Khazid

The size of the pipe for the Hasbro conversion is not accurate, along with several ogher details that the vets here could point out. If you look at a reference pic of a Hasbro conversion side by side with a full resin kit, pipe build or sterling conversion the differences are very noticeable.

For item #34 I would suggest changing paint thinner to mineral spirits. Some thinners avaialble on the market are based in the same chemical family as acetone, so it will eat ABS.

Get me some popcorn, what a great idea!

Just a mini-update this time around. While I am waiting on the replacement chips to arrive, I started putting together my palate for the paint scheme. Pictured from left to right: Rustoleum Flat Black (paint+primer) – part #245198 Rustoleum Aged Copper (paint+primer) – part#249132 Rustoleum Hammered Black (paint+primer) – part#245217 Rustoleum Flat Black – part#7776 Tamiya Flat Black – part#XF1 Model Master Brass – part#1782 Model Master Gunmetal – part#1795 Model Master Aluminum – part#1781 Model Master Steel – part#4679 Model Master Chrome Silver – part#1790 Testors Gloss Silver – part#921575 Tamiya Clear Green – part#X25 Games Workshop Black Ink – part#61-75 Testors Dull Cote Pledge Future Here are my test swatches, which was done on a spare piece of styrene. Techniques and pattern usage are listed here. All parts will be lightly hand sanded with 220 grit sandpaper to remove imperfections, then cleaned with simple green on a microfiber cloth. After cleaning the parts will be hit with two light coats of Flat Black (paint+primer), then sanded lightly with 300 grit sandpaper. Before receiving the top coat of choice, the parts will be buffed with 800 grit wet sandpaper. That final sanding will be done with paper that is just moist, not dripping wet. I find this helps with adhesion of the top coat, but does not take away from the finish. Box#1 – This is the primary pattern and will be used on all the metal based gun parts (barrel, scope rail, counter, magazine, magazine receiver, upper part of grip, folding stock). This pattern is two coats of Hammered Black with a knockdown single coat of Flat Black. The knockdown coat is done from approximately 14 inches away from the subject, so the paint just barely gets there. Weathering was done with stippled aluminum followed by a wash of Gunmetal to fade out the edges. In my opinion, the best two of the weathering patterns here are on the left, the others look too wonky. The top coat here is 4 parts Dull Cote to 1 part of Future, thinned with 3 parts Windex. Box#2 – This is the pattern for the scope only. It consists of 1 medium coat of Aged Copper that is covered with 2 coats of Hammered Black. A knockdown coat of Flat Black is applied to remain consistent with all other parts. Weathering was attempted with 100 grit sandpaper, but it destroyed the finish, which is why I do these swatch patterns. I then attempted to scratch away the black layers and that was more successful (upper left weathering pattern and bottom right). I then feathered in Brass covered with a Gunmetal wash to fade out the edges. I was happy with those results, but in the final painting I will change techniques and use liquid mask on top of the Copper Layer that can be chipped away easily to expose after the black is applied. Then I can stipple in the Brass and feather out with the gunmetal wash. The top coat here is the same one used in Box#1. Box#3 – This is the pattern for the bolt, honestly my favorite of the swatch patterns. It consists of a thinned layer of Gunmetal that is covered in a series of washes that will run in the same direction the bolt travels. To simulate the raised parts of the bolt, which have more wear due to more contact in the barrel, I glued on a strip of .75mm styrene. The washes on top of the Gunmetal were first done in Aluminum and then in Steel. Both of those washes were thinned with equal parts of brush cleaner and Windex. Once that dried the raised part of the bolt was painted in Chrome Silver. Finally, the Black Ink was applied in thick streaks with a .02 brush that were immediately buffed out with a paper towel. The edges where the raised part meet the bolt got a straight treatment of ink that was blotted and pulled, bringing the ink on top of that edge. These buffed streaks washed out in the top coat, replicating lubrication stains that travel in the same direction of the bolt. The top coat is equal parts Dull Cote to Future, thinned with 2 parts Windex. Box #4 – This is the grip pattern that is not metal. This is two layers of Flat Black spray paint. The top coat is 2 parts Dull Cote to 1 part Future, thinned with 3 parts Windex. I think a little more Future could be used here so that the shine comes up just a bit. I wanted it to be semi-gloss, and that can be seen, but it still looks little too flat. No weathering. Box#5 – This pattern will be used on all the bolts/screws, trigger, trigger Guard, barrel interior, spring, D-Ring and the nozzle interior. It is two coats of Flat Black (like Box#4) but the top coat here is pure Dull Cote. Weathering for these items will vary, but will mostly just be some stippled steel covered with a thin wash of Tamiya Flat Black. The exception to this will be the spring, which will receive washes of brass, gunmetal and black ink in a similar manner to that of the bolt. I want the spring to be mostly black, but have just a few instances of metal showing through to pick out the high lights. The spring will get the same top coat as boxes #1 and #2. A word about Future, this is a floor polish that is acrylic based. It dries as hard as a rock and is a wonderful medium for any type of top coat that you apply. I’ve been using it for as long as I can remember and see no reason to not continue that here. That bottle in the picture above has lasted me going on 10 years now, and I’ve barely dented it. Not only that, but Future can be used on clear parts (like lenses and canopies) to remove any minor surface scratches from blades and errant sanding. I also use it to cover decals to completely seal them. The gloss silver I have not used yet, and will reserve that for potential weathering. I just liked the steel and chrome silver colors better. The Tamiya Clear Green is used in my scope assembly, which I will be discussing in an upcoming update, but I might also use that on the scope to do some fading of the copper/brass washes. Time will tell. Looking for some feedback here…tell me what you think. I have not applied any of the above swatches to actual parts, they are just concepts that I am happy with at this moment, but could switch it up should my thoughts be leading me astray here. Until next time…

Check out the videos at trooperbay.com, one of the segments goes over the shins. Specifically built with the bra hook method.

If you decide to drill out the divets, put a very wet (almost dripping) wash cloth behind them as you drill. This will cool the rivet and reduce the chance you melt the surrounding plastic. Drilling out rivets generates lots of heat. The above tip comes from Gazmosis.

Brown box....brown box....we want to see the brown box.

For basic approval it is not needed. If you want to go fir EIB or Centurion then yes, a blaster is needed.

Trooperbay is legit, no issues there. As to the kits to purchase, there is a thread in this sub-forum that goes over all the vetted makers.

Make sure to check out some RS Centurion threads and cross reference to the CRL's. There are other items out there for Centurion that could be needed. Split rivets for kidney/ab. Han snap on ab plate. Correct rivet and snaps on cod/butt. Just to name a few. Good luck with your build!

It is at times like this that I am reminded of a quote from one of my child hood heroes: "If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" -- John Wooden While I admire the admission that patience and time are working against you, a lot of your final goals are going to work against you. To have a cool looking costume is going to take some time to compile and fit. Pickles is an amazing resource, so before you invest any of your income in the journey, go have a visit with her garrison. Even if you don't join the 501st, seeing some of what is involved will help you make a better decision on your path. Perhaps avoiding a rushed choice that you will regret down the road. Good luck on your journey!

Great details on these steps!

Nice work!

It cuts down on reflection of light, meaning it is harder for kids to see behind the facade.

Captain Couch Cushion.....priceless.

Hyperfirm posts for sale threads here in the px from time to time. I believe they were taking a break after SWCA before more runs hit the market. With that said, check out Derrek's Phoenix Props kit. I am admittedly biased, but his cs is top notch and the product is nothing short of amazing. His V2 kit is due any time now. You can find his sale thread in the ongoing sales section.

You could always make a snowball list. Write down all the tools, supplies and kit expenses you will have. Put it on a wipe board and label it TK Academy, or something like that. Assign a cost to each line item and over budget by 5%. Put a coffee can, empty 2 litre, etc. Near the board and drop your spare change in it. Every 4-6 weeks, count up the savings and try to make that first small purchase. Rinse and repeat until you have the whole dream list completed. Good luck.

I faced the same decision seven months ago. My advice is take the journey that is best for you. The end result will be the same. One caveat, building the armor yourself will give you a much better understanding as to how it all goes together. The skill set isn't all that high. Most of the trimming is done with a ruler/blade or curved lexan scissors. Talk with your local garrison and then take the plunge onto your path. Welcome to the white zone!

Just suggestions... Your undersuit is popping out at the seams in your arm. You may need a closer fitting compression shirt. The chest plate looks high to me, maybe try to lower it a little more to cover more of the ab plate. hard to tell if it is the angle of the camera, but your right drop box looks too far away from the belt. The left thigh opening at the knee looks too big. I am positive the vets around here will correct anything my eyes are not correct on, but this is all I see. Overall nice build though

Dang, those ears look nice. Good job sir!

I am now nearly done with all the pre assembly of the blaster. Before I could start painting though, I needed to finish up the electronics by getting them off of the testing board and into their final home, with all the wiring soldered into place. First up was coming up with the concept for the circuit. I positioned the molex pin mounts and then picked out a home for the LED drivers. To get the circuit board to mount into the bolt I had to dig out a channel just big enough to handle a breadboard slice. (Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.) The channel is right above the sharpie line, but is hard to make out in the picture. The test fit looks great. With that done I was able to mount all three drivers and after recounting the number of molex pins I needed, I got that issue corrected as well. Now I took an evening, and while watching a movie I took my breadboard slice and exploded it onto graph paper to come up with a wiring schematic. The x’s are holes in the breadboard that I wanted no wiring soldered down. All other areas were free game in my design. And with that, I got down to wiring. I really took my time here and made sure that as each wire went down, it would not create too much overlap, wasting precious space. Here is another test fit into the bolt. Satisfied with that test fit, I really started moving in getting the wiring finished. This took me about seven days to complete, doing what I could here and there when I wasn’t at work. In all, the next series of photos represents approximately ten hours of labor. Yes, I really was taking my time. Those of you more experienced with electronics could do this much, much faster. Forgive the sloppy soldering, I am still trying to get the hang of that too. I didn’t get a final pic of the finished circuit. I will get that for you in my next update. However; once all the wiring was done with the primary circuit, it was time to finish the molex connectors. Here you can see the 6 slot molex that I will be using for some of the wiring coming out of the counter. The next series of photos shows you how I used the Helping Hands tool to hold the wiring in place to solder in the pins that go inside the molex connectors. And here is the shot of the finished electronics. I was so excited. The test run went flawlessly and I was effortlessly toggling weapons, reloading, watching the ammo go down, and powering both off and on with the toggle switch I designed. Giddy just doesn’t explain the feeling at that moment. Then I put the finished board in the bolt and realized the wires for the front RGB LED had been clipped about an inch too short. Heck, if I could just do a complete wiring on a circuit board, I could easily splice in some wires and extend the run long enough to get it all to fit. Yep, over confidence will ruin your day, every time. I forgot to apply heat to the heat shrink over each wire that I spliced. When I pulled over the main tubing those little pieces of tubing shifted, exposing those splices. When I shrunk down that main tube, it created a series of short circuits that I had no clue were there. When I did the test firing of this run, I managed to fry both RGB LED’s, the associated drivers and at least my Arduino. I still have no clue yet on if I damaged any of the circuity in the counter. Yes, I am reliving my nightmare here, but I find it important in life to go over your mistakes, understand the root cause (not properly using heat shrink) and then learn from those mistakes. I have new parts ordered and coming. I have managed to rally from the catastrophe and will continue to push on and finish the build. While those components are in route I will finish the scope and start doing the painting on the components that are ready for it. See you all again in two weeks.

Hello everyone, time for another round of updates. When we last left off I was making progress on the concept behind my trigger assembly. Let’s just get right to it, shall we? Here is the proof of concept. The breadboard segment that is bisecting the assembly has a reed switch on top that has a wire soldered to either end. When the magnets on the switch (upper left corner of the toggle) come within range, the switch will close and allow power to flow through the contacts. Here is a shot from the other side. The metal plate under the reed switch allows for the other magnets on the toggle (lower right hand side) to stick. This gives the switch a stopping point and will maintain the connection for power to flow through the reed switch. Here is a close up shot of the toggle switch. The three magnets on the lower right are to hold the switch in position, the upper left hand magnets activate the reed switch; as noted above. I now installed an additional structural support in the assembly, and the metal plate you see there is for the toggle to be allowed to be held in an “off†position. On the actual grip, the selector switch will line up with the “S†and when I toggle it over to on, it will come very close to the “R†position. I then dug out a channel on the front side of the assembly for the trigger guard. Here is what the completed assembly looks like with the top support now in, wiring run into its channels and the inside portion where the trigger will be installed is painted flat black. This is to absorb light and not make the inside of the trigger assembly look odd when final assembly happens. Now I can install the momentary switch in the retaining screw slot. I bored out a 5/16†hole all the way through the grip. I then fitted a cap for the top of the switch that has since been filled in with Magic Sculpt to level it off. I also sculpted an alley for the screw head that I will be mounting to the switch. This will disguise the switch completely, but still allow me to toggle what weapon I’m using (single fire, rapid fire or stun). The back side got capped off with some scrap 1mm styrene. I later filled the edging in with Magic Sculpt and added back in a domed bead of sculpt to represent the part that is there on the real sterling grip.

When using the Cut'n Snap method, if you are having to apply a lot of pressure to the knife try changing out the blade. A super sharp edge makes a huge difference. In my past projects I always wound up with a small pile of good blades, but not sharp enough to use this method on.

Thanks Derrek. I feel pretty silly. Everything was in place and all the electronics were done. Some crazy splicing not done correctly is what brought the whole thing to a halt. /sigh

So today was not a good day. I was done with punching down the primary circuit board and was doing final testing. Everything was good to go when I discovered my LED at the front of the barrel was about an inch short of where it should sit. No problem, just splice some wires in and extend the run. That all went smoothly and when I was covering the run I forgot a key piece. Heat shrink over the smaller connects wasn't melted. I pulled the main cover over the splices and it moved all the heat shrink underneath. This caused a short in the circuit, that I didn't find until it was way too late. I fried my Arduino, both RGB LED's (and their driver's). I have no idea if I damaged the components in the counter. Now, it is off to order more parts, wait a couple weeks for them to arrive and then some how I have to find the courage to do all the electronics again. I'll do my bi-weekly updates on Sunday like normal, but sadly it is going to be a bit before you see any more. Now where is that lightsaber....I must go fall on it.....