Tico's RS Props build

[ticopowell[TK]]

Also, Here is a better pic of the button plate. 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

Another post, another question. or two... 

 

I found this diagram

 

 

Is it still considered accurate? or is there a correct height that's needed on both pieces?

 

Here are my pieces with a line at 5mm off the top and bottom.

 

 

 

I won't trim the sides until I have better measurements, but I figured I can start with this and make them easier to bend to find the correct length. 

Edited May 2, 2020 by ticopowell

[CableGuy[TK]]

Well done for asking before cutting. You’ll need to leave some space either end for the belt attachment and button covers. See references below;

 

 

***Approximation only***

 

 

 

Whilst those type of diagrams are quite handy, I’d highly recommend checking out photos of the source material from the gallery; https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/gallery/

 

You’ll find all sorts of high quality photos in there, some of which I’ve posted below for reference. :-)

 

 

Outer ends of ammo belt (in this case, the button cover is missing)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note that there is only a couple of millimetres above and below the 6 raised ammo boxes.

 

[CableGuy[TK]]

The thigh ammo pack also only has a small amount of excess plastic above and below the raised ammo boxes;










Hope these photos help. :-)

Dan

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

5 hours ago, ticopowell said:

When doing the biceps and forearms do you do one cover strip at a time, let it set, then do the other one? Or do you do the whole forearm/bicep at once and thereby making sure things are fully aligned?  As long as the fit is correct on all thefpieces, you can glue as many sections you have magnets to hold.

You NAILED those thigh tops, Caleb.  EXCELLENT!  

[ticopowell[TK]]

Thanks for the tips! That's why I keep asking. Hopefully someone can read this thread and not ask the same questions

 

I got the 3 first pieces glued as I mentioned, here they are. I still need to remove the excess e6000, but overall I think they look good. I think on the shin I could redo it and make more of the left and right pieces show, I think the cover strip covers a bit much of the curve. Ill examine some of the gallery before taking it all apart. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More work later tonight I hope... maybe not much until monday though, gotta see how the rest of the weekend shapes up. 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

9 minutes ago, ticopowell said:

Thanks for the tips! That's why I keep asking. Hopefully someone can read this thread and not ask the same questions 

Be amazed how many don't check others builds but it's still worth documenting for the few that do.

 

You could also just nick the corners so they don't catch on anything.

 

A lot of the screen images you can see curves on the outsides of cover strips 

 

 

Nice work keep it up.

 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

Be amazed how many don't check others builds but it's still worth documenting for the few that do.
 
You could also just nick the corners so they don't catch on anything.
 
A lot of the screen images you can see curves on the outsides of cover strips 

 
 
Nice work keep it up.
 
 

I mean I can't see the curves on the shin, but idk if that's an issue or not.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, ticopowell said:

I mean I can't see the curves on the shin, but idk if that's an issue or not.

[ticopowell[TK]]

Thanks, I was gonna look them up after the kid went to bed

[ticopowell[TK]]

18 hours ago, CableGuy said:

The thigh ammo pack also only has a small amount of excess plastic above and below the raised ammo boxes;










Hope these photos help. :-)

Dan

Hey Dan, 

Those photos were very helpful, I did go look at the gallery and found some good references, specifically that line for the knee/thigh box isn't very straight and my OCD hates it haha. I did know that I needed to extend the ammo belts outward, I just had the rulers to show how tall the belt was going to be with those lines.  Guess that wasn't very clear

 

Thanks for posting! 

[ticopowell[TK]]

Looking at a bunch of things at the moment, Ill start with my work chronologically today. 

 

I pulled the magnets off of the shin and thigh, assembled the other shin, and put the back strip on the left thigh. Those pics are above in a previous post (except the current magnet pic... but I don't think anyone cares about that one. If you do I can post it, but it looks like all the other magnets holding on cover strip pics that you've seen)

 

Had a break, ate food, put the kid to bed finally, and then I started working again.

 

I finally got the button plates flattened so they sit on the ab plate correctly. 

 

 

 

And as you noticed, they are painted :D. I didn't want to do too much paint, and it looks like I can't paint a circle to save my life, so I think Ill have the wifey fix them when she gets some time. 

 

I also decided that since the right thigh was done I'd look at the ammo box. I cut it closer than the line I drew earlier, and I based my cuts off of the posted photos above, as well as numerous gallery shots. 

 

 

 

 

Peek-a-boo

 

There is how the thigh currently fits with the cover strips installed, and the ammo belt (what's it actually called? knee ammo belt? thigh ammo belt? why can't I remember this? oh yeah... it's 1230). I was told that 4 fingers is the right distance between my thigh and the armor, but I think they just have meant a flat hand between the thigh and armor, because 4 fingers seems like a lot. I can't fit my hand down the side and keep the back together as you can see, but a flat hand works fine. Any more tips?

 

On to the last thing tonight. I started fiddling with the belt ammo boxes and the belt. 

 

I trimmed the plastic for the ammo boxes, and when I pulled the belt out I noticed that there were marks on the back where the box mounted for the boxes, and for the holster. That was very nice of them to mark for me. I wanted to test the location so I snapped the belt to the armor, and then clamped the plastic to the canvas, and tried it on. I added the kidney plate to get the right look, and spend 15 minutes deciding on how high it should be. Let me know what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that's all I did today, besides research. I was wondering on shims for the kidney plate. As you can see Ill need some. I found this diagram and was wondering if it's correct. I haven't seen a whole lot of reference yet to what's acceptable for centurion.

 

 

I found that here. TheSwede and kman posted it saying it was correct, so unless it's changed since October Ill go with that

 

 

Looks like a decent guide, Ill probably refer to it again when I'm closer to shimming. 

 

I also heard on a youtube video on tested that some people cut the bottom portion of the ab plate off and attach it to the ab plate with straps so you can sit down while in armor, is that actually a thing? and will it affect my level 3 aspirations?

 

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks again for all the help

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Before you glue anything, I would make sure that the rear ridges are level by either bringing the right side down or the left side up (same difference).  It also looks like the side of the thigh ammo box is higher on the outside (yellow arrow).  I see that you lined up the center ammo box with the cover strip.  Note that while it may give a sleeker look, this is not a requirement at any level, as many of the ones in the films were off kilter a bit (bottom reference images).

More importantly is that the ends of the tabs line up evenly on both sides of the bottom ridge and be equally spaced from the "corner" of the rear ridge.

 

 

 

        

 

          

 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

I've been referencing your CRL QRG, it does a great job at explaining those as well but I think your last post explains even more. Took me a minute to realize the two pics were from the inside of the thigh. I was planning on closing the back of the thigh before finishing the ammo box, that way the rest of the piece won't change and nothing will get bound up when I close the back, but the front is set with the boxes. 

 

The lining up the back of the makes sense, I was planning on doing that by cutting the flange down. I have yet to trim those edges so I need to make them straight, then add the curve on the bottom. Ill plan on trimming the least amount possible, that way the rough edge is gone, but they will still reach to the back of the thigh far enough to not look wonky. well... wonkier than they should haha

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

19 hours ago, ticopowell said:

I added the kidney plate to get the right look, and spend 15 minutes deciding on how high it should be. Let me know what you think.

Hi Caleb, the following reference photos can give you an idea of the Belt position.

 

CRL States for Level 3:  The top of the ABS ammo belt should sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical abdomen button panels.

 

 

Keep on doing a Pura Vida work  

 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

11 minutes ago, TKSpartan said:

Hi Caleb, the following reference photos can give you an idea of the Belt position.

 

CRL States for Level 3:  The top of the ABS ammo belt should sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical abdomen button panels.

 

 

Keep on doing a Pura Vida work  

 

 

I meant the kidney plate itself, but I do like those belt position pictures, thanks! 

Pura Vida!

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

11 minutes ago, ticopowell said:

I meant the kidney plate itself, but I do like those belt position pictures, thanks! 

Pura Vida!

 ok, may be this pictures?

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

Yup, looked at those. Basically the top of each plate should line up. 

[ticopowell[TK]]

I did mainly research tonight, I did get a few pieces closer though. The front of the thighs are completely done.

 

 

 

The front of the shins are curing/drying. 

 

 

 

I cut out hopefully the rest of my visible cover strips and managed to have enough magnets to get a forearm started and a bicep started. The sheet I got was 17.5"x17.5" so I could cut one 15mm strip and cover part of a forearm and part of a bicep. 

 

 

 

Thankfully the bicep was small enough normal clamps would work, I used clamps because I ran out of magnets. I bought 30, if I were doing this regularly I think 80 would suffice, I could then do both legs or both arms all at once lol

Edited May 4, 2020 by ticopowell

[ticopowell[TK]]

 

Vader wanted to see what all this white armor was about... 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

12 minutes ago, ticopowell said:

Vader wanted to see what all this white armor was about... 

  

[ticopowell[TK]]

Opinion time!

Which shin looks better on which leg? My wife thinks the shin with tape on it looks better on my left leg, but what do you guys think? It's an RS kit so they are the same, just my building is what makes them different.

 

Tape on left

 

 

 

Tape on right

 

 

 

I obviously want to figure this out before putting on the 25mm cover strip and the sniper knee, and I definitely need a cover strip on the back. I also need some trimming without shoes on, but with shoes I might need to tape the shoe a little around the top to get the shins to sit right. I'd rather not, but I'm always open to suggestions. 

 

Thanks!

Caleb

May the 4th be with you

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

The left one is sitting a little lower than the right one, and both could come up more.  Raising them would also allow you to bring the bottoms in closer together so that the rear cover strip doesn't have such a wide area to cover.

 

    

 

 

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

4 hours ago, ticopowell said:

Opinion time!

Which shin looks better on which leg? My wife thinks the shin with tape on it looks better on my left leg, but what do you guys think? It's an RS kit so they are the same, just my building is what makes them different.

 

As you said, both are the same, so from my view the difference  is and will be when you place the back cover and make the adjustment Joseph pointed. both shins will fir better and give you a better look. After this you can place the sniper knee. ( This is what I have done )

 

The following photos are of an approved RS Centurion for you to have and idea.

 

 

 

May the 4th be with U 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

[ticopowell[TK]]

Thanks guys, I decided to just go with what the wife likes better, so the shin with tape will stay on the left. Now I'm working on the sniper knee. 

 

I found this reference page

I did find a few videos and threads here with techniques from other builders (yes I know, build off the reference photos). I did a rough trim of the top and bottom of the sniper knee part. The return edge is completely removed on the bottom but it's not sanded yet. The upper part looks kinda funny, and I'm not exactly sure where to put it when I install it. I of course took some pictures to get your opinions. I drew a line as a guess as to where I should trim the back edge, and I have another line around the top with my final trim estimation. Also I'm tempted to bathe these to get them to match the shin's curves better. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not too worried about the shin being off centered when looking from behind, it appears that the reference pics knees are also off centered, matching mine pretty well. 

 

this pic is a good reference for the back of the sniper knee. 

I did manage to finish attaching cover strips to the arms. I'm not sure if I need internal cover strips for those, but I do have the scrap material for that if it's recommended. I'm thinking the biceps will be fine, but I could see the forearms needing it with the extra movement and possible bumps that they would get in the future. 

 

The right forearm smooth cover strip area had a lot of excess bend in it, so I attached it while the protruding (top when wearing) cover strip area was not attached, then after that had cured I was able to bend the forearm and attach the top cover strip). sorry if that doesn't make sense, I can post a pic if anyone is confused. 

 

I haven't done much else today, just research and reading other build threads. 

 

I did read that the belt screw/rivet covers were 1" squares, so I marked mine out but wanted to find the actual reference to that before cutting them out. Heres where I marked the back side before cutting. 

 

 

That's it, I think tomorrow I want to get the thigh pieces fitted, and possibly finished. Well see how far I get