Death Trooper Upper/Lower Torso and Arm Armor Rigging

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

I have seen a few post requesting assistance on how others have rigged/strapped their armor.

There are several ways to rig the armor and most have used the TK strapping method, this works and is what most of us are familiar with. 

When I was overhauling my Jim Tripon kit to meet the Level 2 CRL requirements I did a lot of research on the other armors we saw in Rogue One. All these armors were completely redone and designed specifically for R1 to incorporate the same basic assembly procedures, which made it much easier for the prop department and costume wranglers to dress and assemble the armor on the actor's.

The closet such armor/assembly to the DT I could find was the Shoretrooper. This armor shares a lot of hidden rigging systems with the DT. Paul, from Mr. Paul's Shoretrooper Build ( https://www.mrpaulsshoretrooperbuild.co.uk/?fbclid=IwAR2vDFXjtF7in8jsdpWBBA5UKfUuobpKBsix_nZinhteu8tu4uW1Rwth7vQ ) has done an excellent job of replicating the Shoretrooper and I honestly believe the most accurate representation there is next to an original screen used/built armor set. As a matter of fact, the chest and back armor are identical with the exception of a few minor details.

It is because of this basic similarity, I recommend using the rigging techniques that Paul uses to rig/strap your DT. 

I applied the ST rigging techniques to my DT for the upper armor, shoulder bells and bicep armor and I can tell you, the way that they are rigged makes for greater upper arm movement and it allows the pieces to easily return to their original position after you make any movements.

Another assembly technique I used was the abdomen, There has been much said about the abdomen and lower back armor pieces being a corset where the abdomen and lower back armor are attached to the abdomen gasket (be it a formed rubber piece made to look like the leather like ribbed arm and knee gasket material or a sewn ribbed piece of material) so I looked at that and compared it to the way the Shoretrooper's abdomen and lower back armor were constructed and found that it made sense that the costume department utilized the same construction techniques to make the DT armor.

So I completely deconstructed Jim Tripon's under shirt, removed the abdomen gasket section, replaced it with a heavy duty meshed fabric like we see in the armpit area, and assembled the gasket material and abdomen/lower back armor into a corset type construction independently strapped from the chest and back pieces and supported in the same manner as the ST. I found that this gave me more freedom of movement in the torso and allows the upper armor and lower armor to move independently from each other.

I also recommend either using a separate waist belt or suspender type support system to attach your thigh armor. This prevents the thighs from pulling down on the abdomen armor and the abdomen armor from pulling up on the thighs.

So this is how my armor is strapped:

The upper section consists of the chest and back secured/strapped at the shoulders and the sides, the same way as the ST is in Mr. Paul's ST Build, then the shoulder bells and biceps are attached to the upper armor pieces (my attachment point is the overlap of the back armor) as the ST.

The mid torso section is an individually strapped and supported corset consisting of the abdomen and lower back armor. The chest and back pieces just overlap the abdomen and lower back and are not attached to them.

The lower section of the thigh armor is independently attached/supported by a belt or suspender straps with a front strap and a side strap that attach to the thighs. UKSWRATH's suspension rig works well with this concept. I used his system and just made a few minor modifications.

I also used Mr. Paul's ST technique for the closing of the forearm armor pieces. Its a clamshell design and uses internal elastic type bands to keep the forearms closed but allows enough stretch to be able to slide your hands through. The necessary cord blocks are in the bicep cord lock stl files, you simply need to just print out four to six each for the forearms and attach and thread them.

Here is a link to some photos of my kit and Mr. Paul's ST armor so you can get an idea of what I have described above.

https://imgur.com/a/xaRbyZg

Here is a link to my 3D files that I made to attach to my shoulder bells and bicep armor pieces which work the same way as the ST's. (You can download and print these files for personal use. I do not authorized you to sell the files or print and sell the files. I have not yet made any 3D files that I am satisfied with yet to mimic Paul's shoulder bell support pieces. I recommend getting these from him as they are excellent quality and he is an awesome guy to work with or simply make your own.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/7f5nduyuql2xfoh/bicep cord lock block.stl?dl=0

Best of luck with your builds, and as always I and the other Spec Ops are here to help if needed.

[BLACKFOX[PR-CMD]]

Thanks for sharing. I was thinking of using a similar set up for my DT build.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

3 hours ago, BLACKFOX said:

Thanks for sharing. I was thinking of using a similar set up for my DT build.

No worries! I have used 3 or 4 different set ups for strapping and each modification was made after trooping in my DT for extended periods of time. I think I may have even put something together for another Trooper as a visual example. I will go take a look and if I can find it I will post it here.

[RobC_TX1138]

I may be missing it, but I’m not seeing the references or images for how the actual straps were done on the shore trooper? The link goes to a gallery and what I guess is a storefront for  downloads.

I have the Jim Tripon armor and undersuit- I’m trying to understand the corset concept you guys are referring to.  Is this to get the chest and back to “float” over the abdomen/thorax? 
 

[TookBreaker[TX]]

1 hour ago, RobC_TX1138 said:

I may be missing it, but I’m not seeing the references or images for how the actual straps were done on the shore trooper? The link goes to a gallery and what I guess is a storefront for  downloads.

I have the Jim Tripon armor and undersuit- I’m trying to understand the corset concept you guys are referring to.  Is this to get the chest and back to “float” over the abdomen/thorax? 
 

Hi @RobC_TX1138, I assume you refer to this build: https://imgur.com/a/xaRbyZg

I used Paul's Shoretrooper metal plates for the shoulder (still in works) and created a harness to keep abdomen/thorax in place, but the chest/back afloat on it. Gives more room to move. For example the TK armor is all connected and limits you in movement.

[Mal86]

@ChaosDid you use an elastic strap for the middle strap or just a regular nylon strap?

 

[TookBreaker[TX]]

I used elastic straps for those to ensure some mobility.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

On 2/3/2024 at 5:36 AM, Mal86 said:

@ChaosDid you use an elastic strap for the middle strap or just a regular nylon strap?

It's heavy duty waistband elastic. I think I got it from a local Michael's or Fabric store

[NikTrooper[501st]]

On 2/3/2024 at 2:36 AM, Mal86 said:

@ChaosDid you use an elastic strap for the middle strap or just a regular nylon strap?

 

What's the purpose of the thin string here if the thick strap itself is elastic? 

[Mal86]

8 hours ago, NikTrooper said:

What's the purpose of the thin string here if the thick strap itself is elastic? 

It seems to do a better job recentering/pulling it back to the proper angle than the center elastic alone.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Paul is correct,  the center larger strap is for supporting the weight of the bicep, and the thinner elastic string and clips are to help keep the alignment/orientation where it needs to be.