Tico's RS Props build

[ticopowell[TK]]

About 3 years ago now I decided to make a TK. Almost 5 years ago I decided to make a Vader (ANH) and that took about 18 months, so I've been doing this longer than I realized. I also have an R2 mostly finished, and a MSE mostly finished (I'm noticing a trend...). Somehow between 3 deployments (Active Duty Air Force), getting married, having a kid, and moving twice I haven't found time until my COVID quarantine to assemble anything, so yesterday at the virtual armor party I got some advice and started my first cuts. BBB day number 1 happened while I was deployed actually, back in 2017 with my RS props 40th anniversary set. I bought a helmet, armor, strapping kit, rubber gloves (not sure if they were included or not) and blaster from RS props ( still need a holster, paint, and a snap setting kit... plus whatever else you guys thing I need that I dont have). I think it was a week or two earlier I decided to buy a TK from ANOVOS. And then I got the discount code, so I figured I'd buy 2 because they were $400ish at the time and I had a hope that my now wife would be interested in wearing one... Both of those kits are now sold to fellow garrison members here in florida, and my wife decided she wanted a Jawa so we are working on that too. 

 

Well onto my build. 

A few days after I got home from that deployment I opened the RS box and pulled everything out for inventory. Here are the pics. 

 

 

 

 

Based on what I could tell then, and what I'm seeing now, all I really need is the undersuit, a holster, paint, and time.

 

Yesterday I started trimming pieces, I didn't document anything until right now... so let me go take some pics.

OK, I'm back, here are the pics and descriptions.

I started with the shins per the squad's advice, then forearms, then on my own I did everything else. and sorry about the mess if it shows up in pics, this room doubles as the sewing room and office and junk room and computer room.... I need a storage unit haha. 

 

Here are the pics of what I've done. I still have more trimming to do but I didn't want to do more without having parts assembled so I could test fit everything. Measure twice, cut once right? I've read ukswrath's thread 2 or 3 times now and I'm referencing that while building, as well as youtube vids and asking on facebook, so I think I'm doing things correctly. 

 

 

 

 

Those still need a lot of trimming. My belt sander should help with the flat parts

 

 

 

 

Question on the kidney plate. As you can see there is a funky bend in the top middle part of the return. What would be the best way offixing that? I'd like to get that fixed before strapping them together. Let me know if you need better pictures. 

 

And I finished the TD, what do you all think?

 

 

 

 

 

Well that's all I've done for now, I will probably cut some strips tomorrow in prep for joining pieces together, I plan on cutting the thighs first, then shins, then forearms, then biceps. If I can Ill run to the store to get some snap setting tools. 

 

Oh I almost forgot, the helmet is still in the box. I plan on having fans and a sound system in there. 

 

Any and all input is welcome! Lvl 3 is the goal eventually, but I might as well start it right. 

 

Thanks for reading

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Caleb, Welcome to FISD , great to see you're doing a great work with your armor and yes, you're in the right path measuring twice or more and  cut once.  Reading build threads and watching video tutorial is a great source of help too.

 

About your question on the kidney plate fixing, Although I wouldn't consider it and issue due to the original armors had some imperfections (you can see the reference photos I had included) , most builders apply some heat to soften the plastic and therefore mold it, this can be achieved by 
immersing the piece in hot water, or using an iron or plastic welding kit. This has to be made it with care to avoid a worse damage.

 

 

 

And if I can make a suggestion, take a look to the following TD reference Photo, It looks like your screws are a little far from the clip's edge.

 

 

 

 

Also I would suggest to take a look to the following forum section that I'm sure it 'll be so useful .

 

 

 

 

Keep on doing a great work and remember we are here to help.  

 

Cheers  

 

Edited April 28, 2020 by TKSpartan
word correction

[ticopowell[TK]]

Thanks! The TD came with the screws like that from RS when I bought it. To fix I would only need to trim some metal and move the white piece down to match. would that hurt the rest of the look of the TD? or would buying better clips be the right move?

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

8 minutes ago, ticopowell said:

Thanks! The TD came with the screws like that from RS when I bought it. To fix I would only need to trim some metal and move the white piece down to match. would that hurt the rest of the look of the TD? or would buying better clips be the right move?

 

I think it's ok for basic approval , but for higher levels I'm not sure, I would suggest to  ask to your garrison GML about this prior to make some cut. or may wait to some fellow trooper here like @justjoseph63 can give us a hand. 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Looking quite impressive so far, Carlos!  As for the TD, as Mario mentioned the screws are indeed a little far from the end, but while it would definitely be a suggestion for Centurion it would not be a deal breaker.  

 

I see that you have your forearm/bicep pieces taped together, but before gluing anything I would strongly suggest the following:

 

1.  Before final fitting/gluing, I recommend that you remove the return edges on the upper parts of your forearms.  The reason being is that most of your time in armor will be spent with your arms bent (holding your weapon at the ready) and those areas will definitely dig into you ("armor bite").  If you glue them now and find that out later, removing those areas afterward will result in a super large opening.  Not a good thing.  The link to my "Return Edges" thread that Mario provided will explain it in more detail.

 

         

 

2.  When trimming the ab-button plates, note in the reference images that the corners are squared, not rounded, and that they fit inside the raised ridges with space on all four sides.

      Hint:  It's easier to paint these before you glue them on, and remember that the paint should not extend all the way to the bottoms of the buttons.

 

          

 

You are doing the PERFECT thing by posting up photos and asking questions before moving ahead, sir.  Keep that up, and I look forward to watching (and helping with) your TK journey!

[ticopowell[TK]]

Thanks Mario and Joseph, and Pura Vida Mario! I lived in Costa Rica for a few years, adopted the nickname for my forums because i couldn't think of anything else unique  

 

I'm reviewing the return edges 101 thread right now, might start fine tuning those parts today or tomorrow.

 

While I was waiting on my wife to finish sewing I decided to test fit a few parts to understand the fit better. here are a few pics. Yes I know the shirt isn't approvable, but i have it for Vader so I figured it would work for these pics.

 

I started with the torso section, put it all on, decided I didn't know what I was doing, then I put it on piece by piece. Here are the kidney to ab shots... looks like I'm a bit fatter than the original TK's... at 200lbs I could have told you that months ago haha

 

 

 

Then I put the back and front on, looks like I need to remove some return edge... if not all if it from the shoulder areas and bend those tabs up a bit. I thinkthe front needs to go down a bit, gotta do more research. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I moved onto the legs, I'm pulling the best pics of the 25 my wife took lol, there is a lot that can be trimmed around the thighs, I got poked in the buttocks too so I know some tips need to be softened. The thighs were up as high as I could pull them, and the shins were as low as they could go, I think the shins are pretty close, but the thighs need a bit of trimming.

 

 

 

 

Lastly my arms, biceps will be trimmed like Joseph mentioned, just haven't done it yet. The forearms will need the wrist return edge trimmed completely, and modifying to make the arms bendable, they are too long as is. 

 

 

 

Also I fixed the bump in the kidney plate. 

 

 

 

I found a small block of wood, taped them together, then gently heated the plastic with a heat gun. I tested on a scrap piece to find the point where it starts to bend, and used about that much time for this one. I kept the heat moving as to not warp the piece even more, then once I thought it was hot enough (I was wrong 3-4 times... better to not be hot enough than too hot lol) I pressed the plastic down with another small block. As you can see it's nice and straight compared to what it was. 

 

That's it for now, back to work!

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Pura Vida Caleb !!!    Hope your time living in Costa Rica was a Great Time.

 

excellent  work on the kidney plate fixing, ( I have learned something new today) . The blue painter's tape test looks good. Once you have finished the return edges trimming  you'll see that everything fits better.

Finally ,just a question about your left thigh, could it be a light effect but it looks like the back joint is not centered like the right ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers 

[ticopowell[TK]]

Yeah, it looks kinda funky from behind, I think the inner thigh overlaps the outer by quite a bit, close to 2 inches. I think to make it look the best I will need to trim the inner thigh for circumference. 

 

I'd expect to trim at the binder clip in the picture.

 

 

 

The second picture is of the thigh as it sits. 

 

How does the height of the pieces look? or should I remove more return edge on the legs and arms and take a few more pictures?

 

Based on the return edge 101 post, I plan on removing most return edges on the arms and legs. Ill keep them on the torso pieces except around the neck and arm holes, but ill trim those back to something a little more reasonable once I have the mounting straps attached. I'm using the bent wire and elastic method (screen accurate to my knowledge) so Ill need enough space to attach the screws, but that's it. 

If that's incorrect then let me know

 

Keep the info coming

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

3 hours ago, ticopowell said:

How does the height of the pieces look?

The height is ok.

 

3 hours ago, ticopowell said:

Based on the return edge 101 post, I plan on removing most return edges on the arms and legs. Ill keep them on the torso pieces except around the neck and arm holes, but ill trim those back to something a little more reasonable once I have the mounting straps attached. I'm using the bent wire and elastic method (screen accurate to my knowledge) so Ill need enough space to attach the screws

This is the way. 

 

looking forward for your advances, keep it up  

[ticopowell[TK]]

I think the left thigh is a lot closer to final trim now. I have an inch or two in the back that will need to be removed. It should be easily visible in the pics as to where I will trim it. Ill also need to trim the top of the back so I can walk around, Ill do some research for the right amount to remove. I think a hot water bath will help the inner piece curve towards the back, not sure if I should do that before or after trimming it to size. 

 

 

 

Not sure why the pics are differently sized... annoying phones lol.

 

Here is the back bottom of the thigh, Ill need to adjust this once they are trimmed and bent, but there is extra space at the top of the outer piece so it won't be a big issue to slide it down a little once the inner piece is bent correctly. I think it makes the most sense to bend it now, fit it again, then once I'm 100% sure it's going to be either the correct size or slightly too big then I'll cut the back.

 

I was planning on having a cover strip on the backside of the thigh and shin pieces, as well as the obvious front one. I'd use the leftover scraps from the first trim in the front so I know it's long enough. 

 

well, on to the second thigh, and likely the shins next. 

[ticopowell[TK]]

And the right thigh is better. the return edges are removed and it fits a bit better. 

 

 

 

obviously I need to trim the back to fit better, and the top of the front will need a little bit to make it as accurate as possible.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

What I always do for the thighs adjustment is to place and glue  the front cover strip first and after that make another blue tape fit and when sure, cut and place the back cover strip. 

 

Remember take a look to the gallery section for reference photos to compare. 

 

Cheers. 

[ticopowell[TK]]

thanks for pointing out the gallery, its been helpful.

 

I trimmed the tops of my thighs, I think they look better and will be much more comfortable. I only took off about 1cm on each side. Here are the pics.

 

 

 

I also got the biceps and forearms more done, the wrist return edges have been removed, the biceps have been removed, and the smooth parts of the lower forearms are clean. I left a tiny bit on the elbow edge of the forearms because it's the most visible, and I don't want to lose any length there until I know I can give it up. Here are a few pics, sorry, my helper went to bed before getting both arms pics done

 

 

 

 

 

I did make minimal elbow room on the inner forearm piece so I could bend my arm without issues. 

 

Both biceps look like they can be trimmed in a little, I could trim them about an inch on each side, but I taped them like that, flexed, and felt super strong because the tape broke :D. I then realized that I needed to make them large enough to allow full muscle movement. Here's where they are at now. 

 

 

 

Well that's it for tonight, tune in tomorrow for more white plastic shards flying around my office!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

First, I gotta say GREAT to see that you trimmed off those return edges on the thigh tops!    One thing I noticed is that it appears they are sitting REALLY tight against your legs (yellow arrows).  You will need a gap, otherwise it will be next to impossible to motivate.  The rule of thumb I use is that you should be able to fit 4 fingers or so side by side between the armor and your leg.

 

It looks as if you have the overlap (red arrow) to open them up a bit, and remember that the seam and cover strip should run vertically and in the center.  

[ticopowell[TK]]

First, I gotta say GREAT to see that you trimmed off those return edges on the thigh tops!    One thing I noticed is that it appears they are sitting REALLY tight against your legs (yellow arrows).  You will need a gap, otherwise it will be next to impossible to motivate.  The rule of thumb I use is that you should be able to fit 4 fingers or so side by side between the armor and your leg.
 
It looks as if you have the overlap (red arrow) to open them up a bit, and remember that the seam and cover strip should run vertically and in the center.  

Yeah there is a lot of material to work with on those so that shouldn't be a problem.
Just so I understand, when measuring I want it pressed to the inside of the leg, and four fingers distance between the outside of my leg and the armor?

[ticopowell[TK]]

How much room do the shins, biceps, and forearms need? 

 

With my biceps as large as they can go I can flex my bi and triceps without pushing against plastic, so I can't go bigger unless I use shims. 

 

My forearms fit my hands through, barely, so I can't go smaller. 

 

My shins are the only pieces that have any excess room, but I think they might be a little long. Ill have to try them on with boots to make sure they look alright. 

 

Next question, can there be a gap between the ab plate and the kidney plate? As you can see in the pictures below, I have a few inch gap there. If I need to fix that, I want to do it now vs tearing the armor apart to make it centurion. 

 

 

 

And where should they sit in relation to my anatomy? I'm 6' tall and 200-210 lbs. What felt the best the other day was having the crotch fit just below mine so I could pass the elastic through, I can't imagine it going up higher or lower, so should I base everything else off of that position?

[ticopowell[TK]]

I just answered my own question... I looked at the CRL lol.

 

"Ideally there no gap between the abdomen and kidney armor. Abdominal and Kidney Plate align horizontally at top.
A single visible seam line is present."

 

So I guess Ill need some minor shimming there. I just guessed how much ABS ill have extra from the provided sheet, looks like at least 6x17" extra, so that should be plenty to shim as long as I don't mess it up too bad. 

 

Next question, 

I saw on the drop boxes that the inner should be 12mm tall and the outer 15mm, this was from one of Billhag's drawings. My outer box won't be quite that tall based on the mold, should I worry about the back sticking out much, or just trim it to be flush?

 

I did trim the button pieces, but I noticed that they both seem to be warped, they are concave a little bit. I want to boil them for 30 seconds and flatten them, but I'm not sure if that is the best option. the larger panel might flatten out when I glue it, and I can also gently warm them with my heat gun, but I'd be afraid of losing detail, or possibly ruining them if I go to hot so that's the least preferred option. 

 

 

 

 

I've cut a few front cover strips out, and a few rear ones from extra pieces, so once my good magnets get here ill start experimenting with installing them on the thighs. 

[CableGuy[TK]]

Hi Caleb,

Have you checked out the RS Propmasters YouTube channel? They ran an excellent series on how to accurately build their armour.

They give all of the original dimensions of their suit - for me, this would be the best starting point. See if the original sizes fit your frame - if it does, that’s great and you have screen accurate sizes. If they need to go up of down a little, you can make adjustments.


For the ab buttons, yours could still be trimmed down some more.



It’s like that you can counteract the warping when you glue by using some strong magnets.

If you want nice, straight edges, you could try the score and snap method. If you’ve not used that before, let me know and I’ll point you in the direction of a example of the process. :-)

Best wishes
Dan

[ticopowell[TK]]

Thanks, I've been slowly getting through their videos, they are still making them so I'm catching up. I've not worried about their exact sizes to much but that's a great idea. I imagine I'm a little bigger than screen accurate, but I shouldn't be too far off.
Thanks for the button pic, I keep seeing some and forgetting where they are. I already trimmed the smaller plate to match, I'll trim the larger one tomorrow and compare.
I've been using the score and snap as well as lexan scissors depending on the piece I'm trimming.
Thanks again

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

The fitting of your forearms/biceps looks pretty darned good to me!  As long as you can get your hands through the wrist opening you should be good to go.

 

Can you post up a pic of the ab-button plates sitting on your chest plate where they will eventually be glued?  If the warp is severe, a hot water bath followed by immediately using a heavy object to press them down may be the answer.  A heat gun can reach over 1000 degrees and melt/warp ABS in a flash so is not recommended.

[ticopowell[TK]]

 

 

 

 

The last picture I posted to show the warpage on that part. I think it needs just a tiny amount of trimming left, and the bigger piece needs a bit more. 

 

BTW my magnets came in!

 

 

I covered them in masking tape as I've seen many people do, But I added extra so now I have pull tabs. If I decided I don't like pull tabs then I can just cut them off

Edited April 30, 2020 by ticopowell

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Coming along nicely

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

It looks like you shouldn't have a big issue with these, Caleb.  The small one needs to be trimmed a bit to straighten the sides out but excellent job on the large one!  It's probably the angle of the photo, but the top right looks to be extending past the raised ridge just a hair.  SO glad to see that you have the corners squared and not rounded off.  NICE WORK!

 

Now that you have your magnets, you may be able to get these to lie flat and use E-6000 (generously) to hold them down.  Any excess (seepage) can be easily removed.

 

                                                                          

       

[ticopowell[TK]]

I can't say I did a lot of work the past 2 days, been busy with life and family, including replacing a garbage disposal...

 

 

that was fun.

 

I did get a few TK things done though. Both thigh front cover strips are in place, one of them I did yesterday, the other I did today so it's drying. The first thigh I did both the cover strip, and the backing strip at the same time, but the second I did just the front cover strip, ill add the backing strip tomorrow when it's dried. 

 

 

 

 

I also got one shin done. I'm glad I bought 30 magnets! and I just did the outer cover strip, ill do the backing one tomorrow

 

 

I got some paint picked up as well

 

 

I based the colors off of this post. 

 

Luckily the nearby hobby town had it, and they were open and taking phone orders

 

I'm going to cut a few more cover strips once both shins are done and get started on the arms. 

 

When doing the biceps and forearms do you do one cover strip at a time, let it set, then do the other one? Or do you do the whole forearm/bicep at once and thereby making sure things are fully aligned?

 

Both are doable, but why not figure out what's best right? I'm planning on doing just one at a time. 

 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

So, I'm looking at the RS props video on bracket install in the chest and ab piece... it looks super easy to do. Am I missing something, or is it as easy as they show?