TK-30605 Requesting ANH Stunt Centurion Status [ATA*][115]

[RampantLion[TK]]

Name = Leonard Gude

ID = TK-30605

FISD Name = RampantLion

Garrison = Georgia Garrison (Outlanders Squad)

 

Armor = ATA

Helmet= ATA

Blaster= Hyperfirm E-11 and DLT-19 (slavefive)

 

Height = 6’0â€

Weight = 170 lbs

Boots = TK Boots

Canvas belt = TK-7143 TKittell

Hand Plates = White Rubber - Sonnenschein "Queen of Handguards"

Electronics = I have an Aker amp and Evilboy's Dual Fan Helmet kit

Neck Seal = TK-9356 Darman

Holster = TK-9356 Darman

 

Strapping Brackets = Mr. No Stripes

Drop Box Covers = TK-812 kwdesigns

 

Sorry in advance about the lighting / light balance.

 

The helmet is hand painted (Trooper Bay stencils with: Gloss French Blue #14, Humbrol. Gloss Black Paint #1747, Model Master Enamel. Gray Paint #1138, Testors.)

 

Build Link

EIB Link

Armor Photos

Full Body Front



Full Body Back


Full Right


Full Left


Right Side Detail


Left Side Detail


Armor Details

Gloves


Shoulder Bridge Back


Thigh Pack Attachment


Sniper Knee Attachment


Drop Box Back


Crotch/Butt Detail


Helmet Detail Photos

Front


Left Side

 

Right Side

Back


Hovi tip detail


Lens color (Backlit if necessary)


Accessory Photos

Ammo belt


Neckseal


Blaster left side

Blaster right side

 

E-11 Details

Thermal detonator back


Action Shot 1



Action Shot 2

Interior Strapping



Abdomen Detail

 

Edited: added links to build/EIB application

Edited March 23, 2014 by RampantLion

[RampantLion[TK]]

S-trim

 

Scuffed boots

 

Bucket Off

 

Edit: Added bucket off pic.

Edited March 23, 2014 by RampantLion

[RampantLion[TK]]

Oops. One more! Shot of my split rivets before covering them to prevent snags:

 

Split Rivets

[James[501st]]

Looks great, good luck Leo!

[TK Sparky]

WOW! Looks great!

[A Master Builder]

GoodLuck Leo!

[I'm Batman[501st]]

Great looking build there!

[Seeker[TK]]

Very nice. 

 

You might want to consider flatten out those split rivets. It looks like they will eventually slice your side one day. You dont want that.

[RampantLion[TK]]

Very nice. 

 

You might want to consider flatten out those split rivets. It looks like they will eventually slice your side one day. You dont want that.

 

They were flattened a bit more and covered to prevent snags/slicing.

[The5thHorseman[TK]]

Your armor looks awesome, truly!

 

Except for this one thing: i wouldn't give Centurion with such elbow gaps like that.

It should do the job for basic approval but i would try to fix your elbow gap before submitting for EIB. it's better to have a wrist gap than an elbow gap.

To do so, you can add strapping between the biceps and the forearms:

 

Or and instead of fitting the biceps inside the shoulder bells, you can place them one on the other:

 

Strapping the forearms with the biceps doesn't reduce or block at all your movements. It just keeps them up when arms at side, while still allowing them to slide down when bent.

[I'm Batman[501st]]

I think it's something on how the arms are sitting. Your EIB thread looks a lot better, with the elbow gaps, that is. Perhaps the top of the forearmsmaybe a bit large which seems to emphasis the gap, I think.

[RampantLion[TK]]

I think it's something on how the arms are sitting. Your EIB thread looks a lot better, with the elbow gaps, that is. Perhaps the top of the forearmsmaybe a bit large which seems to emphasis the gap, I think.

They may need the strapping as The 5th horseman stated. I have them held in place with foam on the inside of the forearms and they slid down a bit in the process of getting the shoot together. For eib it was just sitting a bit better.

[gazmosis[501st]]

Hey Leonard. Thank you for your Centurion application!  You do have one incredible set of of ATA armor that's for sure. This is the Centurion program so we will look at your armor much closer this time. As I said before, you have an incredible set of armor, but there are some changes that I would like to see made and a verification shot I will need before I can pass you. Although these might not be things listed in the CRL, they are points that should be honored.

 

CRL Requirements:

All of you Centurion submission photos are present. The main points regarding construction have been met. 

 

Other-Armor Fit/Assembly:

The first issue that I would like to touch on is the painted details on your helmet. Hand painting is never easy, you did a wonderful job. The one thing I looked at a lot of pictures to verify are the upper corners of both the front a rear traps. You have extreme sharp corners and that is just not something that has been supported and is an easy fix. Dip a brush in thinner. Dab off the excess and massage the corners until the paint is removed and the corners are rounded rather than sharp. 

The second adjustment is to the lower ear cover on your left side. This should not be OVER the neck trim. It seems that a little can be trimmed off of this. I marked what I mean in red:From the looks of it, you can either trim it or fold the neck trim over it. Either way, the neck trim should dominate in this area.

 

The next bit I'd like to cover is the highly discussed gap between your bicep and forearm. ATA's forearms run big.....we all know that. The strap that connects the forearm to the bicep is a great idea with this armor. However, I don;t think your forearm being too low is as much of an issue as your bicep being too high. I know you are looking to emulate the strap across the bicep look, but that is not as necessary as proper fit. The original suits, except for the few that had bicep hooks, didn't even connect the bicep to anything. They just floated. You have long arms. I would install a strap that connects the shoulder bell to the bicep. here is an example:This will allow you to control exactly where you want the bicep to sit and it will remain there. A strap that connects the forearm to the bicep then wouldn't hurt either.

 

The next thing that Needs a minor adjustment are the cover strips on the rear of your thighs. I wen;t back and looked at your EIB thread and they must have been washed out there because they didn't show up enough there for me to catch it. The cover strip should not go over the lower ridge on the thigh bottoms but up TO them.

The last item is a verification. Could you post a pic showing the width of your holster straps. They seem overly wide to me but pics can deceive. The straps should measure 20 MM (3/4 inch) or SLIGHTLY more than that.

 

These are all simple mods that will take your armor to that ultimate next level. Please contact me if you should have any questions.

[RampantLion[TK]]

Thanks Gazmosis for the constructive criticism. I have made several of the corrections already:

 

1) Rounded paint on helmet (I used a toothpick to pick at the edges):

 

2) Trim bottom of ear/tuck under rubber seal (picture taken before rounding paint edges):

 

3) Elbow gap. I'm having trouble with this one. I can make them stack but it greatly restricts my movement. Ideally I would like them to stay with an inch or so under the bell. I may add straps on top of the inner coverstrips and attach those to the shoulder bell to keep it in place. Any ideas?

 

4) Trim cover strips on the back of the thighs:

 

5) Trim holster straps (They were over an inch in width):

 

Do these adequately address the issues?

 

I wish the elbow gap was an easier fix...

 

Edit: Added note to 2)

Edited March 24, 2014 by RampantLion

[gazmosis[501st]]

Wow Len! Tell me that doesn't look WORLDS better!!!!!!!   Don't pull all your hair out. It is an easy fix regarding your shoulder/bicep issue. Grab a helper with a pencil. Put your shoulder and bicep on. Lower the bicep until it is both comfortable and has the proper coverage then mark the bottom of the shoulder onto the bicep with the pencil. Glue a strap into the inside of the molded outer ridge of the shoulder bell. Once that's dry, place the bicep into the shoulder bell and align it with your mark. Glue the strap either to the inside or the outside of the molded outer ridge of the bicep. Cut the strap to length prior to gluing!!!

 

Almost there, Sir!!!!!

[RampantLion[TK]]

Thanks Gazmosis. It does look much better. The biceps are currently strapped with elastic/Velcro to the shoulder bells but it keeps shifting out of place. After some thought I think what they may need is a touch of padding inside and gluing the bicep straps directly to the bells. I'll also add the forearm straps with snaps.

 

I'll give the biceps another go tonight and should get this done this week.

 

Thanks for your support.

[bzb]

Almost there Leo - I really thought this would be a much easier pass!  The straps I used for the arms are simply velcro straps.  I had same fitment issues with it, where the joint of the bicep and forearm caused armor bite when bending my arm.  I simply moved the foam up higher on the inside of the forearm and this made it so the forearm would overlap the bicep when bent.

 

The one thing I don't like about the "stacked" approach is how much the setup clanks around, even with the foam.  Maybe an armorer can start to make some longer forearm and shoulder bell options

[Techne[TK]]

I hear you when it comes to the bicep/forearm positioning.  I agree that the biceps look too high in the top pics.  But as an ATA owner, I have what sounds like a similar issue to you.  I had high biceps, but when I tried to lower them by using a longer strap than I had originally, it didn't work as well as I had hoped.  There was basically a sweet spot where the biceps just wanted to click in place inside the shoulder bells (withor without a strap), and even with a longer strap the biceps wouldn't go lower without being pulled down--and when they were pulled down, then suddenly they would sort of pop all the way out, and that looked even worse.  It was real loose and clanky.  It was a real struggle.  Eventually I managed to get a strap that was the exact right length and tension to hold the biceps a little lower than they "want" to be, but won't let them pop out easily.  Still, it's a little limiting for my movement, if I move my arms too wildly they can still pop out below the bells.  I think you just have to work on the straps through trial and error.

[James[501st]]

Leo try some bondo and a stapler. Other than that i got nuthin'

[RampantLion[TK]]

I hope these pictures show that the last problem area (the elbow gap has been corrected.)

 

 

 

 

I'm looking forward to your response. Thank you for your consideration and patience.

[The5thHorseman[TK]]

Way much better 

[RampantLion[TK]]

Way much better

Thanks.

[zoekoner[TK]]

Nice! Good luck sir.

[gazmosis[501st]]

Leonard:

As your other trooper brothers have stated, very nice work. I appreciate you following up on this. Your work paid off and I am sure you agree that your changes, though subtle, make a huge difference. 

With that, I would like to congratulate you on your Centurion award!!!! Well done!!!

[RampantLion[TK]]

Woot! Thank you everyone for your kind words and support. I couldn't have achieved this without all the help I received along the way, and the numerous tutorials and build threads here on FISD 😃