TD1043 Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 My armor never had enough weathering done to it to the point where I was completely satisfied with it, so I decided to add much more weathering to it today. I used acrylic paints, applied them in large amounts, let the paint dry a bit, and then wiped the excess away with a big wad of paper towels. I didn't want it to look like I was rolling around in the mud, but I did want it to have that look as if I had been out on patrol for quite some time. In the end, I think it turned out quite well, and I am pretty satisfied with how it now looks. I can't wait to suit up to see how it looks, when it comes time to kicking some Jedi and Jawa ***! Click the URL below to see all the pictures I took of my armor. http://www.td1043.com/photos/2006_02_05 Thoughts? PS - The dirty looking paint job shows up more orange colored in the photos, where it looks more sand colored in real life. The camera didn't capture the color correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilovesand&dirt Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 I love it I don't think its too dirty. It looks like you have been out of patrol for a while though. Perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runJEDIrun Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 didn't want it to look like I was rolling around in the mud, but I did want it to have that look as if I had been out on patrol for quite some time. I totally know the feeling. actually if you are interested, i had the same kind of feelings about that too when i started heavy weathering. initially i spent a lot of time adding on, and wiping off tempera paint (as it is water soluable so it washes away if i want) i trooped around like that for a few months and thought it was still too muddy. so i ended up ordering some earth colored liquid pigment, that is actually like a sandy powder you can order and apply to your already weathered armor with hairspray for a REALLY awesome been out in the sand storm for days upon days effect. below is a link to the site where you can buy the "dust/sand/stuff" not bad.. like $5 a bottle. might need to get more than one. i would definitely so with a larger amount of "yellow ocher" and a little bit of "slate grey". You basically need one of those sponge brushes (dry) and a can of odorless hairspray. spray the area you want the stuff to stick to, sprinkle it on, and lightly dab at it with the sponge brush. works like a charm. its kinda messy at first, but after one troop its pretty stuck on there, and will continue to weather naturally. http://www.thedentedhelmet.com/davin/replica_weathering.htm this is a tutorial to help you do it. just a suggestion of course. i just thought id say something since i was in the same boat as you were and this made all the difference. here are some pics of my armor WITH the earthtone sand. http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/phil...06/IMG_0489.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y112/phil...06/IMG_0488.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 Phil, your armor looks kick *** bud! I really dig hwo you did the weathering on it, and it looks so incredibly real! Great work on it. Yours looks 1,000 times better than what I just did to my armor. I'm almost embarassed to show mine off here. Thanks for the tip on going with those paints from the Dented Helmet's site. I've been to that site a number of times, and I chose to go with acrylic paints as I have a ton of it already (for use on customizing Star Wars figures). I'll troop in my armor just the way it is a couple times, and will probably change it up (again) and possibly try the more natural weathering like you did with your armor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runJEDIrun Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 nah dude don't be. you're armor looks good. i just wanted to throw that idea out there cuz i didnt know about it until recently and it finally got me where i wanted it to go. i'd definitely troop the way you have it for a while and get those natural scratches and weathering going. it only adds to the awesomeness of being a sandtrooper! goodluck dude! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD 551 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 so i ended up ordering some earth colored liquid pigment, that is actually like a sandy powder you can order and apply to your already weathered armor with hairspray for a REALLY awesome been out in the sand storm for days upon days effect. below is a link to the site where you can buy the "dust/sand/stuff" not bad.. like $5 a bottle. might need to get more than one. i would definitely so with a larger amount of "yellow ocher" and a little bit of "slate grey". You basically need one of those sponge brushes (dry) and a can of odorless hairspray. spray the area you want the stuff to stick to, sprinkle it on, and lightly dab at it with the sponge brush. works like a charm. its kinda messy at first, but after one troop its pretty stuck on there, and will continue to weather naturally. I used the same method on my armor and loved the way it turned out. It also has a very natural look AND feel to it - when people touch the weathering it sometimes leaves a little dirt on their fingers. Nice little souvenir for the fans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runJEDIrun Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I used the same method on my armor and loved the way it turned out. It also has a very natural look AND feel to it - when people touch the weathering it sometimes leaves a little dirt on their fingers. Nice little souvenir for the fans HAHAH! ive had that same thing happen. someone wearing all black was excited to see stormtroopers, ran up and put his arm around me, and when he stepped away was like..."woah...its so real.." haha and your right, it feels like its just baked onto your armor like the real thing. the worst though is trying to get into it without getting dirt all over my black jumpsuit haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-1536 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 http://www.td1043.com/photos/2006_02_05 Thoughts? When doing weathering, the first thing I ask myself is, "does it look like it was painted on?" It's almost too easy to paint it on and call it a day. Truth is, to make it look truly convincing, you need to devote a lot of time and energy. Our DL, Seth can attest to how anal I can be about making it look 'real'... the past Sunday, it took me roughly eight hours to do: helmet, chest, back, one thigh. Three of those hours just on the helmet. It took me working every night, two weeks to do my armor, using the tempra paints and Fuller's Earth method. If you're banging out a 'dirt' job in a few hours, it's not going to look good. My advice is take your time, and try to make it look as natural as possible. You should not see any natural brush strokes or paint globs. Once paint is applied, use a damp cloth to 'pat' off excess, removing any obvious brush strokes. Even after you apply Fullers Earth, use a damp cloth to remove and flatten out excess dirt, as well as make natural weathering patterns. Also, try not to wipe ANY thing away. Wiping looks awful... only pat away paint or Fullers Earth with a damp cloth... it's time consuming, but the final results will look amazing and natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SethB6025 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Yes, I can indeed attest to the time-consuming nature of a good dirt-job. Two hours spent yesterday, that was solely spent applying two colors of fuller's earth to a shin and a forearm (tempera colors had been previously applied). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpdblues Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Hey Mike, you is da man! In my humble opinion, YOU are the NEW Master on these boards. Your skills are extraordinary! Gifted and talented. (Dang it! ) Guns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD-1536 Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Hey Mike, you is da man! In my humble opinion, YOU are the NEW Master on these boards. Your skills are extraordinary! Gifted and talented. (Dang it! ) Guns Thanks Tony... but as I always like to say, "there's always someone better than you." Helps keep a level head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 Got suited up in my armor tonight to see how the new paintjob looks, and it looks much better on then it does sitting in my plastic storage tub. However, during the process my helmet rolled of my bench in my basement, and all the metal clips that hold my 9-volt batteries broke off. Well, they're not broken but they fell off. So, that means I'm going to have to warm up the hot glue gun and see what I can do to fix it. I might try using velcro instead, because the hot glue sucks and it just doesn't want to stick to the plastic. After looking closer at the pictures, I'm kind of irritated by a few things. For one, what does everyone here do with their codpiece? Mine is still intact, but it is very uncomfortable and some have suggested that I just cut the **** thing off. Is that a good idea? How does everyone else have theirs setup? The next thing that bothers me is how my thigh pieces sit on my legs. They hang kind of low, and that's because I'm still using the original straps that came with my FX kit. They've held up since the end of October 2005, and they're starting to fray pretty bad. What's a better material or method that I could use for these pieces? I need something that's going to hold up well, but I'm just not sure what to use now. Lastly, take a close look at my lower left calve piece (the one with the sniper plate). The **** piece kinda twists to my left and never stays lined up properly. The only thing I can think of to fix it is to add some foam on the inside of it, but does anyone else's twist to the left like that? Click the link below to see pictures of me suited up in my armor. http://www.td1043.com/photos/2006_02_09/target0.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD4549 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Good Eve, First - codpiece - I cut mine and attached with 3 strips of elastic and snaps. It seems to offer a bit more mobility plus the whole restroom thing. Thighs - same as above - I use elastic and snaps to the ab plate. I have looked into the "belt" for the thighs but have yet not had any problems. Calf - Stupid calf ... mine does the same. I had to shim my calves but find if I don't situate them just right the left will start to rotate to the left. I have not found a good solution to this yet as they are pretty form fitting and foam would not help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 Chris, can you possibly share pictures of your codpiece and the thigh pieces? It sounds good but I need visuals here. I'm going out trooping for a guy's 40th birthday party this Saturday, and I am hoping to get some of these things resolved before then. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD7606 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 chriss your armor looks great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD4549 Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Nothing too complicated but it works and functions well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted February 11, 2006 Author Share Posted February 11, 2006 What did you use for the straps, and I take it those are fastened down by rivets? I see how you have your thigh pieces attached to your front piece, where mine are fastened by a cheap *** piece of stretchy velcro after both are already on me. Thanks for the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD4549 Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 For the straps I used heavy elastic fabric . I think about 3/4 inch wide stretch rite brand. I have it all attached with heavy duty snaps that I pieced to small bits of ABS and then glued to the armor. I pretty much just pitched all the velcro that came with the armor kit!!! Let me know should you need anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted May 24, 2006 Author Share Posted May 24, 2006 Well, I finished cleaning up all my armor this past weekend as I am going to be re-applying a much better weathering technique (thanks to the help of another dirty trooper). Last night I thought I would suit up and have my wife take some photos of me before the weathering gets applied. I didn't feel like putting the backpack on and left my ammo pouch out of the picture, because I wanted to see how all the armor pieces looked while they're all cleaned up. It's not totally clean as it still has some traces of weathering on it, and I think it looks pretty good just the way it is. Check out the pictures here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troopermaster Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I agree Chris,it looks like real weathering as it is I would imagine real armour would be like this after it has been out on duty and then cleaned once back in the barracks.You could just add a bit more but I think armour looks much better with subtle weathering,personally -Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SethB6025 Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I'd leave that as a base, and add a dusting of Fullers Earth. You'll be in business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted May 24, 2006 Author Share Posted May 24, 2006 I agree that it looks pretty good just the way it is, but look at how dirty some of the great ones here have their armor. I don't want mine to be super dirty, but I do want it to look like I've been out on patrol for quite a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 Hey guys, I had a fellow trooper here help do the new weathering job on my armor (TK412, Arturo), and I must say that he did a most OUTSTANDING job on it! I knew it was going to look good, but I really didn't think that my FX armor would ever look THIS GOOD! I can't thank him enough for working on this over the weekend. Here are some pictures that you can take a look at... http://www.sandtrooper.net/gallery/thum ... p?album=78 Let me know what your thoughts are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK412 Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 looks nice in pictures man. Glad your happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD1043 Posted June 15, 2006 Author Share Posted June 15, 2006 I added all the new photos of my weathering to my site, and I do have to thank Arturo (again) for helping me with this. I also gave my site another little facelift because of the new look. http://www.td1043.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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