CJ TIE Reserve/Pilot Build

[CJ49er]

I started this build awhile back, going with the TIE Reserve first for obvious reasons.  I bought 2 pairs of  American Work Apparel CT-10 Black coveralls (http://www.awawork.com/ct10bk.html)  and modified them using tutorials from the JRS  site. http://www.jrs501st.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=96&t=6460

Commpad-  PilotBay
Code Cylinders- Elvis Trooper
Hat- PilotBay

flight suit parts in progress:

I bought the hat without the greeblie because I had already purchased the greeblie, intending on making my own hat. I did attempt it, but sewing that hat was way beyond my sewing skill level.


 flight suit after some mods:

[CJ49er]

I bought the black belt blank and buckle from Tandy Leather, sanded the buckle to give it the brushed finish, then bolted a greeblie on the front. I also added the screw to the left side for level 2. Of course I didnt take any photos during the belt


The boots- purchased these from Alley Cat Surplus in Boring, they dont have them all of the time, but its worth checking if you need boots, they were only 25$


I did have to replace the buckle at the top:


My gloves were from an older Biker Scout, I think I will end up replacing them with WW pilot gloves:

[CJ49er]

I didnt figure that I would be a very good pilot without a blaster, after a few considerations, I decided to go with a Merr-Sonn Power 5.

It started like this:

I went with the cheap plastic airsoft for my first attempt at hacking up and modifying.

I cut the flash suppressor off of a Rubies Dl-44 since my 3D printer still isnt operational. Cut some square greeblies for one side, then used washers and an extra imperial disk that came with my TIE bucket for the other side. I fashioned the scope out of dowel, and used wire sheathing from a power cord with a 12-2 romex wire inside of that to keep it rigid.
The cooling modules are made from threaded plumbing parts from HD. Some people only do half of the module on one side because it actually fell off before filming, but I went with full on both sides.

I dont care much for my scope (how its a scope I dont really get) so eventually it will be replaced.




A few coats of paint later, and some weathering (which I think needs more, or different, or... if you cant tell, I am my own worst critic )




now onto the holster.....

[daryldoak]

Looks great Chris!

For my next costume I want to build either a tie pilot or an at-at driver.

[CJ49er]

Thanks Daryl. It is a pretty fun build so far, especially enjoyed the blaster. I think an AT-AT driver would be cool, really, I need 1 of each

[CJ49er]

I started with this pattern for the holster, but ended up modifying it a bit.



Before I stitched it together, I wet the leather and clamped it over the blaster to make a tighter fit. I thought I padded the clamps enough, but ended up leaving dents in the front. Hindsight, I should have re-wet them and got them out before finishing it.

[CJ49er]

I think I have hit a wall..... I dusted off my old TK molds, filled in the back plate for TI and flattened the bottom of the chest mold. Never even considering the sizes, until I set them next to my Anovos parts. No way these will work, unless I grow 12" taller.

booooo





I suppose the front isnt too big, maybe just trim the bottom part down, but the back plate is too big all over the place.

hmmm, what to do....

[Lidocaine]

Holster is really nice looking! I'm jealous of your sewing skills, it turned out really sharp.

[CJ49er]

thanks Luke,  it really is about using the right tools for the job. Here are the tools that I use (after learning the hard way )

this tool scribes the sewing line/notch into the leather, it can be adjusted to different sizes from the edge:


then I use this tool to mark the holes, it also can be adjusted for different sizes (it has different size wheels)


then I use this punch to make the holes easier for sewing:

forgive my 'punching out of the lines'

then the sewing awl:

[CJ49er]

I purchased a bucket from a member on the 501st forum, full resin cast:

I dremeled out the eyes, some on the teeth, then used small files to square up the teeth





sanding off the mold seam:




It had a some spots in the tight corners where resin had balled up, air bubbles or something I guess, so I decided to clean those up. If you find yourself in this situation, do not try cutting them out, BAD idea. Basically it busted them out, leaving holes in the helmet.

[CJ49er]

I glued some styrene pieces behind the holes that I busted in the corners, some bondo and sanding made them disappear. Primer, a little more bondo in some of the pinholes, more sanding, and paint.







Completely unhappy with the paint, grrrrr, it looks terrible. I have seen other people take their buckets to an autobody shop to get painted there, thats what I should have done. The finish is completely orange peeled and awful.

[CJ49er]

I did some research on spray paint, and found a better product, although I should just sandblast and start over.

I sanded the helmet with 2000 grit to smooth it back out and used this paint:


Its still not as smooth as I would like, but at this point I  think that I will go with it. My plan is to get another bucket and go the autobody route.

[daryldoak]

Paint looks good in the pictures.  I'm concerned about painting my AT-AT armor gray and making it look good.

[CJ49er]

a friend of mine (does autobody work in Eugene) says that its possible to go to certain auto paint companies and get them to put their paint into a spray can, otherwise this epoxy paint is the next best option for DIY (as far as what I have found) This black was from Home Depot, other stores may offer different colors.

I also came across a few youtube videos on how to make spray paint look good, basically painting, clear coating, and buffing. That was the direction that I was heading when I found the epoxy paint.

I am thinking that I may just send my bucket to the autoshop for a nice shiny coat of black and clear coat, I just hate waiting longer

[CJ49er]

Got my decals from Trooperbay. Putting a flat decal on a round surface does not compute, I may have to order another set and try again. The lines and bumps aren't horrible, but noticeable. I also think that I put the cogs too close to mohawk.....gahhhhhhh, the details.