Phase Zero Dark Trooper Build

[RAIDER[COTG]]

Good find.  Here's my opinion (and open to others)...

If the line is on the standard Stormtroopers as well, and we know that in reality they don't have that black line, I think it's a safe assumption that it's part of the game graphics to simulate that ridge.

In that case, I'd say leave the line off.

If anyone feels super strongly that it needs to be there, I'd say at most it should be an L2 requirement...but I'm hesitant to that based on the game model for standard TK.  Could you grab a shot of a standard TK for comparison?

[Blue Hatter]

On 10/1/2019 at 11:10 AM, Raider said:

Good find.  Here's my opinion (and open to others)...

If the line is on the standard Stormtroopers as well, and we know that in reality they don't have that black line, I think it's a safe assumption that it's part of the game graphics to simulate that ridge.

In that case, I'd say leave the line off.

If anyone feels super strongly that it needs to be there, I'd say at most it should be an L2 requirement...but I'm hesitant to that based on the game model for standard TK.  Could you grab a shot of a standard TK for comparison?

 

I don't have the game installed and running so I can't take any images of the stormtrooper and I only have the dark trooper model, but here's a video where you can see that the back of the standard stormtrooper helmet has the same black line...

For some reason I kind of dig the look of the pinstripe but if y'all think it should be left off then that's what I'll do.

 

[RAIDER[COTG]]

Yea @Blue Hatter I would say that is definitely a detail to show the ridge is there then based off that (as we know a stripe isn't actually on a TK like that in reality) and would suggest leaving it off.

[Blackwatch[CMD-DCA]]

thats what im seeing as well, to denote where the dome seperates from the lower half of the helmet.

 

[Blue Hatter]

Roger roger. I won’t add the pinstripe then. :)

[RAIDER[COTG]]

Hey @Blue Hatter just checking in on your progress here.

[Blue Hatter]

34 minutes ago, Raider said:

Hey @Blue Hatter just checking in on your progress here.

Greetings! I’m still chugging away on it. It’s taking me longer than I thought it would, heh. But I have all of the armor painted and clear coated and am doing the final weathering now, and I’m hoping to have at least the helmet finished over the weekend. Things are progressing.

Right now my biggest challenge is figuring out a way to keep the shoe armor down without using straps. It keeps wanting to pop up when I walk and Velcro and snaps aren’t strong enough. So I’ve been brainstorming that for a while. It’s tough because whatever I use to strap the armor down has to be hidden yet strong enough to stay in place and not let the armor pop up as my foot moves. I have the armor fastened to the shoe at my around ankle, it’s the toe end that I need to secure down...

[RAIDER[COTG]]

1 hour ago, Blue Hatter said:

Greetings! I’m still chugging away on it. It’s taking me longer than I thought it would, heh. But I have all of the armor painted and clear coated and am doing the final weathering now, and I’m hoping to have at least the helmet finished over the weekend. Things are progressing.

Right now my biggest challenge is figuring out a way to keep the shoe armor down without using straps. It keeps wanting to pop up when I walk and Velcro and snaps aren’t strong enough. So I’ve been brainstorming that for a while. It’s tough because whatever I use to strap the armor down has to be hidden yet strong enough to stay in place and not let the armor pop up as my foot moves. I have the armor fastened to the shoe at my around ankle, it’s the toe end that I need to secure down...

Possible to see some pics?

How about a combo of those things...velcro, snaps...maybe even magnets?

[Blue Hatter]

3 hours ago, Raider said:

Possible to see some pics?

How about a combo of those things...velcro, snaps...maybe even magnets?

Sure. Here's a picture of the shoe and what I'm talking about. (I haven't cleaned off the paint from the rubber sole yet so ignore that bit of mess.)

I have snaps where the black ankle elastic is and the armor snaps onto there, but the toe part of it doesn't want to stay in place. I had thought of magnets but I'm not sure how I would attach them securely, as the boots are painted I can't glue the magnets onto the top of the boots or it'll just rip the paint off. One possibility I thought of was a strap made of clear vinyl that could go around the bottom of my foot, though I'm kind of keeping that as a last resort as I don't think it would look the best. I did pick up a package of metal picture frame hangars, one set kind of looks like a spike that grabs onto the wire of a picture frame and another set that's kind of a saw-toothed bar. I thought that I could attach one hook to the bottom of the armor and the other hook to the top of the boot and they would, in theory, be able to hook together. But I haven't figured out a way to attach them yet. I might be able to sew one onto the boot if I poke a couple holes in top of the foot of the boot or maybe use some small nuts and bolts, but for the armor I haven't figured out a good way to attach the hook because you'd see a screw if I used that, same with a rivet, and I don't think that glue would hold it.

So, yeah, that's been a pain.

[Blue Hatter]

Here are a few other pictures for the heck of it. I apologize that the color is so washed out, I took these pictures at night which was a really bad idea, and in crappy lighting at that, so they look much brighter than the really are. I need to go outside and get some better pictures... as soon as it stops raining. Will it ever stop raining?

[RAIDER[COTG]]

@Blue Hatter I say it all the time...Im horrible with color...but from those pics it looks much better compared to the reference colors.  Not as blue...more gray.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Yeah those colors are indeed better! The helmet one especially!

[Blue Hatter]

Thanks. I do like the color better now. The color is a fair bit darker than the pictures show, though, especially the navy color. The crap lightning just washed the color out. 

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Yeah darker with light blends into a bluish gunmetal gray is what I'm seeing with it in the game images. 

[kishdr]

2 hours ago, IcyTrooper said:

Yeah darker with light blends into a bluish gunmetal gray is what I'm seeing with it in the game images. 

Here's a completely shadeless view of the game model and textures. This would be way more reliable to use as a reference than faded out game screenshots, as theres all sorts of things effecting those.

 

[Blue Hatter]

So everything is finally painted and weathered and I've started the final assembly-- as in, adding the rubber parts to the helmet, the aerators to the helmet, putting on the shoulder straps and so on. I haven't started the strap rig yet. Hopefully I'll get a chance to snap some pictures over the weekend.

I've decided to remake the chest and knee bolts, I've thought of a different way to secure the lights in them without having to add the ring that's visible on the front of old bolts. Hopefully it'll work. Thankfully the bolts weren't that hard to make, just a bunch of hours of 3D printing, then sanding and hitting them with silver paint and polishing them, and then gluing in the lights. It's kind of a pain going back and remaking them but the ring I put on the front has been bothering me as it's not so accurate so I think I'll be happier in the end.

...I just keep giving myself more work to do.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Haha going for the first of the costume and CRL model has the "giving you more work to do" in the job description. Keep pushing!

[Blue Hatter]

2 hours ago, IcyTrooper said:

Haha going for the first of the costume and CRL model has the "giving you more work to do" in the job description. Keep pushing!

Hah, that's true.

I was hoping to get a more done this weekend but with the good news comes the bad... My car was stolen early this Saturday morning and it's the only one I have, and that's been really depressing and draining and... ugh. I haven't had much energy to do much of anything since. I also needed to pick up some glue and another can of silver paint, but without my car... Bleh...

[RAIDER[COTG]]

Not cool.  That really sucks.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

17 hours ago, Blue Hatter said:

Hah, that's true.

I was hoping to get a more done this weekend but with the good news comes the bad... My car was stolen early this Saturday morning and it's the only one I have, and that's been really depressing and draining and... ugh. I haven't had much energy to do much of anything since. I also needed to pick up some glue and another can of silver paint, but without my car... Bleh...

That is not good at all, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. I hope that they find it in good condition and return it to you.

[Blue Hatter]

  

6 hours ago, IcyTrooper said:

That is not good at all, I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. I hope that they find it in good condition and return it to you.

 

13 hours ago, Raider said:

Not cool.  That really sucks.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I hope that it's found, too, and in working order. I really can't afford another car right now, especially with me getting ready to move. It wasn't any sort of fancy car but it ran and I just needed it to last me until I move and then I figured I'd get something afterwards. Ugh, I just can't abide by thieves.

But I did force myself to do some work at least to try to take my mind off of it. I finished the models for the bolts and have started printing them. I have two sets printed so far, just need to do one more. I somehow made the space for the lights a smidge too tiny but that's an easy enough fix with a few minutes with my Dremel. And then I went and took out some frustrations in a few matches of Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2 on my PS4, heh heh.

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

Glad to see you are making some positive out of the negative!

[Blue Hatter]

2 hours ago, IcyTrooper said:

Glad to see you are making some positive out of the negative!

I’ve been trying. The bolts are done being printed, I’ve sanded them and have started painting them. Shouldn’t take me long to finish them.

The police found my car, too, though it’s been fairly trashed. It’s at a mechanic now. Was given a 2020 Mini Cooper Countryman as a rental and this car is nice. I want to keep it... :P

[Blue Hatter]

At last the helmet is finally done! Well, except for a little bit of interior work, I still need to put the fans in and maybe a little bit more foam to get the helmet to sit a little bit higher on my head, but aside from that it's done. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I think that the weathering really helps bring it to life.

Lights off...

 

Lights on...

 

I also finished up the jetpack!

The brown spots are suppose to look like rust but unfortunately they ended up looking more like spots of mud. I'm not sure why.

 

[RAIDER[COTG]]

6 hours ago, Blue Hatter said:

At last the helmet is finally done! Well, except for a little bit of interior work, I still need to put the fans in and maybe a little bit more foam to get the helmet to sit a little bit higher on my head, but aside from that it's done. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I think that the weathering really helps bring it to life.

Lights off...

 

Lights on...

 

I also finished up the jetpack!

The brown spots are suppose to look like rust but unfortunately they ended up looking more like spots of mud. I'm not sure why.

 

It looks good!