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

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

 

18 hours ago, TheLorelei said:

But are you sure about the bottom of the chest? It seems like a Hero thing to me, and Stunt should have the return edge.

 

There are no requirements for a return edge on the bottom of the chest for Stunt or Hero.  In a lot of areas they add a thicker look to the armor, but in others they can be impractical and/or downright uncomfortable!  If you take a look at the screen used armor, (pics below) there are a LOT of places where it was removed completely, (shoulder bells, biceps, tops of the thighs, wrists, forearm openings, sides of the chest/back pieces), etc.  A few folks who have needed to cut them down significantly for sizing purposes have actually recreated them using a heat sealing iron for that thicker look, but to be honest it is a LOT of work.  Plus, heat sealing irons can destroy a perfectly good piece of armor very quickly if you are not adept at using one, so I for one say leave them off.  The tops/bottoms of the kidney, top of the posterior, tops of the calves and bottom of the thighs should be kept on, though (even if minimally) for the thicker look.

 

           

[TheLorelei[TK]]

11 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

there are a LOT of places where it was removed completely

Wow. Great pictures. Gotcha! Thank you again! 

 

Ok. Every time I take a picture the button panel seems to grow a cm. It looks well within the raised are from here, though! What say, all? Trim it down more? I know people sometimes get snagged for this on EIB apps.

 

[Rat[TK]]

I'm sure one of the DO team will chime in on this, but I think it looks good. Perhaps round off the edges just a bit, but I'll defer to those that make call on the higher levels.

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[Rat[TK]]

Not edges. Corners, they're called corners.

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[TheLorelei[TK]]

Man, I'm beginning to not know what to do without your quick replies, Rat! 

Cool. Rounding corners is easy enough. Seems to me the old suits had real sharp edges though. I mean, look at Luke's suit here.

http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/fisd1/media/ANH/bluray/2 cropped/abdetail.jpg.html

And his button plate is cut pretty much to the raised part! Argh.

[Rat[TK]]

Man, I'm beginning to not know what to do without your quick replies, Rat! 
Cool. Rounding corners is easy enough. Seems to me the old suits had real sharp edges though. I mean, look at Luke's suit here.
http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/fisd1/media/ANH/bluray/2 cropped/abdetail.jpg.html
And his button plate is cut pretty much to the raised part! Argh.

Hahahaha! Yeah I keep strange hours. Yeah the hard edges can be softened with some fine grit sandpaper, but I don't think it matters for the button plates. The only thing that I can say here is that you don't want too much extra on them. It really comes down to your GML and the DO team there. Like I said though it seems good to go.

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[TheLorelei[TK]]

Haha, join the club. Gotcha. Riiight, GML. Lemme shoot it over to mine. Thanks!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

3 hours ago, TheLorelei said:

Man, I'm beginning to not know what to do without your quick replies, Rat! 

Cool. Rounding corners is easy enough. Seems to me the old suits had real sharp edges though. I mean, look at Luke's suit here.

http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/fisd1/media/ANH/bluray/2 cropped/abdetail.jpg.html

And his button plate is cut pretty much to the raised part! Argh.

Just remember Luke and Han's suits are deemed HERO versions so some characteristics on those may not fit a STUNT version  

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

11 hours ago, TheLorelei said:

Man, I'm beginning to not know what to do without your quick replies, Rat! 

Cool. Rounding corners is easy enough. Seems to me the old suits had real sharp edges though. I mean, look at Luke's suit here.

http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/fisd1/media/ANH/bluray/2 cropped/abdetail.jpg.html

And his button plate is cut pretty much to the raised part! Argh.

The corners of both ab button plates should be squared off, Lorelei.  Rounding them off may be a little more aesthetically pleasing, and honestly will not make a big difference for approval, but for screen accuracy the corners should be at a sharp 90 degree angle just as yours is now.  When they were constructing the original suits, I imagine they just wanted to get them done and didn't bother with the small details like this.  Little did they realize at the time that their handiwork would be scrutinized so much, lol!  Here is another example:

[Rat[TK]]

The corners of both ab button plates should be squared off, Lorelei.  Rounding them off may be a little more aesthetically pleasing, and honestly will not make a big difference for approval, but for screen accuracy the corners should be at a sharp 90 degree angle just as yours is now.  When they were constructing the original suits, I imagine they just wanted to get them done and didn't bother with the small details like this.  Little did they realize at the time that their handiwork would be scrutinized so much, lol!  Here is another example:

Did not realize this Joseph.

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[justjoseph63[Staff]]

2 minutes ago, Rat said:

Did not realize this Joseph.
 

Not to worry, my friend....  I literally learn something new here every single day!  Now, if I could just remember it all I would be in good shape, lol!

[Rat[TK]]

Not to worry, my friend....  I literally learn something new here every single day!  Now, if I could just remember it all I would be in good shape, lol!

Hahahaha! That's the real trick of it though isn't it?

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[ukswrath[Staff]]

Great work so far Lorelei . Looks like you've got some great advice also.  

[TheLorelei[TK]]

Thanks, all! Glad to hear the edges of the button plates are sharp. Mine still are.

On 9/23/2018 at 8:08 PM, gmrhodes13 said:

Just remember Luke and Han's suits are deemed HERO versions so some characteristics on those may not fit a STUNT version  

That's exactly what I meant about the return on the lower edge of the chest! Not that it's *required* necessarily, but that it's a definite hallmark of a stunt vs a hero. Hm. 

[TheLorelei[TK]]

Last Night in Review

I did Things. Many Things. I feel quite accomplished, and so excited about this build in general. Look at all these [predominantly] smooth edges!!

Woo! I got a round of advice and turned my oversized button plates into these marvelous masterpieces:

And you know what else I did? Left my cutproof gloves in the rain and didn't wear them and cut BOTH of my hands in a matter of an hour. PPE, people, PPE.

I'll be cleaning up all these edges a bit more but I'm still quite pleased with the work the ol' non-Dremel Dremel got done. I put it in the vise like so

and gave myself the luxury of using both hands (not pictured - once more, where's my third arm when I need it?) to draw my pieces across the sanding disc. It made for a much smoother sanding time, bracing my elbows against my torso and swaying back and forth. Dancin' with Smudge already. 

Speaking of button plates, I followed this billhagram for initial sizing which matched my ATA ab in every dimension except one.

The vertical sizing on the smaller button plate is glaringly different.

Weird, huh? Oh well. I ended up sanding down past those dimensions a couple mm anyway, but it was a good jumping off point. The buttons on this ATA panel have always bugged me - they're just so BIG - maybe they look even bigger than they are cause they're skooshed into a shorter space? - but I digress. I also barely started trimming the ears.  I stopped filing them before I got to the proper spot, I know.

I've seen plenty of tutorials on working with them, but the fact that my kit came with two sets right off the bat makes me feel like I'll need them... these and the forearms are the only things really bugging me at the moment. The forearms are so so thick I can't seem to bend them at all. Taking the return edge down some more may help. We shall see. One last thing - the TD tube!

I went with a generic Rust-oleum grey. Anybody following along think it's very important I use the Testors grey from the traps/tears/buttons instead?

 

Over and out!

[Rat[TK]]

Looking good Lorelei.

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[Rat[TK]]

Not sure of the correct color of the TD. I think it is a slightly lighter color though.

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[TheLorelei[TK]]

Just now, Rat said:

Not sure of the correct color of the TD. I think it is a slightly lighter color though.

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It did end up darker than I would have liked, too. :/ maybe now that it's nice and smooth I can hand paint over it with the Testors. I have a gut feeling I should. Though let me consult my fellow paint experts and see if the Testors will bond to the weird wonder that is Rust-oleum...

[Rat[TK]]

It did end up darker than I would have liked, too. :/ maybe now that it's nice and smooth I can hand paint over it with the Testors. I have a gut feeling I should. Though let me consult my fellow paint experts and see if the Testors will bond to the weird wonder that is Rust-oleum...

I think a lighter shade of grey would suffice. Hand painting that with your testors would be a pain unless you're airbrushing.

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[ukswrath[Staff]]

If you don't like to hand paint I've found Testors 1238T spray enamel is a very close runner up to the screen accurate  Humbrol #5 or Testors 1138, and can be found at most hobby stores. 

 

Michaels - http://www.michaels.com/testors-gloss-enamel-spray/10060926.html?cm_mmc=PLASearch-_-google-_-MICH_National_PLA_Shopping_Null_Null_All+Products_General-_-Crafts+and+Hobbies&gclid=Cj0KCQjwuafdBRDmARIsAPpBmVXP9vkmP095akiW2smqsYMRcwvRQeYwDkMSg324kcbKXHNOGnK3YqoaAsb9EALw_wcB

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I’ve used some paint that I’ve had laying around, primer grey then coated in clear gloss, came up a treat  

[TheLorelei[TK]]

3 hours ago, ukswrath said:

If you don't like to hand paint I've found Testors 1238T spray enamel is a very close runner up to the screen accurate

Great, thanks! We sell some Testors sprays at work, too - got one to try this evening.

3 hours ago, gmrhodes13 said:

I’ve used some paint that I’ve had laying around, primer grey then coated in clear gloss, came up a treat  

Primer really does seem to be the right color. Nice work-around!

[TheLorelei[TK]]

Eye questions. I'm neck deep in pictures of ANH stunt eyes, don't worry, I'm just scared of cutting my own wrong. Here's where they stand now, for reference when looking at the back -

These lines I sketched where there was a significant dip in the plastic. Seems to be the proper cut line. It would definitely reduce the depth of the eyes a lot, which I fear, but recognize the necessity of.

Another observation which I'd like the accuracy of checked, please, is that many stunts' eyes go near clear to the inner edge of the nose bridge. Hardly any depth left there.

So here I sit, analyzing proper Wonk, and being torn between idealization and accuracy. Halp!

[Rat[TK]]

I'd say it looks good where you have your lines, but I'm not familiar with the trimming of the depth of that part. The eyes and teeth look good though.

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[gatetrooper[TK]]

I look forward to the daily edition of TK life with Lorelei.  This build has high entertainment value!

 

I'd say you have room to trim both the eyes (to the trim lines you drew) and the teeth a bit more.

Edited September 26, 2018 by gatetrooper