ATA Armor Build_My First TK

[russellr2d2[TK]]

Hello All!

 

I am starting my ATA ANH Stunt build now. I want to put it up here and gather your helpful tips and comments. I eventually want to go all out for Centurion.

I want a beautiful, awesome clean white TK when I am done. I have my bucket done and my blaster (in other threads here). I am in the Southern California Garrison area so that will be my base of operations and check in & approval.

 

Well lets get this TK built!

 

Here is my brown box day! I received the BB just a few days before Christmas so I decided to open the box on Christmas day.

The ATA wait list is several months so, I have had lots of time to build my bucket/blaster and research and research some more.

I have a collection of links and videos. Before I start cutting I have been watching Trooper Bay videos. He makes it look sooooo easy...haha!

 

 

 

I have to comment on the ATA armor. It is much heaver than I imagined our plastic armor is! Very impressive! The complete collection in the box weighs over 12 LBS !!! I cannot imagine how much work it is to vacuum-form all this armor. My bucket is off to ATA! I am very happy with the quality.

 

Ok the work begins!!!

 

I decided to do the biceps first as they are the smallest body part to work on and not too confusing as to what half goes where.

 

Marking the cut line 7.5MM from the edge for the 15MM cover strips. I actually ended up with about 16MM wide spaces for the cover strips.

 

Below is generally how I would draw a good line. After a while I just held down the straight edge and marked it. The glossy plastic is slippery making it hard to lay a metal straight edge without it moving all over.

 

 

Ok, I got all the bicep pieces marked. I used the score and break method. I am used to doing it so no problems. The ATA armor is really thick so you need to score 4-5 times and then work from the middle with your hands out to the edges slowly bending it. Then one big bend and the whole piece drops off.

 

I want to put inside strips for extra strength ( My OCD in action ). Here I am glueing an inside strip using CA glue. I have E6000 but, so far I have not used it.

 

WARNING ! THE BRAND OF CA GLUE I HAVE AND THE BRAND OF KICKER I HAVE ****MELTS**** THE ABS ! I do not have the name of the brand but I bought it at Hobby People. Please try your CA glue and kicker on a scrap piece first!

 

 

The bicep put together showing some uneven corners (oh no! my OCD!!!)

 

The uneven corner had to go! I wrapped the surrounding area with several layers of tinfoil and heated up the offending tab with my heat gun and bent it back down. Now the two ends meet up perfectly. Below is the result after some sanding of the return edge and the joint.

 

 

 

This finished bicep !

 

QUESTION: HOW MANY OF YOU PUT IN THE PLASTIC HOOK TO HOLD THE ELASTIC STRAP THAT GOES OVER THE BICEP (like I see in the TrooperBay video) ?

 

Edited May 24, 2016 by russellr2d2

[Scarlisian[TK]]

Hey Russell, it's great to see you starting your build, thanks for posting this thread. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress. I'm still waiting to hear when my armor will be ready for shipping.

[Raintrooper]

Looking great so far, Russell!     I've gotta say though, I HIGHLY recommend using that tube of E6000!  I know trooperbay Mike makes it look really easy, and CA/zap-a-gap is super fast, but especially for your first build it's better to take your time and have the ability to undo any mistakes.  I certainly made a few and was glad I could undo the last thing I glued. 
I decided not to use the strap hooks on the inside of the bicep.  I just use elastic and snaps on the inside of the shoulder to keep them in place.  I went with inner cover-strips all around, too.  Bomb-proof armor!        

[russellr2d2[TK]]

Yea I was thinking about CA glue vs. E6000 while looking at my finished bicep. I feel like I got away with something and was lucky I didnt screw up.

I will probably go to E6000 when I start my forearms. The forearms and legs are pretty screwey in shape and hard to tell lefts from rights.

 

Thanks for the tip!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

E6000 all the way, very forgiving if you need to modify a part later. Looking good so far

[Tusken RTT]

Looking good so far!   Agree, E-6000 all the way, so easy to rip those cover strips off if ever needed.  

[DroidHunter]

E6000! Great start to your build. And to answer your question, I made bicep hooks for mine.

[Pencap510]

E6000!! If your in a hurry, and want to use zap a gap- do so ONLY in the pieces that NEVER move. Like the shins, that are constantly opened, and pulled apart-- MUST HAVE E6000 for the flexibility it gives.

[russellr2d2[TK]]

I'm getting some good tips here, thanks everyone.

[I'm Batman[501st]]

Just to add another comment to the mix - I decided to use CA on the bits that were easy and wouldn't be required to be taken apart. Started on the biceps too. Guess what, I later had to take the biceps apart..... e6000 from then on.

 

And no, I didn't use the hooks, just elastic and snaps going from shoulder to become Tom ore arm.

[Sly11[Admin]]

I used CA for the entire build, you just need to be careful, precise and methodical when using it.

Zipp kicker came in handy for tricky bits when I needed an instant bond, like on my AP Sniper plate (renowned for being awkward to fit).

To me the fast bond time vs 24hrs of E6000 was a winner but a combination of the two certainly has merit on parts that might need possible resizing if you were to gain or lose weight in the future.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DroidHunter]

It all depends how confident you are in your build. I did it all with E6000, no matter the size or difficulty. I liked having the ability to reposition. But this was the first project of such a magnitude for me so I felt better going slow and having a safety switch, so to speak.

[gazmosis[501st]]

I agree with sly and I agree with the E6000. I have used both with success. But Andrew's words are golden. You REALLY need to be specific in your application. I marked the location of everything and rehearsed every application. I wiped down all my surfaces with alcohol so they were super clean. I never needed the zip kicker, though. I had it...just never used it.

[hon143]

how long did you have to wait for the ata armor? i'm on the waitlist and it's excruciating.

Edited January 1, 2015 by hon143

[deadvision]

how long did you have to wait for the ata armor? i'm on the waitlist and it's excruciating.

When did you get on?

[hon143]

When did you get on?

i think it was in late oct or early nov.....not that long ago. so, i've been collecting all the needed supplies, built my bucket already, and am currently working on my hasbro blaster. just waiting for the doopy doo kit to arrive.

[deadvision]

i think it was in late oct or early nov.....not that long ago. so, i've been collecting all the needed supplies, built my bucket already, and am currently working on my hasbro blaster. just waiting for the doopy doo kit to arrive.

I got on the list early may. My kit is looking to be ready in Feb. But I may not need it since I got an mtk kit.

[wonko]

I'll be getting a set of ATA too and will be watching and learning along with you on this one.  The fix you did tuened out great!

 

Brian

[DarSec[TK]]

This look awesome so far.  If your whole build goes this well you're gonna have a killer suit.  My ATA should be ready tomorrow (1/2/15) so I can't WAIT to get started building.  I have my TM Hero ready to paint, so hopefully the armor will zip along over the winter.  I'm looking forward to following your build.  Mine should start soon after I get my BBOWP (big box of white plastic).

[russellr2d2[TK]]

Finishing up the second bicep Jan 1 2015....HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 I had already started the trimming and gluing using the CA glue so it is together. But, for the cover strips I will start using the E6000 from now on in case I need to change something.

 

This bicep went together a little more difficult this time.  The edges met up Ok but there was some gaps at the two ends and, the shape of the bicep was a little too triangular to fit my arm well.  

I took off as much return edge as I could stand and it was still fitting tight on my arm ( guess I also forgot to test fit it before trimming away the sides and gluing it up! )

 

Look at the shape of the front of the bicep. It looks very triangular.  This is squeezing my arm at the front end. At the back end it is loose.

I am think after an hour of wearing this piece and it will hurt so I will do some adjustments.

 

NOTE: I do not consider any of these conditions as a "defect" in the plastic piece.  I have vacuum formed plastic myself and it is not a precision process. We should expect to do little 

fixes and fills and some bending in building armor. Hey its part of the fun as far as I am concerned!  If I wanted to build a plastic model I would go to Revell or Tamiya !

 

    

 

 

 

I had an idea of using my heat gun and my vice.  I put the bicep into my vise to squeeze out the triangle shape while I hit it really - super- carefully with my heat gun.  

I heated it without getting it soft. Just hot to the touch. I let the vice pressure do the rest and left it overnight.

 

With the bicep in the vice. Warming it up with the heat gun...carufully!                       Now the front opening of the bicep is much more round. This is much better fitting!

     

 

 

 

I also made some "GOOP".   This is a great idea I gleaned from this site and all of you guys.  For those that don't know what "GOOP" is, it is scrap pieces of your  ABS armor kit chopped up and dropped into a jar of 1-2oz of acetone.  Let it sit a day or two and you have a white paste that is great for filling gaps, and such.  I filled in the gaps at each end of my biceps. It evidently takes a day or two to re-harden.  Below is the "GOOP" making process. Add pieces until they melt and you get a nice gooey paste.

 

   

 

 

 

Here the end gap is filled and I started to sand it. The GOOP is hard enough to sand overnight.

I will continue to sand and polish this so it will be unseen later. Neat stuff!   

 

   

 

 

The two biceps almost done. This weekend I will glue on the two cover strips on the left bicep and fine sand the GOOP fillers then they are ready for snap plates!

I will start using the E6000 now as others said it is a good idea in case of boo-boos.

 

 

The last bicep getting its cover strips via E600 glue.  Using a combination of clamps and magnets. Those little magnets are so powerful it is hard to split them apart.

Edited January 3, 2015 by russellr2d2

[Brru[TK]]

Just curious, but what is the difference between ANH stunt and ANH Hero?

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

There's already thousands threads about that here, or on another sites.

http://starwarshelmets.com/original-stormtrooper-helmets-sub-submenu.htm

 

Just curious, but what is the difference between ANH stunt and ANH Hero?

 

[Brru[TK]]

Thanks. Sorry if my question was inappropriate, but I guess my newb reflexes kicked in. I just realized that I have ATA plastic identical to the mod's. This is only an issue considering I wasn't sure if I was following the correct CRL.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Brru

[russellr2d2[TK]]

FOREARMS:

 

I am putting together the forearms and notice the right side is HUGE in diameter.  Do any of you guys/gals have a trick to make it smaller.  

 

I really do not like the front of the forearm being so large because you can see down into it.

 

I would like to know if any of you have taken this forearm down to make it smaller.

 

Thanks!!

 

 

   

[russellr2d2[TK]]

I just noticed that I should have been posting this thread in another place on the boards.  I have asked the forum mods to move it. Lets see if they can.