planktonimore

Okay…so my bucket is…complete. Unfortunately the paint job didn’t turn out quite as good as I had hoped, and as I was finishing the final details and assembly, made a couple blemishes, but my hope is I can fix it in weathering. Anyway here are some shots of the “clean” bucket.

Face fully assembled and looking lovely! Filler primer on the dome is drying now.

Another small update on the face peices: Did some more weathering on the “weathered silver” parts to get them closer to references as they were still too shiny. Assembling the tusks, I used the same lens material as the visor, sanded the back side for some diffusion, and placed some aluminum foil behind them for a little extra reflectiveness, as I don't plan to install lights for now. Also glued in little mesh grills under the side vents.

I’m using this for the trim on my bucket. Use the longer side on the inside of the helmet and the shorter side sits perfectly around the edge.

Alright, some progress on my bucket! I had a lot of trouble with the aforementioned models so I went ahead and got the MCM Design files which have so far been much easier to work with. At 100 percent scale it fits my head so thats a relief. Finishing and painting the pieces is going well so far. I experimented with acetone vapor smoothing since I printed in ABS. Mixed results and ended up sanding anyway lol. Here are some progress pics on the face pieces while I’m connecting the dome together. Let me know how the paint job looks so far. I did a bit of weathering on the “metal” parts as a kind of happy accident while trying to file away some paint imperfections.

As I wait for my 850 kit to arrive, I have been working on my helmet. I bought these files and printed at 100% scale resulting in a spaceballs Dark Helmet. I then printed it at 80% which was much better on my head. But now...I am noticing details that are making me question the accuracy of the model vs the CRL images. Can anyone speak to the apparent accuracy of this design and if I am going to be able to approve this or if I need to spend more money on a new model.

I was able to put together one of the canvas pouches as well as the (stupid) holster using the great templates made by other members here. While I was at it, I made my own template for the leather pouch and put that together as well. Other two canvas pouches are in the works now. Leather pouch template for those interested:

Good to know, I did go ahead and order an 850 kit which should include the belt so I should be good, but if not I’ll keep that in mind.

Okay, so here are my boots. Upon closer examination, they are not an exact match to Talib boots, but to my eyes they seem to tick all the boxes. Are these going to be acceptable for basic? I went ahead and ran some bendy wire through the outer edge all the way around the lace covers and got them to sit right. They should sit even better with shin armor holding the tops in place. Here are some photos: I may source some more accurate boots down the line even if these are acceptable for basic, as I actually quite like these as a regular wear out lol

Hello spec ops troopers! Last time I posted in here I was but an aspiring member, but now that I am a proud member of the Dune Sea Garrison, and owner of both TK and officer costumes, my obsession has lead me to starting a Death Trooper build. Already got my hands on a couple things second hand: Jim Tripon Undersuit (may need taking in in a couple places) Talib boot reps with lace covers Gloves Currently sourcing armor and helmet, looking for second hand or new kits, but not finished sets as I want to build it myself where I can. My primary option is 850AW for a new kit as I have experience with vac formed armor and don't want fiberglass. Finally, I noticed no one here has mentioned the new black series death trooper helmet and I’m wondering if it could be used as a base in lieu of a helmet kit, assuming of course that it would need some minor filling and a new paint job. Please let me know your thoughts!

Thank you, that does clear it up.

I see that some costumes go for accuracy to screen above all else, imperfections and all, while other costumes lend more to an “idealized” design. I’m curious about the distinction and what constitutes idealized and whatnot. For example, could one construct a shadow stormtrooper costume using a rogue one stormtrooper kit as their base, or something similar? What about making a symmetrical bucket without the slight imperfections on the eye shapes and so on. Let me know your thoughts, as I am currently shopping for kits to start my armor and I want to know what the limits are with “idealization” which is a term I hear a lot and don’t know if I understand it.