chiefbonan's TK ANH Stunt Build (Centurion)

[chiefbonan]

2 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

Forgot to add, try not to use CA (super) glue if possible.  As mentioned, if it gets on your armor it's danged near impossible to get off without a lot of work.  E-6000 really is the way to go, but be careful if you order from ebay... there are certain online retailer (including Europe) that are selling FAKE E-6000.  The genuine product is clearly marked Made in the USA, and has a batch number on each tube.  They do not sell to distributors in Asia, so if you try to save a few bucks by ordering from a seller there it is not the real stuff. If you have any doubts, you can contact the manufacturer at www.eclecticproducts.com, and they will let you know where to get it.  The fake stuff is garbage and will not hold up.

Hello! We have decided into looking at getting some E-6000. 

I've been going over the CLR with my Dad, and have decided that we will go for the Level 3 Centurion, not the Basic. As my dad would like to get it accurate, as he loves the movies. We know it can be a bit more expensive, but we are up for the challenge are already having alot of fun making it already!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

7 minutes ago, chiefbonan said:

Hello! We have decided into looking at getting some E-6000. 

I've been going over the CLR with my Dad, and have decided that we will go for the Level 3 Centurion, not the Basic. As my dad would like to get it accurate, as he loves the movies. We know it can be a bit more expensive, but we are up for the challenge are already having alot of fun making it already!

AWESOME to hear that you are shooting for Centurion, Thomas!  It's really not that much more actual work, but the devil is in the details.  The Quick CRL guide link I gave you will answer a lot of questions about the differences, and those details are what Deployment Officers look for when approving armor at higher levels. 

[chiefbonan]

That being said I have some test photos of me with the armour sized up a bit, what are your guys suggestions, as you can see I am a stick man.

 

I have front, back and side views here: https://imgur.com/a/ZTdK7Ly

 

The armour sat a tiny bit low on my body, I could lift the ab/kidney/butt plate up about an inch or two. I think it would help to put padding up my back so it sticks out a bit more, to not look too skinny. I did try the shoulder bells and they cam out quite a bit, I could shave them about 2 cm ish on the inner sides to bring them in a bit more.

 

You can see that the armour has a near inch gap between the kidney plate and the back plate, which i've learnt it a no-no for Centurion, which I'm now going for, but I can see it being easily reduced.

 

Any other suggestions would be great, since it doesn't really fit that well right now. Thanks!

 

Another thing, as I am now going for Centurion, the bottom of the ear piece doesn't sit flush with the helmet opening marked below. will this be an issue?

EDIT: Also if you need more photos just ask! I can't seem to upload high quality in here, it says my max total attachment size is 0.02 MB

Edited January 29, 2020 by chiefbonan

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

As you said, the kidney could definitely come up a lot more, to where it touches the bottom of the back plate.  The back plate also seems to be sitting a bit low, and could stand to be raised an inch or so (third photo).  I would trim off the tabs on the chest plate as well as shown.  I would seriously consider trimming off the return edges as seen in the second pic (at least in the shoulder area)., I can see (blue arrow) that they are digging into your shoulder, which will get mighty uncomfortable.  As seen in the second photo as well, at some point you will need to trim the sides of the kidney.  In a perfect world there is no gap on either side, and overlap on the right side is minimal at best.

 

          

[chiefbonan]

8 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

As you said, the kidney could definitely come up a lot more, to where it touches the bottom of the back plate.  The back plate also seems to be sitting a bit low, and could stand to be raised an inch or so (third photo).  I would trim off the tabs on the chest plate as well as shown.  I would seriously consider trimming off the return edges as seen in the second pic (at least in the shoulder area)., I can see (blue arrow) that they are digging into your shoulder, which will get mighty uncomfortable.  As seen in the second photo as well, at some point you will need to trim the sides of the kidney.  In a perfect world there is no gap on either side, and overlap on the right side is minimal at best.

 

          

Wow awesome! that really helps! Yeah I think I could left up the lower half to meet the back plate, as it was already sitting a bit low on my body. Do you think padding in the kidney plate will help push it out a bit? Do you think it looks too slender on the side view? Thanks

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

10 minutes ago, chiefbonan said:

Do you think padding in the kidney plate will help push it out a bit? Do you think it looks too slender on the side view? 

Since you have a slender build, let's hold off on the padding for now as I don't think you'll need it.  If you could post some pics of the sides (left and right) of the center sections as seen below (arms raised) it would help judge how much will need to be removed.

 

 

[chiefbonan]

1 minute ago, justjoseph63 said:

Since you have a slender build, let's hold off on the padding for now as I don't think you'll need it.  If you could post some pics of the sides (left and right) of the center sections as seen below (arms raised) it would help judge how much will need to be removed.

 

 

When it is lined up, for some reason it looks crazy over the line, must have knocked it, but when it is lined up on both sides i have like an inch-ish gap of space from my back to the inside of the kidney plate. I'll get some more pics tomorrow, as it is hard to do it solo since my dad asleep now, but thank you for your guidance so far

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

No worries, sir, take your time!

[chiefbonan]

1 hour ago, chiefbonan said:

 

 

Another thing, as I am now going for Centurion, the bottom of the ear piece doesn't sit flush with the helmet opening marked below. will this be an issue?

 

Could I also bother you to ask about this section on my helmet?

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

I can see a few small issues which are easily fixed.  Can you post up another one without the circle and showing more of a side/rear view of the ears?

[chiefbonan]

12 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

I can see a few small issues which are easily fixed.  Can you post up another one without the circle and showing more of a side/rear view of the ears?

Sure thing man, I'll do you one better, here is a library with multiple angles all over the helmet: https://imgur.com/a/iPv54mt 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

I think removing some of the sides on the bottoms would allow them to sit farther down.  If you decide to do this, do it in small increments just until you get them to where you want.  Ideally, the very bottom of the ear should be under the S-trim, but as long as it's close you are good to go.  Heaven knows the originals were not perfect!  Your ear alignment is perfect as it is, so keep that blue line in the 4th photo in mind when making alterations.  Don't worry if there are some gaps around the ears in certain places, just get them as close as you feel comfortable with.

                                                                                                                                                                     

              

 

Here are some screen caps to give you examples.  Note how thin the lower portions are, which allows them to sit lower on the tube.  The last 2 are ESB ears, but they are still the same.

 

       

[chiefbonan]

7 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

I think removing some of the sides on the bottoms would allow them to sit farther down.  If you decide to do this, do it in small increments just until you get them to where you want.  Ideally, the very bottom of the ear should be under the S-trim, but as long as it's close you are good to go.  Heaven knows the originals were not perfect!  Your ear alignment is perfect as it is, so keep that blue line in the 4th photo in mind when making alterations.  Don't worry if there are some gaps around the ears in certain places, just get them as close as you feel comfortable with.

                                                                                                                                                                     

              

 

Here are some screen caps to give you examples.  Note how thin the lower portions are, which allows them to sit lower on the tube.  The last 2 are ESB ears, but they are still the same.

 

       

awesome, your diagrams really help, once I move onto the helmet i will for sure do this

[giskard8[Staff]]

Hello Thomas,

 

Posting big pictures should be relatively easy if you follow the guide here:

 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42381-howto-post-images-in-threads-using-imgur-easy/

 

[chiefbonan]

44 minutes ago, giskard8 said:

Hello Thomas,

 

Posting big pictures should be relatively easy if you follow the guide here:

 

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42381-howto-post-images-in-threads-using-imgur-easy/

 

 

Thanks!

[chiefbonan]

Hello!
After lots of trimming, sanding and cutting we have made some more sizeing progress!

Here are some shots of the ab, kidney and butt plate on me (DISCLAIMER my Dad took photos looking a bit downwards, not straight on/accross,):
 

 

Now I think it is sitting alot better than before.

Do you think the butt plate needs to go up a fraction?

it seems to sit low.

 

Now here are some photos of the full torso:

 

 

I think it is sitting really well, again the butt piece looks like it's sitting low, especially from the sides, but i'd like your guys opinion.

Do you think the chest here looks too big?

I am pretty much the correct height for a trooper, just not the right build obviously.

And finally we have some shots with the full upper half:

 

So the shoulder bells seem to clip on the sides of the chest piece when I move my arms, might need to trim them down. The forearms seemed to be a bit too long, So I will probably have to trim them down.

Is it okay if the return edges are gone from the upper opening on the forearms?

Again the chest seems a tiny bit big, especially on the left side in the first photo, maybe strapping it down should fix it.

I am skinny guy much to my dismay, but it seems to fit well, just feels big around the shoulders, doesn't feel too comfy in that area.

 

One last thing, is my brown strap too short? It does this on both sides, it just falls short of the edge of the forehead decal should end.

 

Thanks for the help, my dad is starting to ask me where I can get another kit for him!

Edited January 30, 2020 by chiefbonan

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

1 hour ago, chiefbonan said:

Is it okay if the return edges are gone from the upper opening on the forearms?  Yes Its OK  

Again the chest seems a tiny bit big, especially on the left side in the first photo, maybe strapping it down should fix it.

I am skinny guy much to my dismay, but it seems to fit well, just feels big around the shoulders, doesn't feel too comfy in that area.

 

One last thing, is my brown strap too short? It does this on both sides, it just falls short of the edge of the forehead decal should end.

Hi Thomas, looking good , about your questions:

 

Is it okay if the return edges are gone from the upper opening on the forearms?  Yes Its OK  

 

Again the chest seems a tiny bit big, especially on the left side in the first photo, maybe strapping it down should fix it.

 

You can try strapping it down or trimminr a little bit. 

 

 

 

One last thing, is my brown strap too short? It does this on both sides, it just falls short of the edge of the forehead decal should end.

It's just right

 

 

keep on doing a great job , I think your next project is going to be your dad's armor 

 

 

cheers

 

 

 

[chiefbonan]

13 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

You can try strapping it down or trimminr a little bit. 

Hello! So is it okay if the return edge of the front piece where it overlaps the ab plate can go?

To my eyes it just seems big on the sides, perhaps I might trim down the sides. Since it looks okay from top (at the neck) to the bottom (on the ab plate), but that's to my newbie eyes. 
Like I said before it does feel bulky in that area. Apart from the it looks decent, perhaps the but plate could use a little trimming like you showed. You've been really helpful.

 

My dad won't need to go for this much trimming for sure!

[chiefbonan]

SMALL UPDATE

 

Since me and my dad have decided to go for Cert 3, we need to do another shopping run!
 

Thin White Elastic (for the shoulder straps)

White webbing 38 mm (for the shoudler straps)

Black Elastic 38mm (to hold up the thigh plates)

Paracute buckles (to construct the under belt)

Various foam (for inside padding)

Tube pipe 65mm (for the thermal detanator)

Split rivets 8mm (for the side rivets)

 

and then the paint for my bucket!

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

10 minutes ago, chiefbonan said:

Hello! So is it okay if the return edge of the front piece where it overlaps the ab plate can go?

To my eyes it just seems big on the sides, perhaps I might trim down the sides. Since it looks okay from top (at the neck) to the bottom (on the ab plate), but that's to my newbie eyes. 
Like I said before it does feel bulky in that area. Apart from the it looks decent, perhaps the but plate could use a little trimming like you showed. You've been really helpful.

 

My dad won't need to go for this much trimming for sure!

 

Hi, reading from the  following post :   To keep them in line and prevent them from overlapping, it is suggested that you LEAVE a fair amount of the edges on the top/bottoms of the kidney and bottom of the back plate, especially if using the "classic" strapping method.  Yes, these can split/crack as well but not normally.

 

 

 

I think You can start by trimming little by little the sides.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[snipedoc2001[TK]]

Looks fantastic!  Glad you are aiming high now instead of later.  Keep posting pictures and asking questions.  There are many people here to help out.  Small suggestion which helped me a ton.  I bought a ton of industrial strength white Velcro and used a lot of it, especially in the shins.  I am not a fan of snaps at all, I have only 3 snaps on my kit: 1 per arm and cod to butt plate.  I used a ton of 1 inch plastic buckles to strap my torso.  That way, its very adjustable and I think easier to attach.   As well as my torso is one piece.  Some people use a few separate pieces using suspenders keeping  ab, kidney and butt plate and slide the chest and back plate over.  I strapped by chest to my ab and my back to my kidney.  There are many, many different ways to do things and it is mostly up to you.   Just some food for thought.

 

One more thing on the CA vs E6000 debate.  I used CA and it worked extremely well and the accelerator worked instantly so I was able to get a lot done in a short time frame.  Until some glue dripped out from under the cover strips and left a streak on my bicep that was an absolute pain to remove.  I may have some pictures if you want.  Was not fun but learned my lesson the hard way

 

Best of luck, it looks great!

[chiefbonan]

19 minutes ago, snipedoc2001 said:

Looks fantastic!  Glad you are aiming high now instead of later.  Keep posting pictures and asking questions.  There are many people here to help out.  Small suggestion which helped me a ton.  I bought a ton of industrial strength white Velcro and used a lot of it, especially in the shins.  I am not a fan of snaps at all, I have only 3 snaps on my kit: 1 per arm and cod to butt plate.  I used a ton of 1 inch plastic buckles to strap my torso.  That way, its very adjustable and I think easier to attach.   As well as my torso is one piece.  Some people use a few separate pieces using suspenders keeping  ab, kidney and butt plate and slide the chest and back plate over.  I strapped by chest to my ab and my back to my kidney.  There are many, many different ways to do things and it is mostly up to you.   Just some food for thought.

 

One more thing on the CA vs E6000 debate.  I used CA and it worked extremely well and the accelerator worked instantly so I was able to get a lot done in a short time frame.  Until some glue dripped out from under the cover strips and left a streak on my bicep that was an absolute pain to remove.  I may have some pictures if you want.  Was not fun but learned my lesson the hard way

 

Best of luck, it looks great!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge, like you said there are plenty of ways to do the strapping. Do you not like snaps since you can't really adjust the size after the fit?
Me and my Dad are being careful with the CA Glue, and we do know the downsides. Not to toot my own horn or sound up myself, but me and him do have a lot of modeling experience (like tanks, airplanes you name it) so we are confident in ourselves in not making a mistake. That being said if we do make a mistake it will be harder to reverse. We may be building a second set of armour after this first one, so we may use E-6000 then

[snipedoc2001[TK]]

You got it.  A friend of mine told me the buckle method while he was working on his death trooper from Rogue One.  You have to be spot on with your snap measurements, if you are not, you just wasted a snap and some material.  With buckles, I just cut a decently long piece and just adjusted it until it fit and was done in one take.  I used the excess material somewhere else.  1 in webbing will be your best friend.  I really like how I can adjust it.  For example I did a troop below freezing, it was about 19 degrees F in my TK and had to loosen the buckles to fit extra back clothing for  my under suit.  Don't really expect it to be that cold in Australia so you should be okay.  I just thought is was more convenient for me to make as it was my first kit.  

 

Confidence is key in working with these kits.  I was timid in some places and that caused some mistakes I'm not super proud of.  Also take your time.  Speaking from experience, I was rushing to finish before TROS came out and made some stupid mistake and it cost me going opening night.  I spent all day Friday and most of Saturday getting ready for an opening weekend event, but it was still a shame.  So be confident, do research, and take your time.  As someone who has also worked with models with my dad, most of the skills are transferable.  It a ton of fun working again isn't it?

[chiefbonan]

Shame to hear what happened with the opening night. One day I hope to do an opening night, depending on what the next film is they are cooking .It has been really good so far making the kit. My dad and I don't really have share hobbies apart from model making, and that was like half a decade ago now. Not we are working on the same thing he's been very hands on. I've been staying up super late pouring over these forums for new ideas, tips, everything really.

 

What dad and I have been doing is going over peoples TK Pre Approvals and seeing what others have been doing, mainly with their strapping, like you said, many different ways to do it. 

This recent fitting, the one just above, was a big milestone since we got actually see some of it all together, and nearly fitting me (as you can see the chest, forarms and maybe the shoulder needs trimming)! 

 

I've been cosplaying for 4-5 years now, as Daft Punk (see here: https://imgur.com/a/uI4cYyQ), so I already know how great the cosplaying community is already. From bad to amazing cosplays, everyone is appreciated. Even more so here, everyone is super helpful and everything is SUPER in depth and everyone is friendly too.

 

Now my dad also wants his own Kit, but the person I bought this kit off of is known as not a good person in this community, in fact he is banned from all 501st related things, and was known for not delivering kits at all sometimes. I only found out AFTER I got my armour and it arrived. So I don't think I'll get my dad's kit from him, perhaps someone else, but I don't know where yet, haven't looked again.

 

Thank you for the advice!

 

[snipedoc2001[TK]]

The pre approval threads are an excellent resource.  I only found them after I was finished building and stumbled on them and submitted my own pre approval thread.    Everyone is great and an even better resource.  The command staff is amazing and super helpful.  Best of luck!