The BigJasoni's ROTK 3D Print Build Thread

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I would suggest chatting with your GML (garrison membership liaison) it is ultimately him/her that will be approving your costume.

 

I don't have a R1 myself and only been looking at some details and comparing so I'm no expert, as Andrew said Jeff is your best one for an opinion 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Jason, so looking over your questions.

 

First the shoulder strap CRL at Level 3 states “These shall be inserted behind the chest tabs and into slots of the back plate.” If you are building a Rogue One then this should be fairly simple since there are the two trapezoids on the top of the back plate that the shoulder straps insert into. The wording for this CRL is really to distinguish between how the Rogue One shoulder straps are vs the OT shoulder straps which lay on top of the back plate and are held in place with white elastic.

 

Next, the helmet CRL for level 3 does add the eye socket bump “There is a small bump in the left eye socket under the lens as an intended flaw to pay tribute to the original trilogy designers.” This is something that is not required for levels 1 and 2 but if you have not painted the helmet already, simply adding a small bump of body filler and blending it in will be all that is needed.

 

Next, “ALL” of the extremity armor is clam shell constructed. This means that one end is left open to don and doff the armor. This includes the shins, thighs, forearms, and biceps. The level 3 CRLs for all the extremity armor state:

Cover strips will cover both the front and back joints.

Biceps are loosely held closed in the back with elastic, shock cord (bungee cord) or white Velcro and are designed to remain flexible.

So, there is nothing in the CRLs that state you must permanently close one end of the armor, only that the armor should be constructed to allow for one end to be open. How you decide to close the open end is up to you. I tried to be as inclusive as possible, allowing for bungee cord (which how it was done for the screen used kits) but also Velcro and elastic since the same results can be achieved and no one is producing RO armor with the proper mounting brackets inside the armor for the bungee cord. When you submit pics for approval, I do not know if your GML will require images of how the armor is closed; however, I do not believe it should really matter as long as it looks correct when you are wearing it. What the approval team for EIB and Centurion will want to see is up to them and given that there really isn’t a lot of differences between the different levels, I would think that they would want to see detailed images of how the extremities are closed but I could be wrong.

 

Lastly, the level 3 CRL for the gloves does state nylon. “Gloves shall made of a nylon material”. I will ask Andrew to make a change to this to read “the base material of the gloves will be a black synthetic material similar to Lycra, Spandex, Elastane, or Nylon”. This change in wording will be more accurate and address the real issue that the gloves are not rubber like the OT gloves were. The gloves made by Endor Finders or Imperial Boots are exactly what you need. They are basically gloves very similar in construction to mechanix gloves.

I hope this helps and feel free to reach out to me if you have further questions.

[tarok[TK]]

Lastly, the level 3 CRL for the gloves does state nylon. “Gloves shall made of a nylon material”. I will ask Andrew to make a change to this to read “the base material of the gloves will be a black synthetic material similar to Lycra, Spandex, Elastane, or Nylon”. This change in wording will be more accurate and address the real issue that the gloves are not rubber like the OT gloves were. The gloves made by Endor Finders or Imperial Boots are exactly what you need. They are basically gloves very similar in construction to mechanix gloves.

[mention]11b30b4 [/mention] Jeff,

Probably not the place to mention it, but given the ROTK and ST gloves were the same, perhaps for consistency the TK CRL could use the same wording as that of the ST?

[mention]BigJasoni [/mention] have a look at the Shoretrooper CRL for glove info https://databank.501st.com/databank/Costuming:ST_captain

FWIW consensus amongst the Shoretrooper costumers seems to be that the EF gloves hold up much better than those by IB.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Hey Jason, you can still work to the old version of the CRL as I still have access to it and the LMO's still need to sign off on the revision before it is officially official , so you have a choice.

 

Here is the pre revision version

Rogue One Stormtrooper.pdf

 

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Wow. Where do I start? I'm really starting to like this community a lot and glad I'm getting into this. The help has been amazing. Also, I appologize for taking so long to reply, I totally missed these comments. @gmrhodes13, @11b30b4, @tarok, and @Sly11 thanks so much, this really helps out.

 

On 9/12/2020 at 4:02 PM, 11b30b4 said:

First the shoulder strap CRL at Level 3 states “These shall be inserted behind the chest tabs and into slots of the back plate.” If you are building a Rogue One then this should be fairly simple since there are the two trapezoids on the top of the back plate that the shoulder straps insert into. The wording for this CRL is really to distinguish between how the Rogue One shoulder straps are vs the OT shoulder straps which lay on top of the back plate and are held in place with white elastic.

Jeff, that's what I thought, but I was thrown off by the pic in the CRL. The shoulder straps appear to go "through" the back armor. However, I haven't seen anyone else do this in their ROTK builds. Maybe I'm seeing things... I don't know.

On 9/12/2020 at 4:02 PM, 11b30b4 said:

Next, the helmet CRL for level 3 does add the eye socket bump “There is a small bump in the left eye socket under the lens as an intended flaw to pay tribute to the original trilogy designers.” This is something that is not required for levels 1 and 2 but if you have not painted the helmet already, simply adding a small bump of body filler and blending it in will be all that is needed.

Ok. Awesome. Challenge accepted. I was thinking about doing this, but was wavering as to whether or not to try it. I may get creative, if anything because I really love the idea of paying "tribute to the original trilogy designers." I think it was brilliant of the Rogue One designers to do this.

On 9/12/2020 at 4:02 PM, 11b30b4 said:

Next, “ALL” of the extremity armor is clam shell constructed. This means that one end is left open to don and doff the armor. This includes the shins, thighs, forearms, and biceps. The level 3 CRLs for all the extremity armor state:

Cover strips will cover both the front and back joints.

Biceps are loosely held closed in the back with elastic, shock cord (bungee cord) or white Velcro and are designed to remain flexible.

 

On 9/12/2020 at 4:02 PM, 11b30b4 said:

So, there is nothing in the CRLs that state you must permanently close one end of the armor, only that the armor should be constructed to allow for one end to be open. How you decide to close the open end is up to you.

Perfect. That's how I read the CRL and I couldn't be more happy about this inclusion. Here's what I've done:

 

This feels so much better now. Making the forearm a "clam shell" was actually the first change to the 3d print file I requested from the designer. Originally they had this as a solid "slip-it -on" design. I reached out and asked "how in the world am I supposed to fit my hand through that wrist opening?" Apparently, I was the first to ask this question. Also, after watching The Mandalorian season 2 trailer today, I noticed this:

 

 

Pretty much every question I've asked in all of my posts was answered in this one clip. This includes everything from posterior armor and leg sizing to kidney plates and clam shells. This flashed up on the screen for about two seconds and I immediately went back and paused it. However, I'm still trying to figure out the middle trooper's kidney plate. It almost looks like he's got a "tall-guy extension" on the top of the rectangle. Maybe I'm seeing things again. Also, these guys look shiny, unlike the "Remnant Stormtroopers" in season one. 

 

So here's a question for those who might know. My original plans for this armor were to eventually weather it and turn it into a Jeddah trooper kit. But, if I wanted to do a Remnant Stormtrooper instead, what's the process for approval? Does this require a new CRL? Would it basically say "refer to ROTK and weather it?"

 

On 9/12/2020 at 7:30 PM, tarok said:

FWIW consensus amongst the Shoretrooper costumers seems to be that the EF gloves hold up much better than those by IB.

I believe I saw this in a few threads. Thanks for the reminder. I need to hurry up and order mine. My undersuit should be coming from The Darkside Closet in a few short weeks.

 

On 9/13/2020 at 3:32 AM, Sly11 said:

Hey Jason, you can still work to the old version of the CRL as I still have access to it and the LMO's still need to sign off on the revision before it is officially official , so you have a choice.

Andrew, thanks for that info and the PDF. I'll look through it and post any more questions I come up with.

 

After all that, I have a very small update. I've taken to filling and sanding again because I'm thoroughly jealous of @DarthBiscuit's FISD Sanding Award . I also sprayed the rest of my arm stuff in hopes that I could be completely done with all my upper body stuff by the end of this weekend.

Primer runs are awesome.

 

Yes, there's only one shoulder sitting there. Since I absolutely love painting adventures, I decided to drop one face down when I was moving it.  I actually just sprayed it tonight, so It'll be ready for handling in 2 days. Also, I totally forgot to take pictures, but I've been getting all my stuff situated for strapping. Hopefully I can get that done pretty quick.

 

Finally, I re-printed the belt for the fourth time and this one's great. I probably should have decreased the infill percentage to give it a little more flex, but it fits good. Also, I may snap off the tabs and adjust a little, because it's a pretty tight fit. I'm nervous that once primer and paint goes on they won't work well together. I'm pretty sure I saw others encounter similar issues in other build threads, but now I can't find them. 

 

So, not much of an update, but slow relentless progress nonetheless. The goal for this weekend is to have everything complete from the cod up. If I can go into next week with only the thigh and shin armor remaining, that'll put me light-years ahead of my goal date. Thanks again for the help!  

[DarthBiscuit[TK]]

Also, I may snap off the tabs and adjust a little, because it's a pretty tight fit.

Keep in mind, the new CRL specifies that there are belt tabs...

[BigJasoni[TK]]

45 minutes ago, DarthBiscuit said:

Keep in mind, the new CRL specifies that there are belt tabs...

@DarthBiscuit, thanks for catching that. I may have worded it wrong. I'm thinking about snapping them off and moving the tabs out a little to adjust the fit. Currently the belt is raw and the abdominal armor is primed. The tabs are already rubbing on the greeblies and I think it's only going to get worse once I get primer and paint on them.  I actually just put glazing and spot putty on the belt, so it'd be a small mess if I tried to do anything now. I'll post a picture tomorrow.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Jason, great work so far. FWIW, I did a RO glove comparison between EF and IB. I prefer the EF. here is the link. 

Also, most likely the reason the 3D files for the forearms were originally solid was that the OT forearms are glued closed and you do slip them on. Obviously not the case for the ROTK but that may have been the thinking.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Quick update. hopefully I'll get some more posted tonight.

So, after a little testing a few things, I decided to make an "eye bump" on my ROTK bucket. @11b30b4 provided some great content on this here https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48619-definitive-proof-r1tk-helmet-is-asymmetrical/. I'm sure you've all seen this post previously, but I believe it clearly shows what we were discussing with regards to the new CRL. The "morphing" picture is perfect. Also, I know that I can continue with the old CRL since I was added to the ROTK Build Roster on 9 August, but I really like some of the new additions, especially the clam shell closures and eye bump.

 

Last night I really didn't feel like sanding, so I decided to play around with the strapping a little bit. Honestly, sanding may have been easier. A few days ago, @TheRascalKing made the simple comment "ugh, shoulder straps," which made me laugh, but this was an understatement. After fiddling around with my hard straps, it confirmed that I need to get some flexible ones. I'll install the hard straps tonight when I put on the shoulder bells, and again later when I submit pictures. Ultimately, for me, the trapezious doesn't seem like an area that pairs well with rigid bridges. I want the weight of the armor resting on the nylon strapping, not what I consider "ornamental" piece.

 

After some careful measurements, I determined that I would need 11mm of space between the chest and back shoulders. From there I installed snaps on some pieces of 2" nylon strapping and the armor itself. For the armor, I held the snaps in place with JB Weld SteelStik.

 

 

 

 

Also, yes the interior of the armor is unfinished for now. I used Plasti Dip on the inside of my last bucket, and had originally intended to do the same for the armor, but didn't like it at all. For my armor, I'll be taking another page from @11b30b4's playbook and using Flex Seal throughout. 

 

After I put on the snaps I decided to employ a secondary fastening measure by throwing in some Velcro as a test. This actually worked much better than I could have imagined. This is some sticky back stuff that I picked up off Amazon here for my Mando build: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KBBVWAO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This isn't advertised as heavy duty, but it definitely is. I'm pretty sure I'll be using it in all my future builds.

 

 

So, sewing really isn't my thing, but I decided it was absolutely necessary for my Mando build because I refuse to spend $600+ for a flight suit and cape. On the plus side, since it seems relatively easy, I'll be sewing my own Clone Commander Kama and all the soft parts for a future Shoretrooper build. For now, all I needed to do was this:

 

And it turned out pretty good. I know this is simple, but hopefully it helps out someone in the future. I'll attach the shoulder bells tonight, I just wanted to give the one I painted on Tuesday another day to cure. On to other things.

 

Even though I spoke about this at length earlier in this build thread, I just realized last night that I forgot to print out the correct ammo box with the "trapezoid" on top.

 

Here's the correct box. This is such an easy step and like a 1 hour print. I would have re-printed it last night, but I had just started printing a new clone helmet. Whatever. I'll take care of this tonight.

 

Finally, this is what I think I'm most excited about. As I said earlier, I decided to add a bump to the eye-socket of my bucket.  Basically, I created a "dam" with some blue painter's tape and filled it with epoxy.

 

I let the epoxy cure for about two hours, removed the tape and was left with this:

 

I cut it with a razor blade while the epoxy was still soft enough to work with, but hard enough so that it wouldn't deform. When I woke up this morning, I was left with this:

I may add a little more up towards the corner of the eye, but honestly, after some sanding and a thin layer of glazing putty I think we're good.  Now I'm real excited about this helmet. Hopefully I can get it mostly finished by the end of the weekend. I wasn't going to add too many pictures of the helmet since I outlined my process earlier, but this has now turned into a much different project. I'll be sure to show the results because I haven't seen anyone else try this yet. If it has been attempted, my apologies, I couldn't find it in the forum. If not, hopefully this helps someone out again.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Actually, Parquette created that thread, I just pointed you to it. Yes the morphing image is perfect to show the bump. Your update looks good, keep at it.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Oops, my bad. Well, thanks to Parquette for creating an awesome thread on the asymmetrical Rogue One helmet. 

[BigJasoni[TK]]

So I didn't get as much done today as I would have liked. Apparently, I underestimated the amount of sanding I had before I could spray anything. Additionally, I fiddled around with strapping, made a vocoder file, and started sewing some soft parts for another project. So, by the time I started working, half the day was gone. Fortunately, I did get the prep done on the bucket and was able to lay down my final layer of primer before I do the gold paint trick.  

 

 

 

 

I think the vocoder turned out great; I just kind of stuck it to the chin just to make sure it fit well. I'm printing another one tonight at .1 layer height and 40 mm/sec to really catch the detail and ensure I don't have to sand anything on the back side. I'm not sure if there's a "market" for these things, but I'd be happy to start pumping them out if anyone needs one. Also, in these pics, you can see how the eye bump turned out. It doesn't jump straight out at you like an OT helmet, but it's just enough that if you're looking you catch it. I really like it.

 

I tried painting the forearms in the dark and got a little carried away. You can actually see the runs right there on the "bumps" (I'm not sure what they're called). This had to be the worst place possible to get runs, so I'll reassess the situation tomorrow and update you all when these are complete. This is the only thing I have left for the arms, so I want to get them finished ASAP.

 

Speaking of, I put the upper body armor together along with the strapping and ended up with this.

 

I was actually working on this during a break on Friday morning. Though the shoulder straps looked good (not pictured) I really didn't like how stiff they were and how they were fitting in the trapezoid slots (also not pictured). As soon as I got the shoulder bells sitting correctly and took my measurements to install the snaps, I hit up Jeff @11b30b4 and ordered a set of his flexible straps. I'm really looking forward to trying them out and making them an official "uniform item."  But, since this project is a 3d print build, I'll keep the originals as a back-up.

 

Also, tomorrow I'm going to print a set with TPU just to see if it can be done. 

 

The shoulders look low in this pic because the weight of the shoulder bell is pulling down the strap. However, when I "gear-up," everything fits perfect. I'll do the biceps tomorrow, but right now I'm just having fun walking around the house wearing this. The only problem is my kids think this means I need to have things thrown at me. If my armor's scratched up when I get around to taking pictures, it's my own fault.

 

So that's it for Saturday. tomorrow I'll have a gold helmet, and hopefully white primed abdominal, cod and belt. If I get there, I can start working on the legs and hopefully have this done by the fourth. Originally, my goal was Halloween, but that was before I had another project tossed at me which I intend on dedicating October to. Also, if I can get the armor done before my under suit arrives from The Dark Side Closet, I'll be stoked.

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by BigJasoni

[Sly11[Admin]]

Great work on the eye bump


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Good afternoon.
I just wanted to do another quick update so I don't get a massive collection of pictures that I end up dumping all at once. I put up a post late Saturday/ early Sunday, where I laid out my goals for the remainder of the weekend. Of course, my goals are typically "in flux," but even with that, I should still be done by the 4th. Here's to hoping.

 

First, I did print off the flexible shoulder straps and they turned out way better than I could have ever imagined. The only issue with TPU is that something with this level of detail really can't be painted; they have to be dyed and I don't even know where to start with that. Therefore, I will use these as a "template" for finishing my armor until the shoulder straps I ordered arrive. I guess since my original intent was to present this build as a 3D Print Tutorial of sorts, it's appropriate to get this boring stuff out there. If you're not interested in 3D Print settings, please scroll down to the fun stuff. First, take a look at the final product:

It looks white in the pic, but it's not.

 

I changed the Extrusion Multiplier to 1.10, Retraction Distance to 3.50, Retraction Speed to 40, and turned on Coast at End with a Coasting Distance of .20. When I say "changed" I'm comparing to factory settings.

 

I increased the top solid layers to 5 primarily because of the material. Also, first layer height was adjusted to 90%, width to 125%, and speed remained at 50%. With PLA and ABS, I like to print the first layer extra slow; sometimes as low as 30%. I do this primarily to avoid separation in the first layer.

 

As is the case with any print, the skirt sort of "primes" the extruder. For PLA, or ABS, I run 4 outlines with 0 offset to create a brim. This helps with bed adhesion and support. For TPU, I decrease my outlines to 1 separated by 2.00mm. In a more complex print, this would help with first layer stringing and almost eliminate the prospects of filament dragging across the print. I could eliminate the skirt altogether, but I always want to make sure the extruder is functioning properly with such a finicky material. 

 

I didn't change Infill settings.

 

You can't really use supports with TPU; well, you can, but it's complicated. Last month when I printed the Hovi Mic Tip, I used a few, but they have to get cut off. Plus, they were very small. That's why this model was a perfect candidate for the trial. 

 

TPU has to be printed hot and slow. The TPU is advertised at 210-230. I actually lowered the bed temp from my typical settings to 60 because the last time I printed at 75, the model was stuck too tight. Also I forgot to take a pic, but I set the extruder temp to 215. I meant to set it to 220, but after seeing the quality of this print, 215 is my new official setting. Funny enough, both of these temps are actually lower than my PLA+ settings.

 

Decreased fan speed to 40. Again, hot and slow.

 

No changes to G-Code.

I didn't change my scripts. Some people do, but there's really no need. 

 

Print very slow. As I showed when this adventure began, my typical print speed is 180mm/sec. This one's putting along at 30. I also changed outline underspeed to 60 and increased the x/y Axis Movement Speed to 120. I wasn't worried about stuff shaking loose on this one.

 

 Change Unsupported area threshold to 10.0. Typically I have this set at 50.0, but again, supports aren't an issue with this print. Nothing else was changed from factory settings.

 

 

No advanced changes needed.

 

Ok, back to the fun stuff:

 

First, about 3/4 of the way through the print, I knew this was going to turn out great. Typically, when I print with TPU the stringing is unbearable. I think since this was essentially a curvy line, the nozzle really never had to lift from the print and move somewhere else. This was also the first print I ever had where the completion time matched what Simplify3d told me almost to the minute.

 

This kind of gives you an idea of how flexible this stuff is. There are several options for TPU, some more flexible than others. This is about as flexible as it gets.

 

https://i.imgur.com/R6W6oRS.mp4

This video illustrates it again. First, it shows how the model goes from "rigid" to smashed, and then right back to its original shape. Pretty cool. 

 

Flexible straps are definitely the way to go. Wow!

 

So, that's it for the TPU 3d Print/ Flexible Shoulder strap post. I like these, but I'm really going to have to play with them before I start telling people to run out and print some off. I may go down to Michaels and pick up some dye this week just to try out a few things. Honestly, if I'm able to successfully dye these to match the armor, it will open up many other options for future builds. Also, regarding the durability, I think I kind of put them through the wringer already (see video above), but I'll torture test them a little more to see how they hold up. My guess is that silicone straps will be more durable. Also, I don't think adding velcro is an option for these, but I'll try some stuff out. 

Overall, this was a fun little trial, and shows me that TPU may be a practical solution for certain items. 

 

I'll post more later.

 

 

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Second post of the day. This one's a little more fun because I'm making progress, not just playing around with a printer.

On Saturday, I also stated that I hoped to have a gold helmet. For anyone keeping up with this thread, you've probably seen how I've gone crazy with the gold metallic Rustoleum. While I'm very happy with the results, I've decided it's totally pointless to do this with all the armor pieces. Essentially, at $4.00 a can, it's a colossal waste of money. For the helmets though, I'm definitely a believer. Additionally, I vowed to get over my fear of clear coat and used my Mando build as a test. Please bear with me for a moment, I know this isn't a TK, but the results speak for itself.

 

 

I got a large run on the opposite side, but after watching a few hours of YouTube body shop videos, I'm ready to take care of it. The Mando helmet got a metallic silver base coat, 3 light coats of gloss black, two light coats of clear, and a final wet coat. I'll be ordering alumaluster and finishing this off soon. Having overcome my fear of clear coat, I set out to take care of my main project.

 

On Saturday, I posted a pic of the helmet covered in white primer. Since I follow this up with gold, wet sanding may be unnecessary, but it really helps the gold lay down smooth.

 

 

I love this pic. I didn't use any filters on it, this is just how it looked on a very sunny Sunday afternoon. I really want to do a Commander Pyre build now.

 

While the bucket was drying, I circled back to take care of a few loose ends. First, I mentioned previously that I was going to print a new vocoder nice and slow. This was the result:

 

Looking at it up close you can see the printer lines. These are only .1mm layers though, so they all but disappeared once I sprayed it with primer.

 

But of course, I dropped it face down tonight. It's just going to take a little sanding. One good thing about primer is how it really brings out the flaws. In the first pic you could see the lines, but overall the tubes looked smooth. After priming, you can see a few rough edges. These get filed off and sand real easy.

 

Speaking of sanding, I decided to re-work the forearms. I posted a pic of the runs a few days ago, but the more I looked at them, the more errors I discovered.

 

I prepped them again and took to sanding and repainting. Additionally, I discovered that it was a bit premature of me to install the elastic on the inside. Originally I was thinking that I wanted to paint the clam shells while everything was together, but then I realized that the seams looked very amateur. It kind of reminded me of a basic MAACO paint job where they don't paint the door jambs. Also getting overspray on the elastic made them totally stiff and no longer flexible. Lesson learned.

 

I didn't hit these with the gold paint and they turned out great. This is what made me think that the gold was overkill on anything other than the helmet.

 

I also hit my abdominal armor with one last coat of sandable primer. I know I wanted to get this part sprayed white by tonight, but I think as long as it's done this week, I'll still make my self-imposed deadline. Also, when I was digging through my parts tub, I found my thermal detonator which I had totally forgotten about. Since I'm working on the belt again, I decided to finish this off.

 

Yes! I remembered the ammo boxes with the trapezoid top.

 

I did spray the cod and thermal detonator with gold. The Cod had a line going through it that I wanted to fill, and the detonator had a lot of detail work. Both turned out great, but as is typical, I have issues with dropping things.

 

I tried to smooth it out and repaint, but really, I had been defeated.

 

I already wiped it down with thinner and will try again tomorrow. At times, I feel like I'm writing a Comedy of Errors, but ultimately, everything I've screwed up has turned out ten times better on the second go-around.

 

The Thermal Detonator didn't give me as hard of a time. The gold went on a little dry which gave me some weird flakes on the inside of the cap, but all that meant was that I would have to sand it down a little before spraying. Typically, I wet-sand the gold paint, but for this, I dry sanded at 400 and 800 grit.

 

Everything laid down smooth. I don't know why, but this Thermal Detonator has turned into one of my favorite parts. It just looks cool. Also, I have a few ideas about it, but someone stop me if it's not allowed. The CRL states that the thermal detonator is "mounted to the rear hard belt and there are no visible screws or clips and is accurate in detail and proportion to official references." Additionally per the CRL, the mount is "fully enclosed with solid walls on all four sides." This all makes sense, but nothing's stated about how the detonator itself is mounted to... the mount. I want to use magnets, but wanted to check first before I finish the belt. 

 

Speaking of the belt, I started fitting it to the abdominal armor again. I mentioned this last week, but I've been running into clearance issues with the tabs and ab greeblies.

 

In this pic, everything looks like it fits great, but the little tabs on the left keep rubbing the box. Even after I sanded off the glazing and spot putty, I was having to force it into place to get the belt to sit correctly. As a former mechanic, I know that this isn't a good sign, so I broke off the tabs, spaced them out appropriately, and epoxied them back into place.

 

All it took was moving both tabs about a 16th of an inch. In these pics, only the left tab was moved. Really, it doesn't even look like I did anything to them, but the extra 1/4 inch total was night and day. Following this adjustment, I took a few measurements and installed the fastening system.

 

So, I love snaps for some applications, but it dawned on me later that they have their place. Sometimes they don't work well. For the belt, they work great.

 

I turned my attention to finishing the upper body armor and arms. This is where the snaps probably aren't the best idea.

This is me going crazy with snaps. I've got the bicep closed here and the snaps installed on the outside.

 

The bicep and shoulder fit together good enough, but I can't seem to put this on without unsnapping everything. Basically, I have to put on the arms and then have someone else snap me up to my shoulder straps. I may toss this fastening system in favor of plastic buckles.

 

This is what ends up happening. My right bicep sits fine, but the left came unsnapped and droops down. This pic is funny, I felt like a teenager taking Instagram selfies.

 

Finally, back to the helmet. Tonight I wet sanded the gold paint to 800 and let it dry for a few hours. On the last helmet I built, I rushed to paint and got a few errant water marks in the corners of the ears. This caused bad runs that were almost impossible to sand and polish out. For this, I let it dry on the work bench, then used the air hose on it. I followed this up with a microfiber towel, and then a tack cloth.

 

 

This was after two light coats and one wet coat of gloss white. I waited 10 minutes between coats. Following this, I set a timer for 45 minutes and stressed about clear coat while I ate dinner. After going downstairs and looking at my Mando helmet, I worked up enough courage to get out the clear and hit the bucket with 2 very light coats and one flow coat. While it doesn't have the same wow-factor as high gloss black, I couldn't be happier with the results.

 

 

Head on looks good and I'm very proud of how the eye bump turned out.

 

And some 3/4 shot in front of its birth place; the CR-10s. Not sure why the pics came out blotchy. I think it's the lighting in the basement. Regardless, I am so happy with the results. I did have a stupid bug land on it while it was drying, but I should be able to touch that up no problem. Also, I got one tiny run that you can't even see from five feet away, so I may just leave it as a reminder of all the crap I went through with the original helmet. I'm going to let this sit for a few days before I attack the brow and trim. Also, since all my drama began with the Sharpie oil based paint pen, I'm a little nervous about trimming the tears and traps. Is this the best method or does anyone else have any tricks/ advise they can offer?

 

Anyways, I'm nearing the home-stretch and am still aiming for the fourth. Good night and thanks for viewing.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Darth147[TK]]

I hate when the flies think landing on fresh paint is a good idea 

good progress so far 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Man, I am impressed with the TPU. I wonder how well paint will stick to it and if it will crack when flexed? Recommend you use a acrylic based paint on them since it more flexible. Everything is coming out nicely and I am glad you didn't forget the trap top boxes. Keep up the great work.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

 

9 hours ago, BigJasoni said:

The bicep and shoulder fit together good enough, but I can't seem to put this on without unsnapping everything. Basically, I have to put on the arms and then have someone else snap me up to my shoulder straps. I may toss this fastening system in favor of plastic buckles.

Ahh... suspenders. I should have mounted the arm strapping to my suspenders. This should be simple. Rework coming tonight.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

1 hour ago, 11b30b4 said:

Man, I am impressed with the TPU. I wonder how well paint will stick to it and if it will crack when flexed? Recommend you use a acrylic based paint on them since it more flexible. Everything is coming out nicely and I am glad you didn't forget the trap top boxes. Keep up the great work.

The TPU was a bit of a surprise. I mean, I researched it before I ran out and bought some, but after running a few test prints, I realized that this particular brand was way too rubbery for anything I wanted to build. However, if I can figure out a good paint/ dye method there are a few items that this may be a no-brainer for. Immediately I think of clone pauldrons, and ammo belts. 

Good call on the acrylic paint. I'll see what I can do with these things this weekend.   

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Ok, so hopefully this is one of the final "mini-updates" before I start wrapping up the build. Again, small progress, but in the end, all these tiny things that don't look like much should add up to something great. Additionally, I'm trying to document all of the little details and updates, because these are the things I searched all over the forum for. Also, for those of you who I have PM'ed over the last couple months, thanks. All of this info is what is enabling me to put together a pretty nice 3d build.

 

First, I don't know if anything could have stopped this, but due to the pandemic, Imperial Boots has this for their homepage:

 

With the lead time on boots, there's no way I'll have this in time to submit pics to my GML by Halloween. But, I know what I'll be doing on 2 October. Additionally, The Darkside Closet got delayed because of the recent hurricanes. I should still have my soft parts next month, but for the time being, I've been splitting time between builds. I basically pushed my October 4th TK goal back about a week. However, this weekend should be pretty big. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to ordering my boots, and I'll be hitting up Endor Finders for my gloves gloves in the next couple days.

 

Also, I just read the sizing chart for Imperial Boots and it's kind of confusing. Am I supposed to measure from heel to toe? Do I measure from heel to ankle? How does this work?

 

This is all I have left in my MCT (Medium Clear Tub for those who missed my earlier post). Also, looking at this picture, the sniper knee looks huge. So, I'm reaching out for community feedback before I start cementing things this weekend.

 

I scaled the sniper knee on the left to match the larger shins/ calves which I forgot to mention in an earlier post. The one on the right is the original size, but I'm starting to think taping it into place isn't doing either justice. Please let me know what you guys think.

 

Regarding the sizing issue, I previously posted this pic and as I got closer to "leg day," it started to drive me crazy :

 

When I squeezed, I could get it closed, but if I went on a bike ride before putting on the armor, it was a hard no. I read the CRL again and this jumped out at me: "Requirements for all 501st costumes are proportional to the wearer in scale, fit and size." Additionally, I've now seen several examples of troopers with larger legs, so I wasn't worried about squeezing into my high school size armor. However, scaling the armor just wouldn't work so I reached out to the armor designer and asked if they could create something for people with larger legs. This was the result:

 

Much, much better. Akira Yuming now has this option with their armor. When I'm completely done with this build, I'll put together a list of every piece I used. That way, if someone else wants to do this, they'll be able to select the accurate pieces. The bigger calves leg is just another option.

 

So, onto other pieces that are nearing completion. I removed the shoulder bell "snap straps" from my chest and back armor and moved it to my suspenders as I alluded to a few days ago. Thanks again for those who went through this before me and posted plenty of pics for me to research (looking at your thread @11b30b4). After attaching the shoulders and biceps to the suspenders, everything just looked and fit better:

 

I'm laughing because my wife kept commenting on what the suspenders were doing to my pants. The bicep on the right side disconnected again, so I'm going to back everything up with Velcro similar to what I did with the shoulders. I was thinking about plastic buckles, but I don't want too much going on under the armor. Also, my flexible shoulder straps just arrived yesterday, so this is as good as done. BTW, the straps are incredible!  

 

Next, I finally got the coat of white primer on the abdominal armor and I think it's going to look great. I will spray this with the gold paint because I want one more filling agent on this rather large piece.

 

If you look closely, you can see blue sharpie ink down towards the bottom. This is where I was outlining the belt, which despite my previous adjustments, just wasn't sitting correct (the large tabs are the issue now). I decided to snap off the tabs and make some adjustments, but then after looking at Jeff's thread again, I decided to add one more thing.

 

As soon as I added these buckles, everything just kind of fell into place. This also has a nice "thinning" effect; I'm starting to look like a Stormtrooper. Unfortunately I now have to play around with the belt again. I had just got the rear belt to fit my abdominal armor, but after tightening everything up with the buckles, it no longer fits. Fortunately everything else does, including the belt front. But I already snapped off the tabs, so I'll be adjusting that. Additionally, I've decided to make my own rear belt out of HIPS. When my sheet comes in next Monday I may just make the front as well. Jeff provided me with this link to @Kal Akaan's build: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49604-r1tk-wip/.  The belt build is awesome and should help a lot.

 

Back to the flexible straps for a moment. I loved the ones I made with TPU, but paint is definitely an issue. I said I was going to try a few things over the weekend, but couldn't find any dye when I went to Michael's. However, I tried a trick I found on YouTube.

 

Here's the "tools."

 

 

Essentially, I mixed the Kwik Seak and acrylic paint at a 2/1 ratio. 14g of paint and 7g Kwik Seal. I think that's 2/1...

 

After it dried, it looked like this. It remained flexible if you bend it in the direction of the strap (vertical), but if you squish it, or try to flex it around any more, the paint cracks and peels.

 

So, I'll try dying it next time. Also, the obvious choice is to buy white TPU, but I can't find any at a reasonable price.

 

Finally, I'm wrapping up the helmet which should be done Thursday evening.

 

 

I took the picture of the vocoder right after spraying, so it looks glossy, but that's a satin finish. This thing came out smooth. The hovi tips came out great also, but I wasn't about to worry about print lines on something so small. I think they look great. This is what I did last time and it turned out perfect.

 

I really went to town with the pinstriping tape. I know people have mentioned this before, but taping the teeth sucks. I didn't really do this on my last helmet, instead I opted to paint the entire frown gray as the CRL states. However, the picture shows only the teeth being gray, and after seeing what others had done, I knew this was the right approach.

 

So, gray is done. I'll let this cure for another day and then take care of the black. Green lens, blue fabric for the tubes, black screen for the teeth, and hovi mic tips are sitting here ready to go into place. 

 

I'll update this again in a few days, but other than waiting for soft parts, boots, etc... I'm almost done. I do have orders to wear this during halloween, so I may get a pair of "hold-me-over" boots for the time being. I found a pair that will work for a future Stormtrooper Commander (not 3d printed) build I have planned.

 

Finally, I'm still waiting for E-11 suggestions. If anyone can provide me a good source, I would be grateful. I would prefer a metal airsoft blaster, but I'm open to all suggestions.

Thanks!

 

 

[tarok[TK]]

It’s not the pandemic. It’s standard operating procedure for Imperial Boots

They operate on a wave basis. They open for orders for about a week every month. Then fulfill only those orders. It’s helps them manage volumes

They should open in the next day or so, so be sure to follow them on FB.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

54 minutes ago, tarok said:

It’s not the pandemic. It’s standard operating procedure for Imperial Boots

They operate on a wave basis. They open for orders for about a week every month. Then fulfill only those orders. It’s helps them manage volumes

They should open in the next day or so, so be sure to follow them on FB.

Thanks @tarok. I must have seen a pandemic message on another site. When I ran into this, I think I just assumed. I am following them on Facebook, so when they open back up, I'll be ready.

 

8 hours ago, BigJasoni said:

Also, I just read the sizing chart for Imperial Boots and it's kind of confusing. Am I supposed to measure from heel to toe? Do I measure from heel to ankle? How does this work?

I don't know if they updated their site last night, or if I just missed this, but the European sizing chart is up there now. Easy day.

Edited September 30, 2020 by BigJasoni

[11b30b4[TK]]

Jason, Tarok is correct. IB only does runs once a month for a week at a time. So, if you go to their web site and get the message you posted, it’s because the run has not started. Also be sure to check out their FB page before you go grab those boots. Sometimes they run deals and discounts. Most of the time its for combos like the Shoretrooper pants, top, boots, gloves, and belt for a set price.

As for the fit of the boots, the size chart for IB shows hot to measure the height of the boot from the bottom of your heal. However, I will tell you that I wear a size 10 reg in combat boots, Vans and Converse All Stars, and my ROTK boot is a EU size 43 or US 10. While IB does not do returns, if you get the wrong size, most likely there is a market to sell them to someone on FISD.

 

The scaled sniper knee (left) looks correct in my opinion.

I have no doubt that the strapping and buckles you put on the back side of the abdomen will work fine; however, if you are unable to tighten them up any further, Consider using smaller webbing and buckles since that will give you some additional clearance. Also, FYI the designers of RO actually used an elastic fabric similar to neoprene and a zipper, this was then attached to the inside of the armor with Velcro. You do not need to yours this way, but I wanted to make sure you were aware.

 

Here are few pics of Justin’s (TheRascalKing) build and how he did the zipper closure. Very clean and nice.

 

 

 

As for painting the TPU, you may have better luck with 100% silicone white caulk rather than the Kwik seal. The Kwik seal is petroleum based. Even if you print the TPU in white, most likely you will have the issue of it not being a gloss white, so really getting a clear gloss coating that wont crack should the main concern.

 

As for E-11 suggestions. I have a Hyperfirm or HFX RO E-11 and I love it. Its rubber and looks very real. It also does not weight a ton. I will say that when I started my build, I was 100% of the mind that I wanted the S&T airsoft that I planned to modify to RO standards. I am so glad everyone talked me out of this idea. One 3-mile parade and you will be soooooooo glad to not have a boat anchor for a prop. Hell, it’s the whole reason I have rebuilt my T-21 three times. The weight of the weapon is a big deal that most people discount until your arms are screaming. So, I suggest a lightweight E-11 and that generally points towards 3D printed. However, if you drop a 3D printed E-11, most likely you will have a lot of parts for an E-11 rather than a complete E-11. In my opnion, the only way to go is a rubber gun. Hyperfirm is no longer in business and as far as I am aware of, the only real option you have for a rubber RO E-11 is Praetorian Blasters.

 

Praetorian Blasters actually makes a nicer looking RO E-11 than my Hyperfirm in my opinion but they were not an option for me when I got my E-11. Two things you need to be aware of before you purchase an E-11 is that the RO E-11 have several differences from the OT E-11s All RO E-11s have a similar but different scope the M.H.R. (Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Co.) M38 Telescope. 1943 model not the 1942 model seen on other E-11s. Also, the Henstler 400 counter with the small eagle is different from OT E-11s as is the power cylinders. So, make sure you are getting an accurate RO E-11. The other thing you need to know is that the rubber E-11s are not cheap, they run between $200-$300 dollars. Lastly, do not be mislead when I say the blaster is rubber, its not soft and flexible like a swimming pool noodle, it’s a rigid hard rubber like a tire.

 

Well I hope some of this helps and keep up the great build.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Jeff,
Thanks again for the insight; this is great.

6 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

have no doubt that the strapping and buckles you put on the back side of the abdomen will work fine; however, if you are unable to tighten them up any further, Consider using smaller webbing and buckles since that will give you some additional clearance.

I probably should have gone with smaller buckles. I've ordered some for the thighs, but I really like how these 2" buckles feel. I did tighten them up as far as they would go, so unless I lose a lot of weight, I'll stick with them for the time being. Also, I saw @TheRascalKing's zipper enclosure and loved it, but ultimately leaned towards something I could cinch down.

 

6 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

So, I suggest a lightweight E-11 and that generally points towards 3D printed. However, if you drop a 3D printed E-11, most likely you will have a lot of parts for an E-11 rather than a complete E-11. In my opnion, the only way to go is a rubber gun.

 

I've 3d printed all the parts for an E-11, but was experimenting with my settings during the print, so there's some horrible print lines. I haven't put up any pics of this build yet, because I kind of tossed them to the side. Here's a few:

 

 

Despite the print quality, some parts came out great (grip, bolt), but some came out horrible (folding stock, top rail). Also, the barrel looks awesome, but it keeps breaking apart every time I bump it, that's why there's some pretty shoddy seams in the pic. The three sections of the barrel are kind of butt jointed together which creates a very weak link. I did pick up a 3 foot section of the correct size PVC pipe, so when I have a little time I may try again using that as my main tube. Also, if I ever get around to purchasing a resin 3d printer, blaster parts are some of the items I definitely want to make. Regarding a rubber blaster, I'm guessing it's similar to the rubber M-16s we had for training in the Marine Corps. If so, that may be a good bet.

 

Finally, this weekend, my squad in Garrison Tyranus is hosting a virtual convention https://inferno-con.com/ (I'll be sitting on the 3d print panel Saturday at 1200). On Sunday, they're having a "socially distanced" photoshoot about 5 minutes away from my house. So, I'll be heading out there to meet everyone and see how the squad is trooping during these COVID times. It should be fun, plus I'll take the opportunity to check out everyone's blasters. If anyone's interested, check out the programing page here: https://inferno-con.com/programming.html

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

One of the things I hate about 3D printing, majority can be great with little work need but others (usually fine detailed and hard to get too areas) need a lot of work.

 

The virtual convention sounds interesting, great to hear you will get to meet up with local members soon, it's amazing how people can look at the same things and have different ways to fix or modify, usually things like this you only find when you are in a group of builders.