Startrooper's ANH AP stunt build [*AP]

[Startrooper27[TK]]

Hi all!

Here we go with the brown box (and the brown cat!)

 

I took the armor pre-trimmed and I want to thank Mark who is a great guy and very helpful, he assembled the helmet and even put the stripes on!

Here are a few photos :

 

 

 

 

I start with the decals and the paint :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for now

Time to sleep

 

[captsafe66[Admin]]

Looks like a great start!!

[zebrabuse]

Nicely done! AP here as well.

 

Have fun and ENJOY the build. It's a very rewarding experience.

[gazmosis[501st]]

We love builds! All you will need is new hovi mic tips and new straps on your hoster.

[A Master Builder]

Good Luck on the Build! You are going to love the process of it all. Let me know if you need answers for questions about the AP.

 

Btw them ABS BUTTONS look very well painted ;P

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

Looks great so far! Have fun with the sniper plate.

 

OH and GORGEOUS maine coon you've got there. Can I have him?

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

OH and GORGEOUS maine coon you've got there. Can I have him?

First thing i noticed too  ! I love this breed of cat

 

You seem to have pretty good skill in painting, why didn't you paint the whole helmet? i'm sure you would be fine

Also don't forget to paint in white the ears' screws

 

About the holster, you don't have to buy a new one, just slice the loops so they become single straps and look like ANH.

Edited February 7, 2014 by The5thHorseman

[Startrooper27[TK]]

thank you all
I'm not so good lol, it is my first time, I have shaky hands.

I forgot to buy  white paint for the screws so I will do them later.

Also I will modify the holster when I will start to work on the belt (I still don't have it as I will need to check my size with the armor on...) thanks for the tip.

The cat is one of my two Maine coons, I will try to shoot the second one later.

 

 

So back to business : I tried to see how the arms fit and it seems I have big arms  , there is a big gap and the strip you see here for the biceps is 25mm, the same would be for the forearm, here are some photos. What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2014 by Startrooper27

[The5thHorseman[501st]]

I've seen people doing the same and the outcome was great:

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/17863-tk-0393-ap-buildap/

 

So yes, if you need them to be that wide then go for it.

[Startrooper27[TK]]

cool thanks for the link, I feel better now

[Startrooper27[TK]]

I will do it slow as it is my first try, so first step is the biceps and the inside strips, if all goes well I will be faster for the next parts and do several at the same time:

 

strip cut and sanded for better contact with the E6000

 

 

Same for the biceps:

 

The famous E6000:

 

clamps, clamps, clamps everywhere!!!

 

 

 

I put too much glue, it is not a problem as it is the inside but I will have to be careful for the outside parts

 

 

I wait for 24 hours to see the result and if ok, I will glue the second part and then I test it on my arm and glue the external strip

[Toddo[TK]]

I'm always having issues with excess glue.  Sometimes you can use a pencil eraser to remove it after it cures.  Then you just have to buff out the eraser streaks.  

[Startrooper27[TK]]

Ok Todd, I will give it a try if I need to, thanks!

 

Another step on the double enforcement method, still gluing the inside of the first arm

 

forearm :

 

 

 

also I have tested my skills with the snaps : I used a hot nail to do the holes and assemble the snaps with the provided tool and an hammer:  it looks good

 

 

 

I have also tried my heatgun :

 

 

hopefully the next pictures will be this weekend for a little fitting test!

 

 

 

[Toddo[TK]]

It doesn't even look like you melted anything

[Tolo[TK]]

Hey Mickeal, what part of Montreal are you from?

 

Have you met some members of the Imperial Fortress?

 

Eric

[Clamps[TK]]

Good start trooper. I do recommend that during any test fitting you wear undersuit just to be sure. I found a slight fit difference (tighter) with bare skin vs undershirt. Your mileage may vary of course.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Coming along nicely, keep up the good work

[Startrooper27[TK]]

thanks guys!

 

Eric, I live on the South Shore (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), I met a couple of troopers and Stephen (Squad Leader) at the Montreal Comiccon, I was with my Jedi costume and the rest is history (no cookies involved!)

 

 

My first test was not what I expected lol. A lot of tape but at least I have a better idea 

 

Here is the best shot I have, enjoy! 

As you can see Charles, I had my undersuit on me, and yes it makes a difference, it is also better for the pictures

 

since last weekend my biceps and forearm are done (external strips added) and I have started the other arm.

Also the snaps are coming nicely too :

 

 

I will buy my belt from trooperbay

http://trooperbay.com/stormtrooper-white-canvas-belts-2/

 

and I have some questions : 

what is the difference between

http://trooperbay.com/accurate-nickle-split-rivets-and-washers/

and

http://trooperbay.com/2-inch-fasteners-and-washers/ ?

For me , they have the same function (ab plate and kidney sides) but the fasteners look easier to work with

 

also I will buy the riveter set for my left thigh

http://trooperbay.com/105-piece-hand-riveter-set/

 

a handful of snaps (I took the last ones from my local store, so I decided to add them to this shopping list (6 to 8 boxes should be enough!)

http://trooperbay.com/8-heavy-duty-snaps-with-tool/

 

and finally the white velcro for the shins

http://trooperbay.com/white-velcro-industrial-strength-hook-and-loop-tape/

 

I hope I won't miss anything

 

After the arms, it will be the legs, stay tuned 

 

[Tolo[TK]]

thanks guys!

 

Eric, I live on the South Shore (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu), I met a couple of troopers and Stephen (Squad Leader) at the Montreal Comiccon, I was with my Jedi costume and the rest is history (no cookies involved!)

 

 

My first test was not what I expected lol. A lot of tape but at least I have a better idea

 

Here is the best shot I have, enjoy!

As you can see Charles, I had my undersuit on me, and yes it makes a difference, it is also better for the pictures

 

since last weekend my biceps and forearm are done (external strips added) and I have started the other arm.

Also the snaps are coming nicely too :

 

 

I will buy my belt from trooperbay

http://trooperbay.com/stormtrooper-white-canvas-belts-2/

 

and I have some questions :

what is the difference between

http://trooperbay.com/accurate-nickle-split-rivets-and-washers/

and

http://trooperbay.com/2-inch-fasteners-and-washers/ ?

For me , they have the same function (ab plate and kidney sides) but the fasteners look easier to work with

 

also I will buy the riveter set for my left thigh

http://trooperbay.com/105-piece-hand-riveter-set/

 

a handful of snaps (I took the last ones from my local store, so I decided to add them to this shopping list (6 to 8 boxes should be enough!)

http://trooperbay.com/8-heavy-duty-snaps-with-tool/

 

and finally the white velcro for the shins

http://trooperbay.com/white-velcro-industrial-strength-hook-and-loop-tape/

 

I hope I won't miss anything

 

After the arms, it will be the legs, stay tuned

 

Cool to see another future Squad Member! The Comic Con was my first troop

 

As for you rivets, get Echo's set in the ongoing sales thread. They are Centurion ready and you have the caped rivets for the thight ammo belt in the full kit.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[Clamps[TK]]

Be sure you're undersuit is fairly snug to your body. You don't want it loose and bunching up at your elbow or other areas else it could become a pain point and look sloppy.

 

Keep up the good work and hopefully you can get a crew to come down to Fan Expo this year. It's gonna be another great one!

[Startrooper27[TK]]

a little update :

 

 

Thanks to my wife, I was able to do this 

I think it will need some fine tuning but I will check it when I will do my next test fitting.

 

Shoulder bells and arms should be attached soon!!

[Startrooper27[TK]]

arms finished!

 

front : 

back:

 

as you can see my left shoulder doesn't stay in place and is moving behind

 

do you feel the happyness:

 

Comments/advices are welcome 

[Cantina Security[501st]]

Coming along nicely , my first thought was that you may need to tighten up the strapping between the back-kidney-butt plates, as ther should not be any spacing between the plates. Good looking armor though.

 

The forearms look kinda big. I see you had to add shims to cover your arms, so maybe they are nessescary . Just look a little large near your wrist area.

 

Cover strips. They look a bit on the large size as well. How big did you make them? I believe it's 15 mm on the arms and between 20-25 mm on the legs.

 

Keep up the nice work.

[Startrooper27[TK]]

thank you for your comment,

 

I read the kidney-butt space would be hidden with the belt and I have no other solution for everything to fit behind

 

I added shims and the strips are bigger indeed , I followed this post : http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/17863-tk-0393-ap-buildap/page-2#entry246911

And I have big hands so I had no choice to do the forearms like this.

 

Also I will have to use the same method for the thighs (see the space on the back of my thigh below).

 

they are also hurting the back of my knees when I try to flex, I saw some people cutting the back thighs, they remove the red part :

 

 

I didn't see any post about this method so I am not sure if it is the way to go...

[Cantina Security[501st]]

Yeah , not sure about basic approval or EIB even , I need to cut my thighs and calfs like that, bu don't want to hinder EIB.

 

I would think if you shorten the straps , and pull everything together , you could loose 99% of these gaps. Also when fitting it is best to use your under suit , as the jeans will make you bigger than you need to be , your also going to want the torso up a bit to give ome room for your thighs when you walk. You could drop the back plate just a smidge to help eat up some of that space.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Cantina Security