khazara Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Thanks Todd! I'm a little confused on the TD tube as I felt that this color was closer to the ROTJ scouts. Looking at screen grabs and the Scout parts thread it seems that the TD tube is closer to light grey/off white than the grey called out in the CRL. Here's what I was using as my reference: I want my Scoutfit to get as close as screen as possible so I'm at a bit of quandary with the TD. Do your think this is something I should bring up to the detachment armorer? Your reference pic is definitely not grey - but the CRL is what's used for approval. I would suggest reaching out to the GML who will be approving your outfit and get his/her advice, as that's who you're going to have to get approval from. Include your reference pics and the source of the references. That'll save you some headache by getting it cleared up front instead of having to make changes after you're done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 20, 2016 Author Share Posted April 20, 2016 Your reference pic is definitely not grey - but the CRL is what's used for approval. I would suggest reaching out to the GML who will be approving your outfit and get his/her advice, as that's who you're going to have to get approval from. Include your reference pics and the source of the references. That'll save you some headache by getting it cleared up front instead of having to make changes after you're done. Thanks again Todd for the input and you're right on target with the CRL reference. I guess that's why I was in a bit of a quandary over this. It's the battle over trying to be screen accurate while meeting the CRL requirements. I've posted my question to our garrison GML as well as our garrison Pathfinders. I certainly do not have any issues with disassembling my TD and making it spec if that's what need to be done. This is the kind of discussion I really appreciate and thanks for taking the time to make me stop and think of how to make my build better. This is why this site is the best place to be in the 501st. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 I took the TD tube color up with my GML and a detachment armorer. My GML said that it was acceptable for basic approval since the "grey" mentioned in the CRL doesn't have any sort of specific color attached to it such as "slate or gull" so as long as it is in the "grey tone it's acceptable. Talking with the Det armorer he mentioned that the color should match the snout and front armor rectangle. While it's acceptable for basic approval my desire is to run for Lancer once I'm approved so I'm defaulting to the detachment armorer's ruling. I've disassembled my TD and have painted the tube medium grey to match my DVH snout greeblie and front armor rectangle. Lesson learned. When in doubt ask the detachment armorer's that's what they're there for. Many thanks to Khazara (Todd) for making me think about this enough to ask questions in order get it right. I'll ride your wing anytime brother . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblivian Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 I finished sizing the belt with my flight suit and bund. I used two 1/8" X 1/4" rivets with a spacer and backing washer. I made the two spacers out of scrap ABS to hold the nylon tighter against the belt. I'm working out a method for the rare earth magnets in the TD for the connection to the belt so more to come there. Did you velcro to the back of the boxing just for adjustment and sizing sake? Im considering gluing mine to the similar position to take the strain off the riveted area. Also nowhere near as curved as your belt (and of course we are all differently sized) so not sure it looks right extending suddenly from where I intend to rivet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khazara Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Lesson learned. When in doubt ask the detachment armorer's that's what they're there for. Many thanks to Khazara (Todd) for making me think about this enough to ask questions in order get it right. I'll ride your wing anytime brother . You're welcome, glad you got a clear ruling on it! Best of luck with the build :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 Did you velcro to the back of the boxing just for adjustment and sizing sake? Im considering gluing mine to the similar position to take the strain off the riveted area. Also nowhere near as curved as your belt (and of course we are all differently sized) so not sure it looks right extending suddenly from where I intend to rivet Yes, and it really helped to fine tune the sizing before I riveted it in. You're right on point with wanting to glue it. I also glued the area around the rivet to provide additional strength to prevent it tearing around the rivet. I looked at one of Chef's builds and he used a larger piece of ABS in the belt restraint area. Here's the link if you are interested: http://kgbairsoft.com/wordpress/?page_id=122 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereswa11y Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 This gear looks great. I think its time to give my gear a tune up :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 This gear looks great. I think its time to give my gear a tune up :-) Thanks a lot for the compliment Wayne. I've had a lot of great examples to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 Well it seems as if it has been one step forward and two steps back as I make my way through this process. It's been a learning process and while somewhat frustrating at times it's really satisfactory to see my armor look better with each iteration. Here's what I've upgraded in this round and thanks to those that have provided great input and suggestions to make it look better! 1.) Disassembled my TD and painted the tube grey to match my DVH snout and chest rectangle. If you get SC armor it turns out that the tube is a touch too light so paint it before you assemble your TD. Thus may help avoid tearing it down and painting it anyway. If you have questions you can always talk to a detachment armorer and/or your GML. 2.) I sewed Velcro to the upper part of my bund and vest to keep it from dropping down below my chest armor. 3.) I removed my 1.5" strapping from my drop boxes and trimmed them back to accommodate the correct distance from the belt assembly. I had to trim off the female snaps so I had to reset new ones once I achieved the correct length. Lesson learned. Make sure you correctly measure this distance before going to all the trouble to attach your straps. I thought I had the right distance set but even with placing Velcro in the boxes it didn't give me enough room to shorten it up. 4.) SInce I had the TD all taken apart I decided to do a mod using rare earth magnets to attach it to my belt since it was getting me frustrated trying to get it sit right and correctly attach it after I put my belt on. Yes, it has to look perfect So here's what I did: I picked up a set of rare earth magnets used for furniture from Amazon. Once I had my TD back together I attached the magnets to my belt loops using screws: Then I cut two patches of cotton webbing to fit over the rare earth magnets that will be fitted to my belt. I made them a little larger since they have to fit over the magnets when I sewed them on: I then sewed them on the belt by only sewing three sides. I did it this way to make sure I had them facing the right way so they would attract rather than repel. It's the measure twice cut once adage. Once I was happy that they were correctly placed I just sewed the pouch closed. The magnet set up works very well and supports my belt assembly with no effort. So I'm just about ready for my third round of pre-pre approval photos so I'll be posting those soon. Thanks for all the help and input and as I've mentioned before keep it coming! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin-X Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Really nice work and a cool approach with the TD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 24, 2016 Author Share Posted April 24, 2016 Really nice work and a cool approach with the TD! Thanks Jim! The TD was really being a bugger to get attached once I was suited up and I couldn't be sure it was straight. The magnets align it even with the belt so all I have to do is just let the magnets do their thing and loop the clips over my belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 24, 2016 Author Share Posted April 24, 2016 Here comes round three of my pre-pre approval pics. I've taken the previous inputs and have implemented them in. I would appreciate any input, questions, comments. Thanks! Front Left Side Rear Right SIde 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khazara Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Here comes round three of my pre-pre approval pics. I've taken the previous inputs and have implemented them in. I would appreciate any input, questions, comments. Thanks! Looking good! The only things that I notice are very minor in my opinion: - your forearm pieces are overlapping your gloves considerably more than i normally see. One thing I've found with actively trooping, and from recommendations presented in these forums, is to add Velcro to the suit itself and inside the armor pieces, to stop from slipping down. While this won't affect your approval, it is VERY helpful in keeping the armor pieces positioned while wearing. This can always be a later adjustment. I did this to the knees, elbow and forearm pieces. - bottom of the pouches should be parallel to the belt, in your front view they are askew. Again this probably won't affect approval but might be an easy adjustment depending on how your pouches are attached. Mine are held by Velcro inside the chest armor. Looking good!!! Edit: I just noticed your left-side dropbox strap, on the rear, is twisted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Looking good! The only things that I notice are very minor in my opinion: - your forearm pieces are overlapping your gloves considerably more than i normally see. One thing I've found with actively trooping, and from recommendations presented in these forums, is to add Velcro to the suit itself and inside the armor pieces, to stop from slipping down. While this won't affect your approval, it is VERY helpful in keeping the armor pieces positioned while wearing. This can always be a later adjustment. I did this to the knees, elbow and forearm pieces. - bottom of the pouches should be parallel to the belt, in your front view they are askew. Again this probably won't affect approval but might be an easy adjustment depending on how your pouches are attached. Mine are held by Velcro inside the chest armor. Looking good!!! Edit: I just noticed your left-side dropbox strap, on the rear, is twisted. Todd thanks again for all the great input! Now that I look at the pics you're spot on and I need to move each set of my arm armor up more toward the bell. I like the idea of the Velcro and I have no shortage of it so I'll be taking your advice to add it. My pouches are also attached with Velcro so I'll re-position them to bring them square with the belt. I just noticed the drop box and I make sure they are not twisted when I post my official pre approval pics once my Altmann's bucket comes in. I'm learning how hard it is when in armor to adjust so it seems best to have everything as idiot-proof as I can make it suiting up. Thanks again for your advice and help! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inklegg Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Looks awesome. Im just starting my build. Can someone shed some light on why the snaps are glued to a small square of plastic and then glued in place? Why wouldnt the snaps be glued directly to the part (is it to protect it)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Looks awesome. Im just starting my build. Can someone shed some light on why the snaps are glued to a small square of plastic and then glued in place? Why wouldnt the snaps be glued directly to the part (is it to protect it)? Good question! The reason is structural [it's the engineer in me]. Metal doesn't bond well directly to ABS (SC armor) and the function of snapping and unsnapping can cause a lot of strain on the connection. Using the ABS tabs gives the part a larger area to bond to and makes it much stronger. The adhesives also work better in an ABS to ABS bond rather than dissimilar materials. In my build I used plastic weld for these connections which needs a plastic to plastic connection to bond correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inklegg Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Isn't there still a metal to ABS connection (snap to tab)? Or did you rivet the snap tab to the plastic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southscout Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 I make snap plates, i.e a small plate with a snap mounted in it (hammered together), then the plate is glued to the plastic. Skickat från min LG-D802 via Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Isn't there still a metal to ABS connection (snap to tab)? Or did you rivet the snap tab to the plastic? The snaps are assembled using a setting tool. The method, in this case, was to drill a 0.125" hole in the tab, push the post end of the snap through the tab, put the male/female connector on, then use the setting tool and a hammer to push the post metal down over the connector. Then imagine there is a piece of material between the post and the snap. You then hammer the post into place over the connector. You can use a rivet to make this connector as well but you will need a washer sized to the inside of the fitting. Tandy Leather has snap kits and setting tools that you can pick up pretty inexpensively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inklegg Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Awesome, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Just got the best Star Wars Day present EVER! Helmet #365 arrived today. Many thanks Spike I love it! Of course my future scouts had to try it on too! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Ranger Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 Just got the best Star Wars Day present EVER! Helmet #365 arrived today. Many thanks Spike I love it! Of course my future scouts had to try it on too! I'm super happy for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 I'm super happy for you! Thanks Cheyenne! It couldn't have come on a better day. I finally got my lid I'm going to sit down with my younglings and watch Lego Yoda Chronicles and work on my helmet upgrades. Hopefully going for submission by Friday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forest Ranger Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 As soon as I get my soft goods, I should be done with my armor, and ready for submission too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retrofire Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 Alright! We'll both graduate in the May class of Pathfinders I'm looking forward to it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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