BrinkHouse Posted January 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Couple questions I've been pondering as I wait for cover strips to arrive... - On right thigh, should front cover strip go all the way to bottom, underneath ammo boxes? I assume it should. - Is there a way to keep the butt piece from flaring out on the sides? The belt does an okay job of holding it tight but I could see it easily coming free with any regular amount of movement. I think I read in another build thread that someone had heat bent the sides in to match their contour. Wonder if that's the best route or if there is something easier. - Do most people strap the forearm to the bicep with elastic/snaps? Seems like it would help keep the gap consistent and maybe help the forearm from rotating. - Why did the stormtrooper cross the road? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Also, is it acceptable to use Velcro as a closure for the forearms? Having trouble getting the pieces to the right size for my forearms while still being able to get my hand through. I still have some return edge on the wrist side to remove, maybe that will make the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark PWF[Staff] Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 The cover strip on the right thigh stops at the top of the bottom ridge, same as the left. You can heat bend the butt plate, or expand the butt to meet the size of the plate. Otherwise, it is going to flare out. The forearm strapping, you're on point with your assessment. Mine rotated a bit until I put the straps in them. Now, consistent gap, and no rotation. I'd advise you to get all of the return edge cut of the wrists and see how it goes before going the velcro route with them. It doesn't seem like the little bit of return edge woukd make much of a difference, but you'll likely be pleasantly surprised by the results. Looking good, keep at it! Oh, look into a set of needle files to help with the edges of the snap covers on the belt. Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2016 (edited) Got bored today so decided to make some Imperial binders. Just put together with a some pieces from Home Depot. Probably $10 worth of stuff. Did a little wash/weathering paint to make them look used and abused. Pretty happy with the result, and comfortable too! You won't see my Rebel prisoners complaining. Planning to make a black belt pouch to carry them in while trooping. Edited January 7, 2016 by BrinkHouse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Aloha[Admin] Posted January 7, 2016 Report Share Posted January 7, 2016 Couple questions I've been pondering as I wait for cover strips to arrive... - On right thigh, should front cover strip go all the way to bottom, underneath ammo boxes? I assume it should. Referencing screen used suits is the best way to go for this stuff rather than people's build threads. The photo references menu item at the top of your screen is where to find them. Here are the three key ones: And here is a photo of the front of a thigh from one of them: - Is there a way to keep the butt piece from flaring out on the sides? The belt does an okay job of holding it tight but I could see it easily coming free with any regular amount of movement. I think I read in another build thread that someone had heat bent the sides in to match their contour. Wonder if that's the best route or if there is something easier. I wouldn't modify much of anything until you get into the suit and maybe troop a little. if I understand your issue you may need to put kidney/butt elastic on the extreme ends of your butt plate. But please don't heat anything up yet. The on screen TK's belts went across their kidney. Our RT suits end up kinda splitting the differences between the kidney and butt if not a lot on the butt. That's just how things line up. You can play with some velcro on the belt and at the top of the butt plate to see if you lock everything in place. That's what I did at least, but I don't have a flaring an impolite person problem. - Do most people strap the forearm to the bicep with elastic/snaps? Seems like it would help keep the gap consistent and maybe help the forearm from rotating. Absolutely. The biggest reason to do it is for repeatability. It's nice when your forearms end up in the same place every time. For me that is critical so I avoid armor bites on either end of the forearm when it is strapped and sitting happy. Or having it slide up toward my elbow and my glove pops out. Most annoying. The screen used straps were offset and 2" wide (I like 1.5" myself): Check out this link for strapping sizes, colors etc. Bookmark it! http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/26477-what-we-know-about-strapping-snaps-rivets-etc/ - Why did the stormtrooper cross the road? To get a better blaster shot at the chicken. Also, is it acceptable to use Velcro as a closure for the forearms? Having trouble getting the pieces to the right size for my forearms while still being able to get my hand through. I still have some return edge on the wrist side to remove, maybe that will make the difference. Yes! The CRL says the forearms must be closed it does not say they need to be glued. That item in there isn't about screen accuracy it was about all the people with FX armor who had big open slits on their forearms. Just be sure to use the thinnest velcro you can find so no one can see it. I had to buy a few different brands before I found one that worked. -Eric 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) Started working on gluing the calves and thighs today. Was so nervous about the whole thing and absorbed in trying to get it right that I totally forgot to take any pictures. When I get back to it tomorrow I'll try to remember to document. In other news, I got the split rivets installed on the sides of the kidney and ab, think they turned out pretty nice. Just need to paint them up. Also got my latex hand armor in from Trooperbay and glued them onto my rubber gloves. Edited January 8, 2016 by BrinkHouse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 Damn you, super glue. Complete fail on my inner strip glue-up. I don't know if it's just the brand I'm using (Gorilla Glue) or what, but after 12 hours of being clamped, they just peeled right off. Back to the e6000 and another day of waiting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2016 Also, there are 40+ magnets being used just in the above photo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Calves are gluing. There are so many threads which show the cover strip process, I'm going to spare you the duplicates. Otherwise, I got new white shoulder straps made up and installed elastic hold downs. Also got the kidney/ab rivets painted up. Can anyone tell me where exactly the male snap should be installed on the upper right of the ab armor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Aloha[Admin] Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Take a look at the reference galleries for snap placement. Measurements may not work since RT is bigger than most armor. I always leave the shoulder bridge glueing to last to get the right placement. -Eric Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Can you guys give me some direction on the forearms? They are taped at the tightest amount of overlap already molded into the armor. There is definitely a small gap at the top and bottom, but I'm worried if I go any smaller I will be forced to use velcro as a closure since I wont be able to get my hand through. (I have really big hands) Overall they don't seem too bad, but you guys know a whole lot better than I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 Those look fine. You need the room to fit your gloved hands through. They will also connect to the bicep via elastic so they won't move at that fitment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 This thread is giving me flashbacks. Excellent job Andrew 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 (edited) Having a small issue with the knee ammo, it lines up well on one side, but due to the curvature of the thigh and the way it's shaped, it causes the other side to have to be higher up. It was originally riveted this way so I assume the first owner had this issue as well. But seeing as I'm aiming for EIB and eventually Centurion, I'd like to get it right if I can. What do you guys think? (dont mind the messy ABS patch, still need to work on that) Update: Here is another configuration that works, but it causes the ammo boxes to not overlap the cover strip. Is this the better of the two? (need to fix cover strip which is peeling) Edited January 12, 2016 by BrinkHouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 This thread is giving me flashbacks. Excellent job Andrew Thanks man, just started reading through your thread, that sounds like flashback territory for sure! Haa! Glad to see you were able to get it together, I'm sure you'll agree having to go through this process means we probably experience a whole lot of little headaches most people are able to avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Thanks man, just started reading through your thread, that sounds like flashback territory for sure! Haa! Glad to see you were able to get it together, I'm sure you'll agree having to go through this process means we probably experience a whole lot of little headaches most people are able to avoid. Most definitely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ukswrath[Staff] Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Having a small issue with the knee ammo, it lines up well on one side, but due to the curvature of the thigh and the way it's shaped, it causes the other side to have to be higher up. It was originally riveted this way so I assume the first owner had this issue as well. But seeing as I'm aiming for EIB and eventually Centurion, I'd like to get it right if I can. What do you guys think? (dont mind the messy ABS patch, still need to work on that) Update: Here is another configuration that works, but it causes the ammo boxes to not overlap the cover strip. Is this the better of the two? (need to fix cover strip which is peeling) Well for starters ATA ammo belts like other armor aren't perfectly symmetrical. It doesn't need to be straight and it definitely doesn't need to be sitting over the cover strip. From the movie point of view it can be sitting straight forward, upwards a bit or even downwards (not commonly used though acceptable). To be honest your ammo belt may be a bit short but not too short for approvals. My suggestion, start on the left side then wrap it straight around the front ending on the right side. Here a few pics of the movie armor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Thanks, that's a big help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Finished the forearms! For some reason, they were the scariest part. I don't know why. I ended up having to go with a velcro closure, because my hands are just too damn big but I think it's fine, not very noticeable. I installed the strapping between the bicep and forearm, using 2" black elastic. I opted for velcro on both ends instead of gluing it, in the event I need to remove a piece. Holds plenty strong and I like that I have the ability to adjust the gap distance if I need to. And here's a photo to show the completed arms attached to the shoulders. What do you guys think? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Yeah don't get too hung up on the thigh ammo pack. I'm short so I keep mine flipped up more than straight. Anything that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 (edited) With all the major components of the build finished, I couldn't resist the urge to put all on and take an action shot! I still have a few things to adjust (boots are being completely replaced) and fix but it's 99% there, I think! What a great feeling wearing the whole kit for the first time. "There's one! Set for stun." Edited January 15, 2016 by BrinkHouse 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airborne Trooper[501st] Posted January 15, 2016 Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 Your new boots should fit nicely under your shins. May want to use velcro to keep them in place. You're definitely tall enough where putting your thigh ammo pack level won't effect mobility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 Your new boots should fit nicely under your shins. May want to use velcro to keep them in place. You're definitely tall enough where putting your thigh ammo pack level won't effect mobility. Yeah, new boots are much taller above the ankles, shouldn't be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 I'm developing an iOS based TK voice changer/static burst app, please follow along here! http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/34939-troopertalk-voice-changer-w-static-burst-app-dev/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrinkHouse Posted January 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 New boots just arrived. Much better height. Think that will make all the difference. They seem pretty spot on, from the stitching to the U shaped elastic. Will just need to sand down or fill the small logo by the heel. A great deal at $50 shipped! http://www.amazon.com/Horze-Adult-Economic-Leather-Jodhpur/dp/B00CUHT6VA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452974038&sr=8-1&keywords=horze+jodhpur 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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