TikiTechie TLJ First Order TK Build Thread

[TikiTechie[TK]]

The pile of unfinished pieces grows yet smaller.  

 

 

I am at the point where the only thing slowing me down is a lack of clamps and magnets. I am trying to just finish this kit without any more spending, so it'll just get done when it does.

 

Left gauntlet complete with greeblies. 

 

The screwed up cutout area came out as good as I expected. Pretty rough, but some filler will make this better.  Hopefully!

 

 

Right thigh is complete, but I must not have used enough glue to the edge because I am seeing this bulging areas where it did not adhere.  I am hoping the solution is insert glue under those edges & magnet it down rather than having to pull it apart and start over. :/

 

 

WIP:

Sanded right gauntlet pieces with hopes to get that assembled tomorrow.

Trimmed up the shoulder bells and will glue when I get some clamps freed up.

 

Exciting picture

 

Glad to be at the point where I have very little dremeling left to do.  Or I should say, my family is glad of that. My workshop is the basement and it carries pretty well. Someday will have a garage workshop or something.

Edited September 21, 2023 by TikiTechie

[Sly11[Admin]]

You are powering through this build

[TikiTechie[TK]]

5 hours ago, Sly11 said:

You are powering through this build

Thanks, yeah. Trying to. I'm kind of going with the idea of, YAGNI and "get it done and see what falls off" then make that part better.   I don't want it to look bad, but unlike my last kit there are areas where the kit is more forgiving wrt how things are connected or overlapping. Those areas need less focus and the ones that do really will need attention, like sealing the seamless areas which is going to be my weak area and I definitely want those done well.
  
I would also like to do this without paint (not sure that's going to be possible) but if so, there's no sealing sanding, yet.  Now that I know how tough my other kit is, I am less afraid of digging into it more aggressively.  Though I'm trying to avoid being sloppy and making mistakes like my forearm snafu.  

It also helps that there some really kick-an impolite person build threads that have helped a lot. This community is so helpful and supportive.

Edited September 21, 2023 by TikiTechie

[FN1313[TK]]

Looking great. With your thigh glue areas you mentioned I really don’t see tons that would get in the way of approval. Overall it looks solid.


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[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 10, slower but continued progress. Mostly tedious grinding some edges in prep for more fun stuff to come.

 

Things completed:
* Knee caps - done (easy win)

* Shoulder bells sanded & glued. 

* got both sides of the right arm glued & clamped.  Hope to put the top on tomorrow.  Sanded the gauntlet box (?). 

 

Did the big reveal on the finished spats. I had to reinforce the tab since I stupidly chomped through it halfway with shears.  Fortunately it seems not to be too far gone for a simple reinforcement.

 

The left arm is mostly complete.  The paint isn't doing a good job sticking to the resin parts so I predict I will be masking & priming/painting after I get the rest of it done. Did the TLJ cutout.   Not super happy with the paint color. Using Behr Gloss White on the Imperial Surplus kit. Is that right or should I move to rustoleum?  Tempted to try it out.

 

One of my better edge seams. It's a shame it's going to get filled eventually.

 

The interior of the forearms feels a little cavernous. I will at least put foam in there, but is anyone doing a refinforcement or liner? I think that would be appealing to make the interior a little more hidden if it was lined with black neoprene or something like that.  It has that plastic cup sound that makes things seem flimsy.

Not terribly exciting pics of the shoulder bells. 

 

 

Speaking of edge seams, for any edges that need to be sealed, and that aren't something that gets flexed I am tempted to use this Bondo spot putty. Would this be the wrong thing to use? It's not good on flexible surface but I would think the gaunltet sides don't flex.  Does it stick to ABS? 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by TikiTechie

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 11 - Half day

 

Gonna be away for half today / most of tomorrow and Sunday so I'll probably be a little light on getting stuff done.

 

Forgot to mention that the first tube of E-6000 has given up the ghost.  Thank you for your service. 
 

 

A couple of shots of the yoke.  I cut away a little of the arm holes.  I am not sure how it fits yet so I am being conservative with my hacking until I get to fit it.  
I have tentatively decided to follow @gmrhodes13 version of the bell support mentioned above and make a bracket and attach the bells underneath rather than drill, and potentially weaken, the shoulder edges.  There is no harm in trying it out if it works, if not I haven't made any intrusive modifications.  TBD.

 

 

 

I started making the belt, which I'd like to work on while I'm out of town. I may have to hold off until I can get some chicago screws for mounting boxes. 
I started with E-6000 since I'm lazy and it seems like it's functionally the same as sewing or riveting.  If not, well it's easy to add the fixes later. 

I purchased a roll of black drawer liner with a similar texture to what the floor mat is.  It is glossy however so I am going to try and take off the shine with steel wool or similar.  It's another hack so if it doesn't work I'll upgrade to the thicker version. 

 

I will be attempting to make my own belt pouches.  I can't find a good source for the material I think I need so I am repurposing a music-stand bag.  Again, this is a test to see if I can make them. The alternate is just buying, but I'm trying to save money to get the rest of the bits I need (gaskets, boots & bucket). 
Yes, I am taking a sewing machine with me on vacation.  

 

 

Edited September 22, 2023 by TikiTechie

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

1 hour ago, TikiTechie said:

I can't find a good source for the material I think I need so I am repurposing a music-stand bag.  Again, this is a test to see if I can make them. 

 

Depending on the thickness of the fabric it would be a good resource.

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Got the bucket. Very happy that this little thing will give me the motivation to keep pushing on this build.  
 

 

The truth being I am a bit intimidated by trying to get the ab boxes & kitkat/holster mounts attached.  I may have to choose a glue other than E6000 which is my comfort zone of being able to remove & fix things if they need it.  These seem more permanent.  

The side-most ab boxes fit a little wonky. I am trying to determine the best course of modification for below them.  The join will get filled in above and I guess below? But there is a fair gap on the bottom of 9E. 

 

 

 

9K is definitely better, but it is much more evident how the overlap is not straight. I'm hoping sealing/filling/sanding can hide this.

 

 

But still, I've got the helmet.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by TikiTechie

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 14-16

 

After the other nights site off-lining, I haven't gotten the chutzpa to post too much. A lot of nothing has happened.  Mostly finished up all the pieces, even got the belt started (at least v1.0 DIY belt)

 

Just a few days ago I was thinking, "look, I'm almost done" now I am saying "oh no, I am nowhere near done." 

 

Been spending a LOT of time trying to seal the gaps.  Staying with my plan to NOT paint, I am trying abs pasting it.  I'm not sure how this will work.  Struggling, but I am getting the hang of something I've dreaded trying so I guess learning something new is good.

 

I took the opportunity to put the TD together and it went together surprisingly well, things lined up and it'll sit in it's little vacant lot on the back plate once I get there.

 

 

 

 

Started prepping the piece for abs pasting by masking off around it to keep the blast radius down to a minimum should I go haywire.

 

 

What have I done!?! Fortunately this is the bottom of the TD so if it sucks, no one shall know!

 

Cue the time passing muzak.  After some time of sanding and re-filling.  Hitting it with the mouse sander at 140, 220 and by hand at 400-1000, I ended up with a smooth but patchy mess.

 

 

 

Lots of pits in it are proving hard to remove.

 

More sanding. Another ABS fill or two, more sanding gets me here:
 

 

The edges are getting very smooth, but the original edge always seems to peek out after sanding it down. I'm not sure if I should not be sanding all the way to the base layer or not.

 

 

 

 

Took a break to do one bicep and am having similar results though it's a little easier surface to work on since it's flat.

 

 

 

 

I've got a few more ABS sections drying, the left side of the abs (not ABS), the yoke join.  More to look forward to. 

 

Send help and cookies!

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 17

 

Working on gluing/filling the kit kat bars on the shin. The shiny application looks like a good blend, but after sanding, I am not sure it'll be so good.

 

 

 

 

 

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 17 pt 2

 

Here it is, the first complete piece (that isn't a single piece). Drum roll.

 

 

Pretty much everything else is going to require sanding-filling of some sort so those are the next (First) order of business.

 

I have gotten a DIY belt constructed and appears to fit so far.  (Sorry for the weird angle. Difficult to take a picture of your belt area. :O )

 

Lastly a picture of the zipper on the abs girdle. Another challenging shot.

 

Aw yeah, it feels good to have a few pieces that go together.

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by TikiTechie

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 18

 

Got done building too late last night to have energy for posting.

 

At this point the parts are all assembled, mostly cleaned up.  I'm in limbo to decide if painting makes sense, but still going to move forward with ABS pasting/gluing them together and can decide later.  

 

For now I want to strap it up, try it on and adjust from there.

 

Shoulder bell progress:  

 

The photos here showing me some cleanup I have left to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thermal detonator 

I used ABS paste around the entire edge since it really needed more strength than E-6000 or CA glues could provide.  It sits down, but it was a tight squeeze around the bottom edge so fusing it helps.  I plan to clean up the top edge and sides. The bottom will eventually get cleaned up. Eventually.

 

 

 

Top edge "hanger"

I used the clip that came with the Imperial Surplus kit. It's kind of narrow so I'll be curious to see if it will give enough overhang to keep it put.  I have seen some better designs that I may try later. It's on with E6000 so it's not hard to swap it out later.

 

I did 

 

Thigh straps

 

I am trying out a design I've seen in a few locations.  In theory it's 2 1" wide straps spaced 2" apart.  As with a lot of copy-cat stuff I try, it may work, but it'll need some work to customize it to my kit.  The strap clasps I put into the thighs are either too high, or I've made the strap support too long. Even with the straps shortened to the max, it's just barely high enough for my liking. It may be easier to tell with real undersuit on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow up with undersuit

 

 

 

Belt
Boxes assembled & glued

 

 

 

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Shelf Liner material for belts. 

Something I didn't go into detail on for the belt.

 

I found this material on Amazon.

 

 

It seems like it could be a good substitute if you can't find the floor mat material.  It's also a lot cheaper at $7 versus $25( at least) which I've seen quoted elsewhere. Since you use so little, having to purchase a giant amount seems wasteful at least initially.  

It's easy to work with: make a small slit in between the two bands at the width you need and pull it apart at the tear. It rips cleanly down the length in a second. I didn't measure each band width, but it cleanly covers a 50mm / 2" web belt without any excessive overhang.

 

For now I am just putting this over the top of a cheap web belt. It does feel very thin, which is probably not what I'll eventually want.  You could add the neoprene layer in there for the added bulk.

I also went over it with steel wool to knock down some of the glossiness to it.

 

If it's not acceptable for approval, it's probably the easiest part to swap out and I would likely buy one fully built if I can find on Etsy or Facebook. 

Edited October 1, 2023 by TikiTechie

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

7 hours ago, TikiTechie said:

If it's not acceptable for approval, it's probably the easiest part to swap out and I would likely buy one fully built if I can find on Etsy or Facebook. 

Would be entirely up to your GML as they look after base approval. My only issue would be if you could see a join if you have to lengthen

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 18 Pt. 2

 

Had a few more things come together later in the day I figured I'd share.

 

Test fitting 2

 

Got a better try on with much of the thighs and above:

 

 

 

Thighs

 

I had reported difficulty with the thigh strapping system, but after looking at pics, they were up way too high on my legs.  Lengthening the straps looks way better. [Sorry for the cod pic. We're all adults here right?]

 

 

Magnets

 

I finally got the rectangular magnets I ordered and have started putting them in the sides of the chest/back to make it a lot easier to attach.  The velcro on the sides is a nightmare so far.  This appears a lot easier after a test fit.  

The magnets

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CZGV3Z8

Edited October 2, 2023 by TikiTechie

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 18 - "Done"

 

Well, the hardest part for me is over, cutting & shaping.

There is still plenty of work getting edges even & smooth. But being able to put most of the kit on is very gratifying.  

 

The kit so far.

 

 

The 2nd spent tube of E-6000. 

 

 

I say I'm going to take a day off but I know I'll be poking at it some more tomorrow. 

Edited October 2, 2023 by TikiTechie

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Coming along nicely

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Since the Whitearmor site was down for a few days I didn't have a chance to log progress. I'll try and catch up but there is enough that I probably won't document it all unless it's unusual.

 

Like... the shoulder tabs.  The design is from @gmrhodes13 and I have changed it only to add velcro to it. Mainly I wasn't sure how well it would work and I like being able to take things apart easily.   The following pics hopefully demonstrate the differences. So without making any cuts into plastic this is holding on the bells pretty well so far, but it's early on yet.

 

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by TikiTechie

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Day 20 something or other.  Missing a few days due to the site outage and just general exhaustion from a busy week. 

 

The TD for this Imperial Surplus kit really doesn't have any shape to it like I've seen in some other kits where it's curved into a back shape.  I think the yoke + belt should hold it down, but it might require some additional shaping to get it flat. (It might eventually be replaced if it doesn't behave.)

 

 

 

 

Added a longer clip at the top to hang better over the abs/back.  The tiny one it came with did not stay on, which I assumed it wouldn't which is why I just held it on with a few drops of e6000 so I could replace it easily. 

I also am replacing the abs-butt strap/snaps with the center mounted strap which is velcroed on at the back side of the middle belt support.  I may have to adjust it up a little for belt width. I found 3" elastic at Joann which seemed like the perfect width and will provide a little give & flex. 

 

 

Is this too much return edge to leave on?  I am not sure how much to cut back, if any.

 

Got a gasket kit from a local garrison member!  Finally I can move on.

 

The knee area was definitely made to be just enough to fill the gap and no more. I may not have the location of the up/lower legs correct yet.

 

Already demonstrating the might of the First Order!

 

The fit of the top.  The bicep was definitely a squeeze, but that's not a huge surprise and it won't require straps to stay put from what I can tell now.

 

Always hate to post cod-pix, but I think the vertical alignment of the pieces is getting better?

 

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by TikiTechie

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Having the TD staps run under the back can help hold it in better. Also note your butt plate is being pushed backward. TD should come down a bit more as it sits just on top of the belt

 

 

I left about the same return edge on the chest, you can see here how far it sits out, albeit there are two pieces and not much return edge.

 

Cod is looking fine

 

[TikiTechie[TK]]

I fabricated a thicker belt with a 1/4" layer between the webbing and the ribbed sheet.  It looks way better since it has a lot more support behind it.

 

 

Front view (I have a way to go on the sides of the Abs)

 

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Another update today. 

 

First full kit up. [Boots on Order from KT] 

 

Legs need some velcro somewhere. I'm not sure where that will go, but I'm going to do some research.

 

The belt is better but there is a cavern between my butt plate and my actual butt.  I am going to make an elastic to join those areas in the middle. 

 

 

 

 

Cod placement also with a gap. 

 

 

Top half  [ I haven't gotten anything holding down the top of the chest yet. Either magnets or tried and true velcro.]

 

 

It feels great to have gotten this far. It feels a lot more real now that I can get the whole thing to at least sit on my body.

 

 

Fixed the chest side velcro mis-alignment and the chest sat down much better.

 

 

Here are a couple of close ups of the fixup surgery I started on the gauntlet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TikiTechie[TK]]

Cod shots :O
 

I'll ease into it with this reference photo in a comment here:

 

I see a lot more space between the thigh & cod edges.  This is generally how things hang, but it looks wrong. 

I see that I am either:
* Hanging the abs too low.

* Rotating the thighs out too much.

* Or a combination
* or maybe it's spot on and I shouldn't worry about it.

 

My hands hang against the thigh at  a similar spot to the CRL. Hard to tell where the abs rest at.

 

Another view [This one seems slightly better]:
 

 

This is probably a better version of placement. It still does rub plenty against the thighs when I walk.

 

Butt plate

Does this seem correct? I am used to my OTTK being snug there, but what I see here and at Galaxy's Edge is a very protruding version which overlaps with the back thighs.  Seems odd again after coming from the OTTK. 

It seems like tightening things together with elastic is not really done (Captain's Drydock does snug it down front-to-back with elastic, but I don't see this elsewhere except loosely to keep things from totally flapping about.

 

I see the reference photo showing some elastics, but that looks weird and I am not sure it's a total solution either.

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by TikiTechie

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

For the butt plate it looks like the screen used where the same but for the cod piece if it was me, I surely make some trimming IMO.