Lorelei's 5'4" ATA ANH-S Centurion-Hopeful Build

[PhilBobTheFish]

3 hours ago, TheLorelei said:

@gmrhodes13 @Frank75139 @Bud Spaklur You guys and the ice cream - dying here. Oh yeah, and here's 20! 

I'll take a double scoop cookie dough. I know it'll take a bit to ship, but I can wait. 

[Rat[TK]]

Stunning work lorelei!

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[TheLorelei[TK]]

On 2/6/2019 at 3:54 PM, Rat said:

Stunning work lorelei!

Thanks, Rat!

 

Still alive over here. Garrison elections have finally gotten sorted and I've soft-picked my debut troop in April so all that remains is to get approved by then.  which shouldn't be TOO hard, considering how much I'm beginning to look like a tk... another armor party on Saturday afforded the opportunity to finalize some strapping lengths and shave down some armor-bitey areas around the cod, as well as pass on some paint and advice to a couple fellow cadets who recently started their TK builds. Turns out I know a decent bit now, y'all... and what I can't remember off the top of my head, I can find in my reference photo album. Anyway, here's the (SHOULDER STRAPPING NOT IN) look:

Also, pardon the lighting.

This was before I reshaped the inner thighs. They're currently slimmer (but with the same curves).

Forgot my holster hanging straps so no holster in pic. Loving the hinge on that side though! The other side, not so much.

It has elastic strapping which is stretching far too readily, and then when it would go back together, the tab system provides just enough pressure to keep it spread apart. Also the lower snap hits my hip bone. I will be rethinking that closure.

Ignore the black everywhere up top. Bib needs to be hemmed/tamed, had it on for sizing purposes. Think I'll trim my shoulder straps in the back. Anybody have input on how much I take off?

 

Then I had to run upstairs to get cell signal.

So I did.

I sounded like a pile of Tupperware in a large mixer, but it was perfectly comfortable and I came downstairs with no problems. Only snag was that my left chest snaps came undone then, and whenever else I moved much. I'll have to readdress them.

Then, when nobody was watching my potentially really really stupid move, I set up my camera on a timer and tried to sit down.

And boy was it fun! I'll reinforce my butt plate with fiberglass tape and monitor for cracks. And try not to sit a lot. Maybe.

 

Left to do:

 

Sew in second halves of shoulder strap snaps (say that five times fast)

Create shoulder bell-bicep wrap strap and bell-bicep hang strap

Make elastic boot top cinchers

Pad back thigh

Rethink right ab-kidney connection

Reshape lower calf openings

Make strap from gloves to upper edge of forearm armor to keep cuffs from slipping down

Repaint tube stripes with new brushes

Mount ears, hovi mics, pad bucket

Paint various hardware white

Purchase ski mask/helmet liner

Finish edges of neck seal bib

 

And, longer term, I have to refinish my blaster and mess with helmet electronics. But the stuff above is more immediately necessary for approval.

So.

[shashachu[TK]]

Looking awesoooooome! Don't forget the white paint on the left side ab/kidney rivets.

 

Also, a nitpick: your ab button paint is super clean but they look a bit large. Ideally they should be slightly smaller than the plastic.

 

[Frank75139[501st]]

What troop in April? I’m gonna see if I can swing being there for the debut.


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looking good  

[ukswrath[Staff]]

On 12/18/2018 at 12:28 PM, TheLorelei said:

Shoot!!! And I thought about it, and I looked at your profile (and I called you Daniel yesterday, if you recall), and then I figured Hey, Rat probably knows better than I do. Dreadfully sorry, I mean I hate it when people shorten my name without being instructed to do so. Ugh.

Almost there Lorelei 

[TheLorelei[TK]]

1 hour ago, shashachu said:

Looking awesoooooome! Don't forget the white paint on the left side ab/kidney rivets.

 

Also, a nitpick: your ab button paint is super clean but they look a bit large. Ideally they should be slightly smaller than the plastic.

 

Thanks! Oh right, I forgot, on my list is to redo the ab button paint as well. It's all smudgy. Do you mean the paint or the button panels themselves? Because the four-button panel I'll agree with you is a bit large but if I trim it down much further I'm into the curves of the circles. I'll make the circles smaller to simulate the proper button size though, good catch.

 

1 hour ago, Frank75139 said:

What troop in April? I’m gonna see if I can swing being there for the debut.

LEGO Brickfest, hopefully!

[Frank75139[501st]]

Do Sunday that’s the day I’m planning on going in I can get off of work. Please....


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[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

5 minutes ago, TheLorelei said:

Do you mean the paint or the button panels themselves? Because the four-button panel I'll agree with you is a bit large but if I trim it down much further I'm into the curves of the circles. I'll make the circles smaller to simulate the proper button size though, good catch.

That would be the paint looks a little large, if you check the reference the painted area just stops short of the outline of the circle.

 

[TheLorelei[TK]]

31 minutes ago, Frank75139 said:

Do Sunday that’s the day I’m planning on going in I can get off of work. Please....

I'll see what I can do! Keep you posted.

 

28 minutes ago, gmrhodes13 said:

That would be the paint looks a little large, if you check the reference the painted area just stops short of the outline of the circle.

Phew, much easier fix and I was going to repaint anyway, like I said. I was shooting for that size circles, guess I'll go even smaller.

[TheSwede[TK]]

Looking good

 

Watch those clips though

[shashachu[TK]]

48 minutes ago, TheLorelei said:

Do you mean the paint or the button panels themselves? Because the four-button panel I'll agree with you is a bit large but if I trim it down much further I'm into the curves of the circles. I'll make the circles smaller to simulate the proper button size though, good catch.

Yup, just the paint itself. The panel trimming is

[TheLorelei[TK]]

3 hours ago, TheSwede said:

Looking good

 

Watch those clips though

But of course  that was the first time I'd ever put my td on the belt. It would be nice to have a mannequin so I could work on the back of me... anyway that's on the list now, thanks for noting it.

 

Just finished hemming the bib and sewing in the #10 snaps. I also took the large bump off of the back of the shoulder straps - I'll leave it at that for now as it's easy enough to take more off should someone suggest it down the road.

[gatetrooper[TK]]

Day-amn, Lorelei!  You're a TK!

 

I second Frank's request that you try for Sun at Brickfest. I'll be there that day with my wee jawa girls in tow.

 

This all started Labor Day weekend with a boiling pot of water, a deep breath and "here goes nothing". Looks like you've enjoyed the ride. :-)

Edited February 27, 2019 by gatetrooper

[lucnak[TK]]

Hey Lorelei, looking good! When you said shoulder strapping wasn't in yet, which straps are you referring to? I noticed your biceps moved forward which would indicate a need to strap the biceps to the shoulder bells if you haven't yet, but I'm thinking that may be what you were referring to!

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

Look everyone see sitting isnt that hard to do if you build it correctly!  Great work!

[TheLorelei[TK]]

18 hours ago, lucnak said:

Hey Lorelei, looking good! When you said shoulder strapping wasn't in yet, which straps are you referring to? I noticed your biceps moved forward which would indicate a need to strap the biceps to the shoulder bells if you haven't yet, but I'm thinking that may be what you were referring to!

Hey Luc! Thanks! No shoulder bell strapping was in. The long black strap running down my back was attached to the tops of the bells and sorta stuck under my chest-to-backplate shoulder straps, but the "underarm" elastic wasn't on the bells and neither was the bell-to-bicep elastic. Speaking of which, someone recommended I just put a popper right on the ridge of the bicep and on the underside of the ridge of the bell and stick 'em straight together, no strap. Anyone have any success doing that?

[shashachu[TK]]

1 hour ago, TheLorelei said:

Hey Luc! Thanks! No shoulder bell strapping was in. The long black strap running down my back was attached to the tops of the bells and sorta stuck under my chest-to-backplate shoulder straps, but the "underarm" elastic wasn't on the bells and neither was the bell-to-bicep elastic. Speaking of which, someone recommended I just put a popper right on the ridge of the bicep and on the underside of the ridge of the bell and stick 'em straight together, no strap. Anyone have any success doing that?

I imagine that'd pop apart the instant you moved your arms. So on a display mannequin that seems fine but when you're actually trooping I think you'd need more flexibility.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Elastic definitely allows movement, anything else without some give will just separate the snaps.

[lucnak[TK]]

Agreed with the other responses. I would also recommend putting the snap plate higher up in the shoulder bell so that you can push the biceps into the bells without unstrapping when packing up your kit. 

[TheLorelei[TK]]

Thanks again for all the input, y'all.

Things got more than usually crazy around here with my grandmother (with whom I lived) being in and out of the hospital for the past month+ and passing away this week. Post-funeral I took some time to sit outside in the lovely weather and breathe in some toxic fumes-- I mean, work on my armor.  (and really, I always wear an OV-grade respirator as I'm not about that fume life.) No pics as I had to dash off to a dinner, but I started wiping the buttons clean of paint (which is STILL not done after probably an hour of swabbing with mineral spirits and scraping with a corner of ABS - there's gotta be a better way and if somebody knows it, please spill), glued some elastic into the shoulder bell (which will have a snap on the other end to attach to my bicep), glued Velcro onto the inside of the back of my left thigh and the padding that goes there to keep the thigh behind the sniper knee (PS this padding is so nice, a high density foam supposedly for weatherproofing), glued white marine vinyl onto the kidney as part of my new (temporary) kidney-ab closure (I say temporary because I really do just need a new kidney and ab and will replace these soon but likely not before initial approval), and glued elastic to the lower cuff of my rubber gloves (which will also have a snap on the other end to attach to my upper inner forearm). I also painted part of my mechanical keyboard's case, which you'll most definitely get a picture of when it looks as Imperial as it eventually will.  To-do list, assuming revisiting/finalization of previously mentioned recent accomplishments, looks like:

 

Make elastic boot top cinchers (got the elastic!)

Reshape lower calf openings (more hot water baths...)

Repaint tube stripes with new brushes (not looking forward to getting all that paint off either)

Mount ears, hovi mics, pad bucket

Paint various hardware white (at least thigh ammo pack rivets today)

Address td brackets

Polish kidney repair seam

 

Longer-term:

Replace ab and kidney

Finish helmet electronics

Refinish blaster

 

There you have it. My highly paranthetical update. (P.S. Missed you guys.)

[shashachu[TK]]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Lorelei. Real life first, but we're glad you're back.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Were very sorry for your loss Lorelei.

 

Well be here for you when you're ready, no rush.

[Frank75139[501st]]

Sorry about your loss.


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