suttontech[TK] Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 My 4-year old grandtrooper isnt satisfied with her foam and cloth armor anymore... We’re going to give the Jakks thing a try. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted July 31, 2018 Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Awesome, looking forward to the progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 First thing... this plastic is absolutely awful to work with... cut it, sand it, trim it... everything you do causes it to melt into little boogers that just re-harden into pointy little shards everywhere. The inner superstructure pieces are everywhere needing trimmed, also. Learned right off the head is too small.. ordered a Rubies youth helmet.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 You can see the inner ribs removed in the one picture of the thighs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 Camera shy? Not so much.. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted July 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2018 So far, the best tool for trimming the guts out has been this multi-cutter.It’s not as precise as the jig saw or rotary but it made less of those melted little boogers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 1, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2018 The parts were originally held together with screws. That made for posts on the inside of the parts. Most of them I had to cut out to make room for body parts. The few I was able to salvage can hold parts together, but I’m going to have to do a bunch of gluing when I put stuff back together. Here’s the thighs, one side gutted, one side intact ( I circled a set of screw posts)Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2018 Setting the Dremel on the lowest speed and using a sanding stone bit seems to be the best way to keep the rough little boogers from forming.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dielotski Posted August 11, 2018 Report Share Posted August 11, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KO22[TK] Posted August 12, 2018 Report Share Posted August 12, 2018 I did this for my son and it worked great, until he got too big for it. Anyways I used a Dremel to,gut,the inside but it did take a long time. Instead of using screws to keep it together I used the same techniques I used for my TK. For the arms and legs I glued the pieces together using spare plastic from my TK builds. Then I used snaps to attach the chest and back together as well as the arms and legs. It worked like a charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 I got lazy with the progress pics...Yea I strapped most of it, used a few screws where I could.Glued felt inside on the rough patches.Had to trim a bunch because she’s still so short.Suspenders for the lower torso, straps to hold the upper together, including straps to hold the shoulder/bicep bells.Made her a garter to hold the thighs up.Shoes... just cheap brown loafers with one coat of FlexSeal white rubber paint (the kind they paint the screen door with and use it for a boat bottom on tv)Rubies 2-piece helmet. $25 bucks maybe? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 Steel City Con yesterday.. we made a trial run... a few pinch points need trimmed, but other than that... good to go!She got more requests for pics than this old trooper did hahaSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 The public do like a “mini me” trooper and she looks great, well done 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REAPERofDAISYS[TK] Posted August 14, 2018 Report Share Posted August 14, 2018 This is so awesome! I just ordered one of these to make for my daughter. Besides the rubies helmet did you have to replace any other parts?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KO22[TK] Posted August 15, 2018 Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 That looks great, I love what you did with the shoes! One thing that may help is to get a lens for her helmet. I got a flat lens at trooperbay and put it. It’s definitely better than the cloth one rubies has. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank75139[501st] Posted August 15, 2018 Report Share Posted August 15, 2018 Awesome job Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 17, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2018 This is so awesome! I just ordered one of these to make for my daughter. Besides the rubies helmet did you have to replace any other parts?Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkNot really. I had to splint the lower torso with elastic because she’s a little tank lolCheap winter gloves with a piece of white foam glued on.The rest was just a huge pain hollowing out the guts Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 That looks great, I love what you did with the shoes! One thing that may help is to get a lens for her helmet. I got a flat lens at trooperbay and put it. It’s definitely better than the cloth one rubies has. She seems to like the mesh so far. She usually insists on authenticity haha so thats weird. If we do switch to a lens I have a small fan to put in there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted August 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2018 Here’s some extra pics I had. I cut the torso and put in a wide elastic strip to make extra body room.The last pic is a shin. To hold the front together and still have flex to open the back wide enough for her leg, I used a vinyl belt strip lathered in E600. It works like a hinge in front and still holds it together. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted June 8, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2019 UPDATE: First place!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weck[501st] Posted July 16, 2019 Report Share Posted July 16, 2019 Awesome!!! Congrats! Curious, to know how tall she is. I'm doing this for my son, but I'm thinking he's still a little short for a stormtrooper. I'm hesitant to cut everything short and have him outgrow it quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted July 16, 2019 Report Share Posted July 16, 2019 Awesome Granddaddy !!!! She looks so cool. Congrats, great job trooper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastertk[TK] Posted July 17, 2019 Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 3 hours ago, Weck said: Awesome!!! Congrats! Curious, to know how tall she is. I'm doing this for my son, but I'm thinking he's still a little short for a stormtrooper. I'm hesitant to cut everything short and have him outgrow it quickly. Iv’e done a couple of these. For a smaller child, cut the Chest from the Ab. Allow that to overlap, also cut the Cod and slide that up and under the Ab. At that stage I would recommend using Velcro for the strapping. Kids grow quickly and the kit can too. Once the overlap is grown into, you can remove the Velcro and switch to a maxed out sizing conventional strapping. Great job BTW suttontech!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttontech[TK] Posted July 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2019 Awesome!!! Congrats! Curious, to know how tall she is. I'm doing this for my son, but I'm thinking he's still a little short for a stormtrooper. I'm hesitant to cut everything short and have him outgrow it quickly.She was about 38” tall when we started over a year ago. It was big on her and still kind of is now at 42”She’s built kind of shorter-limbed and stocky, so actually she’s just getting to the point that she has some mobility in her arms and legs, as there is finally getting some space in the joints.That said, to make it fit originally I had to cut out the knee plates and the flared section on the bottom of the shins.I saved them to add back later if her legs grow.The chest, I did cut it so it overlaps the abs and can creep up as she grows.There is a lot of room for growth. Don’t worry!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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