BlackDOG
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Posts posted by BlackDOG
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Just went through the same thing...... Paint bled under the pin striping tape I used. I tried to burnish it down good, but missed some places.
What type of thinner is easiest on the ABS? I am always using acetone for cleaning stuff, and it seems to dull the ABS significantly. I guess that makes sense, since I just retread about ABS goo. Also what did you polish with once the paint was removed? I have used Novus in the past.....
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It is hard for me to believe this project stalled for as long as it did......Man, it sucks when real life interferes with the galaxy far, far away!
TK is approved.......
TK 8286
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IT is hard to believe it has been a year since I started this.
A lot has happened in that time but pics have been submitted.
Here is a sneak peak...
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wow...thanks for all the info. I don't necessarily have a hard time leaving them "As is", but they do not match the white of my armor....
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Ok, I have Karin's flexible hand plates...I tried painting them with the paint I used for the rest of my ATA...
It looked awesome till I slightly flexed one. The paint ripped and peeled....
Ideas?
Leave as is?
Use a different paint?
J.
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much better...
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Thanks for that Michael , i just like to plan ahead, missed C.V this year , i noticed you live in Orlando , i will be there next Tuesday staying at Disney for 2 weeks , never been before so all getting very excited
I did a double dip......Disney and CV.......I can't imagine a better trip. It is astonishing how well Disney tries to maintain its parks......clean, uncluttered and friendly. I know it is not a perfect place.....but it is as darn close as I have ever seen. I am envious and hope you have as wonderful time as my family did.
I would dig CVI in Orlando..........
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lookin good! Just need to flip the mirrored images.
*Smacks forehead
I did not even think about the mirror thing.....looks really wonky that way......
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HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO.......
Well, I succumbed to the picky costumer's worst disease......Halloweenitus. My TK project stalled just prior to painting when I was reluctant to drag out the sewing machine to make the belt and sew up my strapping system. But as All Hallows Eve approaches, I jumped back in. Armor is painted, although, I am not terribly happy with it. The humidity would not cooperate and I switched to plain 'ol rustoleum gloss white. Several painting disasters later, here are the first few pics of my hero bucket. The whole think needs a polish, but I never picked up the novus and I am waiting for the paint to get good and hard before I polish it.......... It is fairly shiny as is, but there are a few areas needing some 1000 grit and polish. The Halloweenitus caused me to say "good enough for now" and I am moving forward. I will do some upgrade later.
And my E 11 in the new holster courtesy of TK 3855 (thanks, bro!)
Armor pics coming once I get some straps sewed.
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I expect that the ever so slight difference in the dimensions from using a butt joint instead of the overlap would not be noticeable and would not cause much of an issue in the back. The plastic is flexible and you are talking about less than a tenth of an inch difference spread out over the entire radius of the thigh.......
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If you use the 20mm cover strip, you could still use velcro...
I found low profile velcro at wal mart...it only pushes the finish strip out about 3MM.....
here is s link from another site showing the stuff....
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I painted mine with the Plastidip rubberized stuff.......just cause like the way it looks.
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So if I apply for EIB my backwards velcro is not an issue?
No I haven't painted yet
thank the Maker!J.
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Despite my best efforts to not cut things wrong, to lay out parts orderly and be careful, I have transposed my shins on my ATA.....
That is, I set the overlap in the back correctly and got the knee plat on right(left
correctly), but when I put on the shins,and velcro them up, it is apparent that the left shin is on my right leg and vice versa by the way they feel. The right shin digs into the inside of my knee . When I switch them, they feel fine, but of course, the knee plate is on the wrong leg......So, if I drill out my rivets and I switch the knee plate, is the inside over outside overlap in the shin backs a big deal? I mean I really don't like that, but I also don;t want to take the finishing strips off again and risk really boogering something up....
Comment? Thoughts? Wild snickering cause the noob switch his shins?
Any guidance would be most appreciated.
J.
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Status.......
Forearms.......Done
Thighs.........Done
Boots..........Here
Holster is on way. Belt parts are ready to be mated to a canvas belt...have to make that next. Shins have been glued in the front, velcro needs to go in the back.
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CAVEAT: I don't have a saberforge saber but have SEVERAL TCSS MHS Sabers....
That qualification being said, try the custom saber shop Saber Builder or a Saber Guild Member.....
Reasons why:
1. With a little adaptation, you can get a hilt that looks very similar and will be better. Take a look at the photos.....there are exposed set screws holding the sections together. My experience with this type of design makes for less than stable build. TCSS sections are held together by threads that lock them together. Dueled hard with my TCSS Modular Hilt System (MHS) saber..No issues of durability.
2. Saber folks are PICKY, but they know their stuff. If you have bad feedback on a saber forum, that comes from saber guys judging other saber guys. If I am going to go for EIB, then I would listen to EIB folks.........same thing with sabers.
3. You get what you pay for...and sometimes less. A quality saber hilt alone should cost about a hundred bucks.......You can buy a MR and hit something with it and it can die (you get less than you pay for). I broke a poly C blade tip dueling with my TCSS saber and the hilt has never faltered. The 149 price tag scares me........waaaay to low for a nice saber.
Recommendations:
Several guys over at TCSS and FX sabers have built trooper sabers. Do a search and take a look. Any of the MHS hilts will feel good in the hand and look good with the white powdercoat.........
Finding a Crystal Focus.......they are rare gems......they are the best around, but hard to come buy. I have 3 CFs in sabers..........after several years of building and collecting. If you really want an awesome turn key product...get in touch with a sabersmith in the SaberGuild....snag a saber with a Petit Crouton (basically a CF lite)...enjoy a well built prop that wont fritz out on you after the first clash with a bathrobe jedi......
My 2 cents......
HMMMMMMMM...Trooper Saber....I have not thought about that in a while.......great...another prop build.
J.
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Patrick.....
I am J. aka BlackDOG...from the Carolina Garrison. You are at the hub of our Garrison in Charlotte. You need to visit the CG website as RougeTrooper stated above. Our garrison will be glad to help you.
I am working on my first set of TK Armor..but have several other costumes.....PM me over at the Garrison if you have any questions....I check that forum more frequently.
A couple of things I have learned from my different builds:
1. READ>>>READ>>>READ>>>>> These forums are a gold mine of info. No one on these forums was born a stormtrooper expert. They got the knowledge by research and following the examples of others. Take time to check out the thread above about READ THIS FIRST. It is one of the better ones in the entire legion.....these guys at FISD have put a lot of effort into the good stuff being accessible. Don't be intimidated by words and acronyms you don't know yet.....the learning curve takes time....just soak it up.
2. DO NOT BUY ANYTHING ON EBAY. For clarity sake, DON'T EVER BUY ANYTHING ARMOR OR STORMTROOPER RELATED FROM EBAY. It will cost more in the long run, be poorer quality and supports recasting...the armor equivalent of swiping somebody's stuff.
3. Ask local folks. Get to know your local garrison, ask to come by during a troop, and check it out in person. Pics are great, but seeing the real deal in person is WAAAAAY better.
4. Take your time. Halloween is out of the question......armor builds take time and it takes time to get stuff once you order it. Be patient and spend that time doing #1 above.........
5. If you don't know after searching....ask. The Empire is friendly!
PM me if you get lost.
J.
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Any issues?...now that it is too late....LOL.......
I will answer my own question........forearm cover strips are too wide........not 15mm, they are 20.....
****sounds of cutting the one piece that was together apart, including the under the breath muttering, punctuated by gasp when utility knife slips and nicks a knuckle******
its 15mm for the arms.......blockhead.
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Did you play the Imperial March when you opened it? That's a requirement around here, you know.
Does humming the Imperial March count?
Well after my hero/ stunt dilemma......I got in touch with my favorite armorer and hero ears quickly showed up. I have spent the last week or so rough trimming and glued one forearm together to get the process down. The forearms were small enough that I did not have great big, long seams to do.....I think I have the drill down.
Then it was on to the helmet. I have been laboring over where to place innards(pads, fans, voice core
)in there, and I can't figure out that until I had the thing together. I am wanting to order pads, so I needed to get the bucket built and stick my head in there to see how thick of Team Wendy pads I needed. So I camped out at Mikes video, and build thread (THANKS A TON!)....and...I have a bucket.
and just for funsies......
I am not entirely happy with the left ear, but it seems that I remember Mike making a comment about the bucket just wanting to go a certain way. The brow trim misses the top of the ear by about 3/8" but I scooted the brow trim down slightly and it looks pretty good. You may notice the rivets in the inside of the ear.....I used several to spread out the load on the rivets and they were hidden anyhow. This pulled the sides together better and gave me more stability.
I am going to work on filing the teeth openings to get them finished and filling in the last tooth to give it a Hero frown. I also am going to touch up the eyes.
Any issues?...now that it is too late....LOL.......
J.
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Trimming is ongoing!
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and
WOO HOO!
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I dig the plasti-dip idea...I used some of this on some stainless steel cable on my sailboat....it sticks amazingly well.
The Custom Saber Shop
in TK Lightsabers
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No issues with TCSS.....spent tons of Imperial Credits there...