gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted January 22, 2020 Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 8 hours ago, lucnak said: Love this comparison shot! Can we perhaps get it added to the gallery for future reference? I'm in the middle of putting a comparison guide together but I have a bit on at the moment. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted February 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 Haven’t gotten too much in terms of work done on the armor as of late.. besides filling the seams on the biceps, and ab/back pieces. That JB Weld PlasticWeld stuff is pretty darn sweet. You squish it together to mix the two parts and it’s basically a play-doh type material. I rolled it into thin pieces and pushed it into the seams. Cure time is 3 hours but I waited a day or two and then sanded it down. It sands just like bondo does. In the realm of parts and pieces, I did happen to receive what I believe to be the last set of uncut rubber gaskets this side of the Outer Rim. All thanks to a man that honors the fact I called dibs on them when he was thinking of letting them go! Now Centurion is definitely within reach! And last but not least, Mrs. Teresa (who has been a complete delight to work with) is sending out my harness, seal, and fabric gasket sets. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAFO[TK] Posted February 12, 2020 Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 Great update Chris! The world may be a BIG place but help can come from many parts 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted February 12, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 Great update Chris! The world may be a BIG place but help can come from many parts So true! Each piece of my complete armor setup has come from a different country. It’s pretty crazy. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 12, 2020 Report Share Posted February 12, 2020 Some nice pieces there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Been out of town doing a little traveling and skiing the last few weekends here in Colorado, so I haven’t gotten as much done as I would’ve liked. But I had a full day to work on some things today so I decided to start knocking some things off the list. I’ve got a desk in the garage where I work on things. I bring out my iPad and speaker for entertainment. (Currently rewatching the Mandalorian, again.) I got this little table at Costco so I can expand my work area while the GF is at work. I like having my Hot Toys trooper for inspiration and reference. Really helps keep the motivation going when you can see a complete set of armor on front of you. Here are a few updates: Started on my thighs. I’ve really struggled with how to deal with the rear pieces. They come in big cylinder shapes with a VERY slight tapering curvature. The rest, I assume, is made this way to fit larger legs. I fall into the appropriate stormtrooper type figure. 5’10” and 185 with nothing close to having ‘big legs’. My approach was to start big and work down to the proper fit. So far I have the Left leg trimmed. Doing the Right one next. I used my magnets to secure the pieces into a decent shape and fit for my thighs. After that I just trimmed the rear area near the butt plate close enough to a reference photo. This allows you to slide the thighs up into the proper position. Once I get them trimmed up a bit more, I’ll attach the straps from my harness so I can have them on to allow for further adjustments and trimming. Next up, I finally got around to trimming up the contoured parts of the ab boxes. This was pretty time consuming and not easy. But was quite rewarding once you finally got the right fit. The current part I’m working on is modifying the forearms. I decided to go ahead and make them look more accurate to the TLJ/TROS armor instead of with the supplied Finn variant. I’m doing a support piece first to give the area as much strength as possible. Figured I would need it considering that exact area is the part that gets pressure applied to it when I bend my arm. As a side note, I saw this at the local Hobby Lobby (our big box hobby store). It’s a clear all-weather E6000. Might be handy for certain applications. That’s all for now. Gonna head back into the garage and get some more done. Trying to be done by May 2nd. They’re doing a big Star Wars themed pub crawl here in Denver. Would be cool to give the armor a trial run. If not, I always have my Obi-Wan Kenobi costume and my Savi’s Workshop lightsaber! Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Next up on today’s progress, I decided to tackle some work on my 850 Armor Works shield. There wasn’t a defined end to the return edge, but there is a curved edge where the abs bent out towards the table during the abs pull. It wasn’t a consistent measurement around the entirety of the piece so I just cut there first and then started to work my way around the edges until there was a consistent depth. Ended up being about a 1/4” deep once it was all smoothed out. My next step was to cut out the recessed triangle area. As I did on the outside, I trimmed around the edges until the return edge end was flat. I will be adding some lexan in the cut out area. Anyone known is the glass is clear or tinted? Sent from my iPhone using The Force 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAFO[TK] Posted February 29, 2020 Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Next up on today’s progress, I decided to tackle some work on my 850 Armor Works shield. There wasn’t a defined end to the return edge, but there is a curved edge where the abs bent out towards the table during the abs pull. It wasn’t a consistent measurement around the entirety of the piece so I just cut there first and then started to work my way around the edges until there was a consistent depth. Ended up being about a 1/4” deep once it was all smoothed out. My next step was to cut out the recessed triangle area. As I did on the outside, I trimmed around the edges until the return edge end was flat. I will be adding some lexan in the cut out area. Anyone known is the glass is clear or tinted? Sent from my iPhone using The Force Definitely a dark tint on the glass. A smoky grey.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAFO[TK] Posted February 29, 2020 Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Been out of town doing a little traveling and skiing the last few weekends here in Colorado, so I haven’t gotten as much done as I would’ve liked. But I had a full day to work on some things today so I decided to start knocking some things off the list. I’ve got a desk in the garage where I work on things. I bring out my iPad and speaker for entertainment. (Currently rewatching the Mandalorian, again.) I got this little table at Costco so I can expand my work area while the GF is at work. I like having my Hot Toys trooper for inspiration and reference. Really helps keep the motivation going when you can see a complete set of armor on front of you. Here are a few updates: Started on my thighs. I’ve really struggled with how to deal with the rear pieces. They come in big cylinder shapes with a VERY slight tapering curvature. The rest, I assume, is made this way to fit larger legs. I fall into the appropriate stormtrooper type figure. 5’10” and 185 with nothing close to having ‘big legs’. My approach was to start big and work down to the proper fit. So far I have the Left leg trimmed. Doing the Right one next. I used my magnets to secure the pieces into a decent shape and fit for my thighs. After that I just trimmed the rear area near the butt plate close enough to a reference photo. This allows you to slide the thighs up into the proper position. Once I get them trimmed up a bit more, I’ll attach the straps from my harness so I can have them on to allow for further adjustments and trimming. Next up, I finally got around to trimming up the contoured parts of the ab boxes. This was pretty time consuming and not easy. But was quite rewarding once you finally got the right fit. The current part I’m working on is modifying the forearms. I decided to go ahead and make them look more accurate to the TLJ/TROS armor instead of with the supplied Finn variant. I’m doing a support piece first to give the area as much strength as possible. Figured I would need it considering that exact area is the part that gets pressure applied to it when I bend my arm. As a side note, I saw this at the local Hobby Lobby (our big box hobby store). It’s a clear all-weather E6000. Might be handy for certain applications. That’s all for now. Gonna head back into the garage and get some more done. Trying to be done by May 2nd. They’re doing a big Star Wars themed pub crawl here in Denver. Would be cool to give the armor a trial run. If not, I always have my Obi-Wan Kenobi costume and my Savi’s Workshop lightsaber! Sent from my iPhone using The Force Great update, and great mods!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted February 29, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 I’m gonna ditch gluing an outer abs piece. Decided to try the PlasticWeld and see if it stands up to the task of being used as a sturdy filler material. This stuff is supposed to be strong and take free form shapes once it fully cures. I like this stuff because it’s basically play-doh. It’s a bit sticky when you attempt to mold it. You do have some time to work with it and it’s gets a little less sticky as it has a listed set time of 25 minutes and a cure time of 3 hours.We will see what happens later this evening. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted February 29, 2020 Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 2 hours ago, Krisko720 said: Been out of town doing a little traveling and skiing the last few weekends here in Colorado, so I haven’t gotten as much done as I would’ve liked. But I had a full day to work on some things today so I decided to start knocking some things off the list. I’ve got a desk in the garage where I work on things. I bring out my iPad and speaker for entertainment. (Currently rewatching the Mandalorian, again.) I got this little table at Costco so I can expand my work area while the GF is at work. I like having my Hot Toys trooper for inspiration and reference. Really helps keep the motivation going when you can see a complete set of armor on front of you. Here are a few updates: Started on my thighs. I’ve really struggled with how to deal with the rear pieces. They come in big cylinder shapes with a VERY slight tapering curvature. The rest, I assume, is made this way to fit larger legs. I fall into the appropriate stormtrooper type figure. 5’10” and 185 with nothing close to having ‘big legs’. My approach was to start big and work down to the proper fit. So far I have the Left leg trimmed. Doing the Right one next. I used my magnets to secure the pieces into a decent shape and fit for my thighs. After that I just trimmed the rear area near the butt plate close enough to a reference photo. This allows you to slide the thighs up into the proper position. Once I get them trimmed up a bit more, I’ll attach the straps from my harness so I can have them on to allow for further adjustments and trimming. Next up, I finally got around to trimming up the contoured parts of the ab boxes. This was pretty time consuming and not easy. But was quite rewarding once you finally got the right fit. The current part I’m working on is modifying the forearms. I decided to go ahead and make them look more accurate to the TLJ/TROS armor instead of with the supplied Finn variant. I’m doing a support piece first to give the area as much strength as possible. Figured I would need it considering that exact area is the part that gets pressure applied to it when I bend my arm. As a side note, I saw this at the local Hobby Lobby (our big box hobby store). It’s a clear all-weather E6000. Might be handy for certain applications. That’s all for now. Gonna head back into the garage and get some more done. Trying to be done by May 2nd. They’re doing a big Star Wars themed pub crawl here in Denver. Would be cool to give the armor a trial run. If not, I always have my Obi-Wan Kenobi costume and my Savi’s Workshop lightsaber! Sent from my iPhone using The Force 34 minutes ago, Krisko720 said: Next up on today’s progress, I decided to tackle some work on my 850 Armor Works shield. There wasn’t a defined end to the return edge, but there is a curved edge where the abs bent out towards the table during the abs pull. It wasn’t a consistent measurement around the entirety of the piece so I just cut there first and then started to work my way around the edges until there was a consistent depth. Ended up being about a 1/4” deep once it was all smoothed out. My next step was to cut out the recessed triangle area. As I did on the outside, I trimmed around the edges until the return edge end was flat. I will be adding some lexan in the cut out area. Anyone known is the glass is clear or tinted? Coming along nicely Chris. If you have a Tap Plastics in your area they should have what you're looking for regarding the Shield lens material. Tinted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted February 29, 2020 Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Great work, coming along nicely 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 The putty has dried. And I decided to put on my undersuit, neck seal, and harness to see how it all fit. Then threw on the biceps, forearms, and gloves just for the heck of it. Need to take in the elbow gaskets, but for the most part it fits pretty well. The mod adding to the shape of the forearm is definitely limiting. But I guess I’ll have to learn how to rotate the forearms before bending my arm. Taking in the gaskets May help a little. And it just feels good to finally suit up at least a little bit for the first time! Sent from my iPhone using The Force 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sly11[Admin] Posted March 1, 2020 Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 Keep up the awesome progress Chris. I’ve used the plastic weld putty to reshape a set of 3D printed hand plates for a friend, it’s pretty good stuff to work with. Speak of hand plates, is that a set of R2 Dams resin plates you have? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 Keep up the awesome progress Chris.I’ve used the plastic weld putty to reshape a set of 3D printed hand plates for a friend, it’s pretty good stuff to pork with.Speak of hand plates, is that a set of R2 Dams resin plates you have? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yes it is. These are above and beyond what the abs ones looks like. I also have the resin belt boxes, clip greeblies, and the holster. I really like them all. So much better than the abs ones that came with the kit. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted March 1, 2020 Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 2 hours ago, Krisko720 said: The putty has dried. And I decided to put on my undersuit, neck seal, and harness to see how it all fit. Then threw on the biceps, forearms, and gloves just for the heck of it. Need to take in the elbow gaskets, but for the most part it fits pretty well. The mod adding to the shape of the forearm is definitely limiting. But I guess I’ll have to learn how to rotate the forearms before bending my arm. Taking in the gaskets May help a little. And it just feels good to finally suit up at least a little bit for the first time! Nice work 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 So, the epoxy putty is working out really well. It’s a surprisingly strong material and super easy to shape. My problem is how to shape this area. I’ve shaped is with the shallow sweep I see on screen. Trying to find a clean up close shot of the TLJ forearm. I want to play with the shape more, but I’d like to wait until I can get the right reference picture.Here is the screen grab JAFO posted earlier in the thread. And here is what I have so far. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 Here’s a better reference. I flipped the picture and pulled it up on my iPad for scale. The picture is kinda fuzzy but I think I’m close. Maybe deepen the dip a little bit. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 I got my other thigh roughly trimmed out. I took the cut from the other leg and just transferred the outline. Couldn’t resist throwing one of the legs together now that I have most everything close to being completed. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 Coming along nicely Chris. If you have a Tap Plastics in your area they should have what you're looking for regarding the Shield lens material. Tinted We don’t have a location in Colorado. But I found that they do custom cut-to-size in the tinted pieces. It was $10 for three pieces. For the price I went ahead and ordered extra in case I screw the first one up or need replacements in the future. Thanks for the tip! That website is a great resource to have. Nice selection of stuff. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2020 Stopped by Home Depot for some more supplies while I was out. Picked up some snap kits and some other items. Wanted to go ahead and get my thigh straps rigged up now that I have my harness from Teresa. Decided to add snaps to attach a removable strap from the thighs to the stationary lower harness clips. The upper clip that is attached to the harness is adjustable. Used 1” black nylon strapping and used the soldering iron to burn holes through the material. Hammered in the snaps and now just have to attach the cap/strap pieces to the thighs. Sent from my iPhone using The Force Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2020 Before I get too far ahead, is there a clear position the front and side thigh straps need to be in? Is it directly in the front and directly on the side? Also, where should I position the buckle for each? Is it exposed midway between the thigh and torso? Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAFO[TK] Posted March 4, 2020 Report Share Posted March 4, 2020 Before I get too far ahead, is there a clear position the front and side thigh straps need to be in? Is it directly in the front and directly on the side? Also, where should I position the buckle for each? Is it exposed midway between the thigh and torso? Sent from my iPhone using The Force You’ve got it....front and side. Here are a couple of pics:I ended up positioning the buckles inside my thigh as my GML was not keen to see them despite picture evidence to the contrary.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2020 You’ve got it....front and side. Here are a couple of pics:I ended up positioning the buckles inside my thigh as my GML was not keen to see them despite picture evidence to the contrary.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ProAlways there with the closeups! Those are great. I’m not too sure which way I like. I suppose screen shot gets the win right now. I will leave some length on the strap for the upper clip in case I have to move the assembly under my thighs too. My legs don’t necessarily fill up the thigh and calf armor pieces. Gonna have to add something in both to keep it all from flopping around. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisko720 Posted March 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2020 Started shaping the thighs. Got it pretty close to where I want it for the moment. These upper leg pieces have been the most tedious. The fronts have somewhat of an acceptable shape. The rear pieces, however, are an odd sculpt. They also have no suggested points of alignment like all of the other pieces. You really do have to cut away a lot of material in order to get the correct shape. I’m going to leave them for now and circle back around to them once I get suited up for a full test fit. Just have to shape the overlapped parts on the sides now. Sent from my iPhone using The Force 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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