Paul's Death Trooper Build

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

I should chime in here about Jim's shoulder straps. His straps are Basic Level approvable and CRL compliant "Attaches to the back plate with shoulder straps that have a rectangular rib detailing, rubber in appearance and matte black in color." They just are not Level 2 compliant. If you have no plans of building your kit to Level 2, you can save the money and use Jim's straps. I wore his straps for a few years after I was basic level approved. I only just recently printed my own straps in TPU prior to submitting for Level 2. Just my 2 cents.

[Mal86]

15 hours ago, DoggyDoc said:

Here are a couple photos of the pieces that I didn’t use.

I just found out tonight that the neurosav that Jim does has the light for the LED in the wrong spot.  it is however fixable.  The hole just needs to be moved.

Not shown in the photos were the armour plates for the belt pouches and the belt boxes.  I was not happy with the quality of Jim’s and 3D printed them  they were accurate with respect to looks but every time I sanded them, I got new pin holes.  

I will need to measure my buckles for you tomorrow as my kit is currently packed away for a weekend troop. 

Thank you.  No urgency on the measurements.  I just thought it might add some authenticity to make the V-Rings metal, if they are relatively inexpensive.

[Mal86]

5 hours ago, Chaos said:

I should chime in here about Jim's shoulder straps. His straps are Basic Level approvable and CRL compliant "Attaches to the back plate with shoulder straps that have a rectangular rib detailing, rubber in appearance and matte black in color." They just are not Level 2 compliant. If you have no plans of building your kit to Level 2, you can save the money and use Jim's straps. I wore his straps for a few years after I was basic level approved. I only just recently printed my own straps in TPU prior to submitting for Level 2. Just my 2 cents.

Thank you.  I believe you had posted somewhere that if you are going to go for level 2, its worth the effort to make it level 2 during the initial build, so this is my plan.

What size print bed do you need to make the TPU straps?

Is it worth getting the better quality shoulder buckles from Paul Prentice or are Jim's shoulder buckles good?

If the buckle quality isn't an issue and the print bed for the printer I plan to get is big enough, then it sounds like it may not be worth getting the straps/buckle, but simply getting the shoulder connector.

[Mal86]

Received my belt buckles from Blaster Factory. Chose them over Phoenix Props purely on price. I’m disappointed with the purchase and have inquired about the return policy. Though, it might not make sense as shipping was as much as the buckle. 

i realize it’s not a CRL issue, but I expect it to look new out of the box. The front is covered in scratches. It has nicks in the surface. There are dents on the front where the holes in the back are.

You can tell me if my standards are too high on this, but I was expecting a clean polished surface. 

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

I haven’t got much experience working with metal but maybe you can figure out how to polish it if it isn’t too diffivult and avoid buying a new set.  

Maybe they will just refund you without-t sending it back and you can order the new set as an alternative.  

 

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

Here are the dimensions of the d rings as promised. 

The shoulder ones are 48.6 mm wide by 45.6 mm long

The side ones are 66.4mm wide by 60.6mm long

 

 

[Lt. Dan[501st]]

8 hours ago, Mal86 said:

The front is covered in scratches. It has nicks in the surface. There are dents on the front where the holes in the back are.

That way you save on weathering!🤣

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

On 9/24/2023 at 8:43 PM, Mal86 said:

Thank you.  I believe you had posted somewhere that if you are going to go for level 2, its worth the effort to make it level 2 during the initial build, so this is my plan.

What size print bed do you need to make the TPU straps?

Is it worth getting the better quality shoulder buckles from Paul Prentice or are Jim's shoulder buckles good?

If the buckle quality isn't an issue and the print bed for the printer I plan to get is big enough, then it sounds like it may not be worth getting the straps/buckle, but simply getting the shoulder connector.

It is always easier to build to Level 2 than to have to retrofit from Level 1.

You can print the TPU straps on a 200mmx200mm bed.

Jim's buckles that come with his kit as good for Level 1 and general use as they are, you just need to clean them up a little by sanding and smoothing them.

I think Paul's shoulder buckles which are cast or resin 3D printed along with the shoulder straps are worth what he is asking.  I don't think Paul has the side armor buckles and straps so would need to source these.

I had the capability to 3D print my own designed chest buckles and shoulder straps as well as the side armor buckles and short straps.

One thing to keep an eye on is that some of the shoulder buckle D-rings sold out there have a pointed end. The original shoulder D-rings had a rounded point on the front.

I did use Jim's side armor D-rings as they were sturdy and looked like the ones on the screen suits. I did however, swap out his side armor D-ring straps for ones I made. The files I made were designed to use Jim's provided side armor D-rings.

[Mal86]

15 hours ago, DoggyDoc said:

I haven’t got much experience working with metal but maybe you can figure out how to polish it if it isn’t too diffivult and avoid buying a new set.  

Maybe they will just refund you without-t sending it back and you can order the new set as an alternative.  

 

@DoggyDocThanks!  I didn't consider that.  I'll see what they say on the return policy and go from there.  On a positive note, it'll probably be one of the easiest things to replace in the future, if I can't return it and choose not to replace it immediately.  I did a little googling on polishing scratched aluminum after your suggestion and it looks like there are some compounds I could get to do it. - EDITED: This is what I got back when asking about the return policy: "Hi Paul, the front is textured to be like that on purpose like the original. If you prefer it polished you are welcome to polish it, but those “imperfections” are on purpose to be as close to the original as possible."

10 hours ago, DoggyDoc said:

Here are the dimensions of the d rings as promised. 

The shoulder ones are 48.6 mm wide by 45.6 mm long

The side ones are 66.4mm wide by 60.6mm long

 

 

@DoggyDocThank you for sending these!  It looks like the ones I was looking at wouldn't be the right size.

7 hours ago, Lt. Dan said:

That way you save on weathering!🤣

@Lt. DanOnce I got past my initial annoyance, I thought the same thing.  My wife always says that the first scratch you get on the car makes every other scratch not as bad, so maybe I can just treat this as the first bit of damage.

6 hours ago, Chaos said:

It is always easier to build to Level 2 than to have to retrofit from Level 1.

You can print the TPU straps on a 200mmx200mm bed.

Jim's buckles that come with his kit as good for Level 1 and general use as they are, you just need to clean them up a little by sanding and smoothing them.

I think Paul's shoulder buckles which are cast or resin 3D printed along with the shoulder straps are worth what he is asking.  I don't think Paul has the side armor buckles and straps so would need to source these.

I had the capability to 3D print my own designed chest buckles and shoulder straps as well as the side armor buckles and short straps.

One thing to keep an eye on is that some of the shoulder buckle D-rings sold out there have a pointed end. The original shoulder D-rings had a rounded point on the front.

I did use Jim's side armor D-rings as they were sturdy and looked like the ones on the screen suits. I did however, swap out his side armor D-ring straps for ones I made. The files I made were designed to use Jim's provided side armor D-rings.

@Chaos The print bed on the printer I plan to get will work to make the straps. My thought is: If I am going to print my own straps, the only reason to get Paul's would be to get the buckle (not the D-ring) itself (I'll still get his shoulder bell supports, regardless).  Is the buckle on Jim's good or would I need a different one for level 2?  I found this STL: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/shoretrooper-deathtrooper-buckles Would this print well on a non-resin 3D Printer?   

I downloaded the STL you posted for the side strap from another thread.  My plan was to print those when I got my printer.

Again, thank you all for the support and info.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

17 hours ago, Mal86 said:

@Chaos The print bed on the printer I plan to get will work to make the straps. My thought is: If I am going to print my own straps, the only reason to get Paul's would be to get the buckle (not the D-ring) itself (I'll still get his shoulder bell supports, regardless).  Is the buckle on Jim's good or would I need a different one for level 2?  I found this STL: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/shoretrooper-deathtrooper-buckles Would this print well on a non-resin 3D Printer?   

I downloaded the STL you posted for the side strap from another thread.  My plan was to print those when I got my printer.

Again, thank you all for the support and info.

I'll take a look at the buckles on Cults 3D to see how close they are. I know those are Shore buckles. If not, I have a 3D file I printed for my buckles you are welcome to.

 

[Mal86]

Does anyone have feedback on Imperial Boots sizing?  

My Ecco dress shoes are EU 44.  My Ecco boots are EU 44, but say US10.  Most of my US sized shoes are 10.5 or 11.  A pair of hiking shoes I have say EU44.5/US11.

I emailed Vincent for feedback, but thought I'd ask the group as well.

[Mal86]

Boots came in.

They look nice and fit decently.  The insole slides to the front when i slip my foot in, so I may need to adhere it to the bottom of the shoe.  (Anyone have suggestions on whether to keep the KeepTrooping Insole or get a different one?)

The front edges of the boot covers flare out.  There is an opening where the stitching is that I could stick a piece of wire through to see if I can use that to better form it.  Any other tips or tricks anyone recommends?

 

 

 

 

 

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

I put a piece of Velcro on the very corner of the cover and then matched it with another piece on the boot to lock it down. 

[Mal86]

Sewed together my first pouch.  This is my first ever sewing project, so I learned a lot.  The dimensions look off, but that's just the angles.  They are pretty close to accurate.

Any feedback on this or before I make the other two:

 

'

 

 

 

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

Nice job on the sewing. 
are you going to fill them with something rigid to give them more form?  

[Mal86]

5 hours ago, DoggyDoc said:

Nice job on the sewing. 
are you going to fill them with something rigid to give them more form?  

Thanks.

That is ultimately the plan.  I was curious if I could fit anything useful in them.  My phone is a little too big for it to keep form.  I'm thinking that for my wallet, I might try to 3d print something for one of them that puts a raised base and solidified the edges, while having a spot for my wallet.

[Mal86]

A small update: I found someone who wants to do a Night Death Trooper on FB and sold them my buckle and ordered one from Phoenix Props.  Much cleaner and nicer looking buckle.  I'd highly recommend.

The big update: FedEx just dropped the box with the armor and undersuit at the house. (I'll post pictures after I get a chance to open it up and inspect everything.)

Would the recommendation be to check for fit, do any cutting, strap it, then plastidip it, OR plastidip very first thing to address fiberglass and then sand off any plastidip at any locations I need to have better adhesion?  

Leaning toward the second, but wondering if there is a best practice.

Thanks.

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

I did the Plastidip first but regretted it afterward as it adds a bunch of work to sand it off. 
If I were to do it again, I would likely do all of the strapping on the body parts before doing the Plastidip. 
the only parts that I would Plastidip first would be the forearms and shins with the areas to be glued masked off as this parts have no strapping. 

[Mal86]

58 minutes ago, DoggyDoc said:

I did the Plastidip first but regretted it afterward as it adds a bunch of work to sand it off. 
If I were to do it again, I would likely do all of the strapping on the body parts before doing the Plastidip. 
the only parts that I would Plastidip first would be the forearms and shins with the areas to be glued masked off as this parts have no strapping. 

That makes sense and was my concern. 
 

How would you recommend doing fitment without the plastidip? Wear sweats and wash them after?

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

I always put my undersuit on when doing fitting to ensure everything is sitting where it will be when done. Latex exam gloves would be a good idea for your hands. Otherwise a long sleeve and long pants compression suit base layer would likely work. 

[Mal86]

2 hours ago, DoggyDoc said:

I always put my undersuit on when doing fitting to ensure everything is sitting where it will be when done. Latex exam gloves would be a good idea for your hands. Otherwise a long sleeve and long pants compression suit base layer would likely work. 

Thanks!  I messaged Jim.  He suggested sanding with 200 grit sand paper and hosing it off.  There is so much loose fiberglass, that I'll probably hose it off first and see how it goes from there.

I did a quick fit without the undersuit last night and I think I'm going to need to trim the forearms and potentially the thighs.

My current plan is to get it cleaned up, strapped, then take some pictures with everything on and post them for feedback on trimming.

[Mal86]

Here is the armor kit:

 

 

Also, helpful tip for those who might need it (clearly, I did): The suspenders work better when sewn so that they go the same direction:

 

But they are correctly assembled now (despite the lack of a picture).

[Mal86]

I've decided not to spend the time sanding the inside of the armor.  I'm going to connect all the strapping points/greebles, then mask those and any other gluing points, then go ahead and plastidip.  It doesn't seem practical to to try to get everything adjusted before plastidiping.

I'm also thinking about getting something like this, cutting it, and shaping it to connect it to the bottom of the ab armor to add velcro for the belt. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Palight-ProjectPVC-12-in-x-12-in-x-0-118-in-Foam-PVC-Black-Sheet-156238/205852828

If anyone has any thoughts on a better way to do any of this, feel free to share.

[TookBreaker[TX]]

Hi @Mal86,

Sanding the inside of the armor will be cumbersome and I would be concerned to rip out more fiber strings that necessary. Also, as you stated, getting all strapping and connections done is key to ensure proper adhesion first. I had to rearrange a few times couple of straps. PlastiDip is the way to go to cover most of it. Then troop a few times as I am sure you will make some more adjustments. Then you could PlastiDip again.

I would not recommend further lining if not really needed for two reasons:

• Heat: If you are trooping in warmer climate, it is already hot with the undersuit and the armor on. Any additional layer will make it warmer.
• Weight: The armor in itself and paint will make it heavy enough. Being a TK as well, it is a significant weight you add on and you want to keep it as light as possible.

Hope this helps.

[Mal86]

@TookBreaker - Thank you for the feedback.  I'm in Georgia, it'll be hot and humid for me as well.

My plan is to connect everything with E6000 to start, so I can easily remove and adjust.  I just wasn't sure how easy it is to get the plastidip off if I need to adhere to a place I put the plastidip.