Lord_Potato's Walt's Trooper Factory ANH TK Build (COMPLETE)

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, Lord_Potato said:

I really like that idea.......the concept of being able to remove the belt for maintenance or replacement seems to be a more efficient move than riveting. Have you had any issues with your snaps pooping off? I think I am leaning towards snaps but want to make sure that the snaps wont pop once the belt starts to curve. 

Once when playing laser tag having to crouch down to youngling height behind a barrier I did make sure the belt conformed to the armor, this way there is no tension on the snaps so haven't really had any other issues. 

[Chemi[Staff]]

4 hours ago, Lord_Potato said:

Good idea, I think I will do that if I still proceed to rivet my ammo belt onto the cloth belt. I am currently leaning on attaching the ammo belt via snaps. I am just afraid that it might be easy for them to randomly "pop" if the curvature of the belt is too much. I was thinking of doing a combination of velcro and snaps. Looking over your first RS build, your entire ammo belt was attached to the cloth belt via velcro. May I ask your thoughts on it? 

You can always put snaps and velcro if you want, and if it doesn't work well, change it to permanent rivets ...It would be a very easy fix.

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

3 minutes ago, Chemi said:

You can always put snaps and velcro if you want, and if it doesn't work well, change it to permanent rivets ...It would be a very easy fix.

 

 

Issue with Velcro is you don't always get it on in the right spot every time, snaps or rivets you do  

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Ab button plate is almost done. Had to take it apart to sand it down. It still stuck out a whole lot from the ab plate and when placing the belt against it......the belt was going to have a lot of extra space at each side of the ab plate since the belt has to be touching the base of the button plate. Its currently drying. Hopefully the profile is small enough.

 

So trying to get the torso to finally come together......

Reshaping the kidney plate has left the butt plate to no longer align with it anymore:

 

Put a bunch of tape to conform the butt plate to the kidney plate and dipped it in hot water:

 

The butt plate now follows the shape of the kidney much better now. Still need to do some minor adjustments on the end of the left side:

 

Also getting ready to make the "notches" and cut the butt plate as to not exceed past the notches:

 

I know the CRL states that the notch is not needed. But the way I have my kidney sized......the left side still has part of the original notch left over after trimming. The right side is pretty much flush. I could try and trim the kidney more on the left making the notch go away. I do have excess room. But I feel it might be safer to not make the torso any smaller and to just make the notches and trim a few millimetres of the butt plate on each side. Any guidance would be appreciated. 

 

Overall the torso seems to be fitting nicely:

Edited June 11, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Jonathan, that torso looks great, well done. Certainly the notch is not needed for high levels , as you can see in some reference photos it's present

 

 

 

My personal opinion and for sure what I would do,  considering what you have pointed "the left side still has part of the original notch left over after trimming... But I feel it might be safer to not make the torso any smaller and to just make the notches and trim a few millimetres of the butt plate on each side. " 

I would make the notches trimming those few millimetres and be more accurate. 

 

Hope this can give you help.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Butt snaps installed and made the shape of the butt match the kidney a bit better:

 

My velcro strapping system for my kidney to ab was not a good idea. You had to be exact everytime you strapped it on and the velcro still gave "play" when you applied pressure to tighten the torso, the kidney plate sides would easily overlap the ab plate sides. 

 

So i decided to make a snap closure system (the split rivets lost paint during the hammering process):

 

Since I cut new "notches" on the kidney plate, I will have to cut the sides of the buttplate to make it match.

 

Also, everyone meet the little guy that's slowed down my build LOL!

 

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[Cricket[TK]]

Your youngling is adorable! 

 

Hey, you might want to take another look at your split rivets at the kidney/ab connection.  If you're going for higher level approval, they will need to be positioned differently.  I'm on mobile right now and can't access my reference pics to show you what I mean.  Can anyone post a good reference for kidney/ab rivet positioning?  

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

16 minutes ago, Cricket said:

Your youngling is adorable! 

 

Hey, you might want to take another look at your split rivets at the kidney/ab connection.  If you're going for higher level approval, they will need to be positioned differently.  I'm on mobile right now and can't access my reference pics to show you what I mean.  Can anyone post a good reference for kidney/ab rivet positioning?  

Thank you! I hope he serves the empire when he's older. 

 

Well shoot. I thought i was following the CRL. It states 10 mm from the edge and evenly spaced in-between (in reference to the kidney side)

Edited July 6, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

2 hours ago, Lord_Potato said:

Well shoot. I thought i was following the CRL. It states 10 mm from the edge and evenly spaced in-between (in reference to the kidney side)

Hi ,Jonathan   that little guy looks powerful !!  

 

I'm attaching a couple of photos that can clarify the challenge with the Ab/Kidney Rivets, remember that it's recommended to have some reference photos when building the armor to have  a better   idea of how thing keep together. 

 

 

     

 

If I can make a suggestion to fix this, I can suggest what I did in a case like this:

 

1- remove the rivets,  Ab and Kidney

2- fill in the holes with ABS paste, (you can glue a small square of abs behind to give support.) Sand and polish to give finish.

3- Measure, mark down  and drill  new holes (make it first in the AB side)

4- Place the new split rivets (Ab side first) 

5- Align Ab to Kidney plate and mark down the new holes to the kidney armor.

6- place the new split rivets in kidney plate.

 

It could sounds intimidating, but I'm sure you have the skills to achieve this. 

 

Hope this can help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

17 hours ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi ,Jonathan   that little guy looks powerful !!  

 

I'm attaching a couple of photos that can clarify the challenge with the Ab/Kidney Rivets, remember that it's recommended to have some reference photos when building the armor to have  a better   idea of how thing keep together. 

 

 

     

 

If I can make a suggestion to fix this, I can suggest what I did in a case like this:

 

1- remove the rivets,  Ab and Kidney

2- fill in the holes with ABS paste, (you can glue a small square of abs behind to give support.) Sand and polish to give finish.

3- Measure, mark down  and drill  new holes (make it first in the AB side)

4- Place the new split rivets (Ab side first) 

5- Align Ab to Kidney plate and mark down the new holes to the kidney armor.

6- place the new split rivets in kidney plate.

 

It could sounds intimidating, but I'm sure you have the skills to achieve this. 

 

Hope this can help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the advice! looks like that is the only thing I can do if I still want to go for higher approval. I know its important to look at reference photos.....i just thought the CRL was descriptive enough that I didnt need to look at photos. 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Well, it looks like I made a step forward by finding a sturdy strapping system for my torso......bad news is that I messed up my split rivet placement. Lesson learned: even though the CRL states something that might sound pretty straightforward.......still refer to reference photos. I need to decide if I still want higher approval. I still need to fix my butt to better match the kidney (I keep thinking I have the butt perfect, but then see it still needs reshaping). Hopefully after this final butt reshaping i would have my mind made up if redoing the split rivets and try and go centurion is still worth it. 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Most of what I have strapped so far has been snaps and elastic. I like the idea of fully taking apart my armor for cleaning/replacement. The only exception I have for my build is the butt to kidney plate. I just glued elastic to the kidney and butt plate. This is the only part of the armor where I prefer sturdy/very hard to come apart vs ease of disassembly:

 

 

Marked where I intend to put my cod split rivet:

 

 

I have marked where I intend to trim down my butt plate:

 

 

Even though I will be redoing my split rivets to try and make approved for higher levels......The strapping method for the torso will not change. That being said, I decided to try and strap everything together and see how its all fitting together:

 

 

 

Edited July 12, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Coming along nicely

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Bottom Cod rivet and snap to attach to posterior plate installed:

 

 

Trimmed down the butt plate to match the kidney notch:

 

Question! It looks like my left side the butt plate can be trimmed a bit more in a slight angle. I pencil marked where I think it should be further trimmed. Any inputs would be appreciated:

 

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

1 hour ago, Lord_Potato said:

Question! It looks like my left side the butt plate can be trimmed a bit more in a slight angle. I pencil marked where I think it should be further trimmed. Any inputs would be appreciated:

Looks great Jonathan, in my opinion leave it as it, actually it is not noticeable and it would be covered by the holster. i would wait till the final test with all the armor.

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Removed split rivets and will be attempting to fill and sand the holes with ABS paste. I will be attempting to redo the split rivets with the correct spacing. I would like a bit of guidance.....I have some experience making ABS paste and sanding, but I hear the term "polishing". How do you polish the area you repaired? The only thing that I can guess is that after you sand down they dried ABS paste you polish the area with some sort of polish? I have seen the term novus polish on various threads. Looks like I will be doing some searching and see if I can find a polishing tutorial on this site. If polishing doesn't work, hopefully airbrushing paint will do that job. The good thing is that the area I have to fill and sand just 3 very small holes on each side. 

 

Getting ready to get the back plate sized/attached. First thing I noticed is that the back does not fit flush with the top of the kidney. Maybe the kidney changed shape during the hot water baths? It has to be......even though the sides were the only part I was messing with. Anyways, here is how they line up currently:

 

I am thinking about marking a straight line near the very top of the kidney and cut straight across to make a new flat/level top:

 

Edited July 15, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

4 hours ago, Lord_Potato said:

but I hear the term "polishing". How do you polish the area you repaired? The only thing that I can guess is that after you sand down they dried ABS paste you polish the area with some sort of polish?

Hi Jonathan, great to know you're going make the fix.  What I did las time in a case like this was to :

 

1-remove old rivets both sides (ab/kidney)

2-glue a small piece of ABS behind the old hole.

3-fill with abs

4- sand to smooth surface 

5- apply automotive polish wax

6-measure the new rivets location and mark down

7- drill the new holes 

8-place the rivets

9-mark the new rivets position from AB to Kidney , drill and place them.  

                   

 

NOTE: I highly recommend to make the Ab side first.

 

About your Kidney flat /level top, If It was my case, I would try to reshape the return edge a bit  either with hot bath or and iron tool.

 

 

            

 

 

Hope this can help to have an idea of what to do.

 

Cheers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MaskedVengeance[Staff]]

17 hours ago, Lord_Potato said:

How do you polish the area you repaired? The only thing that I can guess is that after you sand down they dried ABS paste you polish the area with some sort of polish? I have seen the term novus polish on various threads. Looks like I will be doing some searching and see if I can find a polishing tutorial on this site. If polishing doesn't work, hopefully airbrushing paint will do that job.

Jonathan - Here are a couple threads with information regarding sanding and polishing. The more you work on a section of ABS paste the more it will begin to appear like and match the surrounding regular ABS.

 

 

Note on this next one the photos are missing, but the write-up is still descriptive enough.

 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

On 7/15/2020 at 11:04 PM, TKSpartan said:

Hi Jonathan, great to know you're going make the fix.  What I did las time in a case like this was to :

 

1-remove old rivets both sides (ab/kidney)

2-glue a small piece of ABS behind the old hole.

3-fill with abs

4- sand to smooth surface 

5- apply automotive polish wax

6-measure the new rivets location and mark down

7- drill the new holes 

8-place the rivets

9-mark the new rivets position from AB to Kidney , drill and place them.  

                   

 

NOTE: I highly recommend to make the Ab side first.

 

About your Kidney flat /level top, If It was my case, I would try to reshape the return edge a bit  either with hot bath or and iron tool.

 

 

            

 

 

Hope this can help to have an idea of what to do.

 

Cheers 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mario,

 

Thank you very much for the for the advice. I like the idea of heat bending the top of the kidney to flatten it out. I will try and do that and if I mess up or don't like the end result I will just cut it off. 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

On 7/16/2020 at 11:58 AM, MaskedVengeance said:

Jonathan - Here are a couple threads with information regarding sanding and polishing. The more you work on a section of ABS paste the more it will begin to appear like and match the surrounding regular ABS.

 

 

Note on this next one the photos are missing, but the write-up is still descriptive enough.

 

Caleb,

 

I appreciate the assistance. I must really suck at searching on this site! I tired browsing a bit for polishing tips LOL. 

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Ended up cutting off the return edges for the top kidney and bottom back plate. I tried to flatten the top of the kidney instead of trimming but was not successful. Not sure whats going on with my kidney to back alignment. It looks......sloppy. not sure how to proceed.

Also I have a novus polish kit coming in the mail to aid in my split rivet repair.

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
 

Edited July 21, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

I have had some home repairs to take care of and other matters to attend to. Home repairs are almost done. So I am starting to get back into my build.

 

I haven't gotten any advice about my back plate. Maybe I was not very descriptive so I will try and be more detailed. Hopefully I can get some insight.

 

So the way my back touched my kidney plate....seems a little off.

 

I think the top of my kidney is pretty straight but I took some photos to help show this:

 

It looks like my back plate matches my kidney plate when it sits like this: 

 

But the way my body is.....the back piece fits on my body more like this.......

 

I got the bottom return edge of the back plate to help make it straight/have a flat even surface.....the return edge was not completely flat. But it still looks the same as you can see in the first photo.

 

Here is a good reference photo:

 

It seems like at least on of the TK's has his back plate similar to mine.....as the back plate curves towards the ends it "separates" from the kidney.

 

Anyways, any guidance will be appreciated.

 

So I have my novus polish kit. I wanted to wait until I have the back plate strapped before I disassemble the strapping system for the ab to kidney plate so I can start filling my split rivet holes. 

Edited September 14, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

Its been a hot minute.....had some family stuff come up and I had a bunch of home improvement projects come up. Back to work. Upon inspecting what I have completed I didn't like how the left ear had less of a gap than the right ear. So I redid the right ear to make it match better:

 

Now it looks more even:

 

 

Next step is to strap the back plate to the kidney and see how it looks on me....then work on the belt:

Edited November 12, 2020 by Lord_Potato

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Ear looks much better, well done

[Lord_Potato[TK]]

I got my backplate strapped to my kidney plate:

 

Seems like it fits well....I did notice that the back plate shoulder tabs seem to not conform to my shoulders.....im going to wait until the chest plate is strapped and see if the tension conforms the back plate tabs before I consider reshaping

 

Here is how my unstrapped chest plate sits on me:

 

This is how I intend the chest to fit me once I have straps pulling it down slightly:

 

Overall I things are coming together: