Aradun

Congrats Theo. Well done!

Jenny, you have a great build thread and ask excellent questions, so if you approach your armor work with the same level of detail that you tackled the soft parts, then there’s no need to be paranoid. You’ll knock this outta the park!

Hot diggity! Do I sense a Lancer app in the future or just a minor disturbance in the force? Congrats again brother.

[mention]Chopper [/mention] Just to chime in here, I had similar issues with my RS kit which was made back in spring of ‘20 and Andy’s observations are spot on so I’m guessing this is standard for their builds. Don’t get me wrong, these are pretty easy fixes, but it might be helpful if the detachment could note the discrepancies with RS. I know they pride themselves on adhering to the CRL and even produced a video on that a while back. If anything, just getting them to relocate that bottom tank rivet to its proper location, and making sure that 1/8” (3mm) rivets are used for the knee armor would be huge as they are the most challenging changes for those building to Lancer specs. Swapping out strapping wouldn’t be much of an issue for most.

Andy, it really is that easy. You can just pull them away from the armor. Just work it slowly. I did that on my RS kit with no issues. I then used E6000 to reattach the new straps and secured the straps with clamps until the glue dried. I gave it about 24-48 hours before removing the clamps. I’ve had no issues thus far after about 8 troops.

Here’s a tip as you work on your build. I thought of it last night as I was measuring the rivets. I have the belt secured to my cod with hook and loop to prevent it from shifting and sagging while trooping, and I was only three troops in when I cracked my belt in two spots when pulling it free from the cod. I suspect that all RS vac pulls would have similar weak points in the belt. I fixed it by making some abs paste and reinforcing the front and back joints in the belt as pictured below. You may want to consider doing the same now if those joints look weak or thin just as an added precaution.

Looking good Nathan. Some XTC-3D would save you time and a lot of muscle ache Lol. Just FYI, it appears as though you might have your front site reversed. The narrow triangular part faces the tip of the barrel.

Lighting isn’t the best but here is the 1/8” red translucent lens inserted in the scope. I printed out the lenses in PLA+ and used them to trace the lenses on the acrylic. I then used a dremel mounted with a cutting disk to rough the lens out and replaced the cutting disk with a sanding tool to round off the lens. It’s nice looking down the scope and seeing the reticle mounted in the scope. Cool effect that I think the little and “big” kids will dig. And that my friends is a wrap! Now, on to my life size baby Grogu.

No problem brother, but definitely check in with the armorers as you said. The good news is that they should be aluminum and not steel. You can check yours with a magnet to be sure. If it doesn’t stick then they’re aluminum. IF you have to change out the rivets in your knee armor for Lancer then use a cobalt drill bit and go slow and steady. They should come out like butter. I won’t tell you how I removed mine, but it didn’t involve a drill bit and it would probably give Chopper a stroke [emoji1787], so I won’t go there. I didn’t have a cobalt bit handy and I was too cheap and lazy to run to Home Depot to pick one up for $4, but I certainly would get the bit if I ever had to remove a rivet again [emoji6].

Well done everyone! 2021 is shaping up to be just as productive as 2020 with new CRLs for the detachment. Keep ‘em coming. Pathfinders Lead the Way!

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you Andy, but I see Chopper gave you the info you needed. The rivets RS used on my kit were 1/8” rivets with 5/16” heads. For my Lancer app, I only had to replace the rivets for my knee armor and I used 1/8” rivets with 1/4” heads. You might not think a 1/16” makes much difference, but it is noticeable. As I had to move the rivet for the tank for Lancer anyway, I replaced it with the same rivets used for my knee armor. I don’t know the actual industry size (44, 45, etc.) as I just looked for what I had on hand with the smallest head and a small grip. If I had to guess I’d say a 44 or 43 which would be a 4/32” diameter rivet with a 4/16” body length or 4/32” diameter rivet with a 3/16” body length respectively. Keep in mind that the size does not account for the width of the head (the washer like portion of the rivet), which is actually the width you want to compare. Again, as Chopper said run any questions by the armorers if you’re unsure or hesitant, and throw up some pics for them to see and give you feedback before you change anything. These guys know their stuff and won’t steer you wrong.

Hey Brother! It’s great to see you bring this build to completion and I gotta echo Corey’s comment that you’ve put together a solid build and it is well proportioned for you. You look fantastic! Excellent job with fit and tailoring. Your right about weathering not being for everyone, but I’m a fan and went with that myself. I know you went with heavier weathering to achieve that lived in look as a matter of personal preference, but I gotta tell you I’m digging it. You look like you’ve been out on patrol skirmishing with Rebel Scum and dodging nasty Murder Bears and you survived to tell the tales of glory for the Empire. Well done. Good luck with basic approval! Keep us posted!

That makes two of us [emoji1787].

Hang tight. The armorers will give you the specs and their advice is what you want to base your build on. I’m happy to check mine for you, but won’t be able to get back to you until after work on Monday. Everything’s packed away at the moment, but I’m sure one of the armorers will get back to you before then.

That’s something you want [mention]Chopper [/mention] or [mention]Retrofire [/mention] to weigh in on as they would be on the review team for the Lancer app. How you measure rivets can be a little confusing. I know how they are measured by industry standards, but am unsure whether the 1/8” reference in the CRL is for the diameter of the hat (i.e., the hole you reference) or the diameter of the head (i.e., the washer like portion).

Yo Andy! The TD end caps are glued on that detonator pretty well. I got one off with a bit of patience but then cracked the other leading to my having to replace the caps. I used some pvc plumbing end cap and with sanding and a dremel was able to manufacture my own. Details are in my WIP. If you do get the end caps off, you can try to give them a hot bath and then take a tennis ball and press it down into the top flat surface, and that should give you a little concave. You could go the hairdryer route too and do the same thing. For the tank, after removing the rivet, I used some Green Stuff to fill the whole. The key there is to not do any sanding because it’ll be nigh impossible for you to match the RS paint. The Green Stuff can be worked so that it only fills the hole and you can get it pretty flat with you fingers. Then once dry give it a dab of paint. No one will be the wiser, especially because it sits so low.

Great work so far, but I’ll leave it up to the armorers to give you proper feedback. Just wanted to mention that it looks from the size of your photos that you are using the forum’s photo feature, which only has a max storage of about 500 KB. Once you hit that threshold you won’t be able to upload any pics. Most Pathfinders use a hosting site like Imgur to insert photos or the Tapatalk app which allows them to post to the forum and upload photos through the app. Tapatalk has a free version which will more than suffice, but even their paid version is only $1.00 per month. I only mention this because I did the same thing when I joined and started my WIP so I know not everyone is aware of the forum’s limited photo storage. The limitation helps keep cost down. Keep up the great work.

Awesome! Glad to see you have your bucket in hand. Looks good. With regard to the fans, I find that I do not need them. I don’t have them in my RS and I don’t have any issue with heat or fogging lenses. I find that the openness of the bottom of the bucket coupled with the ear holes provide ample circulation and that’s with all of the padding of the red label, but YMMV. Now my TK bucket is a completely different story, [emoji1787].

Congrats on your BBB (Big Brown Box) day Andy! You’ll find that RS kit well worth the wait and 25 weeks with all they have been dealing with is still a pretty good turn around. By comparison, I ordered my kit right before the world shut down last year and had a 21 week wait. Looks like you’re off to a great start and I’m looking forward to seeing your build progress. Be sure to ask lots of questions. You’ll find your fellow Pathfinders eager to assist and the armorers here are among the best in the Legion. They really know the scout inside and out!

Congrats James! Well done brother!

It’s great to see you back at it Nathan! You’ll be consumed with looking for things to 3D print now that you have your own printer. I’m really digging my printer and glad I pulled the trigger on purchasing one.

Or just scream at other members around, “Do I look ok?” You gave me a great laugh today [mention]M.J [/mention] as I pictured that in my head. Thanks!

Congratulations! Well deserved too! Welcome to the Pathfinders! Be sure to put in your request for Pathfinder access here: http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/forum/162-access-requests/

Sabrina, they made recent changes to the CRL regarding the TD. The post below will address your question. http://forum.501stpathfinders.com/index.php?/topic/22311-thermal-detonator-crl-changes/ Long story short is that if your TD face has a long and short side then the round greeblie goes on the short side of the TD. If your TD face does not have a long and short side but is symmetrical then it doesn’t matter which side the round greeblie goes.

You’ve done an amazing job! Excellent reshaping and trimming of the armor. Great work on the soft parts too. You should be proud trooper, you put together a solid build!