Leaderboard

Ok, so I got a little frustrated with the very slow progress and I claimed from the start that I wasn’t going to try break any boundaries with my build. With this in mind I decided to start putting the pieces together and worry about painting later. Tonight’s progress as follows [emoji4] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alright Joe let's get you approved. Thank you for your Centurion application. CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required submission photos are present. As mentioned during your EIB application beautiful job on your build. Andrew and I would like to welcome you to Centurion. Great job and ongratulations Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: Time to get out there and represent the Empire as its newest ROTJ Centurion

I was reading Lou's build thread (who is also building a WTF kit), and another trooper brought up the issue with the WTF ab button plates. Which made me take a look at my WTF ab button plates. When I was initially trimming them, I kept thinking that the lip around them wasn't well-defined. And they are really deep as well. After taking a good look at my plates and comparing them to screen used ones, I realized that I needed to modify them. I saw on another WTF Centurion build that another trooper did not modify her ab button plates, and she was approved without any issues. So I suppose that this isn't a super necessary modification unless you really want to do it for your own happiness. I've borrowed this image from Lou's build so you can see the comparison. I cut down my ab plates quite a bit to start. Then I cut a piece of extra ABS to use as a backer plate to attach it to the ab. Then I glued a piece of scrap ABS to fill in the large gap inside the plate. This will allow for better adhesion when attaching to the backer plate. I attached the ab button plate to the backer with CA glue, which ended up looking like this. Then I realized that the ab button plate wasn't sitting entirely flat on the backer. And that I had overtrimmed a bit on the top. Gah! I decided that the easiest way to fix this would be with white caulking. I applied a bead of caulking all around the edges and filling in the gaps. A little clean up with a paper towel and a wet finger, and it looks like one piece now. Here you can see the before and after of the most gappy part of the plate. Here the plate is temporarily placed on the ab to verify size and position. Good to go now! No more gap! Caulking FTW!

Also to note I’m building a kit for TLJ, small mods from what I see with the codpiece and two grey paint spots on forearms. I also have the TLJ helmet on order from Anovos and it is scheduled to ship in the same window.

Update - Receiver Tube/Body I did some work on the main body or I guess what is called the receiver. I did some clean up sanding around the existing holes and the long slit where the charging handle sits then I set about working on the clearing strip. I had myself all worked up because I had no idea how everyone was perfectly removing the old clearing strip. Here's the original strip: But it ended up not being much of a chore at all. I used a sanding drum on a dremel to remove most of the strip, being very careful to not go too deep. Then switched to a cutting bit to handle the corners and finally switched to straight sandpaper to take down the remaining strip. I had myself all worked up for nothing. I also used a bit of a pick to cut into the corners a bit for the slight overhang. Next I borrowed a crayon from my daughter (got to remember to put it back or I'll be in trouble), held a piece of paper over the port opening and rubbed the crayon over the surface. Creating an imprint of the port below. Next I sketched out the angle I wanted for the new clearing strip and cut this out of the ABS from T-Jay's kit. I made sure to make it a little longer than I wanted so that I could try to "tuck" the ends under the plastic lip of the port. The first one I made ended up being a disaster. I had read of people heating up the strip with a heat gun to have it better conform to the curve of the port. Bad idea. I guess I heated it too much and it began to warp. So I heated it again to attempt to flatten it out again. By then it was over 1/2 inch smaller than when I started. Super shrinkage. Note to self - avoid heat gun when building armor. Luckily, I had planned on the possibility of a failure and made sure I had enough ABS left for a second strip. This time no heat gun. I carefully trimmed away at the length until it would just tuck under the overhanging plastic. Then I put on some CA glue, held the strip down with all my might and blasted it with Zip Kicker. It might be a bit thick (tall) but I think I'm OK with it. It curves nicely to the plastic. I used a bit of "green stuff" on the edges to make it look like it's part of the bolt underneath. Next I set out on cleaning up some of the holes where the T-Track go into the main tube. On the Doopydoo's kits, a lot of these holes are partially or mostly filled with resin. It makes things look kind of blobby. I found the smallest (regular) drill bit that I had but it was still too large, in my opinion. And the jewelry bits I was using previously would probably snap if I put side pressure on them. I dug a bit more through my dad's old jewelry tools and came up with these very cool bits. They are very small, but also quite stubby so they are perfect for the side pressure of clearing out the holes. I'll post a picture of them here. The only label on the package says, "EuroTool." When I searched for them online, they appear to be called Twist Bits. Anyway, they did an amazing job clearing out the resin left around the T-Track holes and also for cutting that slight lip where the clearing strip fits on the bolt. Here's a shot as I was working on the holes... That's it for today.... Mark

You know, I keep referring to this document but somehow I keep missing the "important" photos. I've downloaded the PDF now. Thanks.... Mark

Ok, now that my minor crisis has been averted I can get back to it.... Just before I continue with the Front Sight I thought i'd mention that I ground off the large resin screws at the front of the blaster and replaced them with the hex screws from T-Jay's kit. I also installed the bayonet lug. I strengthened the lug by inserting a piece of a nail into the lug and into the body of the blaster. Ok, back to the front sight... Update - Front Sight (Part 2) Once the sight pin was assembled, I spend quite a bit of time grinding away at the original sight frame from the Doopydoo's kit. Eventually I got all the inner resin removed so I was left with just the sight frame. Next I held a piece of sandpaper against the tube and sanded the bottom of the sight frame to better hug the curves of the main tube. And then came the task of cutting the hourglass shaped channel into the main receiver tube. I sketched off the shape and started with a large flat file. Then later moved to angled needle files. Checking constantly to see if the sight would slide in yet. (Some of these photos are out of order. For example, here I hadn't actually cleaned out the T-Track holes yet.) Next I used "green stuff" to add the texture grip to the sight frame... And here's what it looks like.....nothing glued in yet.... Mark

I used two in each as well. Also like Wayne, I had such a headache getting the dark things the right way round with blaster polarity!! Plus they kept snapping together, such a nightmare lol Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

Thanks Jesse! I used two in the mag and two in the housing. Had to get my head round installing them the right way round because of polarity. Would be just my luck to get them stuck in only to find they repelled rather than attracted! [emoji23] I made the trigger guard out of a thin piece of aluminium I managed to scrounge from the mechanic at work..I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice work! I plan to install the completion set magnets as well for my magazine. How many magnets did you use for each piece? I'm loving that trigger guard by the way; wish I made mine that accurate and perfect!

Congratulations Joe! Great job man. Thanks for bringing in another Centurion to our garrison AND the legion!

ROTJ Centurion, a very select club. Congratulations trooper.

Good luck on your build. If you do go for Expert Infantry/Centurion and get stuck, let me know. I'm ~2 hours away.

Congrats, Joe - well done!

Hey Lou, Do you have your boots yet? Your shins will fit you differently when your boots are on. Best to do the leg fittings while wearing your boots. The boots push up the shins on your legs, which can affect how much (or little) space there is between the shins and the thighs. Which can result in changes to how you want your thighs to fit. Just a suggestion! Oh, and about those rubber gloves... I love mine! I wear a pair of silk liners in them, and they are super comfortable. I've never had them get swampy on me, even when trooping in 90 degree temps with 85% humidity. I have a pair of Nomex gloves, and I have never worn them on a troop.

Not odd at all. There is always humor to be found when discussing butt (plate) cracks!

Looking sharp Tom . get starving your self ready for centurion and get the new TD screws painted black ready to fit Good luck mate

Congrats on your BBB. Have fun with your build Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I just completed an ABS printed DLT-19, and it turned out pretty well. Please note that there will be a LOT of sanding and filling though to get rid of all the print lines. (I think I had about 16+ hours on this). I also had to drill out the center and run a half inch aluminum rod inside the length for stability, but if you are doing an E-11 that shouldn't be needed. One thing that will help a lot is Rustoleum's 2 in 1 "Filler and Sandable" primer, available at Lowe's or most auto supply stores. It will indeed fill small imperfections, especially with a few coats. You will still need to sand down the ridges pretty well beforehand, though. Another thing I would highly recommend is Tino's (T-Jay) E-11 completion kits. One of these will take you leaps and bounds closer to screen accuracy. -----------

Exactly. Just like the one Q shows in the photo. I used the one inch wide (below) for certain areas like the arm connections, but the 2 inch in others. I went with the double snap system in the areas around the torso (second photo) for added security.

I'm all for more detailed info in CRL. It would help avoid many rookie mistakes, avoid answering repetitive questions and have info in one place. Some seem to not want to actually dig through posts and do real research. And saying it's visual doesn't work well when some model photos are ancient. I'm building a TKC right now and a few things from the photos in the reference photo thread don't match CRL or model. Like don't just say Black paint. Say semi Gloss black paint.

amazing!

Awesome thank you

Good luck, hopefully the wait isn't too long.

At this stage a TFA cod is acceptable for basic and L2 approval but this could change depending on availability of that piece, reference material and any CRL changes

Really hoping this is final and that BBB comes through. I was late, so probably won’t get it in early waves of shipments.

Nothing better than a BBB, I hope you see yours sooner than later, fingers crossed Anovos comes through

"I love the scope detail on the blaster .... how did you do that." it has it from the factory. but it can be done with a template

ok, I'll make the adjustments shortly. thank you very much

This is what I think I need to do based on my research, but please chime in if you have suggestions. 1) Boil Water 2) transfer water to large container as required or leave in pot with stove off if large enough 3) Dip/submerge part into water for about 30 seconds a) Part must be wrapped in tape or zip ties or similar to mold into desired shape 4) Repeat as neccessary 5) Once part looks like it has been shaped, immediately dose with cold water to set in new shape Am I missing anything?

I especially like the second trigger that's part way down the grip in that photo. Is that one for "stun"?

Have a read of this thread

Yeah... those pesky gaps will be the death of me haha. Thank you so much. Your kind words are very appreciated.

Hello and welcome aboard, nothing better than a BBB, words of wisdom, research is the key and measure twice and cut once, good luck with the builds

Thanks Christine, I will let you know how I get on with ..... I was going to say the cracks in the ****..... but then thought better of it.... lol ..... sorry .... it’s a very odd British sense of humour I will try the reinforcement.... but I’ve already put some abs paste on the inside .... I could grind it out and add glued abs instead.... Thanks again [emoji3] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wear thin cotton gloves underneath my rubber gloves. Less sweat and more comfort

Hi Mark, Not sure if this is any help, however you could put an extra pin in your trigger to stop the travel, thus not needing the #2 pin that you have. Here’s a pic of what I did, (apologies, the picture is very basic) Green is a very rough representation of the hollow area behind the trigger. Blue is where my spring is (approx) Red is the extra pin to determine the end travel. The red pin touches the inner housing BEFORE the trigger comes out too far. Now, I have no idea how he hollowed part of your grip looks, but maybe it throws another option into the ring. Ps, apologies for the awful diagram. A picture of the trigger with the extra pin is about the only thing i didn’t take a picture of during my build. ;-) Dan Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on BBB day, Jason. Don’t forget get to check out the EIB and Centurion programs if you’re looking to take your builds to the next level. Regarding the different body types that you mentioned, check out the build threads. There are loads of great builds covering many different shapes and sizes that, I’m sure, will give you tips and inspiration. Best wishes Dan

Have fun and ask away! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@TheSwede : I guess I’m going to have to go frame shopping now...

Updated

Dears, Here is the prototype approved for the CRL and ready for further production starting in March.

Sometimes you think they would be better off just saying "don't know, eventually" at least then it's not a lie and people don't get upset when a delivery date comes and goes. Anovos "the one day you'll definitely maybe get your order"

Here are the application pics. Yeah, my TD is crooked. There really is an art to getting everything lined up and looking good. Kudos to my wife for being my handler and photographer. I gave her a couple images showing how the armour should look and she made it happen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First time in armour, I’m still grinning. Plus I saw the Solo trailer. So that adds to the grin. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If it makes you feel any better YOU will be the only one who notices. I destroyed my belt rivet caps while I was replacing the canvas portion of the belt on my Anovos kit, and had to source replacements from ATA - they’re just a hair off from Anovos’ shade of white, but if I try to point it out to other people they act like I’m insane.

Ok, I've FINALLY made some descent progress on the counter. First up I used some cut up cigar box nails (really small) to fashion pins to hold the counter reset button in place. This is to give it some added strength in case it gets bumped. Hopefully it won't break off so easily. Then I added the screws from T-Jay's kit as well as one of my own to the counter. Replacing the poorly cast resin ones by grinding them out with a dremel. I also glued on the top plate and window that I made (correctly positioned this time) and filled the edges with "green stuff" to hide the seams (again). I should mention, I really didn't like working with "green stuff" at first. It's REALLY sticky. It kept sticking to my fingers and to any sculpting tools I tried to use to smooth it down and shape it. I got so fed up that I went to a local hobby store and picked up some modelling putty. It was Squadron Products fast drying, white putty, hobby filler. But you know what, I didn't like that either. It's a cream that goes on easily, but it's kind of "sandy" in texture and, worst of all, it wants to keep that sandy texture when it gets painted. Almost like wood the way it absorbs paint instead of paint sitting on the surface. Anyway, I went back to "green stuff" because it takes paint like plastic. Super smooth. And I learned to keep a bowl of water handy when I'm working with it. I keep my fingers and tools wet and the "green stuff" behaves better. I was getting really anxious to see what the counter would look like painted. So I took a break and built a little spray booth using 1" PVC plumbing pipe and some plastic "drop cloth" painter sheets. It's about 3 1/2 feet square. It's kinda cold this time of year and it's gonna rain for months so I can't paint outside. This way I can paint in the garage where it's at least a bit warmer. I also did something a little different with the counter window. Instead of trying to mask it off with tape, which would have been really difficult, I painted it with liquid latex. I dressed up as a zombie for Halloween last year and I still had some liquid latex left over. I gave the clear window about 4-5 coats, letting each one dry for several minutes before I started the next coat. This formed a barrier to keep the paint off but still something I could peel off easily. In this case I think it worked better than tape. Ok, big reveal.... Here's the counter with the liquid latex barrier still on... And with the latex peeled off... From the side: And a before/after: I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Makes me feel good about my first build. I'm not going to do any weathering yet. I'll save all that until the end. I think the power cylinders will be next... Mark

hahahahaha yes it is

You're very welcome Charles, awesome backpack you have there If I may say.