DoggyDoc

E-11D battery placement update. In complete agreement with @Chaos, I feel that putting the battery in the handle will be a mistake. Every time the battery would be changed, the screws securing the handle will need to be removed. Given that the threads are in resin, I feel that over time, it will become looser and looser. The magazine is the best place to put it, but the design of the Tom Campbell / Martin Martinez magazine and magazine well do not allow for modifications to fit a 9V battery. I looked at the file Chaos provided but decided to go with the magazine housing that I used for my E-11 (Trooper96’s files) for my TK costume. This one has a working spring release button and the magazine can be inserted and locked in place securely. I had to slightly enlarge it by 10% and open up the inside of the magazine a bit to fit the battery as well as conform the base to the E-11D barrel. Pictured below are the original magazine set up (lighter resin) and my new one (darker resin)

Hi Stuart. I have a Jim Tripon kit that I am building. I am just under 5’11”, so a fair bit shorter than you. Here is a photo of the armour on me. You would have room to elongate the torso by reducing the overlap on the abdomen and chest plates as well as on the back and kidney plates. Not sure that you could find 7 inches there and still have them overlap though.

Hey Chris. Thanks for finding that photo. I checked the size and my prints are the right size. The magazine well wall is a bit thick, so I will try to modify it and see if I can thin the wall and fit the battery in.

I wanted to do this originally, but the compartment is too small. Can you show me a photo of how you set yours up?

Managed to do a bit more work on the belt as well as some mods for the E-11D today. I created a template for the canvas belt pouches and then put them together. The final version will likely be stuffed a bit more than the one in the photos. For the E-11D, I have been trying to figure out where to place the battery for the electronics. The hand grip seems to be the spot where it will fit best, but the 2 posts inside will make it very hard to get the battery out, once it goes past them. So I designed and printed a cradle for the battery that allows it to be placed in and removed easily.

Wow. That looks amazing.

Yes the spectroscope or neurosav is the “rangefinder”. I purchased all of the specialist extras from Jim and was happy with them. When I ordered, he was unable to have the pouches made however.

Leather belt pouch is complete as are the 6 HK-MG3 magazines. Also did a bit of work on the belt boxes. Getting them ready for mounting.

If you look at the photo, the panels on the face alternate between the gloss and metallic black. The right cheek is the metallic one. For 501st basic approval, you don’t need the metallic paint but if you apply for level 2 specialist, you will.

Hey Casey. I wonder if they are referring to the paint colour scheme that is outlined in the CRL. https://databank.501st.com/databank/CRL_Gallery:Imp_Death_Trooper aim for a few weeks earlier so you can do fan expo at the end of August.

Created the HK- MG3 magazines for the specialist chest rig. Looked into getting real ones but they are not legal to have in most areas. I found a CAD rendering that I cleaned up in blender and then resin printed. If anyone wants these files, just PM me.

Hi Case. Welcome to spec ops and congratulations on deciding to take the plunge. ‘I am also working on a Death Trooper and am part of the Canadian Garrison. Looking forward to trooping with you in the near future.

I have not thought about it yet. My TK has a couple of snaps and Velcro to hold the front in place. Likely something along those lines.

Hey Mark. I used line 24 Tandy snaps from Amazon, they are pricey but they are also very strong. I bought a cheaper snap for my holster and belt pouch and they hardly hold together, so I will switch those fit Tandy snaps as well. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B003ABSPT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 For the nylon, I also ordered through Amazon. I use 1 inch for the snap plates and 2 inch for the strapping. https://www.amazon.ca/Yards-Black-Nylon-Heavy-Webbing/dp/B08BNNKV9M/ref=sr_1_7?crid=6ZBFBTLBJIML&keywords=2+nylon+webbing&qid=1680786366&sprefix=2"+nylon%2Caps%2C110&sr=8-7 https://www.amazon.ca/Juasky-Strapping-Backpack-Climbing-Crafting/dp/B09J7Z7CS2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=YXOB0EBOHMCL&keywords=1+nylon+webbing&qid=1680786408&sprefix=1+nylon+webbing%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-7

Had a productive day today. I decided that I was not happy with the shoulder strap buckles that came with the kit as they had imperfections inside of the troughs. I also dropped one and the D ring shattered. the belt boxes were also fairly uneven and when I applied Bondo and sanded, it opened up lots of air bubbles. I rendered new D rings, belt boxes and armour plates for the soft belt pouches. The shoulder buckle is the one that came with the shoulder strap files from @Chaos (thanks again). I feel they turned out alright; Also wet moulded the leather belt pouch. It’s amazing how many new things you learn to do with this hobby. I used the Fabric paint to darken the canvas for the soft belt pouches. The black dye came out more dark grey. Happier with the painted product. The darker potion is the painted area, the edge shows the more grey area. Finally I made the SE-14R holster. Thanks @nanotek for the tutorial. Not sure if this is sitting properly. It does not feel like it will be very secure when I walk around. I have posted 2 different ways to strap in the blaster. Is one of these correct?

Thanks, I have been thinking about this. The resin printed parts need minimal light sanding, it is just the barrel that needs a lot of work. I will look at it. I was thinking more for the armour pieces.

You are correct. You can’t see them because I had the front section rotated 90 degrees so they are on the top and bottom.

Yes. I will set the full length to 36”, then trim the rods. That way, I can adjust them down as needed. Also a lot of sanding to do on the barrel.

Working on the E-11D the past few days. All parts printed. So much faster with a resin printer. The 2 barrel parts had to go on the filament printer still as they are huge. must admit, I did run around the house with the barrel and threw out a few Pew

Your costume was awesome. Great trooping with you.

Finally completed my SE-14R.

EL panels arrived on the 17th. Well packaged and no issues with them, all 4 work well. Now I just need to figure out how to trim them and mount them.

Nice looking kit. Looking forward to seeing your build.

I used a drill and carefully drilled holes along the length of the opening angled down to avoid coming out the back of the raised area that the strap goes into. Once the pilot holes were drilled, I used needle files to file out the rest of the area. Go slow and take your time. I accidentally drilled a hole through the back of the armour - easy fix with plastic weld but it did make my heart skip a beat or 2.

Not sure if there is an exact amount. I think that it should be comfortable but not rattle around. My stormtrooper thighs are fairly snug at the top for me and looser at the knee but not so snug that they bite when walking. I have seen other troopers put some foam padding inside the thigh or arm pieces to keep it from moving around. On my stormtrooper, I needed the. Knee area on one thigh a bit tighter to keep it from rolling inward and misaligning the seams, so I put a piece of cushion foam under my undershot to keep the thigh pushed forward a bit to prevent it from rolling.