plankton’s Death Trooper WIP

[planktonimore[501st]]

Hello spec ops troopers! Last time I posted in here I was but an aspiring member, but now that I am a proud member of the Dune Sea Garrison, and owner of both TK and officer costumes, my obsession has lead me to starting a Death Trooper build.

Already got my hands on a couple things second hand:

Jim Tripon Undersuit (may need taking in in a couple places)

Talib boot reps with lace covers

Gloves

 

Currently sourcing armor and helmet, looking for second hand or new kits, but not finished sets as I want to build it myself where I can. My primary option is 850AW for a new kit as I have experience with vac formed armor and don't want fiberglass.

Finally, I noticed no one here has mentioned the new black series death trooper helmet and I’m wondering if it could be used as a base in lieu of a helmet kit, assuming of course that it would need some minor filling and a new paint job. Please let me know your thoughts!

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Asher, excited to hear that we will have another DT in our ranks.

If you prefer an ABS kit there are two options right now: 850AW and Jinta Props, both meet basic approval. There are several Troopers who have either made each, or are in the progress of making. I recommend looking through their build threads and note the Pros and Cons to each kit.

I took a look at the Black Series helmet. Currently the Preorder option is sold out. I was hoping to grab one and take a hands on look. From what I can tell from the online photos and the SWC video on Fanta Track's site, This is what I see:

• The Neuro-Saav Macromotion (NSM) Monitor has a white LED in the upper elongated oval which is not in the CRL nor do we see it in any screen shots. This will have to be discussed at the Detachment Level to determine if any CRL wording will be changed.
• All the assembly seams will need to be filled in which will requires a repaint.
• The electronics button on the NSM shouldn't be an issue as it is already part of NSM details photo on the CRL.
• The paint scheme does not have all the "asymmetrical" colors, it looks as if it is all gloss black.

As long as a helmet presented for approval has all the CRL requirements and looks like the CRL photos, it should be approvable, even if it is a Black Series.

[planktonimore[501st]]

Okay, so here are my boots. Upon closer examination, they are not an exact match to Talib boots, but to my eyes they seem to tick all the boxes. Are these going to be acceptable for basic?

I went ahead and ran some bendy wire through the outer edge all the way around the lace covers and got them to sit right. They should sit even better with shin armor holding the tops in place. Here are some photos:

I may source some more accurate boots down the line even if these are acceptable for basic, as I actually quite like these as a regular wear out lol

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

Those boots are Doc Martens Talib boots, they are basic CRL approvable. I would recommend using those unless you are trying for Level 2, then you would need the DM Jared or replica boots.

[dogbertwrldrulr[TX]]

20 hours ago, planktonimore said:

Okay, so here are my boots. Upon closer examination, they are not an exact match to Talib boots, but to my eyes they seem to tick all the boxes. Are these going to be acceptable for basic?

I went ahead and ran some bendy wire through the outer edge all the way around the lace covers and got them to sit right. They should sit even better with shin armor holding the tops in place. Here are some photos:

I may source some more accurate boots down the line even if these are acceptable for basic, as I actually quite like these as a regular wear out lol

As someone who just had to mess with my shoes, I would recommend adding a small flap of some sort to the top of the ribbed section that goes under your shin armor and then a small piece of velcro to hold it in place. Those ribbed sections come loose VERY easily even during basic suit ups and walking around.

[dogbertwrldrulr[TX]]

On 8/1/2025 at 8:24 PM, planktonimore said:

I want to build it myself where I can

I am not sure if it is high on your priority list at the moment, but I just had to buy a whole sheet of the rubber used to create the belt so I have a lot extra.  I could probably cut you a length for cheap if you'd like.

[planktonimore[501st]]

43 minutes ago, dogbertwrldrulr said:

I am not sure if it is high on your priority list at the moment, but I just had to buy a whole sheet of the rubber used to create the belt so I have a lot extra.  I could probably cut you a length for cheap if you'd like.

Good to know, I did go ahead and order an 850 kit which should include the belt so I should be good, but if not I’ll keep that in mind.

[dogbertwrldrulr[TX]]

7 hours ago, planktonimore said:

Good to know, I did go ahead and order an 850 kit which should include the belt so I should be good, but if not I’ll keep that in mind.

Awesome!  Good luck with your build!

[planktonimore[501st]]

I was able to put together one of the canvas pouches as well as the (stupid) holster using the great templates made by other members here. While I was at it, I made my own template for the leather pouch and put that together as well. Other two canvas pouches are in the works now.

Leather pouch template for those interested:

[planktonimore[501st]]

As I wait for my 850 kit to arrive, I have been working on my helmet. I bought these files and printed at 100% scale resulting in a spaceballs Dark Helmet. I then printed it at 80% which was much better on my head. But now...I am noticing details that are making me question the accuracy of the model vs the CRL images. Can anyone speak to the apparent accuracy of this design and if I am going to be able to approve this or if I need to spend more money on a new model.

[Chaos[CMD-DCA]]

helmet as it is presented on the website is approvable

[planktonimore[501st]]

Alright, some progress on my bucket! I had a lot of trouble with the aforementioned models so I went ahead and got the MCM Design files which have so far been much easier to work with. At 100 percent scale it fits my head so thats a relief. Finishing and painting the pieces is going well so far. I experimented with acetone vapor smoothing since I printed in ABS. Mixed results and ended up sanding anyway lol.

Here are some progress pics on the face pieces while I’m connecting the dome together. Let me know how the paint job looks so far. I did a bit of weathering on the “metal” parts as a kind of happy accident while trying to file away some paint imperfections.

[planktonimore[501st]]

Another small update on the face peices:

Did some more weathering on the “weathered silver” parts to get them closer to references as they were still too shiny. Assembling the tusks, I used the same lens material as the visor, sanded the back side for some diffusion, and placed some aluminum foil behind them for a little extra reflectiveness, as I don't plan to install lights for now. Also glued in little mesh grills under the side vents.

[planktonimore[501st]]

Face fully assembled and looking lovely!

Filler primer on the dome is drying now.

[Bootlegger137]

That silver came out great!

[planktonimore[501st]]

Okay…so my bucket is…complete. Unfortunately the paint job didn’t turn out quite as good as I had hoped, and as I was finishing the final details and assembly, made a couple blemishes, but my hope is I can fix it in weathering. Anyway here are some shots of the “clean” bucket.