BigJasoni

Glen, Thanks for posting these pics. I've been looking at every image I can find of the rear thighs and I believe the reason why these coverstraps are not centrally located and have weird overhangs is a result of the individual trooper's thigh size. As an example, please see the below pictures of my unfinished Jimmiroquai thighs: In this picture, you can see how I split the rear along the coverstrip to allow the overlapping of the rear thigh. I believe @11b30b4 and @TheRascalKing did the same thing with theirs. I then took a little extra time to file down and sand the edges of the non cover strip side to ensure that when closed, it mimics the images seen in the shows and at Celebration. However, with the show, the one thing we can't account for is the amount of movement the actors were engaging in that may have caused some slippage, nor can we account for the unknown variable; the diameter of their thighs. We can tell that the mannequin's frame was quite small. In the above picture, I'm attempting to hold the thigh in a manner that simulates the size of my thigh. When the thigh is somewhat relaxed, or if a person has thiccer thighs, the strip is centered and everything is more aligned. So, with that said, and per the reference images, the rear cover strip looks as if it should sit roughly 1.5 cm lower and to the left (or right for the opposite thigh) of where it currently sits. This narrows the "slope" between the bottom trim and the cover strip, and when closed, emulates the asymmetrical appearance. My only concern about all this is that similar to other items on this costume, such as the kidney plate discrepancies, we don't know if it was deliberate, or incidental. My thought is that the cover strips were meant to be centered, but the movement and thigh size of the actors caused the asymmetry. Now, regarding the straps: I 100% agree that there are two straps on the newer costumes. In Adam Savage's Tested video that showed the Kenobi and Andor 501st Clone Troopers, they highlighted these straps and emphasized that they are now using two straps vice the one strap previously used on TKs. Fast forward to 6:49 for a look at these straps. For the clones, they went back to the ribbed fabric covers: I'll post these in my build thread once I get back to it, but here's the straps I'm using on my thighs. More to come later: So what we need to decide is if the ROTK requires two straps, or save the two strap requirement for New Generation CRLs. The more I look at everything, the more I believe that the ROTK and New Generation (Mandalorian S2, Kenobi, Andor) are totally different costumes. Notice that I don't mention Mandalorian S1, which appears to be retread costumes from Rogue One. Lastly, one final nugget of information from the Adam Savage video that I immediately held onto is the fact that these costumes are made of vacuum CAST (not vacuum formed) urethane. To me, this is enormous and answers a ton of questions we've had. Now... if only someone... never mind.

YEEEEESSSSSS!!! Another ROTK/ Anthology/ New Generation Build thread. Alright Adam, there's tons to unpack here, but let's get to a few of the big ones. Nico Bucket vs. Jim's Bucket: I'm a little tossed here. I think we all agree that Jim's helmet is a nicely modified BS helmet, but Nico's was designed from the ground up and he didn't miss very many details. Jim's helmet is great and I'm finishing mine up right now, but it needs a few modifications to get it up to EIB or Centurion level. For Jim's helmet, you'll have to add the eye bump and even though it isn't listed as a requirement for any level certification, the inside corners of the eyes are very pointy. This only requires slight modification, but it was enough to bug me. The rest of the helmet is awesome and my only gripe is that the neck opening has a built-in trim that precludes you from using separate rubber trim if you want. Again, rubber trim isn't required, but it's one of those little things that really set the helmet apart if you do it. Nico's helmet is beautiful if finished correctly. Initially I wasn't even considering doing one, but after printing a Mando and Shoretrooper helmet with Carbon Fiber filament, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to do a TK. You already pointed out Nico's separate tears and traps which are totally accurate, but we've already seen the props department pivot with how these parts are done. In the Anthology movies and the Mandalorian series, the separate details were adhered to a black backing and glued onto the bucket's tear and trap recesses. However, it Kenobi, we've seen behind-the-scene photos of TKs holding their buckets clearly showing that the tears and traps were cut out and backed with black fabric for additional airflow. Honestly, I'm more of a glue them on kind of guy because cutting those out is a nightmare. Next Nico's bucket has all the EIB/ Centurion details added in. Some will argue whether the eye bump is there and that's the point. That asymmetry was so minute on the buckets that you really need to study it to see it. Additionally, Nico's has separate ears, brow and chin piece which are all clearly noticeable in the references, and it's intended to be finished with rubber neck trim. If you grab a set of Paul Prentice's eye lenses, or form some yourself using Nico's buck, you're all set. Here's a gripe though: Nico's Hovi Mics are ugly. Get an accurate set and use those instead. If you just want to get your bucket on, add the little details to Jim's, paint it and throw it on, but if you want something that's as close to accurate as possible, finish Nico's. Belt Boxes: I'm really happy to see people printing these off. Again, Jim's boxes meet all the requirements, but I was really after those crisp edges and the accurate detail on top of the middle box. The Fast/ Tenacious mix is great and still serves as my primary resin, but I'm now leaning more towards Siraya Tech Blu for small pieces like this. Blu is advertised as an "impact resistant" and so far I'm finding it to be more durable than the aforementioned mix. However, if you need any kind of flexibility in your prints, I still reach for the Fast/ Tenacious combo. Here's a new belt I just put together a few days ago Another cool thing about the Fast/ Tenacious and Blu resin is that you can drill a pilot hole in them and use screws to attach them directly to the belt. The last time I did this with PETG, the plastic stripped out a little bit which lead me to fasten them another way. But, with that said, here's one of the cooler things you can do with this resin: M3 Heat Set Inserts. This really opens the door for tons of possibilities. If you want to grab some, you can get them here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D683Q26 What Am I Building: Almost endless possibilities. Of course, the CRL already exists for the ROTK, so yes, you can move from there. However, if you do decide to move forward with one of the many New Generation variants, we've started discussing the CRL here: Personally, I think the Mapuzo trooper is perfect and exactly what I want out of a TK. The artillery trooper is pretty awesome, but other than the Hot Toys collectible, the accessory references are lacking; this is the same for the incinerator trooper. The paint scheme for both is obvious and apparent in the shows, but I wish we saw more of their packs and weapons. Overall, if you're just going for shiny white, just be aware that there's a few different paint elements on these as compared to the ROTK, i.e. end caps on the TD. Ultimately, I wish you happy trails and a smooth build. Hit me up any time you have any questions, and I really look forward to seeing this come together. Oh yeah... I'll be posting my new kidney plate in the 3D repository soon. Mwaaaaaahaaaahaaaa...

Shiri, You're looking good so far. Keep asking plenty of questions and posting plenty of pictures; you'll get all the help you need here. I'm definitely taking notes before I start my own kit.

Good catch on the SE-14R Glen. Those are the details from the Rogue One Deathtrooper blasters, so I guess it makes sense. The Spec Ops CRL calls this a "small silver or gray circuit card pattern," which reminds me that I need to find or make one for my blaster. Regarding those cutouts... who knows. I would figure it's some sort of stunt item that didn't get filled in post production. What's interesting is that immediately after K2SO throws him, the cutouts seem to disappear. My guess is that this is likely the part of the armor that cables passed through to attach to a stunt harness for the lifting sequence. That's total speculation on my part, but the other TKs that get thwacked by this unfortunate guy don't have the same cutouts. Here he is getting thrown. It's blurry, but the cut outs seem to be gone. Here's the second trooper that gets blasted by the ragdoll. And here they are when they first walk in the room.

Well, apparently he was waiting on me to give the green light before sharing, which I thought I had done. However, we just made another change that’ll make assembly a lot easier, so give me a couple days and I’ll post a few things in the 3d repository. Also… anyone looking for a new SE-14R? We’re currently developing/ test printing OT and Rogue One/ New Generation versions that are looking phenomenal. Sorry for hijacking the thread. I’ll start a new one in the 3d forum when these are officially ready.

I just checked Chris’s Thingiverse page and it doesn’t look like he’s posted this one yet. We did make a couple last minute changes, but everything should be set now. I have additional pics available on the Star Wars Blaster Build Group on FB. I’ll check with him and see what he’s doing with the files and then let you know.

Terry, I do a lot of 3D printing and have found that a good CA glue works best. Actually, I know this post is from a different detachment forum, but our very own @11b30b4, did an excellent analysis on this subject back in 2020. Check out page 2 for his breakdown of different bonding techniques: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/21220-11b30b4-shoretrooper-wip-mr-pauls-3d-print-files/page/2/ So, a couple items from personal experience: I would need to know what type filament you're using for this print. PLA has to be finished much differently than PETG, ABS, or even Carbon Fiber PLA. You can plastic weld the pieces with a soldering iron, but if you're working with PLA, you won't be able to sand down those weld marks cleanly. Next, I'd like to know what printer you're using. This doesn't seem like a factor in determining how to glue pieces, but it helps to know how big your print surface is, and in turn, the pieces are that you're gluing. With blasters, you really want to print some parts in one piece, i.e. the barrel, but this requires a very tall print surface. Since the barrel has cooling holes, there's not much surface to glue which causes a lot of weak seams that break at the slightest bump. If you can get away with printing this in one piece, or coming up with an alternative barrel, that helps. Just my two cents, but I did want to leave you with these two pictures. The first is the F-11D Barrel with Integrated T-tracks printed in CF PLA. This is a good example because the one-piece barrel along with the T-tracks created a cery solid piece that didn't require soldering or gluing. Next is a very raw print of the E-10 variant from Andor. Again, I printed the long barrel in one piece in order to avoid splicing anything together and it's pretty solid.

Welcome aboard Terry. You can't go wrong if your goal is to make kids smile. Keep us all updated.

Lee, You look great! Welcome aboard!

This is the exact issue I had with the thighs. However, rather than scale the armor on the entire axis, I actually sliced the file into three different sections, printed each at a different scale, then spliced them together. This required me to fill the gaps with resin, back it with fiberglass, and sand like h3!!. When I was working with the legs, I also realized that Akira's walls are designed to be extremely thick. I decreased the shell thickness in some areas, but ultimately the wall thickness is too much to provide any sort of flex or give in some of the most stressed areas. I may have mentioned it my build thread, but I printed those thighs four times. Steve, you've worked real hard on this kit and I'd encourage you to submit your pictures. Again, anything I tell you now will be geared towards higher level approval, which would require significant restructuring. Your kit currently looks better than some of the ones I've seen approved for ROTK. I know I warned you not to go down this road, but you did an outstanding job disregarding my warnings.

Tons of good comments/ suggestions here. Honestly, I'm not seeing anything that should stand in the way of basic approval; you did a great job Steve. I think I've mentioned a couple hundred times now that my 3D project has been a never-ending story. I could start listing items that should be corrected, mostly because I'm familiar with Akira's design, but anything I say would be nit-picky and not beneficial for someone seeking basic approval. However, since it's been brought up already, I do want to address the legs. Again, what we're seeing in yours is no different than what I was approved in, they're consistent with other makers, and look way better than other not to be named designers. The pictures below are from Celebration 2022 and while they are reflective of the current batch of costumes (Mando S2, Kenobi, and Andor), the legs are the same as they were during the release of Rogue One. First, the front view. You're running into the same issue with your shin armor that I did; that's why I asked Akira to make a few design changes. However, while he was willing to make the calf area larger to facilitate bigger legs, he wouldn't adjust the "bell-bottom" flare beyond what he gave me initially. That's what's throwing off the overall shape of the design. If you compare the views others provided along with the ones below to your front pic, you'll notice that the Akira files are extraordinarily narrow at the ankles and don't taper correctly down to the bells. However, I would rather deal with this than the overly bulky design we've seen elsewhere. Honestly, while I absolutely love the Jimmiroquai armor, even Jim's is off on the overall shape of the shins and Akira's is more similar to Jim's than the actual screen used prop. Please see below for a few SBS pics of the screen used armor, Akira Yuning (yours), Jimmiroquai, and Mr Paul's: First, on the screen used armor, the flat front of the trim piece and cover strip form a "T" that's fairly symetrical while Akira's takes a slightly angular approach before tapering to the rear of the leg. Next, these are taken at different angles so they look slightly different, but they still give you a good idea at how the calf, ankle and bell follow much different paths from top to bottom. Akira and Jimi's are both "bulbous" in the upper portion with a very sharp angle and small bell-bottom. I know a few people have attempted to widen Jim's bell bottom and they've had good results, but it's a lot of work. In Akira's first design, the bell-bottom was non-existent; after some prodding, he added it, but wouldn't adjust it further. Candidly, I'm fine with what he did because most designers would have told me to go away. The big thing for me is that the screen used armor does not have that gap in the front of the top trim. I know this is hard for makers to emulate, but with the MPSB you can actually leave the top trim off as a separate piece that fastens with magnets, Velcro, etc. giving it the same clean appearance as the screen used prop. Again, this isn't anything that's been held against people for basic approval, but it annoys me almost as much as the missing trim around the back box. Next, take a look at the side view and particularly the angle of the top trim. Akira's does stop a lot shorter in the back, but the angles are also off. On a positive note, Akira nearly nailed the front and rear slope angle, which is almost identical to the screen used prop and Paul's design: Finally, you're not going to be able to do much about the cover strips because they're modeled into the shin armor, but Akria's are off. Again, this isn't anything that should impair basic approval, but some of us that have worked with Akira in the past should start making a list of update requests. Finally, one other note for anyone else out there building a ROTK kit: There are no reference photos other than the Rogue One Promotional photos that show the rear belt overlapping the front. I know what the CRL says, but I really think this is an error. Also, if you really zoom into the other TKs in the promo shot, their belts overlap front over rear. The promo shot I'm referencing is seen here, but if you want to zoom into the other guys, go check out the gallery: But that also shows the large front tab below the belt boxes which was removed, likely for comfort, prior to filming. The only place we see that large tab show up again is in The Mandalorian Season 1 Remnant TKs. However, with regards to the overlap, every screen cap and reference photo apart from this one show the front overlapping the back. Here's a few: On screen in RO Celebration 2016 This year. Ultimately, this needs to be debated for future CRL updates, but since your GML (@Anzo) is viewing this thread you might want to discuss.

Colin, This is amazing work. Thank you for detailing this so clearly for anyone looking to do a BS Helmet Conversion. Also, thank you for sharing the tears and traps on Thingiverse. This is true for the Kenobi series helmets and likely several other helmets being used on set today. So kudos for including in in your build. However, I know you and I discussed this previously on FB, but for anyone thinking about cutting up their helmet, just be aware that the vented traps weren't the case for all the helmets during the filming of the Anthology movies or even The Mandalorian series. Several of us vented the traps as you've detailed (which was is a pain in the butt) but I'm still trying to put my finger on when the prop designers made this feature "standard issue." Here's Mr. Missing Trap from The Mandalorian. Notice the solid white piece where we should be seeing vents: Personally, I think it's because several scenes from Kenobi were filmed on location which may have required additional comfort. Regardless, if done correctly, like you've done, either way should be acceptable. Overall, great job on the conversion. This is awesome work.

Oh... and I just realized that @jhpeyto posted this back in 2018: So I'm seeing some support for the costume, but nothing new.

First, let me start by saying that I love @CrookKnight's build thread. Shawn, everything looks incredible thus far. Ok. So I'm doing a little research which always leads me back here and now I have a couple questions. First, Shawn, have you sourced a cape yet? I have a pattern for the Phasma cape and intend on working on it soon, but I was curious to know if you've made any progress on this? Next, a quick google search for Captain Cardinal brought up these pictures, which... surprise... were on Shawn's build thread. So my question is this: if Hal has been rocking a Cardinal suit since at least August 2020, has anyone reached out to him about potentially modeling for the CRL, or are there discrepancies I'm overlooking in these two pics? If Hal's build isn't a candidate... do we have any volunteers for the CRL? @CrookKnight??? Maybe??? You seem to be the furthest along. Finally, having read what's been put up on the public threads, can we just do a cut and paste of the TFA CRL and add the cape? It sounds like that's what the LMOs were asking for. Please keep in mind that I'm an absolute FOTK noob. If this were a red ROTK, I'd be all in, but right now, I'm kind of following everyone else's lead before I start spraying red stuff all over a brand new set of armor. Anyways, I was just curious to see if there was any progress on this before I start butchering up my own kit and wanted to know if the CRL has been started yet? Thanks as always

Jason, You'll have to look at a couple of the build threads for complete strapping, but this will get you started: Next, here's a good look at the screen used thigh strap. Just imagine it like this: top of 1" webbing attaches to abdomen, or a belt, then there's a tri-glide mid thigh for adjustment, then a side release (or preferable top release buckle) hidden behind the sleeve that covers everything (or behind the thigh) armor, then the bottom section of webbing attaches to the thigh armor. I'm about to do a tutorial on my Remnant Stormtrooper build thread this weekend, so you can look there once it's up, but here's the pic: It's from a Mimban, but the same system is used on the ROTK; this picture's just a lot more clear than the others. Let me know if you have any other questions.