Ziptied Shoulder Bells: A tutorial

[BikerScout007]

Hey Scouts

I'm pleased to see more and more Scouts using ziptie T-straps on their builds. We're not TKs! We always do things better!

With that in mind, here's the way I do it. It may not work for everyone, but I have found this is the way that has worked best for me so far. I want to thank Lancer Scout Justin "MrPoopie" for help with this.

So here's what you're going to need:

• 2 Shoulder bells
• 6 Ziptie anchors
• 6 Zipties (the length doesn't matter because they will be cut down, but 8 inch minimum should be fine)
• 1/2 inch elastic strap (as called for in the Lancer CRL. I used 1/4 inch here)
• Industrial strength velcro. Seriously, if your velcro doesn't hold a fire extinguisher to the wall, get something else. Your shoulders go through a lot of wear and tear during a troop if you do more than just stand around. And who wants to stand around? Like I said above, we're not TKs!

1. measure a segment of 1/2 inch elastic around your arm. Make sure you are wearing your vest. You want it tight but not so tight that your shoulder bell doesn't "float". Stitch, knot or glue it into a loop, then affix it to a ziptie anchor with 1 ziptie. Cut off the excess and then stick the ziptie anchor into the bell, closer to the center than the edge:

 

2. Loop another ziptie around another anchor and then cut off enough to leave about 4 inches of ziptie, measuring from the edge of the anchor. Then affix the ziptie anchor to the bell so that it leaves about an inch and a half of ziptie protruding from the top of the bell:

 

3. So at this point, what you have should look like this:

 

 

4. On your third ziptie anchor, remove the plastic covering the sticky end and cut out a square of industrial velcro loop to cover the entire end.

 

 

5. Place the ziptie anchor, velcro facing up, around the ziptie that will serve as the T-bridge to the bell.

 

 

6. Take your last ziptie and run it down the other end of your ziptie bridge until it clicks into place. That way you know it is locked

 

 

7. Cut off the excess of the third ziptie, leaving only the cap to act as a stopper

 

 

8. Your completed Shoulder bell should look like this:

 

9. Take two strips of industrial velcro hook, peel off the plastic covering the sticky backs, and affix it to the inside of your shoulder bridges:

 

 

10. Affix the loop on the ziptie bridge to the hook on the chest armor and your bells are now in place! The bells will stay there forever if you leave them, but if you need to take them off for any reason, it is easy to do so.

 

 

I hope this helps! Scout or Die!

[Aliaz]

Good guide!

 

I glued my zip tie anchors in place under the shoulder bridge but velcro is a much better choice.

[BikerScout007]

Good guide!

 

I glued my zip tie anchors in place under the shoulder bridge but velcro is a much better choice.

I believe glue was how it was done in the film, so you are in great company. I originally did it that way but switched to Velcro when I built my Strider kit.

 

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Stroker]

Good guide!

 

I glued my zip tie anchors in place under the shoulder bridge but velcro is a much better choice.

That's how I also did mine.

[762s]

nice,

i like seeing how others do there builds.

 

i tried the ziptie glued to the rear armor shoulder bridge ...

i broke the zipties several times and i didnt like the shoulder bridge not having enough area to velcro too

i tried them with a base glued to the same area ... still broke the zipties and not enough velcro room

 

but, i didnt think to velcro the base like you did ... thats nice!

 

so, i went a little different route using 2 clear/white zipties as we see on a screen scout

 

and attached them through the shoulder bridge ...

and well, my anchor is different than what you have ... i was able to use 2 seperate zipties through the 2 slots on my bridges

i havent broke a ziptie yet

 

 

[JGR77]

Thanks guys for this guide.

[ShaunPug]

nice,

i like seeing how others do there builds.

 

i tried the ziptie glued to the rear armor shoulder bridge ...

i broke the zipties several times and i didnt like the shoulder bridge not having enough area to velcro too

i tried them with a base glued to the same area ... still broke the zipties and not enough velcro room

 

but, i didnt think to velcro the base like you did ... thats nice!

 

so, i went a little different route using 2 clear/white zipties as we see on a screen scout

 

and attached them through the shoulder bridge ...

and well, my anchor is different than what you have ... i was able to use 2 seperate zipties through the 2 slots on my bridges

i havent broke a ziptie yet

 

 

In I can see how in this photo the zip ties might look clear, but I'm fairly certain that it's just a reflection on black zips. You can see directly underneath the white loooking highlights that there is a more pronounced black line.

[BikerScout007]

I'm also not convinced that picture shows two zipties. Every other picture I've seen where you can see a ziptie it is only one.

 

However, this is the blue screen scout and almost every exception to the rules has been found during the speeder bike chase. Why? Because these were the very last things shot for the movie and the Scout costumes were probably held together with bubble gum at this point.

[Aliaz]

Just completed this mod, really happy with the result. Love the fact that you can detach them, and it's easier to get them centered compared to when I glued them.

[762s]

In I can see how in this photo the zip ties might look clear, but I'm fairly certain that it's just a reflection on black zips. You can see directly underneath the white loooking highlights that there is a more pronounced black line.

 

a pronounced black line?... yeah, that would be called a shadow

 

we can clearly see another shadow running up the shoulder armor and going up the middle of the shoulder bridge and it rounds off onto the flight suit (see pic below). so, where would black zip ties be getting a reflection from when its in the shadow of the shoulder bell? if the zipties are catching a reflection then the area around them (esp. the armor) would be catching the same reflection and we wouldnt have the shadow on the armor being so defined.

 

maybe, they are rubber bands, wire or maybe its a dried up piece of fern leaf that got stuck in the shoulder when they where zooming about the forest floor of endor

 

and i guess the other side of the scout is catching a reflection on the black zip tie too?

the right side is horrible ... omg, whats going on there, that looks all sorts of out of place

 

[BikerScout007]

It doesn't look like a clear ziptie to me. Looks like a black ziptie with studio lights bouncing off of it

 

The right side looks like the ziptie was taped in and it's ripping out. Again, these were the last shots from the film according to the production schedule.

[Chopper]

It doesn't look like a clear ziptie to me. Looks like a black ziptie with studio lights bouncing off of it

 

The right side looks like the ziptie was taped in and it's ripping out. Again, these were the last shots from the film according to the production schedule.

 

Agreed.

[Gruntsky]

Great tutorial! In lieu of using another cable tie anchor and Velcro to attach mine to the shoulders I've used a small leather snap. I found the Velcro was forever coming undone under the shoulder bridge whenever I raised my arms

[tietech]

Very awesome. Thanks

[BikerScout007]

Yeah it must be industrial Velcro or it won't work.

Great tutorial! In lieu of using another cable tie anchor and Velcro to attach mine to the shoulders I've used a small leather snap. I found the Velcro was forever coming undone under the shoulder bridge whenever I raised my arms

 

Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk

 

 

[RS Prop Masters]

This is a very interesting thread. I am still researching the strap method and find the single point of contact to the kid/lower shoulder bell interesting, where does this concept come from, I've seen it a few places where is it seen on the screen/studio suit?

 

Thanks, Rob. 

[BikerScout007]

25 minutes ago, RS Prop Masters said:

This is a very interesting thread. I am still researching the strap method and find the single point of contact to the kid/lower shoulder bell interesting, where does this concept come from, I've seen it a few places where is it seen on the screen/studio suit?

 

Thanks, Rob. 

Hi Rob!

If you look closely at production photos you can see the zipties.  It's easy to spot on the green screen Scout during the speeder bike chase.  And you can see it on the "Costumes" book scout too.   It's one of those details that once it's pointed out, suddenly becomes obvious.  I'll try to find some pics for you. 

Now this methodology is something I came up with (with some help from @MrPoopie).  So I can't speak to how close it is to the screen method.  But all we require for our Level 2 scouts is that the portion of the ziptie that bridges the shoulder bell and bridge be visible. We don't evaluate the way applicants strap up their stuff.  

[kacrut]

Hi, great tutorial.. I'm in the hoarding parts mode at the moment LOL!,

..so my questions are is there any rule for the width for the zipties? because I'm not seeing on bikerscout crl the measurement for the ziptie... and i see on my local online shop the ziptie anchor(cable tie mount)

 had many different sizes.. 18.5mm... 23.8mm... 28mm... 40mm... which one do i need? for the ziptie and the anchor. Thank you.

Edited July 10, 2019 by kacrut
adding pict cable tie mount

[Aradun]

Mickey, this is ingenious!  Well done.  As I too am in the process of gathering parts for a build, I echo Kacrut’s question as to sizes.  What size mount did you use and does the mount require a certain width zip tie?  Thanks for the help and great tutorial.  

[BikerScout007]

1 hour ago, AradunFF said:

Mickey, this is ingenious!  Well done.  As I too am in the process of gathering parts for a build, I echo Kacrut’s question as to sizes.  What size mount did you use and does the mount require a certain width zip tie?  Thanks for the help and great tutorial.  

I'll check my tool kit when I get home from work, but they were all very standard sizes.  I bought a bag of 100 ziptie anchors from China for $2.  The zipties were medium length.  I'm not sure on the widths off hand.  

[JamminJedi]

Glad to see this thread still quasi active... 

I have all the anchors for the ties in all the right places (glued)... but how imperative is it to troop with these things zipped up properly?  I currently just use velcro to secure everything in place.  Velcro lightly stitched onto flack vest shoulders and stuck to underside of shoulder bells.  I found it super hard to put the chest piece on with those things flappin around.  Do you guys have help getting into costume?  I feel like I'm doing something wrong here...

[Stroker]

They're nice to troop in. They float with your movement. Yes my wife's helps me in costume since I have mine like the originals. 

[Aliaz]

I put on the chest/back armor and Just slip my arms through the elastic after that.

works great when trooping.

i have managed to work out how to put on everything myself.

[BikerScout007]

15 hours ago, JamminJedi said:

Glad to see this thread still quasi active... 

I have all the anchors for the ties in all the right places (glued)... but how imperative is it to troop with these things zipped up properly?  I currently just use velcro to secure everything in place.  Velcro lightly stitched onto flack vest shoulders and stuck to underside of shoulder bells.  I found it super hard to put the chest piece on with those things flappin around.  Do you guys have help getting into costume?  I feel like I'm doing something wrong here...

With the velcro they don't glide as well. Believe me, I did it that way for years until we found out that they used zipties in the film.  Once many of us changed over to zipties, we were like "OH! THAT'S WHY THEY DID IT THIS WAY!"   

But do whatever works for you!  For me, my bells are detachable.  I used industrial velcro to connect the zip ties to the armor, so I can take them off when I need to.  Or leave them on.  The industrial velcro holds very well.

[mickeymark34]

I just purchase 1in.X1in. mounting bases and some black zip ties to attach my bells to the armor.