Rogue One Building Tips (Q&A)

[11b30b4[TK]]

So, you are tackling that ROTK and you hit a snag. How to do this or how is everyone doing that. Well this is the place to ask and respond to others so that we can all share knowledge with out having to read every build thread to find that answer you need right now. Let’s keep it productive and if someone has a different method to do something, please keep in mind that there is more than one way to skin that cat.

 

Further, it is still a good idea to read through the build threads. We need to support each other and keep everyone motivated. This thread is simply meant to be a quick reference.

 

I will start it off with a few tips.

Masking tape-

Although you will need a lot of standard blue painters’ tape, when painting the smaller detailed areas on the helmet and abdomen, I recommend you mask these areas off with smaller width and higher quality masking tape. Tamiya is what I use. Tamiya is model masking tape and comes in small rolls with widths between 2mm through 18mm. You can get Tamiya masking tape from Amazon and most hobby model shops. I normally use the Tamiya to mask off the detailed areas like the teeth, tears, traps, and ear bars then use the blue masking tape to bridge between the Tamiya tape and whatever you use to cover the larger areas (plastic bags, paper, etc…)

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tamyia+masking+tape&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

Needle Files-

If you going to cut out your vents on your helmet, most of us will use a Dremel to do most of this but then you need to clean up these cuts to make them uniform and smooth. Needle files are the way to go. You can get a set of these small files from Amazon, Harbor Freight, and hobby stores.

https://www.amazon.com/Hardened-Strength-Barrette-Crossing-Equaling/dp/B07PPYWSCY/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=needle+files+set&qid=1598290682&sr=8-10

 

Adhesives-

For those of us new to cosplay, you will see people mention CA and E6000. So what the heck are these?

CA Glue

CA is short for CA glue or commonly known as Super Glue. The CA is the chemical abbreviation for Cyanoacrylate Acid. So yes, that stuff that will make you fingers stick to each other and tear off skin is what a lot of us use for building costumes. In addition to basic CA glue, it also comes in a variety of thickness formulas and you can also get an aerosol can of CA glue accelerator to make the glue instantly set.

Another trick to use with CA glue is to apply a bead of the CA glue to a crack in plastic then drizzle some baking soda on the wet CA glue. The baking soda with cause the glue to instantly cure and the baking soda creates a plastic that will fill the crack. You can sand it and paint over it. We use this method to fill gaps and fix broken parts of costumes.

 

Obviously, you can find CA glue everywhere, but the accelerator may be a bit more difficult. Try searching on Amazon or google for Name brands like 2p-10, Zip Kicker, Loctite, and Stick Fast.

 

E6000

E6000 is a perchloroethylene adhesive. Its application is very similar to silicone adhesive and provides a few characteristics over CA glue. This is from the product data sheet and can explain it better than I can.

E6000® is a unique SELF-LEVELING, non-flammable industrial adhesive formulated to meet high-performance requirements. It permanently adheres to more surfaces than virtually any other adhesive, providing exceptional adhesion to wood, metal, glass, fiberglass, ceramics, masonry, concrete, asphalt, leather, rubber, PVC, neoprene, vinyl and many plastics. E6000 maintains its flexible bond in extreme cold temperatures, will not crack or become brittle and is excellent for bonding items subject to vibration. For applications that are exposed to direct sunlight, paint over E6000 after curing or use E6800 UV formula.

 

So, the big thing here is that it is flexible, that means you can use it on armor in places you want to flex and where Ca glue would crack or cause the armor to crack. Its also safer to use on plastics than CA glue which may weaken or melt the plastic. The trade off here is that E6000 needs time to cure and must be clamped in place while curing. When you look at someone’s build thread and you see several round silver things suspended on the armor, almost always they are rare earth magnets that are on the inside and outside of the armor holding things together while the E6000 is curing (normally 24 hours).

 

So, with adhesives, there are a lot of options, but these are just two examples of what most of us use. One type of adhesive may not be the most ideal for aspects of your armor and you may want to consider using different adhesives for different parts of the armor.

 

Ok that’s what I have for now. Toss out your suggestions and questions and lets find those answers.

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by 11b30b4

[TC5800[TK]]

Don't use Bondo, use Poly Flex for your filling and final finish:

 

https://smile.amazon.com/Fibreglass-Evercoat-411-Poly-Flex-Polyester/dp/B000P6US6A/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=polyflex&qid=1598527233&sr=8-3

 

Bondo has zero flex and as soon as the armor bends/flexes the bondo will crack away from the plastic surface.  I'm a "Clone Guy" and have had one since my very first approval back in 2007 and can't tell you how much it sucks to have a big piece of armor crack off at an event.  I found this stuff back in 2010 and have never used Bondo again.  The nice thing is this can be used as the filler AND the finisher.  Yes it is "expensive" but you get what you pay for here.  Another thing is the small tube of hardener that comes with the bottle is blue.  You can buy the same tube of hardener for Bondo, red, at Walmart and it works the same.  

 

I've used it on some of the resin pieces of my ROTK and the helmet.  On my FOTK I used it on every seam and no issues 5 years later with any of them cracking apart.  

 

Plastic Clamps, Metal Clamps, and Rare Earth Magnets are HUGE to get this kit done.

 

I have several of the big bags of multiple sized clamps from Walmart in a big bowl in my shop along with several of the smaller metal clamps with strong holding power.  You can never have enough different sized and powered clamps.  

 

Rare Earth Magnets are great for areas you can't reach with a clamp like the middle of a shin or thigh.  You can put 3 or 4 of these between the clamps and they'll hold the pieces tight while drying from the glue or whatever you used to put them together.  A big key is to get super strong ones.  A couple things I'd suggest is to have something metal to keep them on.  I use a metal wire basket that is secured to wall.  Next make sure you keep all the plastic rings that go between the magnets.  The magnets are STRONG and it is tough to get them apart if they have attached to each other.  They will grab onto ANYTHING metal so anything close will be grabbed.  Also if they are far enough apart they will crack apart if they grab each other and come together.  They'll also pinch the sides of your fingers.  They can be a pain in the butt to use because of all that but the benefits outweigh the problems.

 

The last thing I'll throw in with clamps is that you should have some small pieces of wood close to your clamp area along with pieces that are long enough to cover the length of a thigh, shin, or ab plate.  Why?  Lets say you need to clamp down something too far in for a clamp to reach and it is too thick for the earth magnets to hold tightly.  I have several 1"x1" strips that are long enough to cover those pieces length wise.  You can put this piece over whatever you want to hold down and clamp it at both ends.  Now you have a clamp that can cover any span of your armor.  If you can't see what I'm talking about this picture will show you how I use clamps and pieces of wood to secure pieces I can't with just a clamp or magnet.