Grand Mosh Tarkin's Death Trooper WIP

[dogbertwrldrulr]

30 minutes ago, Grandmoshtarkin said:

Somewhat off topic- but just want to shout out the CMD’s in here answering all these questions. Thank you!!

Indeed!  I hope you don't mind me asking questions on your thread.

[Grandmoshtarkin]

41 minutes ago, dogbertwrldrulr said:

Indeed!  I hope you don't mind me asking questions on your thread.

Not at all! The more the merrier, because chances are you’re going to ask something I wondered as well. 😂

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

On 7/16/2025 at 3:53 AM, DoggyDoc said:

Hey guys. 
the LEDs for basic approval are optional, so you can have them there or leave them out. If you will be going for level 2 approval, they need to be there and they need to work. 

Hey guys, thought I would throw out a tidbit concerning weapons and Level 2. Weapons are not required for any type of approval, but if they are included in approval photos they must meet the Level being applied for. With that being said, if you are going for Level 2 and your weapons are only Level 1, don't use them in the photos. For the L2 action shot you can point, fist bump, peace sign etc and it counts as an action photo.

By the way any DT L2 approvals come my way for input. 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

6 hours ago, Chaos said:

By the way any DT L2 approvals come my way for input. 

Great info!

Other than reading the CRL a lot and looking over the approved threads for DT L2, do you have any other suggestions on how best to prepare to go through the process?  Common errors or things people miss?

[Grandmoshtarkin]

7 hours ago, Chaos said:

Hey guys, thought I would throw out a tidbit concerning weapons and Level 2. Weapons are not required for any type of approval, but if they are included in approval photos they must meet the Level being applied for. With that being said, if you are going for Level 2 and your weapons are only Level 1, don't use them in the photos. For the L2 action shot you can point, fist bump, peace sign etc and it counts as an action photo.

By the way any DT L2 approvals come my way for input. 

Honestly, I might go this route at first… I’m finding myself wanting detail and accuracy on the kit, and everything is adding up quickly. So I may hold off on submitting the E-11D for approval until I know I can do it the right way and get it looking perfect. I’ve got a galactic armory print, but recently discovered the Blaster Factory and those replica parts are looking too enticing. 
 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

13 hours ago, Chaos said:

By the way any DT L2 approvals come my way for input. 

If you're the DT L2 person, would you mind if I tag you in my WIP thread and ask a few questions?

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

6 hours ago, dogbertwrldrulr said:

If you're the DT L2 person, would you mind if I tag you in my WIP thread and ask a few questions?

Don't mind at all. Happy to answer any questions you may have 

[Grandmoshtarkin]

Out of curiosity- someone on the 501st subreddit mentioned that blasters aren’t approvable with a trigger. This feels incorrect as there’s nothing in the CRLs, but can someone confirm? They’re referencing the scout trooper blaster so I’m wondering if it’s just for that style blaster?

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

20 hours ago, Grandmoshtarkin said:

Out of curiosity- someone on the 501st subreddit mentioned that blasters aren’t approvable with a trigger. This feels incorrect as there’s nothing in the CRLs, but can someone confirm? They’re referencing the scout trooper blaster so I’m wondering if it’s just for that style blaster?

Blasters can have and need to have triggers.  I think you are correct in thinking that they are referencing the scout blaster, which has no trigger.

EC-17 Hold-out Blaster

• Flat or semi-gloss black.
• Blaster does not have any visible trigger.
• Blaster is lightly weathered.

 

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

1 hour ago, DoggyDoc said:

Blasters can have and need to have triggers.  I think you are correct in thinking that they are referencing the scout blaster, which has no trigger.

EC-17 Hold-out Blaster

• Flat or semi-gloss black.
• Blaster does not have any visible trigger.
• Blaster is lightly weathered.

 

^^^this^^^

[Grandmoshtarkin]

On 7/23/2025 at 11:29 AM, Chaos said:

^^^this^^^

I figured as much, but figured I should confirm first before telling someone they're wrong. Especially if accuracy is the whole game here!

[Grandmoshtarkin]

1ST UPDATE:

✓ Armor- 850 Armorworks

• Untrimmed but looks good overall. Have all of the details required in the CRL from what I can tell (with some cleanup to sharpen them)
• Will need to add groove on the bottom of the shins to make it Level 2 compliant, just need to track down better reference photos

✓ Helmet- 850 Armorworks

• Will need to reinforce some thin spots and do some serious detail cleanup around the cheek hoses, vents, sharp corners, etc.
• Had a friend print an accurate nose bridge with the 8th fin to make it Level 2 compliant
• NSM Monitor included to go for the specialist build, resin printed so hopefully not much cleanup there

✓ Boots- Keep Trooping

• Rebuilt the lace covers as they were sticking out WAY too much. Pulled the threads and moved the velcro closer to the edges, as well as added a leather tongue at the top to help keep it tucked under the shins.

 Undersuit- The Dark Side Closet

• In progress right now, due early September if my math is correct

Accessories like the frag grenades and chest rig will probably be added later on or as a small side-project when I'm burnt out on trimming and prepping armor.

Some photos of the changes to the boots:

Before: The velcro was too far from the edge of the cover and stuck out almost horizontally unless I kept pushing it down.

After: 

Sewing that spandexy material they used as a covering/edge tape is the worst thing ever. 10 outta 10- do not recommend doing.

 

 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

6 minutes ago, Grandmoshtarkin said:

✓ Boots- Keep Trooping

• Rebuilt the lace covers as they were sticking out WAY too much. Pulled the threads and moved the velcro closer to the edges, as well as added a leather tongue at the top to help keep it tucked under the shins.

Was the velcro sewn onto the boots, or glued?  I like the look of your wrapping around the boots and may make that mod to mine as well.  And where did you get the piece of leather for the tongue?  Just a generic piece of leather?

[Grandmoshtarkin]

38 minutes ago, dogbertwrldrulr said:

Was the velcro sewn onto the boots, or glued?  I like the look of your wrapping around the boots and may make that mod to mine as well.  And where did you get the piece of leather for the tongue?  Just a generic piece of leather?

Yeah, so the velcro on the boots appears to be sewn AND glued to them. I took apart the cover itself layer by layer and just resewed the velcro on it closer to the outer edge. Just take your time because it is a pain in the ass. 😂 But it looks and feels a lot better now.  It looks like they used 1” strips on the underside of the covers, and 1.5” or so on the boots, which seems like a weird move in my opinion.
 

And yeah, the tongue is just some scrap leather that I cleaned up and dyed before sewing on. Just made it about a 1/4” narrower than the top of the cover. My hope is it’ll help it stay tucked in under the shins and maybe add some coverage so the front of my legs take a little less abuse from the trimmed edge.