saltyr1[TK] Posted May 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 Here are some pics of where I plan to mount the bridges. Looks good to me, but please point out any concerns. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted May 18, 2022 Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 From my side, it looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 18, 2022 Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 Just an FYI you will find that ATA armor does not allow the shoulder straps to be placed the same as the original armor was, normally there is one larger tab and 4 to 5 smaller tabs, with ATA the chest ridges is higher so it's not really possible to get more than 1 large tab and 2 to 3 smaller tabs, Screen accurate 1 large tab and 4-5 small tabs Only image I have of one of my ATA, you can just make out 1 large tab and 3 small tabs And note the lower amount of ridges will not prevent higher level approvals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableGuy[Admin] Posted May 18, 2022 Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 Hiya,Depending on how accurate you want to go, you could trim the front edge of the front largest tab off, leaving a nice raw edge. The below is a lovely example of Han’s suit - note the raw edge. This helps it conform a little better the the shape of the chest, too. (And it’s just a super accurate detail). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 I was able to get 3 little tabs on the chest plate. As Glen mentioned, anything more became a problem. Unfortunately I've already glued them on. Now I wish I would have trimming the front more like Dan mentioned. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 10 hours ago, saltyr1 said: Unfortunately I've already glued them on. Now I wish I would have trimming the front more like Dan mentioned. Not many do this mod so don't stress to much, it won't affect higher level clearance, same as how many tabs are on the chest, not an issue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 Final result after 2 days of letting the bridges dry. I added the 1/4 inch elastic for the bridges. And now I think I'm all prepared to start on the belt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 Hardware too 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 You may find these useful Bending the ABS Belt by gazmosis, Boba_Skywalker3 Current (2021) Holster Placement by gmrhodes13 (follow-up to previous thread above) Ab Waist Belt Mount assembly by ukswrath 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2022 Some progress, not as much as I hoped. I used Ukswrath guide for trimming the ends of the ATA belt. Belt is from Rob K. And lastly the drop boxes are ready. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 26, 2022 Report Share Posted May 26, 2022 Very nice and if you want to get really screen accurate you have the outside button covers slightly off center, slightly more towards the ends (note centered is fine all the way to L3 ) And when you come to add your holster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 Some progress today. Added the snaps to the belt. I tried to bend the belt with boiling water and a hair dryer. Here are pics attached to the belt. Now I am a little disappointed as I planned for the slightest overlap on the button plate. But in the end, it ended up sitting firmly against the base of the panel. I was quite surprised how solid the belt sits once snapped down (no play at all). I'll probably leave it as is, unless it could hinder upper level approval. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 I also plan on trying to heat and bend the ends of the ammo belt again with a hair dryer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 28, 2022 Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 35 minutes ago, saltyr1 said: Some progress today. Added the snaps to the belt. I tried to bend the belt with boiling water and a hair dryer. Here are pics attached to the belt. Now I am a little disappointed as I planned for the slightest overlap on the button plate. But in the end, it ended up sitting firmly against the base of the panel. I was quite surprised how solid the belt sits once snapped down (no play at all). I'll probably leave it as is, unless it could hinder upper level approval. Any bend on the belt will be a help as it will take some strain off the snaps but some don't even worry about bending the belt. Unfortunately belt height will be picked up for L3: The top of the ABS ammo belt should sit at or just above the bottom of the central and vertical abdomen button panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 Thanks Glen for the honesty. Off to correct it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted May 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 OK, that was easier to fix than I thought. My original thought after my disappointment was it fell into the part of 'should sit at', but it was really resting on the bottom. So the easiest way to fix it was to move the snaps on the belt. Spent most of the time trying to get the exact placement. But overall, much better. Here you can see the snap relocation: Probably didn't need to, but I filled the old holes with Liquid Stitch to prevent fraying. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted May 28, 2022 Report Share Posted May 28, 2022 Looking much better. Just remember also that when you have the armor on the belt angle may change a little they tend to angle up towards the rear so make sure you recheck before taking submission photos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted June 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 (edited) The belt should now be complete! Holster (from Trooper Bay) and drop boxes installed. The button covers added with the outside covers offset more to the ends (thanks Glen for pointing that out). If something seems off, please let me know. Now to the Shoulder Bells!!! Edited June 1, 2022 by saltyr1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted June 1, 2022 Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 1 hour ago, saltyr1 said: The belt should now be complete! Holster (from Trooper Bay) and drop boxes installed. The button covers added with the outside covers offset more to the ends (thanks Glen for pointing that out). If something seems off, please let me know. Now to the Shoulder Bells!!! Looking Good Chris. If you haven't glued the covers yet, I would suggest to trim the edges a little to flat them more. Reference Images 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted June 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 Unfortunately again, I've already glue them. But if needed could, they could be taken back off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKSpartan[Staff] Posted June 2, 2022 Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 2 hours ago, saltyr1 said: Unfortunately again, I've already glue them. But if needed could, they could be taken back off. This point is not specifically noted in the crl . for high level we just take it as a suggested fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted June 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 For the button covers, I will come back to them. But to keep my momentum going, I plan on trimming the should bells right at the mold lines on the sides to keep as much there as possible. And I'm 99% sure I have the Left and Right sides correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted June 2, 2022 Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 Your shoulder bell identification looks correct to me, with the ridge swooping towards the front of the wearer. As for trimming, keep in mind that screen-used bells often had a curved edge, which helped better cover the wearer and minimize the amount of black under-suit showing. Many trim lines on armor these days have straight lines, but if you have the option, I'd recommend a curved edge. Below are two examples from the FISD Gallery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltyr1[TK] Posted June 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 Thanks Caleb! My thoughts were to keep as much material as possible as it seems ATA shoulder bells seem to show more undersuit in the front (seems moving the shoulder bell snap more towards the back helps). If the fit allowed, I would definitely add the curve (to me removing material can't cover more undersuit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaskedVengeance[Staff] Posted June 2, 2022 Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 2 hours ago, saltyr1 said: If the fit allowed, I would definitely add the curve (to me removing material can't cover more undersuit). It certainly does sound a bit counter-intuitive, and the way I would implement the curve would be to not actually trim off extra material at the top and bottom of the bells, but instead trim less in the middle portion (depending on how obvious the trim lines are). Different sized troopers will definitely have differing results based on their shoulder size. The other aspect of trimming a curve to cover more under-suit is that, when pulling the top of your bell as close as possible to the shoulder bridges, the curve conforms better to the curve of the chest piece than a straight line would. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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