TheRascalKing's Anthology Jimmiroquai TK Build Thread

[Parquette[TK]]

On 2/10/2021 at 6:28 PM, TheRascalKing said:

Finally making some progress on the helmet - I have been procrastinating out of fear of messing it up, and just haven't been feeling my best if I'm being honest (more on that at the end, but also GOOD NEWS!)... But I made some big strides this week, so let's go over the details!

 

I started masking and painting the final bits on the helmet and thermal detonator, using a Tamiya brand tape I'd seen recommended a couple of places - it worked great and gave me super clean lines, while still being able to mask curves pretty efficiently. I would usually lay down my line with this, then add a couple inches of masking with thicker tape behind it!

 

 

I did the Thermal Detonator first to give the tape a try and to get my technique down. I actually learned that it was best to be a teeny bit sloppy with my masking, then go back and remove any of the slight overspray from the rattlecan using a small awl to find the corner, then gently scrape any excess. On the TD you can see a few spots where paint didn't actually get all the way to the edge since I masked TOO close. I learned and did better on the helmet, but mayyy go back and touch up the TD before final mounting. Still, not bad! I also in hindsight should have sprayed the gray, then masked IT before spraying the white, which might have been more efficient than taping off the white...

 

Next up was masking off the helmet to do the gray details on the tears, traps, ears, and frown. I taped all around each of them, then covered the helmet with a garbage bag, cutting holes for the areas I wanted color on, then taping around them. I did about 4 light coats, 5-10min apart of RustOleum Painter's Touch 2x Satin Granite gray.

 

I haven't been the best about documenting, but you can see the masking underneath after I removed the plastic bag. I actually got very little overspray and didn't need to do much cleanup. It's worth it to take the time to mask properly!

 

And finally with all the masking removed! It was a LOT!

 

I went in with my awl again and lightly scraped off any overspray - the 2K clear is hard and smooth enough that the awl would remove the gray paint, but not noticeably scratch the white. I then went around with a Q-tip and some polish to clean anything left up. This let me get even smoother, cleaner lines than I probably could have achieved with masking alone. Again, in hindsight... using a white tape on a white helmet probably wasn't best. The frown was hardest to mask, but cleaned up pretty well too!

 

Next I tried to go in and do the black outlines with a fine marker, which worked okay at first, but when I touched them several HOURS later, still smudged... I gave it overnight to dry, but it was still wet the next day. Upon closer inspection, the pens I was using were water based and probably not bonding to the paint and drying properly. I ended up just wiping as much of the black outlines off as possible, and ordered myself an Extra Fine Oil-Based Sharpie that should arrive this weekend, then I'll give it another go.

 

Next up was the neck seal trim. Didn't take photos, but same deal - masked with the Tamiya, some thicker masking tape, then a plastic garbage bag and a piece of adhesive foam sheet to block the head hole, similar to when I did the white paint. Again, cleaned up with the awl and polish for a respectably smooth line. I used RustOleum Painter's Touch 2X Flat Black for this to simulate rubber and am pleased.

 

I used the same flat black and masking technique - this time with some spare newspaper instead of the plastic bag - to do the brow trim.

 

Once I removed the masking, I went ahead and installed the blacked-out mic tips from Ukswrath (after painting the interior stem, nut, and washer with some flat black) - they look great! Of course, I'm sort of a perfectionist and took the time to make sure they were straight, as was the mesh in them (it was a pain). I set the helmet in such a way that it would stay in place overnight, then used some Gorilla Glue to attach the vocoder as well. I ended up having to heat it with some HOT water and bend it slightly to get it to connect at the top, and at the bottom near the neck seal - it previously had about a 1/4" gap. I also used my Dremel to rough the surface up slightly where it contacts to give it a better physical bond (hopefully if it ever comes off, it doesn't take a bunch of my clear coat with it......).

 

 

That dried very securely, and brings us to where I'm currently at... all done with paint and just a few items left to assemble!

 

I'll be finishing any final cleanup around the frown tonight, then using some strips of black 3M VHB tape to attach my frown mesh, and some velcro to install the lens (I like it easily removable for cleaning). I'll likely use the VHB to secure some fabric under the tube stripe vents as well. I also added some "airsoft helmet"-style padding from Amazon, but haven't dialed the fit in just yet (pics when I do) - it's a pretty room-y helmet.  

 

Which brings me to one of the last major hurdle left - trimming the thigh tops. I started trying to mock up my cut line with some tape... let me know what you guys think! Going way deeper on the inside of the leg for comfort after seeing the mortar trooper shot above...

 

 

I have an E-11 on order from Hellhounds Props - the very first Rogue One style he's produced apparently - and it should be ready in the next week or two. I'm super excited and have been extremely impressed by the quality of Daniel's work - notably the separate metal scope rails and quality of the rubber casting. I also ordered a repro mini scout light for it, which should be neat!

I think that's it for now! Final helmet assembly, thermal detonator mounting, and thigh trimming hopefully this weekend and in my next post! Finally feeling the motivation to get this thing DONE and submitted!

 

Anyone still interested in hearing health news, I have good news - my PET scan ($1,800 out of pocket since it's a new year and new deductible... OOF) results came back and...

I AM OFFICIALLY, FULLY IN REMISSION FROM CANCER! 

So that's cool haha The scan showed no signs of cancer activity, so all I need to do is get scanned again in another 6 months, then a year after that... then a year after that... and then they technically can call me "cured"! So that's amazing news and I'm truly blessed and grateful. It's been a helluva journey.

On the slightly negative side, I ended up carrying a lot of anxiety into the new year between waiting on that result, the insanity surrounding the US inauguration, COVID-19 still being fully out of control in Southern California, and changing job roles (not by choice) at work... I kept telling myself that things would get better in the new year, and though it rolled around and they mostly did, I still have been struggling with a good deal of anxiety and have not been sleeping very well. I'm getting things back under control, but wasn't feeling my best the last several weeks and didn't have a ton of motivation or energy to work on armor. Once I finally just committed and YOLO'ed the paint, and it mostly went well, it just kept me going on the next thing and the next, and now I'm nearly done. This armor has been an incredible pain in my butt, but I've learned a ton and it has helped keep my mind off things as well. I'll be proud as hell of it when it's done. Almost there.  

 

Thanks for stopping by!

That's absolutely FANTASTIC news!!! Super congratz, and here's to a LONG future of trooping

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Justin,
Awesome progress. I am so stealing the adhesive foam idea. Where did you find this stuff?

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

5 minutes ago, BigJasoni said:

Justin,
Awesome progress. I am so stealing the adhesive foam idea. Where did you find this stuff?

 

The actual one I ordered is out of stock, but I think it's the same as this. Just white self-adhesive EVA foam sheets, something like 1/10" thick. I'm very happy with it and think it will help!

 

And thanks for all the kind words everyone. More updates coming soon! I know I've said this before but I legit should have this submitted next weekend haha

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Those are the ones I was just looking at; I'll try them out. Great job so far. Also love all the neodymium magnets. Giving me ideas...

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

I've been on a roll lately and actually nearly finished the helmet last night!

Got my frown mesh attached using some black 3M VHB tape - this stuff works great!

 

I also attached the lens (I picked up a bunch of green material when AM switched over to Florida, shhhh don't tell Dave haha) after trimming it down a bit, adding a nose notch, and adding velcro in the center and edges. I like my lens to be removeable instead of hard mounted for easy cleaning, and the slight gaps allow a little more airflow to prevent fogging, without looking too bad. I didn't show it, but I also sprayed and wiped the lens with some "Spit" brand anti-fog spray from my scuba bag.

 

 

I also threw my airsoft helmet padding in - I gave a new type a try and I think I like it better! Here you can see my interior. I temporarily used some blue masking tape to back the tube vents, but @TK 14166 is gonna mail me some of the blue mesh material he used on his (big thanks!). 

 

 

And with that, the helmet is almost done! I've been struggling a bit with the engraved black lines on the tears and traps... I had at least two major mess-ups where the Sharpie extra fine oil-based paint pen I was using bled all over the place, and I had to wait for it dry, then polish the marks back off and try again. The front tears look good but the traps need another attempt when I've calmed down a bit and cleaned them back up... it's been frustrating.

 

Damn, she shiny...

 

I also finished cleanup on the thermal detonator paint to an acceptable level and mounted it. Same as belt boxes - scuffed the surface, then a little E6000 before screwing it on to the belt, then more craft foam to cover the screws and magnets and prevent them from rubbing.

 

 

I committed and chopped the first thigh - after checking out some reference material and marking it out with tape/pencil, I went to town with my Dremel cutoff wheel. I used the sanding drum and some sanding blocks to get it to a shape that looked good to me, but did have some issues with the clear peeling at the edge (surprise, surprise). I plan on spraying the lip white again, but am concerned about masking it and making the clear worse if I have to peel the tape back off. Unsure how I'm gonna handle that, and hopefully it doesn't look too bad. I ended up taking at least 2" off the top of the front, and went DEEP on the inside of the leg after seeing the mortar trooper - hopefully it's way more comfortable now, but I really didn't want to mod the rear coverstrip.

 

 

When I was happy with the shape on the left thigh (without the ammo pack), I set out to recreate it on the right thigh. I taped a couple of pieces of paper together and used a pencil to mark the edge and make a little template, which when marked with a sharpie and flipped inside out, worked well to mark the same pattern on the other thigh. I'll be cutting it soon as well!

 

 

Here they are for comparison... pretty big difference.

 

 

Daniel is still working on my blaster, but I did purchase a "proper" fake, working M300A Mini Scout flashlight for when it arrives!

 

 

I think that's it for now! ALMOST DONE!

 

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by TheRascalKing

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

It's amazing how much more productive I've been now that I'm feeling a bit better - I just kept going and cut the other thigh! The right side with the ammo pack has now been cut decently symmetrical - I used a template and measured several points logically, so I'm happy enough with it. I also sanded the inside lips smooth on both in preparation for paint. Still unsure how I'm gonna safely mask them without peeling the clear and would love any suggestions...

 

 

If you didn't notice, I also removed the interior strapping mounts I had glued in (you can see where I scuffed up the paint to help them stick). I'll probably respray the interior flat white real quick before I figure out where the new mounts will go, and I'll also be using TWO snaps for the attachment on both, unlike last time. The single snap mount on the outside of the leg would make the buckle swivel and it would get lost down the side of my leg... Dumb design, but hey I'm learning. With the thighs cut, I can hang them a little lower and hopefully have more mobility at my knee as well. I'm glad I left some room for adjustment in the belt drops.

 

 

And just to give you an idea of how much I removed...

 

 

I absolutely should have test fit better early on and done this before paint, but here we are... Looking forward to my next suit up and hope this will help a lot!

 

Okay, what's left?!

 

- black outlines on the rear traps, and final helmet cleanup in general

- final barrel paint cleanup

- reinforcing the shoulder straps more with epoxy and adding foam and a bit of velcro to the undersides

- painting the areas I trimmed white again, and... Clear? I don't want to buy more 2K... (On a side tangent, I've been appreciating how tough and shiny it is. Peeling and the price have been the big issues...)

- remaking the mounting tabs and reinstalling the thigh strapping

- installing the blue mesh for the tube stripes

 

- not needed for submission, but the helmet will need fans at some point too... And I'll install my audio system in the helmet, and likely behind the chest plate again... It works well.

- blaster?

 

And that should be it! Hopefully I'm on track to suit up and take photos this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Edited February 17, 2021 by TheRascalKing

[BigJasoni[TK]]

19 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

I committed and chopped the first thigh - after checking out some reference material and marking it out with tape/pencil, I went to town with my Dremel cutoff wheel.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Coming along nicely Justin, glad you have pep in your step 

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Here it is, finally! It's up in the Pre-Approval thread as well!

 

Helmet Off (unadjusted)

 

 

Full Body Front

 

 

Full Body Back

 

 

 

 

Full Right

 

 

Full Left

 

 

Action Shot

 

 

 

I know the butt/thigh overlap could be improved, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with how this turned out! This build has been almost two years in the making, and kept my mind busy during my cancer treatment and quarantine... It's not 100% finished and I'll be making a few more small upgrades and cleaning up tiny details, but I think it's finally ready for submission. Might add additional photos later, but let me know what you think! Thanks for looking!  

Edited February 20, 2021 by TheRascalKing

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Looks good man! I'm glad you're finally getting ready to submit it!! I was gonna mention the butt/thigh gap, but you beat me too it ;-)

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

3 minutes ago, DarthBiscuit said:

Looks good man! I'm glad you're finally getting ready to submit it!! I was gonna mention the butt/thigh gap, but you beat me too it ;-)

 

Yupppp, I have a bit of a poopy diaper thing going on, but this was my first time wearing it since cutting the thighs and remaking the strapping, and clearly I have some adjusting to do. If that doesn't do it, I may cut my posterior like Yosh(?) did to make it more accurate (and flattering lol). Again, something I wish I did before paint. The clear does not like being cut after the fact... We shall see! I'm my own biggest critic and that was the most glaring thing for sure.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by TheRascalKing

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Yeah I was sad to keep going back and cutting, then spraying again, but I only did gloss white. Saved me a step, but your clear coat look amazing! Nice action shot too just flexing, saying "don't you dare, Rebel scum"

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Just now, DarthBiscuit said:

Yeah I was sad to keep going back and cutting, then spraying again, but I only did gloss white. Saved me a step, but your clear coat look amazing! Nice action shot too just flexing, saying "don't you dare, Rebel scum"

 

Yea it's not great. We'll see how it goes...

 

Still waiting on my blaster from @Hellhounds but he said he's got most of the parts cast, so hopefully not much longer! In the meantime...

 

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

I was the same way with my "action shot" haha

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Armor looks awesome Justin

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Time for another update! A suit is never really "done", right?

 

So I have officially submitted to my GML as of last Saturday the 14th, but there were still a couple upgrades that I wanted to make before considering submitting for EIB - the biggest among being the fit of the posterior armor. I read through @yoshix's thread again (I should have paid more attention to it the first time around...) and decided to cut my posterior armor the same way he did. 

 

 

My fiancé was kind enough to let me know that a higher, cheeky bikini cut is much more in vogue at the moment (ha), and it also matches the reference material better, so I cut about 3/4" off the top, and almost 1" off the sides and bottom of the posterior with my Dremel cutoff wheel, then sanded the edges back to smooth before brushing on some gloss white by hand. I'm much happier with it and hopefully everything sits better the next time I suit up. 

 

 

If I haven't mentioned this previously, I really wish I would have taken the time to fit everything better, even going as far as strapping everything, BEFORE PAINT. If I had one piece of advice for anyone building one of these suits, it's that. Jim actually crafts them so that most of the pieces (maybe not the shins/forearms as much) can fit a wide range of troopers, and the posterior is probably intentionally a bit oversized if you're a "standard" sized person like I generally am, so I really should have trimmed it from the get-go. Live and learn.

 

I also wanted to replace the tube vent backing material - I admittedly submitted with pieces of blue painter's tape behind the tube vent cutouts.

 

 

@TK 14166/Matt was kind enough to send me a piece of the same blue material he used on his build, which I am super grateful for, so we can match when we troop together!

 

 

I trimmed a couple of pieces to fit, then used some more 3M VHB tape to secure it in place. That stuff is tricky to work with because it's so sticky, but does a great job.

 

 

I tried to push it a bit INTO the vents instead of taut so there was little gap.

 

 

It probably isn't super noticeable, but I'm way happier with it!

 

 

Hopefully these little fixes help and my approval (or feedback) comes back in the next week or so, then I'll be over to the EIB thread soon! Thanks for reading!

Edited March 1, 2021 by TheRascalKing

[Sly11[Admin]]

Looks awesome Justin, you have done a marvelous job with this kit.

[TK 14166[TK]]

Helmet is looking good dude!!
Now we’re officially uniform!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Looking great Justin

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Another update! I'm admittedly surprised and frustrated, but my GML kicked back my ROTK submission over the posterior plate issue. While I agree that it needed addressing before EIB or certainly Centurion, I was pretty surprised that it was a concern at Basic. Luckily, I had already addressed the issue and planned on retaking my photos since I wanted to pursue higher levels, but... man, after the hundreds of hours I've put into this suit, it was pretty upsetting to be told it wasn't good enough. Kind of has me rethinking submitting here either, but we'll see. I know everyone is just trying to help us look our best...

 

Anyways, here are some updated pictures after trimming down the posterior panel and messing with my strapping a bit!

 

I'll swap these in when it's time for EIB submission soon, then have a couple more small details I know I need to address before shooting to be (I'm pretty sure?) the first ROTK that will be submitting for L2/L3 under the new CRLs. To my knowledge, Jeff is the only one who has achieved these awards, then had a hand in rewriting the CRL to be much more accurate, and also demanding. We'll see if I can make it, but I'll keep posting up here and there as I fix a few things and shoot for it!

Have a great week, everyone!

Edited March 8, 2021 by TheRascalKing

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Received approval from my GML today, WOOT!  

 

Posting up for EIB shortly!

[Motogpnut]

Good job!!!

[TK 14166[TK]]

Congrats my friend!!! It looks awesome dude! I can’t wait to start taking group photos.

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Congrats man!! Looking forward to seeing your L2 and L3!!

[wook1138[TK]]

I'm a little late to the party, but... holy smokes - this is an incredible build.  

Now that you've trooped in it a bit - is there anything you would change?  How did the magnets work for you?  I'm attempting to help someone with the same kit - I'm wondering if the magnets are the way to go.