DarthBiscuit's R1TK Build (Jimmiroquai kit)

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

15 hours ago, DarthBiscuit said:

I sanded that spot and primed it again. Looked decent enough. Taped off the non-white spots!

 

 

 

 

 

Setup to start my first coat of white!

 

 

It went on CRAZY UNEVENLY. I was around one foot away and steadily moved while spraying, overlapping, starting before and ending after. There were strips of primer showing through, runs of white in some spots, just bad.

 

I guess tomorrow will be sanding down the clumps with 220 grit. Then I'll sand the whole thing down with 1,000 and apply a thin coat. I'll wait for it to dry before trying to go over the missed spots. Hopefully it'll go better that way.

 

Any better suggestions for spray paint?

Multiple light coats and noting dry times is key - spray within an hour or wait a full 24 for this paint, I wanna say. Plus, if you're going for perfection, it's going to take several coats and several rounds of high-grit sanding. I think I'm on my 7th or 8th coat, including primer. Also, keep your nozzles super clear or use fresh ones. And keep an eye on temp/humidity. Lots of tiny factors can complicate paint...

 

Occasionally you'll just get a bad can, but that paint shouldddd work fine...

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

2 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

Multiple light coats and noting dry times is key - spray within an hour or wait a full 24 for this paint, I wanna say. Plus, if you're going for perfection, it's going to take several coats and several rounds of high-grit sanding. I think I'm on my 7th or 8th coat, including primer. Also, keep your nozzles super clear or use fresh ones. And keep an eye on temp/humidity. Lots of tiny factors can complicate paint...

 

Occasionally you'll just get a bad can, but that paint shouldddd work fine...

Thanks Justin!

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

So today DID NOT go well.

 

I sanded the runs to 220. I wore gloves since my buddy mentioned oils after my daughter decided to touch it. The runs looked much smoother with some spots down to the primer. I wiped it down with a rag and sprayed a 2nd coat of gloss white. I kept my distance and only went over some key spots, then gave a few minutes and went over some other spots. Cracks, runs, and pinholes EVERYWHERE.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know what to do. I guess tomorrow I'll sand the runs to 220. Then I'll sand the whole thing to 1,000. Not sure about the pinholes, but hopefully sanding will help. I'll spray more white again after that...

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

I used a tiny bit of filler on the pinholes - couldn't get em to go away with wet sanding alone. Wrinkles like that are often humidity related, so make sure it's fully dry.

I would start at like 400, then 600, then 1000 or you'll just clog your 1000 grit paper up most likely. 

A heat gun or heat in general can help with runs, and even lighter coats.

Paint has been extremely frustrating for me as well, so you're in good company haha

Edited June 3, 2020 by TheRascalKing

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

10 minutes ago, TheRascalKing said:

I used a tiny bit of filler on the pinholes - couldn't get em to go away with wet sanding alone. Wrinkles like that are often humidity related, so make sure it's fully dry.

I would start at like 400, then 600, then 1000 or you'll just clog your 1000 grit paper up most likely. 

A heat gun or hear in general can help with runs, and even lighter coats.

Paint has been extremely frustrating for me as well, so you're in good company haha

Thanks man. Glad to hear the pros are going thru the same thing!

 

And I'm a half mile from Monterey Bay, so the humidity isn't going anywhere...

Edited June 2, 2020 by DarthBiscuit

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

15 hours ago, DarthBiscuit said:

Thanks man. Glad to hear the pros are going thru the same thing!

Pro, HA! When I'm all done, I'll post how many cans of paint I went through getting mine right. I 100% regret not paying someone to paint this thing for me, but I'm not sure anyone else would have put the level of attention to detail in that I have... Definitely not for cheap anyways. Probably much more efficiently with the experience and right tools tho.

You'll get there. Patience and positivity.

Edited June 3, 2020 by TheRascalKing

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Sanded the runs to 220. Filled some pinholes with putty. After they dried, sanded to 220 again.

 

 

Tomorrow I'll wipe it down and spray an INSANELY LIGHT COAT of white.

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Sprayed white again today. Went just as poorly as before. Quick sprays from a distance sometimes barely adhered, sometimes looked perfect, and sometimes left huge runs. I'd spray like 3 light strips (across the top, middle, and bottom), then wait 2 minutes and spray another strip across a different spot. Didn't help. Eventually I got the thing fully covered in white, but there are runs everywhere and even a few cracks. I guess I'll try wet sanding with 1,000 tomorrow and then add even lighter coats with longer in between. 

 

 

I think some of the problem was angles...

 

 

 

 

I really think, if I can convince my wife, I might have to go with 850AW ABS so I don't need to worry this much about painting...

[Darth147[TK]]

with a 850aw kit your going to have to paint it all if you want the color to match the greeblies so either way your going to paint 

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

But if the white I paint the greeblies is close enough to the ABS, then I don't have to paint the whole suit. Right? Or does the ABS have to be painted?

[Darth147[TK]]

Ived noticed from what Ived seen that nobody gets the white to match the same color of the abs 

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

So, here's what I'm trying:

 

The spray paint didn't get into some areas, including pinholes, tube vents, and ear seams. So I brushed this white acrylic in. After drying, I sanded those spots, and the runs and cracks, with 220. Then I sanded the whole bucket with 1,000.

 

 

You can see a big pinhole by an eye in the left, after brushing in the middle, and post-sand on the right.

 

 

Tomorrow I'll clean it off and spray white again, with several SUPER light coats. Hopefully this helps...

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

So, today went better (that I can tell, for now). I sanded some more, first to 220, then smoothed it out to 1,000. I washed it off with soapy water and a scour pad. Then, I sprayed...

 

I kept my distance at first, but nothing was showing up. So I got closer, but kept the can moving quickly. That seemed to help!

 

Here's a pic of that eye I touched up yesterday. I def think brushing some white on there helped!

 

 

 

I'm not sure I can recreate these conditions though, since I think it's due to my can of spray paint being nearly empty haha! It must have been spraying so little out that it helped prevent runs!

 

I did cause a few runs though, at the end. I needed to touch up a few spots, but the can wasn't spraying enough so I got pretty close. Hopefully those are the only issues that I'll sand down tomorrow and apply another light coat with another can of paint. It's not as frustrating knowing that I am capable of applying a good coat!

 

 

 

There are also a lot of little fuzzies that stuck to the paint. I'm not sure I can do anything to improve my paintbooth, so hopefully I can take care of them without messing up the paint.

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

So I spent yesterday cleaning up. I sanded the runs to 1,000. It took a while, but smoothed it out without taking off a layer of white. I see why that's what everyone recommended! I also brushed some white in the tube vents again to cover some missed spots. 

 

Today I was patient. I set a stopwatch and waited 3-4 minutes before spraying anything. I got close enough to apply paint, but kept it moving. And I'd go to opposite sides to avoid spraying on a fresh coat. Thankfully, all of this together worked! I think I ended up with 2 tiny runs, but nothing too visible or worth redoing. 

 

 

Now, I'll wait 3 days. The can suggests 2, but I've seen forum recommendations for 3 to avoid oranging or peeling. Better safe than sorry! This is what I'll use:

 

 

After 2ish cots of clear (hopefully without repeating) I'll peel off some tape, tape up the white, and get to work on other areas. I kind of think the flat gray primer I used could work for the ears, tears, traps, and teeth. What do you guys think? If so, all I have to paint is the black PlastiDip!

 

[Roukie 1[TK]]

On 6/5/2020 at 7:18 PM, Darth147 said:

Ived noticed from what Ived seen that nobody gets the white to match the same color of the abs 

As I also had problems with painting my bucket. I went to a store to let them mix the right colour and fill it in a spraycan.

They did a really good job. It took a while to find the right sort of white. But in the end it matches very good. I didn´t want paint my whole armor, because of cracking and flaking, as the ABS is quite flexible.

 

Finally I ended with a bucket that has its flaws. But from a decent distance it looks quite good. Oh, it´s a BS R1 helmet 

 

 

Edited June 10, 2020 by Roukie 1

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Since I'm waiting 1 more day before spraying clear, I decided to get a coat of PlastiDip on the outside of the vocoder. I sprayed a bit thick to get in the crevices, but it seemed to go on fine. I'll spray the back tomorrow since I think it might be somewhat visible once attached. 

 

 

Do I need to sand down between coats of PlastiDip?

[Darth147[TK]]

The plasti dip will come off if you try to sand it 

I don’t recommend sanding

you should be able to peel the whole thing off easily and paint again if you need to 

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

34 minutes ago, Darth147 said:

The plasti dip will come off if you try to sand it 

I don’t recommend sanding

you should be able to peel the whole thing off easily and paint again if you need to 

Wow good pointer! Thanks!!

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

I finally did it! I sent Jim my down payment on his R1TK armor kit and undersuit!! Now...the wait...

 

I have a pretty good supplies list going, I just need to finish it up and order everything. I do have a few questions/points, if you all wouldn't mind offering some input.

- We don't need rivets on the R1TK, right?

- I haven't decided on E6000 or PC-7 to adhere parts to their other halves.

- I plan on doing mostly snaps to attach parts to each other through small lengths of webbing or elastic. What material can I use in the snap to then E6000 to the armor? I thought about using squares of webbing but that might be too thick to punch through.

- I've also considered velcro or elastic for some parts to ease stress and donning. Does anyone use magnetic strips?

- I'm going to use fiberglass resin on the interiors, and maybe also apply cloth to certain stressed areas. 

- I'll spray the interior flat white.

- Should I fully paint and finish the exteriors before assembling and strapping? I know I'd have to tape off a lot if I assembled/strapped first, but that might give me easy ways to hang pieces. 

- Where do you guys put your phone when trooping? What about wallet, or a few cards? I briefly wondered if there was extra space in the abdomen to make a little pocket...

 

@11b30b4 can I get added to the R1TK WIP?

 

Does anyone know how I change my thread's title to "DarthBiscuit's R1TK Build (Jimmiroquai kit)"? I didn't realize that I couldn't just edit it when I created it.

 

I really hope I can get this done before Halloween! I really want to patrol the neighborhood with my kids :-)

Edited June 11, 2020 by DarthBiscuit

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

1 hour ago, DarthBiscuit said:

I finally did it! I sent Jim my down payment on his R1TK armor kit and undersuit!! Now...the wait...  NOICE!

 

I have a pretty good supplies list going, I just need to finish it up and order everything. I do have a few questions/points, if you all wouldn't mind offering some input.

- We don't need rivets on the R1TK, right? Nope, no rivets.

- I haven't decided on E6000 or PC-7 to adhere parts to their other halves. I'd go E6000 for this task, though PC-7 may come in handy elsewhere. Also, I didn't glue any of my armor together except the biceps. The kit can't and shouldn't be flexed like an ABS TK to fit your limbs in. I'm using ultra-thin velcro on both sides everywhere.

- I plan on doing mostly snaps to attach parts to each other through small lengths of webbing or elastic. What material can I use in the snap to then E6000 to the armor? I thought about using squares of webbing but that might be too thick to punch through. I E6000 rectangles of webbing in to anchor the male snaps. Use a soldering iron to punch your holes (wear a vent) and it'll seal em too to prevent fraying.

- I've also considered velcro or elastic for some parts to ease stress and donning. Does anyone use magnetic strips? Not a bad idea! I'm going to use magnets to secure the trauma plate most likely.

- I'm going to use fiberglass resin on the interiors, and maybe also apply cloth to certain stressed areas. Good call. Some areas are thin and the interior is itchy. Just use a flexible resin and multiple THIN coats.

- I'll spray the interior flat white. I did too. Just make sure any sanding/smoothing/trimming is done BEFORE spraying or you'll just have to do it again. And I masked my interiors before spraying gloss on the outside.

- Should I fully paint and finish the exteriors before assembling and strapping? I know I'd have to tape off a lot if I assembled/strapped first, but that might give me easy ways to hang pieces. Good question. I think it's important to at least test fit it first to know if you need to trim. 

- Where do you guys put your phone when trooping? What about wallet, or a few cards? I briefly wondered if there was extra space in the abdomen to make a little pocket... I don't carry mine, don't need it. Could probably put a pocked in the ab panel though - I'm gonna put my speaker behind the Ab buttons.

 

@11b30b4 can I get added to the R1TK WIP?

 

Does anyone know how I change my thread's title to "DarthBiscuit's R1TK Build (Jimmiroquai kit)"? I didn't realize that I couldn't just edit it when I created it.  I think you can do it if you edit the very first post? If not, request an admin.

 

I really hope I can get this done before Halloween! I really want to patrol the neighborhood with my kids :-) Heck yea, good luck!

 

Edited June 11, 2020 by TheRascalKing

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

15 minutes ago, TheRascalKing said:

NOICE

Thanks for all the input Justin!!

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

25 minutes ago, TheRascalKing said:

I think you can do it if you edit the very first post? If not, request an admin.

You were right!

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Today, I braved the clear coat!

 

The first coat went well and evenly! I also coated the interior of the vocoder with PlastiDip. Then I gave 30 minutes for both to dry. 

 

I applied the 2nd cot of clear, feeling much more confident in its application! So I did too much and got a run under a cheek. No worries, I'll sand it 1,000 tomorrow and spray again.

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Always hard when painting curves, I do like to use automotive acrylic paints as they are a little more forgiving and dry very fast, but that being said you are getting a nice finish.

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Damn, I screwed up. I sanded those few spots to 1,000 which went fine. Then I wiped the bucket down with a rag that I put through the wash. I sprayed a coat of clear and inspected my work. Tiny threads EVERYWHERE! Looks like more sanding once it's dry, then really clean it off and spray some more...