Death Trooper Build questions

[ESKrayt01]

I am new to the page, and wondered where to get armour and soft parts for Death Trooper, thank you in advance.

[Devolver[501st]]

ArmoryShop, Plastic Arms Dealer and Jim Tripon are the most used vendors for DT armor. ArmoryShop is 3D print, PAD and Tripon are fiberglass. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. There is also 850 Armor that does a DT kit in ABS plastic. These sellers are all found on Facebook. 
Soft parts are available through ArmoryShop, Jim Tripon and DarkSide Closet. This is a complicated build, so it would take a bit more to fully answer the question, but this should give you a good start at least!

The best thing to do is to look through the build threads here on forum.

[amcclary[TX]]

plasticarmsdealer.com

 

[Blackwatch[CMD-DCA]]

ive seen the 850 armor, and since Im a fan of ABS I wold go that route. I wore parts of Tripons armor and since it was fg, it left my arms full of splitners. 

[Devolver[501st]]

1 hour ago, Blackwatch said:

ive seen the 850 armor, and since Im a fan of ABS I wold go that route. I wore parts of Tripons armor and since it was fg, it left my arms full of splitners. 

You have to sand and wash the inside of fiberglass armor before you can wear it. Better yet, coat it with Plastidip. You definitely don't want to get fibers under your skin. I wear Plastic Arms Dealer fiberglass armor and I love it. His kit is super sturdy and it looks great.
ABS armor is cheaper and lighter, but with how many details there are on a DT kit, ABS pulls are not going to show as much fine detail as fiberglass or 3D print. I would really take a look at how much has to be altered on the 850 Armor kit for accuracy as well. They can look great but require extra work.

[tk 20509[TX]]

I have an 850 kit and an armoury shop helmet.  The 850 kit is cheaper, then say the plastic arms dealers one.  But it does require some extra work as some of the parts are abit crappy lol.  I got the extra parts i needed from the plastic arms dealer for the most part.

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

805 always looks great and holds up trooping because of the ABS. Plus more affordable with lots of options. 805 all the way

[lancer[TX]]

I would advise on any of the makers already listed by Devolver: armoryshop, plasticarmsdealer, or Jim Tripon.  I honestly think the 850 kit is trash.  And several of my garrison mates have abandoned their kit in favor of one of the Fiberglass kits.  The 850 kit is easy to wear, but it looks awful.  Death Troopers weren’t made to be done in ABS.  Too many sharp details.

[nanotek[CMD-DWM]]

Hi there, this is a complex build and there are a few things you can consider before deciding on your armorer and soft parts. 

Unfortunately there is no "One size fits all" option and it is ultimately up to you, which means you will have to research, research, research! These suggestions below are not in any real order of significance, but they have an effect on each other. For example if you have no building experience, your costs will go up, but time and effort will go down. If you are building yourself, cost may go down but time will increase (your accuracy may also increase depending on your strategy).

1. Budget - Some kits are more expensive than others. Some are fibreglass, some are 3D printed, some are finished etc. Finished kits are going to be more expensive but less work on your part. If you're building yourself consider items like paint, fillers, fibreglass resin etc (Remember you will still have to add or alter strapping). Where you live will also play a part in how much this will cost you as postage can be super expensive!

2. Build Experience - Are you familiar with how to work with different materials? What is your level of skill? Are you prepared to make mistakes, learn and possibly take months to build? You may have to learn a lot of new skills to complete your build and this will take time to gain research and learn. If you don't know how to paint you will have to rely on others for touch-ups and repairs which can be expensive.

3. Space - depending on how you plan to tackle your build will determine your space requirements. For example if you plan on 3D printing your kit, you will need space to be able to sand, fill, prime and paint.

4. Accuracy - How accurate do you want to go? There are really only a couple of options that come close when it comes to the armor and literally zero options for the undersuit/gaskets. There are also very few accurate leather pouch/holster makers too.

5. Size - The size of your body may determine which armor you will go with. 3D printed offers the greatest flexibility in sizing, where as other kits you may have to make alterations to get it to fit and looking right when strapped.

6. Time - Do you have time constraints? Do you want it now or are prepared to wait? Again (and depending on choice of kit etc) this is a complicated build and no matter which avenue you take there will be some time constraints.

 

All the best with your build!

[IcyTrooper[CMD-DL]]

5 hours ago, nanotek said:

Hi there, this is a complex build and there are a few things you can consider before deciding on your armorer and soft parts. 

Unfortunately there is no "One size fits all" option and it is ultimately up to you, which means you will have to research, research, research! These suggestions below are not in any real order of significance, but they have an effect on each other. For example if you have no building experience, your costs will go up, but time and effort will go down. If you are building yourself, cost may go down but time will increase (your accuracy may also increase depending on your strategy).

1. Budget - Some kits are more expensive than others. Some are fibreglass, some are 3D printed, some are finished etc. Finished kits are going to be more expensive but less work on your part. If you're building yourself consider items like paint, fillers, fibreglass resin etc (Remember you will still have to add or alter strapping). Where you live will also play a part in how much this will cost you as postage can be super expensive!

2. Build Experience - Are you familiar with how to work with different materials? What is your level of skill? Are you prepared to make mistakes, learn and possibly take months to build? You may have to learn a lot of new skills to complete your build and this will take time to gain research and learn. If you don't know how to paint you will have to rely on others for touch-ups and repairs which can be expensive.

3. Space - depending on how you plan to tackle your build will determine your space requirements. For example if you plan on 3D printing your kit, you will need space to be able to sand, fill, prime and paint.

4. Accuracy - How accurate do you want to go? There are really only a couple of options that come close when it comes to the armor and literally zero options for the undersuit/gaskets. There are also very few accurate leather pouch/holster makers too.

5. Size - The size of your body may determine which armor you will go with. 3D printed offers the greatest flexibility in sizing, where as other kits you may have to make alterations to get it to fit and looking right when strapped.

6. Time - Do you have time constraints? Do you want it now or are prepared to wait? Again (and depending on choice of kit etc) this is a complicated build and no matter which avenue you take there will be some time constraints.

 

All the best with your build!

I need to get this pinned in one of our sections. 

[mostcallmetim]

Merry Christmas. Hi, also new. I was just about to buy the 850 DT kit, but realized I need more research. Also, about 1/3 of the community seems to lean away from them.

What are he differences between 3d printed vs. fiberglass?

[ImperialLoyalty342[TX]]

Fiberglass is more expensive, and requires more work before you can wear it without getting splinters. It does look sharper but I believe you can get close to the same looking results by polishing abs.

@mostcallmetim

[nanotek[CMD-DWM]]

7 hours ago, mostcallmetim said:

Merry Christmas. Hi, also new. I was just about to buy the 850 DT kit, but realized I need more research. Also, about 1/3 of the community seems to lean away from them.

What are he differences between 3d printed vs. fiberglass?

The main differences are: (and I'm kinda repeating myself a little bit from my previous post)

1. Material - Most printers use PLA which is a plant based plastic and requires some effort to get a smooth surface. Fibreglass is an epoxy resin usually made of polyester. There are a couple of makers that do fibreglass kits and they are both different again. Jim Tripon uses a flexible fibreglass composite that is slightly softer and more flexible than regular fibreglass. Whereas Plastic Arms Dealer uses gel-coat and is more rigid and sturdy. (Guys @jimmiroquai @amcclary please correct me if I am wrong)

2. Fibreglass kits require less work as the moulds have been constructed with a smooth surface. Fibreglass kits need to be cleaned and prepared properly to avoid skin contact with fibreglass particles that can cause skin irritation. You also do not want to breath in these particles so a proper respirator is required.

3. 3D printed is cheaper but requires more work - I recommend using 2 Coats of fibreglass resin on the inside and outside of each piece of armour. This will all need to be sanded back and filled with spray putting and primer. Some areas of the armour require strengthening with some fibreglass matting to prevent breakages.

4. Fibreglass kits cannot be resized as easily as 3D Printing

 

Good luck with your build