Jorran's T/MC ANH Stunt Build [*T/MC]

[zsavk[TK]]

Yea drill from the head out. So from the inside of the belt to the outside in your case. Should be a nice hole in the rivet head where the mandrel pulled out.

[Jorran]

Yea drill from the head out. So from the inside of the belt to the outside in your case. Should be a nice hole in the rivet head where the mandrel pulled out.

Ok, almost there. I got the two on the ends out, but the center rivet is being extremely stubborn. I've drilled the center out, but now I can't get the ends off. Here's a picture of what I'm seeing. I tried prying them off with a flat head screwdriver, but it started bending the belt too much.

 

 

It seems like both ends should just fall off at this point, but I can't be that lucky.

 

EDIT: Also, for Centurion, does the rivet/brad on the crotch need to be painted white? The ones I have are brass.

Edited July 15, 2011 by Jorran

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Use a slightly bigger drill bit. It should be the same size as the rivet shaft.

[Jorran]

Done and done. After drilling out the rivet I got them installed correctly and the covers on. I then moved on to the holster, where the only two hangups were that (1.) I needed to run out and buy slightly longer rivets to go through the belt and the leather, and (2.) my rivet tool broke while trying to install the second one...so back out to Lowe's I went. Things worked like a charm after that and I ended up with a belt that's ready to go!

 

 

 

Next up is cutting and installing the elastic throughout the armor since almost all of the snap plates are already glued on. More pictures soon! Wait...is that...light at the end of the tunnel!?!?

[Jorran]

It's always a good day when I can post something and it's mostly a progress report, and not more questions to badger you all with!

 

I have all of the strapping done to hold the abs, back, and butt plates together, so I decided to suit up to that point and see how everything looked. So far, so good...I think! Take a look below and let me know if you see something wonky that I'm not catching. A couple things to note:

 

1. 
    
   
2. The crotch strap is installed, but I didn't get it snapped together for these pictures. I got everything on before trying to get that snapped together, and once I realized I'd forgotten it, I didn't have quite enough mobility to snap it. Hence, terrible TK Tail in these shots!
   
3. I don't yet have the snaps installed on the ab plate to hold the belt in place (that's the plan for tomorrow), but I think I have the belt placement correct.
   
4. I see that I need to rotate the torso slightly to my right to even out some gaps and get the center button box lined up.
   

On with the show:

 

 

 

 

[Stormy320]

That is looking good.

[Jorran]

Finally!!! The body armor is done (only the helmet remains). Please let me know if you see things that I need to change.

 

 

 

 

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

Looking great botherman. How's it feel to finally be all suited up?

 

Aloha,

 

-Eric

[Jorran]

Thanks Eric! Last night was just too exciting for words. Once I got it all on and secured...dude, I didn't want to take it off. I was just walking room to room getting the feel of everything. This is an addiction, man! Now I can't wait to get the helmet finished.

[Jorran]

I got the ears screwed onto the helmet last night and...I can't get the lid on! The screws dig into my forehead and back of my skull when I try to get it on. My first thought was that I just need to cut off the excess on the screws, but the welder's mask hangs from the top two screws, right?

 

I don't think my noggin is significantly bigger than most troopers, so I doubt this is a major issue.

[bobojuice]

I always cut my screws down once everything is finished up. I also add a dab of hot glue to the ends of the screws because they're still sharp and WILL cut your nose.

[tkrestonva[TK]]

I always cut my screws down once everything is finished up. I also add a dab of hot glue to the ends of the screws because they're still sharp and WILL cut your nose.

 

Same here.

[MartinSivertsen[501st]]

Just be careful when cutting the screws, because they get really hot and can melt the plastic in worst case!

I would remove them from the helmet before I cut them.

[Jorran]

Ok, thanks all! Good tip about taking the screws out first before cutting.

[bobojuice]

Ok, thanks all! Good tip about taking the screws out first before cutting.

 

I wouldn't recommend doing that as once you cut the screws you might have a problem getting them back in. Just use a regular set of plier cutters to cut them. They're pretty small so you don't need a lot of force to get it done.

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Looking really good. The thighs look a little roomy for you, do they need to be sized a little? Maybe pull them up by 3/4"? That butt plate is sticking out a bit, could maybe use some heat gun action to shape it slightly to be more form fitting? Otherwise it's looking very sharp.

[troopermaster]

I wouldn't recommend doing that as once you cut the screws you might have a problem getting them back in

 

The trick is to fasten the nut right down past where you are cutting so that it threads itself on removal

 

Best to use a marker to mark where you want to cut the screws inside the helmet before you remove them. Then once removed, fit the nut and tighten it past your mark and cut. It's easier to put the end of the screw in a vice if you have one and cut with a hack saw. You can file the cut end slightly then remove the nut which will make the threads nice ready to put the nuts back on once fitted to the helmet.

[bobojuice]

I wasn't referring to the threading on the screws. I was more referring to the actual size of them. I had to redo the ears on two of my buckets and when I had to put the screws back in it was a PITA because a few of them were too short.

[SCTrooper[TK]]

Hey! Your armor looks great, good work. Resizing the thighs would make you look even better! This what I would do, cut the joining strip completely out of the back of the thighs with scissors. Then move the the pieces closer and put on a new joining strip. You look pretty slim you could maybe remove more, to be safe just remove a little. Just my 2 cents. Cheers!

[Jorran]

Thanks all. I wonder how that would turn out? On the thighs I used plastic welder which seems to be pretty permanent stuff. Also, the ammo box on the right knee - if I resize the thigh a lot thinner, how will that impact the rivets holding the box?

[SCTrooper[TK]]

Well I am not sure it will affect the ammo box , because you are just removing a small amount of material from the back of the thigh. The plastic weld won't matter because you are not going to unglue the rear joining strip, just cut the plastic strip down along the edges, all the way thru the thigh and remove it.Then the back of the thigh piece would be open like it was when assembling it. Your thigh would be about an inch smaller in diameter. Then put on a new strip, on the thigh. When I assembled my forearms one of them was to way to big, And it was completely glued , so I thought about it for quite some time before getting the nerve to make it smaller. You wont be making it alot thinner,just enough to make them blend alittle better. If you dont feel comfortable doing this dont try it. Maybe someone near you with more experience could lend you a hand.

Edit: you look fine, but if you want to mod them, contact your local garrison for help

Edited September 8, 2011 by SCTrooper

[Darth Aloha[Admin]]

If you dont feel comfortable doing this dont try it. Maybe someone near you with more experience could lend you a hand.

 

FISD peer pressure?

[SCTrooper[TK]]

Not at all! Asking for help is ok. Just trying to help.

Edited September 8, 2011 by SCTrooper

[Jorran]

In the meantime, helmet painting and decal application is ongoing:

 

[pandatrooper[TK]]

Is there a reason why the tube stripes are spaced so far apart?