lucent262 Posted March 4, 2020 Report Posted March 4, 2020 8 minutes ago, Krisko720 said: Started shaping the thighs. Got it pretty close to where I want it for the moment. These upper leg pieces have been the most tedious. The fronts have somewhat of an acceptable shape. The rear pieces, however, are an odd sculpt. They also have no suggested points of alignment like all of the other pieces. You really do have to cut away a lot of material in order to get the correct shape. I’m going to leave them for now and circle back around to them once I get suited up for a full test fit. Just have to shape the overlapped parts on the sides now. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Just about to start doing mine also :-) luckily i have another kit to use as a template 1 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 5, 2020 Author Report Posted March 5, 2020 Just got an update that my blasters are being shipped next week. Pretty excited to get these. Plus I’ll be getting the latest BlastFX kit. Also, as a side note. I have ordered Teresa’s shiny shorts. I was wearing my stormtrooper undersuit and the latex (or whatever it is) is already peeling off. I like the suit just fine. But I obviously need the shiny material for approval. Would I buy the suit over again? Probably not considering you can’t really see it and the shiny part comes off. But it is comfy and the shirt and pants stay together since it’s a suit.Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote
Sly11[Admin] Posted March 9, 2020 Report Posted March 9, 2020 Inside shot of screen used asset, FO TK Thigh showing front and side connections. This is a TFA thigh but same principal as TLJ. 1 Quote
JAFO[TK] Posted March 9, 2020 Report Posted March 9, 2020 Just got an update that my blasters are being shipped next week. Pretty excited to get these. Plus I’ll be getting the latest BlastFX kit. Also, as a side note. I have ordered Teresa’s shiny shorts. I was wearing my stormtrooper undersuit and the latex (or whatever it is) is already peeling off. I like the suit just fine. But I obviously need the shiny material for approval. Would I buy the suit over again? Probably not considering you can’t really see it and the shiny part comes off. But it is comfy and the shirt and pants stay together since it’s a suit.Sent from my iPhone using The ForceAgree with you on the Extreme Racing undersuit. Not worth it. I originallybought a spare as a replacement but sold it.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro Quote
sylverbard[TK] Posted March 9, 2020 Report Posted March 9, 2020 the extreme racing undersuit is good winter warmth for parades. i wore underarmour heat gear shorts and t-shirt in my fotk. cloth gaskets, i cant imagine the speed it would get toasty with chocolate scented floor mat gaskets :-) 1 Quote
ukswrath[Staff] Posted March 9, 2020 Report Posted March 9, 2020 On 3/5/2020 at 5:41 AM, Krisko720 said: Just got an update that my blasters are being shipped next week. Pretty excited to get these. Plus I’ll be getting the latest BlastFX kit. Also, as a side note. I have ordered Teresa’s shiny shorts. I was wearing my stormtrooper undersuit and the latex (or whatever it is) is already peeling off. I like the suit just fine. But I obviously need the shiny material for approval. Would I buy the suit over again? Probably not considering you can’t really see it and the shiny part comes off. But it is comfy and the shirt and pants stay together since it’s a suit. Sent from my iPhone using The Force I have two also. One in original condition and the other with fabric gaskets sewn in which works awesome for when I want to get dressed quickly. The original is for when I want to go original with my rubber gaskets. Different strokes for different folks, whatever works best for you. Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 19, 2020 Author Report Posted March 19, 2020 Greetings all! Finally made it back into the States on Sunday from our vacation. Luckily we were able to end our trip on schedule before things got too crazy. We left last Saturday and made it back on Sunday. Spent a couple of days in Iceland, a few in Paris, and a few in London. We didn’t see much in terms of chaos at the airport as that happened on Friday and Saturday, we landed Sunday evening. My company decided to place me under a 14 day paid quarantine that began Monday. So guess what I’m working on? Before we jump in, here’s a nice little shot of a familiar face we saw while walking the streets of Paris, this was at the Disney Store. I really wanted to take him home with me! To start this week’s progress, I decided to tackle the shield from 850 Armor Works. There aren’t any build threads or pictures for this particular shield, so I’m kinda jumping into this blindly. The shield itself is great. It was a nice pull and the ABS is nice and thick. The edges were a little tricky to get uniform but with some patience I got it where I wanted it. The printed pieces that go on the shield were less than perfect. The striations were heavy and the walls were only one layer thick. Being I had to work with what I got, I did some reading and found this stuff to be the preferred product for working with these types of prints. It’s a 2:1 mixture and goes on pretty thin. I applied one layer and discovered that I may need to apply one coat at a time in a level surface as this stuff is kinda runny and won’t really stay in place to self level. Once dry it will provide a level hard shiny surface which you can sand. Here are the pieces before I began. I will post the after pictures in a follow up post once the second layer has dried. The triangle piece they sent is very thick. Wanting to trim it down some, I found I could cut 2/3 of the part to use for the front window trim ring and use the remaining 1/3 for the rear. Once cut I found the honeycomb support structure inside. I will be adding multiple pours of the XTC-3D to solidify each trim piece to give it strength and some workability. I’m still unsure of how to connect these two pieces and the tinted plexiglass to the shield. The shield itself is a bit flexible and I’m afraid of any glue may break its hold. The sling and handle that needs to be added should keep the flex down to a minimum, but I’m still working on ideas for the glass and trim connections. Will look at it more once the filler has dried. Here is the triangle cut in half. Still want to trim the pieces to allow a nice tight fit and allow enough workable surface area in case glue or epoxy is my only option. Also started working on forming the indented area on the TD. It was left off of the cast from KB so I looked at some reference shots and gave it a go. Just need to clean up the lines a bit and add some epoxy filler to the low spots. That’s all for now. I’ll be working on shaping my thighs next. Also sewing up my gaskets a little smaller for a test fit of my arm and leg pieces. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted March 19, 2020 Report Posted March 19, 2020 Glad to hear you made it home safely, 14 days at home, what will you do 1 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 19, 2020 Author Report Posted March 19, 2020 Been working on my thighs. I’ll say it again, this has been the most difficult part of the build thus far. Shaping these things has been a pain in the rear. Especially since the mold KB uses is in now way whatsoever the correct shape. I’m pretty sure I’ve shaved of 50% of the ABS. But, I think I’ve got my right thigh almost done. Still have some minor trimming to do, but it wears well at the moment. Put on some of the suit and walked around in it. The gaskets are next on the list. Need to take them all up a bit to lay inside the armor correctly. And yes, I don’t have my chest/back piece on. Waiting on a new set from KB. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote
Sly11[Admin] Posted March 19, 2020 Report Posted March 19, 2020 Every day brings you a little bit closer to the goal. Great work Chris, those 2 weeks should bring the progress along nicely. 1 Quote
ukswrath[Staff] Posted March 20, 2020 Report Posted March 20, 2020 Coming along nicely Chris. Question, will the rear kidney straps fit under your TD? Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 20, 2020 Author Report Posted March 20, 2020 Coming along nicely Chris. Question, will the rear kidney straps fit under your TD? Those are temporary. I made the straps with three caps so I could adjust it. I’m going to shorten it, the outer left caps aren’t being used.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote
ukswrath[Staff] Posted March 20, 2020 Report Posted March 20, 2020 19 minutes ago, Krisko720 said: Those are temporary. I made the straps with three caps so I could adjust it. I’m going to shorten it, the outer left caps aren’t being used. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 22, 2020 Author Report Posted March 22, 2020 And after a very long Day 6 of quarantine.. I finally got the thighs finished. Can’t say I enjoyed working on these pieces, but I’m happy how they turned out. Just finished giving them a bath. Ready to shape my joint strips and glue them on. I’ll be doing a butt joint on the outer seam and will be using a joint strip on the inner seam to allow for the use of Velcro. I don’t need the Velcro, but it’ll create a better overlapped look. Also got my belt put together. It’s a Belts of the First Order and I’m very happy with the finished product. It looks much better on but I didn’t take any pictures with it yet. I’ll post some once I do my next test fit for the thighs. I basically followed the belt instructions and kept trying it on as I went along. My soldering iron came in handy poking all the holes as I was able to do so with the belt on. Done for now. I’ll be gluing the thighs next and will have another test fit either this evening or tomorrow afternoon. Until then! Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 22, 2020 Author Report Posted March 22, 2020 I was able to glue my thighs together this morning. And since I have a gigantic roll of Velcro strips, I decided to give it all a test fit. As I stated earlier, I’m still waiting on a new TD plate, a set of shins, and my chest/back pieces. So for now, this is what I have. Not sure when KB is shipping those out, so I’m focusing on getting all of what I have to a finishing point.My gaskets are next to be modified. They’re a bit big and bulge out of the arm and leg joints. The knee plates and shoulder bells are currently just held on with Velcro for the picture. I’ll be working on the proper knee plate supports once the gaskets are sewn up.I do want to put some foam pads in the shin/calf armor. Not being gifted with large legs, I find these are really the only parts that giggle around when I walk. For the most part, everything else is nice and snug and allows for a good range of motion. So here we are. Very motivating to see a near completed version of myself! Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted March 22, 2020 Report Posted March 22, 2020 I had to add some foam in my shins and thighs as I have the same thin frame, things had been wobbling about without it Hopefully your new pieces turn up soon. 2 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 23, 2020 Author Report Posted March 23, 2020 Got a few things scratched off the list this morning. -Trimmed up all of the greeblies. -Completed my belt along with all of the boxes.-Mounted my thigh holster from Dan Waiting on some different bits to be delivered for the 6 point security screws. I ordered 5 point bits by accident because someone suggested it in the holster thread. For some reason 5 doesn’t work on a 6... Those should be here Wednesday, along with the nylon bolts and nuts I’m using for the ab boxes. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 24, 2020 Author Report Posted March 24, 2020 Did a small forearm screen accuracy modification. Used a couple of M5 bolts kindly supplied to me by Darren. (Thanks again!) Decided against any sort of zipper though. A little beyond what I want to tackle! First I drilled out the resin bolt. Then used my small Dremel with a grinding bit to create enough room for the real bolt head. I’ll remove these for now and put them in once I get it all painted. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote
ukswrath[Staff] Posted March 24, 2020 Report Posted March 24, 2020 Nice work Chris. Good thing you said no to the zipper it would require some serious alterations on your part. 1 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 24, 2020 Author Report Posted March 24, 2020 Nice work Chris. Good thing you said no to the zipper it would require some serious alterations on your part. Definitely not going for 100% accuracy. But I do appreciate the little details, especially if they’re easy to execute. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote
ukswrath[Staff] Posted March 24, 2020 Report Posted March 24, 2020 Just now, Krisko720 said: Definitely not going for 100% accuracy. But I do appreciate the little details, especially if they’re easy to execute. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Also a good thing the FISD is not about prop replication, can you imagine gaffers tape on seams that don't want to play nice? 3 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 25, 2020 Author Report Posted March 25, 2020 Got a few more items done today. Sanded up the exterior of the shield parts and began filling them with the XTC-3D like I did with the triangle trim pieces. This will give them some strength and will allow me to recess the bolts that I will be using for mounting them on the shield. I used my small Dremel and cut out enough of the internal honeycomb support structure to recess the bolt, then mixed up the XTC-3D and filled up the interior until it met where the bolt head will sit. On my next pass I will insert the bolt and add the XTC-3D to secure them. The ABS part is to help hold the bolt up straight when curing. While those cure, I worked on securing the holster I got from Dan. Also attached the resin strips to the forearms. And last but not least, I was able to mount the ab boxes. I used the same procedure that others did by using bolts that were glued to the box and mount through a hole drilled into the armor. Seems like a very secure and tight fit. That’s all for now. I spoke to KB a little and it may be a week or a few weeks before I get my hands on the chest/back and shins. Also waiting to hear from 3D-Props regarding my weaponry. He’s been a little hard to get in touch with, but he finally wrote today saying he’ll get me an ETA later today. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote
Sly11[Admin] Posted March 25, 2020 Report Posted March 25, 2020 Those plastic bolts have sure come in handy. I'm really enjoying your progress, so wish I could build one of these badboys myself. 1 Quote
Krisko720 Posted March 25, 2020 Author Report Posted March 25, 2020 Those plastic bolts have sure come in handy. I'm really enjoying your progress, so wish I could build one of these badboys myself.This is my first build. A heck of a lot more work than I ever expected, but now that I’ve learned all these skills.. and have lots of tools and extra supplies.. I wouldn’t mind doing another one. It’s completely overwhelming yet oddly satisfying. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 3 Quote
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