MaskedVengeance

Very cool! I’m hoping to be able to print a T-21 someday as well. Will yours be complimenting a TD, ROTK, or HWT? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OP (MV) Post #16 Nearly two months of COVID-19 later, and I'm finally trying to get back into my TK build. With only 35 spots left to be in the first 1,000 EIB troopers, and pretty much that same number to be one of the first 500 Centurions (per May newsletter), it's time to pick up my game. Before I start trimming and fitting my forearms I'm hoping to get some guidance to ensure I piece them together properly. Here is what I'm thinking, and a reminder that I have ATA armor. A & B = Left forearm C & D = Right forearm Thanks to the advice of many troopers I've continued my search for proper PPE for ABS sanding. I managed to snag a 3M respirator from eBay, but I'm aware that there are counterfeit items floating around, so I'm wondering if any of you with the same half face mask (6100, 6200, 6300 models) can confirm that this visually appears to be legitimate. See photos below. In all reality, perhaps the most critical components I'd be concerned about are actually the filters, and I may still need to source some extras plus other dust/debris versions. Hopefully what I purchased is genuine and that I can manage with the filters I have, since I know that first responders have a greater need for this equipment right now. Another question - Do any of you have any recommended tutorials for cutting cover strips? I thought I'd previously seen some threads but am unable to locate them at this time? I like the idea of score-and-snap, but what methods have you all used successfully? To keep them straight when sanding, do you use a belt sander, or perhaps rub them onto sandpaper laid on a table? Since this build thread is intended to serve as a resource for future builders, I also wanted to point out Wingnut65's recent visual checklist revisions which were mentioned in this month's Detachment newsletter. These will be great alongside Joseph's Quick Reference Guide (printable PDF), and I'll also be utilizing Jeff's HWT sheets as well. Quote Responses: Christine - What product have you used to soak and break in your holster for ease of blaster access? Do you literally soak it in a solution prior to the periodic lubrication? I'll also be sure to use respiratory PPE when sanding my ABS, and I don't intend to use any of the magnet rings for your shin design. They'll simply be used for template designing, possibly for armor gluing clamping, and also around the house. Tony - Thanks for those tips regarding the vocoder color options and sanding PPE. Very helpful!

One of my goals has been to be one of the first 1,000 EIB and 500 Centurion, so I really need to get working. Baby care has occupied more time than binge-watching during this pandemic. Perhaps I need to start pulling some overnight armor working sessions. Haha. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OP Post #4 Progress continues slowly, and since my last post has consisted primarily of the acquisition of components for my HWT build. BBB day came a couple weeks ago, and you can see my full post with armor unboxing photos on my ANH Stunt thread. Here is a preview! I also had a medium brown box day with the delivery of my orange pauldron from Trooper1 (Jay), and it is gorgeous! Seems a bit of a shame to have to dirty it up a bit for my heavy. Pics incoming. I also completed inking all the white threading on my MP40 pouches black with a Pilot G2 1.0-size black pen, which I already had at the house. It was very tedious, and for some reason I found it appropriate to have some WWII TV documentaries playing in the background. It was cool to see some MG-34s in action! The photos below don't do my thread paint job justice, as some of the lighting and texture differences with the leather make the threads still appear to be white. I also want on a paint binge and purchased many shades of black and gray to use on my T-21 and DLT-19 builds, when that time comes. Social distancing may make supply runs difficult, and potential shelter-in-place orders could even make it impossible. I've also acquired gloss white (for TK rivet heads), Model Master 1923 Gunship Gray, and some Rust-oluem gray primer and black. I'm not really sure why I got the Testors thinner, since I already have Gamblin Gamsol mineral spirits, but I suppose I could use it on non-ABS areas. At some point I suspect I will create dedicated threads for my T-21 and DLT-19 builds, but for now I'll leave that related content on this thread, since I haven't made much progress yet. I do have a couple questions for those of you with blaster build experience: Does the ACT cap (shown below) appear to be the correct proportion for the PVC bunting I purchased? I opted for the "smaller" sized bottle since I saw that mentioned on another thread, but it wasn't clear what the exact bottle oz size was, or the dimensions of the flash suppressor itself. Is there a way to coat a thick paper/cardboard tube to provide it with moisture protection? The tub itself is already very strong, but I would worry about it losing form if rained on. I'm asking because the outer diameter of the tube more closely matches the the size of the reduced T-21 barrel than standard 2.5" conduit or the vacuum tube extension wand. See the comparison below. Finally, just another T-21 component I acquired--the phone line cable. I still need to find some blue wire, so any suggestions for the proper gauge would be helpful. Thanks, Joseph, for your automotive windshield washer tubing suggestion in your post above. Hopefully I'll have more updates soon, especially if I'm kept home from work during these uncertain times. Stay safe, heavies.

Shaky, cracked, duct taped, misaligned. It’s true. All of it. [emoji12] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OP (MV) Post #15 Another update folks, with some questions and photos. First some questions, so they don't get buried later in this post. TK frown mesh/screen. Is there a particular mesh pattern or size which is most appropriate for Centurion approval? Must it only be a single layer, or can it be doubled, and if so, would there be any benefit? If there's aren't any restrictions I'll likely just pick some up at a hardware or home improvement store, rather than at Trooperbay (product). What black paint finish should be used for the mic tips? Should it be a gloss, semi gloss, or matte? The same as the vocoder? In regards to the vocoder, I've seen that it should be a semi gloss black, but my local craft stores only have Testors in gloss (not semi). Does semi actually exist, and if so, must I use that instead of gloss? Finally, respiration PPE (personal protective equipment). When sanding ABS is it important to wear a respirator or mask of some sort? I had planned on purchasing a 3M respirator but alas those are now hard to come by. Would a simple shop/mowing mask suffice? I have a stockpile of these Walmart "Hyper Tough" masks from lawn mowing. Now finally on to the photos. As previously mentioned, I received my holster and neck seal from Darman this week. I got the heavier 8oz holster which is quite firm, and will require some breaking in for use with my Hellhounds rubber blaster. If I end up trooping with a DLT-19 instead I may just use a modified rubies blaster in the holster and semi dual-wield like the Death Star scene (I forget if it was Han or Luke when they were approaching the detention block elevator). The neck seal also seems very nice, and I opted for the larger bib for ease of tucking into my undersuit. I simply noted my neck circumference (15.5") and Darman size it to fit me comfortably! I'm sure I'll eventually get the hang of setting and pulling the zipper, but for now my strategy has been to put in on backwards so I can see the zipper, then swivel it around once zipped. Are wearing it some more I'm sure the neck area will adopt a more rounded shape, after having been flattened inside the holster in the shipping package. Finally, on to the 120 magnets I purchased. Per Joseph's Magnet 101 recommendation, I purchased 20 of the N40 7/8" x 1/8" disc magnets for general armor application. I also purchased 50 of the N52 12mm x 3mm disc and 50 of the ring magnets which Christine recommends for her magnetic shin closure design. I figure I can use the extra ring magnets for thinner and tighter areas of the armor some as arm pieces, and the cost difference between purchasing 25 and 50 was insignificant. I plan on making sachets for the magnets to protect them and the armor, and for ease of use. Thanks for these tips, Justin! Your cutting and sanding strategy is pretty similar to what I'm planning on, although I don't have any tin snips or a belt sander, although I have considered purchasing the latter to use on some woodworking projects. I figure I could probably just clamp a sheet of sandpaper to a flat table surface and rub the straight armor piece on top of it, similar to this shoulder bridge strategy. As for some metal rulers... I'm all over that. As an art/engineering student in College I wanted nothing to do with plastic or wooden rulers, so I have an entire metal collection ranging from six inches to a yard, some cork-backed and others not. I'm definitely going to try out the magnet/ruler technique!

OP (MV) Post #14 Well, it's been a crazy two weeks since my last post, to say the least. Local schools have closed and the College (University) I work at has transitioned to distance online learning for the remainder of the term. It's hard to know if these changes to life due to COVID-19 will result in me having more time to work on my build, or less, but either way I've been attempting to collect the last couple of supplies needed for the project so I can minimize shopping in the near future. Social distancing. Weird times. With both my builds (my HWT being the other), I've been posting photos of my collected supplies for two reasons. One, to enable experienced builders to provide feedback on the items, and two, so that future buildings can have a visual representation (along with purchase links) of the exact items they may need to purchase themselves. First up, gloves and lexan scissors. The 3M chemical gloves came from Lowes, while the straight and curved scissors were from Amazon. Has anybody had any experience with the MPI Maxx Products curved scissors? They were supposed to be the Excel brand, but the seller shipped me these instead, so I'm wondering if I should give them a go or return them. I've also just received my 8oz E-11 holster and neck seal from Darman today, and will have photos of those up by the weekend. 120 magnets, yes you heard that right, are also in-hand. Joseph recommended at least ten (10) large discs on his supply list and Magnets 101 thread, so I got 20 of them plus 50-packs of the smaller ones recommended by Christine (Cricket) for her shin closure design. I also have needle files, mineral spirits, and acetone in the mail. @justjoseph63 - Can you send me a purchase link to the "Sandblaster Pro Flexible silicone sanding sheets from 3M" which you recommend on your Supply List? I'm not sure if what I'm finding is correct; perhaps it's no longer sold any more. Stay safe and healthy, friends.

This is why, in the photography industry, zoom lenses (or high mm primes) are used for portraits. To minimize distortion. Luckily many smartphones now have multiple camera lenses to capture different focal lengths. Use the zoom one. Another pro-tip: Do NOT use any portrait-type mode on smartphones when taking photos of builds. The false bokeh (blur) can be applied incorrectly, and in general will hide details which we might want to see. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is definitely going to be printed and put in my resource folder! As are many of Joseph’s tutorials! Thanks for your awesome work! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Back in 2009 or 2010 I got into playing the Battlefield series games online, and wanted a new screen name which wasn’t related to my previous Lord of the Rings obsession. At that time my go-to name had been “darkelf,” but I wanted something less fantasy-like for my WWII and modern warfare gaming. I decided on a variation of my last name (Mask), and thus became known as “MaskedVengeance.” Fast forward to a decade later in 2019 and I figured the same name, though a bit lengthy, would work for Legion purposes. From time to time I may also refer to myself as “MV” for short. Or you can call me Caleb. =)

Oh man this makes me nervous since my BBB Day was last week and I have all the Billgrams printed and ready to be used as references. I had planned to post photos with questions on my build thread before making unrecoverable cuts or hole snap/rivet holes, so maybe I’ll still be ok. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Your quick work on this continues to impress me, and makes me think my 9-month TK build is as slow as your extra 100ml of cured resin. Looking forward to seeing the progress, but more importantly, I wish you the best this week with your treatment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds about right to me. The guest bedroom and living room get overrun with WIP props... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was actually just checking our your thread earlier today before your update and was wondering what your recent progress had been! I just received my ATA armor and will be making my first cuts soon. Your probably already had plans to do this, but be sure to scuff up the cap rivets on your knee with sandpaper to give the paint some texture to hold to. Keep up the great work! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can also give the shoulder bridges a boiling water bath. Just be careful not to burn yourself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OP (MV) Post #13: BBB DAY ARRIVED YESTERDAY! Unboxing and obligatory laid out photos incoming. Yes, I'm wearing rebel scum "It's a trap" socks. Note that, as is the case with all my photos posted on FISD, they may appear a bit fuzzy embedded in posts due to poor web and forum compression. Clicking on each image will open them in a high resolution format for maximum clarity. Initial thoughts. These pieces are larger and more firm than I was expecting. Of course that will change a bit once I trim them and remove many of the return edges. Now where to start. I'm not sure I want to tackle the helmet first since that's such a prominent piece with tiny details. Perhaps I will go with taking off the return edges on the wrist side of the forearms, since that will be a requirement for level three. Are there any other suggestions for starting points? Perhaps the chest, back, or ab pieces? I tried to lay the pieces out in the fashion I expect them to be upon assembly, but the shins were the only ones labeled, so I may have gotten some of it wrong. Am I correct in understanding that the biceps (both with thumbprints) and forearms are interchangeable? If I recall correctly, the shoulder bells are to have the swoosh facing forward, correct? I believe the left side thighs are also intended to be a little shorter than the right, to accommodate the sniper plate, but please correct me if that's not the case. That's all for now. The journey is finally getting real!

Congrats Robert! I look forward to following in your footsteps, and using your submission as a reference! As Joseph pointed out, your paint job is AMAZING! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GUYS. THERE IS A STORMTROOPER AT MY DOOR! I might need to leave work early to let him in. Obviously, to be continued...

I’ll get to it when I’m at a computer and can copy my build thread link! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm in the same boat, too. I saw them when they were first released, but unfortunately didn't download them at the time.

Haha, how did I never notice that?! I guess I'm always too busy looking at the actual armor components of the various CRLs. I'm glad HHP got it correct on my E-11.

Glad you liked it, Kalani! The lack of the metal rail on the Praetorian OT E-11 is especially curious since they actually already have the open metal rail on the Rogue One variant! I don't know what it would cost to rework their OT molds, but it may be worth the investment in order to maximize their sales. Then again, they practically have a monopoly on the US rubber E-11 market, so maybe updating wouldn't net them much. Perhaps Daniel at Hellhounds will integrate a recoil spring in the future, and also clean up the muzzle area on his blaster. Those adjustments, coupled with the metal rail and the free-floating folding stock wishbone, would make the Hellhounds E-11 nearly perfect!

OP (MV) Post #11 Well folks, it's been a minute since I last posted. Work has been crazy, medical concerns with my infant, and home improvement projects. Now back to armor improvement, or rather, construction. Well, sorta, as you'll see. Perhaps the most significant update is that I received my TK strap system from @TheRascalKing. I figured I would enlist the expertise and service of a seasoned TK veteran and purchase a kit, rather than make my own [mistakes]. The double snap strapping items I received are shown below, but keep in mind that Justin offers several options, so this is simply what I selected. He has kits which contain both more, and less. Throughout the process Justin was great about communicating updates, and unless I were to decide to make my own, if I ever needed another kit I would go straight to him again! If you remember, keep Justin in your thoughts and prayers, as he has been battling cancer. Additionally, not too long ago I received this box in the mail. Yes, it was ABS, but no not my white TK armor. Just another one of my distractions while I wait for my ATA kit to arrive—a 3D printed black ABS Shoretrooper helmet from Christine (Cricket)! She had scaled it too small for her to wear so I thought I'd snag it to get some practice at finishing props and use it as a display (probably at work). Some additional photos may pop up later on this build thread, but I'll try to keep things mostly on-topic for this TK build thread. Speaking of 3D printing and distractions, I sold my drone and purchased a second-hand new-in-box Ender 3 Pro printer to use for some TK props (DLT-19 and E-11s). The cash from my drone sale greatly exceeded the cost of the printer, and I'll be able to cover the cost of my armor with the remainder. Now just to unpack and assemble the printer, choose some PETG and/or ABS filament (once I build an enclosure), and time to start practicing! And not that I need so many E-11s, but I grabbed these two Rubies blasters on eBay for $24 shipped which I will be refinishing with more accurate features, in a manner similar to artimorty (thread) and happytrooper (thread). I figured it never hurts to have backup, and I'm sure my 8-year-old nephews will love "playing" with them too. When I crunched the numbers, the seller I bought them both from only netted $8-9 from the sale once shipping, ebay, and Paypal fees were accounted for. That does not include the up front cost that the seller would have initially purchased them for, so great deal for me—maybe not so much for them. Since I'm apparently a glutton for distractions, and am probably stretching myself thing, I've also begin the initial steps of scratch building a DLT-19. Here are the first components purchased for the build, and I'll likely be starting a dedicated thread in the weapons locker forum. I'm starting on the barrel and muzzle, and will be taking inspiration from the following threads: Astyanax | rl180 | HappyTrooperDotCom Now for a soft goods update. I've already picked out all the soft goods I'll be purchasing for my TK, and the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger with Darman and Kittle is the money. I think I may ask my wife for some Etsy gift cards for my birthday in several months. I also purchased a super cheap 2-pack of balaclavas on Amazon, but I haven't even opened them to check the quality. I suspect they'll be pretty bad at that price-point, and I'm not even really sure if I'd want to wear one anyway. I also dug out my old black cotton marching band gloves from high school, to potentially wear under centurion-level rubber gloves. Sure, I could purchase some for less than $10 on Amazon, but I thought it would be kinda neat to recycle the ones from my marching band years for use during troop marching. As usual, here is my obligatory non-build Star Wars-related content. One of my young nephews recently had a birthday party which was partially Star Wars themed, and while I expected all the children to receive party favors, I was surprised to get one myself. My sister-in-law must think I'm a kid at heart. She might be right. First is the Leia doll which my baby daughter received (from Galaxy's Edge), followed by my mini lego set. I think I'll display it with my Lego Microfighters. For those of you interested, I've also just posted an update on my HWT build thread, linked below. I've made a bit more progress on that front since there's the backpack, pouches, and T-21 which I have been able to occupy myself with while I wait for my ATA armor to arrive. Until next time, as Stephen A. would say, peace and love.

OP Post #3 I'm back! After a month of absence (from posting), I finally have an update. I'm sill waiting on my TK armor to arrive, and have also been preoccupied with other aspects of life, but I've been making slow progress with some of HWT components. First up, the pack. Those of you following along will recall that I purchased three different oil drums to test out for the backpack, and I've been really hoping that the Midwest one would work out. It has a larger depth than the most-used 12.5qt Wedco/GarageBOSS, but is more narrow and shorter. The Midwest has more detailed/unique sidewalls, which I believe better mimic the Battlefront packs, but in the end, I think the pan is simply too narrow, as the photos below show. I could probably overcome the shortness, but short of cutting the pan in half and widening it with filler, I don't think I could make the Midwest work. Perhaps with properly-ratio-adjusted boxes on the back I could build a slightly down-scaled version for petite troopers or youth. Now on to some other plastic parts. It turns out that the Dr. Browns narrow baby bottle caps I purchased on Amazon are the perfect size, at 1.5 inches! And they have ribbing on the outside and the inner circle (a recession). And with Prime shipping they're cheaper than buying even a single gallon of milk! The Nibco 2" PVC end caps I purchased at Home Depot are also perfect, with their flat tops and 1" height. At $3.20 USD each they are perhaps just a little more expensive than rounded caps or couplers, both of which would need to be trimmed. To me, the extra couple of dollars is worth it. I'll just need to sand down the lettering and notch. And here are the MP40 pouches with finally arrived from China. My photos aren't great because I took them in incorrect lighting, but I think they still give an accurate depiction of the quality. I purchased two pairs for a total of $87 shipped via Aliexpress, after applying several coupons acquired through Aliexpress' coin system. The particular seller I purchased from didn't have any reviews of the actual pouch item I purchased, but I took a gamble knowing that I could get my money back through Aliexpress' escrow system if I wasn't satisfied, and these were the cheapest leather ones I could find anywhere on the web. Of course I will be using a G2 pen and fine point sharpie to color in the white stitching. I've also decided that I'm going to have a separate belt which I use for my HWT, so that I don't have to reconfigure my ANH belt each time I want to troop. This way, I won't need to remove the drop boxes and holster, and add the pouches. I received the spare ABS belt and shoulder bridge parts from Mark (AP), and will soon be affixing a bridge piece to the HWT tube. I intend to utilize hot water, E-6000, and thick produce rubber bands for that task. As previously mentioned, I will also be using Cricket's Step 1 procedure on her magnetic calf closures thread to create the raised round area on the square belt buttons which I will cut from spare sheet ABS. Moving on to an area of a HWT that isn't actually required, but really it is. T-21 baby! After all, isn't a BFG (and an orange pauldron) the real reason we go HWT?! It has previously been suggested that I reach out to Anthony (Blaster 8266) about his ready-made T-21s (sale thread), but alas they are out of my price range. So instead I plan to scratch build one, or try to get my hands on some of spOOL68's resin parts. Roger doesn't produce them anymore, due to dried up interest, so if any of you have the pieces laying around collecting dust, let me know and I'll take them off your hands! Armed with Panda's large-scale printout and Jax Malachor's Technical Drawing Plans (PDF) and build thread (MEPD), I've now purchased some pine board and hope to begin sawing and sanding soon! Other T-21 References and Resources: spOOL68 build | pandatrooper build | FarEast build | 11b30b4 build v1 | 11b30b4 build v2 MEPD | Cricket EVA build | TK3199 Wordpress If any of you T-21 builders have other resources that you think would be helpful, including your own build threads, feel free to send them my way! @justjoseph63 - I recall you mentioning somewhere that windshield washer tubing works great for the ribbing, but do you have a purchase link or tube dimensions? I think I've seen one before, but I can't find it at the moment. I suppose that is all for now. For anybody wanting an update on my OT TK build, here's the link: Quote responses: Randy - I definitely think you should have bragging rights for that screen. I had actually seen your pack in threads and never even noticed that it was a screen. Brilliant!