Ruthar's Patrol Trooper Build

[Ruthar]

Great thinking, Jeff! Better to be safe than sorry, no doubt.

1 hour ago, wingnut65 said:

Can't wait to see your submission pix!

No more waiting necessary!

[Ruthar]

Submission Photos

Having finished the weathering, there isn't any reason to delay suiting up for some approval shots. It's pretty similar to the earlier shots, but here's what it looks like with the weathering all wrapped up.

Front:

Back:

Left:

Right:

Details:

Poses:

Individual Components:

[wingnut65]

It looks amazing! Congrats on getting them in!

 

I forgot to mention how I loved the idea of the aluminum box to form the pouches. I might copy that idea.

 

Also, from my TK trooping experiences, I've changed many snaps to industrial strength Velcro. Basically, a snap has two options - Yes and No. Either it is snapped, or it's not. I'd recommend changing your shoulder bell snap to Velcro to give more flexibility in movement without the fear of popping it. Or, add another strap with velcro. 

 

Have fun trooping!

[Ruthar]

Thanks, Jeff!

As of a little while ago, the PT is approved! Our GML did up this fun little edit to celebrate. Time to start handing out some tickets!

More to do still with the helmet interior, fit, and some other remaining level 2 things that are still being discussed. It never ends, but that’s the fun part!

[Hask]

Congratulations my friend

[Edoode]

Congratualations! I've been following along your massive, awesome, detailed posts in  the hope of starting a PT build myself. Very well done Sir.

[BikerScout007]

Well done!  

[Ruthar]

Thanks, everyone!

I had the chance to do the first troop in the costume. It's definitely not the easiest wear out there, but everything held together at least. More modifications to come soon!

[Harkas]

Congrats mate and thank you for your fantastic build information. I will use it for my assembly.

[Ruthar]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:34 AM, Harkas said:

Congrats mate and thank you for your fantastic build information. I will use it for my assembly.

Thank you! I'm glad you find it helpful. If you've got any specific questions when you get under way, don't hesitate to reach out!

[Ruthar]

Details

Helmet Teeth

One of the things that I overlooked was the teeth on the helmet. The helmet came pretty finished up, so I assumed that I didn't really need to do much to it. However, in studying some images, I did notice the mesh behind the teeth in the shots below.

I zoomed in on this image to find a hint of the mesh:

The Anovos bucket has the mesh, too, and they claim to have access to direct sources.

I finally decided to take the plunge and get this detail added. I started by drilling a hole in between each tooth to start the process.

Next, I used a small sanding bit on my Dremel to open up the holes a little more.

Then I finished up the square openings with some small metal files.

Here's what they look like all opened up, but the paint is a bit rough now.

I used a bit of grey and black acrylic paint to clean up the rough edges to make them look fresh.

For the mesh backing, I cut out two 1" x 4" strips of plastic screen mesh material that I've used for a bunch of other TK helmets.

At the top of the strip where they meet, I cut an angle so they meet but don't overlap beneath the center "tooth."

To keep the mesh in place, I just used a couple thin strip of black gaffer's tape.

Here's a shot of the new, more accurate frown. It still needs to be re-weathered, but I want these coats of paint to fully dry first.

Helmet Height Adjustment

I've trooped in the costume three times now. The biggest problem each time has been visibility - I've adjusted the padding each time to get something more usable, but the problem has persisted. The collar of the armour is just slightly too tall for my short neck to permit the helmet to sit at an appropriate enough height for me. However! While I was cutting out the teeth, I had a sort of "aha" moment - I could use the teeth to see out of instead of the lenses. It's not ideal, but it would at least give me a more comfortable trooping experience.

I experimented with a bunch of different padding setups, but here is the one that seems like it will work the best. Looking from the front, there is definitely more room for moving the head up, down, and around.

I definitely like the side profile a lot better - it looks like the helmet is in a more appropriate place than how it was previously touching the collar.

This is all the foam I used to fill the empty top of the helmet. I'll clean this up and get it properly installed when I finish the helmet interior later on, but this just gives a general idea.

On the plus side, you won't ever see my eyes behind the lenses - just my forehead and my sweating brow.

I did a short video demonstrating the newly improved helmet motion. Definitely so so much better than how it was!

Next up is really wrapping up the helmet interior as well as a few other quality of life improvements I'd like to do with a few troops now under the belt as true tests.

 

[Ruthar]

Details

Sleeve Length

One thing that's been bothering me is that the sleeves get tugged down by the weight of the forearm pieces so that they then hit my handplates. To fight this, I had the sleeves taken up by removing a few ribs at the elbow. The result is nice - the sleeves now terminate just before the wrist but are pulled down into place once the forearm armour is attached. You can see the new sleeve on the left and the original length on the right.

Holster Size

One thing that I knew I needed to fix/adjust was fitting my blaster into the holster. The holster that came with my kit is just too narrow to receive the two blasters that I already have for my Biker Scout. Instead of destroying the blaster by forcing it in or completely reshaping the holster with heat and causing it to look strange, I decided to rebuild the holster from scratch.

I traced the original holster onto some paper by tracing each edge and turning it along while moving the pencil. This gave me a 2D rendering of the material required.

I then cut it out and attached the rear edge to recreate the piece.

After the paper model of the piece was created, I expanded the width by creating a second paper version with increased dimensions. Eventually, it was big enough to receive the blaster.

Once the size was discovered, I flattened the paper version and traced the pattern onto some white ABS.

I cut out the shape and cleaned it up with a dremel and some sandpaper. Then, I used a heat gun to form the holster around the blaster itself for a snug fit.

I used zap-a-gap to close the holster in the rear to create the closed holster. I used some acetone on a rag to remove the black sharpie lines before taking the final pics.

Here are some shots comparing the new holster to the smaller original one.

And some shots of the new fit. Here's the holster with my Hyperfirm EC-17 that I use for most events as I'm not afraid of it being bumped around.

And with my resin "dress-up" blaster that I used for my Lancer application that I use for more formal events.

[Nin]

Thank you very much for this post.  You have really helped me with ideas for my build!

[Ruthar]

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!

[BikerScout007]

That helmet looks amazing!  Thanks for the update

[Hask]

Very nice. I like the tubes the most.

[Aradun]

Waaay better fit and overall look! Stellar! Great comparison review too! Thank you for taking the time to do that. It’ll be super helpful to future Patrol Troopers.

[MrPoopie]

The helmet looks great but ultimately your build is really spot on and works really well with all the pieces. Great work.

[Ruthar]

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!

[Hask]

That's how I saw the baton holster but to me the snaps were non functioning. However it's appearance that counts. Nice work.

[MrPoopie]

6 hours ago, Ruthar said:

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!

My baton is leather straps like this. It works great to hold the baton, but once I pull mine out I find it almost impossible to snap it back in place because of mobility issues and gloves. It's a good thing that it's mostly ornamental and I rarely use it.

[Ruthar]

1 hour ago, MrPoopie said:

My baton is leather straps like this. It works great to hold the baton, but once I pull mine out I find it almost impossible to snap it back in place because of mobility issues and gloves. It's a good thing that it's mostly ornamental and I rarely use it.

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