HWT speedy build

[michmalo[501st]]

Well since I'm all locked up with no where to go and I had already purchased and/or had everything I needed in house, I figured it was the perfect time to build my pack.

 

I followed the CRL and @ukswrath build as closely as possible, (thanks for that Tony) about a year ago I lucked out and was able to pick up a pauldron for a steal. While I was still gainfully employed I added everything on the build list to my Amazon cart and I've kept it all in my shop all this time so as soon as I got the time I started building.

 

I trimmed out some of the pieces and set everything up to get an idea of scale and layout and I was pretty happy with it.

 

 

[michmalo[501st]]

Instead of paper or cardboard I used styrene which I happened to have in black from an Imperial Droid build last year. It's a good option because not only is it sturdy and forgiving but if the paint chips it'll already be black underneath and makes for some cool weathering effects.

 

For the vent box on the upper right I wanted it to appear a little more realistic and more accurate so I took a slightly different approach to building this piece. First I built up the louvers for the vents to give them some more dimension and then instead of gluing then on top of the box I cut the frame out and glued them in from the inside.

 

After a couple of coats of paint I was pretty happy with the way they turned out, in this pic the vents aren't glued in place yet I was just holding them up for a photo.

[michmalo[501st]]

The rest of the build was pretty straight forward but one thing that gave me pause was the "siphon". Luckily I was able to find an old work cup that was looking for a second life so I sanded it down and got it ready. I also found the perfect cap for the top from one of my bins, I think it was from a torch or propane tank.

I only had one piece of styrene to use for the bottom half so instead of rolling it up and cutting I decided to use a piece of paper to get the shape and measurements exactly right and then cut that out to create a template that I traced onto my styrene, I left some extra room around the shape to allow for error and then I was able to trim and sand the final funnel to the exact measurements.

 

 

 

 

Some rivets and paint and it was starting to look the part, one thing worth mentioning, the cup was insulated so it was double layers of plastic and the inner layer was a bit more fragile than the outside. My guess is that the outside takes more of a beating so they made it thicker, the reason I mention this is that the plastic started to crack while I was riveting it. I ended up cutting strips of styrene to make flexible washers to take the stress off of the plastic and it worked a treat.

 

For the bottom I noticed in some of the pics that there's an additional layer of black at the bottom so I used a 2" plastic plug.

 

[michmalo[501st]]

I wish I had taken more pics but I figured there were enough build threads on here that I didn't need to detail everything, the tube went together easily. Luckily I had an extra pair of shoulder bridges so that was quick. Remember to wear a respirator and not just a dust mask when cutting PVC, ABS, polystyrene or anything  questionable for that matter. I cut outside with a respirator on and 10 minutes later I could still smell the gas in the air.

 

I comped everything together and was happy with the way it was coming together.

 

 

 

Next up was starting to attach the pieces to the box, I used a 3" bolt through the bottom of the pack and drilled out a hole in the cup, this allows me to take the cup off easily.

 

 

I also used screws from the other side to attach everything except for the radio box, I used combination of contact cement but when the unevenness of the oil pan was preventing a solid contact area I used black silicone along the edges to give it some extra strength. This box is still mostly cardboard so it's pretty light, for good measure I through a couple of screws in the back anyway so it's not going anywhere. 

 

 

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Great work mate, keep it up!!! 

[michmalo[501st]]

Now that the pack is done I'm going to work up some strapping for the ammo pouches and then I need to remove my drop boxes from my TK belt, is this a definite? can someone confirm that we can't have drop boxes on our belt when we're in HWT configuration? Either way I'll have to come up with some snaps and white elastic so I can take them on and off.

[michmalo[501st]]

2 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

Great work mate, keep it up!!! 

Thank you!

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

15 minutes ago, michmalo said:

can someone confirm that we can't have drop boxes on our belt when we're in HWT configuration? Either way I'll have to come up with some snaps and white elastic so I can take them on and off.

Hi, drop boxes are not needed. 

 

As per the CRL for HWT states about the belt:

Belt face is made of plastic (TK ammo belt) and does not include drop boxes.

 

 

Cheers 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Looking GREAT, Michael, and fantastic to see that we have a future HWT joining the ranks.     You should post up some photos of the complete pack so we can see your hard work!

[michmalo[501st]]

Looking GREAT, Michael, and fantastic to see that we have a future HWT joining the ranks.     You should post up some photos of the complete pack so we can see your hard work!

Thanks!



I’m not sure if I’d call it “complete” but this is what it looks like currently. I’m debating how much, if any, weathering to do. I think basic approval doesn’t require any so I’ll keep it the way it is for now.


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[michmalo[501st]]

Something else that I did that was a little different was for the container in the top middle. I made the original black strip out of styrene but I didn’t like the way it warped and fit the cylinder. I had some thin sheet metal ducting that already had a nice curve to it. I trimmed it out and painted it black and I think it looks perfect.

 

 

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[michmalo[501st]]

I’m running out of things to build... I just realized that I never filled the hole in the top where I cut the cap off.



Luckily I still have a fair bit of textured black styrene. I cut a little square and although it won’t be seamless after a little filing and sanding I think it’ll do the job.





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[ukswrath[Staff]]

Nice work Michael, looks awesome 

[michmalo[501st]]

Nice work Michael, looks awesome 

Thanks man, couldn’t have done it as quickly without your awesome tutorial!

 

 

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[michmalo[501st]]

Submitted my photos this morning and just got the word that the judges all agree that I meet approval! I couldn’t be happier and prouder of this build. It was quick but I loved it, especially building the pack.




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[ukswrath[Staff]]

1 hour ago, michmalo said:

Thanks man, couldn’t have done it as quickly without your awesome tutorial!

 

 

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Glad to be of assistance

[IcyTrooper[TK]]

Great work on the pack! Lookin' good and congrats!

Edited April 14, 2020 by IcyTrooper

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Looks fantastic, Michael.... but it's so cleeeeean, lol!    Always great to see another HWT join the ranks, sir.

[michmalo[501st]]

Thanks all, I'm planning on using the makeup trick or something along those lines to "dirty" it up when it's time to take it out and troop! This way I can still switch back and forth between TK and HWT.

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

The makeup thing works really well, Michael.  I only have to touch it up more after every 6-8 troops, but for the most part it stays on great.