SarlaccSlayer14's ROTJ Build

[SarlaccSlayer14]

The adventure has begun and feedback is welcomed! I've been collecting pieces and parts for a little more than a year and am happy to get some real work started on this. I seem to get more work done through the holidays than any other time of year. My primary reference is the ROTJ hero armor for the visible parts, with help from the exhibits on hidden parts when needed.

Armor is from Will/RKD (presumably one of the last sets he made and I was very sorry to hear of his passing). After lots of sanding and trimming, it's coming along well. I'm using Rafal's ROTJ templates (which are amazing) to mask out the large damage areas with a combo of mask fluid and plain old tape. Smaller bits and details will be added topically with acrylics.

For paint, I decided on rattle cans and after lots of research on this site, settled on a layered approach of Metallic Silver, Striping Yellow (inverted can), and Hunt Club Green. The shoulder bells also got an under-coat of Rustic Orange, as well as a mist over the yellow. They still don't seem orange enough to my eyes. The additional detail colors will be applied topically, along with the weathering. I'm awaiting my decals from Delucks Designs.

Question: on the ab plate, what's the best way to emphasize the three holes? Are they drilled all the way through the plate and is a backing plate attached to the back of the armor?

***EDIT FROM THE FUTURE: for easy reference, below is a final list of the parts and materials I used for this build:

Helmet
Helmet (Fiberglass ROTJ) - AnimeFan
Helmet Paint Commission - FettFullof Dollars (AFFo$)
Helmet Visor - T-Visor.com

Armor
Armor – Backplate - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor – Shoulders - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor – Collar - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor - Chest Set - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor - Cod plate - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor - Kidney plate - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor - Knees with inserts and foam - RedKraytDragon/RKD
Armor - Metal Collar/Cod studs - RedKraytDragon/RKD

Gauntlets
Gauntlets (fiberglass) - Darth Voorhees
Rocket (metal) - Machine Craft Replicas
Darts (metal) - Machine Craft Replicas
LED Light (left gauntlet) - Crumdum
Buttons (right gauntlet) - Mouser Electronics
Flamethrower buttons (left gauntlet) – Darth Voorhees
Hoses - Duda Energy (Amazon)

Soft Parts & Belts
Flight Suit - Arkady
Vest - Arkady
Spats - Arkady
Collar - Arkady (attached to flight suit)
Pouches (belt) - Arkady
Gloves - Mike M.
Belt (ammo) - Woodman
Belt (girth) - Woodman
Braids - Woodman
Cape - Woodman
Balaclava (light gray, 2-pack) - Amazon

Jetpack
Jetpack - Master Blaster (from TDH Cargo Hold)
Harness (temporary) - Man of War Studios
White webbing (1.5”) - Country Brook Design brand from Amazon
Loops/rings (1.5") - Amazon
Clips (trigger/hook) (1.5") - Amazon
Divers Belt (Future Upgrade)
Harness (accurate) - Big Dane (Future upgrade)

EE-3 Blaster
EE-3 Blaster - Hyperfirm/HFX

Shin Tools
Shin Tool set - Man of War Studios
Found part - Paterson RC Print Squeegee - B&H Photo
Found part - paint stirrer - B&H Photo

Electronics
Chest Lights - Fettronics
Wireless Mic - Pyle-Pro PDWM96 Lavalier Wireless Microphone System (Amazon)
Amp (Ivation Portable Voice Amplifier) - Ivation (Amazon)
Headphone Adapter - Hosa MHE-100.5 .25" Adaptor (Amazon)
Jetpack Beacon light - Machine Craft Replicas (Future upgrade)

Misc/Supplies
Knee darts - Machine Craft Replicas
Decal (chest) - DeLucks Designs
Decal (shoulder) - DeLucks Designs
Knee straps and thong (1" white strap) - Amazon
Paint - Gray Primer (Rustoleum) - for all parts - Home Depot
Paint - Metallic Silver (Rustoleum) - for all parts - Home Depot
Paint - Striping Yellow (Rustoleum) - for shoulders/knees - Home Depot
Paint - Hunt Club Green (Rustoleum) - for armor - Home Depot
Paint - Claret Wine (Rustoleum) - for gauntlets (sprayed over black) - Home Depot
Paint - Orange (Rustoleum) - misted over shoulders/knees - Home Depot
Paint - Matte Clear Coat (Rustoleum) - Home Depot
Paint - Testors Dull Coat - Amazon
Pins with clutchback (50) (for armor attachment) - Amazon (eBoot brand)
Pins - improved locking backs - Amazon (eBoot brand)
Epoxy - Quick Cure - BSI-201 - Amazon (Bob Smith Industries)
Adhesive - Devcon 22045 Plastic Welder (25ml) - Amazon
Lamin-x 148S Smoke 4" x 8" Universal Film Cover Sheet (for chest lights) - Amazon
Carbon paper - Porelon
Cargo Bin - Plano Sportsman (OD Green) - Amazon

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

My flight suit, vest, belt pouches, and spats are all from Arkady, and the quality is absolutely amazing. Highly recommended. For weathering, I plan to use the technique of diluting acrylic with water in a spray bottle and applying to the wet fabric.

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Fiberglass helmet is from AnimeFan with a commissioned paint job by AFFo$. Of all the pieces of this costume, I knew I wanted the helmet to be 100% perfect. I briefly entertained the idea of painting it myself, but after seeing AFFo$'s work and effort, I have zero regrets about commissioning him to do it. I think it's an absolute work of art.

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

I'm currently waiting on the girth belt, ammo belt, cape, and braids from Woodman, as well as the chest lights from Fettronics. Paint work on the chest armor has stalled until I'm able to cut my slots.

I got in on the recent MOW boot run by the skin of my teeth and got the last size 12s! Will hopefully get those in January.

Despite wanting to save the jetpack project for later in 2018, I bought a MOW pack here from the Cargo Hold, which was painted by AFFo$. After seeing the amazing job he did on my helmet, a finished JP painted by him was too good to pass up. I still need to track down the harness and diver belt.

The only large components I still need are gauntlets and blaster. I've got lots to work on now, so I have no problem waiting a bit on those. Lots of small metal pieces still needed (toe spikes, gaunt darts, knee darts, metal rocket, etc.), shin tools, straps, etc., but those will come in time.

 

[Chris4321]

Looking good bro!

Hit up bigdane for the next run for the harness rig. Blaster if you wanted to run a prop you could hit up HfX (Lewis) whom produces prop replicas. They are extremely accurate / light and won’t break if dropped. You would just have to weather it with acrylic washes. I have his SE promo shoot blaster (half scope)

Hope this helps mate!

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Thanks Chris! I love durable gear, so I'll definitely take a look at the HfX blasters and some others. I'll also take a look at the harness rig. I'll need to research whose JPs work with whose harnesses, and where everything lands on the accuracy scale. Since my JP is MOW, I'll probably start there but need to get my head around the pros/cons once I get to the JP stage. Thanks again!

 

[hvacdon]

It looks like you're making some good progress so far. Looking good! Usually for stenciling I've seen, the carbon paper placed under the stencil, positioned in place and tracing the outline of the stencil and it is transferred onto the piece. The outline and other markings are filled in with a liquid masking fluid, like Maskol or some other brand and then the paint is applied for the next layer of color. Most guys peal off the masking for each color layer and re-masking everything previously painted for the next layer (be sure to wait at least 24hrs between layers). The liquid masking is probably easier to apply than masking tape and will allow finer detail for your masked areas. In this thread you can see some of the steps taken as the different colors that are applied to the armor ROTJ Repaint and Modifications: Hope this helps......Don

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Thanks Don. I’m using a combination of Micro Mask masking liquid and tape for the larger areas in between paint layers. I’ve learned that each have their own advantages. I plan to do touch-ups and super details topically. Carbon paper is definitely a great idea that I’ll keep in mind for future pieces. Thanks!

 

[hvacdon]

Sounds good ! Keep up the good work !!

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Progress pic at the end of day 4.

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Progress! Touch-ups and smaller details will be added topically. Some of the square edges on the paint specks are bugging me, so I'll round them off with a sponge brush and a bit of paint to more closely match the reference. Looking forward to sealing and weathering it all.

 

[hvacdon]

Looking Good !!

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Made some progress tonight and cut out the chest display slots for my Fettronics lights. Awaiting the “smoke” plastic screen to arrive from Amazon.

Slots are very close to 10mm and 5mm by 50mm, with an 8mm gap between.

Will have to wait for a more humane temperature to resume painting.

 

[deathxcircle]

Which plastic screen did you pick up?

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Which plastic screen did you pick up?

I followed Dv8r’s ROTJ build thread and picked up the same one he used, here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001P2D4LY/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[deathxcircle]

I followed Dv8r’s ROTJ build thread and picked up the same one he used, here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001P2D4LY/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks! I'm trying to figure out a translucent screen option for my ESB build. Maybe I can find something based off that item.

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Thanks! I'm trying to figure out a translucent screen option for my ESB build. Maybe I can find something based off that item.

If I’m not mistaken, DV8r used the film screen in conjunction with another piece of firmer, clear plastic to give it some rigidity. I’ll need to experiment once it arrives. Good luck!

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

Spent the last couple nights getting my armor placed using the jewelry pin technique with locking backs. I must say, it’s a really durable technique, and as much as I’ve taken my vest off and on (by myself), I can’t believe the pins are holding up to all the wear and tear (locking backs and adhesive). I was going to use magnets, but the pins have won me over.

As for placement, I really want a little more gap between the chest plates and the collar, but since I’m a bigger guy (6’2”) and I’m using RKD’s large armor, there’s not a lot of real estate left on that vest. Maybe it can all come down a quarter inch or so.

Not the best pic, but should give an idea. Since I was test fitting alone, the vest is not 100% closed in the back. I’ll try and get more pics this weekend when my girlfriend comes over to help dress me. Lol.

 

[SarlaccSlayer14]

The low angle of this pic makes the gap between the collar and the chest look more narrow than it is, but I may move everything down a quarter inch. It “feels” right as is though. Opinions are welcome!

 

[DeathProof]

I think the chest armor looks fine. Nice placement. The RKD armor fits you well. The shoulders I feel are sitting a bit low (not much), however they are in the right place on the vest. Maybe nudge them up a bit and see how you feel. You don’t want them too high so the bells start jutting out.