First Ever Build - ROTJ Stormtrooper

[Carson Zeller]

So I am gonna be making my first ever build...I am gonna be ordering a ROTJ kit from sskunky (picture of his work below), which will require me to do some basic trimming and glueing, and then adding the straps. I have found some boots (as seen below)...do they work for a build like this? Also, I need to find the neck seal, and the gloves...any suggestions to where I can find those? The undersuit shouldn’t be a problem. Thanks for the help!

Edited January 17, 2019 by Carson Zeller
changing up the wording

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking forward to the progress.

 

ROTJ stormtroopers had white sole boots so you may need to paint those.

 

 

[Thumpy~[501st]]

Carson, here’s an EIB applicant’s ROTJ that you can use as an additional reference.  Gloves can come with Mark’s package unless you didn’t ask for it.  Black rubber utility gloves can be found at hardware stores.  Look in the soft goods section for neck seals.

 

 

19 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Looking forward to the progress.

 

ROTJ stormtroopers had white sole boots so you may need to paint those.

 

 

 

We may need to update the ROTJ CRL pic of the boots; ANH boots are represented.

http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_rotj

Edited January 17, 2019 by Thumpy~
spelling error

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

2 hours ago, Thumpy~ said:

We may need to update the ROTJ CRL pic of the boots; ANH boots are represented.

http://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:TK_rotj

Correct I pinged that yesterday on the ROTJ CRL update thread  

[Carson Zeller]

Alright, I’ll check with Mark. Anyone know a good place to get a blaster? That’s the thing i’d be missing at this point. Rigging will come when I decide to order the suit. Just need an idea of where I will get the extras.

Edited January 18, 2019 by Carson Zeller
typos

[Carson Zeller]

and i believe, since Mark’s kit already comes painted, I don’t need all of this stuff, right? 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/

[sskunky]

Correct I pinged that yesterday on the ROTJ CRL update thread  

Why don’t you have a pic of a proper ROTJ armour and helmet in the CRL?
The shoulder straps pictured are wrong.
Level three says you cannot have overlap? That’s how rotj we’re constructed. They should not be butt joined with a cover strip? What that implies is that to be top level you have to construct it wrong!


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

49 minutes ago, sskunky said:

Why don’t you have a pic of a proper ROTJ armour and helmet in the CRL?
The shoulder straps pictured are wrong.
Level three says you cannot have overlap? That’s how rotj we’re constructed. They should not be butt joined with a cover strip? What that implies is that to be top level you have to construct it wrong!
 

Hey it’s not up to me I look after the newsletter, but those are also listed on the CRL update thread that I and others have been requesting changes, this has been ongoing since July and hopefully be remedied soon.

 

I believe generic images have been used across CRL’s for sometime and a lot need updating, holster, TD and others. 

[sskunky]

Hey it’s not up to me I look after the newsletter, but those are also listed on the CRL update thread that I and others have been requesting changes, this has been ongoing since July and hopefully be remedied soon.

 

I believe generic images have been used across CRL’s for sometime and a lot need updating, holster, TD and others. 

 

I get that. It’s just frustrating that everytime I make or sell a suit I get people quoting the CRL at me which is incorrect. This has been an issue for years and years. It’s not a new development. I don’t understand how it’s so hard for someone to set accurate standards and use accurate pics to support those standards. Why does it take years? This is not a legal document it’s a standard for grown men or women running around in white plastic!

It’s clearly a power struggle.

 

 

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[Colin1138[TK]]

Great to see another ROTJ!!
Although I'd usually advocate studying the CRL for new builders, in this case I'd recommend not doing so for the reasons already mentioned. I built mine years ago..and even back then the CRL was wonky. Best bet is to do as suggested and follow any recent EIB/Cent threads for advice.

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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

8 hours ago, sskunky said:

I get that. It’s just frustrating that everytime I make or sell a suit I get people quoting the CRL at me which is incorrect. This has been an issue for years and years. It’s not a new development. I don’t understand how it’s so hard for someone to set accurate standards and use accurate pics to support those standards. Why does it take years? This is not a legal document it’s a standard for grown men or women running around in white plastic!

It’s clearly a power struggle.

Yes it's frustrating for a lot of people, I haven't been around that long compared to a lot of others, I don't know if changes have been requested in the past, it annoys me when I'm building a costume then I go to a CRL and find I still have to research that costume further as some things in the CRL are either incomplete or missing correct info. As a GML I don't know every single costume CRL out there of by heart, but I do research them once a new one comes in for approval, I've never had a ROTJ TK so never looked into the CRL until recently when providing some feedback, hence some recent posts I have made asking for CRL updates, others also brought changes they would like to see earlier last year, which were discussed, referenced and pending updating.

 

I did however look into the TKC last year as a recruit had brought up a few questions, I discussed this with our DL, he suggested I bring the discussion up on the forum, it went ahead, references were provided, it was discussed with staff and others approved with that version, text agreed upon and the CRL was updated. But even in that case there is a line of text which needs updating due to costume version restrictions and correct TD images still need uploading, this is pending.

 

A similar situation happened with the ROTJ CRL, there was a discussion and updates need to be made, which are still pending.

 

That's all it really takes, people have to notify staff if there is incorrect information in a CRL and provide references and ask for a discussion, I'm not saying this hasn't happened in the past, it may very well have and not been acted on for what ever reason.  I have however found while researching some other TK variants that a lot of older threads here on the forums are missing a lot of images, what was once there as reference has been lost. I know recently requests went out for the sharing of some reference material from a member so it could be included in the gallery section but unfortunately this has not been acted on. I'm not saying this is the case in this instance but it's just an example, if references aren't there then much can be missed.

 

 

 

BTW apologies Carson @Carson Zeller for Mark and I derailing your thread, but it has highlighted the fact that the CRL's are not always 100% accurate and research is invaluable with any costume  

 

Now moving along and good luck with your build Carson

[Carson Zeller]

Alright thanks :) i was nervous and thought i did something wrong and started this arguement. Question: how many clamps do you guys recommend I get for gluing the armor?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 minutes ago, Carson Zeller said:

Alright thanks i was nervous and thought i did something wrong and started this arguement. Question: how many clamps do you guys recommend I get for gluing the armor?

Not at all and please don't feel put off by this, we are a great group but are at times very passionate with this hobby and can go overboard.

 

Clamps, rare earth magnets, painters tape, HOW MUCH, as much as you can get, seriously it depends how quickly you want to build, the more clamps etc the more you will get done, many use E6000 glue as it will come apart if you need to make changes, this glue takes at least 24hours to dry so the more clamps the better.

 

Here's what I have but I do a few builds for others  Also doubled that amount of magnets since that photo.

 

 

Have a read through Joseph's thread, lots of great info there

[Carson Zeller]

alright, thanks! what kind of magnets are those??? and where do you even find those?

[Thumpy~[501st]]

3 hours ago, Carson Zeller said:

alright, thanks! what kind of magnets are those??? and where do you even find those?

I bought mine at K & J Magnetics.

https://www.kjmagnetics.com/

 

I recommend the strong N52 types.

[Thumpy~[501st]]

On 1/17/2019 at 8:24 PM, Carson Zeller said:

Alright, I’ll check with Mark. Anyone know a good place to get a blaster? That’s the thing i’d be missing at this point. Rigging will come when I decide to order the suit. Just need an idea of where I will get the extras.

 

Check out the blaster section.

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/forum/85-rotj-blastech-e11/

On 1/17/2019 at 8:41 PM, Carson Zeller said:

and i believe, since Mark’s kit already comes painted, I don’t need all of this stuff, right? 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31404-supply-list-for-your-tk-build/

It comes in an off-white color.  Research other builds and see what tools, methods, and materials might be right for you.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

4 hours ago, Carson Zeller said:

alright, thanks! what kind of magnets are those??? and where do you even find those?

Rare earth magnets, very strong, I like using 20mm x 5mm rounds, I purchase mine form eBay, a lot cheaper than I can find anywhere down under. Most of the cheap ones come from China and have a shipping time between 6 to 8 weeks but if you purchase well ahead of time it isn't an issue.

 

Be careful they are very strong and if you click them together they can splinter sections off. A lot of people wrap them in tape or fabric which helps to not scratch the ABS but also makes them easier to take apart, personally I don't as I'm pretty careful with them and from time to time you can get some glue on them.

 

[Carson Zeller]

alright thanks for the help guys! so you use a combination of magnets and clamps? 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

30 minutes ago, Carson Zeller said:

alright thanks for the help guys! so you use a combination of magnets and clamps? 

Correct, magnets can get to those place clamps can't reach. Painters tape can also help to pull pieces together  

[Thumpy~[501st]]

On 1/20/2019 at 12:16 PM, Carson Zeller said:

alright thanks for the help guys!. . .

No problem.  We’re glad to assist.

 

my Sky trooper is based off many ROTJ elements.  I found this website extremely helpful for reference.  It has stuff about the original armor used in ROTJ movie and CFO armor.

http://starwarshelmets.com/index.htm

 

Mark has a few videos on how to cut/glue his armor.

https://m.youtube.com/user/sskunky/videos

 

if you run into a jam when building your armor (i.e. like how should I cut this piece, or what tool should I use for this piece?), check out TK1636 videos as a supplement to our WIP ROTJ build threads; some of his ATA build aspects are transferable.

-------------

 

 

Edited May 18, 2022 by gmrhodes13
link removed no longer working

[Carson Zeller]

Do these magnets look about right in size? How many do you use per piece of armor? Does anyone have a video of you assembling your armor using the clamps and magnets? Send a video to my email gamingwithcarso@gmail.com if you have one, please! Thanks!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I use 5/8 x 3/16 as I like the size and grip, but I've seen others use all different sizes. As to how many again depends how quickly you want to build, 20 would get you started, I have over 150.

 

Lots of videos on youtube for generic stormtrooper building, remember your building a ROTJ which will have some differences like overlap method, not but join and cover strip, links to Mark's (sskunky) video already posted by Alan in post above.

 

I advise looking through some of the other ROTJ build threads, you'll be able to find lost of helpful build info there.

 

Always check with the CRL's (costume reference library) these do undergo updates from time to time and there are some pending additions at the moment, you can find ROTJ Stormtrooper here

 

 

 

[Carson Zeller]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19tQVOpqQgtR97mlyCv-P325fXpRapP9plRY4mYZz1wM/edit?usp=sharing

 

Above is the sharing link to my budget/item list google sheets. You have access to view and comment...basically it's just an organizer for everything I am going to need, and a rough estimate for the costs. If you guys have any specific items or changes I should make, please make a comment on the document. Thanks! And feel free to email me at gamingwithcarso@gmail.com and I will respond as fast as possible. 

[Thumpy~[501st]]

You’re well-organized!  You’re on your way.  Keep going forward!