LTM's Imperial Surplus FOTK TLJ

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Definitely looks like you can add some more plastic on the sides, make sure you strengthen the area with a plate behind. I used JB weld in the sides which has held up really well over the years, takes a while to dry but you can sand it quite easily.

 

Good luck tackling this mod, I'm sure you'll come through it just fine 

[LTM[TK]]

Back to the TD. Is the black tube the same diameter, or does it step down/up at the black cap? I can either add plastic to the inside of the plexiglass tube and round over the lip, or I can add back the original top and smooth out to the exterior diameter of the long tube.

 

Add plastic to inside and round over the lip?

 

Use the original cap and blend to the outside diameter

 

The blend would happen from the lip to the body if it is all one diameter

 

Thoughts?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

It's all one piece 

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

And as you can see in those images, the inner tube is considerably smaller than the carriage it sits in.

[LTM[TK]]

1 hour ago, Sly11 said:

And as you can see in those images, the inner tube is considerably smaller than the carriage it sits in.

That just looks sloppy, are there more shots of other troopers?

[LTM[TK]]

Working on the shims for the torso, this is the gap I need to close

 

Going to start with 1.25 shims on both sides at the split and use the zipper system to help close it.

 

Looks like enough room in the front

[Sly11[Admin]]

10 minutes ago, LTM said:

That just looks sloppy, are there more shots of other troopers?

Yes, sadly plenty of screen shots show the similar gap.

I would say aim to have it sit straight in there as opposed to the crooked angle in those images. They have probably been knocked around a bit hence why it looks like that.

Ultimately it's up to you and weather you want a gap or not as even when we are done re working the CRL's something like that wouldn't make it in as a change for basic, maybe a cleaner version for centurion, but we are not at that point of discussion as yet.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

TLJ behind the scenes 

 

A couple from TROS same gaps

 

[LTM[TK]]

Canister in the carrier, not too tight (still need to fill out the lip around the outside)

 

Rough cutting the yoke/back, comes in 4 pieces. One piece is a reinforcement for the shoulders. The front is done like a tee-shirt, I am having difficulty getting it over my head much less trying to get my arms in there. In the picture I have already increased the size of the opening, will probably have to modify it further to be more open in the front.

 

 

Chest piece has three parts, idea is you can measure and cut the return wings (more on that later)

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

This is the first 4 piece back and shoulder Cowell we have seen in a kit. I think the extra layer will indeed add strength at the top of the shoulder area but will have less give or flex when getting into the piece.

Might mean less chance of cracking around the area just s touch more of a struggle getting it over your head and shoulders as you are already finding.

Nice to see the chest plate has separate side wings too.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

On 9/8/2021 at 10:41 AM, LTM said:

Canister in the carrier, not too tight (still need to fill out the lip around the outside)

 

Nice work so far, you will need a sharper edge on the edge of your end cap, it's very curved at present

 

 

[LTM[TK]]

Looking at the COD shape, does this appear correct?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Trim lines look ok.

 

The correct cod for TLJ has a different shape and raised sides compared to what you have (TFA), although for basic approval the TFA style is accepted

 

[LTM[TK]]

Update: Still losing weight, a few more pounds to lose around the mid-section. Walt (WTF) is working on a new specific COD, no eta yet.

[LTM[TK]]

SBB (small brown box ) day, with new cod and grebblies. Will post a picture later. Lost a much weight as possible, time to resize the torso.

[LTM[TK]]

On the forearm, does the top plate sit flush (no return) or is it like a "double hump"

 

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

16 minutes ago, LTM said:

On the forearm, does the top plate sit flush (no return) or is it like a "double hump"

 

 

 

 

 

Here a couple of references. to me it looks more flush, 

 

 

             

 

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Good to see you are still working away on this build, also cool that you have lost more weight. That generally takes a bit of work in itself.

[fishgoh0nk[TK]]

Curious about that cast helmet sitting on the table, is that a WTF helmet?



Looking for some TLJ helmet options before I start modding my KB and/or Black series helmets, don't mean to hijack your thread.

[funkster[TK]]

Curious about that cast helmet sitting on the table, is that a WTF helmet?



Looking for some TLJ helmet options before I start modding my KB and/or Black series helmets, don't mean to hijack your thread.

Hijacking a hijacker’s.

Modding a BS will be easier

Either look at my WIP or a thread I made about the two lids.

[LTM[TK]]

It's a WTF lid. I am planning on building it last

[LTM[TK]]

Ok, cod comparison, certainly more like a TLJ version (new one on left)

 

Worked on the TD, lid looks correct at this point. Still have to do a final sanding/painting

 

Greeblies

 

 

 

[LTM[TK]]

Working on the forearms (what a pain)...

 

Can someone measure their version of forearms to see if mine are "average"

 

Ok, going to try the zipper version. This is a test mule so it will look rough, but I am learning from it.

I cut the middle and angled out the sides, currently I can get about .75 of an inch (or 1.9 cm). The ends are sharp, so will need to address that. I am not sure if the pad part is oversized (I think it is) as it covers the top and in reference photos there is a ledge on either side. Not sure if that is the forearm or pad...

Did make it so that once closed the rail fits, in the next version will cut out the groove prior to cutting the forearm.

The zipper will be attached with duck cloth stitched and either epoxied or use Velcro (not sure if it will hold). More later when I can get some feedback on measurements (either adjusting the forearm or pad).

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

Just make sure you reinforce the end where the pic rail attaches with the bolt. Looks like you might have removed a little extra material down the length of the forearm. but that is easy to fix.

On the screen used assets, the rail and end box pivoted away to gain zipper access and I dont think a resin made pic rail would be durable enough in dealing with that kind of motion.

Parts from the original costumes were injection and pressure molded with very durable and quite flexible plastics as a comparison.

It's awesome that you are aiming for those kind of details, even better if you can make it work like the actual product.

Nice work, keep it up.

 

In the images below you can see the fixing bolt in comparison to top the end of the forearm.

It also shows a degree of flex in the pic rail as it swoops up to and attaches under the front box.

This would be an indicator that the material used is both flexible and durable t sustain sideways motion gaining access to the obscured zipper beneath.

Screen caps from our gallery and SW screencaps 4K

 

[LTM[TK]]

Back to the build. Been busy with test fitting and talking with Walt on setup.  So active on the build, but I didn't want to share the back and forth of a new kit. Walt is a great guy to deal with on this suit.

 

Going to go for Centurion so making as many changes now as possible before painting. Studying lots of builds and decided to do the bicep accuracy changes. 

 

The resin insert is the correct size (at least from other makers kits) so I adjusted the plastic (Walt with adjust the molds to fit the resin piece). I went ahead and cut the bicep to remove the rounded over edge from the vac process. Also removed the indent on the bicep to make it sharper and more defined. Still need to fill and sand again, but wanted to show some forward progress.

And finally the overall look. I still need to straighten the clasp indent