ryates' ANH Stunt Build [ATA]

[ryates]

I have been maintaining a build log on my local garrison academy site, but I thought I'd start one here as well. I have been working on an aluminum, wood and resin R2D2 build for a bit over a year and figured I can never have enough projects, right?

 

I just received my big ol' box of plastic so now is the time to get going. I know most people know what TK armor looks like, but here are some pics of my new ABS:

 

 

I finally grew the pair of courage to take a drill to the bucket and drill the holes to assemble the face and cap and back. My eyes are trimmed, but I haven't yet cut the teeth since I plan to take it apart when everything is assembled and shoot the inside black. I have started trimming ears, but overdid it a bit with my initial trim on the left side. Good thing ATA ships with spares!!!

 

 

While I waited for my armor to ship, I have been collecting a few extra pieces: TrooperBay Dave M decals, Hyperfirm E11, Holster from TK2392, canvas belt from TKitell, Boots from TKBoots:

Edited March 15, 2013 by ryates

[Ravenwood[TK]]

Nice work so far. You are on your way to a bright future in the empire.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Rock star! Enjoy the process

 

I like the use of the little images, too.

[ryates]

Thanks for the comments! While taking a break from ear-carving-induced frustration, I decided to work on my thermal detonator. I cut a 2" nominal PVC pipe down to 7.5", tapered the ends a bit with a belt sander, then shot it with Valspart gray primer. I then took some 1" x 1/16" aluminum strip, followed TKLeper's amazing tutorials, and bent up some clips. The shape is a bit off, but I'm pretty happy for my first attempt:

 

 

Now on to a dilema. I started trimming and fitting the left forearm and am now realizing just how narrow TE-derived armor can be. I trimmed the top part of the forearm to 5/8" so it looks correct, but that left me with 1 1/4" of strip at the back!!! I intentionally left a bit of a return since I'm still in cut-paranoia mode, but the amount of shimming seems extreme. Should I add a slightly larger strip on the top to balance it out?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice!

 

-Rob