Leo's TK ANH Build [*ATA]

[RampantLion[TK]]

Well now that I have a good portion of my list on hand I have decided to start my build thread. I am aiming for Centurion.

For anyone following this build for their own build: There are a lot of options out there and these are just the choices I went with. Also I highly recommend reading the Tutorials and the Getting Started forums in full.

**** I added notes to this build from lessons I learned later on.


What I have so far with store and approximate price (I purposely omitted prices from things bought through the forums to avoid any issues):

[Click on the X for the picture]

People you must contact directly. Check the Ongoing Sales forum for up to date information and other options:
[X] Armor Kit -- ATA ANH TK kit 2 mm ABS (Comes with hardware for helmet, lens, hovi-mic tips, neck trim, and brow trim)
[X] 1†Thermal Detonator Clips : TK_Leper (No longer doing runs)
[X] Brass split rivets and cap rivets: Echo
[X] Neck Seal 15†: TK9356 Darman (FISD and Florida Garrison member)
[X] Holster: TK9356 Darman
[X] E-11 Blaster Hyperfirm : slavefive
[X] Size 11 Boots : TKBoots.com
[X] Accurate ANH Stormtrooper Strapping Brackets : Mr. No Stripes
[X] Drop Box Covers : kwdesigns
[X] Trooper White 3†Canvas Belt : TKittell
[X] Flexible ANH white rubber hand guards : Sonnenschein "Queen of Handguards"
[X] Evilboy's Dual Fan Helmet kit : Evilboy

Retail:
[X] Chicago screws 1/4" Nickel, 10 pack : Amazon $3 (for attaching holster)
[X] Magnets 1/2" x 3/8" N42 Pack of 10 : Amazon $18
[X] Lexan Curved Scissors : Amazon $7
[X] Lexan Straight Scissors : Amazon $14
[X] Pads for helmet, ACH : Amazon $17
[X] Painter's tape, 1.88" blue : Amazon $8
[X] Helmet Bag : Amazon $15
[X] Soldering iron : Amazon $23 (Splurged on better one for future workings)
[X] Nomex gloves : Amazon $18 (I already added hand guard in pic)
[X] Wax, Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax : Amazon $10 (add some shine without much effort)
[X] Novus Polish Kit, Plastic Polich & Scratch Remover : Amazon $18
[X] Undersuit : Eastbay $30
[X] Gloss French Blue #14, Humbrol Enamel : EBay $4
[X] Gloss Black Paint #1747, Model Master Enamel : Hobby Lobby $4
[X] Gray Paint #1138, Testors : Hobby Lobby $4
[X] Paint Thinner, Testors : Hobby Lobby $4
[X] Grease Monkey Long Cuff Neoprene Gloves : Home Depot $4
[X] 2†Metal Heavy Duty Spring Clamps (4) : Home Depot $4
[X] 22 Piece Clamp Set : Home Depot $9
[X] Spray Paint, Rustoleum Flat black : Home Depot $4 (For interior of helmet)
[X] Washers, Brass Size 8 for use with rivets : Home Depot $1
[X] File, Husky 10-Piece Set : Home Depot $10
[X] 37" Mobile Job Box, Husky : Home Depot $60 (Storage/transport for my TK)
[X] Googly eyes : Target $4 (Used for "glass" on front of sight - also check craft stores)
[X] Dremel Rotary Tool : Lowes $99
[X] Sanding block, fine : Lowes $5
[X] Sanding block, medium : Lowes $5
[X] Cotton Glove Inserts : Local Army Navy Surplus Store $4
[X] Gloss White Paint #1145, Testors Enamel : Michael's $2 (For painting rivets and touchups)
[X] Metal Ruler : Michaels $6
[X] D ring for E-11 : Trooper Bay $3 (Comes unpainted and as a fully enclosed loop)
[X] Helmet stencils : Trooper Bay $3
[X] Speaker/Amp, MR1506 (Aker 10W) : Voicebooster (I mounted this by dremeling off the back parts and affixing it to inside my chest using industrial velcro)
[X] Foam, mattress topper : Walmart $10 (I used this for fitting my forearms and for my storage box)
[X] Mr. Clean Magic eraser : Walmart $3 (Takes out black scuff marks very easily. Just add a little water to the sponge)


Glues,Straps, Snaps and fasteners (Interesting info on these here):
[X] Industrial Grade Velcro - Black 2†x 15’ : Amazon $20
[X] Industrial Grade Velcro - White 2†x 15’ : Amazon $20
[X] Plastics Glue: E6000 3.7 ounce : Amazon $7 (Easy to find in stores too)
[X] Plastics Bonding System, Loctite : Home Depot $4
[X] 1 1/4" Sport Elastic white, 1 yard : Jo-Ann Fabrics $2
[X] Rivets, Arrow 1/8" White Aluminum : Lowes $5
[X] Rivet Tool, Arrow RH200 : Lowes $19
[X] ¼†Braided Elastic white, 8 yards : Michaels $2.49
[X] Snaps Tandy Line 24 (10 pack) : Tandy $5 X 3 = $15
[X] Anvil and setter for snaps : Tandy $23

[X] Elastics, webbing, buckles, and other pieces for strapping together armor and a belt with plenty of excess hopefully: Strapworks

[Elastic Size:1" Black] 10 feet $6
[Elastic Size:2" Black] 3 feet $3
[Elastic Size:1" white] 5 feet $3
[Elastic Size:2" White] 4 feet $4
[Elastic Size:3" Black] 3 feet $4
[Elastic Size:3/4" Black] 8 feet $4
Lightweight Polypropylene 1 Inch Color:Black] 20 feet $3
[2" HWP Belt Size:Regular: Up to 38" waist (48" in length)] $4

Edited May 10, 2014 by RampantLion

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Coming together nicely can't wait for the build, enjoy and good luck

[Ravenwood[TK]]

Looking like you are ready to start cutting plastic my friend. Can't wait to watch your build progress.

[Mogwai[TK]]

That is a nice list, very helpful for everyone who is going to start a build!

Keep it going, you have a great start.

[RampantLion[TK]]

Thanks for the support! Anyone have a good estimate on the total feet I will need for each of the elastics and black/white webbing? I know everyone does things differently but a ballpark figure would be awesome. The shipping is a bit steep for these, so I want to get enough without going overboard

 

 

Strapping (What I ended up using)

 

These are a minimum I used to provide plenty of E6000 gluing surface:

 

Main Body:

A.   1/4" x 6" braided white elastic (2 pieces) for the shoulder bridge loops (tied in place)

B.   2" x 7" white elastic (2 pieces) for connecting the front and back (snapped in place on armor, under the shoulder bridge)

C.   1" x 2" black elastic (3 pieces) for the riveted connections on the side of the body (rivets hold it in place)

D.   1" x 3" black elastic (9 pieces) that was sewn into loops for connecting the wire brackets

E.   1" x 3" black elastic (1 piece) with snap for side strap on abdomen (E6000 one side snap on other end)

F.   1" x 6" black elastic (1 piece) with 2 snaps for crotch snap (rivet holds one end and 2 snaps on other end)

 

Ammo Belt:

G.   1" x 10" white elastic (2 pieces) looped over white belt for ammo box straps (pop-riveted in place)

 

Arms:

H.   1" x 6" black elastic (2 pieces) shoulder bell to bridge strap (E6000 on bell and snap on the other end)

I.   1" x 6" black elastic (2 pieces) shoulder bell to bicep strap (E6000 on both ends to keep bicep in place)

J.   1" x 12" black elastic (2 pieces) around bicep (E6000 on both ends at the bottom of shoulder bell)

K.   1" x 8" black elastic (2 pieces) connecting bicep to forearms (E6000 on both ends)

 

Legs:

L.   1.5" x 12" black elastic (2 pieces) Top of thigh looped over 2" black belt of appropriate length (E6000 in place)

M.   2" x 5" white elastic (4 pieces) Placed at top and middle of calf for closure (E6000 one end and Velcro on the other)

N.   2" x 3" white elastic (2 pieces) Placed at bottom of calf for closure (E6000 one and Velcro the other)

 

[Picture reference coming soon]

Edited May 6, 2014 by RampantLion

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Just bought mine from a local haberdashery shop, had some left over but use it now again to adjust some pieces that seem to move from time to time, it is handy to have extra laying around. Didn't really worry about how much I used as it was pretty cheap.

[RampantLion[TK]]

After much ordering and planning I have finally done one small step forward. Painting the interior of my lid.

 

I first washed all my armor using a sponge, warm water, and dish soap to remove any mould release residue. After drying, I then used painters tape to mask off the edges of my lid.

 

I then used newspaper to cover the exterior and taped over my ATA logo to preserve this little detail

 

I then applied 2 coats of Rustoleum flat black flat spray paint. Allowing 10-15 minutes drying time between coats. Here is the finished result:

I just noticed a great optical illusion if you look at the left half the black could be seen as coming out towards you...

 

Next, I am planning on doing some excess plastic cutting to my armor in general.

Edited March 29, 2013 by Leo

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good so far

[FunkyTrigger[TK]]

Wow. What a comprehensive build thread list. Well done.

I can see that your initial thoroughness and research will mean that your build thread will be worth following.

Good luck trooper.

[Jancelot[TK]]

Very nice! Your meticulous precision and perseverance will pay off in spades.

[James[501st]]

Top notch man keep it up.

 

[RampantLion[TK]]

I decided to follow deferenced's lead in practicing on the plastic hand guards before doing any real cutting. This is a great idea to get a feel for everything - I don't have to worry about screwing up because I plan on using more accurate latex hand guards instead of the kit included ABS hand guards. Tools used: Lexan straight scissors, flat file, rounded file, sanding block, dremel sanding bit.

 

Here's my finished Left and unfinished Right:

 

I spent a lot of time on this but it was all for the sake of learning the tools of the trade. Next up actual coarse trimming of parts.

 

BTW Happy Easter everyone!

[RampantLion[TK]]

Thanks for the support everyone. Here's my inspiration:

 

Now on to my progress:

 

Outside Forearms:

Left:

 

Right:

 

Look mom no return edge!

 

How do they look?

[dereferenced]

Looking good.

[RampantLion[TK]]

Today - lower legs trimming the return edges.

 

Left before:

 

Left after:

 

Right before:

 

Right after:

[RampantLion[TK]]

Now on to the upper thigh pieces edge returns:

 

Before:

 

After (Left):

 

After (Right):

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good

[RampantLion[TK]]

Thanks I'm trying to procure some local assistance for fitting advice/help so I can start suiting up

[Ramblin Trooper[TK]]

Looking good so far!  We'll get you geared up, don't worry. 

[Mogwai[TK]]

Good start so far. Keep it going. For your Handguards, get some Latex Handguards from Sonnenschein. That will add another Detail to your Armor.

[RampantLion[TK]]

Awesome thanks.

[RampantLion[TK]]

Oops! Trimmed the butt plate too much and now I don't have space for my brackets :'(

Pictures of the travesty:

I was overconfident that I knew what I was doing. I have sent an email to see about getting a new butt plate.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Leo

[dereferenced]

Do you think you would be able to add shims and fill the seam with abs paste similar to kidney plate extensions? Not sure how long it would take to get a replacement piece since ATA is on a pretty large waiting list if I recall. 

[RampantLion[TK]]

I wouldn't be able to repair the butt plate and use the brackets but I may be able to use a different attachment method until a replacement is available. It is a spot that is well hidden by the back plate and belt which with luck would make it at least possible to pass the minimum 501st approved standards. I will still want to replace it though. Se la vie.

 

My other progress:

 

Cut cover strips.

15 mm for the arms

20 mm for the front of the legs

25 mm for the back of the legs

 

Materials used 2 clamps, scrap wood, yard stick, ruler, razor blade:

 

I used the same method described by dereferenced (which he obtained from LadyInWhite) of using clamps to secure the yard stick while I scored the ABS 10-15 times before bending and snapping the strips. It worked wonderfully.

 

I also did more trimming:

 

And the O2 end caps:

 

I found it useful to use painter's tape to mark for my cuts and to score the spot several times around before making a cut with the scissors up to the score line and bending at the score line to snap the excess plastic off. This reference photo shows these end caps to be about 20 mm by the way.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Leo

[RampantLion[TK]]

Update: ATA replacement part can be ready in a week Thanks ATA!