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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 3:41 pm Post subject: Havoc Trooper, First build progress/Seeking advice
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Hello everyone,
Weekend update as of 8/30 focused on arms and chest this weekend
I've recently started my first build earlier this month and am starting this thread to post progress and receive advice. I have more experience with painting then anything else, so I am anticipating fitting the armor to my size being the biggest challenge for me since I am a smaller build at 5'9".
The parts are:
Armor and Helmet- TZA
Neckseal- Foo
Abdomen- Crow62
I'm Watching Foo's youtube series to get general knowledge of the assembly process but as it goes, "In theory practice and theory are the same, in practice theory and practice are completely different."
I will be using rustoleum spray paints when I get to that, the orange seemed to be the hardest color to pin down but i'm settling on the satin paprika which has a red hue.
Feel free to correct me if that is incorrect or anything else for that matter
Here is an imgur link to my progress so far:
Imgur
Initially I was feeling pretty overwhelmed so as a quick moral boost I got the helmet cut out, and I'm feeling pretty proud of that
Biceps:
I got some work on the heatgun this weekend and the most drastic change was here, after cuving the biceps to an oval shape they fit and move way better, this picture really shows the difference
Elbows:
Same deal as biceps after a few passes with the heatgun they seem much better, the angle isnt quite right on the sides but i think it works fine with the reference material i saw
before-
after-
Thighs/general leg size:
Took a step back to think on it some more, i have some cuts i think i will do but just need to plan some more, and will wait till after i heat gun to get the edge alignment better
As you can see I have quite a bit of wiggle room while my range of motion is still limited due to the cod piece, and I don't want to remove much more material and lose details
Visor:
Very tedious getting everything trimmed down perfect with all the angles, and the main reference images do not show the side of the helmet for a better look at the visor
Chest:
Haven't started on this but it is massive on me and will need a lot of heating and bending to fit well.
Trimmed the excess on the lips, was very helpful in getting the neckseal and ab piece to fit and display well
Bending has begun, i can actually lower my arms now when having it on my chest. I bent them in about 2 inches on each side and made the angle more vertical on the sides. Still am able to wear the abs and neckseal fine
[img]http://i.imgur.com/TGQBDtz.jpg?1[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/679SADP.jpg?1[/img]
Forearms:
These are a pain, lots of tiny angle and the material is a bit thin from all the detail work, but i plan on filling that in with some plastic welder when glueing them together. All i did so far was bend them slightly to make for easier and trim the lip of each end
However these forearms are massive on me and I think I'm will be following balbosa's lead and removing extra material and using angled lines, to remove about 1/2" from the front and 2" in the back of the forearms as shown below.
Thanks for reading, I'll be posting more updates soon after I get some more actual work done, Hopefully I didn't commit any faux pas yet as a noob/scrub/bambi.
Last edited by LazyAardvark () on Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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TAC_TROOPER (Michael Fodor)

Joined: 20 Sep 2009 Posts: 7 Location: JACKSONVILLE, FL Medals: None
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 10:04 pm Post subject:
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looks like a good start so far, have you checked out clonetroopers.net ?? good site with tons of info on vac-u-formed kits, I have all the pepakura files for the havoc armor, so scaling isn't an issue (with pep designer you can scale each piece to fit you )and its definitely on the bucket list.....no pun intended lol just take your time, start with higher grit sand paper ie 320 -600+ grit to smooth your bucket
-Mike _________________ "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR !!" |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 2:04 am Post subject:
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TAC_TROOPER wrote: | looks like a good start so far, have you checked out clonetroopers.net ?? good site with tons of info on vac-u-formed kits, I have all the pepakura files for the havoc armor, so scaling isn't an issue (with pep designer you can scale each piece to fit you )and its definitely on the bucket list.....no pun intended lol just take your time, start with higher grit sand paper ie 320 -600+ grit to smooth your bucket
-Mike |
Thanks for the info! I actually hadnt been clonetroopers yet because i didnt have a log in, but since you suggested it ill get one now. I focused mainly on the upper body tonight with some heat gunning on on the arms and chest, but ill be working more on the bucket tomorrow, and ill sand it down instead of trying to xacto it |
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sandeman (Clay) Active Legion Member

Joined: 18 Jan 2013 Posts: 26 Location: Seattle-ish, Washington Medals: None
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Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 6:15 am Post subject:
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Take your time.
Take your time.
Take your time.
I usally stare at a project for a month or two while I plan everything out. I know it sucks when you just want to jump in, but it's best to gather all the reference material you can, and size everything properly.
Check out Balgosa's thread. He's a thin guy and had to trim his armor quite a bit, but it turned out fantastic.
Paprika is indeed the right paint. It looks pretty orange when first applied, but once you weather the suit, the orange turns the right color, like magic! _________________ MAJ Darkwater, Old Republic Trooper (Havoc Squad)
TK-6640 FISD ANH Stunt Stormtrooper (Expert Infantryman)
TB-6640 BSN Scout Trooper (Lancer)
ID-6640 IOC Imperial Staff Officer (Executor)
DS-6640 SLD Kylo Ren
U.S. Navy SCPO (Ret.) |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:24 pm Post subject:
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I realize I haven't posted follow up in a while, Things have been churning along I've mainly been doing work with getting everything sized correctly as well as shimming and gluing my bicep and forearm pieces.
I also caved and got the star wars OT on digital, I dislike the cgi edits but its great inspirational background noise while working on the build
First Shimming and gluing I've done, and I didn't kill my brain doing it either!
using foo's recommended method with the devcon plastic welder.
I will try not to include any more pics of clamps cause I'm sure everyone has seen it all before and its boring.
Finished and sanded down, once everything is done I plan on giving a few layers of abs sludge to fill any gaps or holes.
Forearms have definitely been the hardest part of the build so far, I broke down each piece into 3 total and removed a fair amount of material, It fits my proportions much better but I have a lot of shims and heatgunning to do and it took me about 4 nights to complete the right forearm, but the left should be much easier.
After cutting down the pieces
This is the left piece but the shims are basically the same, instead of bending around the raised parts i cut around them, the surfaces from the raised parts will give plenty of hold. Shims are 3/4" or 1"
Mainly completed, still need to have the gaps filled and be sanded down
I made significant improvements to the leg pieces and when an undersuit is added it should fit well while having a decent range of motion.
I might want to remove a little of material on the back of the thigh so i can lift my legs up better, but I was also having a hard time getting the armor to stay in one place because i was using tshirts as temp padding
It looks like it fits well in the front! this was before the padding started falling out the side.
Quick thanks to Sandeman for sending me a bunch of reference images to use now I won't have to be burning my tv with stills from the cinematic trailers which along with a few other images are compiled in this album if anyone needs it in the future.
havoc imgur |
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sandeman (Clay) Active Legion Member

Joined: 18 Jan 2013 Posts: 26 Location: Seattle-ish, Washington Medals: None
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:58 am Post subject:
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You're making some significant progress here! This was a great kit to build, and definitely the most challenging - especially making all those seams dissappear. _________________ MAJ Darkwater, Old Republic Trooper (Havoc Squad)
TK-6640 FISD ANH Stunt Stormtrooper (Expert Infantryman)
TB-6640 BSN Scout Trooper (Lancer)
ID-6640 IOC Imperial Staff Officer (Executor)
DS-6640 SLD Kylo Ren
U.S. Navy SCPO (Ret.) |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 10:37 pm Post subject:
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Its been a bit hectic for me and the little free time i've had i've put into working on my build. Finally gotten some time and intiative to post my progress now that i am done, at least to my knowledge with shimming and gluing with the exception of the smaller pieces on the shins and boots.
Right now i am just sanding, applying simple flat white primer and checking the seams, since this is my first build im not sure if i should sand the seems so they are perfect on close inspection or just good from a couple feet.
Anyways here is the image dump:
The set so far, (chest and butt aren't primed)
Outer Thighs with attached thingy-bits
Inner Thighs after painting
Shins , plan on sanding more after the last 4 pieces get glued on tonight
Both forearms completem before painting
Biceps
Helmet and Visor
Close up of visor seam
So some issues i've encountered,
It seems TZA has stopped doing armor, and I never got the wrist guards, Since they are a bit simple should i just make them by hand with leftover abs plastic?
My next issue is i dont know how to make the belt l, does anyone have suggestions on how to make it or get a good material that replicates the horizontal lines?
And now that i am getting closer does anyone have suggestions on making the ribbed undersuit? it seems very similar to the pattern on darth vader's outfit so maybe i could use that?
Thanks again for reading and any feedback or constructive criticism is most appreciated |
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TommyBuilt () Active Legion Member

Joined: 05 Oct 2014 Posts: 41 Location: Md Medals: None
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 12:50 pm Post subject:
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check with Gio at crow64prophouse, he did an amazing job on my suit , I believe he also offers the belt. I started with a TZA bucket and the armor was no longer available and I found KBarmor made a set. I had to shrink down every piece of mine as well. this costume is supposed to be little more form fitting than some of the other armor out there and looks much better when every piece is correctly proportioned to fit properly.its looking great so far! |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2015 6:14 pm Post subject: Painting update
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Happy Halloween/costume day everyone,
the past 2 weeks I have been busy priming, painting and now weathering my armor, and planning how to rig it when i'm not working on it directly.
So lets get to the part where everything starts to look cool,
For the painting and weathering direction im going for a trooper during the battle of alderaan, so being cut off from supply lines fighting a guerrilla campaign/holding action in the forests and swamps of alderaan. i wanted to make it appear heavily weathered with dirt, grime, and scrapes with a fair bit of blaster scoring. Hopefully it looks alright and that i didn't over do it with the marks which i know from past experience is very easy to do but it seems to be coming together nicely on the pieces i've weathered.
Let me know what y'all think of the paint job so far!
Overall
"Storage"
Chest
Helmet
Shoulders
I had no stickers so i just cut the symbols in tape with an exacto, took a while but i think the results are awesome
Accessories
Butt
Thighs front
Thighs Back
Thighs random angle
Knees
Shins
Feet
And a weathering pic of the arm pieces that ive done, more to follow hopefully next week when ive weathered everything
Hope you all approve of the progress[/img] |
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partsguy17 ()

Joined: 02 Oct 2015 Posts: 6 Location: Canada Medals: None
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2015 1:09 am Post subject:
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Wow that's really nice! The decals turned out awesome. _________________ SL-3929
ID-3929 |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 3:45 pm Post subject:
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TommyBuilt wrote: | check with Gio at crow64prophouse, he did an amazing job on my suit , I believe he also offers the belt. I started with a TZA bucket and the armor was no longer available and I found KBarmor made a set. I had to shrink down every piece of mine as well. this costume is supposed to be little more form fitting than some of the other armor out there and looks much better when every piece is correctly proportioned to fit properly.its looking great so far! |
It has been a challenge getting the proportions to work, I think since this armor only existed in animation it makes it slightly different since they never had to worry about actual people wearing it, similar to the issues the phase 1 clones have.
But the only pieces I have that are out of proportion are the shins, i apparently need to start only doing calf workouts at the gym.
ill check for crow64 on facebook to see about the belt in the meantime i might just make a basic belt out of EVA
partsguy17 wrote: | Wow that's really nice! The decals turned out awesome. |
Thanks for the compliment it was a bit of a risk just using tape but it seems to have paid off |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 1:15 am Post subject: Weathering Update
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I finished the weathering and if you ask me, well i think its pretty neat!
Sorry in advance for the upside down images, i flipped the normal on my phone camera, and on imgur, but the edited urls dont play nice with the tags.. so hopefully its bearable.
Overall
Helmet
Chest
Groin
Hips and accessories
Legs Front
Legs Back
Feet
Arms
Up next: Rigging for wear and (Hopefully) electronics
Hope y'all enjoyed! |
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partsguy17 ()

Joined: 02 Oct 2015 Posts: 6 Location: Canada Medals: None
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Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2015 5:27 am Post subject:
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So many details, love the weathering! _________________ SL-3929
ID-3929 |
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LazyAardvark () Rebel Legion Reserve

Joined: 25 Jun 2015 Posts: 31 Location: Northern Virginia Medals: None
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 4:08 pm Post subject:
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So I had my first full fit test last night and wanted to share the results!
Poor imitation of the star wars battlefront cover
I think I'm getting close to the end of the build so thats nice! just need to finish strong on the following finishing touches
To Do:
Make wrist pieces
Make Belt
Finish wiring
Attach visor to helmet
Attach Belt Buckle and TD
Paint inside of elbows
Finish suspenders rigging (thigh still slide down a bit)
Make straps to connect bicep and elbow to chest
Weather and adjust ab piece
I feel like the biggest flaw in my build are the calves, they were just so huge and compared to the rest of the build and the reference material they seem out of proportion. |
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TommyBuilt () Active Legion Member

Joined: 05 Oct 2014 Posts: 41 Location: Md Medals: None
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Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 2:42 pm Post subject:
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looking good!! |
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