Centurion from the Start/ The BigJasoni's Remnant Jimmiroquai Build Thread

[BigJasoni[TK]]

--EDIT--

Future Jason here... So for those who have followed my rather sporadic build down below, well, actually over in the ROTK section, you'll know that I've been kind of all over the place. However, one reason I've been slow-rolling this build is because I've kind of been pestering people about the possible inclusion of a Remnant Stormtrooper CRL. The thought first occurred to me after watching a few episodes of The Mandalorian season 1, but my thoughts really ramped up after the season 2 trailer dropped. My comment/ question in the 3D ROTK build thread was (referring to my 3D kit):

"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?" [September 15, 2020]
 

With that said, I'm not using the 3D Armor for this build. There's other plans for that.

So, yeah. I've wanted to make a remnant for almost a year, but haven't really felt the push until now. With that said, I do reference another post later on in this thread because there's been a few of us discussing the Remnant and Anthology TKs for a while. If you haven't done so yet, please view the conversation here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/48305-new-anthology-tk-crl/

 

So, how did my ROTK build thread end up over here in the new Remnant/ Anthology section of the forum? Well, future Jason (page2 of this WIP) posted that he will be turning this build into a Remnant Stormtrooper and then went on to post pics of a cool OT helmet that will become part of this costume. I also requested that this thread be moved over to this section so I can officially begin transitioning this to a Remnant. Here are my goals:
 

1. The original title of this build was "Centurion from the Start." The idea behind that is to build to the highest standard from the beginning, that way you don't have to make major modifications to the costume to take it from basic to tier 3 approval. So far I'm on the right track, so I'm going to continue going down that path. 

2. Finish this as a ROTK/ Anthology build, then make the transition to Remnant towards the end. I've already got a good plan for this build and don't want to deviate too much. Additionally, I still think value will be added to the build community by carrying on the way I've been going. In the end, this WIP should be a good example for others traveling down either the Anthology or Remnant paths.

3. You'll see later on that I've done a lot of things that are different than other builds, but more accurate. Since I started this build, I've gotten another costume approved that has some of these modified characteristics, i.e. the shoulder/ bicep 'j-hook' bungee connection. By the way, I can't emphasize how good this works, nor can I imagine doing my arms any other way now. For this build, I'll pull out a few things that haven't been tried previously, but make the costume a) more accurate, b) more comfortable, and c) more functional. I'll try to explain each as I go along.

4. There have been questions about whether this is a different costume or not. I think we laid out a good case in the aforementioned thread, but as I start transitioning from anthology to Remnant, I'll explain the differences in better detail.

 

So, you've heard my musings and now understand why my build thread has moved over here. Please enjoy the build and I promise to keep on it, even if I'm doing it from a little apartment, which I'll talk about later. So with that all laid out, future Jason is now turning back over to the past. Please enjoy my build thread as I now send you back to December 4th, 2020.

 

So, this just happened:

 

For those who observed my insanity for the last few months as I did the 3D printed ROTK build, bear with me as I photo dump, type extremely long posts, and showcase what @TheRascalKing called in his own build thread, a "descent into madness." Ultimately, I enjoy doing these and hopefully later down the road, others can learn from my success and failures. First, I want to thank @11b30b4, @gmrhodes13, @Sly11, @TheRascalKing, @tarok, and all the others who I've previously bothered with questions, and who have been more than gracious in helping me out. I know there's others, this community has been great.

Additionally, I really want to thank @jimmiroquai for the exceptional service over the last few weeks. I'll get to the product in a minute, but what really needs to be showcased is how well Jim answered all my questions, went above and beyond in his customer service, and really just showed pride in his work. If I could write him up for an award, I would. Thanks.

So it begins...

I titled this build thread Centurion from the Start. Now, some may look at that and think it's kind of cocky, but that's not the intent. Over the last 9 or so months, I've been fairly active in all the 501st forums and everywhere I look, people keep advising others to build to the higher level standards from the beginning. While this seems like sound advise, or even common sense, I've also followed up on these threads and observed less than half going there. That's a rough number which is probably even smaller, but it's similar to what I observed with the 3D printed armor build; plenty of people started, but then... 

Honestly, I think it has something to do with just getting worn out after doing a build. Sometimes after dedicating so much time to something, a person just wants to rest. I've seen this at work, with sports, and in life in general. That's what I did after Halloween, but that soon turned to restlessness. It just didn't seem right not hearing my 3d printer at all hours of the day and night. So, while I waited for this to happen, I printed off an entire scout trooper and finally figured out my Simplify3D PETG settings.

I will say this; of all the forums I'm active in, FISD members seem to listen to the higher level advise more-so than others. I think the Pathfinders comes next, but really this idea seems to be a mantra in the FISD. Because of that, this is the direction I'm taking this build. Additionally, for those who saw the 3D print build, you saw that I attempted to build things to the higher standards, but ultimately I decided to hold back at basic approval. Though I reigned myself back, every one of those little things I learned about the 3d print build, I can apply here. This includes the eye bump I'm so proud of.

So, that's enough rambling for now. I'm getting ready to go for a run, because a huge portion of this build, for me, is to get my body looking screen accurate. This is going to take a lot more work than the armor. Here's what I got:

First, Jim sent me this pic and a tracking number last Friday. Knowing that it was coming from the Philippines, I actually wasn't expecting it for a while. However, just seeing the pic got me excited. Then this happened:

This has to be highlighted. I saw when the BBB was dropped off, but once FedEx actually processed it, the BBB's journey across the globe happened in a freaking blur. Keep in mind, this is during a world-wide pandemic. Much kudos to Jim for the service and for keeping me updated. Wow!

 

Unfortunately, a box just can't travel across the world in three days without it's Fragile sticker being disregarded. At first I got a little freaked out, but honestly after seeing the video Jim posted about his flexible fiberglass I wasn't worried. 

Also, with all the bubble wrap and great packing job, I knew it would be fine.

 

After laying it all out, everything checked good.

 

So here we go. This should be a lot of fun. Thanks for looking and I'll start updating soon.

Edited July 11, 2021 by BigJasoni
Discuss reason for move to new section

[tarok[TK]]

Thanks for the nod, mate. It’s just what we do here: troopers helping troopers

I’ll be following your Jimi build keenly too. Pop corn ready!

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

Oh snap, I love it! I'm eventually going to do a whole "what I learned if I had to do it again" post on my thread, but I'll try to cobble together the Lite version to help you out. So much trial and error, but I think it would go WAY smoother if I had to do one of these again, knowing what I now know. Way excited for you though, man - congrats!

And yea, Jim's shipping ain't cheap but it's freaky fast and he's a pleasure to work with. I've heard he's actually like an optometrist in real life and just does this for fun? Pretty cool.

 

The most important (and time sensitive) advice I have is to measure, trim, and test (maybe even strap, at least temporarily) fit everything before you do ANY paint. Start with a soapy water bath and a maroon scuff pad to get any stray fiberglass or mold release off, but resist actually sanding any bare fiberglass if you can - it just opens up tiny bubbles. After cleaning and trimming, I would spray the whole thing with at least two "layers" (a layer typically being 2-3 light coats... Or about 2-3 cans for each layer to do the entire suit) of different color primer, then go with spot putty for any defects still visible, THEN sand... But never all the way down to the fiberglass. It also would not hurt to do an additional THIN coat or two of resin on the inside to help seal the glass strands. It sounds obvious, but you need to REALLY think about and plan out the order of the steps of your build to maximize efficiency... It's hard to go back and correct the previous step once you move on. Food for thought. I probably would have been better off paying someone to paint it, my first time around... but after what I've learned, I'm less afraid. I'm around if you have any questions!

Edited December 4, 2020 by TheRascalKing

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nothing better than BBB's, looking forward to seeing the progress, good luck

[Sly11[Admin]]

It's Here, It's Here!!! 

Good luck with your build Jason, you're in good hands here sir.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Thanks guys, I'm really looking forward to the build. Something tells me this is going to be a lot more enjoyable than the 3D Print. You know what I'm really looking forward to... not working with pounds of Bondo Spot and Glaze putty; now I'll actually be able to use it as the package instructions tell me. So @TheRascalKing brought up some great points. Let me go through them; I'm going to have tons of questions over the next few months:

 

2 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

The most important (and time sensitive) advice I have is to measure, trim, and test (maybe even strap, at least temporarily) fit everything before you do ANY paint.

Amen! I painted a few things way too early last time and paid the price for it later i.e. shoulder strap trapezoids. Strapping is something I hadn't really thought of, but it totally makes sense. I do need to get some new suspenders, the ones I got for ultra cheap on Amazon last time were way too stretchy. I do have a lot of black 2" webbing left over though, so I may just make my own like Jeff and Kyle did on the @Kal Akaan R1TK WIP thread. What do you guys advise? Any suggestions on suspenders?
Also, last time, my leg armor was the bane of my existence. I actually wore one of my old Marine Corps Martial Arts Program belts and strapped the thighs to that.

 

3 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

Start with a soapy water bath and a maroon scuff pad to get any stray fiberglass or mold release off, but resist actually sanding any bare fiberglass if you can - it just opens up tiny bubbles.

 

3 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

It also would not hurt to do an additional THIN coat or two of resin on the inside to help seal the glass strands.

So, I totally started putting pieces all over my arms and legs as I pulled them out of the box. Yeah, fiberglass is very itchy. When I went for my run I was feeling it. I'll hold off on the sanding. 

3 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

Food for thought. I probably would have been better off paying someone to paint it, my first time around... but after what I've learned, I'm less afraid.

This is one that I've been tossing around. I was going to use automotive paint with hardener, because I wasn't happy with how beat up my Rustoleum paint job got after one day of costuming. However I was kind of talked out of it. After painting my Mando costume, I started to love the Montana Gold paint, but after doing some research it appears that others don't advise it for TKs. So, I picked up a can of Rustoleum High Performance Enamel Spray (the stuff in the chrome can) and will be spraying a clone helmet tomorrow. I've read great things about it and will discuss this afterwards. The reason I'm probably going to rattle can it again is for the ease of touch-ups and cost of products. Also, with all the disasters I encountered last time, I've learned my lessons and am far less concerned.

 

So, this all happened so fast I didn't even have time to put together a shopping list for myself. Fortunately, I've got plenty of stuff left over from my TK and Mando builds but this is where I'm reaching out to you guys. Let me go over a few things that kicked my butt last time. Keep in mind, I'm looking directly at centurion.

 

1. Paint. I've got all the Model Masters colors I need, but what are the opinions on this. Is Humbrol a better choice?

- I just talked about the Rustoleum High Performance Enamel. I'll test it tomorrow on that CT Bucket and even though it's satin, it should give me a decent indication of what it's like. What are your opinions? Let the debate begin, or direct me to a thread where the argument has already ensued.

2. Strapping. I've got plenty of black elastic, including the 10" material for my back closure. I already asked for recommendations on the suspenders, but what am I missing? I feel that the suspenders and abdomen are the base of the entire costume, so I want to get this right. Last time I tossed my snaps in favor of high strength Velcro but the Velcro tore up my Darkside Closet undershirt. Ideas?

3. Speaking of undersuits, since I already have the shirt and knee gaskets, I declined to purchase Jim's set. However, my cycling tights are probably going to be retired soon (they've been doing double duty and since it's cold in Virginia, I actually need them for cycling). I need to grab something new, but I really don't feel like going to Lululemon with my wife. 

4. Blaster. Jeff provided me a pretty good list last time I asked this question, but some of the companies are no longer making blasters, or all I saw were OT weapons. I'm going to be picking up a resin printer in the next couple weeks, so that's an option, but what are the rest of you trooping with? According to the build roster there's still only one EIB/ Centurion ROTK, so has anyone else crossed this bridge yet? Also, I know the blaster is an optional accessory, but did I read somewhere that for EIB and Centurion it's required? Maybe I'm wrong.

5. CRL. With everything I learned last time, and after seeing what I'll be working with, I'm not worried about missing the mark on anything. But, regarding the lenses, what does "very slight curve and (are) convex in style" mean? Last time I did the basic welding shield lens trick, but I don't think that's enough this time around. Jims kit came with a nice piece of green acrylic, but it seems like it would fit into the flat category (even though the piece is curved).

I told you I write a lot. Any help is appreciated. Also, please throw out anything I may have missed. I don't do these build threads for just myself, in my real life I'm an analyst, so I actually enjoy building these "databases" for everyone to learn from. Hmm... database... that actually gives me a few ideas.

Oh. One more thing... Mandalorian spoiler alert. I finally saw a anthology (ROTK) costume with a pauldron and no back pack. Also, what did you think about the TK Mortar-man? I'd gladly paint a yellow stripe down the front of my old armor and get that guy going.

 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Jason, congrats and I look forward to this build.

1. Jims lenses are completely approvable. They are slightly convex. As I have said a few times now, the CRL was not intended to scare away anyone with near flat lenses, it was to discourage anyone trying to use the bubble lenses from the OT.

2. As far as I am aware of, I am the only Centurion ROTK and I believe there is me and one other who are EIB ROTK.

3. Paint, my vote is for White loss spray paint.

4. Strapping yes, following Kyle's method is my recommendation (obviously).

5. I do not recall if a blast was required for EIB or Centurion but I do recall that if you have one it must have the metal D-ring. I really don't know why this is even a question though, a Stormtrooper without a blaster is like screen doors on a submarine. Get a Pretorian Blaster and you will be G2G. 

6. Re-read through my build thread again. Back when I did my build, I followed a few suggestions to accurize the armor from others. I believe, I mention them when I did something to the armor that altered it significantly, (things that stick out were: moved the shoulder boxes for the shoulder straps on both the chest and back.)

 

Good luck with the build brother, and have fun with it.

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

On 12/4/2020 at 5:43 PM, BigJasoni said:

Bondo Spot and Glaze putty; now I'll actually be able to use it as the package instructions tell me.

Yup - use it as a very thin skin or to fill pinholes, nothing more. The thicker your bondo is, the more likely it is to crack under your paint (especially if the part flexes). Keep flex in mind when selecting pretty much all of your materials.

Quote

Amen! I painted a few things way too early last time and paid the price for it later i.e. shoulder strap trapezoids.

Yea the shoulder straps in general are a challenge to nail down. Jeff/@11b30b4 does make a set of flexible ones if it may help. I ended up using the ones from Jim and cutting several ridges off them to fit, as I elected not to move the mounting points. 

Quote

Strapping is something I hadn't really thought of, but it totally makes sense. I do need to get some new suspenders, the ones I got for ultra cheap on Amazon last time were way too stretchy. I do have a lot of black 2" webbing left over though, so I may just make my own like Jeff and Kyle did on the @Kal Akaan R1TK WIP thread. What do you guys advise? Any suggestions on suspenders?

I would definitely at least have your strapping in mind and planned out - it will help. The ones I used in my thread were these guys if it helps. Or yea, you could make a set relatively easily. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000644BOQ

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So, I totally started putting pieces all over my arms and legs as I pulled them out of the box. Yeah, fiberglass is very itchy. When I went for my run I was feeling it. I'll hold off on the sanding. 

I would get overzealous and sand in between coats, and honestly it just wasn't worth it. Build up a solid base with primer to sand into, and alternating (compatible) colors so you know when you've gone through a layer definitely helps. And sanding the raw fiberglass definitely just opens up more pinholes that you then have to prime and fill if you're neurotic like me and want to get closer to perfect. I also sprayed my interior with several coats of flat white primer/paint on top of the additional resin for a nice look and more sealing. It's not itchy anymore, but boy was it.  

Quote

This is one that I've been tossing around. I was going to use automotive paint with hardener, because I wasn't happy with how beat up my Rustoleum paint job got after one day of costuming. However I was kind of talked out of it. After painting my Mando costume, I started to love the Montana Gold paint, but after doing some research it appears that others don't advise it for TKs. So, I picked up a can of Rustoleum High Performance Enamel Spray (the stuff in the chrome can) and will be spraying a clone helmet tomorrow. I've read great things about it and will discuss this afterwards. The reason I'm probably going to rattle can it again is for the ease of touch-ups and cost of products. Also, with all the disasters I encountered last time, I've learned my lessons and am far less concerned.

I don't think I'd do the 2K again, but definitely clear coat whatever you go with for the shine and protection. Perfect paint is about a bunch of tiny details... I'd recommend taking your time masking, wiping with a pre-paint prep, making sure your temp and humidity are in spec (don't paint outside if you can help it), ensure your paints are compatible, use new nozzles almost every time, do multiple light coats with proper distance and speed, and ensure your dry times are proper in between... and at the end of the day, don't drive yourself crazy haha

Quote

1. Paint. I've got all the Model Masters colors I need, but what are the opinions on this. Is Humbrol a better choice?

I would stick with the Testors/Model Masters or rattle can - the brighter blue is preferable over the darker Humbrol, imo. Also, keep in mind that any colored details should not appear to be hand painted, so I personally would either air brush if you have it, or mask and rattle can em if not so that you don't have visible brush marks.

Quote

- I just talked about the Rustoleum High Performance Enamel. I'll test it tomorrow on that CT Bucket and even though it's satin, it should give me a decent indication of what it's like. What are your opinions? Let the debate begin, or direct me to a thread where the argument has already ensued.

I used the 2X on mine and it's a little brighter of a white than the High Performance that's on my FO, but both should work fine.

Quote

2. Strapping. I've got plenty of black elastic, including the 10" material for my back closure. I already asked for recommendations on the suspenders, but what am I missing? I feel that the suspenders and abdomen are the base of the entire costume, so I want to get this right. Last time I tossed my snaps in favor of high strength Velcro but the Velcro tore up my Darkside Closet undershirt. Ideas?

If I use velcro, I always try to have the fuzzy side facing me (usually meaning applied to the armor) to help with this problem. I just happened to have a universal strapping kit laying around that I used, and liked the idea of velcro adjustability while I got the suit dialed in, but will likely switch to snaps once I'm happy with the fit after wearing it around several times. I agree that getting your barrel right is the best foundation. Watchin the guys struggle with the GIANT ABS cod pieces from other makers is admittedly a little entertaining for me. 

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3. Speaking of undersuits, since I already have the shirt and knee gaskets, I declined to purchase Jim's set. However, my cycling tights are probably going to be retired soon (they've been doing double duty and since it's cold in Virginia, I actually need them for cycling). I need to grab something new, but I really don't feel like going to Lululemon with my wife. 

Jim's undersuit is pretty excellent since the gaskets are incorporated into the shirt/pants, so you don't technically need an additional spandex-y undersuit. But since it shouldn't really be visible anywhere, totally your call on what to wear. I've been a fan of my Nike Pro suit and UnderArmor is nice too - to me, it's about comfort and how it will hold up to many washes after sweaty trooping. 

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4. Blaster. Jeff provided me a pretty good list last time I asked this question, but some of the companies are no longer making blasters, or all I saw were OT weapons. I'm going to be picking up a resin printer in the next couple weeks, so that's an option, but what are the rest of you trooping with? According to the build roster there's still only one EIB/ Centurion ROTK, so has anyone else crossed this bridge yet? Also, I know the blaster is an optional accessory, but did I read somewhere that for EIB and Centurion it's required? Maybe I'm wrong.

Praetorian all day (unless Hellhounds makes one - I like the separate, metal scope rail, but he hasn't responded). I believe you need one for L2+, which is a bummer, but basic.

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5. CRL. With everything I learned last time, and after seeing what I'll be working with, I'm not worried about missing the mark on anything. But, regarding the lenses, what does "very slight curve and (are) convex in style" mean? Last time I did the basic welding shield lens trick, but I don't think that's enough this time around. Jims kit came with a nice piece of green acrylic, but it seems like it would fit into the flat category (even though the piece is curved).

The one it comes with or that style is just fine - not bubble lenses, and not literally flat pieces of material. A long, curved strip should be cool.

Quote

I told you I write a lot. Any help is appreciated. Also, please throw out anything I may have missed. I don't do these build threads for just myself, in my real life I'm an analyst, so I actually enjoy building these "databases" for everyone to learn from. Hmm... database... that actually gives me a few ideas.

Oh. One more thing... Mandalorian spoiler alert. I finally saw a anthology (ROTK) costume with a pauldron and no back pack. Also, what did you think about the TK Mortar-man? I'd gladly paint a yellow stripe down the front of my old armor and get that guy going.

LOVE IT! I've been campaigning for pauldrons as an optional accessory for all TKs, backpacks or not, for a while. It just indicates rank and has been in many properties accordingly, but I know, iT wAsN't In A nEw HoPe, so it's no go for ANH-S officially... you bet I'm gonna rock one with my ROTK tho  

Mortar? DO ITTTTT! Should be a cool option to add to the Incinerator. His toy (black series?) leaked a while back, so it's only barely a spoiler... maybe remove where you saw it for our friends who aren't up to date? haha

Edited December 7, 2020 by TheRascalKing

[BigJasoni[TK]]

@TheRascalKing and @11b30b4 thanks a ton for your insight. I think you guys confirmed a lot of my suspicions, so I'm probably going to get cracking on this thing this weekend. 
First, regarding the paint, I've heard tons of good stuff about the Eastwood's 2K, but I'd probably break the bank if I went for it. This was the result of that CT Bucket I mentioned a few days ago:

 

Ok, I'll try not to put non-TK pics in this build thread, but I wanted to try that High Performance Enamel on something before I started spraying the good kit. This is a semi gloss finish, but earlier today before I sprayed the Husqvarna Orange, I was second guessing whether I grabbed the wrong stuff. You can't tell too much from the pics but the white came out almost as glossy as my last TK, so I think I'll go with it especially if I hit it with the clear.

On 12/7/2020 at 11:27 AM, TheRascalKing said:

making sure your temp and humidity are in spec (don't paint outside if you can help it), ensure your paints are compatible

The way the High Performance played nicely with the Rustoleum Farm and Implement paint was pretty impressive. I haven't had too many issues if I stick to the same name brand, but the issues I did have previously were catastrophic. If the TK paint behaves similar to the CT, this will be a good build. Regarding the temp, this was somewhat tricky. Since it's so stinking cold in Virginia right now, and only going to get colder, my can felt like I pulled it out of the fridge. I sprayed it regardless and it splattered like crazy on the first coat. For the second coat, I gave the can a nice hot bath which caused it to come out super smooth and a little too fast. This is why I used a "doner helmet" for this test. In the end, I got it pretty good, but I also bought a bunch of plastic to build a pseudo booth in my garage; that should help. Regarding humidity, I learned that lesson during the Mando build. I still need to re-paint my armor. 

 

On 12/7/2020 at 11:27 AM, TheRascalKing said:

I would stick with the Testors/Model Masters or rattle can - the brighter blue is preferable over the darker Humbrol, imo. Also, keep in mind that any colored details should not appear to be hand painted, so I personally would either air brush if you have it, or mask and rattle can em if not so that you don't have visible brush marks

Last time I painted the ab details, the paint just kind of flowed into the recessed "buttons," so that should work fine. For the helmet, now that I know that the High Performance works well with other Rustoleums, I'll probably stick with the smoke grey, but I definitely need an airbrush for future builds. Too bad I've got my eyes set on the resin printer and Anycubic Wash and Cure Machine.

 

On 12/7/2020 at 11:27 AM, TheRascalKing said:

Praetorian all day (unless Hellhounds makes one - I like the separate, metal scope rail, but he hasn't responded).

 

On 12/7/2020 at 8:26 AM, 11b30b4 said:

Get a Pretorian Blaster and you will be G2G.

I'll hit up the Praetorian guys again. I didn't realize they're on the gulf, I think I reached out during one of their hurricane evacuations. 

 

On 12/7/2020 at 8:26 AM, 11b30b4 said:

1. Jims lenses are completely approvable. They are slightly convex.

So when I unwrapped the green lens material (acrylic I think), I realized that it's actually convex and shaped for the eye sockets, so Jim already hooked us all up. Maybe a little trimming, but it's all good. Also, since I'm going to start this weekend, like any good build, I'll do the helmet first. Since I'm building to the new CRL, I get to make an eye bump again... Yay.

 

On 12/7/2020 at 8:26 AM, 11b30b4 said:

6. Re-read through my build thread again. Back when I did my build, I followed a few suggestions to accurize the armor from others. I believe, I mention them when I did something to the armor that altered it significantly, (things that stick out were: moved the shoulder boxes for the shoulder straps on both the chest and back.)

Jeff, I looked through your build again last night and I don't know why I didn't notice how you did your helmet tubes, traps, and tears fabric. You kind of made little frames for each cut portion. How did this work out for you? I've got some left over HIPS from my belt build and will try to copy what you did. How did you keep them from pulling away/ moving around inside the bucket? Also, when I test fit everything (and got real itchy) it didn't appear that I was going to have to do any major alterations. Honestly, I think cutting the thigh armor in order to close it with Velcro will be the biggest thing and that's not bad at all.

Thank God the lower leg armor fits around my calves. I was worried about that the whole time I was waiting for my kit to arrive.   

Finally, I saw on FB that some guys already designed a 3D file for the Mortar and Backpack, so yeah, I'm probably going to end up painting my 3d print ROTK. Regarding future spoilers, I'll give everyone two days from now on... but no more.  
   

[11b30b4[TK]]

Jason, to be honest, I have never needed to remove the frames so I do not believe it was worth the effort. In fact, on the BS mod helmet, I just glued the fabric inside the helmet. The whole idea came to me when I placed the blue fabric inside the helmet and realize that the fabric did not conform to the rounded shape of the inside of the helmet. specifically, the space between each tube cutout, the frame held the fabric to a specific shape. If i was doing it again, I would just glue the fabric in place and not mess with the frames.

 

Each frame was fabricated from a piece of HIPS that was .09 thick. I also made mounts that were two pieces of HIPS stacked and off set to provide a lip to hold the frame in place. Then I glued the mounts inside the helmet. The tricky part was finding a place to glue in the mounts that allow for the frames to be slid in and out based on the inside contour of the helmet.

 

Remember, Jims kit is designed with clamshell in mind. I would avoid glueing and y of the two halves of the extremities together and instead use elastic on the inside between the two halves.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

On 12/9/2020 at 8:34 AM, 11b30b4 said:

If i was doing it again, I would just glue the fabric in place and not mess with the frames.

 

On 12/9/2020 at 8:34 AM, 11b30b4 said:

Each frame was fabricated from a piece of HIPS that was .09 thick. I also made mounts that were two pieces of HIPS stacked and off set to provide a lip to hold the frame in place. Then I glued the mounts inside the helmet. The tricky part was finding a place to glue in the mounts that allow for the frames to be slid in and out based on the inside contour of the helmet.

Jeff,
Thanks for the feedback. I played around with some hips and did a trial run on a 3D printed Scout Trooper helmet. The HIPS was very easy to form and laid down great. Rather than making frames, I was thinking about just "wrapping" the HIPS inserts in the fabric and then mounting them. However, I was kind of fumbling around with how to keep them in place, so I'll just glue them in place like you mentioned. That's what I did with the 3D helmet and it worked fine; I got a little messy with the hot glue, but I'll probably go that route again.

 

On 12/9/2020 at 8:34 AM, 11b30b4 said:

Remember, Jims kit is designed with clamshell in mind. I would avoid glueing and y of the two halves of the extremities together and instead use elastic on the inside between the two halves.

Definitely not going to glue the front of the shins or any of the clam shells. Though the fiberglass has a certain degree of flexibility, I think that solid connection would just ruin it. I was just glad those shins fit; they were the first things I dug out of the box and tried on. Also, Justin (@TheRascalKing) kind of attacked some of this in his thread a few nights ago. I did notice that the forearms are kind of tight, so I may have to get creative. His use of magnets was pretty good.

 

So, I didn't do anything to the armor this weekend. In all honesty, this was a Christmas present from my wife, so I kind of feel bad doing anything with it this early. Again, big props to Jim for getting this kit finished and shipped so fast. I just happened to be the one who opened the door when the BBB arrived. This has given me plenty of time to game plan some of the details and try out some new techniques.

 

One big thing to note however, I'm very impressed with the durability of that Rustoleum High Performance Enamel. Last night as I was weathering the clone helmet, I decided to give it some realistic damage and skipped it across my concrete basement floor. It got some dings and a few scratches in the orange paint, but any damage in the white was practically unnoticeable. I'm still thinking about the Eastwood's 2K, but I really need to determine if it's worth the price.

 

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Wow. So it's been a while since I've even thought about updating my build thread. I have a bunch of reasons, but ultimately they're all excuses. Long story short is I haven't really been working on anything significant. In the end however, I have a feeling all this "down time" is going to pay off huge.

 

I have been doing a lot of 3D printing for myself and others, but a lot of the stuff I've been doing kind of revolves around this build. Yes, I'm using Jimi's kit, but does that mean things can't be modified to make the costume more accurate? Of course not; I've seen others do the same. Additionally, a lot of the work I'm now doing involves resin printing and finally learning Fusion 360. Yes, I'm going to start modeling my own stuff.

Let's get started.

 

So, while watching season 2 of The Mandalorian, it was quickly apparent that Lucasfilm has gone all in on this costume. So, do we keep ROTK as the name, or is there a point where we just refer to this costume as "Anthology" or my personal favorite, "New Generation Stormtrooper?" Should there be different CRLs? I think I've broached this subject with the Remnant Stormtrooper discussion, but that was an entirely different costume. The Mandalorian has made the ROTK costume a former one-off and has established this as the version going forward... this is the way. However, I still have plans to build an ANH (Stunt)... someday.

Here's the thing... many of the costumes seen in The Mandalorian have seen better days. The ones in use today were clearly used in Rogue One. As such, uniform items keep popping up such as this:

 

Now, initially I kind of laughed at the white trap, but it led me on a long trip where I started researching the screen used costumes and really how it's all put together. This led me to the New Generation Stormtrooper Builders group on FB. This is where I started piecing together a plan for my kit. Back to my kit.

This is where I started.

These were my first attempts at modeling parts with Fusion. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how these turned out. If anyone remembers from my 3D build, painting the black lines around the traps actually destroyed my first helmet. Well, the oil based paint mixed with Rustoleum clear killed it. After I started digging into the "trap pieces," and asking questions on the FB group, Paul Prentice of Mr. Paul's Shoretrooper fame explained to me that the screen used traps consisted of a gray plastic piece secured to a slightly larger black backer. He suggested printing the top parts out in resin and the backers at .5mm. The picture above was not done in resin; this was my trial run.

I'll discuss the white stretchy thing later.

 

Setting one on top of the other, I was amazed at how good this looks. I need to adjust the size slightly, and print the final pieces in resin which will smooth things out a bit, but overall, I'm sold. The other thing that's good about actually learning how to model these things is that I can determine the exact size I need to fit in each area. The Jimmiroquai helmet is great, but there's still some asymmetry due to the fiberglass casting process. Regardless, these fit like a glove and look a lot better than the cloth backing I used last time. 

 

 

Essentially, all I did was stick the backer in there (a little crooked) and then place the gray pieces on top. When I do this during the final helmet build, I'll assemble the pieces on my workbench first. Gluing them in place skewed the traps a bit.
Now, I do have to say that this is not how the helmet was intended to be finished, but once I actually do this for real, I'm pretty confident that it's going to look awesome. Additionally, as was the case in the picture earlier, these pop off if you want them to. So, if I decide later on that I want the cut look with fabric backer, it's no problem. Also, the tubes and teeth get cut regardless.

So back to this piece:
 

A few days ago, Paul Prentice posted this video of his Shoretrooper forearm armor on FB.  https://fb.watch/3hH-ZWTuvW/

Video courtesy of Mr Pauls Shoretrooper Build; @totalgrunt; https://www.facebook.com/totalgrunt

 

Mr. Paul claims that what he did is most representative of the screen used armor. I also remember speaking to a few people about the bungee cord used to secure arm pieces on the set of Rogue One. Additionally, I couldn't figure out the proper application of bungee cord as stated in the CRL. So, after that video went up, it sent off a flurry of comments with one asking what the stretchy string was called. Someone answered with Framilon, which got me Googling. Apparently, Framilon is also known as Thermoplastic Polyurethane... my old buddy TPU. So, I got to modeling in Fusion 360 and came up with these:

My wife thought I made Legos, which gave me other ideas about snapping the forearms together... but I digress.

Here's my simple steps using my 3D print forearm as the Guinea Pig:

Forearm pieces, loop blocks, TPU, CA glue, and accelerator. I already had Velcro on one side, but will be replacing everything with the ultra thin stuff @TheRascalKing spoke about in another thread.

 

Glue blocks in.

 

Thread TPU through

 

Tie it off

 

Stretch open.
So, this got me wondering if the same application could be used with the shin armor.

And that's a big Yup. Also, don't judge, I don't typically walk around in sweat pants and white boots. Also, this was a very quick test, so the leg armor is nowhere close to a finished product. I did discover that the CA glue sticks a lot better to the fiberglass than the 3D plastic, so when I do this "for real" that's a permanent fixture.

So that's my first update in quite a while. All I've been doing for the last two months is printing stuff off, "war gaming" this build, and trying to come up with practical solutions that'll be easier, movie accurate, and consistent with the Centurion standards. This weekend I'll tackle the foundation of the costume... the abdominal armor.
Thanks for viewing.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Good to see you back on this project Jason. Nice work on the more accurate strapping modifications too.

Paul certainly does know his stuff .

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice work

[Harbinger[IPM]]

Looking great!

[BigJasoni[TK]]

So, similar to how I started the 3D print build, I'm going to continue this one with some boring (totally subjective ) stuff. Hey, some may be incredibly entertained by a dude sewing accessories and that's cool, but in order to get this costume to the level I want it, I'm not leaving any stones unturned. Let me explain why I'm going this route first.
 

On 12/4/2020 at 4:00 PM, TheRascalKing said:

The most important (and time sensitive) advice I have is to measure, trim, and test (maybe even strap, at least temporarily) fit everything before you do ANY paint.

Ahh... more solid advise from Justin @TheRascalKing.
 

So, after completing my last build, I realized that I kind of treated strapping as an afterthought. This is a very easy mistake to commit when you're looking at a ton of cool pieces like the helmet, chest, back and abdominal armor. Yes, the strapping is hidden for the most part, but wouldn't you know, strapping is where I experienced all my immediate failures. The bulk of these failures were a result of snaps coming undone, but there were others that really made me look like a sack of doorknobs after about an hour of costuming. This is the first of two (maybe three) strapping updates I'll be posting over the next couple days.

Again, I swear the abdominal armor is the base of the costume. What I mean by this statement is: If you jack up the fit of your abdominal section, everything else will inevitably get jacked up as well. For the upper body, the chest and back have to overlap the abdominal correctly, if they don't this will be immediately noticeable, especially on your side connectors. The shoulder bell positioning is relative to the shoulder straps, which are connected to your chest and back; again, if the chest and back are misplaced, so are your shoulders. Bicep armor placement follows shoulder bells and the forearms need to sit correctly with the biceps.

With the lower body, the abdominal section determines the placement of your belt, which conversely dictates your cod and posterior instillation, which leads the placement of your thighs, which determines the placement of your shin armor. Some might argue that since the cod piece is separate from the abdominal section that you can make up abdominal misplacement by adjusting where the cod piece hangs. However, the belt is only so tall, so you're limited on covering mistakes. That's a mouthful, but necessary knowledge for someone building this kit. The same can probably be said about OT armor as well.

Let's start with a photo of screen used (allegedly) armor, and a second of the Shoretrooper kit which is nearly identical:

EDIT-- Credit to Mr. Paul's Shoretrooper build for this picture, I didn't realize it was his awesome kit... I guess it's that good.
 

So a couple interesting things here. First, there's the closure system. I made one of these last time and it was amazing. The stretchy closure allows you to breath freely while wearing the costume and the zipper actually enabled me to put everything on without assistance. Next, the suspenders. I used a cheap set from Amazon last time and they ended up being too stretchy. As I moved around, the abdominal section began to sag, which caused buttons to snap. The system shown here appears to be more "rigid," meaning the straps don't stretch, but are adjustable. Additionally the padding likely covers the fastening system which will save the undersuit from additional wear and add a little bit of comfort during long troops. Finally, the soft belt appears to provide an anchor point for the front hard belt and a place to secure the rear belt section via velcro. Finally, I'm still trying to figure out the posterior armor, but it appears to be hanging from "bungees" attached to the ab section.

 

I asked around in various forums and people have confirmed my suspicions. However, we still lack anything solid regarding the screen used strapping; this seems to be the best reference photo available. Though I'd like to see more before I begin, I'll go off this photo for the time being. Additionally, everything I'm looking at will contribute to solid fastening and be hidden after armor instillation. Also, I threw out this question last night to our Shoretrooper cousins:

What is the purpose of the petals around the base of the armor?
 

It can't be simply to hold the belt. If so, why not leave it solid as pictured below. What functional use comes from having the tabs underneath the belt? The reason I ask is because Jimi's team left the outlines of the tabs and if there's a no-kidding benefit to having these, I'm cutting them out. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. 



So, one of the things I mentioned back in November was this:

On 12/4/2020 at 3:25 PM, BigJasoni said:

a huge portion of this build, for me, is to get my body looking screen accurate

Since the 3D build, I've lost over 30lbs, and about 8 inches around the waist. When I initially ordered my kit, I was nervous about the ab section fitting, but Jimi assured me that he had added enough  room for larger costumers and the kit is pretty flexible. Here's a picture that showing this:

 

So we're good there. But now that means that I have to do some cutting.

 

 

So I took some measurements and determined where I'll have to make my cuts. I mocked up the abdominal armor and will get to cutting this week. Now, while I don't feel like gaining weight back, I did notice that the CRL talks about the rear opening, but no longer states that it is "approximately 4 inches." I outlined how to craft the closure system in my 3d build, so here's that  link: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49826-the-bigjasonis-rotk-3d-print-build-thread/page/4/  Also, if anyone wants one of these, pm me for the details.

 

Here's the one I made for this kit:

Not pictured is the Velcro I'll use to secure it to the abdominal section. The main difference between this and the old one is the size. I'm going to leave a 3" gap, but also some "fudge factor" on either side for fluctuation. Additionally, during my last build I extended the closure down through the belt area. This time I cut it short at 8 3/4" tall. Also, I got a little crooked on the right side because I tried using a different stitch. My bad, it's still strong.

 

For the rear belt, I started off by taking some measurements on the mock-up and marked everything because I have a bad habit of not writing measurements down. While doing this, I also discovered that the teeth on the front belt don't fit as nice as I'd like them to, but I'll take care of this later. For mocking up the rear belt, it fits fine, but the tabs will either have to be filed down, or moved before painting and I really don't want to move them.

 

 

 

 

 

I decided to use duck cloth for the rear belt, because it provides a thick canvas that'll do well at holding the belt in place. Steps are as follows:

Square off the fabric and take measurements. The final height of the belt should be smaller than the most narrow section of the belt so it's not seen. I aimed for 85mm which is roughly .2" less than the height of the rear belt.

Fold canvas and stitch around perimeter of bottom and one side using a 3/8" seam allowance. So, this means the overall height of the canvas before sewing would be approximately 4 1/4 inches. The length is determined based off your measurements. My belt was going to be 25 1/2 inches, so with the the seam allowance it ended up being 26 1/4 inches. 

 

After realizing how flimsy the fabric is, grab a piece of fusible interfacing. This is the stuff that's in the collar of button down shirts that makes it significantly stiffer than the rest of the shirt.

 

Iron on the interfacing (preferably before sewing everything) and clip the corners of the belt, but don't cut the threads. This helps in assuring square corners when you turn the fabric.

 

Using a yard stick, turn the fabric and use it to shape the corners square (picture below). Iron flat and sew the other end shut. I forgot to take a picture of this, but basically I tucked the open end inside the belt and sewed two stitches down the side.

 

Grab some 1" webbing and cut off about a 5" section for either side of the belt.  

 

Sew them down and admire the cool stitching. This pic shows the squared corners and double stitched line closing the belt. I'll be adding snaps later when I begin fitting the front belt.

Open up your brand new box of Strenco hook and loop and realize you ordered 1" instead of the 4" you wanted because you're an idiot. Angrily throw Velcro at the wall, but then immediately scramble to pick it up when you realize you can use this on your forearms and shins later on. Ok, just kidding about that last part, I did mean to order the 4", but this will work great for other stuff.

So, I'm at a minor stand still with the canvas belt, but tonight I'll be working on the suspender system which should finish off the abdominal strapping and get me started on the arms. Also, I read through the OT CRLs and my guess is that this same process can be used to create the "soft belt proper." The difference will obviously be the height of 2.75” (70 mm) to 3.25”(83 mm) and I would highly encourage builders to use a stiffer fusible interfacing which can be picked up for cheap at any fabric store. 

I'll finish this stuff off soon and get to the armor pretty quick. Thanks for viewing.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by BigJasoni
Credited Mr. Paul

[BigJasoni[TK]]

Whooooaaaahhhh Buddy! I've been slacking, but have officially returned to this build and I couldn't be happier. So basically, it goes something like this:

Lol. Long post coming. Here's my timeline so far:

1: October-November; Beg wife for Jimi's kit
2: November; Get kit
3: November-December; Celebrate receiving kit and don't start working on it, because it was supposed to be a Christmas gift
4: December; Watches The Mandalorian Season 2 Episodes 6 and 7 (More on this in #9 below and biceps later)

5: January; Fiddle around with it a little, but don't dive in. Post a few things in the thread

6: February; Open online store making Star Wars costume accessories
7: Also February: Fellow Garrison Tyranus Squad member, @minimo buys kit from Jimi for his Minbam Stormtrooper project

8: February- March; Get too busy making Mandalorian cummerbunds and aprons. Answer friend's questions about the ROTK, but ignore my own.
9: March: Become obsessed with ICAT Driver costume after rewatching episode 7 and seeing pictures of friend's costume.
10: April: Weather starts to get good in norther Virginia. Blow off the dust and get working on these three guys simultaneously, but the TK definitely has priority

 

11: Today: @minimosends me this picture and I'm disgusted with my myself for slacking off.

I got to watch his entire build and didn't realize how fast he had built the same stinking costume I have until he sprayed his gloss white a few days ago. Broke my heart a little to see it get muddied, but I think we can all appreciate this outstanding kit. Unbelievable, and great job Joe!

Ok. So that gets us caught up a little bit, so let me dive back into my build. A lot of this may seem like little progress, but trust me, it's been a ton of research and adjustments to get to where I'm at. So, with that said, I've been asking around about the "petals" on the bottom of the abdominal, or what I've since learned is referred to as the "Roman Belt" by our FOTK brethren. Please see the pic I posted previously of Mr. Paul's shoretrooper. From speaking with guys a lot smarter than myself on these matters, I've learned that the "petals" were used to fasten the abdominal section to the original harness on the FOTK, but were later switched over to the suspender system.

 

Not definitive, but it's assumed that this system was also used for the ROTK, but then traded out for something a little more practical. Regardless, I'm not building a harness for my kit, but rather sticking to the tried and true. However, valuable lesson: DON'T GET STRETCHY SUSPENDERS
After a solid review, here's what I chose https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSYTS6P/

So, I started getting everything set up. First things first, I followed the advise of @TheRascalKing and washed the fiberglass with soapy water and purple Scotch Brite. After that, I tried it on and realized that after losing 40lbs since October it was rather big. I know I've posted this pic before, but it kind of showcases the size of this armor and it's flexibility

So, the one thing I fear is cutting up expensive things, but fortunately there's enough people on the FISD who have shown how to do this, so it makes me a little more comfortable. Additionally, I used to tear apart the President's helicopter and put it back together, so this is nothing. 
After a lot of careful measurements, I determined that in order to have approximately 4" gap in the back that I would have to take off nearly 4" on both sides of the ab section. So I scored the fiberglass with the blade, then busted out the Dremel and started taking off small segments:

 

 

 

The idea was to get the abdominal to wrap around my waist and have a perfect butt joint in the back. Once I got there, I measured 2" on either side and made a final cut.

This left me with a near-perfect 4" gap that I immediately filled with another zipper enclosure:

 

Lol. I call this one the "Gold Edition." Really, I don't care since it'll never be seen, but the ones I sell in the Etsy store are all black. I also posted a tutorial on how to make them on page 4 of the 3D print ROTK build thread found here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/49826-the-bigjasonis-rotk-3d-print-build-thread/page/4/ Here's some that are a little more "subdued"

 

I've cleaned up my process a little bit since posting that thread, but overall most of the walkthrough remains the same.

 

This was the first trial fit after cutting it up.

Next, I sprayed the abdominal down with filler-sandable in order to get a good view of any pin holes and imperfections. Surprisingly, this one's pretty clean. Following this step I started fitting the abdominal with the suspenders. First of all, these things are strong and have little to no flex. They're made out of poly webbing and come with these cool fasteners for a duty belt:



I carefully removed the fasteners and was left with this:

What's especially cool about these fasteners is that they're outfitted with heavy duty snaps (don't ask me what size) and backed up with Velcro. Once I had the suspenders adjusted to the correct length, I was able to sew one side of the fastener to the straps and E6000 the other side to the abdomen:

 

 

Notice the placement of the front harness. This, according to references, is the correct placement of the suspenders which I initially doubted until I held up the chest armor and saw how the straps fit perfectly under the shoulders. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this, but I was pretty surprised at how well they fit. Again, it'll never be seen, but if this keeps the suspenders from making an appearance once the shoulder bells are connected, than I'll take it. Also, after looking at this pic, I decided to lower the abdominal section just a little bit.
With the suspenders, the only thing I wasn't particularly fond of was how they bunched up a little bit in the back when I raised my arms. This was due to the added trapezoid portion in the middle of the back, but I also like that thing because it keeps the suspenders from spreading. 

So, those pics were taken last month. Yesterday I had some sanding to do and realized that I lost a little more around my midsection.

 

I'll get to the helmet in a few minutes, but I had to make a few adjustments and refit the ab section. Also, I lowered the ab a little more as I stated previously.

 

 

So, here's my first question for the community. Do you think I'm going to have to trim anything down on the sides of the abdominal armor. Keep in mind that when I put on the side extensions you shouldn't be able to see any white "peeking" over the top of those gloss black sections. I really don't feel like cutting any more, but will if you think it's needed. Also, I like how the helmet's sitting, but do you guys think it's up too high? I.e. do I have too much neck showing? If I do have it like this, my DSC shirt's neck seal isn't tall enough to cover the skin and it doesn't look right trying to cover other stuff up with the balaclava.
I'll finish this up after I get some feedback.

Ok, so this is something I've been looking forward to. As I stated previously, episode 6 and 7 of The Mandalorian season 2 changed a lot for me. Let me put this pic up again:

 

Yeah buddy. Did I ever mention that this was the bane of my existence with the other TK costume? I couldn't keep the bicep and shoulder together. So, to illustrate what we're working with, here's another picture courtesy of Paul Prentice. His stuff is phenomenal and can be found here: https://www.mrpaulsshoretrooperbuild.co.uk/

I really need to do a better job at citing people's photos. My apologies if I've failed to do so in the past.

 

Regardless, to avoid the difficulties I experienced last time, I got out the drill, some nippers, a blade and my files, and I got to work.
 

I started by taking measurements from my ICAT bicep armor and discovered that the TK bicep fit perfectly inside the ICAT. Lol. So I traced the shape and started cutting:
 

 

 

 

 

And there we go. I think I spoke to Jeff @11b30b4 about this previously, but opted not to go through with it last time. Plus cutting 3d print plastic is not worth it. This is much better to work with and I'm starting to feel spoiled. For those who are nervous that the J hook will be seen while I'm suited up (I was initially) this is what it looks like while I'm wearing it:

Pretty freaking happy.
 

Ok. So one of the things, actually, the only thing I don't like about this kit so far is the shoulder straps. This is nothing against Jimi's design; every system I've seen is the same or similar. I've got pretty bony shoulders and having hard straps just doesn't seem natural. I also have a set of Jeff's flexible straps, but even though they're great, they're a little different from what I'm after. I mentioned a while ago that I've started experimenting with Fusion 360, so I've decided to model my own flexible straps that match the contours and dimensions of Jimi's kit.

I started by gathering measurements and then just got to work trying to figure out this program

 

Lol. I need to invest in a better set of dial calipers. After pulling a couple references from other TKs, I came up with this:


I then went back to my old friend TPU and printed out a test of my new model, and I'm pretty happy. Here's how it turned out:

 

 

And side by side with Jimi's. You can see where I got a little impatient with the printer and decided to turn the speed up to 125%. Whatever, this was just a test. Eventually I'm going to get around to buying some supplies and casting this in rubber. They have come out with some good gloss white TPU now, so I could try that if I can't figure out how to cast stuff in rubber, but I'd rather go the other route. Any advise would be appreciated.
Finally, since the weather was forecasted to be great this week, I jumped on Amazon and grabbed some supplies:

 

After reading some good reviews, I decided to go with Rustoleum 2X Gloss paint. I tossed around a bunch of different ideas, brands, and techniques, but ultimately decided this will suit me best in a few short weeks. But since I got a hold of my paint, I decided I needed to start making progress on some other stuff.

Charging straight ahead, I decided to give my bucket a nice little squint in order to bring it up to centurion standards. I started by masking off the eyes and making a little dam for my Bondo resin to sit in.

 

I filled that bad boy up and let it cure overnight which left me with this:

I then got out the files and sandpaper and just started having fun

 

Love it!!! However, while I was sanding down the bump, I remembered a discussion a few of us had over on a Facebook group a few weeks ago about the pointy Black Series eyes. After I left a subtle squared off edge on the right eye (left as your looking at it), I taped off the corner of the left eye and repeated the process:

 

 

After some filing and sanding, I was left with this:

I then busted out the drill and files and got to work on the teeth and tubes:

 

For those of you who endured my ramblings in the 3D print thread, you probably recall that I'm not a fan of this part. However, other than getting dust and itchiness everywhere, Jimi's fiberglass is a joy to work with. Since there's a ton of sunlight shining in the garage, I took the bucket outside and sprayed it with some filler sandable, which left me with this:

Lol. I posted this to the FISD page on FB with the name "Springtrooper" and a few of you hit me up. I appreciate the feedback and kind words. Yes, this is gray primer, I just took the picture right after spraying while it was extraordinarily sunny. The bucket had a few pin holes, so I brought it back inside and brought out my old 3D print filler of choice, Bondo Glazing and Spot putty.


I call it Chicken Poxtrooper or CPT for short.
 

So, CPT lasted less than a day, because I felt bad covering that beautiful bucket up with the red stuff. After some sanding and a little TLC, CPT was ready for another coat of filler sandable

Wasn't as sunny as the day before, but I still love how this looks. Also, I used 2 coats of the filler sandable just to ensure the pinholes would be gone; it worked like a charm.

Ok. So that gets us caught up for now. For those of you curious, because I've received a lot of questions via PM lately, I have not abandoned 3D printing. On the contrary, I've begun working it into other projects and actually stepped up my game a little.

 

I love the first pic because it shows how massive the CR-10 Max is compared to a CR-10s. As a reminder, the CR-10s has a 300x300 platform and is considered a large printer. But, that's an entire ICAT chest printing in one piece and I just printed off an entire Shoretrooper abdominal section for a friend without slicing the file. Also, that chest piece is PETG printing at 120mm/sec, so I've got that figured out as well. Finally, this is the other thing that has been taking up a lot of my time:

With all the cummerbunds, aprons, and flight suits I've been sewing, I had to step up to an industrial machine. I know most will look at this and think "what does sewing have to do with TK building?" but let me show you a tiny sample:
 

This doesn't look like much, actually, it looks pretty sloppy and I would never use this color combination, but this was a 5 minute trial to see if I can make ribbed fabric as per the CRL standard as well as neck seals (I haven't forgotten, just needed the new machine) . This will lead into a future part of the build, but in the meantime, I just got my fabric and thread for ICAT tunics... I'll stop talking about ICATs.
Thanks as always for viewing.

 

 

 

[minimo[501st]]

Thx brother, could not have done it without you!!! Now finish this!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JasonG]

Wow Jason. Really great work on this. I may have to look into the J hook. What kind of cord is that going through the J hook? Looks like you're using a tab with a hole through it to hold the cord in the shoulder bell. Great work on this! I watched these episodes of the Mandalorian last night with my kids and kept pausing it and they got really annoyed by it. "Daddy why do you keep pausing it!?!?!" "I'm doing research!" Ha ha

[BigJasoni[TK]]

54 minutes ago, tk421jag said:

What kind of cord is that going through the J hook? Looks like you're using a tab with a hole through it to hold the cord in the shoulder bell.

Jason,
Best indications are that the cordage used by the costume designers was Framilon. Framilon as it is used here is a stretchy cord made of Thermoplastic Polyurethane or TPU for short; it's commonly used in the states as elastic seam tape for sewing and is difficult to find in its corded variant... well, unless you shop around for 3D print supplies. TPU is the filament I used on the 3D print shoulder straps but for this application, I just cut some off my spool and wind it through the boxes and J hooks. I outlined this back in January when I was experimenting with the forearms, but here's a pic of the TPU and "boxes" I made for the project.

 

I used Inland TPU from Microcenter for my trial straps and for the cords in the biceps, but it's a little pricey. Additionally, I bought this spool before TPU really started gaining popularity, so now you can buy a full kg for what I paid for 500g of the stuff last time. You can't paint it though, so if I do decide to print any more parts with it, I'll likely buy a spool of white filament and print it very, very slow and at a high resolution with my .2mm nozzle. I'm talking like .1 or less layer height.
I also printed a larger version of the box for the shoulders, but I made them way too big. To answer the question of "tab with a hole through it," that's probably the easiest way to explain it. Here's the pics:

 

Again, I made the boxes too big, but that's an easy fix.

 

 

 

[11b30b4[TK]]

Well um.... Holy Crap! that is outstanding. I am curious to see how the TPU holds up over time. I planned on doing something similar but using 1/8" like this:

https://sgtknots.com/products/marine-grade-dacron-polyester-shock-cord-1-8-inch?variant=33429745205334&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=3264755776&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_grp=116536717349&hsa_ver=3&hsa_kw=&hsa_tgt=pla-393927913855&hsa_mt=&hsa_ad=494912717198&hsa_src=u&hsa_cam=12189948699&gclid=Cj0KCQjw38-DBhDpARIsADJ3kjmvW2i6LSaYmsyetQpFWDAvjMWso2vNMsMSB6VGCi5L1I3HfR4CbE0aAugREALw_wcB

 

One suggestion is to beef up the cut out areas of the bicep. I am concerned (given the cracking issues) that the fiberglass of Jims kit may not hold up over time where the cut outs are. I would think backing the area with "actual" fiberglass and using the glass fiber material would strengthen it enough. Another option may be to rough up the inside and back it with a thick layer of PC-7.

 

Regardless, this is looking Awesome brother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BigJasoni[TK]]

3 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

I am curious to see how the TPU holds up over time. I planned on doing something similar but using 1/8" like this:

Jeff, hope all is well.
I was pretty surprised when I figured out was framilon is and was also wondered if TPU would hold up to this application. However, after playing around with it, I've discovered that the filament is actually very strong. It's got a good amount of stretch, but returns to form and really needs a good pull to get it to break.  Right now I've got more clear TPU than I know what to do with, so keeping some extra in my bin for "field repairs" isn't an issue. I've got two other areas I'm planning on using it, but I'm probably going to grab some of that shock cord also. Thanks for the link.
 

5 hours ago, 11b30b4 said:

One suggestion is to beef up the cut out areas of the bicep. I am concerned (given the cracking issues) that the fiberglass of Jims kit may not hold up over time where the cut outs are. I would think backing the area with "actual" fiberglass and using the glass fiber material would strengthen it enough. Another option may be to rough up the inside and back it with a thick layer of PC-7.

This is a great idea. I was thinking about laying down some resin around the cuts, but I love me some PC-7. I was fairly surprised at how clean this cut came out compared to the abdominal piece. I kind of figured it was because it was a much smaller cut, but it also may have been due to the files just cleaning up the edges. I was also afraid that the raw edges might cut through the filament, but so far I haven't found any marks on the TPU.

I'll update this after I start moving around in the costume a lot, but so far it seems to be working out.

[11b30b4[TK]]

Jason, also if you recall from one of my comparison posts (I don't recall which), on a display set of screen used armor showed that they used the same type of shock cord to close up the thighs and biceps. I would assume this is also true for the forearms and most likely the shin armor. Since we do not see the cutouts (the "J" cutout on the bicep to attach the shoulder) on these others armor parts we can assume the shock cord is completely internal on these others parts. Again, I believe the shock cord is attached on the inside of the armor for these others parts like the inside of the bicep pic from Pauls shore trooper armor. I am not suggesting you do all your extremity armor like this but if you decide to do so, I would argue that you would have one of the most correct sets of ROTK armor.

[BigJasoni[TK]]

On 4/22/2021 at 9:37 AM, 11b30b4 said:

Jason, also if you recall from one of my comparison posts (I don't recall which), on a display set of screen used armor showed that they used the same type of shock cord to close up the thighs and biceps. I would assume this is also true for the forearms and most likely the shin armor.

 

On 4/22/2021 at 9:37 AM, 11b30b4 said:

I am not suggesting you do all your extremity armor like this but if you decide to do so, I would argue that you would have one of the most correct sets of ROTK armor.

 

Jeff,
I didn't see this response a few days ago. I guess that means I was busy all weekend. Also, I slowed down on the ROTK over the last couple days because I'm getting very close on the ICAT build and started a Mudtrooper. For the ROTK, all I did this weekend was finish my suspenders and started the chest and back, but the TK should pick up again pretty quick in the next couple nights.

So, regarding your second quote first, I already opened that can-o-worms. I need to look closer at the biceps and thighs, because I haven't seen any good reference photos of the cordage in these parts, but I'm confident you're correct about the forearms and shins. The forearms are actually what started me down this path. Paul shared a video on FB of his forearm closure system and I was sold. Also, after digging up some good reference pics, this is the direction I've decided to go with those pieces. I posted these pics back in January, but I'm almost treating this build thread as if I just started; so here they are again. Please ignore the dirty armor, I used a rather beat up 3D print forearm as my guinea pig.

 

 

Also, that reminds me about this pic. and specifically the gap in the trim up at the top. Is that worth filling? Now, the left knee will be covered by the sniper knee, plus that has to be modified a little bit to open at the front with the knee attached. The CRL doesn't specify that this has to be seamless, but if I can't get this closed tighter, is it worth creating a "block" to fill in that gap?

 

Getting back to the arms, I created the little shoulder tie points, but this weekend when I was on the Mudtrooper site, I saw that Empire3D created some small files for their piece. If anyone wants to try this out, and they have a 3d printer handy, you can grab the shoulder fasteners at https://mudtrooper.co.uk/. This is what they look like:

 

Functionally it's pretty much the same exact design as mine, but theirs is actually modeled a little better because they beveled the bottom edge so it sits nicer in the shoulder bells. Honestly, I just don't feel like going into fusion and fixing mine, so I'll use the ones they created. If anyone wants to try the forearm system, I'll add the little blocks to my drop box for download. If you don't have a 3d printer and still want to try it, just DM me and I can make some pretty quick for you.

 

[JasonG]

Quote

If anyone wants to try the forearm system, I'll add the little blocks to my drop box for download. If you don't have a 3d printer and still want to try it, just DM me and I can make some pretty quick for you.

 

 

I might take you up on that. I got a replacement forearm piece and was considering another way to attach these from our last conversation about using the elastic to keep them closed. Can I use your visual example above as a guide?