at all; however, when I packed all the armor in my transport box to take to DragonCon, I must have failed to pack everything correctly. When I unpacked everything in the hotel room I realized that one of the shoulder straps was cracked and the back plate on the left shoulder under the shoulder strap had cracked as well.

 

4.       I had planned on getting a touch-up pin for the white paint I used but forgot to do so. When I noticed the crack in the armor and was already at DragonCon, I had a repair kit with me but no paint.

 

5.       The backpack and pauldron worked out perfectly and took no damage at all. I even snagged the antenna a few times getting to and from the parade and the fishing pole held up great.

 

6.       My left lower leg kept rotating outward. Even when I added Velcro inside the armor and sewn some on the boots, the Velcro simply detached from the armor and did nothing to hold the leg armor in place. I noticed the industrial strength was not staying stuck to the inside of the armor before I headed to DragonCon and I even used some non-sticky backed Velcro that was glued inside the armor with CA glue and that still came off. Not sure what to do to fix this issue.

 

7.       Industrial strength sticky-backed Velcro failed all over the armor. Most of the time is came loose when it was stuck to a non-painted surface like the inside of armor. In these instances it was applied to the primed side of the armor that I did not coat with the flex seal. It seem to stick just fine at my house but in 90 degree weather with 100% humidity, it came loose in a lot of places. Not sure how I will address this either.

 

Ok, so here is my damage assessment of the armor:

 

The cracked left shoulder on the back plate, damaged in transport. The arrow shows that the crack continues under the shoulder strap.

 

 

The right shoulder strap cracked during transport. I had CA glue in my repair kit but no paint. I found some white finger nail polish at CVS and used it over the superglue. It worked in a pinch but I need to get a touch-up paint pen.

 

 

The damage to back plate from wearing the backpack. Paint worn off in several areas. I kind of expected this but I will need to add some foam to the pack frame to keep this from happening in the future.

 

 

 

Left thigh experienced paint being worn away near the top front. The red circle is my attempt to cover with nail polish. I think this is being caused by the drop boxes or possibly if I bend over, by the belt boxes.

 

 

This is a crack on the side of the left thigh. I actually did this a few weeks ago when I experminted with sticking my cell phone inside the thigh armor but I bent down and cracked the armor. The cell phone survived but the armor didn’t. I tried to use nail polish on this before the parade.

 

 

Right thigh, same kind of paint wear.

 

 

Left gauntlet paint wear, no idea what caused this. However, I did have issues with the gauntlets rotating on my arms. Not sure how to fix this.

 

 

Right bicep paint wear in the armpit area and side. I guess this happened from just rubbing on the side of the abdomen.

 

 

Similar type or wear on the left bicep as well.

 

 

Right thigh cracked along the front cover strip. Since I do not open and close this part, I think this is caused when I squeeze the Velcro on the back closed.

 

 

Right lower leg cracked on side of the front and again I think this is due to opening and closing the armor. Also notice the arrows point to paint damage.

 

 

Right lower leg cracked along the front cover strip. Most likely due to opening and closing this part to put it on and off.

 

 

Outside the right side lower leg paint damage. Also notice the Velcro that detached from the inside of the armor. Almost no adhesive left on it.

 

 

Back cover plate, lots of paint damage. I guess this is just the back plate rubbing on it.

 

 

Cod piece paint damage from under the front box belt.

 

 

But plate cracked in two places.

 

 

Abdomen plate cracked along front and paint worn. Possibly from wearing too tight and rubbing from chest plate.

 

 

Abdomen plate worn on both sides along the top rim. I think this was the bicep armor.

 

 

 

Right side outer box on the front belt. The bottom rivet has come loose.

 

 

The thermal detonator before I took it off. This must have been the back pack frame.

 

 

 

Lastly, those $65.00 gloves from Imperial Boots busted seams again. I am not happy with the quality of these gloves and will be contacting IB.

 

 

 

So, I have my work cut out for the foreseeable future. Some of this stuff will be touch up but some of it will require more extensive repairs. Overall, I am not a happy camper. A $1,200 set of armor should not be this damaged from one troop. Granted it was parade, but come on, I am in the process to getting a full vacuumed formed rogue one kit and we will see if it holds up better.

 

That’s the update, thanks for the interest.

I am also waiting for an ABS kit. You can always go Mimban for your Flexifiberglass all those damages will be masked with weathering. Just get the plash palatka and the bandolier then your good to go!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Parquette[TK]]

I had these exact same problems with the cracks on my chest/back armor. I ultimately gave up and purchased some Inferno Squad Vac formed armor in white from WTF Factory. Excellent stuff. 

 

Fiberglass in the long run is not a fan of flexing. It's ultimately supposed to remain stiff and never budge, but this flexible fiberglass presents many cracking problems, not to mention all the right angles in the sculpt that cause this to happen more. 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Parquette, I agree and have made plans to get some of the Vac Formed ROTK stuff that NaturalBorn and Head Shot Props are working on.

 

BTW, I just got a black Series helmet so is there any change you can fix the pictures on your how to modify thread? Most of the pictures of what you have done to modify the helmet are not showing up.

 

Update,

Ok, the repair has commenced. First, I found some white craft foam that is slightly wider than the inside of the drop boxes. I am confident that the drop boxes are causing all the damage to the top of the thighs. I cut and glued some of this foam inside the drop boxes and this should fix this.

I will add the Velcro straps soon.

 

 

Next, I glued a piece of HIPS to the inside of the back plate to fix a crack. I still need to sand this and add more Velcro to this part.

 

 

With the cracking of the shoulder strap, I have decided to attempt to make some rubber or foam shoulder straps. First, I needed to make a flat version of the shoulder strap. I used some ¼” plywood and I cut a lot of these ½ rounds then glued them in place on the plywood.

 

 

 

I framed out a box and glued the shoulder strap inside. Then I filled it with Smooth-on Rebound 25. I would have used OOMOO 30 but the OOMOO I had, went bad and solidified. So Rebound -25 is a bit thicker but its still silicone.

 

 

 

Once the mold cured, I pulled it out of the frame and removed the shoulder strap. So far it looks good.

 

 

Well that’s it for the update so far. Thanks for the interest.

 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Guys, I just posted a comparison of the Endor Finder glove vs the Imperial Boots Glove here:

 

[Big Deal]

On 7/28/2018 at 9:42 PM, 11b30b4 said:

Sskunky, thank you.

 

Zsherman, thank you.

 

Ok guys, I have a question for those of you who have a Rogue One kit. Do you have issues with the lewer leg armor (shin/calf armor) rotating outwards when you walk? Even with the flex seal lining on the inside and the foam under the knee, these pieces keep rotating when I walk. They do not fit loosely, so I have no idea why they are rotating and how to stop it.

 

Update,

Well I have masked off and painted the two outer teeth on the helmet.

 

 

After my last group of photos I noticed that when I removed one of the lower leg armors the Velcro pulled away from the armor and took the paint with it. For whatever reason, the paint did not stick to the primer here. So I masked off the area and repainted it. After 45 minutes, I applied a layer of clear gloss and let it dry. Tomorrow, I will reapply Velcro and it will cover most of the area.

 

 

And here are the new pics of the helmet. Once FISD decides to update my account to Stormtrooper I will be able to apply for EIB and Centurion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that is it for the update. Thanks for the interest.

Did you have to bend your vocoder at all to make it fit? Mine is snug at the top but the lower edge is about 5 mm away from the bottom of the helmet.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Big deal, mine has a gap as well. I used superglue along the top wher it meets the helmet but the bottom has the gap. Give me a few hours and I will take some pics. I’m fine with the gap however my beard does get snagged by it each time I don the helmet

[Big Deal]

Thanks - it looks like it should fit flush, but it's hard to find pics that show it sitting that way - or with the gap.

 

BTW - how did your silicone shoulder straps work out?

[11b30b4[TK]]

Completely forgot to take pics... Binge watching the man in the high castle so my mind is elsewhere. As for the shoulder straps. I have not done anything with them yet. Currently I am building my second Mandalorian so that has been my focus. I do not recall if I posted a link but if anyone is interested, here is my build thread for my second Mandalorian. http://mandalorianmercs.org/forum/index.php?topic=159316.0

 

[Thumpy~[501st]]

5 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

... Binge watching the man in the high castle so my mind is elsewhere. . . 

 

Know what you mean!  Awesome series!

[11b30b4[TK]]

Big Deal, here are the pics of the helmet and the voice coder. I am unclear where you have your gap but this is where my gap is located. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps. 

 

Thumpy, I have Edelweiss stuck in my head after hearing over 30 times.

[Big Deal]

Yeah, that's what I'm looking at as well. It feels as though if I force it, there's enough flex to have it flush at both ends, but there would be a lot of stress, and I wasn't sure if it was nessecary.

[11b30b4[TK]]

I would not force it. I have had no issues with mine the way it is and I think it looks fine. I used superglue to attach it and it has stayed there just fine. I was concerned that when I put the helmet on a flat surface that the VC would hit but it does not protrude beyond the two bulbous sections of the helmet on either side of it so its all good.

[Thumpy~[501st]]

I like the way your fiberglass resin bucket turned out.  I am contemplating getting one for myself to do a Skytrooper bucket (v2.0).  I’d prefer working with that material than ABS.  There are a few features offhand I’d have to redo completely to meet LvL 3 standards, e.g. ear bump structure, but overall, I think it would achieve the look I really want.

[Big Deal]

11b30b4 - did you trim your butt and cod armor at all? I'm thinking I'm going to have to do something, but I'm not sure where to start. Maybe narrowing the cod and just reducing the butt a bit.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Dave, I do not think I did any trimming to the cod or posterior parts. Take a look at what Yosh trimmed on bis build, should give you an idea.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Update,

 

I have replaced a lot of the Velcro and I think one of the largest factors on why so much of the Velcro failed at dragon con was the heat.

 

Additionally, I think I have fixed the shin armor from rotating. First, someone at some point in one of their builds mentioned a contact cement called Bison. I ordered some of this stuff from Amazon and used it to stick the Velcro inside the shin armor that attaches to the boots. In the two hours I wore the shins and boots walking around my shop, it looks like it will hold.

 

 

Next, I added some snaps inside the shin armor and the boots that should further ensure that the armor does not rotate.

 

 

 

Lastly, some good news about the shoulder straps. I stopped by The Engineer Guy and spoke to some subject matter experts on what products to use for making the rubberized straps. I picked up some Smooth-On Simpact 60A Urethane Rubber. I will be making a test set of the straps in the coming week and I will let you guys know how they turn out. If they work out, I will make a few sets to sell to whomever wants to buy a set.

 

 

Additionally, I investigated some options to make a rubber version of my RO T-21. I think we have narrowed down the product to use but the cost is going to be significant. My investment beyond already building the T-21 will be a lot of silicone and Smooth-Cast for the mold and some Mold Max for the actual rubber gun. I would need several gallons of this stuff so I expect that my investment would be close to $1000.00. This would allow me to produce several of the guns that I would attempt to sell. I am not sure what the asking price would be. Needles to say, it will be some time before I make a decision on this project and I would need to see interest in the T-21s before I even attempted it.

 

Well that is the update so far. I will update on the shoulder straps once I get them made. Thanks for the interest.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Update,

 

Ok so I got around to casting the shoulder straps in Simpact 60A. his stuff is an off white urethane rubber that is fairly stiff. I added Smooth-On’s white pigment to the mix to ensure a proper white color. Mixing and set-up is fairly simple and no need to gas the product. I poured the first one and demolded it 2 hours later. I placed it on some wax paper and let it cure for a full 24 hours. It was a little tacky but I figured out that was the mold release. I washed it with some warm soapy water and presto! One complete flexible shoulder strap done.

 

 

 

So, I made another one, then I made two with a piece of Velcro sewn to a piece of white nylon webbing and imbedded them on the back side of the shoulder straps. After the straps were cured, I used my hot knife to cut the excess webbing off and I think they came out equally nice. The webbing adds some stiffness to the strap, but I really don’t think it is needed. My primary goal with the nylon was to have a surface for the Velcro. I will see if any of the silicone based adhesives I have will stick to the urethane. If they do I will add Velcro to the other two straps. Once I have the process down, I will be offering these to whomever wants to purchase them. I am not looking to make any real money on them so they will go for just a bit over the cost of materials and shipping. I am figuring about 30 bucks for a set of two shipped to the US and Canada. Elsewhere the shipping may be a few bucks more. Regardless, once I get all this sorted, I will post the straps for sell in the proper forum.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the interest.

 

[Thumpy~[501st]]

Beautiful straps!

[11b30b4[TK]]

Thumpy, thank you.

 

Update,

My master must have been more porous than I thought because the urethane straps I pulled got some black dust in them and I cannot get it out of them.

 

 

I have tried everything rubbing alcohol, acetone, soap and cold and hot water, etc…. Nothing seems to work. So, I figured I needed to smooth my master and make a new mold. I sprayed some gloss clear coat on the master and made a new mold. The pulls were not as clean as the previous mold and I think it’s a combination of both the old silicone I use to make the mold and the fact that the clear coat was not as smooth as I wanted.

 

So, I took the opportunity to make a new set of straps with Velcro embedded in them. This time I used jut the Velcro and no nylon webbing. I have tried several types of glue to adhere the soft Velcro to the top flat portion of the straps. The only glue that seems to work is the Bison glue. Smooth-on does make a urethane adhesive but its $50.00+ for a pint test kit. The Bison seems to work well, and the only drawback is that it that it is a off white yellowish color. This is not a real issue since it should not be seen but I am still in the development stages of these, so I will continue to investigate.

 

I have a troop this coming Saturday and I will test out the straps. If all goes well, I intend to make a new master in the coming weeks and get some new silicone to make new molds and hopefully I can come up with a cleaner mold to produce cleaner pulls. 

 

That’s it for the update. Thanks for the interest.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Looking good, shoulder straps (covers) are awesome 

[11b30b4[TK]]

UKswrath, thank you.

 

Ok, so I attempted to put all my armor on last night to test the shoulder straps and the Bison adhesive did not hold the soft Velcro on the top of the straps. So, it looks like I will need to invest in the Smooth-on urethane adhesive. In the interim, I will be sewing the top Velcro on the straps for this weekend’s troop.

 

Another observation I have made is that the shoulder straps are not glossy and will not be an exact match for the rest of my kit but they are very white and I am expecting that they will not stand out that much.

 

I will get some pictures of the troop and my kit and post them once I have them.

 

Thanks for the interest.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very nice work on those straps, you may be able to coat with a gloss clear to give the same appearance as the rest of the armor.

[11b30b4[TK]]

GMRhodes, thank you. I called Smooth-on and spoke to them about a gloss coating. apparently if my mast is glossy then the mold will be glossy and the pull from the mold will be glossy. so as I said previously, I will be making a new glossy master. Failing that, there is a product called Epsilon Pro which can be applied in several coats and will give a flexible glossy finish.

 

I will see what i can come up with in next few weeks.

 

Thanks for the comments and interest.