MikeRadness

Welcome back to the Niamos Files! ST-26300 here to cover my journey through taping/painting the chest and bells. First, I have to paint the Left Bell white/black stripe. I'll be using these paints for my Black and White: I started with taping off and painting the black to match my grunt bell: Next, I taped and painted the white... but apparently, I forgot to take in-prog pics (oops). The lines are NOT clean... I'm not happy. However, I think I can address it in weathering. You may also notice that the tape left some unsightly marks that I will also deal with in weathering. But the issue was, I didn't let the paint cure long enough before taping it up. I won't make that mistake moving forward. Patience is a virtue... isn't that what they say? Ok, I did the left bell before I did the chest and right bell just to see the color. So here is the taping and paining of the left bell: This turned out pretty good. I think I'm satisfied and ready to move on to the chest and other bell: For the chest, I feel like the stripe height varies from the Squad Leader. Here's a side by side. I know the height difference may be slight, but I still feel it is different: So, for my build I have chosen to go slightly smaller than the 5cm (approx.) outlined in the Squad Leader CRL. I went with 4cm: I taped the right bell to match the blue paint height on the left bell. Here is my chest and left bell ready to go under the can: After a few even coats of Montana Gold "Polar Blue", this is looking pretty sick: I removed the tape and latex masking, then used some basic black acrylic paint to fill the chest recess and FINI (for now): One closing note, I chose to extend the chest paint down the channel slightly as seen in the screenshot from Niamos. Thoughts? Welp, that it for this installment. Next, I will be covering strapping... then weathering. And finally, after that I'll cover some slight modifications I'll be making to my "Andor Blaster" that I talked about in an earlier post. Until then, FOR THE EMPIRE! -Mike ST-26300

In this post I will cover how I did my Chest and Bells. I want to have different load out options, so a completely new set of chest and bells are needed to accommodate the different paint configurations. However, none of the steps I am going to cover in this installment are "Niamos Variant Specific", but... it is a necessary step to get to the variant steps. so, since I'm doing it anyay, I might as well cover it. The following parts were done using Mr. Paul's 3D files printed on a Creality CR10S-Pro V2 with PETG at 254-degree nozzle temp, 75-degree build plate, 15% infill. Along with that, I will need new straps and buckles which are also Mr. Paul's. Since this is not a complete build thread, I will not cover the entire 3D file prep process in-depth. But, here are my fully prepped Chest and Bells that were: 1. Sanded with 80 grit to knock down the major print lines 2. Painted with 2 in 1 Filler Primer (I know some HardCore builders don't use primer... I'm not one of those...) 3. Sanded with 220-grit 4. Fill any remaining pinholes with Bondo Glaze & Spot Putty 5. Painted with black primer (I like to use different color primers to see the progress) 6. Sanded with 400-grit until super-smooth (some crazies will sand all the way to 1200 grit. I've tried that, don't believe it's necessary... but to each their own) Once the parts are prepped and smooth, I coated them in a base coat of Montana Gold Shock Dark Brown to emulate the color of the original casted-armor: Then I'll attach the Straps and Buckles before the next stage of paint: Before I glue, I hit all contact areas with some 80-grit sandpaper to make a nice adhesion surface (e6000 has a tendency to pull away from smooth surfaces easily): Next, liberally cover the area with e6000, staying away from the edges to minimize excess glue from squishing out... Avoiding as much post-cleanup as possible is my motto: Clamp those suckers down good and let 'em set for a couple hours minimum before proceeding: For the buckles I am going to use a combo of 2-part epoxy (I like Scotch-Weld DP100Plus with applicator gun) and e6000: I put conservative amounts of the epoxy in the recesses and e6000 on the flat-contact surfaces: Then clamp THOSE buggers down and let them set for a few hours: Here's the chest with buckles and straps assembled: I use Humbrol Maskol before paint to emulate big chips. But any latex "liquid mask "should do... and I've also heard of the "toothpaste Method", but have not tried that myself: I don't go too crazy with the major chips. Just a few nice sized ones. The rest will get handled with additional weathering stages: Once the latex dries, I fully paint with Montana Gold Sahara Beige: Here it is with the Sahara Beige. I'll leave the latex masking on until all paint is finished: Note: When painting with Montana Gold paints on broad surfaces, I use the #6 low-pressure "Fat Cap" (Green w/Orange). I find that even though it comes out heavy and fast, it coats much more evenly with minimal "spatter": Coming up, Taping and Painting the stripes, weathering and finally strapping. See ya next time on "The Niamos Files"! -Mike Radness

Ok, first up. Addressing the Hip-Plates (or Hip-Faulds). The CRL draft requirement reads "Connects in the back behind the Rear Belt Plate Assembly and rear straps are not visible". This is meant to address the Faulds seen being worn much higher in the Andor-Niamos variant than in the Rogue One Grunt and Captain. Niamos seen here: So, I will walk through how I adjusted my existing Faulds to allow for them to be worn higher with no straps visible. I will also attempt to be as thorough as possible. Here is how my Faulds sit currently for my Grunt. Full Straps present and visible with slugs and ammo pouch. I first need to remove the Slugs and Ammo Pouch: My Slugs were attached with a screw and washer, so that removal was easy: The ammo pouch was riveted to the Faulds, so it needed to be removed by snipping the rivet. I then replaced the rivet in the pouch by inserting a printed form and drilling a pilot hole. then replacing the rivet with a screw and washer. This will allow them to be attached and removed freely in the future based on desired load-out. This did leave some ugly spots after removal that I will address later: Next, I need to raise the Faulds. I plan to do this with additional snaps to hold them higher, but not require me to cut or modify the Faulds themselves. Again, to allow for different load-out options. First I marked with tape how low I could go with fasteners and still not have them visible when wearing the Faulds low (E.g. - when trooping as a Grunt) and have them remain hidden by the belt: Then, after temporarily clipping the Faulds where I want them to be, I tested the placement by adding the belt to make sure it was where I wanted it, then marked and made holes for the snaps through my corset: After making the appropriately placed holes, I added snaps to both the Faulds and Corset to allow for snapping higher in place. This will allow the Faulds to slide under the abdomen/corset and fastening from behind (I added some additional reenforced tape to hopefully prevent the Plastezote from ripping): With it fastened in place, we have a small gap between the base of my abdomen tabs and the top of the Faulds. Then, placing the soft-belt and backplate/hard-belt back, it sits just where I want it... No pesky visible straps! A little Montana Gold - Sahara Beige touch up on those unsightly spots left after slugs and ammo-pouch removal as well as those new snaps and reenforced tape, and it looks just right: Next up, I will tackle the Chest and Bells... see you soon! -MikeRadness

Hey Pathfinders! I've decided that because Andor (the series) is the best SW (imo), I want to build the version of the very best trooper (imo), the Shortrooper, featured in that series. I already have a Shoretrooper Grunt (Rogue One). So, this will not be a FULL build thread. But rather a "conversion" build thread documenting my journey to modify my existing kit along with some new parts that I hope will allow me to choose between different loadouts for various troops. That being said, if you are looking for a full build thread/walkthru, please check out some of the other amazing build threads already documented by some other Pathfinders. I plan to take this: And convert it into this: Using This: I already had parts printed (Chest, Bridges and Bells) along with the straps and bell supports with plans to make a Shore Captain. However I like the Niamos variant better, so I'm shifting gears. My Grunt kit is 3D printed using MPSB Files as well as MPSB hip Faulds and strapping. And I will be using the same for this conversion. If you would like a full breakdown of the Grunt I will be using as my foundation, see here: My Sidearm or E-11 blaster or "Andor blaster" (Whatever we are calling it currently) is an OxProps model that I finished a LONG TIME ago as well as a holster by The DarkSide Closet. I believe I will need to make some modifications to the blaster as well to be more accurate to what we believe is seen on screen. So, watch here for build progress and Updates. I plan to power through this pretty aggressively since a lot of my work is already done. any comments, questions or hazing along the way is welcomed and encouraged. More to come... Mike AKA "MikeRadness" ST-26300

@KOtrooper and the rest of the review team, thank you so much for your time and great feedback. I 100% agree that my soft parts should be just as duty-worn as the rest of the load out. Here are my changes. Thanks to the recent weather here in NorCal, I was able to use mostly real dirt, soil and rocks to dirty, wear and gouge the parts. Hope I hit the mark... EDIT: I Kept hitting "save" instead of "Other Media". lol. So, anybody that looked right away may not have seen all photos. All updated pics should now be present. Chest and Back

I will weather it up some and update the post asap. Thanks for the time you all put in to checking out my work. It means a ton that the team likes what I’ve done. My only goal was to do my very best.

Hi! I'm Requesting Rogue One Shoretrooper Grunt Vanguard Deployment Status. See my submission details below. Armor: Mr. Paul’s Shoretrooper Build (MPSB) files 3D printed and finished by me in PETG Helmet: Nico Henderson 3D files printed and finished by me in PETG with Mr. Paul’s visor Strapping Kit: MPSB Hip Faulds: MPSB finished by me Belt and Belt Boxes: MPSB finished by me Shirt and Neck Seal: Imperial Boots V2 Breeches: Steven Walker Boots: Orca Bay Brecon Havana Gloves: Endor Finders E-22: Kuroi Sabato MOD V3 finished by me Paints: -Montana Gold Sahara Beige 8020 used on all helmet/armor parts top-coat -Montana Gold Shock Dark Brown S8020 used on all helmet/armor parts under coat -Dupli-Color BTY1560 Super Red II (3e5) for right bicep -Montana Gold Yellow Cab 1220 for right bicep stripes -Montana Gold Blood Orange 2095 for helmet emblem -Montana Gold Shock White S9100 for left bell stripe (I think threw away the can ) -Krylon Fusion Matte Black -Krylon Fusion Satin Black Suited Up Helmet The next front-facing photo (below) taken from a different perspective gives a better representation of true helmet shape. It however gives a lower resolution. So I am providing both photos for detail and helmet shape review. Symbol is painted with Montana Gold Blood Orange 2095 Second ridge present & visor is curved. Chin cup and strap present. Shirt Neck Seal Balaclava Chest Back Plate Abdomen Shoulder / Biceps Right Bicep is painted Super Red II base w/Yellow Taxi stripes. Forearms Greaves Second layer ends under the straps. Gloves & Handplates Belt and Boxes Long drop box is hinged. Rear Belt Assembly Hip Faulds Breeches Boots E-22 Thanks for your time and consideration! ⁃ Mike

I printed my Mr. Paul's files with 3 walls, 10% infill in PETG. I also chemical welded my sections along with some epoxy reinforcement along those same seams. Pretty flexible. I did run additional fiberglass reinforcement on the belt tabs, just to be sure. However, I step into my torso like putting on a pair of pants. so that alleviates the need for extreme spreading to slip around my waist.

I have a question for the members that approve Vanguard submissions for the ShoreTrooper. Is Montana Gold “Red Orange” G2090 for the Scarif Helmet emblem acceptable for L2 approval? Or does it HAVE to be PANTONE 18-1445 TPX “Spicy Orange”? - Mike Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m new to this. I just received an 850 Armorworks kit that I purchased in July. Since buying the kit, I have been lurking all over and feel like I MAY want to upgrade some parts. I have aspirations to be 501st approved. Wondering if there are any pathfinders out there that have experience with 850 AW that can give any out of the gate advice? - Mike Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks[mention=83276]KOTrooper[/mention]. I was starting with the welder shield. Cut to fit. Little heat gun to mold it. But gluing is not going well. Hot glue is absolutely NOT holding. Maybe I’m using the wrong kind? I may eventually go with a different visor. But for now this is all I have. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi all. I am working on an 850 Armor Works helmet. So far so good. I’m at the “visor install” stage, and looking for any tips? What was provided was a raw sheet of welder lens. I know there will be cutting, heat-gunning and glueing. But have no experience with this. Looking for guidance, help, tips, whatever you got! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi all, I know the question has been asked before. But the threads are older, so wondering if things have changed. Is anyone aware of a pattern for the ST undershirt if I wanted to attempt to make my own? thanks!

I’m thinking about going “Specialist” with my build. I’m looking at the Imperial Arms DTL-19x. Anyone know if that is a good product? Will it meet 501st spec approval?

The pics show unavailable to me. I wish I could see them. I’m thinking about going “Specialist” with my build. I’m looking at the Imperial Arms DTL-19x. Anyone know if that is a good product? Will it meet 501st spec approval?