EJGreen's RT-MOD (Stunt) Build Thread[*RT]

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Nice work, it looks very nice. I love the bracket look!

 

However, just to mention it, your side brackets are positionned too close to the middle one. They should be set on the far ends of the bottom return edge:

 

[EJGreen]

Thanks for pointing that out, Germain.  I must admit, however, that I've already drilled holes for my brackets and I'm anticipating a huge ordeal in order to spread the outside brackets even further.  I'm guessing that I would have to create a batch of ABS paste, fill in the old holes and sand them down.

 

What I do find interesting in the first pic, however, is that the brackets appear to be attached (riveted?) to the inside face of the chest plate as opposed to a return edge.  In fact, I've seen that very same thing in several photos from the RS suit.

 

While I'm analyzing the same photo, if you look at the shoulder bridge there's evidence of rivets up there.  According to the Centurion CRL, the shoulder straps are supposed to free float in the back (held with the thin elastic band) and they should be glued in the front.  I have seen contradicting photos that give the impression that the white elastic bridging the chest and back piece appear to be sandwiched between the armor bridges and underneath the ridged shoulder bridge.  Then I have seen where the elastic material is attached underneath the bridges of the chest and back pieces.

[EJGreen]

 

This image gives an idea of what I'm talking about.  It looks as though the ends of the elastic were riveted directly to the bridges of the chest and back plates.  I'm assuming that the molded shoulder bridge covered the elastic strip.

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Yeah, the RS suit is all patched up together. Don't give any credit to the pop-rivets present on the armor, they're just here to patch things up. You can even see that some cover stripes that were going unglue have been riveted back to the armor.

 

About the shoulder bridges, the RS suit didn't have any as it is a mix between a Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper armors and the elastic strip you're seeing on your picture above were acting as replacement for when they used the armor later one.

[EJGreen]

Yeah, the RS suit is all patched up together. Don't give any credit to the pop-rivets present on the armor, they're just here to patch things up. You can even see that some cover stripes that were going unglue have been riveted back to the armor.

 

About the shoulder bridges, the RS suit didn't have any as it is a mix between a Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper armors and the elastic strip you're seeing on your picture above were acting as replacement for when they used the armor later one.

 

Makes sense, Germain.  I appreciate your input as always.

[EJGreen]

This may sound like a stupid question but in terms of the RT armor, which edge of the kidney plate is up?  Upon first glance, it would appear that the top and bottom edges are almost symmetrical but looking at it from different angles, there's a curvature to it and one edge feels a bit wider than the the other.

 

I know that I need to cut the square notch in the lower corner but I want to make sure I'm cutting out the right corners.

 

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

Now that's always a tough question. Have you tried determining if one of the edge lines better with the top of the butt plate than the other? 

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Eric,

 

My apologies for my absence... I feel like I've let you down. In that time though, you've done some beautiful work with your armor and the strapping brackets.

 

If you can get a few pics of the kidney lined up against the back and/or the butt, it should be apparent which is the top and which is the bottom.

[EJGreen]

Eric,

 

My apologies for my absence... I feel like I've let you down. In that time though, you've done some beautiful work with your armor and the strapping brackets.

 

If you can get a few pics of the kidney lined up against the back and/or the butt, it should be apparent which is the top and which is the bottom.

 

 

Please, dear brother--no need to apologize!  You've got a military career and a family.  I know that relates to a life outside of the FISD.

 

In any case, I've made the determination of which edge of the kidney plate is up.  When I made pencil marks where the square notches are supposed to be cut, it made much more sense.  There's only one way where the edges of the square cuts in the kidney plate line up with the edge of the butt plate.  I've made the 22mm notch cuts, everything is bracketed together and I'm currently waiting for the paint on the screw heads to dry.

 

I'll have pics posted later in the day.

 

In the meantime, USPS said that my retail therapy from Trooperbay is expected to arrive this afternoon.  Included are my gloves and latex hand guards, S-trim for my bucket, and the split rivets for my torso pieces.  I had also bought a neck seal but got a refund because he didn't have my size in stock.

 

I'm kinda excited because I found the hand guards that require painting.  I picked up a bottle of latex fabric paint today so I hope to have something to do this weekend.

 

I still have LOTS of questions and research to do for the rest of the strapping.  I know that one side of the torso has the six split rivets with the black elastic but I'm not sure what to do with the other side.  I still need to figure out the "screen appropriate" method for the shoulder strapping and snapping.

 

I do need to purchase my snaps.  I have ZERO experience with that process and have no idea what I'm looking for.  I know that the "Dritz" brand of snaps was a favorite method for a few troopers but I still don't feel confident to make that purchase.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I bought Tandy Line 24 snaps off Amazon and heard they are better than Dritz. Also, check out Darman's neckseals. $45 with the zipper option or $35 for the velcro option. http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/21385-darmans-neck-seals/

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

You definitely want to do the research on the strapping and snaps.  You can (of course) have a look at my thread to see what I did with the right side closure.  It is the left side that gets the rivets, and naturally, I had to borrow an over-engineered and unusually complex method for that side as well because well...  Me.    LoL

 

Don't hesitate to ask any questions, brother.

[EJGreen]

You definitely want to do the research on the strapping and snaps.  You can (of course) have a look at my thread to see what I did with the right side closure.  It is the left side that gets the rivets, and naturally, I had to borrow an over-engineered and unusually complex method for that side as well because well...  Me.    LoL

 

Don't hesitate to ask any questions, brother.

Trust me, brother, your build thread is always open in a new tab on practically every electronic device I have! I'm always jumping back and forth from it as I can appreciate your complex methods as being, well... you. One thing I noticed about your rivet method is that you used reinforcement strips of abs for added strength. I'm not saying that I couldn't do that. I just have an OCD complex for getting as close to replica as I can because, well... that's me.

 

One thing that I've seen recurring in several builds is the popularity of Tandy snaps. Being an impatient person who hates to wait for the mailman, I located a Tandy Leather store about an hour north of me. Needless to sayyou can guess where I'm headed today.

 

Still have pics to post later in the day.

[EJGreen]

As promised, here are recent pics of my progress...

 

 

Here you can see my torso armor that's been constructed with the bracket/elastic loop system.  I've applied a couple coats of white paint to the screw heads and I'm rather pleased with the way it turned out. You'll notice that I've cut the 22mm square notches from the bottom corners of the kidney.

 

 

A look at the inside

 

 

As I mentioned, yesterday, I took an hour and a half drive to a Tandy Leather store where I purchased a couple bags of the nickel plated line 24 snaps.  The owner sold me a setting anvil and press.  The total cost of all of this was just under $18.00.  

 

 

 

My shipment from Trooperbay also arrived yesterday.  I now have my correct S-trim for my bucket, chemical gloves, unpainted hand guards, and a set of 6 split rivets for my torso pieces...

 

[EJGreen]

What I've done at this point is make the determination as to where I need to mark the holes to drill for the split rivets in the kidney and AB plate.  Because the kidney has already been cut with the 22mm notches it's important to plan your rivets using the kidney.  I made a measurement from the edge of the notch to the opposite end and divided that by two in order to find the placement of the center rivet,  I then made equal measurements from the outter edges to place the remaining two...

 

 

 

Confident that I had my rivets planned where I wanted them I used my drill to make the holes for the rivets...

 

 

 

Then I simply clamped the kidney plate to the AB plate--making sure that the edges are all aligned and used the preexisting holes in the kidney to mark the same in the AB plate.  I then drilled the holes into the AB plate and they have lined up quite nicely!

 

 

 

NOTE TO BEGINNERS:  Cut your 22mm notches into the lower corners of the kidney before riveting your kidney and AB plate together!  Also plot where your rivets will go by using the kidney plate as opposed to the AB plate.  You don't want to drill a hole into your AB plate that would coincide directly where the notch on the kidney would be.  I've seen this happen in other builds and it can be frustrating to fix after the fact.

 

 

Next, I cut three pieces of 1" black elastic strips about 3" long.  I then folded over about 1/4" on each end and sewed them down to help prevent fraying...

 

 

 

Using the tip from a soldering iron, I poked two holes into each strip making sure the holes are 20mm apart (the rivets should be placed 10mm back from the outside edges of the kidney and AB plate).

 

 

Here's where the fun began!  I have no experience with rivets at all so I poured through the forums to see what's the best way to install these split rivets.  A common technique is to split the prongs using a small phillips screwdriver and hammer.  Well, I won't show you what happened the first time I attempted to do this--that poor rivet ended up looking like it was run over by a freight train!  You have no idea how frightening this was for me because I ordered my split rivets from Trooperbay and there were only supposed to be 6 in the bag (with washers).  Luckily there were actually 7 in the bag so I had to make sure that I proceeded with caution.

 

Don't bang the hell outta these rivets!  They don't really require a lot of heavy pounding.  On my next attempt, I was able to separate the prongs just enough that I could simply hammer them down until they were flat and secure.

 

 

Here's the final results...

 

 

 

 

Looking at the photo above, you'll see why you want to cut the kidney notches and use that edge for measuring out your split rivets.  There's a much greater distance from the bottom edge of the AB plate to the first rivet than there is on the kidney.  I just have to paint the rivet heads white with paint and move on.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

That looks really clean! The 7th rivet is for the cod piece.

[EJGreen]

That looks really clean! The 7th rivet is for the cod piece.

 

It wasn't until after the fact that I had a "duh" moment and realized that the 7th split rivet was for the cod piece.  Nonetheless, I was "saved" when my packet of rivets arrived from Echo, yesterday.  I was smart enough to order three sets of them in case any more rivets died while furthering my cause.

 

With that being said, I now have the cap rivets to attach the ammo pack to the right thigh.  I've seen pictures where the ammo pack sits level to the ground and others where it appears to be attached at an angle.  Any thoughts on what was screen accurate?  Once these pieces are riveted together, can I expect the ammo pack to rotate up and down or will it stay put?

[Kredal[TK]]

I'll be putting my ammo pack on level to the ground (or so) and a small square of velcro behind it to keep it from spinning wildly.

[EJGreen]

I'll be putting my ammo pack on level to the ground (or so) and a small square of velcro behind it to keep it from spinning wildly.

From what I can see from the screen captures, it looks like the ammo pack should be level with the ground.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Echo provides the cap rivets? Do you know what size they are so I might be able to source them locally? 

[EJGreen]

Echo provides the cap rivets? Do you know what size they are so I might be able to source them locally? 

 

I'm so sorry, Jason, for not responding to your question sooner.  Echo has an ongoing thread regarding the sale of rivets in the sales thread.  Here's the link to get you there...

 

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/23970-fs-centurion-level-rivet-sets/

 

I've searched local hardware stores for these things. You would think the big-box stores like Lowe's or Home Depot would have them but I've not had luck so I followed the recommendation to buy through Echo.  I ended up order three sets of them in case any of the rivets got ruined for whatever reason or another.  It's a good idea to have some spares lying around in case of catastrophes.

[EJGreen]

Okay, so it's been a while since I've posted any progress on my build but I'm back in business for the time being.  Apparently my laptop's power source can't make up it's mind if it's going to hold out on me a little longer but I'm fully charged and ready to post some updates!

 

I left off with the back and front of the torso armor being riveted together.  I think it turned out quite well and I'm really happy about the appearance.  Once the left side was riveted together, I found myself somewhat dumbfounded by the screen method used to close the right side.  We all know about that single male snap that's on the upper right corner of the AB plate.  Although the CRL for Centurion states that it does not have to be functional, it was used to help close the right side of the armor.  There was a 1" wide strip of elastic with the female snap on the end which was glued directly onto the kidney plate.  This helped keep the right side closed up.

 

What I found perplexing was how there are 6 rivets on the left side but just a single snap on the right side.  It felt like there should be something "more" on the right side to keep everything closed up.  I eventually found myself in a different thread where I received a lot of valuable information about my question.  Mathias was extremely helpful and basically stated that the belt helps reinforce the single snap and that there really isn't anything else required on the right side.  Mathias and Gazmosis also agree that they see a lot of over-engineering in suits that really don't possess a lot of benefits.

 

In short, the K.I.S.S method is typically the best way to go whenver possible.

 

With that being said, I marked where the male snap should go on the AB plate, drilled my hole and fabricated my elastic strip with the female snap and glued it down inside the kidney!

[EJGreen]

But wait!  There's more!

 

There's an old saying "that which you fear will eventually appear."

 

 

 

 

Yup!  That's a jar of ABS paste!  I was hoping that I would never have to use it but as the old saying goes...

 

Anyway, before I go into the reason behind the paste, I will tell you that this stuff is relatively easy to use.  It's just as I've read in other threads, the recipe for ABS paste is cut up scraps of ABS plastic and pure acetone.  Acetone is cheap and you can find it pretty much in any major drug store chain or beauty supply store.  It's used primarily as nail polish remover but I would suggest that you stay away from nail polish remover as a substitute because most nail polish removers are tinted with colors that, if used, can turn your paste the same color.  Pure acetone is clear (like water) and won't affect the color of the paste.  I managed to find a bottle of this stuff for less than $2.00.

 

You want to cut scraps of ABS plastic into tiny bits and pieces.  Place them in a glass container--don't use plastic as the acetone will melt plastics. You want to start off by adding enough acetone to cover the scraps of plastic.  The popular method is to use something like wooden chopsticks as a means to stir everything up.  Again, don't use anything that will melt into your paste.  I found that I needed to add more acetone (little at a time!) until I got a thin consistency that looked like melted ice cream.  The process of melting the ABS plastic can take up to a little more than an hour so be patient if you need to make a batch of this stuff up.

 

 

Now, you're probably wondering how I screwed things up on my suit.  Well, that male snap on the abdomen plate is what happened.  You see, a couple of weeks ago, I purchased a bunch of the Tandy snaps that are rumored to be much stronger than a lot of the Dritz snaps that are commonly found in fabric stores.  I ended up installing the male Tandy snap into my AB plate but once it was all said and done, it didn't look right!

 

The male Tandy snaps have a "Tandy" logo on them and their overall appearance doesn't match what we commonly see on most suits.  I was happy with the way it held everything together but in terms of appearances, it was just too ugly.  My plan was to use a small drill bit to "pop" the rivet on the snap, thus allowing me to remove it and install a Dritz snap.  What happened was the entire snap spun around which generated a lot of heat and eventually cut a hole in the armor...

 

 

Needless to say I was pissed!  I cried like a little girl for nearly 30 minutes before I realized that there was no other choice to whip up a batch of ABS paste.

 

I sanded down the edges of the hole, wrapped a small square of plastic with tape (so it wouldn't melt) as a reinforcement, and filled in the hole with paste.  I let it set for nearly 36 hours before removing the tape and sanding the hardened paste down smooth.

 

I then drilled a new hole and secured a new male snap...

 

 

 

Here's a look from the inside...

 

 

The female snap that's attached to the velcro is the Tandy snap and it's still pretty strong--even with the Dritz male snap!

 

 

Now I can show you what else I've recently accomplished.

[EJGreen]

A while back, I ordered some stuff from Trooperbay which included my chemical gloves and latex hand guards.  The hand guards come un-painted so I had to paint them with a latex fabric paint ("Tulip") brand that you can find pretty much in any fabric store.

 

 

It took about 5 coats of paint to really get a nice finish on them but once they're dry, you want to sand the backs of them with 20 grit sandpaper and glue them onto the gloves using a generous amount of CA glue.  Let them dry for at least 30 minutes or more before trying them on.

 

 

If you're going for a screen accurate look, it's okay if there's some obvious cracking in the paint.

[EJGreen]

I finally received my rivets from Echo, last week, and I was able to move forward with snap riveting the thigh ammo pack to the right thigh...

 

 

 

Looks pretty good once the rivet heads have had a couple coats of paint applied!

[EJGreen]

I pretty much covered everything I managed to accomplish over the past week or so and since I have to reorder a new canvas belt (wife accidentally threw mine away!) now I have to focus my attention on the shoulder bridges.

 

I suited up and had my wife assist me with the fitting (she owed me big time!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd really like some feedback on this before I do anything drastic.  The back plate looks a bit "low.'