Boba Fett DK
New Hunter
Man that armor is looking great keep us updated cant wait to see the final product. Looking good man 
Sci-Fire TDH Clone Trooper WIP
- Thread starter Replicant Shadow
- Start date
MandalorFett
Well-Known Hunter
yeah. I've never had to shrink my armor. I was left in the cloning device a little too long and grew a little bigger....ahem....has nothing to do with eating too much.
It's the twinkies man, it's the twinkies.
RS, any more details or progress?
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
No progress at this time folks. Taking a break and re-evaluating the project. I stopped work on the chest and backplate until I receive my Ab Plate components. I am trying to get the tightest fit possible, without sacrificing spacing as per reference (I don't want the top strap areas to be to close to one another) I am actually searching the net, and the local thrift stores for futuristic looking componentry for the interiors of the chest and backplate. I am expecting this suit of armor to be heavy, especially with the all magnets and a possible cooling system in the backplate. I am actually working out extra hard on the P90X, looking for 12% body fat for the best fit, and the strength to endure wearing this at C5.
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Ijaat Ka rta
Hunter
Argh!!! It's been 4 whole days!!!! How has the project going? It looks amazing!
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
I will have an update before the week is out, Darth Real Life has had my hobby time by the throat.
Triple LOL
Triple LOL
whistle8mp
Active Hunter
Hey buddy, just a quick question about painting the armor, do you sand every inck of the armor on the outside before painting it up?
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
I do.
For instance, once all the seams have been "knocked" out, like on the forearms, I will prime the entire piece with one light coat of primer, then sand it back down with 320then finish with 380. The key is to have a consitantly smooth surface, prior to actual paint application.
In this case (like I did on your costume) I will be doing a layered paint scheme. This time though I am airbrushing on very light color coats, as to preserve as much of the crispness/detail of the lines as possible.
For instance, once all the seams have been "knocked" out, like on the forearms, I will prime the entire piece with one light coat of primer, then sand it back down with 320then finish with 380. The key is to have a consitantly smooth surface, prior to actual paint application.
In this case (like I did on your costume) I will be doing a layered paint scheme. This time though I am airbrushing on very light color coats, as to preserve as much of the crispness/detail of the lines as possible.
Ijaat Ka rta
Hunter
And once you're finished with this, excellent, wonderful, delectable....sexy....What? Oh, yes! The suit. Once you're finished with this suit you're going to? Give it to me, that's right. Alright now that that's settled you can continue with the production.
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
Well, I know it's been awhile folks and, this update here is rather long and drawn out.
The part that I have been paying attention to the most lately has been the left forearm (the right forearm is semi-assembled as well, all seams bondo'ed and effectively knocked out).
I removed quite a bit of plastic from both halves not only in width, but length as well. In cutting back the length, I did in fact loose the undercuts, which the faux "thickness" of the piece was lost as a result.
In the following images, I highlight the procedure that I have been utilizing to restore thickness. In fact this procedure will be utilized on the legs, biceps, etc. any part that requires it, as you will all see in future updates.
The first image shows where I begin to shim the two-halves. This time I shimmed the leftside forearm differently than the rightside. Rather than cutting the shims as one piece (the entire legnth of the actual forearm) I cut the shim into 3 seperate pieces. The reason I did this was to create small gaps between the individual shim pieces, so Bondo would seep through to the inside, in a way creating a "bondo" rivet which I then sanded down. I am skinning the inside of these pieces with multiple layers of thin sheet styreene, so the bondo will ultimately go unseen:
Front, small shim clipped:
Rear shim glued and clipped till dry, front pieces super glued (used small dusting of baking soda as an accelerator, a CGClone trick) :
The piece effectively shimmed:
Test fitting. You can see the small gap between the rear and middle shim:
Prior to applying Bondo to the respective seams, I sanded the whole part down with 220grit, hitting the seams areas with 180grit for better Bondo adhesion:
All right, here is bit of a fast forward in the process, as you can see in this image, the bottom seam has been "knocked" out. I used 120grit to fight down the excess, un-needed Bondo, then 220grit to finish off the seam. Note the highly accurate, curved "tapered" effect on the left halve.
The top seam effectivley knocked out:
Here I begin to focus on building-up the thickness of the part. I am super gluing solid round , styreene rod, along the interior curvature of the part. This will act not only as a foundation for the styreene sheets I will be the skinning the interior with, but as base for expoxy putty that will be applied. This tubing also helps add strength too I can't recall the width of this rod styreene, and I will have that info soon (note experimental interior "greeblies" from previous updates have been removed):
Styreene rod in place on the front of the piece. Note first layer of sheet styreene in place:
Here is the part, after the first go around of puttying, filing and sanding. I am using an epoxy putty I have never tried before, that I found at OSH. I will post the brand later. Great stuff to work with. Here I think you all can see what I attempting to do. The part is probably at the 50% completion stage at this point. The final stage (as you will see soon) will be where I capture and finalize all the nuances. The egdes will ultimately be super sharp:
Second layer of sheet styreene being traced/scored with pencil, trimmed to fit (note seam and edge areas have been dusted with a light coat of white Tamiya Fine Primer):
The goal with the forearms, is to elminate the use of foam blocks, between the forearms and the pieces thenselves. I will be using Rare Earth Magnets on the front ends of the corresponding pieces, so they don't move around, and remain exactly in place. There will be magnets precisely installed either on the body glove, or on the back end of the gloves themselves. Not sure yet. One more layer of thin sheet styreene is all thats required at this point. I can't tell you all how secure the piece feels already, minus the magnets, with no foam blocks in use. Totally stoked!
The part that I have been paying attention to the most lately has been the left forearm (the right forearm is semi-assembled as well, all seams bondo'ed and effectively knocked out).
I removed quite a bit of plastic from both halves not only in width, but length as well. In cutting back the length, I did in fact loose the undercuts, which the faux "thickness" of the piece was lost as a result.
In the following images, I highlight the procedure that I have been utilizing to restore thickness. In fact this procedure will be utilized on the legs, biceps, etc. any part that requires it, as you will all see in future updates.
The first image shows where I begin to shim the two-halves. This time I shimmed the leftside forearm differently than the rightside. Rather than cutting the shims as one piece (the entire legnth of the actual forearm) I cut the shim into 3 seperate pieces. The reason I did this was to create small gaps between the individual shim pieces, so Bondo would seep through to the inside, in a way creating a "bondo" rivet which I then sanded down. I am skinning the inside of these pieces with multiple layers of thin sheet styreene, so the bondo will ultimately go unseen:
Front, small shim clipped:
Rear shim glued and clipped till dry, front pieces super glued (used small dusting of baking soda as an accelerator, a CGClone trick
) :The piece effectively shimmed:
Test fitting. You can see the small gap between the rear and middle shim:
Prior to applying Bondo to the respective seams, I sanded the whole part down with 220grit, hitting the seams areas with 180grit for better Bondo adhesion:
All right, here is bit of a fast forward in the process, as you can see in this image, the bottom seam has been "knocked" out. I used 120grit to fight down the excess, un-needed Bondo, then 220grit to finish off the seam. Note the highly accurate, curved "tapered" effect on the left halve.
The top seam effectivley knocked out:
Here I begin to focus on building-up the thickness of the part. I am super gluing solid round , styreene rod, along the interior curvature of the part. This will act not only as a foundation for the styreene sheets I will be the skinning the interior with, but as base for expoxy putty that will be applied. This tubing also helps add strength too
I can't recall the width of this rod styreene, and I will have that info soon (note experimental interior "greeblies" from previous updates have been removed):Styreene rod in place on the front of the piece. Note first layer of sheet styreene in place:
Here is the part, after the first go around of puttying, filing and sanding. I am using an epoxy putty I have never tried before, that I found at OSH. I will post the brand later. Great stuff to work with. Here I think you all can see what I attempting to do. The part is probably at the 50% completion stage at this point. The final stage (as you will see soon) will be where I capture and finalize all the nuances. The egdes will ultimately be super sharp:
Second layer of sheet styreene being traced/scored with pencil, trimmed to fit (note seam and edge areas have been dusted with a light coat of white Tamiya Fine Primer):
The goal with the forearms, is to elminate the use of foam blocks, between the forearms and the pieces thenselves. I will be using Rare Earth Magnets on the front ends of the corresponding pieces, so they don't move around, and remain exactly in place. There will be magnets precisely installed either on the body glove, or on the back end of the gloves themselves. Not sure yet. One more layer of thin sheet styreene is all thats required at this point. I can't tell you all how secure the piece feels already, minus the magnets, with no foam blocks in use. Totally stoked!
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Beau Nidle
New Hunter
That looks great, can't wait to see how this all turns out!
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
Been slammed, I actually been moving too, almost settled in. Hopefully I can pick-up on this by mid-week, next week
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
The last few weeks have been go go go. I just recently moved, and I am 92% settled in, just need to set-up my workshop, so I can pick up on this project.
But, I do have some images that I took of preliminary work I did on my Biceps, back in January. The parts are not permanently set, just lightly glued.
The issue I am working on with these particular components are the widths of each of the sides of the respective parts; while maintianing the correct balance with regard to the height of the Biceps. Since this particular set of armor is scaled on a 6' build, I am removing plastic, scaling down the proportions to my build and height (5' 10" 176lbs).
Here is an image of the rightside Bicep, after trimming off required plastic (about 1/4 inch off each of the halves) They are shimmed, though lighlty glued, so I can make adjustments.
Here are both the right and left Bicep. These are the exterior sides which are the most exposed. Though I feel the widths are correct for my build, the parts now appear taller than they should. I have decided to remove the interior chims, and reset the width 1/8 wider. As with the forearms, I will be building up the thickness of the parts, at which time I will then adujst the the height of the component.
I am still amazed at the precision these parts line-up, after trimming. The beauty for me with this particular kit, is that I can effectively control the scaling down process, making for a strong and reliable end result.
But, I do have some images that I took of preliminary work I did on my Biceps, back in January. The parts are not permanently set, just lightly glued.
The issue I am working on with these particular components are the widths of each of the sides of the respective parts; while maintianing the correct balance with regard to the height of the Biceps. Since this particular set of armor is scaled on a 6' build, I am removing plastic, scaling down the proportions to my build and height (5' 10" 176lbs).
Here is an image of the rightside Bicep, after trimming off required plastic (about 1/4 inch off each of the halves) They are shimmed, though lighlty glued, so I can make adjustments.
Here are both the right and left Bicep. These are the exterior sides which are the most exposed. Though I feel the widths are correct for my build, the parts now appear taller than they should. I have decided to remove the interior chims, and reset the width 1/8 wider. As with the forearms, I will be building up the thickness of the parts, at which time I will then adujst the the height of the component.
I am still amazed at the precision these parts line-up, after trimming. The beauty for me with this particular kit, is that I can effectively control the scaling down process, making for a strong and reliable end result.
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Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
Well I gotta say that the last 2 months have been insane, time has been precious. Though, once I get through my buddy's wedding next weekend, I am full bore on this Sci-Fire Project.
Over the weekend, I made an appearance at a little kids Star Wars Birthday Party which; I took the opportunity to mock-up my snow commander costume with my new Sci-Fire componentry. I also decided that I am going to finish off my final version of Commander V*ltaire in time for San Diego 09'.
As some may recall, this particular costume utilizes various Clone Trooper components mixed with Imperial Snowtrooper armor, for a plausible clone precursor to the classic snowtrooper.
In the image below (enlarged and cropped) is the Sci-Fire left forearm, at what I estimate to be at the 85% completion phase at this time. (the right forearm is still at around the 30% completion phase) As I had updated in Post Number 69, I am in fact building up the thickness of the forearms, to eliminate the use of foam blocks. With regard to the fit of the left forearm in my snowtrooper jumpsuit; I was thrilled beyond belief on the snug fit, and the overall look of the piece itself:
(Forearm armor thickness is on the very shy side of a 1/4 inch all around)
Over the weekend, I made an appearance at a little kids Star Wars Birthday Party which; I took the opportunity to mock-up my snow commander costume with my new Sci-Fire componentry. I also decided that I am going to finish off my final version of Commander V*ltaire in time for San Diego 09'.
As some may recall, this particular costume utilizes various Clone Trooper components mixed with Imperial Snowtrooper armor, for a plausible clone precursor to the classic snowtrooper.
In the image below (enlarged and cropped) is the Sci-Fire left forearm, at what I estimate to be at the 85% completion phase at this time. (the right forearm is still at around the 30% completion phase) As I had updated in Post Number 69, I am in fact building up the thickness of the forearms, to eliminate the use of foam blocks. With regard to the fit of the left forearm in my snowtrooper jumpsuit; I was thrilled beyond belief on the snug fit, and the overall look of the piece itself:
(Forearm armor thickness is on the very shy side of a 1/4 inch all around)
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stormtrooperguy
Sr Hunter
i never thought about it, but your clone commander really isn't far off from the snow clones shown in the clone wars series... maybe they got inspired by you!
Replicant Shadow
Active Hunter
OK Scum and Villians, time to dredge this thread up from under the Outer Rim, and start updating and promoting progress. If Sansweet announces Celebration V at Comic Con, like I think he will, the clock starts clicking tomorrow afternoon.
I am bringing my kit down, and plan on working on it at the TDH table during my shifts. I decided to shift the project from the forearm-gauntlets, and work on my Chestplate and Backplate exclusively, start to finish. This will include lining and detaling the interior surface of said components. What I realized is, that it's imperative for me to perfect, and complete these components FIRST. To where then, all other components can be scaled down, to properly strike a balance on the whole.
ALSO, I want to mention that using the hair dryer and ice shocking technique (as I showed in Post #47) was ineffective in maintaing the desired, permanent adjustments my physique requires. This plastic is thick, and the pull is very consistant throughout. It's tough stuff without a doubt. I decided to step it up with a heat gun, and I got it exactly how I want it now. I even cooled it off in a sink of regular cold tap water. Thanks to whstle8mp for messaging me about the heating issue too, which I believe he is facing at this time with his Sci-Fire kit.
I am bringing my kit down, and plan on working on it at the TDH table during my shifts. I decided to shift the project from the forearm-gauntlets, and work on my Chestplate and Backplate exclusively, start to finish. This will include lining and detaling the interior surface of said components. What I realized is, that it's imperative for me to perfect, and complete these components FIRST. To where then, all other components can be scaled down, to properly strike a balance on the whole.
ALSO, I want to mention that using the hair dryer and ice shocking technique (as I showed in Post #47) was ineffective in maintaing the desired, permanent adjustments my physique requires. This plastic is thick, and the pull is very consistant throughout. It's tough stuff without a doubt. I decided to step it up with a heat gun, and I got it exactly how I want it now. I even cooled it off in a sink of regular cold tap water. Thanks to whstle8mp for messaging me about the heating issue too, which I believe he is facing at this time with his Sci-Fire kit.
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