BatNinja's AM 2.0 EIB ANH Stunt Build Thread

[batninja]

 

Yup.  Me, too.

 

 

I got my big brown box today!   It was all I could do not to take the afternoon off to run home to open it!  Ignore the cat...he ignores me.

 

I was like a kid at Christmas, opening 20+ little packages of wrap and masking tape.  I seriously don't have enough room to lay everything out!

 

I will admit to being overwhelmed a bit.  There are no instructions (a minor disappointment), so I'll be relying on WA.net and fuumantroop (dude, better clear out your inbox!) to assist me.   For starters, I noticed there were LOTS of extra pieces.  As I'm just getting into TK costuming, and have done a little research, I was able to lay aside the ESB handguards, Sandtrooper diamond sniper and cheese-grater plates, but there are a few pieces where I'm still scratching my head.

 

 

 

A & B:  Why two belt pieces?  Are they movie-specific?

C: Shoulder bars?  Are they spares or do they go under the ribbed ones?

D: Are these rivet covers for the belt?  (See H & I)

E, F, & G: I imagine these are for the abdomen, but why the different sizes?

H & I: Are these rivet covers for the belt?   Why the two different styles?  (H - large dimples, I - smaller dimples)

 

Anyway, I'm going to put everything away for right now.  I'm already digging the helmet construction!

 

::edit - corrected the position of E/F/G in picture::

Edited October 28, 2014 by batninja

[fuumantroop[TK]]

Idk why two belts come with the kit, but count it as a blessing. The movie accurate belt is labeled A, and the rivet covers are cut out from one of the D labeled buttons. The other D is a side panel ab button for a TD.

 

C are the shoulder straps for a TD

 

G is the screen accurate ab panel(you just cut off the excess, see my build) and E is the movie accurate side ab panel buttons(also will need to be cut out to size)

 

H and I go with belt B(i dont know why they come with fwo different sets)

 

F is another TK ab button(your kit should have came with round metallic bolts(9 of them, also with nuts)

 

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

The "B" belt has recesses for, i guess, the "I" caps to fit inside. Why? That's a good question.

 

Basically, use the "A" belt with the "H" rivet caps.

[batninja]

Well, crap.  Now I'm even more confused.

 

If G is the screen-accurate ab plate, but must be trimmed to fit, wouldn't it make more sense to use the F plate with the metal bolts?   (No trimming and, well, METAL!)

 

And now that I look at it, I see where E goes.   I guess the 'need-to trim' part caught me off guard, as EVERYTHING else in the kit is trimmed.  

[Sly11[Admin]]

You can use the other plate with the bolts for basic approval, but if you tend to go for higher levels, they are not accurate.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[batninja]

Ah, okay, now that makes sense.   So the painted bumps method is more accurate.  I see that in the CRL now (for Centurion status): 

• Abdomen armor buttons are integrated and painted directly on the armor.
  • No separate buttons are allowed.

 

So does anyone have a good reference picture of the belt for ANH Stunt?   I'm still hesitant about the rivet covers.

[fuumantroop[TK]]

Dont cut out the entirety of that ab plate though, you want to leave a little on the edges. Look at the reference pictures to get a better feel of it

[batninja]

Got it.  Thanks, Andrew.   I see what you mean:

 

[batninja]

Okay, I get the left/right confusion for the shins and forearms, and I've sorted out the bicep inner pieces (left is 'spooned').   But are there differences in the OUTER bicep pieces?  And what about the shoulders?  Are these interchangeable? 

[batninja]

Alright, I think I've got all the left vs. right pieces figured out, so this weekend I'm going to tackle the helmet and the forearms.

 

I had a question on the helmet.  For those of you on the latest run of AM 2.0, did your helmet nose have a crease like mine?  

[DarthDadio[TK]]

First I would be concerned that my nose is below my mouth....LOL.  Seriously, I will need to look at mine when I get home.  I looked at my pictures on my computer and I don't see any but the resolution is not very good on the images.

[batninja]

I started the helmet Friday afternoon, attaching the cap to the back:

 

 

I lined up the edges of the cap like this, as it matched on both sides:

 

You'll notice that the rear trap indents do NOT center.  I'm hoping I'm doing this like everyone else:

 

Here's where I changed up the process a bit.  In everyone else's build that I've seen, after test-fitting the faceplate to the assembly, removes the brow and adds it last.  I'm changing it up a bit: I've applied the front trap decals, and attached the brow trim, where it will stay for the duration of the helmet build; I do not intend to take it off.

 

But, to avoid scratching the decal during the build, I covered it with back-to-back masking tape:

 

More to follow!

Edited November 1, 2014 by batninja

[batninja]

At a garrison mate's suggestion, instead of the standard drill-a-hole, use-an-Xacto-knife method, I used my Dremel and a sanding wheel to work the teeth.  From the interior of the helmet, sand down the 'nubs':

 

Here's what it looks like from the outside:

 

After maybe five minutes, the wheel has knocked out the teeth!

 

Some final sanding with varying grits (from the inside only), and a few swipes of a flat file to straighten some areas, and here is the result!

Edited November 1, 2014 by batninja

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Alright, I think I've got all the left vs. right pieces figured out, so this weekend I'm going to tackle the helmet and the forearms.

 

I had a question on the helmet.  For those of you on the latest run of AM 2.0, did your helmet nose have a crease like mine?  

 

Took a look today and mine mask has a the same blemish.

[DarthDadio[TK]]

Feedback from TG on the line in the chin:  "yes the line is normal, as is the dimple in the eye.  I get a lot of questions about the eye too."

[batninja]

Yeah, I knew about the eye one being movie-accurate and all (still wish this wasn't so), but hadn't heard about the chin mark.   Okay, as long as we's all the same!

[batninja]

Aside from the forearms and shoulders, are there any other pieces where the return edge needs to be removed?   Biceps?  Shins?  Thighs?

 

I'm getting ready to order a bunch of rare earth magnets to assist in the assembly.  Is there a particular size that most folks are using?

[Starfox2010]

The bottom of the shins

[batninja]

I finally got a few hours to work on the kit some more.  I removed the return edges on the shoulders, forearm, and shins last weekend.

 

This weekend, I tackled the ears.   Emphasis on the work 'tackle'.

 

Using my trusty Dremel and sanding wheel, I was able to carve them to fit (mostly) on the helmet.  Not too bad, in my opinion, but still didn't get them as close as I wanted.  So onto the pics:

 

 

The best one of the bunch, the left rear:

 

And then it just goes downhill:

 

 

And the 'disaster' gap:

 

 

I even added a small rivet to 'pull' the front edge a little closer to the helmet, but that's as good as it got.

 

Maybe it looks okay to others, but I'm not complete happy with it.  Or maybe I'm being too hard on myself.  I know there are several screen-used helmets that weren't perfect either.

 

On the bright side, I was able to use a large drill bit to bevel the hole edges so that the screws would fit more flush.   Very happy with that!

 

 

Thoughts and constructive criticism welcome!

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Best looking AM helmet i've seen so far. Congrats!

[batninja]

Thanks, Germain!   That makes me feel a lot better, man.  I'm going to try to finish this up this week.

 

A couple of questions:

 

1)  Regarding the S-trim for the bottom edge of the helmet, does it matter which channel I use?

2)  What black do I use for the vocoder?  Flat black?  Satin?  Gloss?

[Polar]

ears look great. I wrapped up mine on my MTK this weekend. Bought this to assist. 

Its the one on top. have to trip some " meat" off the bottom still but soooooo much easier in my opinion 

[batninja]

Brian, what is that thing called, and where can I find it?   That would make future ears alot easier!

[Polar]

a contour tool, I got mine at home depot for $10

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

1)  Regarding the S-trim for the bottom edge of the helmet, does it matter which channel I use?

2)  What black do I use for the vocoder?  Flat black?  Satin?  Gloss?

 

1) It doesn't matter, but i think you'll have a better grip using the B option. Just be sure to leave an excess of around half an inch where the two parts of the trim meet so once compressed it place it can stay in place by itself 

2) Satin black

 

 

Edit: About the "disaster ear", here's how i would trim it if i were to attempt fixing it:

- And once the trimming done, i would reinstall the ear and the two top screws and then force the curved section to get closer to the cheek and screw it again, without being afraid to tighten it hard (3/ on the picture).

Edited November 24, 2014 by The5thHorseman