Lord_Potato's Walt's Trooper Factory ANH TK Build (COMPLETE)

[Cricket[TK]]

2 minutes ago, Lord_Potato said:

 I might try the method you suggested earlier if it turns out I need to make my forearm smaller (circumference wise). My question was if I only focused on closing the front butt joints and focus on hot water bending the pieces to a smaller shape, would that affect the way the "swoop" piece is centered on my forearm?  

 

Hm. I'd have to see pics, but it might.  That said, you should be able to resculpt the swoop if it's a little off.  

Here's what I did with my WTF forearms.

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

20 minutes ago, Cricket said:

 

Hm. I'd have to see pics, but it might.  That said, you should be able to resculpt the swoop if it's a little off.  

Here's what I did with my WTF forearms.

Thank you for your link! Your original mistake with your RS forearm was what I was afraid of doing. But looking at what you did to you WTF, that makes sense. Attach the front and curve and equally trim both back pieces. A man is grateful for your help. 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

I lowered the brow just a smidge more. I think it looks very nice like this. But I am open to suggestions and opinions. I am a little nervous when I actually rivet this thing together. 

 

So as of this moment I intend to join the two pieces like this:

 

[LTM[TK]]

If you are nervous to use rivets, just use a screw and nut. No one will see it as the ears will cover it, and if you need to adjust it's easy. Just get a short screw so you don't scrape your head putting it on/off.

 

[Digz Graavz[TK]]

Yeah just use bolts.  Much easier/safer.  AP's kits actually come with bolts for that part.

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

I decided to follow the inputs I received (thanks Digz and LTM) and screwed the two helmet pieces. I put the screws near the edge because If I have the helmet assembled correctly, I would like to use rivets. So here my helmet with one screw and nut on each side holding it together:

 

 

Side by side comparison with my RS

 

Any criticisms or  inputs about my assembly would be greatly appreciated before my rivet gun comes

 

[LTM[TK]]

Why do the rivet gun? Bolt and nut will be hidden by the ear, and if you ever needed to adjust it will be easier than drilling out a rivet.

[TheSwede[TK]]

Looks good If it were me I would open up the eyes and ”teeth” a bit more, you have great reference at hand with that RS

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Why do the rivet gun? Bolt and nut will be hidden by the ear, and if you ever needed to adjust it will be easier than drilling out a rivet.

You are correct. I don't know why I want too. I guess it's because that's how they were made and I want to copy it. But I have learned how they put the original TK's wasn't always the best or most efficient. For example, I removed the original strapping system from my RS and did snaps. Way better. So I guess I won't use the rivet gun. I do have to but another screw on each side to prevent the back side of the helmet from rotating forward and aft.

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[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Looks good:duim: If it were me I would open up the eyes and ”teeth” a bit more, you have great reference at hand with that RS

Thank you, I will sand more of the teeth and eyes, I know a lot of screen TK's had some flashing left over in the eyes....but I do agree that I can open them up a bit more.

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[LTM[TK]]

11 minutes ago, Lord_Potato said:

You are correct. I don't know why I want too. I guess it's because that's how they were made and I want to copy it. But I have learned how they put the original TK's wasn't always the best or most efficient. For example, I removed the original strapping system from my RS and did snaps. Way better. So I guess I won't use the rivet gun. I do have to but another screw on each side to prevent the back side of the helmet from rotating forward and aft.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 

For me personally I view the originals as meant for just shooting the movie (short periods of wearing the suits). The way they put them together is just not practical for real world wearing and doing multiple troops. Just learned this past troop that you should be prepared to fix almost anything on a moments notice in the field, stuff just separates or breaks due to whatever. The ability to quickly fix it for the troop is what will allow you to have a great time putting smiles on faces.

[TheSwede[TK]]

1 hour ago, Lord_Potato said:

I do have to but another screw on each side to prevent the back side of the helmet from rotating forward and aft.

The ear screws will sort that

[TheSwede[TK]]

I think I jumped the gun there, ear screws will sort it but during the fitting of said ears it might be good to have a screw at the bottom

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Made progress on the helmet today. I sanded out the teeth and eyes more. I was a little thrown off on how the eyes were not symmetrical ( I am aware screen accurate TK's are all lumpy LOL ) but I never noticed WTF eyes were noticeably asymmetrical. I don't think it looks bad and I scoured through the WALT's facebook page and also on various WTF build threads here and self confirmed that the left eye has more of curvature at the bottom. I did my best to try and even the shapes but could only do so much. Most of the flashing is removed. I think it looks good. Obviously, I am open to criticisms  I added a second screw on each side to secure the helmet better but during the process, the helmet shift down a bit and now I have a smaller gap. I still have a gap and I am hoping that is good enough. I personally like where it sits. 

 

 

The visor strip is not long enough to meet my screws. I think I am going to cut small triangles and mount them behind each eye opening. 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

I saw a youtube video of someone putting on ears on a WTF helmet. He said there was a mold line that should follow the helmet nicely. I saw the mold line and cut along it. It did not work for me. It looked like it semi followed then decided to look like a piece of pooh. I am happy that it seemed to halfway fit but I am filled with many sorrows that I ruined an ear. The hit came with two pairs so I can try again. This time I need to plan a better approach. I will be doing more research.

 

I also need to do some research on how to connect the mesh. The tips also appear to need a lot of sanding.

Edited May 12, 2019 by Lord_Potato

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

My holster came in on Saturday and boy is she thick!!!!!! I appreciate the tip for the thicker holster. It is a lot sturdier than my RS. But at the moment my RS blaster needs to be shoved in there. It is a super tight fit. I am going to leave it in there and see if that will help stretch out the leather. 

 

 

I also did rough cuts for my thighs.....I wanted to get a general fitting before I shorten the return edges. As I tried to measure 10mm on both sides I realized I could not find my metal ruler......or any long ruler. I guess I will have to buy a new ruler and also a 90-degree ruler during the week. So I am at a stopping point for now on the thighs or anything that requires long straight cuts. I don't have time to go to the store, Game of Thrones will be on soon and I have to help make dinner

 

[Cricket[TK]]

Soak the holster in water.  Let it get completely saturated. Wrap your blaster in a few Ziploc bags (I used Ziploc and three plastic grocery bags).  Stuff your bagged blaster in the holster and allow it to sit and dry for a few days.  That should loosen it up enough for you to holster and remove it while in kit.  Holster lubricant spray helps as well as once it's been shaped and dry.  Hope that helps! 

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

2 minutes ago, Cricket said:

Soak the holster in water.  Let it get completely saturated. Wrap your blaster in a few Ziploc bags (I used Ziploc and three plastic grocery bags).  Stuff your bagged blaster in the holster and allow it to sit and dry for a few days.  That should loosen it up enough for you to holster and remove it while in kit.  Holster lubricant spray helps as well as once it's been shaped and dry.  Hope that helps! 

 

Thank you for the tip I will be doing that. I was also hoping if you could take a look at my TK's eyes. I feel like they are a little extra asymmetrical than other WTF helmets I have seen. I followed the shape of the eyes and I feel like trying to correct the natural shape could lead to bigger problems. Any suggestions?  

[Cricket[TK]]

12 hours ago, Lord_Potato said:

I saw a youtube video of someone putting on ears on a WTF helmet. He said there was a mold line that should follow the helmet nicely. I saw the mold line and cut along it. It did not work for me. It looked like it semi followed then decided to look like a piece of pooh. I am happy that it seemed to halfway fit but I am filled with many sorrows that I ruined an ear. The hit came with two pairs so I can try again. This time I need to plan a better approach. I will be doing more research.

 

Hey Jonathan, 

 

I have been assembling helmets lately myself, so I know the struggles of getting the ears shaped!  Somewhere here in the FISD, I found a great method for getting the ears shaped properly to the helmet.  I didn't come up with this method, but it worked for me when I was messing up my ears.

1. You need to install those gappy ears first.  It won't matter if there are huge gaps, you just need to make sure the ear is cranked on the helmet with the screws.

2. Get a large piece of aluminum foil and fold it three (maybe four?) times over, so you have a large thick flat rectangle piece.  It should be large enough to cover the ear and areas around the ear.  Go big on this.

3. Now, with the ear securely attached to the helmet, press and form the aluminum on the ear and on the helmet.  Press firmly and make sure you're getting the aluminum into all the nooks and crannies.  You want to make sure all the detail of the ear and helmet are well represented.

4. Carefully remove the aluminum from the helmet.  Look!  You've got a template of the curve of the helmet and the ear!  Coolio!
5. Next, carefully place an untrimmed ear into your new aluminum template.  It should fit nicely inside.  Conservatively trace the edges of the template onto your new ear.
6. Then conservatively trim around your trim lines, and you should have something pretty darn close to the shape you need to fit the helmet.  

Again, this worked for me, and saved me tons of time.  It's not perfect, but it should definitely get you going in the right direction!

[Cricket[TK]]

12 hours ago, Lord_Potato said:

Thank you for the tip I will be doing that. I was also hoping if you could take a look at my TK's eyes. I feel like they are a little extra asymmetrical than other WTF helmets I have seen. I followed the shape of the eyes and I feel like trying to correct the natural shape could lead to bigger problems. Any suggestions?  

 

Your WTF helmet's eyes don't look any more asymmetric than screen-used helmets, actually.  When you take photos in a mirror, be sure to flip the picture before evaluating how you look.  A mirrored image can really throw you off when you look at it later!

I have a tough time getting the shape of the eyes just right, too.  Because they are so 'organic', pretty much anything goes as long as you're in the ballpark, shape-wise.  I've compared your lid to a frequently-used screen-used lid.  This might help you better visualize what you're aiming for.

 

To me, it looks like the inner corners of both of your eyes could use some additional trimming.  And maybe a little more off of the tops of each eye?  But I'd get other opinions on this as well before cutting.  

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

More stuff coming this weekend, I've been a little distracted with life, biggest thing was finding out I'm going to be a dad after trying for a couple of years and also getting promoted to the next rank for my job (now I can stay at my job long enough to retire. Yay job security). 

[TheSwede[TK]]

Wow! BIG congratulations on all counts

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Congratulations 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

This weekend I intend to touch up my shoulder bells and work on my thighs..... I am still mustering the courage to go at my ears again. I have trimmed my left thigh and taped it together for a rough fit. Looks like its gonna fit me pretty well. There is overlap in the back so I need to make sure when I cut it I have the back side ends butting together at the center. My thigh is a little thick near the top and tapers alot as it goes down. I have more room to work on the taper near the bottom but less room near the top. 

 

Another thing is that I ended up cutting the front ridge area to have a 25mm width. I tried making it down to 20mm (since a 20mm cover strip is ideal) but I guess I overcompensated when I made the cut. I am a little nervous to cut the ridges again and accidentally make it so they both add up to less than a 20mm width. The uneven shape of the ridge and shape of the curve makes it hard to measure a uniform length. Here is how the left thigh looks thus far: 

 

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

1 minute ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Congratulations 

Thank you!