JennyRuth's Scout Build

[jennyruth]

6 minutes ago, Cpt_Chops said:

Wow - your armor looks amazing! Giving me some motivation to get back to the garage to finish painting mine! Looking forward to seeing it all come together for you.

Thank you so much! It’s been a long journey (and a lifetime of sanding). And now I impatiently wait for paint to cure before I can do anything else 😵‍💫

What part of Alabama are you in?

[Cpt_Chops]

3 minutes ago, jennyruth said:

lifetime of sanding

Haha! I have a special bond with my Walmart-brand palm sander after doing mine. I am up in North Central Alabama.

[Aradun]

Starting the color coat today. Pretty happy with the color match to the helmet.

 

Love it! It isn’t easy to match the color of the ABS used by RS, but you did a bang up job! Well done!

Filing that paint info away for the future!

[jennyruth]

With all of this white, I almost forgot I had greeblies to paint black. A friend printed these in resin for me, so a lot less sanding. The bicep pieces look pretty good, but I have a couple of questions about the tank topper.

1) I have seen in some pictures where this smaller circle (arrow pointing to) is either a cut out or is white. Others are black like this one. Does it matter?

 

2) It seems that the black dot that sits in the open oval space may be too short. I have seen on others that it kind of sits flush with the top and has a white piece underneath it. Is there a best practice?

 

[Chopper]

You shouldn't cut out that smaller circle, but it should be painted white.

Is the issue with the button piece that it won't make contact with the tank surface below? If so, I'd just cut a piece of scrap abs and paste it under the button, so you can get good adhesion. You shouldn't be able to see the scrap part, but it should be glued on securely that way.

[jennyruth]

4 minutes ago, Chopper said:

You shouldn't cut out that smaller circle, but it should be painted white.

Is the issue with the button piece that it won't make contact with the tank surface below? If so, I'd just cut a piece of scrap abs and paste it under the button, so you can get good adhesion. You shouldn't be able to see the scrap part, but it should be glued on securely that way.

Gotcha! OK, I can paint that!

The button should make contact, but it seems like it's too short. I thought it looked like it was a decent bit taller than the rest of the topper, but this one is barely not flush with the top. Am I seeing the pictures incorrectly? Is it OK to just glue it as is?

[Chopper]

Yeah the shape of the button you have is different from the one that was used on the screen kits. Yours is more flat, while the real one has a "rim" and "bump". See photos below.

The real one came from a Revell Flakpanzer Gepard.

I see what you mean about the white on the rim of that greeb from the magic of the myth photo. That's just unpainted resin, most likely. There's no requirement to have a white rim or anything like that on the sides of the button greeb.

Yeah, since you're only going for basic approval, you should be fine to glue it as is. We're happy to advise on anything beyond that, but for basic -- yeah, that's all you'd need to do.

 

[jennyruth]

8 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Yeah the shape of the button you have is different from the one that was used on the screen kits. Yours is more flat, while the real one has a "rim" and "bump". See photos below.

The real one came from a Revell Flakpanzer Gepard.

I see what you mean about the white on the rim of that greeb from the magic of the myth photo. That's just unpainted resin, most likely. There's no requirement to have a white rim or anything like that on the sides of the button greeb.

Yeah, since you're only going for basic approval, you should be fine to glue it as is. We're happy to advise on anything beyond that, but for basic -- yeah, that's all you'd need to do.

 

Thanks! Is that the same thing used on the thermal detonator "button"?

[Chopper]

Correct!

[jennyruth]

There are so many good tutorials for how to make and sew up soft parts that I didn’t need to repeat most of it. But if there are some tips that may be helpful, I’ll add those. These two products have been valuable to me as I try to sew on all the copious amounts of Velcro or place suede, etc. Sometimes pins (or the little clips) aren’t the right tool, and sometimes they are just difficult to use on certain materials. So, I offer these sewing hacks in those situations. 

For the spray, just be careful how you spray because…overspray. I used this a lot when making my friend’s JFO harness padding things and the battery holder with vinyl. The basting tape on the right is what I use most often, though. Great for zippers, Velcro, and all kinds of similar items. It’s basically double-sided tape. This one is water soluble, so it will disappear after washing, but there are permanent ones too. 

[jennyruth]

Semi-gloss clear coat from the same company seems to have gone on pretty well this afternoon. So, another week of curing and assembly can begin.

Am I correct in thinking that the tank topper is the only rivet that has a visible washer? There can be washers in the back in other places, but they aren’t seen like the tank topper?

Also, is it better to paint the little gray rectangle in front or use a sticker?

[Chopper]

55 minutes ago, jennyruth said:

Am I correct in thinking that the tank topper is the only rivet that has a visible washer? There can be washers in the back in other places, but they aren’t seen like the tank topper?

Also, is it better to paint the little gray rectangle in front or use a sticker?

Yes, that's correct about the tank topper washer.  

You can do either for the rectangle. If you already have a scrap of gray adhesive vinyl in hand, then that's generally the easier way to go. 

[jennyruth]

When I was comparing parts, the button part on my printed tank topper was much larger than the button that’s on the thermal detonator. It just seemed really large overall, although otherwise a pretty good print. I decided to get a different tank topper from Studio Creations. It seems to be more in line with the correct sizing. I’ve been wondering is the pre printed hole in the tank was off-centered on purpose. I tried to look at pictures but had trouble seeing them straight down on the tank. So, is the topper supposed to be a little off set like this one?

 

Or more centered like this one?

 

Also, are there any specific kinds of tips or measurements for placing the pin stripes? It seems most are near 1/3 to 1/2 on the little side bumps, and the top one is maybe around halfway?

[kayelbe]

The topper should be centered. Disregard the hole in the hump. 
 

I just eyeball the pinstripes to match as close as possible.  If it looks close it’s probably fine. 

[Chopper]

I would go with position 2 for the tank topper.

For the pin stripes, we don't have perfect exact measurements. Just try to get it close to the photo:

[jennyruth]

I’ve tried to look at pictures, but I want to make sure what I think is right is actually right. Does the red stripe on the tank topper go (1) up the front and along the top long side like this?

Or (2) does it go up the front, along the top, and down the back like this?

[Chopper]

Go with option number 2.

[jennyruth]

Checking on the placement and look of these pin stripes and bars.

[Chopper]

Looks solid, Jenny

[jennyruth]

Instead of trying to tape off the black and paint the circle, I decided to try something different. I cut a circle the size of the opening out of adhesive white vinyl (actually, multiples in case of mess—ups) and then painted them with my armor paint. When dry, I put it it in the hole. I feel like that made life a lot easier.

[jennyruth]

Figured out how to use the rivet gun and got the first two set. Not gonna lie—there was much trepidation, and it feels like they will all be that way 😂

[jennyruth]

Is it ok if the zip ties are connected to the shoulder bridges by something other than one of the traditional mounting bases?

I saw this idea of extending the Velcro on the bridge elastic to kind of keep the sides together. (I will look up that WIP to give credit.) And then it wraps around and velcros to itself. With this being 3D printed, the pieces are not as flexible, and therefore need as much stability and security as I can offer. That’s why I appreciated the extra length of velcro. I may play with the exact setup, but so far it seems ok.

The problem I had, then, was how and where to attach the zip tie mounting base. Then, I thought that maybe I could use something else and make a little loop—like this white cording I had on hand. It seemed like it might eliminate problems and still be very functional.

 

 

 

[Chopper]

That's totally fine. What we can't see on the outside comes down to personal preference and what works best for you.

[TreeHuggerMatt]

Thats a really neat little trick and might be gentler on the zip tie

Brilliant stuff!

[jennyruth]

3 hours ago, TreeHuggerMatt said:

Thats a really neat little trick and might be gentler on the zip tie

Brilliant stuff!

Thanks, it seems ok so far, but we’ll see how it actually plays out in real life trooping