Star Wars Oregon
Public Information => Imperial Armor => Imperial Work In Progress => Topic started by: TrooperTim1138 on September 15, 2017, 12:12:34 PM
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After a few weeks of research I finally am getting started. The research is ongoing. I have had contact with the suppliers for everything for the complete kit except for the helmet- I believe the supplier is located in Florida and with the recent hurricanes, I don't expect a prompt response at this point. I have also decided at each step in this process to document my successes and failures. Much of what I will be doing has been done before in exactly the same way- but I will be looking for new techniques that will accomplish the same high quality outcomes if it is a better design. I am not looking to save time, money or work. I hope to achieve a high quality end result.
I am a few weeks from being able to order the armor, planing on picking up some extra shifts at work over the next few weeks. Still in search of a place to work on armor as I can't do much with spraying, sanding or bondo in my small apartment with no usable outdoor space. What can I do? Boots. Most WIP that I have seen start with the big stuff. From someone who has spent time in combat, with tons of gear and up to 24 hours on your feet and who currently works 12 hour shifts, mostly standing/walking- I would argue that your shoes/boots are the most important piece of gear you can have.
I have looked at several methods for creating the boots, from painting existing shoes, filing down the heel on shoes, covering with vinyl and ordering expensive custom made boots. I have chosen to go with purchasing cheaper shoes from Payless Shoes and using vinyl to get the end result. On my first trip to Payless Shoes I found exactly what I was looking for: a pair of shoes that was comfortable, had a completely flat sole and a mostly even thickness sole that had the right profile. In addition to the reference photo from the 501st CRL for a "phase I animated style boot" I am also using an actual animated screen version reference photo (shown below).
Cost: that's one of the first questions I get when talking about the project. I decided to track the costs of everything that I buy. Most often costs are calculated using the price of the major components, but not all the little things you buy along the way. I am tracking everything. So far: $25 shoes, $8 vinyl, $5 Shoe Goo. Will post again when I get some actual work done.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-h6VPjrv/0/880be522/M/i-h6VPjrv-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-bcHTmf/i-h6VPjrv/A)
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Wait....you're going to work extra? Now I know things are serious! :-)
Sent from the Jedi Temple
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Over January Vacation:
1/19 Contacted EVO3 via facebook and was added to list for Animated ARC Phase 1 Helmet. Should be less than 2 weeks until it can be shipped. Chip is Andy's partner now and seems to be handling the FB communications. I know previously people have had issues with response times for EVO3 products but I had several back and forth communications with Chip over a few days.
Looked at alternative to making own shoes at Crowprops. These are the exact shoes pictured in the CRL photo.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-34JdZgm/0/b966f09f/M/i-34JdZgm-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-bcHTmf/i-34JdZgm/A)
I am going to move forward with my own creation for now, I really want to get the look of the exact animated shoe:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-NrHXQXZ/0/3a6ee915/M/i-NrHXQXZ-M.jpg) (https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-bcHTmf/i-NrHXQXZ/A)
The flat sole and detail line above the notching is not visible in the Crowprops boot or other tutorials for making your own. I am using the basic methods presented in this tutorial:
http://501stclonetroopers.com/forum/index.php?/topic/17878-dtr1-clone-shoe-tutorial/
Also the shoe from CRL (Crowprops) has a leather white disc and strap sewn to the side of the shoes. This white disc and strap are included with the KW Designs armor kit and I think I could get the disc closer to the reference photo. So I will see how close I can get before going with the Crowprops boots. Pictures to be posted when I get some work done.
With the shoes that I got (see above posts) I will still need to sand down the heel portion as the sole is thicker at the back than the toe and remove the textured detailing on the side of the sole. That being said, I purchased a light weight variable speed orbital sander yesterday, which I am sure to need for other projects when we move into a house. Planning to work on the shoes today (1/24)
I was still concerned about working on this project when I did not have outdoor space or a garage to work in. I am going to be moving (somewhere) into a house around July so I will get everything done that I can that doesn't involve bondo/sanding/respirator before then. So that means cutting and trimming making a mess of the apartment until then!
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And another Clone in the works, Yay!
I have Crowprops boots and the disc straps are separate. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180124/6df79befebecd852ddd0717c17a5f22d.jpg)
Take your time, there is a lot of trimming and cutting, you can also start glueing. Be careful with CA glue it’s not as forgiving as E-6000.
Sent from the Utapau battle front
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And another Clone in the works, Yay!
I have Crowprops boots and the disc straps are separate.
Take your time, there is a lot of trimming and cutting, you can also start glueing. Be careful with CA glue it’s not as forgiving as E-6000.
Sent from the Utapau battle front
Good to know! Started the sanding on one shoe on my small uncovered porch... before it started raining. No powertools in the rain, I am sure I read that somewhere.
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Update! Still in the battle here. Dealing with recent illness, weather and work space issues and even a death in the family in the last month. But we must soldier on! S3 ARC helmet arrived today from EVO3! I must say out of the box this thing in beautiful! Andy and Chip at EVO3 are still doing flawless work as others have reported. Sometimes the wait between communication was longer than I would have liked but... damn. It is worth the wait. Hopefully going to get some actual work done in the next month!
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-96QNfwv/0/757d37ec/M/i-96QNfwv-M.jpg)
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Looks awesome!!
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That’s a good looking bucket
Sent from the Utapau battle front
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Very nice!
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I took a drill to my bucket. This is simply terrifying to me. But I have done some light sanding with 180grit on the mold lines and then a light pass over the whole helmet with 400 grit. I am thinking I need remove the visor area and the teeth and get those sanded before I attempt a first coat of primer, after I go buy it. Going to pick up some bondo tomorrow... need to make sure I get the right kind. But I am on my way.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-D2DsLDJ/0/9c5f048c/M/i-D2DsLDJ-M.jpg)
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Little drill holes, file in between and sanding. You’ll do fine and we can help
Sent from the Utapau battle front
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That would be scary! I'd be tempted to use a dremel and cut it faster, but would be wondering if that could slip and cause damage. Keep at it. It's looking good!
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You’ll do fine and we can help
I am counting on it brother! Will be hitting you up with probably a massive amount of questions at the armor party in a few weeks.
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That would be scary! I'd be tempted to use a dremel and cut it faster, but would be wondering if that could slip and cause damage. Keep at it. It's looking good!
I did start with the dremel "cutting tool" bit. Thats larger hole pictured in the center of the visor here. I found that my normal 18v cordless drill with a normal drilling bit was much easier and precise to control. I managed to drill close holes all the way around the visor without nicking the edge at any point.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BwvQZ5V/0/e5d334fe/M/i-BwvQZ5V-M.jpg)
I found it also helpful to mark the edges with a pencil since seeing the angles of white/white material can be difficult to see while drilling and wearing safety goggles (SAFETY FIRST KIDS!)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-R3XxwHB/0/21d8b8b2/M/i-R3XxwHB-M.jpg)(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-vtXwFPG/0/1285d1d7/M/i-vtXwFPG-M.jpg)
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Looks great!
Sent from the Jedi Temple
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3/4/18 Shopping! Yesterday I hit Home Depot for a few items. I wanted to make sure the bondo and the primer I picked up are OK?
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-q2qK3hn/0/12771bc0/M/i-q2qK3hn-M.jpg)
Then on to the work on the helmet itself. I used the drill bit to "cut" between the holes I drilled around the edge of the visor (not recommended) and although I was able to preserve the outside face of the helmet, I believe I mangled the inside face a bit where the visor would actually be flush with the inside opening. This became even more apparent when sanding the edge of the visor area and the teeth. I assume it's quite important for this inside face to be smooth so it's flush with the visor when it's installed so as to create a clean line against the visor. There seems to be quite a variation in thickness around the visor area.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZzHSHct/0/1c2f250a/L/i-ZzHSHct-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bJW6JBb/0/2652fbc1/L/i-bJW6JBb-L.jpg)(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-9qJXX89/0/fd57d120/L/i-9qJXX89-L.jpg)
After removing the major areas left at the edge with the sanding drum on my dremel, I did the sanding mostly with 180 grit sand paper wrapped around short flat paint sticks.. The corners and teeth holes were all done with the needle files. It was helpful to have a variety of sizes and shapes. My plan is to sand the inside of the helmet around the edges of the openings to get a uniform thickness and repair the inside edge with bondo and re-sand (once the this first set of sanding is done).
In thinking about using bondo for the first time on this project I was wondering if it would be a good idea to fill the cavity created by the fin on the dome with bondo to strengthen it?
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-zZGCqM5/0/6cc97b55/M/i-zZGCqM5-M.jpg)
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3/6/18 I think I may have figured out why part of my inside edges seemed so mangled around the visor area. On the inside the material actually flares up near the edges. I am not sure what the correct solution would be to correct this. One option would be to fill the low areas up to the flared edges and then sand out. The next would be to sand off the flared edges making the areas around the visor all the same thickness. I am not sure! The picture here doesn't do the best job of showing the flared edge I am talking about.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Ctb9k3n/0/1084e379/L/i-Ctb9k3n-L.jpg)
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Throwing some bondo at this project is next on my list! Going to wash all the dust off the helmet tonight. Might not get to the bondo until next week, my respirator is elsewhere and I need to be able to let it sit in well ventilated area even after the sanding is done (not in my apartment). While I was thinking about bondo I noticed a small hole where I could see daylight peeking through in the right ear cap where the RF would attach. The material is thin there and I would be afraid that the weight of RF would break the surrounding material. I am guessing I should build up the area on the inside with bondo so it's a little more solid before I drill the hole for the RF so the washer and the RF mount have something more solid to grab onto? I thought at first the whole circular area there was meant to be cut out.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/Helmet/i-KGDGBr4/0/7e19bf13/M/DSC01795-M.jpg)(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/Helmet/i-3hwx9xh/0/e94b3627/M/DSC01794-M.jpg)
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Quick update- I've decided to just get this thing done! After getting Celebration tickets I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to set a deadline. I have laid out a schedule to get my ARC done before Celebration Chicago. Every other Saturday is "ARC Trooper Build Day." I have no work space in my apartment so all work will be armor parties and occupied friend's garages. (Until I move into a house) This has been my primary barrier to getting work done- I can't just work on it a little each day because I'd have to pack everything up every day and take it somewhere. Ordered the kit from KW. Should be here within 3 weeks. Will post pics and progress here on a biweekly basis. Every other Saturday is "ARC Trooper Build Day." Going to get work done on the bucket this weekend. ?
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Awesome
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Nice!! Celebration is a great goal!
Sent from the Jedi Temple
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Awesome! It's always good to have a deadline. Looking forward to seeing this come together for you!
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nice!! gonna be so many arc troopers!! cant wait to see the progress.. maybe one weekend this summer ill try and have a few people over and we can focus on some armor..
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So if you're gonna try and bring this suit over to the build party (if I understood that right) it'd be good timing. I was planning on helping Chris with his clone armor and to get it done a little faster. If you want, I can give you a hand with yours as I'm also intending on bringing my RC Boss to get a few things tweaked and secured better. I'd be happy to help a brother out.
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So if you're gonna try and bring this suit over to the build party (if I understood that right) it'd be good timing. I was planning on helping Chris with his clone armor and to get it done a little faster. If you want, I can give you a hand with yours as I'm also intending on bringing my RC Boss to get a few things tweaked and secured better. I'd be happy to help a brother out.
I am for sure going to bring my bucket for bondo/sanding fun. I am not sure if my BBB will have arrived by this date but if so... I will! I would love a hand with anything, or even just advice as this is my first project of this sort. Looking forward to meeting you all!
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nice!! gonna be so many arc troopers!! cant wait to see the progress.. maybe one weekend this summer ill try and have a few people over and we can focus on some armor..
Yes please!
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BBB's Day! No time to open, work and stuff!
Also got replacement flex shaft for my Dremel, 2 visors for the helmet, rare earth magnets.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/18620-BBB-day/i-VWdCpwr/0/32f034cb/L/DSC03096-L.jpg)
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Awesome! Your hands are gonna be so sore from trimming soon!
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Awesome, Mike is correct but worth it
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I have given up my original idea of creating the shoes and went ahead and ordered animated clone boots from Crowprops. Made arrangements to have someone put together an ARC backpack for me. Planning to order ARC kama from a supplier on the Clone Trooper Detachment forums.
All pieces from the KW phase 1 clone and ARC kits unloaded and wiped down (per the included instructions) with rubbing alcohol. After going through all the pieces and verifying every was there (with the included checklists), I realized that I forgot to order the suspenders and strapping kit that KW offers. I sent him an e-mail but I am pretty sure he's taking a break, his facebook page stated that the next items won't be shipping out until August.... but I have a sarlacc pit's worth of work to do before I will need the strapping so that's ok.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/62218/i-WjmLHjM/0/5f612f07/L/DSC03104-L.jpg) (https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/62218/i-DScrVdV/0/64d5117a/L/DSC03105-L.jpg)
I also took the time to re-watch the assembly videos on http://imperialsurplus.com/index.html to get a better context on things now that I have in hand the pieces I will be working on. Did some rough trimming on the cod, butt, chest, back, ab, kidney and ARC chest. I will definitely need to shim the chest/back, cod/butt and ab/kidney pieces. I taped the cod/butt together and could fit it around my waist after leaving one side open to get it on, could get it closed but was pretty snug around my waist and I know the ab/kidney places are supposed to fit inside the cod/butt section... so shimming will happen! (After I figure out how to do such things!)*
On my list of things to pick up at the hardware store: new work gloves. The ones I have are great for light work but that utility knife scares me. Need something with a little thicker leather on the fingers. Would take just one slip of that knife to shut down this project for an extended amount of time (and I would never hear the end of it from my wife!) After working with the material, trimming with my utility knife and after watching the videos I learned that I don't really need to cut fully through the material- just need to score it and bend. Trimming is much cleaner and work goes much faster. I am keeping all the trimmings in a box incase I get super crazy and want to make sludge:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/62218/i-8KdHhMC/0/a23ad425/L/DSC03111-L.jpg)
Tomorrow I am going to an armor party and in the process of figuring out how I am going to get everything there I found the missing piece for the flex shaft on my dremel. Now I have an extra un-opened dremel flex shaft. I am still not decided on what cargo box I want for this kit once it's all done. Now I am packed up and ready for the party tomorrow!
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/62218/i-pgxN7mL/0/03974ae3/L/DSC03110-L.jpg)
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Exciting stuff! Looking forward to seeing your next update with how much progress was made. Have fun!
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See you at the Armor party, I’m bringing Fives but will definitely be available to help
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See you at the Armor party, I'm bringing Fives but will definitely be available to help
Thank the Maker! I have almost all the parts pencil marked for trimming now but even with the guides on KW's site I am going cross eyed trying to figure out a few of the boxes. I am also thinking of investing in a table top belt sander.... realizing the amount of sanding is going to be monumental to say the least.
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Glorious day for an armor party with some first-class people from Cloud City Garrison and Kashyyyk Base (Star Wars Oregon)! Got a ton of trimming done on my kit while getting expert advice from Scott (NavySith). I can not over state how much it helps being connected with others in doing this project. Post will be short on pictures, I was really focused on getting as much trimming done as my hands would allow (gloves...must wear them kids- I am glad I did!).
Also, out of my apartment I was working on a cheap portable plastic table that I wasn't worried about cutting into, which made the work go faster than the trimming I was doing at home. Some of the pieces were quite difficult to cut due to the location of adjacent pieces, most notably the forearms and bicep (see below). Although I am sore from the cutting, I was sort of sad to park the kit in the storage unit where it will live when I am not working on it. Will be a few days before I can get back at it- but making progress!
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/18623-SWO-Armor-Pary/i-WHGJNWB/0/aefdae36/L/DSC03116-L.jpg)
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Got a bit more work done this afternoon. Still need to trim all the boxes and holsters. Then all the basic trimming will be complete!
Left to trim:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/180627/i-JTJNc8v/0/a0176f9b/L/DSC03143-L.jpg)
Had my first unintentional cut line on a shoe strap:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/180627/i-r4ZBsBf/0/56639b07/L/DSC03137-L.jpg)
I call this the "Porg and Clone Trooper bouquet"
(https://photos.smugmug.com/ARC-Trooper-Echo/180627/i-kLHknvb/0/fe4b767b/L/DSC03133-L.jpg)
Have to return to work for a week, then I should be back at it!
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Looking good
Shoe strap cut can be glued and filled, easy fix
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