zeddy Posted April 14, 2018 Report Posted April 14, 2018 (edited) Hi everyone! I got my BBB from Jimmiroquai this week. This is my first build and im super excited. As i am vertically challenged (5' 4") there is going to be lots of alterations needed to make this work for me. If anyone has any tips i would appreciate them greatly. Edited April 14, 2018 by zeddy Quote
TheSwede[TK] Posted April 14, 2018 Report Posted April 14, 2018 (edited) Yeey happy BBB-day! Looking forward seeing your build, lots of troopers here with your height that have done great with their build and I know they will assist you every step if the way in the meantime, if you can pull yourself from watching that great set of armor that is I recommend you look in the ANH builds for some great reference om how to trim for size - chricket, fragarock and gwithian all did great in trimning for size Edited April 14, 2018 by TheSwede Quote
wook1138[TK] Posted April 14, 2018 Report Posted April 14, 2018 That is nice looking armour. Makes me want to do a R1 TK now. Congrats on the BBB day. Good luck in the build. Quote
Big Deal Posted April 14, 2018 Report Posted April 14, 2018 I would try everything on and you might get lucky. The thighs are easy to shorten from the top and the Abdominal wrap gets overlapped by the chest and back so depending on how things hang, again you might get lucky. Quote
zeddy Posted April 21, 2018 Author Report Posted April 21, 2018 Thanks guys! I think what im going to have to modify the most is the thighs and shins, everything else seems to be pretty close. Today i used my dremel and some needle files to do the frown and tube stripes. I have 1 small hole from an air bubble in the fibreglass above some of the tube stripes. Also have a few air pockets in the teeth which can't be seen from the front. I'm going to fill these in with some body filler and they should be good to go. Quote
zeddy Posted November 11, 2018 Author Report Posted November 11, 2018 So while i was filling my helmet i somehow managed to snap this piece. i used some styrene strips and CA glue to fix it the best i could. i then used files to shape it to the correct contour for the helmet. I thought this worked so well that i would try replace a couple of the vents in the back as i was a bit to heavy handed with my dremel and file. this is where i ran into a lot of problems. I ended up replacing the 5 on the far right. I tried multiple methods of doing this with CA glue and zap kicking it so it would set quickly. this didn't give enough strength to the styrene and it kept popping back out with a bit of pressure. to remedy this i used some milliput on the inside of the helmet to hold the styerene and CA glue combo in place. this fortunately has worked, but i am no happy with the state of these vents as they are wonky and i don't know how to fix it. i have tried using car filler putty and milliput but i'm still not happy. after this point i went on to pilling any holes and gouges with putty and wet sanded and undercoated the entire helmet. I also used some rubber spray paint and coated the inside of the helmet so it wasn't scratchy, I went a bit to heavy with the first coat of white and i ended up with some streaking and runs, so i I went back to the wet sanding and got rid of the imperfections from the first coat and have since applied another 2 coats. As you can see there is still some wet sanding that i will have to do again, after this i think i have another 1 or 2 to go and then i should be ready to paint the tears and traps. If anyone can give any suggestions on how i can fix the dodgy vents (above) that would be great. i did have an idea to cut out the whole vent and 3d print a replacement, however i don't have access to a 3d printer. I think i should rename this thread to "How to make a stormtrooper helmet and get every step wrong". Quote
Stormy3D Posted November 17, 2018 Report Posted November 17, 2018 Don't say that mate... it takes a lot of patience, but it will be worth it in the end. It's pretty dang demotivating, but you just gotta keep pushing. Best of luck. 1 Quote
11b30b4[TK] Posted January 7, 2019 Report Posted January 7, 2019 Zeddy, pick up a set of small files like these https://www.amazon.com/Dolland-10Pcs-Diamond-Needle-Metal/dp/B07CGDNMQN/ref=sr_1_5?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1546872447&sr=1-5&nodeID=7141123011&psd=1&keywords=mini+file+set The first file on the left is roughly 1mm thick and 4 mm wide. This is what I used to get my lines looking good. Once you open the hole enough to fit the file inside, then run the file back and forth lengthwise along the long sides of the holes. Do not push and pull the file inside the holes as this may break the thin sections between the lines. If the helmet is sitting on a table, you want to move the file up and down along the entire side of the lines, this will even the lines and make them look more uniform. I hope this helps. What type of paint are you using? If you are using spray paint, do not try to get a thick coat on or you will continue to get runs and cracking, do multiple thin coats until you achieve the look you want. You may need to wet sand between layers with some 220 or higher grit, but don’t go too smooth or the paint will not stick. If you use a flat paint and the apply a clear coat over it, you will get a better result than if you just use a glossy spray paint. If you do decide to do a clear coat, let the paint cur for a minimum of 3 days before you apply the clear or you may get some orange peel. Quote
Frumpus Posted March 10, 2019 Report Posted March 10, 2019 (edited) On 1/7/2019 at 9:07 AM, 11b30b4 said: I'm a long-time lurker, first - time poster on this forum. Im seriously considering a set on Jimmi's R1 armor. I worked with needle files and a Foredom (which is basically a much more reliable version of a Dremel tool) every day for almost a decade - in the custom-manufacturing industry (jewellery). An area of 1mm x 1mm was actually quite noticeable in these cases. One thing to remember is... to USE A VERY LIGHT TOUCH with your file, and let the "sharpness" of the tool (i.e. crustiness of the diamond bits) do the work for you. Avoid the temptation to use the force of your muscles to get the job done. (You know how you need to use a lot of force to use a dull knife to cut a tomato, or a loaf of bread - and still the knife might just crush the food? Well, then you need a sharper knife.) Using more force puts pressure on the material in ways that can torque it and give you undesirable results - like breakage ...whereas practice at using light pressure (yet varying between tool surfaces that cut very deeply versus tools that cut very shallow) will yield MUCH more predictable results. In regards to the picture that 11b30b4 posted above, I would actually recommend diagonal strokes - from either corner - to ensure your vertical lines are kept straight, from corner to corner. Additionally, once you get comfortable with the tool (the file), always work from the most difficult (or hardest-to-reach) areas first, then to the easiest areas. 1. For example, it appears like the top corners of the vent slits don't line up. I would ensure those are perfect before finishing off the long strokes in between the top & bottom corners. 2. Furthermore, if you notice that a tool slip will cause a blemish in area you have already completed, that's a problem & you've just made more clean up work for yourself. So try to figure out ehoch surfaces will likely receive some tool-slip marks & finish those up LAST. Edited March 10, 2019 by Frumpus Added guidance 1 Quote
LightBox Posted April 8, 2019 Report Posted April 8, 2019 On 3/10/2019 at 12:11 PM, Frumpus said: I'm a long-time lurker, first - time poster on this forum. Im seriously considering a set on Jimmi's R1 armor. I worked with needle files and a Foredom (which is basically a much more reliable version of a Dremel tool) every day for almost a decade - in the custom-manufacturing industry (jewellery). An area of 1mm x 1mm was actually quite noticeable in these cases. [...] 2 Really good advice, thanks for posting. Would you recommend two files? One for the rounded areas, and one rectangular one for the rest? Quote
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