Mal86

I’ve done most of my work on Jim’s lot outside. I did a little in the garage and a lot on my front and back porch. You’ll likely be cutting fiberglass with a dremel. You’ll be using some strong glues. You’ll want to coat the inside of the kit with something. I’d assess if you can do those things in the areas you have. Take a look at build threads for both Jim’s kits and 850 kits. See what each person did and if you think you can make it work.

This took a lot longer than it probably needed to since I chose to make this a fully functional pouch with no visible stitching. It is completed and I am one step closer to finishing the build.

I echo everything Gerald said, except I think he thought you meant attaching them to the chest piece, veruss the armor in general. If that is what you mean, then I agree with him. If you meant the armor in general, then this is my thought: On the issue of attaching the shoulders, if you are going for Level 2, you'll need to attach them to the armor. Otherwise, they won't sit high enough. Attaching to the armor also keeps the gap consistent as you move. Lastly, the shoulders and biceps are generally connected to each other. So, keep in mind how well the attachment points work with movement, if you do it another way.

I've been out for a little bit working on a different costume. My daughter wanted to be a Jawa in a parade August 30, which was the reason I set the goal of having my DT done by then. However, I learned a few months ago that I could not be her handler in a bucket (which makes sense). They told me I could be her handler out of costume, but what is the fun in that? So, I quickly started working on a Generic Jedi (something else I want to make anyway) and set aside the DT. The Jedi is not done for RL approval yet, but it was good enough to fit in in the parade. Hopefully, I'll be picking the DT back up and finishing working on the Jedi soon. It'll probably be October before I'm back to any of it due to work and personal commitments. In the meantime, my bubbled lens from Ople has shipped.

This is the cutting wheel I got from trimming Jim's armor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HI5WUS?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k0_1_17&amp=&crid=QKHHA43M39KS&amp=&sprefix=dremel+fiberglass It has worked very well. As Dan said, eye protection and a respirator mask are a must. Some angles of cutting literally had bits flying in my face. I also used some old clothes (long sleeve shirt and pants) that I wasn't worried about getting messed up.

I didn't 3D Print my kit, but I know bambu slicer (or Orca slicer - I can't remember which I did this on) has the ability to add pegs to reconnect items when you split them. I will tell you that you may want to test the tolerance. I printed a whole item in 4 parts and the pegs didn't fit together. I'd probably make a cube, cut it up with the pegs, and test the tolerance that way. That should assist with your alignment issues.

Do you mind sharing where you got your lenses from?

Are there any other options other than Ople Props (or an Anovos helmet) for the the level 2 bubbled lenses? I still haven’t gotten any recent responses from Marc and I’m trying to figure out what I should do.

@Baron Tarkus - If you are on the Death Trooper Facebook Group, there is a thorough PDF that @Chaosprepared comparing the Cyber Craft to screen used and what needs to be changed. The file is too large for me to post here.

@DoggyDocGlad to hear that. He's been pretty active on the OPLE Props FB page, so I don't know if he's just been really busy or what. I tried sending a message through FB Messenger on July 9 asking to see if he had gotten my emails and haven't heard back yet. I'll wait a little longer and see what happens.

Has anyone had issues with OPLE Props responsiveness or shipping speed? I placed my order May 29. We had some communication about the measurements, which I sent June 7. I followed up June 20 and July 3. I have not heard anything since his June 7 email to me before I sent measurements.

Dyed and sealed the leather pieces: No pictures, but: - Glued two inch strapping to inside of belt. - Tested adding threaded inserts in to one of my misprint straps (went well). - Printed/Reprinted everything (except the SE-14R) in PETG (though I'm not having as clean prints, so I've been messing with my settings. - Newly printed Shoulder buckles sanded smooth. Slowly making process..

@PiotrRasputinThank you for the suggestion. My father in law has some contour gauges. I'll borrow them next weekend and see what I can come up with. I also reprinted the brackets solid. I think some of the issue I had before was getting to the infill when trying to shape. Hopefully the contour gauge and the solid piece will help me get to the shape I need.

@Chaos, maybe I'm overcomplicating it. I was trying to make the point where the bracket attached to the armor match the curve of the armor. It may be simple enough that when I attach it, it'll flex the armor enough to not make it look like it isn't attached. Also, it'll be on the insides of the TD, so it might not be noticeable. Gerald had told me he used a belt sander to add the curvature to the back, which I tried to do (poorly) with a dremel).

How are people connecting the thermal detonator? @DoggyDocshared his method with me, but it involves shaping a squared 3D printed file to fit the curve of the armor, which I'm having trouble doing. Any other methods or suggestions?