C’mon! Let’s make that Death Trooper Kmon. WIP

[Kmon]

Dear all, as per my announcement in the 'Spec Ops Recruits, Report In!' forum, my adventure to become a death trooper will officially begin. And an adventure it will be. 
Building a screen accurate suit will be a lot of trial and error. Luckily there is a forum like this with an abundance of information and tips.

Lets start with a order list as of 08-2024.

• Helmet/ Armor / Undersuit / Gaskets / 3 pouches (DELIVERED)
  Jim Tripon
• Boots (DELIVERED)
  https://crowprops.bigcartel.com/product/deathtrooper-boots because of my size (eu 48)
• Gloves(DELIVERED)
  https://www.endorfinders.com/shop/rogue-one-trooper-gloves

 

• Belt material & small leather pouch (DELIVERED)
  https://trooperbay.com/product/rogue-one-death-trooper-belt-webbing-and-buckle-cosplay-costuming-sci-fi/
  https://trooperbay.com/product/star-death-trooper-rogue-small-black-leather-pouch-cosplay-costuming-sci-fi-501st/
• Lense & mounting system (DELIVERED)
  https://www.opleprops.com/en/lenses-visor-lense-star-wars-cosplay-4/325-OPLE-Props-Deathtrooper-Rogue-one-bulbed-lense-Anovos-Trooper-Helmetlense-Lense-Costume-Helmet-Cosplay-Krennic-death-trooper-rog.html
  https://www.opleprops.com/en/mounting-systems-visors-fan-systems-rankbars/1413-mounting-system-for-visors-or-lenses.html
• Wrist Rockets & Belt Buckle (DELIVERED)
  https://www.phoenixprops.net/products/death-trooper-arm-impellers-rockets
  https://www.phoenixprops.net/products/death-trooper-belt-buckles

Blaster & Helmet Electronics / lights not yet ordered / decided.

 

[Kmon]

During the wait for the ordered parts I decided to start planning for the build.

Paint
I am thinking about buying paint cans from Tamiya. I’m wondering if anyone can shine a light on my selection of possible colors.

Per CRL.

• Gloss Black - TS14 Black
• Flat Black - TS6 Matt Black
• Metallic Dark Grey - TS40 Metallic Black
• Weathered Silver - TS76 Mica Silver

For primer Tamiya Surface Primer: Grey

Tent to do painting in, Link. Wagner Spraytech Homewright C900139 on Amazon.

If you have any suggestions please let me know. Also all tips & tricks for painting/ preparing the Tripon Armor for paint, are more then welcome. 

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

Hi Jeroen,  welcome to spec ops.

The death trooper build can be challenging but well worth it in the end.  
‘For the silver, I used the Tamiya LP11 and for the metallic black, for the silver I used the Tamiya LP40 and weathered it with the black.  I went with the lacquer paints as my blacks were also lacquer from alcad. 
‘Your choices should all be ok. The main one is the metallic black being the #40. 
 

Looking forward to your build. 

[Kmon]

@DoggyDoc I have no airbrush set up for the time being. That's how the Tamiya LP line is used right ?  Black lacquer paint is a nice option for the weathering of the silver.

[Bayushi]

Hi @Kmon! Lots of luck in your build!

I have a very newbie question, that I hope you can answer (because apparently you have it very recent!): how do you contact Jim Tripon? The only way I find available is through his FB profile, but I'm curious if there is a webpage or other channel I could have missed.

Thanks in advance, and lots of force for your build!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Jim Tripon's contact information is located in the vendor's section.

Jimmiroquai Armor/Jim Tripon
 jimmiroquai@yahoo.com , www.facebook.com/jim.tripon

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

On 8/10/2024 at 1:56 PM, Kmon said:

@DoggyDoc I have no airbrush set up for the time being. That's how the Tamiya LP line is used right ?  Black lacquer paint is a nice option for the weathering of the silver.

I did use an airbrush but I think the LP line can be painted on.  The main reason I went with it was because of the black alcad lacquer which is an airbrush paint.  The main thing was to keep the paint types similar, so there was no worry about the paints reacting with each other. You should be fine with the ones you picked. 

[Kmon]

@BayushiI contacted him via Facebook, something I normally wouldn't do for purchases like this but I put my faith in the forum knowledge. Responses where quick for me. Take possible time difference into account.

[Kmon]

Dear all,

An small update is in order since parts have arrived and my Mr Tripon order has been shipped! This should arrive on the 9th of september.

Now I would like to ask some advice. Since some trimming is probably needed and this is my first project, tools are required. I was thinking about getting a Dremel.
Any other things I need to take care of when cutting into the armor ?

Deliveries!
Gloves: Great quality same fit as my gloves on work as 10. Particular, as mentioned before, both halves of the Velcro are put separate on the gloves.

Wrist Rockets & Belt Buckle: both look awesome, can't wait to implement in the completed build.

Belt material & small leather pouch: Smells really industrial, like a fresh trooper on the field. Sadly the order missed one half of the buckle, luckily this can be acquired easily.

 

[PiotrRasputin[501st]]

On 9/3/2024 at 9:33 AM, Kmon said:

 

Now I would like to ask some advice. Since some trimming is probably needed and this is my first project, tools are required. I was thinking about getting a Dremel.
Any other things I need to take care of when cutting into the armor ?

 

Dremels are the way to go. Just be sure you have a diamond cutting wheel for it. A box cutter with carbon blades can be useful for doing slow, light carving as well.

Just as important, you need to think safety.  When stuff goes flying, you will need eye protection and some gloves that can resist cutting wouldn't hurt.  But more importantly, the clothing you wear will protect you from getting burned by the very hot plastic you just trimmed.  I would also suggest a respirator with filters that are good for toxic fumes if you can't work outside while cutting.

[Mal86]

This is the cutting wheel I got from trimming Jim's armor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HI5WUS?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k0_1_17&amp=&crid=QKHHA43M39KS&amp=&sprefix=dremel+fiberglass

It has worked very well.

As Dan said, eye protection and a respirator mask are a must.  Some angles of cutting literally had bits flying in my face.  I also used some old clothes (long sleeve shirt and pants) that I wasn't worried about getting messed up. 

[Kmon]

Thank you both @PiotrRasputin and @Mal86 for the advice!

My Tripon Kit has arrived. I will start coating of the inside of the armor and the rigging.

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

22 hours ago, Kmon said:

My Tripon Kit has arrived. I will start coating of the inside of the armor and the rigging.

Just a tip, I coated the inside of my armour with Plastidip and it helped huge with the fibreglass irritation but found afterwards, that I had to sand it off in areas that needed to be bonded with strapping or seams as the plastidip will peel away and the bond will not hold.

[Kmon]

Dear all,

After a while finally a new update about my build. In the meanwhile all the ordered parts have arrived.

Some notes,

1.      the lens took some time, and sadly the mounting system is Velcro and only got the ‘soft side’

2.      I ordered pouches for the belt with the Tripon Kit, but I’m afraid they are too big. Please let me know your thoughts / advice.

I was a bit overwhelmed but decided to just start with getting tools, glues etc. to start building. To keep it easy the first thing where the plates on the gloves.

In the meanwhile I ordered a PVC plate to make the extension for the abdomen to hold the belt. I did notice that I needed a Holster. (Blaster is just for reference, was made by a friend before I started this project.) 

My next challenge would be to make the shins. I was impressed with the quality of the shoes, and noticed that, compared to other builds, that there is some extra material on the padding, nice to attach this to the shins.

Sadly I did notice that the fit of the shins was not great when I put on the shoes, I had the hope by adding Velcro & snaps that maybe I should be sufficient to keep the shin closed.

I did learn that in the future I need to place the snaps a little less to the edge if I want to hold them down properly but with regular clothespin I could manage.

Sadly I'm still an Inch short for a good fit around my leg and need to extend the shin. Advice would really be appreciated. Next part to continue with in the meanwhile will be rigging and preparing the abdomen plate for the belt. 

I  have so much more questions, but first I will continue with the current planning.

Thanks for reading and see you at the next update !

(P.S. I followed the advise to not coat the inside yet @DoggyDoc)

 

 

[Kmon]

I made a start with one of the belt pouches, To give the pouch some shape while doing the the assembly and to have some better view of the size/looks I used some cardboard as a temporary solution. 

I could use some insights/opinions. Is the sizing of the plate compared to the bag itself oké ? if so i will continue with al three to prepare the building of the belt. 

 

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

Hi Jeroen

with respect to the shins, I also had to expand mine some. I think I covered the process on my build thread, by which I added the fibreglass.   With the pouches, I feel the plate should completely cover the front panel of the  pouch. With your pouches a bit under filled, my concern would be that the plate may be a bit small when the pouch is completely filled. 

[Kmon]

On 11/17/2024 at 10:13 PM, DoggyDoc said:

Hi Jeroen

with respect to the shins, I also had to expand mine some. I think I covered the process on my build thread, by which I added the fibreglass.   With the pouches, I feel the plate should completely cover the front panel of the  pouch. With your pouches a bit under filled, my concern would be that the plate may be a bit small when the pouch is completely filled. 

Thank you for your reply, I was already thinking this was the case for the pouches. I will search for a suitable solution per CRL. 
I will definitely use your process for a reference to extend the shins. 

[Kmon]

I continued with the abdomen, used a pvc that was a little softer, did not need heat to get it in shape without breaking. Will let it cure for a while and test the strength. If happy I will glue Velcro on the whole lengt of the pvc. 

Sadly, the bend was to great without heating the PVC, and was to easy to snap. 

Edited November 25 by Kmon
Update of progress