Death Trooper building in Germany (Jim Tripon kit)

[Deathwatch]

Hi guys!!

I just got my BBB from Jim Tripon (full kit) 

this will be an enormous undertaking…but the reward will be great! 😊 

I already build a RS propmasters TK and hate the limited mobility…so I want to build the corset/barrel variant @chaos posted.

 

will probably need your help in the future 😉 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

I am excited to have another Death Trooper in our ranks. As I stated on another of your threads, we are here to assist anyway we can. Best of luck with your build.

[Deathwatch]

Starting off slowly by giving the armor pieces a good wash and scrub to remove the most loose fiberglass strands…

 

I made a test run of glueing 2mm felt to the inside of an armor part…

 

and lastly adding a abs strip to the underside if the abdomen piece for the Velcro->belt connection… warping of the ABS strip was done using a heatgun…

 

I will probably use JB Weld to secure the ABS strip in place and use epoxy resin to fill the space between the abdomen part and the strip (esp. in the center area).

The next step would be to insert the abdomen gasket pieces of the Jim undersuit. 
->@chaos: did you glue the gasket fabric to your abdomen piece or did you make a „reversible“ connection with Velcro? (If I glue it in I can‘t take it out to wash…? Is this a problem?? 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

This might help

 

[Deathwatch]

Thank you!

I thought as much...I thought that I recognised stitching in "velcro"shape on your "Strapping guide photos"....And as EVERYONE is saying that it is hellish hot in a DT it is probably a VERY good Idea to build it as washable as possible....

[Deathwatch]

Need Fitting aid for chest and back piece:

 

https://imgur.com/a/9gnHqAi

 

What do you think? I like that the neck part is not too far down. but is the back part "high" enough?   (I remember Chaos telling Hector to move his back piece way up...)

 

I taped the pieces together and have an overlap of about 2,5cm in the shoulder bridge area -> I thought about cutting away the overlap (and installing chaos collar tabs to better align the tusks.

For the connection of both pieces I wanted to build a Mr Pauls Shoretrooper like shoulder tab... -> how much should the tab "reach out" from under the shoulder bridge? (rough estimate welcome ) 

 

Thank you!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Benjamin, Looks good so far, I had suggested to Hector that if he moved his back up so that it rotated forward, his collar tusks would sit a little lower. You will need to use some type of tab on your collar tusks to bring them down to lay flat against the front neck recess. Several people have used the tabs that I made and use on mine. Remember with Jim's kit the back sides overlap the front sides. When you get the pieces set, trim the shoulder areas so that the front and back edges meet centerline with the top of your shoulder. It makes hiding the seam easier.

 

[Deathwatch]

@ChaosThanks for the reminder, that the backwings overlap the front armor sides...would have build the other way around.....

 

I need to trim my thigh armours and painted in the parts I want to take off...please have a look if it looks ok...My hight is about 180cm.

And I want to insert a rubber mat in the thigh armor pieces: I read that it is advised to cut out a section of the "glossy armor" so front and back-part don't bump into each other with every step...I marked parts about 1,5cm in with. The reference picture have no "openings" and the rubber is really an insert.  Is my suggested cutout ok?

I have seen others do it:

...so it should be ok....

 

Please have a look! Thank you very much!

https://imgur.com/a/Xd8HxA7

[Mal86]

That is probably about the amount I took off.  However, I probably cut it 4-5 times.  I was always worried about taking too much off and not being able to fix it, so I'd cut a bit, check fitment and try again.

You can see my first round of cuts here: 

 

Just so you know, it is not required to do the rubber insert.  You can leave the Tripon kit as is.  I plan to spray the parts that are meant to appear rubber with plastidip.

[Deathwatch]

Thx Paul! Yes I will probably cut 1cm less and go back for a second round....

 

 I know about the rubber insert...but I kinda like the idea of the rubber insert....and it probably will allow me to get a slimmer fit...

[Mal86]

Makes sense on the rubber insert. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t think it was needed. 
 

Another thing to consider on the cuts: I also cut a little above the line and then used a dremel rotary tool with a sanding wheel to smooth the curves, so I went deeper with that than the original cut. I will note that I had never cut fiberglass before, so you may be willing to be less cautious than I was. 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

If you want a slimmer fit on the thighs I can show you what I did to mine. They are actually "clamshelled" with a velcro closure. I'll look tomorrow at work to see if I have any photos.

[Deathwatch]

That would be wonderful!

The thighs are the most hated part of my TK build and I want to do everything in my power to build a comfortable and usable suit of DT armour. And I think the rubber insert is the way to go

And I can adjust the rubber if needed by cutting and inserting a new rubber mat.  -> I think the plasticarmsdealer build using Chicago screws looks very good and durable....

But non the less would I like to take a peek at your build chaos...if you have pics on hand!! 

THX in advance!

 

2) another shoulder tab question: how much should the shoulder tab extend from under the bridge towards the shoulder bell....any good guesses/measurements?

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

18 hours ago, Deathwatch said:

That would be wonderful!

The thighs are the most hated part of my TK build and I want to do everything in my power to build a comfortable and usable suit of DT armour. And I think the rubber insert is the way to go

I didn't go with rubber inserts, I left the thighs intact and just plastidip'd the details to look like rubber. 

And I can adjust the rubber if needed by cutting and inserting a new rubber mat.  -> I think the plasticarmsdealer build using Chicago screws looks very good and durable....

But non the less would I like to take a peek at your build chaos...if you have pics on hand!! 

I thought I had some photos that you can see where I split the inside of the thigh to make it clamshell but its hid so well that you can see it. Here is an explanation of how I did it.

THX in advance!

 

2) another shoulder tab question: how much should the shoulder tab extend from under the bridge towards the shoulder bell....any good guesses/measurements?

The shoulder tabs should stick out just enough for your shoulder bells to rest on them. Mine are about 1.5 inches out from the edge of the shoulder bridge

[Deathwatch]

Hello!

 

A little update: Deconstructed the Jim Undersuit top -> Velcro has been sewn to the abdomen gasket pieces. now sewing on the spandex and zipper to complete the "barrel".

I made the cuts to the backplate and started on the shoulder tabs ( I went with 2mm aluminium plate).

Drilled away the material on the backplate where the rubber shoulder straps go....have to widen it a little bit more....

https://imgur.com/a/SPl8qwV

 

That's about it....have a nice Sunday!

 

[Deathwatch]

Hi guys!

 

I have the metal buckles/D-Rings for the shoulder strap/side straps....any idea how to fix them to there armor? 

Is gluing enough? I thought about putting longer screws into the shoulder strap buckle/ring construct -> the screws that are now holding both pieces together. My idea was to drill through the armor and the connect  through the armor both parts with the same screws (picture with red circles)....I am just worried that it will set the parts in an awkward angle in relation to the plane of the armor.....any thoughts?

Another idea would be to drill into the pice to create new anchor points for additional screws (blue circles in picture) -> those screws would go through the armor and the ruler strip into the metal piece....(I would need to source the equipment to drill holes into the metal pieces and cut screw thread into the metal buckle...)

https://imgur.com/a/fjSrhum

 

my "neck region" is quite irregular with a wider part/lip at the top....did you smooth it out with bond or just went with it?

 

Almost completed my abdomen"barrel"....zipper is sewn in and velcro sewn to the spandex....now the velcro on the back plate is E6000ed.....tomorrow I will probably make the straps connecting abdomen and back plate.

I JD-welded the underarm pieces together using the clam shell technique... ,will show a picture in the future (need to decide if I want to cut away from the forearm to increase range of motion for the arms....

[Deathwatch]

hihi just to reassure myself: the thighs should go up to two fingers above the top of my kneecap...I'm 180cm...if I am not mistaken it means I have to take off about 8-10cm from the top of the thighs....correct?

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

1 hour ago, Deathwatch said:

hihi just to reassure myself: the thighs should go up to two fingers above the top of my kneecap...I'm 180cm...if I am not mistaken it means I have to take off about 8-10cm from the top of the thighs....correct?

Two fingers is not a requirement, it's a technique to ensure your thigh greeblies and shin tops don't hit each other. Adjust your thighs so there space at the knee, then trim the tops of the thighs, following the original contour just enough so you can walk squat or sit so that the front top of the thighs doesn't dig into your hip front.

[Deathwatch]

Hello Guys!

I am making progress and need some input: I have assembled the abdomen-barrel and made the shoulder connections (still need to address the "wayward-tusks")...

Now to my question: which shoulder is better? the right one which is closer to the bridge and somewhat "higher" or the left  (lower and further away)?

And I need to install the biceps locks..(but I wanted to get the general position of the shoulder and biceps right first....)

https://imgur.com/a/iB3CGDo

Started the assembly of the right thigh using my rubber mat....which generates an awful amount of friction....(it IS an anti-friction mat )...I coated the backside with E6000 and glued left over spandex to it....hopefully this will alleviate the "friction" problem..... And I really like this look with the rubber mat  

 

Thanks guys!

[Mal86]

I think that your right shoulder looks better. The level 2 requirement says minimal spacing, so I think closer is going to be considered better.

With the metal tabs, I thought that they’d sit a little higher. Are they sitting on the tabs?

 Overall, it’s looking good and seems like it’s coming together well. 

[Deathwatch]

1 hour ago, Mal86 said:

I think that your right shoulder looks better. The level 2 requirement says minimal spacing, so I think closer is going to be considered better.

 Think so too!! 🙂

With the metal tabs, I thought that they’d sit a little higher. Are they sitting on the tabs?

I could get the shoulders higher…as of now the metal is about 7mm higher than my undersuit…could increase that distance by bending the metal a little bit upwards..

1 hour ago, Mal86 said:

 Overall, it’s looking good and seems like it’s coming together well. 

Thanks!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

@Deathwatch Are those metal tabs the ones from Paul Apprentice, or did you make them yourself. @Mal86 is correct, the closer the bells are to the upper armor straps the better. Your bells are sitting too low. the top edge of the bell should be just about even with where the front and back armor meet. Paul's metal tabs are made for the ST, his ST Bell files have a raised mounting area for the snap. So if you use them on the DT without making a raised mount or straightening the tab flat straight out, you will get what you have going on right now.

[Deathwatch]

4 hours ago, Chaos said:

@Deathwatch Are those metal tabs the ones from Paul Apprentice, or did you make them yourself. @Mal86 is correct, the closer the bells are to the upper armor straps the better. Your bells are sitting too low. the top edge of the bell should be just about even with where the front and back armor meet. Paul's metal tabs are made for the ST, his ST Bell files have a raised mounting area for the snap. So if you use them on the DT without making a raised mount or straightening the tab flat straight out, you will get what you have going on right now.

I freestyled them…bur with his tabs as a guidance.

@ChaosNow I know what I was missing!!
Will glue some abs into the shoulders to make a raised area for the push button! Thx! 🙏 

[Deathwatch]

hello guys!

I need your knowledge again…

I sanded my pieces with 180 grits, used car filler, again sanding with 240 up to 400grits. At this point I have a very smooth surface. Alcohol rubbing to degrease…

anf then I primed with spray filler 2-3 layers, wet sanding 600 grits 

Today I sprayed my black glossy color (rattle can) and got this result. From far It looks good…upon closer inspection there are these micro dots.

did I do something wrong? 
Second layer seems not to change these dots…

I wanted to seal the pieces with 2k clear coat..will this help with my problem? 
Flood the area with color again (but I have the feeling it won’t change a thing)

or am I overly perfectionist???

sanding between color layers?? 
I’m open for comments 😜

https://imgur.com/a/ecLh1c2

[Deathwatch]

Hello!

 

I want to get the colours together and need some help with the silver panel lining color...what did you use?

Airbrush or brush?

Did you do the gloss black and metallic black and sealed everything with clear coat an then did the silver (and matte black) or did you paint everything and clearcoated everything?

thanks!!