Davids ROTK 850 AW Build

[TI25674[TK]]

Hey all

 

I want to document my 850 Armorworks build since I don't see alot of those yet. My goal is to complete it in about 30 days since my neighbors son has a birthday party. Last year I went as Boba Fett repaint. I was offered to go again as Boba again but I offered a TK. 

 

So ....

 

Armor - 850 AW. 

Helmet- 850 AW resin cast - still waiting for it to arrive

Undersuit - generic Underarmor until I find a proper one. I believe I can use the generic non- textured for basic approval

Boots - Imerpialboots

Gloves - nomex flight gloves

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Hello and welcome aboard. Lots of great builds to follow, here are a couple

 

Although not 850 they are still full of info  

 

When in doubt we have a gallery section full of references

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/category/28-r1-tk-reference/

 

And this may help you add images to your thread

 

Good luck with the build

[TI25674[TK]]

Sweet, thanks!

[TI25674[TK]]

I got a chance to do some rough cuts on the ab and kidney. I figured I would start there and build out. I'm a dad bod kind of guy so that will be the hardest part for me. Im not sure of the return edge, it didn't say anything in the CRLs about it. I know the ANH TK were minimal and from what I read the rotks were injection molded and a bit thicker, I am removing return edge where it will be covered up and leave a little on the places that can be seen. Two questions on this one:

1. Does the black stripe get painted on behind the angled rib?

2. Look s like the vacuum forming process left an odd line, just cut that off to match the angle to remove it?

 

 

Can I assume the part labeled "2" is for shimming? If so, I will need a shim:

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by TI25674

[gwf2683]

850 has a tutorial for assembling the abdomen armor on YT.  "2" actually gets split down the middle and makes up the sides.  Hard to describe, but makes a lot more sense after watching their video.   Just search 850 armorworks on youtube, and you should see their channel.  The abdomen video is listed as shore trooper/tanker trooper, but they all work the same.

Edited June 23, 2022 by gwf2683

[TI25674[TK]]

46 minutes ago, gwf2683 said:

850 has a tutorial for assembling the abdomen armor on YT.  "2" actually gets split down the middle and makes up the sides.  Hard to describe, but makes a lot more sense after watching their video.   Just search 850 armorworks on youtube, and you should see their channel.  The abdomen video is listed as shore trooper/tanker trooper, but they all work the same.

Awesome. Yeah I've built the tanker so it makes sense now. Thanks!

[TI25674[TK]]

So updates here:

 

I got the helmet from 850AW, it is resin. I do like the resin helmets. But the top was flat, almost concave. I reached out to them they told me to heat it up and pop it back out. Some advice on the FB page, I left it in my car for about 20 minutes and it fixed itself. That concerns me for trooping outdoors in the summer. 

 

I had the side shims glued on with e6000 and some more advice on the FB page (i really wish I had my phone so I could mention the guy, huge help) said I should move the side shims back to create the angled recess since 850 doesn't have that in their mold. So moved it back about 5/8" and glued. Still drying. 

 

Come to find out, the back plate doesn't have the raised squares for the shoulder straps. They are there, but its like just an outline. Pretty bummed about that. Not sure what to do with it. I've reached back out to 850 and they are apparently 3d printed. I have to go through those parts again....

 

So needless to say, this whole suit will need a paint job. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by TI25674
Changed photo size

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

You will find with a lot of resin helmets they can sag in excessive heat, I had one sitting on top of a pipe in the shade as I just painted it, was @30degC but I thought in the shade would be ok, looked an hour later and it had sagged and left a ring in the top the same as the pipe it was sitting on, a little heat and it was fine. 

 

I've not heard of anyone having the issue while trooping, I guess with padding and sitting on the head it should help to keep it from sagging

[TI25674[TK]]

3 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

You will find with a lot of resin helmets they can sag in excessive heat, I had one sitting on top of a pipe in the shade as I just painted it, was @30degC but I thought in the shade would be ok, looked an hour later and it had sagged and left a ring in the top the same as the pipe it was sitting on, a little heat and it was fine. 

 

I've not heard of anyone having the issue while trooping, I guess with padding and sitting on the head it should help to keep it from sagging

Sweet. I thought about a coat of uv resin inside. 

 

So the next question, what paint / color white should I use for the kit?

[BigJasoni[TK]]

2 hours ago, TI25674 said:

had the side shims glued on with e6000 and some more advice on the FB page (i really wish I had my phone so I could mention the guy, huge help) said I should move the side shims back to create the angled recess since 850 doesn't have that in their mold. So moved it back about 5/8" and glued. Still drying.

I'm here. LOL.

53 minutes ago, TI25674 said:

So the next question, what paint / color white should I use for the kit?

While your base coat is important, you can get away with most standard whites if you follow that up with a good clear. Rustoleum 2X is a popular choice, and it looks great when you coat it with a good 2K clear. I suggest the Spray Max 2K or Eastwood. Both cost significantly more than a typical rattle can and Eastwood is pretty expensive, but this is the same automotive clear that you'd be mixing if you were to do this professionally.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, TI25674 said:

So the next question, what paint / color white should I use for the kit?

Not R1 but I used base white spray cans from an automotive supplier for my FOTK, I'd gather R1 would be similar if not the same as FOTK, the base white matches both of Anovos's OT and FO helmets (maybe the paint would match Denuo Novo ). 

 

Jeff "11B30B4"used Ford Frozen White you can find his build thread here 

 

[TI25674[TK]]

20 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Not R1 but I used base white spray cans from an automotive supplier for my FOTK, I'd gather R1 would be similar if not the same as FOTK, the base white matches both of Anovos's OT and FO helmets (maybe the paint would match Denuo Novo ). 

 

Jeff "11B30B4"used Ford Frozen White you can find his build thread here 

 

Thanks for the input. I read his build but missed the paint 

[TI25674[TK]]

I was able to get a little bit of work in. I have the front, ,back, groin, and butt plates cut out. I ordered some flexible should straps. So while I wait I was able get the torso together. I glued the shims in with e6000, the rear pieces that connect the trauma plate are velcro'd in to help with adjustment. The trauma plate is velcro as well. So lots of room to adjust for thicker or thinner layers. 

 

Since I will be painting the kit, I am going to bondo some areas to clean them up

 

I was also able to snag a black series rogue one, I am going to start modding that as well. 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I would advise any areas where there is a seam to use a permanent glue rather than E6000, it can flex and crack the paint, I use JB Weld, holds strong and is sandable  

[TI25674[TK]]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I would advise any areas where there is a seam to use a permanent glue rather than E6000, it can flex and crack the paint, I use JB Weld, holds strong and is sandable  

Gonna try it

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

14 hours ago, TI25674 said:

Gonna try it

 

+1 to Q - this stuff specifically does very well. Just mix thoroughly and be careful with the excess, as sometimes it dries HARDER than the materials you're bonding and can be tough to remove/sand back away. A light scuff and surface clean before gluing can help promote adhesion, as well as clamping (though it does fill gaps pretty well). Just go easy so you don't get warps. It's important to use the right tool for the job for each stage forsure - I found myself using very little E6000 compared to an typical ANH kit.

 

[TI25674[TK]]

2 hours ago, TheRascalKing said:

 

+1 to Q - this stuff specifically does very well. Just mix thoroughly and be careful with the excess, as sometimes it dries HARDER than the materials you're bonding and can be tough to remove/sand back away. A light scuff and surface clean before gluing can help promote adhesion, as well as clamping (though it does fill gaps pretty well). Just go easy so you don't get warps. It's important to use the right tool for the job for each stage forsure - I found myself using very little E6000 compared to an typical ANH kit.

 

Would this work to make it seamless?

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

2 hours ago, TI25674 said:

Would this work to make it seamless?

 

Alone? Not really - you don't want to use it as filler since it dries so hard. But it'll help get your gaps tight so you need minimal filler, which is ideal. Most guys use Dynatron or some use ABS slurry. Assembly will probably be more like an ABS FOTK than ANH in many ways. 

[TI25674[TK]]

1 minute ago, TheRascalKing said:

 

Alone? Not really - you don't want to use it as filler since it dries so hard. But it'll help get your gaps tight so you need minimal filler, which is ideal. Most guys use Dynatron or some use ABS slurry. Assembly will probably be more like an ABS FOTK than ANH in many ways. 

Thanks! I was thinking abs slurry originally. Time to learn to make that. 

[TheRascalKing[TK]]

10 minutes ago, TI25674 said:

Thanks! I was thinking abs slurry originally. Time to learn to make that. 

 

Just little chips of your same ABS (or scrap/dust, but CLEAN... like I wouldn't get it off the floor) and stir in an appropriate container (I use a tiny glass/metal mason jar) adding acetone until you hit your desired consistency. Once mixed and smooth (avoiding whipping air bubbles in) slather it on where needed. You can use it as a glue as well, but 2part epoxy will hold better.  You may want to do some body filler or glazing putty on top, but always use as little filler as possible to avoid it cracking under your paint when flexed.

[TI25674[TK]]

Thinking about the cut here - the top line. The chest covers it pretty well, and theres still room if I need to cut shorter. 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, TI25674 said:

Thinking about the cut here - the top line. The chest covers it pretty well, and theres still room if I need to cut shorter. 

 

You will need to have some material left under the chest as when you move (in weird positions) the chest can ride up over the abdomen, this happens the same way with OTTKs. 

 

Jeff mentions about taking 1" off the top of the ab 

 

[TI25674[TK]]

Sweet. Reading through this. That was my thought leaving space. The bottom line is where the chest plate came to standing up 

[BigJasoni[TK]]

On 6/30/2022 at 4:18 PM, TI25674 said:

Thinking about the cut here - the top line. The chest covers it pretty well, and theres still room if I need to cut shorter. 

 

David, everything's looking pretty good so far. Regarding the cuts, all of this depends on your body shape/ height. Personally, I have a slightly longer torso, so I tend to leave mine uncut. However, from all the pictures I've seen, the 850 chest plate does appear to sit lower, so you should be able to get away with trimming a little extra, just don't eliminate those recessed parts altogether. Here's a picture of my two abdominal pieces; different makers and different costumes, but a shared part on screen.

 

Paul's design on the left is regarded as the most accurate, and you can see here how he handled the top. Jimi's on the right is almost identical height-wise, but since it arcs upwards, cutting the top out, similar to @11b30b4, to give the sternum a little relief isn't uncommon. Your 850 kit appears to be a mix of these two styles. If the top is sitting directly on top of your sternum or just rubbing you the wrong way, cut it down a little, but don't follow the line of the chest armor. It might help to see the front box taped up on the armor so we can gauge where it's all sitting.

 

Also, since you're still on the abdominal armor, I have to tell you that this is probably the most important part of your kit. From your pics, I can't tell if you have suspenders for this yet or not. So, before you start cutting anything, you need to make sure you're wearing it exactly where you'll be wearing it when it's finished, which means getting your suspenders set now. Basically, your abdominal placement affects your chest and back placement, which affects your shoulder bell placement, which affects your biceps placement. In turn, your abdominal also affects the placement of your belt, which affects the cod and butt, which determines the placement of your thighs. I always suggest getting a sturdy set of suspenders with little to no stretch.

FInally, you may want to consider cutting down the sides, but that's ultimately determined by how your side straps are sitting in relation to your abdominal. Basically, you don't want a ton of white abdominal armor peeking up over the top of the gloss black strap that connects your chest and back. I stole the following picture from @TheRascalKing's build thread so you can see what I'm talking about:


Hope this all helps.

 

[TI25674[TK]]

@BigJasoni

 

Thanks for all of that! 

 

Yes, I have heavy duty suspenders I just haven't figured out how I am going to mount them. Yesterday I cut the sides and shims apart and joined them in the back with a butt joint like the OTs. Waiting for that to cure before I moved forward. I have left  little space for adjustment behind the trauma plate (velcro'd) for thicker layers. All in all i'm happy with the fit. I tend to wear the torsos a little tighter but nice to have that relief if I want it. I'm up for ideas on mounting the suspenders. I was thinking snaps, but ill get those mounted before cutting the top. I know the torso sits really high on me and pretty uncomfortable under the arms. But I may have it up too high. I'll post a pic with it and the chest plate on.