Jorran

Done and done. After drilling out the rivet I got them installed correctly and the covers on. I then moved on to the holster, where the only two hangups were that (1.) I needed to run out and buy slightly longer rivets to go through the belt and the leather, and (2.) my rivet tool broke while trying to install the second one...so back out to Lowe's I went. Things worked like a charm after that and I ended up with a belt that's ready to go! Next up is cutting and installing the elastic throughout the armor since almost all of the snap plates are already glued on. More pictures soon! Wait...is that...light at the end of the tunnel!?!?

Thanks for all the help everyone! I think Dan was onto something (that also fed into Tray's point) that I just need a better hammer swing, as it was shifting things to the side. Then using James' suggestion I was able to flatten the other side better. It's not perfect, but it's close enough.

Ok, so for Centurion there needs to be two male snap tabs present on the crotch tab of the butt plate. The first one was easy enough, as my snap pliers could reach that hole. The second tab, however, is causing me problems because my pliers don't reach that far. I have a snap setter kit that I got from Tandy, but when I tried using that I got some wonky results (sorry in advance for the blurry picture): The one on the right is one I set with my pliers, and looks like what I already have installed on the butt plate. On the left you see two attempts with the "hammer and anvil" snap setter kit. As you can see (although the blurriness makes it difficult), the back of the snaps on the left are pushed out/inverted, and the connection in the snap is poor to say the least. Is there another way to get that snap on there where it will look similar to the first one? I know it's not terribly important (if someone is that close to me, looking at that section of my armor, I've got bigger problems than the snaps matching!), but I am shooting as close to perfection as I can get. Thanks in advance, as always!

Look at you and all your super-fancy tools! Great work so far!

Ok, almost there. I got the two on the ends out, but the center rivet is being extremely stubborn. I've drilled the center out, but now I can't get the ends off. Here's a picture of what I'm seeing. I tried prying them off with a flat head screwdriver, but it started bending the belt too much. It seems like both ends should just fall off at this point, but I can't be that lucky. EDIT: Also, for Centurion, does the rivet/brad on the crotch need to be painted white? The ones I have are brass.

Thanks, Terry! Does it matter which side you drill from?

Ok, a couple of progress pictures, then a request for advice on an unforeseen problem. First, the completed detonator: I just need to trim off the excess aluminum once I fit it on the belt. Second, the first set of brads and snap plates on the ab and kidney plates. I used these brads, even though they aren't entirely screen accurate, because it's what I had on hand and The Boss would rather I use them than buy something else. Now, the request for help. The Boss helped me work on the belt tonight. I made one mistake with a rivet but that was easily overcome in the early stages. I got the drop boxes riveted on well, the snaps through the belt that will attach to the abs, and then riveted the plastic to the canvas. Based on feedback I found on several builds, I left the white part of the rivet on the inside, and the "ugly" end of the rivet facing out since it would be covered by the rivet covers. The problem is, the rivet sticks out too far. The rivet cover doesn't even come close to making contact with the belt, so I have no way to glue them down. Here's the picture: I don't know what to do here. I suppose I could glue down some scrap abs around the rivet and glue the covers to the scrap, but then you're going to have a noticeable distance between the cover and the belt. What do you experts propose?

Awesome, Robert - thanks! Yeah, the picture you showed is pretty close to what I was going to end up with.

Thanks for the help on that, everyone! I made a lot of dumb, rookie mistakes on the TD, but it's all fixed and complete and I'm overall happy with how it turned out. I just need to test fit it on the belt and trim the excess aluminum. Pictures soon. I turned my attention back to the helmet. A friend at work let me borrow his set of files, and that made all the difference. I was able to shape the teeth much better and am very happy with the results. I had delusions of grandeur and thought I could complete the helmet today, but of course ran into an issue that I need your help with (I can't wait to be done with the build so I can be the one helping others, as opposed to pestering you all with so many questions, but such is the life of a trooper-in-training). In most build threads, the suggestion is to use two rivets to hold the face plate to the back. I have the first one in, and indicated in blue the general area where I believe the second one is supposed to go: In this second picture (special thanks to The Boss for her expert hand modeling!), I've highlighted where one of the final screws is supposed to go...and it's in the exact same place: I think that my ear placement is correct (I just have a rough first trim pass on the ear), so what am I missing here? How do I get the rivet and screw in that same area? Thanks in advance as always!

I actually have a box of brads (used them on the knee ammo box), but if you use those what does the strapping look like on the inside to hold the left side together? Maybe just six snap tabs on the inside in positions where the brads aren't? I've been zeroed in on the pop rivet + snap tab combo that I've seen in other, older builds and I'm having trouble visualizing how the interior would work with brads. (Thanks for the help!)

Hey troopers! I was just getting ready to install the six rivets on the ab and kidney plates and decided to look over the requirements one last time. The official Centurion requirements only say the following about these rivets: "Rivets on the left side of the ab plate: a total of three rivets equally spaced out along the depth of the armor and about 10mm from the edge. They may be painted white, or not." There's no mention of whether they can be pop rivets or solid capped. But then I checked the - that's linked from the official Tutorials section, and it includes the following: "The six rivets are 9mm. Split rivets including jeans rivets can be used, please note they are not regular pop rivets and have solid caps" (emphasis mine). So my question is: are regular pop rivets allowed for EIB/Centurion? It seems like, based on the requirements, they're OK, but that tutorial comment gave me pause. I'm going for Centurion, but at the same time The Boss (a.k.a., my wife) would REALLY appreciate it if I would just use the hardware I have now (e.g., pop rivets) instead of running back to the store and buying something else!

Ok, I think my faceplate trimming is complete. Take a look and let me know what you think. I've taken the eyes and teeth just about as far as I feel comfortable before I get too close to that threshold where you've taken off too much. One other question: I'm having a hard time drilling through the aluminum strips for the TD. I have a DeWalt drill, but it just has the standard bits that come with the drill. Any suggestions on getting those holes punched through? (Obviously not a handyman typing this post!)

While waiting for things to dry and cure on the torso, I've finally turned my attention to the part of the build I've been dreading the most: the helmet. But after all these months and so much help from you guys, I feel much more confident about this than I did back in March. FYI, because of the cooling line problems with the original helmet and its replacement, I switched to an ATA ABS bucket.

Progress! First, a quick picture of my little "paint box," which I took outside to spray paint the TD and then stuck the brads in to let the white paint dry. Second, the (FINALLY!) completed thighs, complete with brads to meet Centurion requirements: The thighs were difficult to work with. The halves didn't come close to lining up at any point and took a lot of extra trimming and heat gun work to get into a decent shape. But that's all part of the process and I learned a lot along the way. Last but not least, a shot of the legs up to this point. It's cropped at the top only because I don't have the garter and snaps installed yet, so it looked a little ghetto if I showed myself holding the thighs up. Next up: garter, suspender, and snap tabs to get the thighs completed, and then ab/kidney/butt plate work. I already spent a good amount of time tonight with the heat gun getting those pieces in better shape.

Is this available for forum members who are not yet (but actively working on it!) accepted members of the 501st?

The new row of holes should line up with the gaps between the existing holes above them, not directly below the existing holes. The new holes look like they need to be a bit bigger as well. Also, and this is hard to see in the picture, but it looks like the base of the t-track is still there where you drilled the new holes. That should be sanded down all the way to the blaster barrel.

Perfect - thanks for all the feedback!

The title is pretty self explanatory: is it better to use something like E6000 or plastic welder to attach snap tabs to your armor? Or is it really just personal preference? I'm guessing that it's just personal preference, as I've seen both ways in various builds. I'm getting ready to attach all of the various tabs to my torso pieces and thought I'd once again pick the brains of the experts for the best method. Thanks in advance as always!

Here are some of my latest acquisitions: 1.) Thigh garters, sold by MightyTank, based on a design by Panda Trooper. Extremely high quality. 2.) Helmet decals. Since I had to send back my T/MC helmet, I switched to an ATA ABS bucket. Those do not come with decals, so based on several suggestions I got a set from TK-4510. I have to gush for a second: these decals got to my door in a matter of 3 days. Unbelievable!

Looks like that's the General Grievous blaster: Hasbro Grievous Blaster Link

Oh yes, most definitely! Those curved scissors are one of the best tool purchases I've made for the entire build. I highly recommend them. Thanks for the kind words. I had to take a small break due to illness, craziness at work, and then a vacation, but there's more updates coming. In fact, the cover strips are curing on both my thighs right now. More pictures soon!

Hey Ryan, For the cap on the back of the scope, I used a small flathead screwdriver but not a hammer. I would push the screwdriver in and lightly try to dislodge that one spot, then remove the screwdriver and repeat that process all the way around the cap. This process takes a long time (you might have to go all the way around the cap a few times), but the result was a removed cap that didn't crack and didn't need any repairs when used later, so it was worth the extra time and effort.

It's my hope that I'll be contributing to that number! I'm probably 40% through my build and everything is being done with EI (and, later, Centurion) in mind. Illness and a long vacation have slowed my progress, but there is plastic welder curing and a dremel cooling off as I type.

Juan is exactly right! Everyone loves a shiny new build thread, especially those filled with pictures.

Nice job hollowing out that rear rail. I had a lot of fun modding my Hasbro - first bit of costuming I ever did. Keep up the good work!