Alikh's ANH Stunt TK Build

[Alikh[TK]]

First time build here!  I will be updating this thread with pics and I'm sure plenty of questions as I progress!

 

Ordered
Armor AP Stunt, Pretrimmed
Gloves AP Stunt
Belt AP Stunt
Thermal AP Stunt
Neck Seal  Darman
Undersuit Shirt Amazon
Undersuit Pants Amazon

Balaclava Amazon

Boots Imperial Boots
Magnets for assembly TotalElement

E-6000 x2

Lexan Scissors

 

Debating
Blaster
voice mod

 

Still need to source

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Alikh
items purchased

[Alikh[TK]]

First question- are the undersuit parts I linked above alright? They have some seams on them, but don't appear too visible in the amazon pics I could see. Does the undersuit need to be completely smooth (should I cancel the order?)

[tat2trooper[TK]]

Pretty sure as long as they are black with no visible logo or zippers you should be good. 

[tat2trooper[TK]]

For the boots check out imperial boots.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

6 hours ago, Alikh said:

First time build here!  I will be updating this thread with pics and I'm sure plenty of questions as I progress!
Undersuit Shirt Amazon
Undersuit Pants Amazon

Compression suit is what I wear and it's great for those really hot troops 

[Alikh[TK]]

On 3/30/2021 at 2:36 PM, tat2trooper said:

For the boots check out imperial boots.

 

Thanks, just ordered the boots when the opened up this month!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Looks like you are on top of this, Alex!  Having the boots on hand will be a GREAT help when fitting bottoms of the calf pieces.  Does your AP kit include the canvas belt?

[Alikh[TK]]

1 minute ago, justjoseph63 said:

Looks like you are on top of this, Alex!  Having the boots on hand will be a GREAT help when fitting bottoms of the calf pieces.  Does your AP kit include the canvas belt?

Went back to my order to confirm, yes it does.  Thanks for checking- with none of it having arrived yet its hard to confirm that I've gotten everything I need!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

A few things I didn't see on your list:

 

Clamps-  You don't need the expensive ones, but (like magnets) the more the better. (Link here). 

Dremel type tool with sanding drums-  Trust me on this one.  You can find them at Harbor Freight in MD. and they are pretty inexpensive. 

 

In case you haven't seen it, I have a thread here that will help, as well as many tutorials under may avatar below.

 

Always feel free to ask any questions you may have, no matter how small.  Posting photos of your progress any issues you may have will be more important than you know, so something to think about.  My advice when you start:  Take..... your..... time.  Consider your build a marathon and not a sprint.  When in doubt, ALWAYS ask for advice before cutting or gluing.

[Alikh[TK]]

30 minutes ago, justjoseph63 said:

A few things I didn't see on your list:

 

Clamps-  You don't need the expensive ones, but (like magnets) the more the better. (Link here). 

Dremel type tool with sanding drums-  Trust me on this one.  You can find them at Harbor Freight in MD. and they are pretty inexpensive. 

 

In case you haven't seen it, I have a thread here that will help, as well as many tutorials under may avatar below.

 

Always feel free to ask any questions you may have, no matter how small.  Posting photos of your progress any issues you may have will be more important than you know, so something to think about.  My advice when you start:  Take..... your..... time.  Consider your build a marathon and not a sprint.  When in doubt, ALWAYS ask for advice before cutting or gluing.

Clamps I have a ton of already, so hopefully I am good there.  A have a dremel somewhere in the garage.  Sounds like its time to dig it out and see if I have a sanding drum attachment.

 

Definitely feel like I am going to be asking a ton of questions as I start.  Intimidated and excited by the first build.

[tat2trooper[TK]]

Make sure when you order your boots you get maybe 2 sizes bigger. Because I made that mistake and they were too tight. I had to re sell them and purchase another pair.

[tat2trooper[TK]]

4 hours ago, Alikh said:

Clamps I have a ton of already, so hopefully I am good there.  A have a dremel somewhere in the garage.  Sounds like its time to dig it out and see if I have a sanding drum attachment.

 

Definitely feel like I am going to be asking a ton of questions as I start.  Intimidated and excited by the first build.

Yes lots of sanding drums. magnets clamps e6000 glue. Then when your ready for putting it all together lots of line 24 snaps. (if you go the snap route) 

[Alikh[TK]]

46 minutes ago, tat2trooper said:

Make sure when you order your boots you get maybe 2 sizes bigger. Because I made that mistake and they were too tight. I had to re sell them and purchase another pair.

 

Thanks.  Luckily I saw that warning several places on this forum before I ordered.  I have one pair a vaguely similar leather boots that I wear normally.  Those I had to buy one size up to be comfortable.  They have the EU size on them, so I was able to order the same from Imperial Boots.  Here's to hoping they fit well too!

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

10 hours ago, Alikh said:

Definitely feel like I am going to be asking a ton of questions as I start.  Intimidated and excited by the first build.

 

As I often say, BBB (Big Brown Box) day is like being a kid at Christmas.  You tear into it and then realize "Holy crow... I have to put this thing together".  But, you have great folks here from the largest Detachment in the Legion to help every step of the way and help you succeed at becoming a shiny white spaceman.

 

Hopefully you will consider taking your build to more screen accurate levels.   Expert Infantry (and then Centurion) are much easier to aim for during your build rather than after, and we are here to help with those as well.  I have a thread here which explains them a bit more.  This one will also help (link).

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

Hi Alex, looking forward for your BBB day.  we are here to help. 

[Alikh[TK]]

A certain package arrived on my doorstep today...

 

 

Looks like its time to get building!

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nothing better than a BBB, all that excitement, then the panic sets in "I have to put this thing together" 

 

Good luck with the build

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

CONGRATS on BBB day, Alex!  As I mentioned before, ALWAYS  feel free to ask any questions.  No matter how small.  The more the better!

[Alikh[TK]]

ok, question number one!  Ears!  When I lined up my pretrimmed ears, they didn't sit completely flush (which seemed pretty common here).  I trimmed a bit where contact with the helmet curves occurred so it could sit better.

 

Right Side Front - I may need to trim a bit more to pull this one in a little closer?

 

Right Side Rear - This one is my problem child.  The gap at the top of the ear piece and over the tube of the helmet- how do I pull it in to make it more flush?  Parts came pretrimmed but it almost looks like it needs more material there?

 

Left Side Front - This one I think I need to trim a tad more.  Additionally, I'm not sure how to bring the bottom of the ear closer to the helmet and eliminate that bottom gap?

 

Left Side Rear - I think this sits flush enough?

 

Final question for when its all looking right- do the flathead screws need to be counter sunk to sit flat on the helmet?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Looks pretty good to me, you could go further if you want but screen helmets had bigger gaps.

 

Adding a step to the top of the ear helps them come in closer.

How to here 

 

 

 

You can countersink the screws slightly for a nice flat appearance.

       

 

Nice work

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

What you have looks great, Alex.  Part of the charm of ANH buckets is that were were all a little wonky in one way or another and your gaps are better than a lot of them!.  As Glen mentioned, if you can get a tighter fit on the ear screws that would give you a much better look.

 

             

[Alikh[TK]]

Thanks for the advice and reference pics!  Some more progress on the helmet.  I counter sunk the ear screws so they sit flatter.  My kit also came with decals which I've applied.  I think Ill take a heat gun lightly to the grey and black decals to work out the slight bubbles and imperfections from them sitting on a curved surface.  Not 100% sure on the lens either.  Its green, but you're still able to see my eyes behind it.  Should I go for a darker green lens?

 

Lastly, thought I had ordered the paints I needed for the build, but apparently I didn't click check out.  So now waiting for those to arrive to paint the screws, vocoder, and ears.  Also need to go get an S seal for the bottom.

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Some lens material can be quite thin, there are a couple of things you could try.

 

Check to see if your eyes are still visible while wearing the helmet, does darken

 

Paint the inside black, really helps darken the appearance.

 

Use another material for lenses, I find the green safety shields work quite well and there is left over material for other helmets.

[Alikh[TK]]

Waiting on a few things I forgot to buy- (paint, doh!) to arrive.  In the mean time, I got around to getting my magnets ready.  Next step will be sizing the arms and legs of the armor- I'm a shorter guy and I will definitely need to cut down the calves, thighs, and forearms.  Maybe the bicep as well.  On the plus side, the chest, back, kidney, etc all seem fine for my torso.

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Very pretty.

 

Here are a few threads for the vertically challenged.