Dogb's Deathtrooper WIP

[dogbertwrldrulr]

I found a legion member locally who was parting with his TX Death Trooper costume and picked it up off of him.  Went to see it personally as he was local and it turned out things fit pretty well.  He is a little taller than me, but overall the armor fit well enough to buy.  Now I need to customize it to account for some slight fit issues.

I'd like to hear from the community on ups/downs and things that don't look right. I looked over each piece and the CRL and each piece looks like it fits the bill, just need it to fit me right.

On the suit up pictures, my handlers were 6 & 10 so there are things not sitting right. 

Some things I am already aware of and changes I need to make:

1. Helmet is missing visor (I took it out and have it off to the side).  Going to need a new one that is either bubbled or has a better nose cutout as the one I have hurts the bridge of my nose.

2. Chest rig strapping is not tied around my waist, Its currently not long enough.  One of the angled side pieces is also not connected.

3. Ammo pouch not installed

4. Belt wont fit as the snaps to close it are not in the right place for my waistline

5. One of the boxes on the belt isn't sitting right on the rubber belting as the opening is just a little too small. I may just trim the belt a little (or buy a new rubber strip)

6. Shoes got tore up on the top and one of the soles is coming loose.  May just buy new ones.

7. On the left glove, there is a slight tear in the stitching on the index finger.  Hopefully I can sew it closed

8. There are some scuffs on the paint where the armor is rubbing.  I need to lookup how to fix it as this is apparently automotive paint so I don't want to just spray paint over it.

9. Need to redo the strapping on the thighs to the belt, its lets them hang a little low.

10. Need to trim up (or something) the shins.  The tips of the shins dig into my ankles quite a bit.

11. need to loosen up the 

12. Need to swap out the elastic on the biceps as they are a bit tight.

13. Need to tweak the velcro on the gauntlets as they are a little tight, but just a 1/4 or so makes them much more comfortable.

14. Need to hem the pants a bit as there is too much fabric at my ankles right now.

15. Need to swap out the elastic that connects the cod to the posterior as its technically too narrow.

 

 

 

[PiotrRasputin[TX]]

Hey fellow Dan!

First question is who made the armor? It looks like a Jim Tripon fiberglass kit.

I'll try to answer the topics I had to deal with my build:

1. If you aren't going for L2, you should be able to use a dremel and shave down the visor for a better fit.

4. The belt can be remade if you buy the rubber matting and follow the Jolly Roger's belt guide, but many people are now building them where the overlap is in front, covered by one of the two pouches on the side of the buckle. It's for easier suiting up.

6. Are these Doc Marten's or Crowprops shoes?  Maybe you can take it to a shoe repair shop? Also, the ribbed flap covering the laces should go under the shin armor. 

 

Biggest advice is to start small with your updates, with what you are comfortable doing.  See if your local garrison has people that can help out as well. It will give you good practice in maintaining/fixing future armor issues.

[dogbertwrldrulr]

First thing, I appreciate the advice and looking it over!

On the armor, I was told it was a Jim Tripon fiberglass kit.  Looking at the inside its definitely fiberglass, so I am inclined to believe the seller.

1. For the visor, it would be nice to attempt level 2 one day so I may order the bubble lens anyways.  I reached out to OPLE props about sizing on their bubble lenses so I can see if they would fit the helmet.  They are cheap enough where i can grab a bubbled and non and figure out what works.

4. For the belt, I'll have to look into that, I was not sure where to get the materials, so that link helps a lot.  I may trim up my current belt as its a hair too wide (3-1/2 vice 3-1/4), but since there are existing snaps, I may just start over so its 100%.

6. The seller was not 100% sure on the shoes, though they do say Dr. Marten on the bottom.  I am tweaking them now as I don't like the laces.  I am putting in a velcro strap that will be hidden by the ribbed flap.  I know the look of the shoes isn't great, but that was mostly because I had trouble with the kids helping and fit issues on the thigh and shin.  Once I clear up the thigh/shin fit issues, I think the shoes will look much better.

 

Right now my updates are all related to fit so its just some elastic and nylon strapping.  Overall I got lucky in that the costume fits great, its just that the guy I got it from was a little taller than me so things sag a bit, especially around joints, which then makes it hard to move or do anything.  I am working fit issues 1 piece at a time in suitup order so its easier to fix and test as I go.

[dogbertwrldrulr]

One other question...how do you attach the ammo pouch on the shoulder?  There are 2 loops on the back, but they can't go over the chest rig shoulder strap or they would be mostly sideways.  Is there supposed to be some other clip or elastic loop or something that holds them in place?

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

You could try to rig up a strap between the existing ones at 90 degrees to allow the pouch to sit up but as you can see in the photo below, the position can vary  personally I like it better straight up and down  

 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

2 minutes ago, DoggyDoc said:

You could try to rig up a strap between the existing ones at 90 degrees to allow the pouch to sit up but as you can see in the photo below, the position can vary  personally I like it better straight up and down  

 

Yeah, the pouch that I have has angled hoops in the back so it will look more like the trooper in the background.  I didn't even notice that was an option at first as I went off the CRL and the troopers in the foreground for all of the reference pictures.  I ended up figuring out how to mount it to my chest rig strap very late last night as I was reworking the straps on the chest rig.   For now, I think it will work, I can always try and adjust later.  I may have to trim off the little ring hanging off the side, but won't do that unless I get dinged for it on approval.

[dogbertwrldrulr]

@DoggyDoc One other question if you don't mind.  It would be nice to one day try for Level 2 on this costume.  Is there anything that sticks out to you as a glaring problem at this point that I should look at?  I've reviewed the CRL and it looks like the bulk of the armor and stuff would meet it, but I am no expert.  The gaskets are all sewn rubber and all the detail seems to be present on the armor and helmet.  The helmet as the alternating paint scheme and looks to have the right amount of detail nose ridges, vents, etc.

[dogbertwrldrulr]

Some updates for work done last night.

Boots.  I removed the laces as I found them a pain to tie and stay tight. I replaced them with metal rings and double sided velcro. This way I can tighten them as needed to be comfortable and stay on, but not hurt. The velcro is also cut short enough where the boot covers make it not visible.  I kept the laces in case I find out this isn't OK.  I also glued down the sole on the left shoe as it looked like it was coming loose.

Chest Rig.  I had to replace the back strap that I got with it as it wasn't long enough.  I replaced it with nylon and a buckle.  The sizing should put the buckle just behind my back, either on top of or below the thermal detonator.  I can't see the method of strapping on the CRL picture, so I am hoping this is OK.  I can replace it with one big strap if needed, but I was hoping this would work to be a bit more versatile.

Thighs.  I added an extra nylon strap and button behind the elastic strap.  The thighs were sagging on me which in turn made it hard to bend my knee or get the shins to sit right. This strap holds them up much better and I can walk (and somewhat sit) comfortably with the thighs on. The nylon will be hidden behind the main elastic and the pants belt and then covered again by the belt boxes on either side of the buckle.  If this turns out to be not OK, I can just cut the nylon and no harm done.  If I keep having sagging issues, I was thinking of making suspenders to hold up the pants/belt and go over my shoulders and cross on the back.  The armor would completely block that out if I went that route, but its a last resort.

Helmet. Ordered the bubble and curved flat lens from OPLE this morning.  Once that gets in I can get that installed.  Also reworked the padding on the inside so my nose isn't crushed.  With the new padding, the helmet is pretty firm on my head without being wobbly and my eyes sit higher in the opening (yay visibility!).  Once the visor is installed, I may have to move the padding, but at least I have a configuration that works.  I still have to rework the electronics so that the fans, LEDs, and any other electronics I put in there all run off 1 power source instead of 2.

Ammo pouch. I figured out how to install it on the chest rig.  It sits diagonally, but that should be OK and doesn't get in my way.  Considering ordering a new one, but not high on my priority list.

Belt. Ordered the rubber mat material from home depot.  Going to cut myself a new length and change the buttoning to the front as suggested above.  Then transfer all of the old parts over.

Armor. The padding to prevent armor scrapes was kind of small so I replaced all of it with padded felt.  Now the armor slides nicely over itself and I shouldn't have issues with the paint scraping off.  I will still have to touch up the existing paint and that should arrive today.  Fingers crossed the paint pen does its job.  I also made new elastic strapping for the connections between the cod and abdomen and lower back and posterior as they hang too low.  Should install that tonight.

Shoulders/Biceps - I changed out the snaps on shoulder bells to chest armor on both sides as they were slightly damaged.  Should be easier to snap on and the bells should sit a little closer to the chest.  On the biceps, I removed the elastic and added new elastic that is slightly longer to accommodate my biceps.  I also shorted up the connector between the biceps and bells so the biceps sit right and I can bend my arm.

 

 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

Got my small velcro in yesterday as well as a few other things.

Shins. I reduced the size of the velcro across the back from 3/4 to 1/2 to give me a little more room around the ankle as between the socks, shoes, cover, undersuit and armor, it was getting pretty tight.  This helped a decent bit, but I am hoping my new socks will help more as they are a lot thinner.  I also need to hem the pants up a bit as they are about 3-4 inches too long on me.

Here is a front and back of me in my lower half stuff after all my updates so far.  I know the right shin is misaligned in the back, but I suited up myself and will fix in the future.  I am wondering if my thighs might need to be turned in a bit as the openings in the back don't really align with the natural bend of my leg.  I would have to align the shins then and that may be an issue as they have almost no wiggle room.

Armor.  I changed out the velcro on the sides of the chest piece where it connects to the back.  There was not a lot of coverage there and it kept coming loose on me so I put in 1-1/2" strips on both sides.  Holds great now and sits pretty evenly on both sides.  I also finished the strapping between the abdomen->cod and lower back->posterior.  i think they fit my frame much better now and when the under strap is connected everything sits perfectly on my body.

Shoes. I added gel insoles to help with heel comfort which helped a TON for walking around.  They have always been a little tight so I will likely order a new pair when imperial boots opens their run back up next month.  Kinda stinks as the ones I have are actual Dr. Martens

Gauntlets. Similar to the shins, I reduced the amount of velcro on the closure to give me a little more room in the forearms. They are still a little hard to attach myself, but with some assistance I think they will be perfect.

Pauldron.  Got it on order and it should hopefully be here in a week or so.

 

Next up is to try and touch up the paint where the armor rubbed it off and fit check the full upper body armor now that all the strapping has been updated.

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

I think you have some room to rotate the thighs in a bit. The front cover strips should line up with the ones on the shins. I had to trim a fair bit off the top of my thighs to get them to fit right. See how they fit with the torso armor in place first though. 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

40 minutes ago, DoggyDoc said:

I think you have some room to rotate the thighs in a bit. The front cover strips should line up with the ones on the shins. I had to trim a fair bit off the top of my thighs to get them to fit right. See how they fit with the torso armor in place first though. 

I'll look at the alignment better the next time I suit up.  I have a decent bit of room to rotate them for fit.  I didn't realize how crooked they were.

As for trimming, these are fiberglass so I am not sure the best way to do that.  A full armor fit check will probably happen next week as I am gone this weekend.  Based on my last upper body fit check though, I think they will be OK together.  I redid all of the fit stuff on the upper armor to fit my body and had little trouble there.

[dogbertwrldrulr]

Today I got around to repainting the areas where there was paint scraped off or other scrapes/scuffs.  I am not an artist by any stretch of the word, but I think the touch ups turned out OK.  Other than close inspection, I think they cover the damage nicely.  All of these are before/after photos.

Abdomen

 

Lower Back Left/Right

Thigh

Bicep

Shin Top/Bottom

Gauntlet

Belt Pouch Covers

[dogbertwrldrulr]

@Chaos Here's your tag!

I think it would be great one day to try for Level 2 for my DT (after I get it fitted properly for me and get basic).  I know the pictures are not approval quality, but would you be able to look it over and see if there are any glaringly obvious errors/flaws in the parts that would prevent me from going that route?  I know the devil is in the details, but if there are gross errors like "your armor is missing detail X, you'll have to buy new stuff", that would be good to know now rather than later.

I did look over the CRL L2 requirements and it looks like it has all of the major parts (from my untrained eye).

-Colors should match the Color Scheme Guide

-Bubbled lens is on order

-Nose bridge has the 6,8,9 vent pattern (the 9 is a bit harder to see, but present)

-Rubber seal around neck on helmet

-All gaskets are sewn, not stamped, and keep their appearance even when arms are bent and armor is on

-Rubber straps on neck are adjustable so I can move them around to meet the needs for the inward tilt

-Back details look to be present with the right quantities/locations

-Thermal det cannister has the grooves

-Shoulder bells were brought in a bit to be closer to the neck

-I am not weathering anything, so all grooves will be gloss black

-Forefingers have the cutout

-Shins have the detailing and cutouts

-Shoes have pulltab on mid back

-Covers are a little wide maybe(?)

 

Thank you for any input and help you provide!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

I'll take a look this weekend. Since it looks like it is a Jim Tripon kit I know exactly what I had to modify to meet L2. 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

1 hour ago, Chaos said:

I'll take a look this weekend. Since it looks like it is a Jim Tripon kit I know exactly what I had to modify to meet L2. 

I was told it was a Jim Tripon kit when I got it.  It’s fiberglass if that matters.  The helmet looks to be resin cast as well (as far as I can tell).

 

thank you for looking!!

[dogbertwrldrulr]

Anyone know of a vendor that sells hollow E-11D blasters?  The one I have isn’t hollow so I can’t run wiring and stuff through it.  I saw MCM has 3D print files available and it looks like one of the variants is hollow but wasn’t sure if anyone has experience with it.

[DoggyDoc[CMD-DCA]]

Mine is an MCM 3D printed one. It is hollow and I have all of the electronics installed. I reworked the magazine housing from files from a sterling SMG so a 9V battery can fit in it. 

[dogbertwrldrulr]

1 minute ago, DoggyDoc said:

Mine is an MCM 3D printed one. It is hollow and I have all of the electronics installed. I reworked the magazine housing from files from a sterling SMG so a 9V battery can fit in it. 

That’s what I was thinking of doing as well.  Did you print it yourself?  Or get someone else to?  I don’t have a 3D printer so I’d have to get someone else.

 

For the magazine, I was thinking about embedding the innards of a power bank so it was rechargeable.

[dogbertwrldrulr]

13 minutes ago, DoggyDoc said:

Mine is an MCM 3D printed one. It is hollow and I have all of the electronics installed. I reworked the magazine housing from files from a sterling SMG so a 9V battery can fit in it. 

Other questions.

1. Can you share the Sterling SMG magazine print files?

2. What sources did you use for the electronics?  Mostly looking at the bowtie lighting and the yellow lights, but any sources on any/all of it would be appreciated.

3. is your print resin or something else?