The first of a thousand questions about my build...

[RZill]

20 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Do you have an ace hardware near you? These are the exact rivets and back up plates I used, but we have about a million Ace Hardwares around here.

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/fastening-tools/rivets/2014058

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/tools/fastening-tools/rivets/2014041

If you want to go with Lowes, the best option I can find for 1/8 rivets is the variety pack. Just don't mix up the steel and aluminum ones.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arrow-120-Pack-1-8-in-Varies-Aluminum-Rivets/1087323

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arrow-30-Count-0-131-x-3-8-in-Aluminum-Standard-SAE-Flat-Washers/1087319

The big thing about steel is if you need to remove the rivet -- it's not impossible, but it's really, really difficult. Let's try and keep things easy, right?

 

I used to live near Ace Hardware stores in Michigan.  In TN, I only have an Ace Co-Op near me.  They sell some Ace products, but not as much as a regular store.  I'll check them out.  Thanks!

[Retrofire]

Hey if you can't find any shoot me a PM and I'll shoot some to you. I got a whole box of those things that aren't doing anything. You're on your own for the backup plates though.🙂

[RZill]

13 hours ago, Retrofire said:

Hey if you can't find any shoot me a PM and I'll shoot some to you. I got a whole box of those things that aren't doing anything. You're on your own for the backup plates though.🙂

Much obliged and appreciated!  However, there is an Ace on my way to work - a bit out of the way, but I can pick them up there.  Thanks, though 

[BikerScout98]

@RZill Do you still need plastic to fix your armor piece? 

If so, then I'm just waitin' on you brother: 

 

Stamps are getting crazy expensive..🤣

PM me your address is you need this still.

*credit to @CRex75 for the plastics 💪👍

-Scot

[RZill]

26 minutes ago, BikerScout98 said:

@RZill Do you still need plastic to fix your armor piece? 

If so, then I'm just waitin' on you brother: 

 

Stamps are getting crazy expensive..🤣

PM me your address is you need this still.

*credit to @CRex75 for the plastics 💪👍

-Scot

Yeah, you may as well send me some.  I have been sick lately, and not able to work on my armor, so I don't have enough extra material to make the paste.  Sending you a pm.

[BikerScout98]

7 hours ago, RZill said:

Yeah, you may as well send me some.  I have been sick lately, and not able to work on my armor, so I don't have enough extra material to make the paste.  Sending you a pm.

I Really hope you dont have Covid.

I JUST got over it, and man was it a nightmare. I still cant taste alot of foods a month later almost. Relax and take it easy nice and easy. Drink ALOT of water regardless. 

The armor can wait.  It will be there for ya when you get back!

-Scot

[RZill]

10 hours ago, BikerScout98 said:

I Really hope you dont have Covid.

I JUST got over it, and man was it a nightmare. I still cant taste alot of foods a month later almost. Relax and take it easy nice and easy. Drink ALOT of water regardless. 

The armor can wait.  It will be there for ya when you get back!

-Scot

Still waiting on test results - they should be in today.  If it is covid, the worst is over, I think.  I was very weak, tired, achy for a couple days, but started coming out of it yesterday.  Not 100%, and now I have been coughing up some lung cookies, but doesn't feel serious.

 

I just want this finished by the time the ICC Con arrives.  Not sure if you're a vintage Star Wars collector, but the IC is a huge FB group of vintage collectors.  So big, that the founder has started his own Con, and Anthony Daniels and Ian McDiarmid will be there this year - it's in April.  We are usually requested to troop it, and I went last year now that I've moved to Tennessee (the con is in Nashville).  Plus, the Biker outfit is quite warm, I would imagine, and not great for summer troops around here.

 

Thanks again!

[Retrofire]

2 hours ago, RZill said:

Plus, the Biker outfit is quite warm, I would imagine, and not great for summer troops around here.

Arizona trooper here - Yeah it can get pretty warm in the summer. You have three layers of fabric (bund, vest, and flight suit) over armor. Trick is to know when your body has had enough (and that goes for anywhere in the world tbh) and go and kit down. Pre-hydration goes a long way to helping alleviate a lot of those issues. Our wranglers know what to look for and they’ll kick you to the curb for a water break if you go too long without. I trooped a Ren Fair a couple of years ago and stayed longer than I should and on my way to kit down I kept running into folks in the parking lot who wanted pics with the scout. When I got to the car my gear was drenched and I was awarded with a case of heat exhaustion. Do not let it get that far! I was sick for a couple of days and just hung out in bed in the Air Con.

I’ve since learned to pre-hydrate, listen to my body when it says enough (your trooping brain needs to listen to your body brain), stay to the shade, use fans when available, take breaks to drink water and partially kit down to cool down (usually bucket and chest armor off).

The scout does have better ventilation than stormtroopers and Vaders, etc that are closed off but you still need to troop smartly and take care of your body and see that others in your troop are doing the same. Especially keep an eye on Vaders and Imperial Guards since they have little to no ventilation in their costumes other than helmet fans.

Sorry this was a little long but I wanted to share a Desert troopers tricks to keep folks safe.

[RZill]

23 hours ago, Retrofire said:

Arizona trooper here - Yeah it can get pretty warm in the summer. You have three layers of fabric (bund, vest, and flight suit) over armor. Trick is to know when your body has had enough (and that goes for anywhere in the world tbh) and go and kit down. Pre-hydration goes a long way to helping alleviate a lot of those issues. Our wranglers know what to look for and they’ll kick you to the curb for a water break if you go too long without. I trooped a Ren Fair a couple of years ago and stayed longer than I should and on my way to kit down I kept running into folks in the parking lot who wanted pics with the scout. When I got to the car my gear was drenched and I was awarded with a case of heat exhaustion. Do not let it get that far! I was sick for a couple of days and just hung out in bed in the Air Con.

I’ve since learned to pre-hydrate, listen to my body when it says enough (your trooping brain needs to listen to your body brain), stay to the shade, use fans when available, take breaks to drink water and partially kit down to cool down (usually bucket and chest armor off).

The scout does have better ventilation than stormtroopers and Vaders, etc that are closed off but you still need to troop smartly and take care of your body and see that others in your troop are doing the same. Especially keep an eye on Vaders and Imperial Guards since they have little to no ventilation in their costumes other than helmet fans.

Sorry this was a little long but I wanted to share a Desert troopers tricks to keep folks safe.

Much appreciated, brother!  No need to apologize - as a former Health teacher, I was always long winded on my lectures about hydration.  Can't be too careful 

[RZill]

Now that I am feeling better, I am going to go by the Pandatrooper build thread.  I want the rivets to be screen accurate, but not concerned with being all Lancer at this stage.  

That aside, I'll be needing a blaster.  Thoughts?

[RZill]

Told you there would be a thousand questions!  Next one - My tank topper... am I supposed to drill a hole in the cirlced area?  Paint it?  My decal sheet doesn't have a specific one for this white part, but I suppose I could cut one out of the decal backing and stick it there.  Thoughts?

[Chopper]

Don't drill it. You can use some cheap white acrylic paint from Michaels to paint it, or if you can cut the decal material exactly to fit, that would work too. It'd just need to look like it was painted white.

[RZill]

2 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Don't drill it. You can use some cheap white acrylic paint from Michaels to paint it, or if you can cut the decal material exactly to fit, that would work too. It'd just need to look like it was painted white.

Thanks.  What about blasters?  Praetorian blaster doesn't answer their messages anymore.  I've tried finding a thread about blasters, but can't seem to find any links to the actual blaster makers.

[Chopper]

Unfortunately, this is sorta a dry spell for blasters. of the top of my head, DVH sold his molds and, as far as I know, the person who bought them isn't producing anything right now. There was some sort of natural disaster with Praetorian, I think. Hyperfirm is long gone, but their blaster wasn't very accurate anyhow. There's 3D printing options, which can be decent and lightweight, depending on the model, but there's a lot of sanding and finishing involved. Hole in the ground Productions has a resin blaster, but as with anything resin, it'll be heavy.

 

[Retrofire]

Even if you don’t have a blaster you can still get 501st approval since the blaster is Optional in the CRL so don’t worry if you can’t source one right away. It might be worth it to wait and see if anything comes up for sale or a new vendor starts up.

[RZill]

The bottom portion of the tank that seems to cup its way over the back plate does not cup all the way down on mine.  I haven't done any modifications to it, and there is about a 5 mm gap from the tip of the tank to where it appears is supposed to cover the bottom of the back plate.  I can't see how I can make it fit all the way down without shaving so much off that it messes with the shape of the tank.  Should I just leave it and rivet it on as is?  Am I being too nit picky about these issues? 

[Chopper]

The original tanks came down to the very end of the back armor, but I also don't think it's a necessarily a deal-breaker for basic clearance. You can check and see what your GML says.

I'm not sure there's a ton more you can do to get it sit further down that wouldn't affect the rest of how the tank sits. Maybe Pete @Retrofire has some ideas.

If it came trimmed short out of the box, you might try and see what Jeff at SC says.

 

[Aradun]

Unfortunately, this is sorta a dry spell for blasters. of the top of my head, DVH sold his molds and, as far as I know, the person who bought them isn't producing anything right now. There was some sort of natural disaster with Praetorian, I think. Hyperfirm is long gone, but their blaster wasn't very accurate anyhow. There's 3D printing options, which can be decent and lightweight, depending on the model, but there's a lot of sanding and finishing involved. Hole in the ground Productions has a resin blaster, but as with anything resin, it'll be heavy.
 

I’ve chatted with the 501st member who bought Lou’s DVH moulds and he said I could share the following with the detachment because I mentioned that there was a lot of interest in the rubber blasters.

He’s almost ready to go into production. Supplies are in hand, and he finishing the set up of his workshop. His plan is to build up an inventory, and then offer them for sale, no pre-orders, no runs. Of course none of this is finalized until he’s up and running, but this is good news. Hopefully that vacuum will be filled soon!

[RZill]

15 minutes ago, AradunFF said:

I’ve chatted with the 501st member who bought Lou’s DVH moulds and he said I could share the following with the detachment because I mentioned that there was a lot of interest in the rubber blasters.

He’s almost ready to go into production. Supplies are in hand, and he finishing the set up of his workshop. His plan is to build up an inventory, and then offer them for sale, no pre-orders, no runs. Of course none of this is finalized until he’s up and running, but this is good news. Hopefully that vacuum will be filled soon!

Thanks so much!

[RZill]

26 minutes ago, Chopper said:

The original tanks came down to the very end of the back armor, but I also don't think it's a necessarily a deal-breaker for basic clearance. You can check and see what your GML says.

I'm not sure there's a ton more you can do to get it sit further down that wouldn't affect the rest of how the tank sits. Maybe Pete @Retrofire has some ideas.

If it came trimmed short out of the box, you might try and see what Jeff at SC says.

 

My GML says no problem.  But, we're getting a new one in five days, so hopefully they don't care, either.  I'm thinking it's like some back parts of the TK, especially when it's pointing toward the ground, anyway - nobody really sees it, unless I am bent over while riding a speeder bike like this guy!

[RZill]

Last question of the evening - the rivet that goes into the tank topper, does this have the washer on TOP of the tank topper?  It looks like in the photo that the washer is showing on top of the tank topper.  Would I also put a washer underneath?  There may not be room for it underneath with all the layers of plastic between.

[Retrofire]

Yes, there is a washer underneath the rivet on the tank topper. You'll need something on the back side of the rivet or you'll crack the plastic on the backside of the tank. While washers are the backer of choice for a rivet you can use a 1/4"x1/4" square of heavy ABS. It just needs to have something to grip so all the pressure isn't applied to the tank plastic.

[RZill]

I don't see any measurements on the couple of build threads I am following.  Precisely where does this bottom rivet go?  How many mm from the bottom tip of the tank?

[BikerScout007]

4 minutes ago, RZill said:

I don't see any measurements on the couple of build threads I am following.  Precisely where does this bottom rivet go?  How many mm from the bottom tip of the tank?

We don't use measurements where we don't have them.  Unless we get our hands on a production Scout and can take a measurement off of it, we try avoid those sorts of things.   Just do your best to make it look like that picture.  

[RZill]

Questions on the strapping:

1. Sew the elastic over the knee armor, or use a velcro method?  

2. One Lancer build thread had the glued on zip tie anchor method to attach shoulders to the back/chest bridge.  A friend of mine in the Michigan garrison simply has self adhesive velcro holding up the shoulder bells.

Are these all personal preference, if I don't care about being Lancer?