Ruthar

Yeah, it’s tough to navigate in costume for sure. I couldn’t even slip out my baton from the hard plastic piece - the tolerance was just too tight. Just gotta look pretty! :P

Upgrade: Leather Baton Holster Good news and bad news. The bad news is that I broke my baton holster at the last troop I was wearing my Patrol Trooper. The good news is that I can make a new and improved one! The level 2 requirement has been updated since I received my level 2 status, so no time like the present to bring this little piece up to snuff. And hey, I am a sucker for constantly upgrading kits - there is always room for improvement! First up, a moment of silence for my 3D printed friend. First thing's first - let's look at the reference. Here's the baton in holster on the promo Patrol Trooper. Having a look, it seems that something is making a phantom connection between the two straps that hold the baton in (maybe an incorrectly placed large box or something like that). Looking at the Hot Toys PT, I don't believe there is a connecting piece between those straps on the front (though someone please do correct me if I'm wrong there, I don't have the Hot Toys myself). Looking closer still, there is a bit of a natural/odd curve that leads from the upper strap across the belt and down, which leads me to believe that this might be a leather piece. Jumping in with that theory, I drafted up a pattern to cut a leather version of the holster out to test on some scrap vinyl. Using some sewing clips, I held the test piece in place around the belt and with the baton installed. I think it seems decently close! With the mounting excitement of something happening, I finalized the pattern and put it down on a measuring surface, just in case anyone wants to replicate this themselves. (These are inches, sorry non-US friends) Then, I cut the template out on some raw medium-weight leather. On each end of the straps, I installed a small, line 20 snap quite snuggly against the baton. Wrapping the ends around the belt gives it a seemingly close look to the reference photo. With that moment of success, I prepped the piece for painting since it needs to be white. I put a little masking tape on the surfaces of the snaps that click together to keep any paint from getting in there. For painting, I used this stuff. It is rather smelly, so I suggest spraying outdoors, but it gave me a pretty great finish on my Treadspeeder Driver boots, so I figured I would give it a whirl on this leather. Did four or five light coats on all surfaces of the holster. After letting it dry for an hour or so, it is ready to handle (though I will let it dry overnight without the holster in the garage, just to let it really settle). This vinyl paint goes on with a nice texture, giving it a good vinyl feel. To install it, I just reused the holes I had already made for the previous holster. I just punched a hole in the leather strap that wraps around the rear of the belt and used black screws/nuts/washers to hold it in place. I think it's a decent facsimile of what we see on the screen - and a very quick, easy build with some stuff that I already had laying around the shop. They might has used a slightly sturdier leather than I did (something I might do again in the future if the need arises), but this will at least get me back to trooping. And hey, it won't crack apart on me!

Congratulations! Well done! 😀

2024 Update Hello, all! Spent some time tonight updating this fun suit, so documenting a few things here about it! Recently, Denuo Novo announced that they had their Patrol Trooper helmets in stock. My biggest complaint about my own Patrol build was how difficult it was to wear - the helmet was simply too large for me to wear properly, forcing me to look out of the teeth and have some limited movement. Not ideal and it kept me from doing many troops in this outfit. So, when the Denuo Novo option became available, I figured I would give it a whirl to help fix my issues. Denuo Novo Helmet vs. Armory Shop Helmet Here's the packaging that the DN helmet comes in, typical of their line of helmets: After taking it out of the packaging, I placed it next to my Armory Shop helmet for some side-by-side comparison shots. And here are some shots of the DN helmet by itself: There are a couple things I really like about this new DN helmet. Most importantly (for me, at least) is the size. This is a fairly sizable reduction compared to my Armory Shop helmet, and that's quite important for me. With a fairly short neck and a small-ish head, this reduced helmet definitely fits me more appropriately. It's also neat to see the underplate beneath the blast shield. The Tank Driver and AT-ACT Driver helmets of Rogue One were also crafted this way, so it certainly makes sense that this follows suit having been created in the same time period. The weathering surprised me quite a bit - it is quite close to the weathering I put on my Armory Shop helmet. I might add a little bit more to give it some texture that matches my armour, but it's pretty nice now even without adjustment. I do still need to migrate my helmet internals over to the new piece, but that's just a simple manner of pulling out fans and putting them into the new one - easy enough since its all placed with Velcro. Full Kit With New Helmet Of course, suiting up entirely was the only true way to test the helmet and how it fits. Here's what the whole kit looks like now. It is such a nice improvement to be able to see fairly clearly and turn your head, so I'm really happy for that. There are a couple small repairs/adjustments I want to make before getting this out to a troop, but nothing major - mostly just repairs that need to happen because the armour was sitting in a bin untouched for slightly too long. Some paint touch-ups and tweaks here and there mostly. Here is a comparison between this new version (left) and the first version (right). The larger helmet really looks too big on me now that I see them side-by-side. Here's also a size comparison between the DN helmet and a standard ABS TK helmet, just to give another point of reference: All in all, I'm quite pleased with this upgraded version. Just a few small repairs to get this back into the trooping rotation!

Wow, marvelous work! It’s not easy getting tight, consistent stitches like that. Really stellar!

I haven't worn them for any extended period of time, especially without armour, so I can't really say. I got them a half size up, so they aren't too tight - I do that for all of my trooping boots. They are fairly bulky, so definitely a bit weird to wear, but I didn't get the "oh man, this will be an adventure" reaction!

Congratulations! Great to have you at the helm, Mickey!

I can sit ok in mine - the bigger issue is sight for me. The helmet (mine is Armory Shop) is large enough where it hits my collar, so I put padding in it so it sits higher which forces me to look out of the eyes. I would love to get my hands on (or try to print) a smaller helmet so that I don't have to do that, it definitely makes moving around a bit harder than it needs to be. Definitely agree with the points made in here, though - all good advice!

Congratulations, Lancer! 😃

Armour - Helmet A few boxes of goodies showed up this week! One of them was this fabulous helmet. This is the Denuo Novo Premiere TLJ helmet, a fiberglass piece that comes fully lined. I know there are lots of opinions about Anovos/DN/etc., but, for better or worse, they do make a fabulous helmet. Here are some pics! I'll be getting good mileage out of this bucket - will be using it with a fresh FOTK build (TLJ) as well. I've always liked the TFA bucket, but the addition of teeth and a sharper nose angle make it that much more aggressive which I like even more. It came with padding (not pictured), so I'll add that, some fans, and a wireless mic in the future.

Boots (continued) Not a big update, but an update all the same! I grabbed second can of the vinyl paint and applied the second coat. I think these look pretty good now, ready for the next bits of the build. A little minor cleanup needed around the lower edge, but nothing a little acrylic black and white can't handle. I'm going to set these aside for a few days to fully dry before handling further, I don't want to get in the way of any curing.

Boots The first item that I managed to get (back in 2022) were the boots. I was incredibly lucky to find a pair on Facebook Marketplace for a steal in my size, so I quickly nabbed them. They are a fun green and black, but that will sadly be all covered in the end. I've never had much luck in painting boots since they crack and crumble eventually, so I'm trying a new product. I popped over to the local autobody shop and asked them what they use to paint seats and such, and they recommended this stuff: It seems to be similar somewhat to plasti-dip, though it definitely smells much different! Before opening that, though, the soles are staying black - so tape, tape, tape! I just used your run-of-the-mill painter's tape. Can instructions say "multiple thin coats," so that's what I started with. It has a strange spray feel, almost like a mix between spray paint and silly string. Have a couple coats to go, but here is what they look like after the first can. Will have to go pick up another can to finish them off as it will take a bit of white coverage to eliminate that green. Onward!

Parts List Armour - Helmet: Denuo Novo premiere fiberglass TLJ Stormtrooper - Chest, ab, arms: KB Props/Denuo Novo pieces (TBD later which ones will use, most likely a mix of both) - Knees & shins: @MrPoopie's marvelous 3D modeling work! Soft Goods - Pants: custom made - Neckseal: TBD - Gloves: TBD - Gaskets: TBD, possibly custom made if I can find a suitable material - Boots: Alpinestars SMX-6 v2

References/Resources I won't belabor this phase of the thread as there is already a fantastic resource here on these boards on the thread linked below. As other things pop up, I'll post observations and such along the way, but that thread is a great starting point for anyone looking to see the character.

First Order Treadspeeder Driver Build Hey, everyone! Hope you're all doing well. I can't believe how long it took me to actually kick this off (sorry to all those who I said "it's coming!" to along the way, especially @BikerScout007 who got that promise back at the Anaheim Celebration), but I'm pleased to say this build is finally here and underway. Haven't dug in too deep just yet, but have gathered up the components and put a plan in place, so it's time to put up the matching build thread to document the progress. With an amazing experience aboard Disney's starcuirser before it closed, I have a renewed love for the First Order, so excited to dive in here. I've got a big pile of armour for multiple First Order related builds, so we should have plenty of parts laying around to knock this one out. Without further ado, let's get to work! Contents 1) References/Resources 2) Parts List 3) Boots 4) Armour Helmet etc. 5) Painting 6) Strapping 7-?) ??? 8+) Submission Photos!