Magma Trooper ATA (WIP)

[lchute1158]

Hello All!

 

Just got my brown boxes from ATA and going to start on my build.

 

So excited and totally worried too....not the handiest guy!

 

[toddo[TX]]

how exciting! ATA is a pretty simple kit to work with. Having said that, it is possible to mess-up and over-trim. Be sure to read build threads like crazy. The shadow stromtrooper and white stormtrooper are made the same way, so look at every build thread you can if you haven't already. When trimming armor, I've tried a lot of different methods, but my favorite by far is to use a fresh razor blade to score followed my bending and snapping. Nice, clean lines with usually no need to sand.

 

My understanding is that when red plastic is stressed, it turns white at the stress point. However, heating the area carefully will restore the red color.

 

Be sure to ask specific questions and post your progress as you go!

[lchute1158]

thanks for the tips! yeah i'll try to go slow...read read...and go for it...

 

[lchute1158]

my daughter told me to start with the helmet since it is the hardest....so please let me know any good hints

[lchute1158]

started off small....painted the hovis black...

[ELP[501st]]

my daughter told me to start with the helmet since it is the hardest....so please let me know any good hints

 

To each their own but if you've never worked with ABS maybe a bit of practice cutting, glueing, etc before putting the helmet together might be a way to go.

 

You can trim a few pieces (the ears above for example) and use the scraps to see how to get the best and cleanest cuts, how to use magnets to pinch the two surfaces together, practice clamping ... etc.

 

And to paraphrase Toddo - "read, read, read ... then give 'er"

[DeathMOS30[501st]]

Yay more magmas good luck with your build.

[lchute1158]

so do most of you guys paint the inside of the helmet black?

[THE TROOPER[501st]]

Hey Lance, welcome to Spec Ops bro.

Some paint the bucket, some dont. I wouldnt paint it personally. I would probably put a motorcycle helmets guts in it. Very comfy. Post pics of your wip and most of all, have fun man.....

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

I'm eagerly following this here and on the FISD. I (regretfully) opted out of the ATA bucket, so I'm super excited to see how yours turns out!

It doesn't really matter too much whether or not you paint the inside of it. No one's going to see inside anyway.

[xanthis02[501st]]

i'd paint the inside black the red still diffuses light through it;ll help you see much better

[Master Tej]

Welcome to Spec Ops! Good luck on the build, just be sure to read lots. Have you visited FISD?

 

And your daughter wouldn't happen to be Torri, would she? Or am I mistaken?

 

- Master Tej -

[toddo[TX]]

I have a number of buckets, and I only have painted one inside. I find it 100% unnecessary IMHO.

[lchute1158]

no not Torri, sorry....

 

ok so how deep do i need to make the eyes...

 

[Scubacat[TX]]

Yeah my dad is not here yet. ^^ I am trying to get him to join though but it may be a while and he may not be able to troop because of his medical problems.

 

I look forward to seeing more from this build! I love magmas! Welcome aboard!

[lchute1158]

OK made some progress got the teeth cut and a rough on the eyes...whadda think..

 

[toddo[TX]]

Looks great.

[lchute1158]

The painting is driving me crazy.... Am not an artist and not even sure I can paint teeth!

[toddo[TX]]

I hear you. I have shaky, cramped hands and I've been hand-painting helmet details tonight as well. Take your time. You can do it.

[lchute1158]

well, what do you guys think? not the greatest but not too bad for my non artistic hands...i'll try to clean up the frown a bit.

 

[Master Tej]

Ah, not Torri. Well, this is a bit awkward . . .

 

Well, awkwardness aside, the painting looks just fine. I don't know what you're worried about.

 

- Master Tej -

[lchute1158]

thanks...i want the frown to look more even, but i am probably being too critical.

[toddo[TX]]

The frown looks fine. The black on the vocoder is outside the area on the top. What kind of paint did you use?

[mikedwelle94[TX]]

Hold on folks. I can't speak for approval's sake, but I don't think the grey coloring is supposed to be above the teeth holes. Other than that, the vocoder needs a bit of reworking, and you did a great job cutting out those eyes. Keep going!

 

Try to make your vocoder look like this:

 

Don't worry about perfection. Take into consideration that the movie props weren't perfect; they were just quickly thrown together for the most part.

[lchute1158]

yea the grey i wasn't sure of until i saw this guys pic...the CLR shows alternating black and grey strips with black in the holes...i tried that and just couldn't do it..i am not skilled enough. the vocoder wasn't all the well defined shape-wise at the top so i couldn't see the lines well, made a few mistakes and had to go out a bit to even it all up.

 

I used the Humbol paints.

 

I used this guys as a guide.

 

http://forum.specops501st.com/index.php?/topic/2523-magma-trooper-specialist-application-pics/