Yiyo's First Order Flametrooper WIP

[Yiyo]

1 hour ago, gmrhodes13 said:

Are you using the "direct link" in imgur? sometimes just using copy doesn't work.

 

 

I always use the same option on all forum boards with Imgur:

BBCode (message boards & forums)

The Direct Link option makes you have to click on each picture and visit a different window. I simply updated the page earlier on and all pics were visible

[gmrhodes13[501st]]

With updated software some forum boards no longer use BBCode and the only way that works is Direct Link option  

[Yiyo]

Hey everyone, back with some more work, the tanks are so close now.

The handles are the most fragile piece on the whole pack and I simply know they will snap quickly. To try and delay this unavoidable issue, I added some pvc pieces to the main tanks.

Marked:

 

Drilled:

 

Cut some 20mm pvc piping pieces, painted them black and stuck them inside the tanks. Then I simply glued the handles to the pvc pieces:

 

Had to repaint some pieces:

 

After closely looking at all the reference pics Torri shared, I found some window thingies, that fit perfectly and look fantastic:

 

Quick test to make sure everything still fits:

 

Added some acrylic paint to the com box screws to mark the drill holes and attached the box to the tank:

 

I will have to try and get an aluminum frame custom made at some stage, the 3D printed pieces will eventually snap. I will drill and screw tha tanks and pack to the backpiece and it will also have a strapping system to hang it on to me.

 

 

[Blackwatch[CMD-DCA]]

digging this build. Wold it be advisable to mount your handles with magnets? if they are going to come off, they will come off or get knocked and go right back. I use earth magnets on everything especially when I know its going to take damage.  

[Yiyo]

2 hours ago, Blackwatch said:

digging this build. Wold it be advisable to mount your handles with magnets? if they are going to come off, they will come off or get knocked and go right back. I use earth magnets on everything especially when I know its going to take damage.  

Definitely a great idea and I did think about it - the only issue I came across is that the handle piece that sites on the middle black box, is curved. I couldn't get any magnets that small that where strong enough. I mean small because of the curve, so they would have to go on either side.

I really appreciate your comments, it means that someone is following the build!

[Yiyo]

Ok, so it's really hot in Madrid and I need my yearly leave, so I haven't been very active....

I got aroung to finishing the tubing for the bottom, and I proved to myself, once again, how useless I am at guessing how to cut pipe at a 45º angle without measuring and proper tools.... I did manage it in the end, and it looks pretty decent

 

As I continue to work down the body armor, it was time to cut up the abdomen and belt sections. Still unclear on how I will put all of this together to try and make is as comfortable as possible.....

 

And also got this back thingy finished, not that it will actually hold any weight as I will harness straight to the tanks through the back piece, but it looks OK!




Still got a long way to go and beginning to doubt I will be approved before the Spanish Garrison's training day on October 5th, but will give it a try!

[Yiyo]

Got some more done this afternoon as I have to speed this up, I have another 4 costumes in the making and keep getting sidetracked as always.....

Kept working on the chest-shoulder union over the past couple of days, and am finally getting to the perfect smoothness I want. I have added one last thin coat of Vallejo finishing plastic putty tonight and will 2500 grit sand tomorrow morning and prime the piece. Used the camara macro to see the small bits I need to smoothen out.

 

Worked on the dorsal piece - I will set-up the whole upper torso armor similar to a TK, joing pieces with elastic and just adding velcro to all side pieces so I can slip it on.

 

I measured and cut to size:

 

And then test placed/taped the pieces together to make sure they were looking good:

Still not sure how to put that back piece rod tank thingy onto the belt, maybe should have added brackets before I finished and stuck the rubber belt bits on it.......

 

Also cut out, sanded and test fit the side chicken wing pieces:

 

Hopinh to give it another decent push tomorrow and finish priming and sanding the whole upper torso (except the forearms).

 

The forearms included are pretty crap, so I have asked Imperial Props 3D to print some custom made ones based on Daniel Dirsten's files. They should be great.

 

Will be back soon, not sure if anyone is actually following this WIP during the holiday period, but will keep updating (i am double posting in the Spanish Garrison and even triple posting the backpack parts to Facebook  )

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Like to see the painted pieces coming along!

[Yiyo]

Hey folk, I haven't updated this in a long time......to be honest, I have a new CRL under work, I made an ATAT Commander, finishing TLJ Kylo, and began ANH Vader. So, loads going on.

I think the main reason I keep putting this off is not due to difficulty, but since I have to paint the whole thing and I hate spray painting as it always goes wrong, and I live in a flat. 

I want this to be approved for TROS, so I must get a move on - seems like a lot, but many things just need one or two of those inspired days, to get it out of the way.

Pending:

Helmet

Paint Black lines

Install Visor

Install Fans

Install Necktrim (not required but looks excellent)

Glue/screw on respirators

 

Tanks

Install LED light strip and see where I can place the battery pack.

Glue/Magnet on bottom Caps

Install Hose

Paint bottom tubes white

 

Flamethrower

Paint White parts

Glue on Muzzle

Install smoke gun

Install LED

 

Armor

Install Snaps & Elastics

Sand primer on thighs

Paint everything

 

Spats
Install Elastic

 

Belt Pouch

 

I will leave this here as a checklist so I can edit as I move along

 

[Yiyo]

I reinforced the back plate thing, over your kidneys, as it seemed really flimsy:

 

I didn't really follow any order and just moved about the pieces, cutting and preparing as they came.

 

Belt Boxes:

 

Made a load of snaps:

Started testing our the cod piece placement:

 

3D Printed Leg Capsules, whatever they are.... primed and sanded and then painted:

 

The thighs were pretty straight forward, as KB's armor is large. So I trimmed them down, test fitted and made some adjustments. The only part I do not like about these pieces is the fact that the black line indent doesn't overlap the shim area, so it's not continuous. They also require shims at an angle and plenty of trimming, and I am not the best engineer! Please excuse the shiny ass.

 

Once they were done and fitted, I moved on to the bum plates - tested out a piece on paper, and then used a piece of hips to cut them out. In theory, both should be symmetrical, but as both thighs are slightly different due to a custom fit, so are these pieces.

 

In between all of this, I also worked on the back plate, first the under attachments for back and front plate,. made to measure:

 

I also cut out 2 pieces of aluminum to reinforce the back area. The tanks are made from pvc, but all the other pieces are 3D pla and will break as soon as someone tries to hold on to me. I really worry about this part of the costume. To get the fully affixed, I will pass a nylon harness through the back plate and then screw directly through the aluminum into the tanks. You won't be able to see the screws from the side, and it guarantee the tanks have the harnes and also a fixed point to the backplate.

 

Last, but not least, I worked on the shins, another part I do not like on this costume.

I leveled, and trimmed both bars first:

The 2 bars are hollow, so I cut out and glued some sintra on the inside.

 

I sized, cut, glued and clamped all the shin pieces together and put them all together:

 

I added chicago screws to the boxes and drlled a couple holes in the shin piece:

 

I reinforced the shoulder area and side flaps on the chest piece by heating up strips of sintra and molding them to the piece:

 

Spats were trimmed to size

 

A flamethrower was painted black

 

A muzzle was painted white

 

A Belt box was made from sintra..........I still need a pattern for the pouch!

 

That's the updat from the past weeks, I will be pushing this costume over the next 2 weeks hopefully.

 

 

 

 

Primer

[Yiyo]

Forgot this little detail, I have prepared most of the hardware, snaps and so on, so as soon as I prime the shins, I can rig it all up and adjust before painting.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Very nice update! So many intricate details.

[Devolver[501st]]

Wow man! I had no idea how much was involved with a Flametrooper build until I started reading your thread. You're doing an amazing job on your kit. I'm following your progress and I can't wait to see what it will look like when you're finished.

[Yiyo]

Thanks for the comments guys, I finally got Kylo TLJ approved, so I can concentrate on getting this finished now.

The tanks are complete except for 2 hole covers on the domes and the hose, which I will finish this weekend. The back plate attaches to the chest plate via industrial velcro and the to my waist via a harness. The tanks have straps that go through the back plate on me like a harness too. Hope this works and the pics explain what I mean.

 

 

 

 

I used led strips inside the tanks and conect them to an external battery, velcroed on to the back of a tank - I just need to make another 2 covers to hide the actual led strip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottom piping was also finished and attached. This has given me a lot of trouble to be honest and I had to add some foam window sealer around the bottom pipes, at the point of entry into the dome.

 

 

I am well aware of how fragile this part of the tanks is, and I am pretty sure they will be the first to break off and will need ongoing repairs....

 

Made a quick pouch:

 

 

And actually painted the first coat on every piece:

 

 

 

 

 

It all needs sanding and a second coat at this stage.

 

Shoulder bells are also finished:

 

 

 

Gloves:

 

Thigh belt:

 

And flamethrower leds installed and ready for action:

 

 

[Devolver[501st]]

This is looking so great. 

[Yiyo]

So I won't get to the movie troop on Saturday, but I did my best. I have done a lot of work over the past days, and am happy with the results.

From the bottom up, I simply copied our colleagues method of attaching elastic to the spats, no step by step as he already shared:

 

FInished placing velcro on the shins and then the side bars:

 

Thigh pieces, belt and suspender belt are finished:

 

I then moved on to the belt/cod/bum plate part. I added an elastic strap to keep both pieces in place, just like any other armor with a bum and cod piece, this prevents it from sticking out, just make sure you use strong elastic and stretch it when measuring. I have seen people simply measure and add elastic and when it pulls, it sticks out again. I am using 30mm elastic.

 

Although CRL simply states it should wrap around the wearer's body, I did put the belt on tight, not sure how I can get all this on without help, pretty much impossible I believe.

Velcro for the cod piece:

 

Test fit of Darren's premium belt kit, which is absolutely amazing:

 

After, just follow his instructions until finished:

 

I then put everything on the whole part of the costume,. As other colleagues have done, I will be leaving the whole cod-abdomen piece as a pullover piece I can slip on, and not break it down at any point. It is all joined with elastic and snaps, so can be repaired, but easier to put on and take off like this. No need to reinvent the wheel.

 

Sorry for these photos, I hate them, but test-fitting is part of the game:

 

The belt kept dragging down with the weight, so I added 4 strips of velcro around the belt and it has worked wonders. It has been sitting up for 48h and no sagging:

 

Last but not least for this update, I started working on the helmet. After nearly 2 hours of masking tape, I could finally paint:

 

I also drilled the holes in the aerator thingys so I could screw them on, like the TFA snowtrooper.

 

The helmet is missing the visor, fan and mic installation, padding and screwing on the aerotors. I received my neckseal from MazCave so fit for use.

Pending:

Buy and connect pipe from flamethrower to tanks

Finish Helmet

Connect abdomen pieces 

Finish Forearms

Add velcro to undersuit for the gaskets

 

I think that's all my pending list, will be working on it asap, but have quite a few troops coming up this week, rocking my recently approved Kylo TLJ

[Yiyo]

So I finally managed to finish the helmet with the weekend TROS troops out of the way. 

Visor with magnets, S Trim, fans and battery & pads are all installed.

 

I was also very close to buying some garden hose, but found this fantastic insulation that weighs next to nothing, and fit my tube casing perfectly. I have connected to thrower and am thinking about how to connect it to the pack so I can connect and disconnect to move it between troops.

 

 

I am getting really close now to requesting approval.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

That is awesome! I missed your previous update but man, that's looking excellent!

[Yiyo]

I just had to finish the 3D printed forearms and sew velcro onto the undersuit and gaskets. This has finally been done, so now I am just missing someone to help me dress up and take the pics, as myu wife will simply not help with anything 501st related.....

I had to join the 2 pieces of the forearms with elastic, to allow me to put them on and off comfortably as I couldn't slip them on. These are 3D printed to size as the KB Props forearms were simply awful.

 

 

 

Next photos should be submission photos, at last!

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Man, this is so great to see you are at the finish line! What a journey!

[Yiyo]

13 hours ago, IcyTrooper said:

Man, this is so great to see you are at the finish line! What a journey!

Thanks for following the progress Ryan, I appreciate all the feedback. I will hopefully get the submission pics up this week at last!

[Yiyo]

Request for approval pictures have been submitted. Fingers crossed it goes through without any major issues. This is the first time I put the whole costume on and it's so uncomfortable. It should also allow for some weathering as from just walking about, forearms, chest flaps and biceps, are marked.

As soon as I get a response, I will share some pics!

[RAIDER[COTG]]

8 minutes ago, Yiyo said:

Request for approval pictures have been submitted. Fingers crossed it goes through without any major issues. This is the first time I put the whole costume on and it's so uncomfortable. It should also allow for some weathering as from just walking about, forearms, chest flaps and biceps, are marked.

As soon as I get a response, I will share some pics!

Best wishes!  A squad mate of mine here in Florida is submitting is Flame this week as well.

[Devolver[501st]]

Best of luck! I can’t wait to see the finished results. 

[Halycon[PR-CMD]]

viva espania!