Poseidon's ANH Hero build

[Poseidon[501st]]

Hey all, this thread is for my ANH Hero build. It is my first build, but I am trying to go for Centurion. Bear with me as I have been sitting on this kit for over a year, and have been working on it in short bursts. I am working with a TrooperMaster ANH hero build.

First the real deal, BBB came about two years ago in the winter of 2015

 

I am using primarily E-6000 so I can (hopefully) correct any easy mistakes

 

My goal for this was to cut everything out, glue it together, snap it, fit it, and work on the helmet last.

 

Thus far I have everything cut out, and am fitting it together

 

Here is where I am at right now.

Once I get situated, I will take pictures of the individual pieces.

 

Edited November 14, 2017 by Poseidon

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking forward to the progress good luck

[magni[TK]]

Looks like your off to a good start. Keep at it and you'll be done before you know it! 

[CableGuy[TK]]

Wow - two years in its BBB. You must be really pleased to be making progress now. :-)

Looking good so far. :-)


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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Better late than never, Tom, and GREAT to hear that you are aiming for Centurion!  Looks as if things are coming along nicely, and having a build thread is always advantageous because you can post photos (we love photos) and ask any questions you may have in the same place.

Looking forward to your build and eventually seeing your EIB submission photos on your way to Centurion!

[Poseidon[501st]]

Exciting times and more pictures. I made a tool to help trace the edges of my thighs and offset them, and cut them down

 

 

 

All cut down!

 

 

 

test fit time!

 

 

works good

 

Test fit for the belt seems to work well too. 

 

[Poseidon[501st]]

Let’s make a neck seal!

 

I found some vinyl at the fabric store, and it seems to work. 

 

Make a pattern first

 

 

 

Test patch to see if it works

 

 

seems good 

 

prep the real piece now

 

 

bit of sewing aaaaaaaaaand

 

 

 

 

I’m happy with the results. 

[Poseidon[501st]]

Ok, lets make some gloves!

 

I got the latex handguards and gloves from Trooperbay. Not terribly complicated here.

 

 

 

 

Easy peasey lemon squeezy. I would have like for them to come preassembled, but oh well.

 

[Poseidon[501st]]

Test fit time!

 

 

Beer and test fit time!

 

 

 

I never realized how warm it could be wearing this rig!

Edited October 20, 2017 by RanchRelaxo

[Poseidon[501st]]

So question time. My arm movement is a bit restricted. Can I still get Centurion if I put hooks on the becips to hold up the elastic? The elastic keeps drooping down. Also, I think it would help if I trimmed away the inside of the forearm a bit. I am happy with how it hangs on my wrist, so I want to take away from the top a little bit.

 

 

Also I discovered I still need to remove the return edge on the inside of the forearm, per Centurion standards.

 

No rest for the wicked.

[Shanester[TK]]

You mean "Han hooks"?  I have them and I am a Centurion.  Most troopers seem to use them actually.  Good luck. Looking sharp. 

[Poseidon[501st]]

Finally got time to start on the helmet. 

 

Sketch out the cut lines

 

 

Close up

 

 

Rough cut, Go for the eyes Boo!

 

 

 

Some sanding and light filing. 

 

 

 

Frown is next!

 

[68Brick[TK]]

Great Progress Tom & nice work on the bucket and neck seal!

 

A few things that will need some adjustment (from what I see) are:

• your thigh straps need adjustment, move right side strap out, and move both straps so thighs sit higher. Even out the black between the cod and the thighs.
• padding - you might need to insert some padding in front of your shins to move the sniper plate away from your thigh. This will ensure the sniper plate does not interfere with your thigh. You might also need to add some padding in the back of your thigh to pull it firmly against your leg to gain even more space. 
• adjust your drop boxes on your belt, check crl for guidance.
• Your forearms look oversized to me, both in girth and length. Do you have excess room in your forearms? Maybe you're muscular and need the room. Also the length. They look to be resting on your wrists, which will limit your hand movement and eventually give you armour bites. You might have to trim them for length and/or adjust the position of them on your arms.
• Han hooks aren't required for EIB or Centurion, but if they help hold your biceps in place then go for it.

Please don't view these as negative criticism, but as constructive points. We want troopers to look their best and you are well on your way!  Keep it up! 

[Poseidon[501st]]

That is why I am posting here, for the assistance!

 

I plan on installing poppers for the drop boxes and the thigh garters to help keep them in place and at the right height.

 

My forearms are a bit bigger, but I will definitely check the fit next time I try on my suit for a test. I plan on making han hooks and see where the armor rests on my wrists.  I want to eliminate all fitting issues before I trim the tops down and make a mistake.

 

 How close in would you recommend the fit?

 

 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Keep up the great work Tom  Also, looks like Brad is giving you some solid advice .

[Poseidon[501st]]

Next stop, frown town.

 

I decided to sand away on the inside to try to remove the material, as I saw in one helmet tutorial. 

 

Pic of inside. 

 

 

I chickened out before I removed too much. 

 

 

Bit of work with an exacto knife and some filing

 

 

And there we are. 

 

 

 

Next stop, trim the cap and back, and hopefully attach these buggers. 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Looking good. You'll need to take of a bit more off on the teeth. Here's a reference photo

 

[Poseidon[501st]]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. Thanks for the reference pic. Mine was from a bit further away, so it was harder to tell.

[Poseidon[501st]]

Ok, after ukswrath pointed out my teeth needed some work and gave me a much better reference pic, I did some more filing.

 

 

View from top

 

View from bottom

 

 

Anyone care to put a second pair of eyes on these and tell me if it looks good?

[ukswrath[Staff]]

 How about 1-1/2 eyes. Looks good

[Poseidon[501st]]

Lets trim a helmet and put it together.

 

Sketch it out.

 

 

 

Drill those holes to prevent cracking

 

 

Ok, trim it up, and start fitting it together

 

 

I am doing an ANH Hero, so I have to have that 'serious' brow. These boys aren't here to play.

 

 

Test fit, it looks good

 

 

Tape it up to clamp it up. Not shown are the clamps.

 

 

Pop rivet that bad boy in place. Don't forget your inside washers!

 

 

Next up, ears.

 

[Poseidon[501st]]

My dudes, let me tell you about the most frustrating, least rewarding (in my opinion in this moment) part of my build. The ears.

 

Holy Crap. I watched videos, looked at tons of threads and reference pictures, took my time. It was not fun, nor easy. I felt like a barber trying to even out someones haircut until the guy ended up bald.

 

Enough bellyaching. Picture time.

 

Sketch out the ears. Look ma, three bumps!

 

I started with the left first

 

 

Cut, fit, wiggle, sand, test, repeat ad naseum.

 

 

Eventually I got there.

 

 

 

 

I am not super happy with it. I know gaps are normal, and screen accurate...still, I tried my hardest.

 

 

Now the right ear. Oh that right ear. Here is my first effort. No bueno, even by my untrained eye.

 

 

 

Lets try that again. Fortunately, TrooperMaster put two sets of ears in my box.

 

Round 2

The word here I would use is 'better' than the first. Not really happy with it, but I think it looks ok...if only just

 

 

But it isn't terrible

 

and from 10 feet away, it pretty much disappears.

 

 

Next up painting. Maybe some tool dip.

Edited October 28, 2017 by RanchRelaxo

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Nice work

[troopermaster]

You can trim the ears more. Don't be afraid of taking too much off. The original ears are thin. Here is one I built to show you they can be trimmed more.

[Poseidon[501st]]

Dude, I am super scared, no joke. How much do you charge for replacement ears?