wook1138

Weathering of everything but the helmet and soft parts is done. I also removed the paint run line from the helmet and redid it with a better colour. I also added the cheek crack and some random spots of HDPE green to simulate paint chips. Of course I won’t have as many chips as the non-screen capture reference pics since they are way after the fact, but they do give ideas as to where the paint may have chipped off. Overall the weathering is stronger than I planned, much stronger, but I’m generally happy with it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The tops of the forearms are shaped funny. You could give it a hot bath to reshape, but trimming the return edge is the easiest fix and it will make the forearms much more comfortable to wear for long troops. Removing the return edge is approved at all levels. Your build is looking very good. Nice work!

Nice work trooper!

This would make for a great profile pic. Plastic, tape, E6000, knife, and a sh!tload of clamps. All the important elements. Looking good!

I’m just adding washes of burnt umber and black. Trying to build up the dirtiness of certain areas. It is a slow process and I’ll be too busy this weekend to work on the armour. So close! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hahaha. I was wondering how long it would be before @CableGuy mentioned something. Anyway, I did the exact same thing! And for the TD clips, I just bought a pair of cheap tin snips (duct snips) and cut off the ends that butt up to the control panel. The control panel was still a little high, but this didn't cause any issues for approval - just one of those screen-accuracy things. Oh, Canadian Tire has the right size of pan head screws for your TD. I can send you the info for them later if you want.

Looks great! You might get away with the belt being as high as it is. The small button plate looks like it could stand to be trimmed a bit more but it could be the angle of the picture. A very nice build, Jenny! Sniper knee looks fantastic, BTW. Good luck.

Looks good!

Looking good! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So sorry to hear that! Real life can get in the way.

Thanks! This has proven to be more difficult than I anticipated. I shouldn't be surprised at this point. Short answer: yep - I'm not done with the colour yet. The colours go on in layers as washes. Long answer: To be honest - who knows what colour the actual screen-used weathering was. But, based on most of the pics I've found, yeah, the weathering appears more dirt or dark grey coloured than the reddish burnt umber brown. I still have to add the black / grey colour layers yet - so it will (hopefully) look more like the reference pic (if that is what you mean). Also, don't trust that reference pic above for colour - I think I ran it through a filter or two in photoshop to bring out other details. About the colour: Word on the street is that there is some amount of red or rust in the colouring of the weathering (ukswrath) - to match the on-location (Ajim, Tunisia) sand/soil. Also, motor oil used with local dirt was used on set (I think I got that from Pandatrooper at MEPD), and recent attempts to replicate this process returned a rich brown colour. I am under the impression that the film process and lighting would desaturate the warmer brown colours (the majority of the reference pics). I recently found a behind the scenes pic of the troopers in the alley before the Falcon takes off - you can distinctly see areas of reddish brown weathering and areas of just black or charcoal coloured weathering. Is this what it looked like in person? Is the picture's crappy quality affecting the colour? Who knows, but the pic probably has better colour representation than what you will see on the release film stock / Blu-ray transfer. I can't post pics right now, I'll try to remember to post the pic later. This doesn't help me with the colouring on the chest, but it has helped me decide on how to approach the weathering in general. Also, you may have noticed that I've flipped-flopped on my subtle or "realistic" approach to weathering. I'm still using the airbrush to make it look a bit better up close in person, but it seems one needs that stronger colour and contract to hold up in photos (to a certain point) - and it seems to be more accurate in terms of on-set appearance. Somebody did tests (maybe Pandatrooper again) with the strong weathering by taking pictures and blurring/compressing them to match the reference pictures - the test compared very nicely with the reference pics. I'm going for a balance of how it appears in the movie and how it may have appeared on set. And with that, I'll probably get both wrong.

Well, it pains me but I decided to redo my chest to match the shins a bit better. Plus, it will be easier to match other pieces moving forward. I want to get the reddish colour from the burnt umber to match the sandstone of the original filming location. Removed most of yesterday’s work except a few dark spots. I used several light washes of burnt umber to bring back the colour and contrast. And then work some of the extra paint away with a damp cloth. I haven’t added the airbrush layers yet. I’ll let this paint dry/set overnight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! For the airbrush, yeah - mostly a light dusting and to help blend in the hard edges of the base layer (acrylic rubs). The first layer of airbrush is put on a bit thicker and is used to build up the darker areas and it gets partly wiped away with mineral spirits. The last layer is the sand coloured layer - this is strictly for the purpose of light dusting.

I use a dremel for the larger pieces and then clean up the cuts with a pair of lexan scissors. It doesn't seem to matter what I do, I seem to at least partly melt the plastic as I cut - I have no patience I guess. I only use the utility knife on straight cuts and always away from inside corners (use a drill to drill a small hole in the corner and cut away from the corner). I use lexan scissors a lot. Here is the dremel wheel I use. I recently trimmed my kit and documented most of the process. you can find it here if you are interested: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44468-wooks-totally-dirty-td-build-ap/?do=findComment&comment=610860

Weathering. So, I’m trying to find a balance between what looks good on camera and what looks good in person. I found that my previous test looked pretty good in person but seemed pretty soft in pictures. Because of this I decided to punch up the weathering a bit. I started with the shins since I tend to weather too much and the shins are typically the dirtiest part. Started by using a sponge to apply burnt umber acrylic paint. I kept on dabbing until the paint was pretty much dry. Wiped away most of the paint with a damp shop towel. Did the same thing with black paint but only in some areas and used more of a wash than applying paint straight out of the tube. I did two coats with the airbrush. One layer was a brown-grey colour and the other is sand coloured. So, four different colours in total were used. Final Reference In sunlight with a clean thigh for comparison. So, then I jumped into it. First try was too dark. So I had to tone it down with white paint. Compared to shins. Closer pic with flash. The shins look too different than the chest. The shins are richer in colour and contrast. Question is, which gets redone? I think I will give the chest another go tomorrow - it looks too "painted on" anyways. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome! I ordered the regular pack. It will be interesting to see how they differ. I have the same concern regarding the Bee stinger and canteen. I have the same replacement part as well. Let me know what you find as a good match for the paint color. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lol. Thanks Dan!

Reference pics for helmet Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, what Jenny said. I also have the gap - but I find that standing up very straight or even arching my back a bit helps close the gap. I little pointer there for when you do your approval photos.

That's awesome! Thanks!

So, the tube stripes were finally dry! So I cleaned them up a little bit and quickly assembled the helmet. I did not install the lens yet and the Hovi mics still need some (lots of) adjustments. I will also also need to add the HDPE green colour to the crack on the cheek. After some research I think I found a very close colour match to use on the helmet. I will redo the crack on the top of the helmet as well. I cobbled together a makeshift thigh garter. 3 inch elastic and 2 inch nylon webbing and a buckle. And a bunch of tape. So I was finally able to do a test fit. My makeshift thigh garter system did not hold up very well and the thighs have dropped a bit in the pictures. The shins have also rotated, I will need to add some Velcro to the boots and the insides of the shins. I also noticed that I will need to hot bath the back tabs on the shoulders so they don’t stick up so much. I meant to add these parts as well. However, my bucket did not have any fans in it, I had forgotten how hot it gets without the fans. So this fitting was short-lived. Hot bathing the tab. The one on the left has been adjusted for comparison. Overall, the fitting seemed pretty good. The true test will be walking around for an extended amount of time to test how the return edges will feel. So, it’s finally time for the weathering. Woo hoo. Yeah, that is what I look like when I am happy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats, Jordan!

Great job! Congratulations!

Last few things. Ammo pack and some final strapping. Still waiting for the tube stripes to fully dry before I can clean them up. Ammo pack riding low. Single cap rivet Arms ready to go. Once some glue drys. I just noticed that the captain does not have bicep hooks. I guess I'll have to change that sometime later. Come on paint... dry. Once I can do a full test fit and if things seem good then I can finally get dirty. Oh, and glue the silicone hand guards to the gloves - tomorrow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On set or even after. Who knows. I'm not entirely sure it would pass upper levels - best to ask a deployment officer for that. I just think a person has a good argument if it does hit some resistance at basic. You are right in that one occurrence of something does not make it ok or passable. It is just that the RS suit is pretty much the Holy Grail of TK armor research here. I give it more credibility / weight for that. In other words, I wouldn't go trying to fix it at this point. And... I would even, politely, debate it with my GML if it wasn't passed.