Kamikaze's ANH Sunt Build [RSP]

[kamikaze[TK]]

Brown box day! My ANH set from RS Propmasters has arrived, and there was much rejoicing in the household. I suppose this will be the official start of my build thread, and what better way to start that show the brown box and unloaded contents, huzzah!

 

 

I am planning to start with the 5 chest/back pieces to get my feet wet, then do arms, followed by legs, before finally hitting up the bucket last. I figure best to save the "hardest" item for last so I can build up strengths and confidence with the easier ones. This will be a fun weekend, is it Friday yet?

 

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

You're a lucky man! So if you're not into football we should expect your submission photos by Sunday night?

[kamikaze[TK]]

You're a lucky man! So if you're not into football we should expect your submission photos by Sunday night?

 

Ha! With my OCD tendencies when it comes to stuff like this, I'll be glad to get it done by Superbowl 2017 lol.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

The most important part is having fun while doing it. If it starts to get bad, put it down for a few days, vent here, and pick it back up. You got a good garrison there to help as well. 

[kamikaze[TK]]

The most important part is having fun while doing it. If it starts to get bad, put it down for a few days, vent here, and pick it back up. You got a good garrison there to help as well. 

 

Wise words. I always say lots of small steps is better than one big one, so take it slow and don't get burned out or rush it. Looking forward to posting progress this weekend. I have some events with the local garrison here over the weekend too so that will help getting started on the right foot too. Cheers!

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

I think I can speak for everyone that during the first build you'll second guess yourself about a bunch of things and stress to get it done. But once it's done and you finally get that 501st approval it'll all been worth it. Looking back at my build I could have done a ton of things differently but still happy with my result. One day the wifey will let me buy another kit so I can officially join this detachment and I'll probably be able to build it in a week.  

[kamikaze[TK]]

Hi folks! Ok, I know this build thread has been *extremely* quiet, I've really had quite smooth sailing as far as the build goes so far. The movie screen references I'm using plus the wealth of resources here have made it quite easy to build to a spec. That said, this has certainly been an interesting experience and it has required a lot more time and techniques than I originally thought, but I've enjoyed each and every bit of it. I'm taking my dear sweet time to make sure I'm happy with how the set is turning out in hopes of getting Centurion spec off the bat, so I'm not ashamed of how long this has taken me so far (3 months so far, albeit mostly weekend work).

 

Now, all that said, I took some pictures of my last armor fitting and I think it's time to solicit any input you guys may have on the armor so far. It's not 100% perfect and done, a few things are still outstanding:

- no paint detailing yet (helmet/ab buttons)

- thermal detonator was in the paint booth so not in pics

- right lower leg armor backing straps aren't final (but the left is) so i know it's got a gap but it will look just like the left when i get that done

- neck seal sucks, i need to completely rework that

- alignment of belt drop boxes looks off in these pics because they floated a bit, can easily fix that so they're always more vertically aligned with the belt edge

- the bicept to forearm strap connection needs to be moved from my inner side to the mid arm so it doesn't show when arms are down (my bad on that, didn't realize how they'd sit)

 

Anyway, *please* take a good look at what I have so far and let me know any and all thoughts on what may be off from another's point of view. I'd greatly appreciate it, thanks so much in advance!

 

[kamikaze[TK]]

Hey folks! I just wanted to check in, it's been a while but I'm still here, and actually still working on wrapping up my RSP ANH(S) set!

 

The reality is, today marks the 6 month point from when my kit from RSP arrived in brown boxes. I knew it was going to take me a while to put it all together to a point I'd be happy with, but whoa, half a year has gone by! I suppose the fact I really only had time on weekends to work on it slowed things down, and I had some personal matters in April delay that even more.

 

That said, it's almost finished! Actually, all the construction work was completed in about 4 months, the past 2 months have been dedicated to giving it a full paint job. I'm not talking about the hand details, but literally everything got primed, color coated, clear coated, cured, then carnauba waxed and polished. The final curing process is still settling in on many of the pieces, but those that are completely done look amazing (in my opinion at least)! Not that the raw untreated plastic didn't also, but this gives it that showroom car finish and makes it very durable. The color won't fade and the thick clear coat is going to be resistant to scuffs, scratches, etc. I'll say this for sure, painting the whole darn kit is one heck of a tedious exercise and I really wouldn't recommend it for the faint at heart, it was very time intensive.

 

Anyway, I should be wrapped up with the final curing by the end of the month and will finally be able to put on the finished work for submission photos (and hopefully get to Centurion approval). If y'all want to see a preview of what a finished fully painted piece of PVC looks like, here's the chest plate which was the first to be ready, enjoy!