Vader Chest Box Kit Assembly HELP!!!

[Darth Kahnt]

I bought a Darth Vader resin chestbox kit from a member here.

I am still relatively new to this hobby. My only other feats are completing a Supreme Vader helmet mod (for which I followed a walkthrough) and giving my Rubies armor a repaint.

I am looking for help on how to start this kit. Should I sand all the parts or just the main box? Should I prime all the parts? There are no slots to put leather straps so how do I go about cutting them into the resin? The resin rods that came with the kit are not straight, how can I straighten them?

I have lots of reference pics but I am just looking for help on building the kit like sanding, types of glue to use, etc..... Im going for an ESB box.

These are not the only questions I have. The list is extensive. I would appreciate any and all help.... if you feel you have some valuable input then please come forward and volunteer the information regardless of whether I have asked for it or not. Maybe once we have gathered a lot of information we can archive this thread for the benefit of other who undertake a similar project.

I can post pictures of the kit if necessary. The RPF was a valuable source of information when I completed my other projects, the members were fantastic and I dont anticipate this project to be any different. I'm looking forward to the help and input.

 

[KevVader]

...as far as I can recall, the kit that I rec'd required no clean up/sanding....it was ready to prime and paint. Unless you have air bubbles in the cast which need to be filled and sanded or there are rough parts that need to be smoothed out....then I would prime, paint, wet-sand between coats and lay a coat of clear.

For the straps, I would JB Weld some bolts/screws ijn the back to attach straps to....

The rods should be a little flexible....I would glue them with an strong glue/epoxy, making sure that that are straight when the epoxy is applied...then clamp them....they should straighten out....

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Originally posted by KevVader@Feb 7 2006, 07:25 PM
...as far as I can recall, the kit that I rec'd required no clean up/sanding....it was ready to prime and paint. Unless you have air bubbles in the cast which need to be filled and sanded or there are rough parts that need to be smoothed out....then I would prime, paint, wet-sand between coats and lay a coat of clear.

For the straps, I would JB Weld some bolts/screws ijn the back to attach straps to....

The rods should be a little flexible....I would glue them with an strong glue/epoxy, making sure that that are straight when the epoxy is applied...then clamp them....they should straighten out....

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Thanks for the suggestions Kev. I think the kit needs a little cleaning up around the edges but its very minor. There are no air bubbles in the cast as far as I remember.

I have no idea what JB weld is. I guess I'll do a Google search on it. You can add your comments on it as well if you see fit.

I find epoxy to be a little messy and I am concerned that when I go to put them on the box that the epoxy will make a mess. Is just a dab of epoxy usually enough? What could I use to clamp the rods? I have some small clamps that came with my Dremel but they dont seem to be suitable.

 

[KevVader]

....great stuff....

...epoxy can be messy....find a similar strong glue...there's lots of choices out there....

..plastic spring clamps work well.....get' em at Home Depot or Rona....

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Where can I get this JB Weld? I've never seen it in retail stores?

 

[KevVader]

Originally posted by DarthKahnt@Feb 7 2006, 07:08 PM
Where can I get this JB Weld? I've never seen it in retail stores?

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Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Car-Quest, NAPA, Auto-Zone, Advance Auto Parts....

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Anyone else have any suggestions to add to this thread? This would be a great thread to have to teach others in the future.

 

[darienvader]

Chris, I mean no offense but it sounds like you picked up a cheap-o chest box kit. You should sand it before painting and give it a good cleaning beforehand. Find out what the maker used as a release agent and ask if they were cleaned before being sent out or not; if not, then what should you use to clean off the parts. I for one would sand with various grits of sandpaper -- personally, I opt for wetsanding and taking it down to a 2000 grit wet/dry paper. Wetsand with that (2000) in between coats. And yes, prime it before painting.

Coin slots & chest rods: if they're resin, I'd look into getting some aluminum leaf for them. The silver is just too costly, IMHO. Of course, sand and clean beforehand.

Rod block: sand as best as you can without losing the detail, prime it and paint with gold. A brush will work fine for them.

Straps: On the old and new GT boxes, they use screws to hold the straps on. Drill right into the back of the resin, punch some holes in the straps, add some washers and screw it on.

Assembly: I've used a two-part epoxy, like JB Weld with great success. Use only a small dollop of epoxy, and you shouldn't have to worry about using any adhesive on the chest rods -- those can "float".

 

[Darth Kahnt]

No offence taken.

I have to ask however what gives you the impression that it is cheap? As far as I recall I did not say anything about the quality of kit, only that it is resin.

Anyhow, great tips.What exactly is aluminum leaf? What does it do?

What brands of paint do you recommend? I was thinking of going with Tamaya (sp?) model paint for the small parts and painting the box with black basecoat automotive paint.

Here's a picture of the kit:

Originally posted by darienvader@Feb 8 2006, 12:10 PM
Chris, I mean no offense but it sounds like you picked up a cheap-o chest box kit.  You should sand it before painting and give it a good cleaning beforehand.  Find out what the maker used as a release agent and ask if they were cleaned before being sent out or not; if not, then what should you use to clean off the parts.  I for one would sand with various grits of sandpaper -- personally, I opt for wetsanding and taking it down to a 2000 grit wet/dry paper.  Wetsand with that (2000) in between coats.  And yes, prime it before painting.

Coin slots & chest rods: if they're resin, I'd look into getting some aluminum leaf for them.  The silver is just too costly, IMHO.  Of course, sand and clean beforehand.

Rod block: sand as best as you can without losing the detail, prime it and paint with gold.  A brush will work fine for them.

Straps: On the old and new GT boxes, they use screws to hold the straps on.  Drill right into the back of the resin, punch some holes in the straps, add some washers and screw it on.

Assembly: I've used a two-part epoxy, like JB Weld with great success.  Use only a small dollop of epoxy, and you shouldn't have to worry about using any adhesive on the chest rods -- those can "float".

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[darienvader]

Well, you did say that the rods were bent and nothing was milled out of metal. . . .

Aluminum leaf: http://www.dickblick.com/categories/goldleaf/

 

[Darth Kahnt]

As I said, I'm a newbie to this still. Is an all resin kit bad or something? Should I order metal rods and coinslots from russrep? The rods are resin and since they are pretty thin I would expect them to bend a little while shipping but they can be straightened.

Originally posted by darienvader@Feb 8 2006, 02:59 PM
Well, you did say that the rods were bent and nothing was milled out of metal. . . .

Aluminum leaf: http://www.dickblick.com/categories/goldleaf/

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[KevVader]

Originally posted by DarthKahnt+Feb 8 2006, 04:16 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DarthKahnt @ Feb 8 2006, 04:16 PM)</div>

As I said, I'm a newbie to this still. Is an all resin kit bad or something? Should I order metal rods and coinslots from russrep? The rods are resin and since they are pretty thin I would expect them to bend a little while shipping but they can be straightened.

<!--QuoteBegin-darienvader

@Feb 8 2006, 02:59 PM
Well, you did say that the rods were bent and nothing was milled out of metal. . . .

Aluminum leaf: http://www.dickblick.com/categories/goldleaf/

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....the originals were cast in resin....however, if you want better materials, alu is the way to go....

 

[gts072]

Darth Kahnt. That looks like a real bad casting. It might have been better to do some research and bought a better finished or higher quality kit than wasting your time & money fixing that. DonÂ’t forget about the blinking lights if youÂ’re going to replicate that portion as well. And thatÂ’s another project in itself. Good luck.

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Originally posted by gts072@Feb 8 2006, 05:26 PM
Darth Kahnt. That looks like a real bad casting. It might have been better to do some research and bought a better finished or higher quality kit than wasting your time & money fixing that. Don’t forget about the blinking lights if you’re going to replicate that portion as well. And that’s another project in itself. Good luck. 

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Do you think the whole kit is a bad casting or just the rods?

 

[ob1al]

The casting looks alright to me, but the side rods do look a bit dodgy. You could try to straighten them out using a hairdryer.

I'd say you can easily fix that box up to look really good, however if it were me I would be tempted to purchase a quality pair of aluminium chest rods which just bolt onto the box from inside - no messing around with glue.

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Originally posted by ob1al@Feb 8 2006, 07:48 PM
The casting looks alright to me, but the side rods do look a bit dodgy. You could try to straighten them out using a hairdryer.

I'd say you can easily fix that box up to look really good, however if it were me I would be tempted to purchase a quality pair of aluminium chest rods which just bolt onto the box from inside - no messing around with glue.

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Yes, I have been thinking about getting a set from russrep, he sells excellent ones.

Does anyone know of a source for a light kit? I remember another thread askign for a lightkit but no one seemed to know where to get one. Hyperdyne said they would produce one if the interest was high enough but no word yet.

 

[KevVader]

I had a schematic somewhere, but God only knows where it is. If you can use a soldering gun...get a chaser relay board with 3 outputs from Radio Shack or other specialty electronics store...a couple of LEDs and wire it up....

 

[darth_manu]

Originally posted by KevVader@Feb 8 2006, 06:48 PM
I had a schematic somewhere, but God only knows where it is. If you can use a soldering gun...get a chaser relay board with 3 outputs from Radio Shack or other specialty electronics store...a couple of LEDs and wire it up....

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Radio Shack is gone now. try The Source

 

[TOSPHASER]

Holy Crap Chris................those rods are bent all to heck... I ave never had them bend that much.......If you are going to use the resin rods let me know and I will send you a new set........Here is a better pic of the kit. for the price it isn't bad and it is a kit.. and as such will need a little work. I have seen a lot worse for a lot more$$$$ there is no release agent on it....it was cast in rtv.. but ALL Resin releases nat. oils as it cures so clean it well with soap and water and it can be as good as you want it to be... just take your time.. :thumbsup the picture of the box in the inset with the screen used Vade is a box built from this Kit and so are the other pix.....note all rods in these pix are painted resin.............Just for kicks. Where can we get a better Kit???? I haven't seen any???
Later Vaders..

 

[Darth Kahnt]

Bruce,

I am happy with the kit but yes, the rods are bent. I plan to order a set of aluminum ones but you can send an extra set of resin anyways. Thanks for the offer.

Originally posted by TOSPHASER@Feb 8 2006, 10:52 PM
Holy Crap Chris................those rods are bent all to heck... I ave never had them bend that much.......If you are going to use the resin rods let me know and I will send you a new set........Here is a better pic of the kit. for the price it isn't bad and it is a kit..   and as such will need a little work. I have seen a lot worse for a lot more$$$$ there is no release agent on it....it was cast in rtv.. but ALL Resin releases nat. oils as it cures so clean it well with soap and water and it can be as good as you want it to be... just take your time.. :thumbsup the picture of the box in the inset with the screen used Vade is a box built from this Kit and so are the other pix.....note all rods in these pix are painted resin.............Just for kicks. Where can we get a better Kit???? I haven't seen any???
Later Vaders..