QuartZ

Hooks sewn into each strap. My fingers are tired! -Dana

Hey @troopermaster, thanks for the information. Do you have any links to photos of a screen used ANH holster up close? Or another thread that show the correct aspects you mentioned illustrated more clearly? I think the "V-cut" could be modified, the retaining strap could be mounted form the inside using the existing hardware and not passed through the slot, and the mounting straps could be separated and installed as you suggest. If there's good reference, I'd be game to try modifying these aspects on one of my Darmans Thanks in advance! -Dana

With my belt completed, I thought about what holster solution I wanted to go with. I couldn't find much information about the differences between the supplied Anovos holster and the ones offered by Darman. I own a Neck Seal from Darman and think it's great so I knew I'd want one of his holsters when I got to that piece of the puzzle. But, there's 2 versions and I wasn't sure which to purchase. So I bought both. I figured having them in hand would let me really understand the differences and allow me to make the best decision for me. In the following photos, I've labeled the holsters: 1 - Anovos 2 - Darman 8oz 3 - Darman 4oz The Anovos holster is larger in just about every way. The designs are all very similar which I guess makes the Anovos version a pretty good option for the stock kit. In the second photo, I wanted to give people a good idea of how the leather weights (thickness) compare. The Anoovos seems similar to the Darman 8oz in therms of leather thickness, but it feels much stiffer/harder. Both Darman holsters have a better feel in terms of the leather quality. You can see how much thinner the 4oz leather is and how it flexes a bit just under its own weight. Not in a bad way in my opinion. Having studied the way the screen used holsters move, curl, and flap about in A New Hope, I believe the Darman 4oz is closest in thickness and movement. Another interesting thing I notice from the screen used holsters that the Darman 4oz also mimics is the 2-tone black look that the lighter leather interior gives off is what I see whenever scenes in the film show the holster clearly. This isn't an important detail but I found it interesting and worth noting for anyone who cares about minute aesthetic similarities. Either way, both holsters seem very nice and with the supplied mounting hardware, I can switch between either version. Unrelated, I started fabricated the calf elastics/closures. I cut and stitched the strapping and I'll spend some time sewing the hooks in next. I may use some other means to help keep the legs securely closed, but similar to the torso, I wanted them to look screen accurate from the outside. -Dana

Thank you. I plan to do a complete overhaul on the helmet and I think I'm going to repaint everything by hand as well. I'll be sure to reference the screen grab references when I get there. Thanks again! You're not too late at all. I think that padding out certain areas on the inside for comfort and fit stability are great ideas. I did notice a little pressure in that area, but after removing some more return edge when I reshaped the Chest tabs that the Shoulder Bridges glue to I noticed a reduction in pressure on the collar bones. I like the idea of gluing in some thin padding there as well and I'll add that to my list of improvements to hit up after I finish the basic build. I know everyone mentions learning a lot from wearing the whole ensemble your first time so I'm already preparing to adjust and improve the fit and comfort. Thanks for the suggestion. -Dana

My thanks to both of you! -Dana

As I mentioned the other day, I wanted to post a progress shot showing the upper body so far. The helmet is totally stock from Anovos, and the biceps aren't hooked to the Shoulder Bell elastics yet, but you get the idea. Oh, and my as much as I tried to get a straight on shot, my girlfriend was just off to the side enough to cause me to look off center and thus the gap between the shoulders and chest look asymmetrical. They're really close. -Dana

Thanks! I appreciate the pep talk. I feel like I'm getting closer. -Dana

I had a few minutes this morning, so I took advantage of them to get something simple done. With the Chest and Back armor connected and the Shoulder Bridges glued and positioned to my liking, I was able to take my Shoulder Bells and figure out where the elastics and snaps needed to be glued in order to have them nearly touch the Shoulder Bridges (I left a little tiny space for reduced rubbing). I tested the positions by using the same magnets I do when gluing to hold the elastic to the Shoulder bells and try everything on before committing to gluing. Here's one Bell glued up (showing the inside and scrap ABS to spread the magnet force): And the other from the outside: I will probably try to post a shot of the assembled Chest-Back-Shoulder Bell combo tomorrow. I was really happy with how everything lined up. Just didn't have time to snap a photo until I was done gluing. -Dana

The shoulder covers have been glued and the E6000 had more than enough time to dry so this morning I removed all of the clamps and magnets. I then cleaned up all of the ooze and had enough time to fabricate the elastic retainers that keep them from floating too high off the back plate: I worked on the belt several nights in a row. Drop boxes were reinstalled with new elastic, and rivets/washers. I managed to get everything completed last night when I removed the Anovos glue from the back of the rivet cover caps and reinstalled them with E6000. You can see the final assembly just resting this morning with clamps and tape still in place. Here's a closeup showing the minimal gap between a drop box and the bottom edge of the ABS belt, as well as the alignment of the drop box to the edge of the ABS belt. I think everything meets Centurion here. Cross those off the list -Dana

It looks like the waist belt for your kit. Also noticed the scale between it and the JB Weld in the bottom corner of your photo -Dana

Whew!!! Working on the belt this evening was tricky. I had already taken apart the Anovos belt and started by getting my @TKittell belt situated on the Abdomen male snaps per @ukswrath's tutorial. I did something a bit different though. With the belt in place on the abdomen (Ab button plates still taped in place) I pushed the canvas belt into the male snaps really hard and then took the belt off. I could see indentations clearly in the canvas and used a pencil just to mark the center of these indentations. Then I followed the instructions and put pencil lead on the male snaps and the put the belt back in place. This confirmed my initial marks and I felt confident I had my hole locations dialed in. The rest was straight forward following the tutorial. I was aiming to have the Centurion-like slight overlap of the bottom button so here's the ABS belt riveted to the Kittell canvas belt snapped onto the Abdomen: I'm a happy camper. The rivet covers and drop boxes shouldn't be a big deal. I hope to get those done tonight. -Dana

Quick update, I'm gluing the Shoulder Bridges to the Chest. Here's a wide shot (again clamp overkill): And a closeup of that E6000 ooze! Awww yeah. I really love this stuff and don't mind scraping off the edges when it overflows like this. : Cross that off the list. -Dana

Roger that. This is the way -Dana

It's ok, it's late, I'm tired too. But , I want you to be able to sleep tonight...lol. I think because you don't see all of the connections in 1 photo you got your "tabs" mixed up in my photos. I took a quick photo for you looking into the armor as if you were going to put your head through the neck hole (back plate is at the top of the photo, chest plate is on the bottom of the photo): Well then I blame @ukswrath for suggesting this method in his Anovos build tutorial! Just Kidding!!! I do appreciate the heads up on wear and tear and this being a potential failure point. If it starts to get sketchy, I'm confident I can make more double snap plates and swap these shoulder elastics out for an easily replaceable component in the future. I totally believe you, but I gotta get this armor done and get that Centurion! Onward! -Dana

Me too. I used mine to cut and trim 95% of my armor. If you're skilled with them, I say stick to using them! Looks really good to me proportion-wise. Good work! Even if it wasn't necessary, I think your TD looks much better with those minor trims. Little things add up. -Dana

More glue, magnets, and clamps this afternoon. Got the other half of that left shoulder elastic attached to the Chest armor: Looking forward to being able to try it on again once this all dries! I'm going to try and get back to the belt next... I know I said that before -Dana

Agreed, I’ve double snapped every other major torso connection. Fingers crossed this one is enough.

Thanks! I’m glad to be back. I missed this place and all of its great members. -Dana

Last night I got the strapping for the shoulders fabricated. I made a single snap plate (nylon based) for the right chest tab. The fact that this connection carries 50% of the armor that is "downstream" I just can't trust the screen accurate S popper. Myabe I'm paranoid, but so far those things don't compare to the Fasnap Line 24s. Glued it up and got magnets on it: Shoulder elastic with Dritz snaps glued to the back: And one more view of the right shoulder elastic showing the fold over bit, sewn down, and corresponding Line 24 snap installed: All that was done yesterday so I should be removing clamps/magnets later today and gluing the left shoulder elastic to the chest to wrap it up. Once that sets up, I'll glue my Shoulder Bridges (covers) to the chest. Then I should be able to dial in the Shoulder Bell straps to ensure they're tight up against the should bridges -Dana

Awesome thanks! Fossil and Putty were both on my radar. I still plan to see them in person, but glad to know you also thought they looked good for this purpose -Dana

@CableGuy what brand/color of paint did you choose for that undercoat on your helmet? -Dana

Having just recently built my Thermal Detonator and studied all of the reference and guidance given by others, I thought I could try and help you. I don't know how much it matters for approvals, but I'll at least chime in to say that from my knowledge, the TD overall length with caps installed should end up closer to 7 1/4" I think the CRL mentions it should be around 7 1/2". So somewhere in that range is what you're looking for if you plan to go for accuracy. Not sure what you mean about 5 7/8" (which is not 12.4mm). But the control panel should be about 4 3/4" long. That would leave 1/2" gap between the control panel and each end cap cut edge. The end caps should be about 3/4" in width. Sounds a bit long and I'm guessing you meant 195mm not 19.5mm. But, experts here will let you know if that's ok. I'm just trying to give you some feedback in case you're looking for some accurate numbers. There's a certain look that you get when the proportions are right. Some of that has to do with getting each part to have the right dimensions. -Dana

I'm about to work on my shoulder elastics now that I've figured out the strapping dimensions needed to get everything to sit right on me. Before I do that, I wanted to get these glued up and drying. I designed and 3D printed some Shoulder Bridge filler pieces in white ABS. This gave me the ability to bevel them so they filled the inside of the bumps even better than scrap ABS sheet. I did this for one reason, I just wanted to be able to have more surface area flush with the Chest shoulder tabs for a better bond. So I'm only filling the large bump and 4 small bumps I plan to glue to the chest. Here are the parts before gluing (some spares were printed): And after glue: -Dana

I am planning to reinforce the neck and arm openings on the chest piece per your suggestion. I've seen you recommend it in other build threads... at least you know someone is paying attention . -Dana

Thanks for the confirmation @justjoseph63 and I'll keep those hints in mind when I go to paint the buttons. This morning (before I pulled into house projects) I spent some time prepping my chest and back pieces for the strapping install at the shoulders. It bugged me that the alignment of the shoulders tabs didn't match from front to back, nor left to right. I know the screen used suits also don't match very well, but I wanted to bring these a bit closer together as far as the angle goes. I also used the opportunity to correct the harsh curvature of the Anovos back shoulder tabs which hook almost at a 90 degree angle. Before: After: I used the hot water bath method and did it in several passes which meant boiling the water and shaping several times to keep checking the front to back. I would alternate so that I didn't over do it. All in all it isn't a perfect match, but I'm happy that it is symmetrical and will put less stress on the shoulder covers from twisting. I had also hot water bath shaped my posterior armor to get a better fit and match the kidney contours better. Again, not a dead on match, but closer to the screen used suits. In doing so, I developed some small kinks/buckling in the upper return edge:. Here's an example: So, I got out my ABS paste (I had made this several days ago)... And I started to backfill the inside of the return edge with the ABS paste. My thought is that I'll fill those kink valleys from the inside and then sand down the exterior kink bumps ultimately maintaining the original plastic thickness. Here's an example of the slop I troweled on (not fully dry yet): Plugging away... -Dana