Scimitar's ANH Stunt Build - AP

[TheSwede[TK]]

Welcome to the Legion Trooper

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Congratulations and welcome to the ranks trooper 

[LTM[TK]]

Congrats again, Eric!!!

[wook1138[TK]]

Awesome work Erik!  Congrats!

[Scimitar[TK]]

Thanks everyone!!

 

First troop last night went great, I started a log in the Field Training Exercises section to keep track of them there. I didn't have any issues with the kit until I was taking it off, the cod snap came off the split rivet. I thought this might happen as the snap was pretty cheap/thin (it was installed before I had Tandy snaps), so it's getting replaced with a new split rivet and Tandy snap. Easy fix as soon as I get a replacement rivet tomorrow from Cricket (thanks!!), this one weakened and failed after trying to straighten the posts back up for the new snap. Then it's off to another troop!

 

I realized I had forgotten to run a couple strips of soft side Velcro on the back of the thermal detonator straps, so I had to polish out a few scratches today and then I took care of the straps. Also seen are my Nomex flight gloves that just arrived, so once I trim down and install the ABS hand guards I'll be using those when I can. The rubber gloves aren't terrible with liners, but the Nomex gloves are so much more comfortable. Especially in the humidity we have here.

 

 

[Scimitar[TK]]

Shout out to @zv288bot for the two challenge coins!! Thanks for helping to feed my coin addiction!!

The patch came from a Kylo Ren in the GA garrison (IG21826) who actually lives in my neighborhood and we had no idea until Cricket's armor party. Haha! He made sure he gave me my first Georgia Garrison patch. This community is nothing short of awesome!

 

 

 

Troop #2 yesterday went flawlessly and I had zero issues with the armor. As soon as I get some free time I'll be shooting my EIB application pictures.

[Scimitar[TK]]

After a few troops I found a couple things to improve on. Since I had to drop my biceps pretty low, the bell straps & Han hooks weren't working as they should. The straps would usually slide up on top of the bicep and pull it down or one side of the bicep would get out from under the shoulder bell and not go back by itself due to the tension from the strap.

 

I wasn't happy with either of those situations, so I left the nylon strap in the center and added two elastic straps at the front and rear. The result is exactly what I wanted: the bicep doesn't come out from under the bell, the outside centerline stays aligned, and it still has plenty of flexibility.

 

Now I just need to reinstall the required elastic strap to go around the bicep. It will still need a hook to keep it secured down around the bicep but the strap itself will be purely aesthetic.

 

 

I also noticed a couple places where the holster hardware was scratching into the armor. It's all hidden but I still like protecting it from that sort of thing. No more scratches now.

 

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

You will find if you add a hook to the bicep and the lower elastic to the shoulder bell they will stay up nicely

 

[Scimitar[TK]]

2 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

You will find if you add a hook to the bicep and the lower elastic to the shoulder bell they will stay up nicely

 

As noted above, that setup is what wasn't working unfortunately. As a result of lowering the biceps to accommodate my longer arms, the hooked straps sat at an extreme angle vs. a straight line across the bicep. In the picture below you can see how the strap isn't even touching the bicep. I'd end up with the strap getting caught under the bicep, on an upper corner of the bicep (which would pull the bicep down further), or the bicep would escape out from under the shoulder bell.

 

Now the strap and hooks will be there but only because the strap is a required item and the hook will still keep it across part of the bicep.

 

 

[Scimitar[TK]]

Well after a couple of troops the new elastic in the shoulder bell to bicep connection continues to work flawlessly, I'm very happy with this setup now.

 

The bad news is after 6 troops, one work event, and Halloween, both of my shins have developed small cracks at the tops from the stress of opening them to get them on and off. But not to worry, a little reinforcement and ABS paste and they'll be back up to par in no time. I currently have no events this month so my plan is to fix those and finally take pictures for EIB/Centurion.

 

 

[Scimitar[TK]]

1 hour ago, Bud Spaklur said:

Eric- I had a similar thing happen to one of my shins but was on the back of my shin as I was going up steps. But it’s kind of a blessing I disguise as it was some return edge....I just took off the piece that cracked, sanded and called it a day.

Separately, I still haven’t switched out my screws with the ones you sent me lol. I ordered a D ring and they’re just sitting on my work bench waiting..... you’ll get EIB and Centurion I’m sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ah. Yeah, both of these are on the return edge too, just up towards the front instead of the back. I thought about doing something similar to what you did but I'm going to try to keep the edges for now. I'll drill a small hole at the terminus of each crack, reinforce underneath, and fill. May add some reinforcements on the opposing sides too.

 

Haha! I get how it is with small projects, or any projects for that matter. I got so caught up with trooping I haven't had much time for anything else, I'm enjoying it so much. You'll get EIB and Centurion too!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

14 minutes ago, Bud Spaklur said:

Don’t know about that....I’d have to change out shoulder bridge strap snaps to sew-in snaps....I don’t sew and don’t wanna bother lol.
 

You definitely don't need sew-in snaps for any level, Matt.  There are a lot of areas on the average Centurion that are not "screen accurate", i.e. hook closures on the back of the calves, sew-in snaps, bracket fasteners, etc.  We realize that not everyone sews, and allow snaps to be set in nylon/elastic for strapping, Velcro on the calves and so on.

You have done an outstanding job on this build, and at this point I can't see anything holding you back from reaching Expert Infantry level should you choose to apply. 

 

[Scimitar[TK]]

So almost a year now since I was approved. 19 official troops and some more unofficial events/conventions under my white ammo belt (I really need to update my troop thread here & troop some more too) and the AP armor is still going very strong. I've had a couple small cracks to deal with but nothing major, one of them was actually a result of how I was packing the armor into the rolling case, easy fix there. After building an Anovos kit (more on that in a second) I've really come to appreciate the proper thickness and durability of the AP kit. I've put some automotive detailing experience into keeping it shiny and mostly scratch free and it makes a huge difference.

 

Posts are more fun with pictures, so here I am meeting the big boss at Dragon Con:

 

 

And lucky guy that I am, my wife now has a Legacy TK to troop along with me in white armor. She also has an approved Mara Jade & Padme Lake Dress, somehow she ended up with more approved costumes than I have! For now...

 

 

Back to what I was saying about Anovos, I snagged a great deal on a Shadow Trooper kit and built it just in time for Dragon Con (as in I was finishing the last pieces after we checked in to the hotel). I need to make a few minor adjustments and then I'll be submitting it for approval.

 

 

Apparently Shadow Troopers can find all of the droids they're looking for:

 

 

That's all for now!

 

[CableGuy[TK]]

Good work, Eric. Sounds like a busy, but very successful, year. :-)

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Congrats on your first year of trooping, the first of many more to come  

[Cricket[TK]]

Congrats, Eric!