Wook’s DT Build (850 ArmorWorks and Armoryshop)

[wook1138[TX]]

Just a few odds and ends. I ordered side buckles from Plastic Arms Dealer. I actually like the look of 850’s more, but the resin seems like it might be fragile (the raw light grey one in the pic). The PAD ones are resin cast as well but seem a bit more heavy duty.



I also decided to beef up the attachment method for the aluminum belt buckle from PAD. I marked the center of the belt.


I removed the Velcro backing. I trimmed down some barrel bolts with a dremel.


Punched a hole in the Velcro I took off and inserted the barrel bolt.


I glued the whole thing back on. The buckle will be attached with Velcro and the barrel bolt to the rubber belt.


I also trimmed, sanded, and attached the little pieces that go on the back thigh pieces.


Problem is, when you follow the shape of the tabs, it ends up with one side up too high.


Left thigh inside tab too high.


Left one is on top. This is a pic from the back. You can see the wonky return edge.


Also added straps to bicep to connect to shoulder bell. Had to glue elastic to conform to thin groove. I still need to trim the biceps since the hot water bath to make them fit better.


Connection at shoulder bell end.



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[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Looking at the CRL pics I think the thighs are supposed to be a little offset where the tabs are. I like the progress thus far and the cautiousness on it too. Better to trim a little than too much.

[wook1138[TX]]

Just a few things I’ve been working on when I can (busy few weeks). I resized my right fore arm in the same way I did the left, but didn’t have to worry about the missing cover strip. Here is a close up. I don’t think I’ll need any abs paste. I might add some thin strips of abs to the ridge to look more like the reference.





Better detail of coverstrip as seen on shin.


I attached the buckle to the belt. It has Velcro and a barrel bolt holding it on.






And some strapping. I have adjustable straps for the front and back.

Creating the buckles for the chest.





Adding Velcro to the pouch covers.


And... another tube vanished.



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[wook1138[TX]]

I’m pretty much down to the leg pieces. The thighs are all ready for sizing - which I’ll wait until the end because thighs can be tricky to size correctly, at least that is what building TKs has taught me. I still need to fix and finish my helmet.
So, in the meantime I will work on cleaning 3D printed parts. I have the TD and a couple blasters. The TD had some really rough print lines so my usual method of using filler primer probably wouldn’t work. I used squadron white putty thinned with acetone. First time trying this. Worked pretty well.



Just be careful of the a leaky acetone can.


Oops

Anyway, here is where I am. Need to sort out the chest to back side connections. The 850 chest piece is missing a detail near the side buckles so I’m debating how to remedy this.



Reference




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[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Definitely coming along! Glad you caught the leak on the acetone can, that could've been disastrous had it ran onto the armor itself ?

[wook1138[TX]]

Moving on to some blaster building.  first the SE-14R.  The kit (from Roman at Maz3D) is very nicely printed and easy to figure out.  The only piece that threw me off was the sight.  I almost sanded the little edge off the bottom.  Turns out you are not supposed to.

The little edge fits into a groove on the barrel.

I used a mixture of putty and acetone to fill in any larger gaps.  Then I rough sanded everything to about 300 grit.  The larger pieces are glued together with E-6000.  Little pieces are glues with CA glue.

The scope came with the kit.  I will remove the scope and filler prime the whole blaster - sand - repeat as required.  Once it is nice and smooth, it will be ready for painting.

I hung it on the belt.  Not totally sure how the speed strap works - I found this config in a photograph someplace, so I attached as so.   Then realized that this is probably wrong. 



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[wook1138[TX]]

Since it is too cold to paint still, I moved on to the E-11D.  A bit more confusing.  The kit is from Jerry Budde and I have a "extras" package from 3DpropsNL which includes a sling and light.

I had to look up some pictures online, but I think I figured out where most of the pieces go.

As i was trimming away left over support pieces and fitting parts I noticed something.  First, many of the parts did not fit very well - all the receiving slots on the main barrel pieces were small in the vertical direction (if barrel was standing on end).  So I had to so a lot of sanding and cutting to make things fit.  when I went to fit the two barrel pieces together I noticed that they didn't fit very well together.  the gun was crooked.  You know, I expect this sort of thing with regular stormtroopers - but a DT needs to shoot straight.

The angle formed when the pieces are fitted together.

I decided to shim up the connection with some toothpicks.

I added some modelling putting and lots of glue and pressed the pieces together.  The shims stayed in there.  Once the putty had dried, I then added more CA glue to the gaps and rubbed in plastic "dust" from sanding (not shown).  I purposely left some gaps so that I could inject some more glue to help hold things together - the paste was just there to help fill in most of the gap.  I wasn't sure if the paste has much adhesive strength - I assumed it doesn't.

The blaster is now straight and the seem is sealed up and strong (as far as I know).


Now back to making the cut-outs larger so the other parts can be attached.


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[wook1138[TX]]

Anybody know how to attach the flashlight mount?



Pretty sure it goes here but how do you all attach it to the barrel?




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[RAIDER[COTG]]

@nanotek @marktoots @Chaos @macdaddycjs  See above.  Any help on that?

[Fivezero[TX]]

Not sure about the specifics, but if that is the right spot, you could try cutting a strip of plastic that is the same width as the slot and gluing that to the back of the mount. Then press and glue the whole thing in the slot. Let others chime in first to see what they did though!

[nanotek[CMD-DWM]]

My flashlight mount was part of the blaster kit from Tom. I just used CA glue, has never come off

Just some notes:

Not that this matters for approval but the magazine on the blaster seems way too big?

When strapping in the SE-14r to the little leather strap, you want to make sure that the long strap wraps around the scope mount, otherwise you might find it on the ground or dangling.

For the side pieces you are missing, you can either cut some black ABS to shape, or use a piece of thick rubber as I have seen others do. If you need help with the shape I might be able to provide you with a pattern.

[wook1138[TX]]

On 4/16/2019 at 4:13 PM, nanotek said:

My flashlight mount was part of the blaster kit from Tom. I just used CA glue, has never come off

Just some notes:

Not that this matters for approval but the magazine on the blaster seems way too big?

When strapping in the SE-14r to the little leather strap, you want to make sure that the long strap wraps around the scope mount, otherwise you might find it on the ground or dangling.

For the side pieces you are missing, you can either cut some black ABS to shape, or use a piece of thick rubber as I have seen others do. If you need help with the shape I might be able to provide you with a pattern.

Thanks!

I do have some extra ABS for under the arms (chest to back connection).  I think I might cut the chest piece so it looks like the reference pic (just in front of where the buckle would go) and add the buckle to the joining piece (which will be glued to the chest and Velcro or snaps connection to the back - might be harder to get on though ?). 

 

Yeah, I did finally manage to find an image of how the strap for the SE-14r is supposed to work.  I had it wrong.

 

Yes, the magazine looks pretty long compared to the reference images.  I think the receiving bracket for the magazine is the culprit - it doesn't look like the reference images.  I'll post some images later. 

 

I do have a 3D printed mount for the 3D printed light that came with the kit - I didn't even consider trying to use it.  I'll have to check tonight to see if it might work.  I know FieldMarshal  (Chris at War Machine) used to sell some kind of a bracket for the flashlight.  I figured I could rig something up with spare plastic that I have kicking around.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

I just used the 3D printed flashlight mount that came with my kit. The real flashlight fit right in. I then used just a dot of E6000 to hold it in place. Almost two years and it hasn't moved yet.

[wook1138[TX]]

So, long time and no posts.  What can I say - life is a gong show.  Still picking away at little things.  I managed to get my belt done.  I backed the rubber with abs to make it more rigid.  I hot bathed the abs and attached them to the rubber with E6000 and rivets.  The abs boxes got screwed on to the belt.

 

You can never use too many clamps. 

 

Boxes screwed onto belt

 

I don't have a picture, but the ABS is riveted near the front behind the front pouches.  there are rivets at the back on end of the belt (right side) that is over lapped by by the other end of the belt.  The picture is from a Maker's Faire where I got a chance to sit and work on my armour all day. 

 

Test fitting belt - the belt is rotated a bit to the right in the pictures.

 

Belt box appears too far back because belt is rotated.  I think both boxes (front edge) were measured about 12.25" from the front center of belt - so they are symmetrically placed on belt. 

[jc1327]

I finally started trimming my 850 kit and I have a few questions. How does your collar look when the chest and back are together? I had to trip quite a bit out of the neck area of both pieces so it wouldn't dig into the sides of my neck. Also, how does the collar piece look with the chest and back together, which piece overlaps the other? Big Pete's videos kind of gloss over this part.

[wook1138[TX]]

On 6/3/2019 at 10:05 AM, jc1327 said:

I finally started trimming my 850 kit and I have a few questions. How does your collar look when the chest and back are together? I had to trip quite a bit out of the neck area of both pieces so it wouldn't dig into the sides of my neck. Also, how does the collar piece look with the chest and back together, which piece overlaps the other? Big Pete's videos kind of gloss over this part.

This is what I did. front overlaps the back along the collar and the ends butt up to each other.

I did re-shape the neck opening a little to make it more symmetrical.  Hope that helps.

[wook1138[TX]]

Chest to back connection.  This turned out to be trickier than I thought it would be.  To get the position of the buckle in the right spot and to create the same detail as the reference images, I had to cut a bit off the chest piece and then attach the buckle to the connecting piece (using those two pieces of extra ABS 850 includes in there kit and nobody seems to know what they are for   )

 

Reference

 

Cutting the chest piece - I'm not a big guy so I could get away with this very easily. I used the angle of the buckle to draw the line (etched line).

 

once the chest piece was cut, I glued some scrap pieces of ABS together to fill in the recess part on the inside so I had a level area to glue in the connector piece.

 

I shaped the scrapes to give the appearance of an angled edge.  I also added some ABS paste to smooth it out (not image of that).

 

Connector pieces.  There was a lot of test fitting and adjusting to get the shape of these right.  The rough sanded part will get glued to the chest.  the back part will be either velcro or a snap - I have not decided yet.

 

Gluing in the connectors

 

Paint and attache the buckle - they are molded with bolts in the back.

 

One more little thing done.

[jc1327]

On 6/5/2019 at 8:32 AM, wook1138 said:

This is what I did. front overlaps the back along the collar and the ends butt up to each other.

I did re-shape the neck opening a little to make it more symmetrical.  Hope that helps.

This helps a lot. I know I will need to widen the collar opening on the chest piece since I am on the bigger side. I will be ordering my undersuit from Jim T since I like how his shirt has a lot of mesh in the chest area and I also like the idea of a drawstring waist. Boots and gloves I will probably get from IB. My helmet is done, but it could have come out better, I rushed the sanding and filling and the clear coat was a pain in the rear.

[wook1138[TX]]

So, I've given up posting updates.  I can't log in via tapatalk and I find imgur inconvenient to use (plus the images don't always display). 

I came across some minor modification for the thighs and a revelation that the thighs were actually closed with velcro (back, inside connection where the ribbed rubber matting connects to the back thigh piece).  This was then secured with black zip ties for filming.  I glued all my matting to the thighs so they are now one piece. 

And I had to reposition the larger tab (inside bottom of thigh, below the matting) and reshape it... and, add a piece of ABS for a detail that is missing from the kit.

 

 

[nanotek[CMD-DWM]]

19 hours ago, wook1138 said:

So, I've given up posting updates.  I can't log in via tapatalk and I find imgur inconvenient to use (plus the images don't always display). 

I came across some minor modification for the thighs and a revelation that the thighs were actually closed with velcro (back, inside connection where the ribbed rubber matting connects to the back thigh piece).  This was then secured with black zip ties for filming.  I glued all my matting to the thighs so they are now one piece. 

And I had to reposition the larger tab (inside bottom of thigh, below the matting) and reshape it... and, add a piece of ABS for a detail that is missing from the kit.

 

 

We removed SpecOps from Tapatalk in may due to a host of issues, the browser version of this site is much better to use anyway. I also noticed that the images don't always load on the first go and I have a sneaking suspicion that it's related to how the software handles large images which I will look into. 

Keep up the good work, it's a tough build but worth it

[wook1138[TX]]

So I'll try imgur again and skip my laments to tapatalk.  Anyway, I think I'm done the legs with the exception of a bit of Velco to keep the shins from rotating and riding up on the boot - and padding.  Lots of padding.

Shins were pretty straight forward - the front and back overlap.  I e6000 the front and added velcro to the back.  I had to trim quite a lot from the back to make the shins fit and they are still a bit big at the knee.  I did taper the cut because there wasn't much room at the ankle - I've got skinny knees apparently. 

added some glue to the adhesive velcro just to be sure it sticks.  Always point the rough side of the velcro away from your body and undersuit/soft parts. 

Front - one side has very faint detail that is supposed to replicate the coverstrip detail - very hard to see.  I think I will add actual coverstips at some point. The outside piece overlaps the inside piece.

Reference - you can see the difference in the coverstrip.  Yikes.

 

For thighs I attached  nylon to the rubber matting with glue and rivets and then glues the nylon to the inside of the thighs.  I just didn't trust the rubber to glue very well to the ABS.

you can see the details I glued to the bottom of the thighs - turns out these are very off and I had to mod them to get a little closer to reference images.

And add a snap for the garter system.  I placed the snap right at the front ridge - I did see a reference pick that suggest there was strapping more to the side.

The problem with the details on the thighs is that the top should line up with the top of the ridge on the front of the thigh, and the bottom should not be so low.  This is the inside.

Reference

The left thigh is not actually done up here.  The right thigh has extra details on the inside and outside of the thigh.

I re-positioned the tabs and added some pieces of ABS to mimic the look of the reference.

Oh, this is why I use E6000 for my builds, I had to take of the tabs - easy with E6000

Greeblies were a lot of work to clean up.  had to putty, flller primer, and sand many times.

Oh, and the little detail the goes on the back lower part of the shins - I cut it down to meet up with the ridge on the other side of the shin.  see ref

Done

I added some flat black to the grooves.  The knee plate in this pic almost looks flat black too.  Hummm

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Your build is looking spectacular! Nice work on the small details!

[wook1138[TX]]

20 hours ago, Chaos said:

Your build is looking spectacular! Nice work on the small details!

Thanks man!  I’m fixing what I can and ignoring my OCD on the rest. Lol. All I have left is the matte black details on the helmet and the electronics - which reminds me, I need to pick up more fans (this costume is much warmer than my TK).  Almost there. 

Test fitting a couple weeks ago.  no greeblies yet  and the helmet isn’t done.  

And this is done save a decal

 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

23 hours ago, wook1138 said:

Thanks man!  I’m fixing what I can and ignoring my OCD on the rest. Lol. All I have left is the matte black details on the helmet and the electronics - which reminds me, I need to pick up more fans (this costume is much warmer than my TK).  Almost there. 

Test fitting a couple weeks ago.  no greeblies yet  and the helmet isn’t done.  

 

And this is done save a decal

 

Shame my etsy shop is on vacation. I make and sell decal sets for the E11D and SE14R. I use Trooper Tronix fans, great product and excellent service.

[wook1138[TX]]

8 minutes ago, Chaos said:

Shame my etsy shop is on vacation. I make and sell decal sets for the E11D and SE14R. I use Trooper Tronix fans, great product and excellent service.

Lol. I already have your decals for both blasters. Just need to finish the paint on the E-11D and then they are going on. ?