Ensi's ANH Stunt Build [ATA] With Centurion in mind!

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

I got the same gloves.  You are good

[Ensi[TK]]

On 7/22/2018 at 12:21 AM, StrmTRPR85 said:

I got the same gloves.  You are good

Great  Got everything then.

 

Also, question:

 

Does how I do my interior strapping matter at all as long as it looks good from the outside? I want to make most of the pieces separable for easier transport.

 

For example, put snaps on the other side of the left ab/cod rivets, velcro fastening on biceps to forearms elastic, etc. 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Ensi

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

58 minutes ago, Ensi said:

Does how I do my interior strapping matter at all as long as it looks good from the outside? I want to make most of the pieces separable for easier transport.

 

For example, put snaps on the other side of the left ab/cod rivets, velcro fastening on biceps to forearms elastic, etc. 

As long as you look good on the outside what is not seen will not impact approval.  I know some individuals have done an ABS like "hook" on the right side to prevent things from popping out, and keeping the ab armor close together.

[Ensi[TK]]

So the e6000 got done curing and I tried on my shins. I'm not entirely sure if this is good enough or if I should try to adjust or just rip it off and do velcro. Middle hook of my right shin slid during curing so it's not connected in these pics.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

3 hours ago, Ensi said:

So the e6000 got done curing and I tried on my shins. I'm not entirely sure if this is good enough or if I should try to adjust or just rip it off and do velcro. Middle hook of my right shin slid during curing so it's not connected in these pics.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Looks good! Just like mine before I put them in a hot water bath to close them more in the back.  Elastics you can always pull off, reposition and glue again to make them tighter.

 

Also can bend the hooks more so they hold better

Edited July 28, 2018 by StrmTRPR85

[Ensi[TK]]

8 hours ago, StrmTRPR85 said:

Looks good! Just like mine before I put them in a hot water bath to close them more in the back.  Elastics you can always pull off, reposition and glue again to make them tighter.

 

Also can bend the hooks more so they hold better

Ok nice, thanks  They are pretty tight on there as is, so might have to do some heatshaping to close it up a bit more. For now i'll consider them ok and move on 

[DBGrip]

I've been debating elastic vs velcro. I'll keep watching to see how this turns out. I wonder if your elastic might be too thick, adding to the closure gap, and I think you doubled it over as well...Look forward to your solutions.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

[DBGrip]

I've been debating elastic vs velcro. I'll keep watching to see how this turns out. I wonder if your elastic might be too thick, adding to the closure gap, and I think you doubled it over as well...Look forward to your solutions.

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

48 minutes ago, DBGrip said:

doubled it over as well.

You double over the end to make a loop too make it easier to grab and clasp.  Even with velcro it could still push on it and provide a gap.

 

I know in shasha's build she did velcro and still ended up heating them to close the gap.

[TheSwede[TK]]

On 7/28/2018 at 12:36 AM, Ensi said:

What do you think?

Verdict on shins: Centurion ready 

 

I would however try to close that top gap on the right shin

[Ensi[TK]]

35 minutes ago, TheSwede said:

Verdict on shins: Centurion ready 

 

I would however try to close that top gap on the right shin

Awesome!

 

Regluing the pesky middle hook closed them up better  

[Ensi[TK]]

So got quite a bit done lately 

 

Installed most of the snaps and strapping on the armor. Elastic everywhere except butt-kidney where i've used nylon. Note, you can see the butt going inwards a lot and this is intentional. By simulating the belt with my hands the butt flared out way too much. I put a pan on the stove, boiled some water, and submerged the point of bend on the butt while holding it in the shape I wanted. Keep it there until you feel it "give", then take it out immediately and shower it under cold water. Worked great!

 

 

 

Double butt snaps and right side upper ab snap

 

 

Cod brass split rivet (wow this was a pain, had to trim down a longer split rivet to be able to even bend it!)

 

 

Shoulder bridge elastic

 

 

Glued sniper knee

 

 

Han Hooks

 

 

Also, am I correct in that the yellow line here would be the correct angle for ANH Stunt? I seem to have gotten a spare brow trim with the kit which is great!

 

 

 

[StrmTRPR85[TK]]

I think your brow trim is fine.  I've seen straight and angled.

 

Good work!

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Jeff is correct on both points. For the sake of argument here's a reference pic of the stunt helmet. 

 

 

 

 

[Ensi[TK]]

33 minutes ago, StrmTRPR85 said:

I think your brow trim is fine.  I've seen straight and angled.

 

Good work!

Great! I've seen different angles as well and had to ask.  Thanks man 

 

11 minutes ago, ukswrath said:

Jeff is correct on both points. For the sake of argument here's a reference pic of the stunt helmet. 

 

Awesome! I can feel the end of this build  Also Tony, wanted to ask. I want to do the left side ab-rivets like I have done my cod rivet. Smack them into a snap to have that functionality and ease of transport. Would this be ok for L3?  

Edited August 1, 2018 by Ensi

[ukswrath[Staff]]

4 minutes ago, Ensi said:

 I want to do the left side ab-rivets like I have done my cod rivet. Smack them into a snap to have that functionality and ease of transport. Would this be ok for L3?  

Absolutely, so long as they're correct on the outside 

[TheSwede[TK]]

Great work

[Ensi[TK]]

Thanks all! Build is slowly moving along while waiting for various shipments.

 

I attacked the shim today, first time with ABS paste. And I do NOT like it lol, stringy and awkward to apply. Just like E6000 

 

But i'm having some problems, after applying and sanding it down, I noticed it's kind of translucent? There's a dark line running down the area of the seam. The photos do NOT show how it really is, it's more noticeable in real life. It's either the paste or the slight height difference of the shim->kidney that's creating a shadow.

 

 

I've done 2 rounds of paste->sanding and now on the third application after noticing some air bubbles. If the third round doesn't fix the black line i'll just fill the remaining holes and dust it with white spray paint. The paint I used for my TFA actually matches the ABS of this kit perfectly, I can't even see the difference (hint: i've sprayed half of it, also note the scratches in the upper left).

 

[Ensi[TK]]

Not being satisfied with the ABS paste, and also considering the paint seeming (hehe) to match.. I went ahead and used body filler and paint.

 

 

 

I REALLY lucked out on the paint match here, it is DEAD ON

Up close in the correct lighting you'll see the body filler. Not that good with fillers yet, but it's not noticeable at all from a small distance.

 

 

For any Norwegian, Swedish, or Finnish folks here that have a 2012 ATA kit, this is the paint I used (gloss white):

 

https://www.clasohlson.com/no/CRC-Pro-Paint-spraylakk/Pr346047001

Edited November 2, 2018 by Ensi
Updated spray paint link

[TheSwede[TK]]

Came out great

[Ensi[TK]]

Installed ab left-side rivets into snaps (keep in mind the rivets here were trimmed down prior to installation)

 

 

Installed the thigh ammo pack

 

 

Glued thigh elastic (measured a bit much the first time as you can see here..)

 

 

Current fitment of lower body

 

 

Got the rest of the strapping done

 

 

Velcro on bicep-forearm connection

 

 

Nylon straps on left ab connection

 

 

All that is left now is the helmet, ab-buttons, shoulder bridges, handguards, painting, and belt+TD assembly, but i'm still waiting for my order from Burkbench before that can be started.

 

Also PS if you're taking pictures in a mirror... IT'S MIRRORED  It was my left shin showing a gap, not the right one. Glued the upper elastic a little bit more and it solved the issue 

 

After test fitting a bit I am considering switching out the shoulder bridge elastic with white nylon. The elastic is not strong enough and the bells pull the elastic out a lot. Just moving slightly misaligns them.

Edited August 13, 2018 by Ensi

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Nice job! 

[TheSwede[TK]]

Home-stretch

[Ensi[TK]]

Build has kinda stalled, part motivation and part waiting for parts. Contacted Burkbench and he made a mistake in my order, crossing the wrong Daniel off the list apparently. Oh well, human mistake. Said he would get right on it. Coming up on 3 weeks since that message, gonna send him another one soon.

 

Gave the mic tips a coat of white and scuffed them up a bit

 

 

Added the last ear screws and countersunk them. Do this with a drill bit about the size of the screw head BY HAND. DO NOT USE A DRILL.

 

 

Before/after

 

 

I've also been polishing up the helmet and various parts to give them that Death Star shine. Using the drill backing plate for a car headlight restoration kit, I cut up one of my polishing pads and used Menzerna SF-3500 to get rid of 6 years of wear and tear and just laying in a box.

 

 

Here's a video showing a 50/50. Man does it make a difference..

 

 

Also managed to do another test-fit of my armor. Please tell me if you see something  The belt will close up the side gaps and also hopefully fix the buttplate trying to sneak under the kidney.

 

Click the images for higher res.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also ordered a new undersuit from stormtrooperundersuit  

 

EDIT: Might have to pad the shins or add elastic to prevent rotation.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Ensi

[CableGuy[Admin]]

That's looking REALLY nice, Daniel. Keep up the good work.