(WIP) TKC update to 2019 CRL spec

[giskard8[Staff]]

Hello fellow troopers,

 

As you may all awared, there has been a few changes made to the TK commander CRL to reflect the latest researches by the FISD CRL team. My TKC kit (made by TROOPERMASTER) was approved and cleared Centurion just before the changes were introduced. I think it’s time now to make the alterations to my set to reflect these changes. This project is still work in progress and the photos below were taken back in December, several minor changes were also added since, which I will post the progress pictures later this week after a photo session with the garrison.

 

Changes implemented here in photos are:

 

1) Re-did the helmet blue strip, moved the position a bit to the center and now the blue also covers the eyebrows rubber strip.

 

2) New plastic ammo belt face extended a bit further to the sides.

 

3) Ammo belt on the Right side thigh was moved and glued above the knee. Hole patched and painted over.

 

4) The 5 buttons on the left of the ab plate was moved a bit up so that the top button sits just above the the center plate one if you draw a line across the ab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My original Centurion application could be found here:

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by giskard8

[Sly11[Admin]]

Well this is going over and above. Already approved but fully prepared to move with the CRL changes and be truly happy abut it.

Good on you Arthur and keep up the great work sir.

[TheSwede[TK]]

Way to go Arthur!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Great work on those updates

[giskard8[Staff]]

Starting from the most obvious update from the TKC CRL.

 

 

The ammo belt on the right thigh, according to the high res images in the following thread:

 

 

 

Pre new CRL requirements:

 

OPTIONAL Level three certification (if applicable):

• The thigh ammo belt shall be positioned on top of the lower ridge as seen in official references and is not rounded off like ANH.
• The thigh ammo is glued and has no rivets.

 

Save myself from buying a new knee ammo belt, I opt to trim it down as marked in the following picture. I left the return edges on top and bottom untouched, but according to reference they should be flush (?). I might go back and work on them later but at this moment I would like to see the overall effect first before I decide if they needed to be trimmed further.

 

 

Temporarily fixing it to position and check.

 

Filled the hole for the original rivets with some white model putty. Didn't bother with ABS pasting since the blue paint and the weathering will cover them up, more or less. 

 

 

 

 

 

Acceptable, do you think? After painted over.

 

 

 

 

Glued down with E6000

 

  

 

 

One thing: the size of the knee ammo belt in the reference skin seems a bit small compare to what is available with most TK kit sets (in my case Troopermaster). I have compared it with MTK, Anovos and RS Propsmaster they are all about the same size, more or less. If someone is bend on making it look exactly like the references, one might have to create his very own to match.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by giskard8

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

6 hours ago, giskard8 said:

One thing: the size of the knee ammo belt in the reference skin seems a bit small compare to what is available with most TK kit sets (in my case Troopermaster). I have compared it with MTK, Anovos and RS Propsmaster they are all about the same size, more or less. If someone is bend on making it look exactly like the references, one might have to create his very own to match.

 

 

One of the areas I was looking at when the update was begin discussed, belt is the same, both could do to be a little longer BUT at present at least most armors can be used to create a TKC  

[giskard8[Staff]]

Working up to the abdomen plate and buttons:

 

OPTIONAL Level three certification (if applicable):

• There shall be no split rivet or brad visible on the crotch tab of the ab plate.
• The left vertical row of ab plate buttons contain five buttons (fifth button must align one button higher than the top button of the larger button plate).
• All buttons on the ab plate are the same size and color and are visible (not covered by the belt). The fifth button is mounted vertically above the standard four buttons. 
• There are 2 rivets on either side of the ab, approximately 5/16"(8mm) diameter which are lined up with the ones on the kidney. The top rivet is 25mm from the top edge and the bottom is 25mm above the top of the belt and 20mm from the side seam, painted white (measurements are approximate).

 

I have moved the "Left 5-Buttons" plate up a little bit so that the top button now sits slightly above the center plate if you draw a line across the ab.

 

 

 

The one thing I did not do comparing to the reference pictures is re-shaping the corner of kidney plate and the ab plate. My suit was based on a Troopermaster ROTJ kit so the top corner of the kidney plate is rounded (and the whole plate is fused with the butt as one), while the corner on the matching edge of the ab plate is squared.

 

I do not know if any maker do their kits as the game skin reference below (maybe CFO does?), but I guess one can always convert an ANH kit to ROTJ style but keeping the squared top of the kidney and rounded off the top corners of the ab plate.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by giskard8

[giskard8[Staff]]

Further up, the helmet:

 

OPTIONAL Level three certification (if applicable):

• Ear bars shall have only one or two bumps painted in black (rank stripes).
• Neck trim shall be of an s-type profile rather than a u-type profile.
• Tears/traps shall be hand painted or use decals that emulate hand painted (with correct ANH TK details).
• Blue stripe continues over brow trim
• Ear screws shall be slotted, flat topped, countersunk and painted white.

The blue strip now covers the brow trim. I also did some minor adjustment to the strip's position and some purely cosmetic touch up on other features.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before (green background) and After:

 

 

 

 

 

[giskard8[Staff]]

Not exactly related to the CRL update but, with the lack of activities in town (we are in a state of de-facto curfew here), I went back to revisit the Starkiller's Saber.

 

My original saber is a not-so-screen-accurate SaberForge Monarch (now discontinued I think). It was built in a rush in order to meet the Fans' screening of TLJ in Hong Kong 2 years ago, with Tri-cree RBG LED and a Prizm 5.1 sound card (poorly soldered by me). Some of the solder points detached as times goes by and the saber cased function since (I just carry it as a dead props for a few events).

 

With the Garrison down time we are now in, I took the time to disassemble the thing and from ground up, rebuilt the crystal chamber with proper tri-color accent LEDs on both ends, swapped out the old sound card with a CF-X and added a new neo-pixel blade. I have to say I am fairly please with the result although there are some cosmetic changes I still want to add.

 

Hope it will stand up to some vigorous use at events this round.

 

 

 

 

 

Video demo:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by giskard8

[giskard8[Staff]]

Minor update on the top set screw and glass eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by giskard8

[giskard8[Staff]]

The overall result.

 

It's been two and a half years since I had this kit and there are a couple of things I still want to fix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by giskard8

[magni[TK]]

I love it!

 

But I'm biased.