Rich's Shoretrooper Captain Build

[Nodders]

Hey everyone.  I've been  working on my ST Captain for a few months now.  I'm not entirely new to armour building having completed a Sandtrooper, which was approved in 2018.  I'm finding that this is a different animal, as the kit is fibreglass (from Jim Tripon) rather than ABS, and involves a lot of painting that I have little experience of.  I've mostly been getting help from the Fam on Facebook, but thought I should get around to posting my WIP.  I've assembled pretty much everything I need from the usual suspects:

Armour and soft parts - Jim Tripon

Greaves and shoulder straps/buckles, belt and buckle, visor - Paul Prentice

Gloves - Endor Finders

Boots - Orca Bay

Ammo pouch and other bits - Etsy

I'd post a pic from BBB day to get me started but they all exceed the file size limit.  Is there a clever workaround for that or do I have to resize every photo before I can post it?  

Thanks for reading

Rich

[BikerScout007]

Hey Rich!

Welcome to the Pathfinders forum.   Since you are already a 501st Legion member, I've bumped you up to 501st Access!

Because of forum limitations, everyone only gets a small allotment of storage for images.  To post a lot of images inline, you need to host them somewhere, and then hotlink them in your forum posts.   Here's a handy guide:

And here are some handy links for members with 501st access:

501st Access requests

Welcome to the Pathfinders forum!

If you are a 501st member looking for the latest merch runs, the link you are looking for is here (If you are not a member of the 501st, that link will not work for you.  Become a member --we are here to help!):

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/158-501stpathfinder-sales-forum/

Want to introduce yourself?  Say hi!

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/36-member-introductions/

Don't know where to start?  Try here:

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/81-getting-started/

Looking to build a certain trooper?   We got your covered!

Scout Troopers

• Return of the Jedi:  http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/3-the-rotj-biker-scout-armory/
• Rebels:  http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/163-the-rebels-biker-scout-armory/
• Jedi Fallen Order: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/194-the-scout-trooper-jedi-fallen-order-armory/
• The Mandalorian: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/201-the-scout-trooper-the-mandalorian-armory/

Kashyyyk Troopers

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/28-the-kashyyyk-trooper-armory/

Shoretroopers

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/119-the-shoretrooper-armory/

Patrol Troopers

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/175-the-patrol-trooper-armory/

Mountain Trooper

• http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/207-mountain-trooper-armory/

 

Finally, I will tag our Shoretrooper team, @KOtrooper and @Minimo on this thread so they know you are looking for help.  I'm a Level 2 Shoretrooper Captain as well, so I will be happy to answer any questions too!

[Minimo]

Hey Rich! Good to have you here, looking fwd to seeing what you come up with, I am a fan of Jim’s flexible fiberglass! How itchy are your arms? Lol Holler if you need anything!!!!

[KOtrooper]

Hi Richard - welcome!!

[Nodders]

Thanks for the warm welcome, and the photo guide.  That was super helpful.  So, I'm going to give that a test drive first with a pic from BBB day...

[Nodders]

So that seemed to work.  I'll try and make a few posts charting my journey thus far over the next few days.  So, the kit arrived in its rough and ready state, and as @Minimosaid, nothing prepared me for how itchy that stuff is uncoated.  First up I washed everything thoroughly

 

Then, I primed the outside and Plastidipped the inside

 

I was a bit too eager to get going and used white primer, instead of something darker, which has subsequently come back to bite me when I've been a bit too over-zealous with the weathering.  Next up was the Montana Gold Shock Dark Brown undercoat on everything, at which point I started to feel like I was actually making some progress.  About 4 cans of this seemed to do a good job of covering all the exterior surfaces

I then got on to adding Sahara Beige, again using 4 cans of that to coat everything, in between watching @BikerScout007's YouTube video about a million times, and stalking the Shoretrooper Fam FB group.  How many times can you get caught by your partner looking at Shoretroopers on your phone (again) without looking like you've developed some kind of a fetish?

And then, totally, in the wrong order, I discovered the wonder of masking fluid.  This stuff is awesome for creating the look of wear and chips and I wish I had known about it sooner.  Luckily I hadn't applied beige to the leg armour or any of the buckles and straps, so I soon got busy with my masking fluid on those.

With the stuff I had already sprayed beige, I went back and sprayed some brown again, applied the fluid and then re-sprayed the beige.  This was a pain, although I'm glad that I took the time - I think it will look better in the end.  Here's an early shot of the helmet, where I did this a few times in a number of different spots.

I'm going to end this post on a cliff-hanger, as at this point I started to notice a few limitations with the Jimmi armour, especially in relation to the straps/buckles and helmet, which forced me into a bit of a rethink.  Always leave your audience wanting more...

[Minimo]

Wow, awesome progress!!!