DontDisstheFett’s ROTJ Build Thread

[DontDissTheFett]

And one piece done. These files print beautifully. I’m just going to keep printing until the mailman brings my backplate.



I do have a question on tbd lower tank rivet-

I’ve heard people say they riveted the lower rivet through the tank and elastic right into the backplate and others have said just rivet the elastic to the tank and NOT I to the backplate. Which is correct?


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[Chopper]

26 minutes ago, DontDissTheFett said:

I’ve heard people say they riveted the lower rivet through the tank and elastic right into the backplate and others have said just rivet the elastic to the tank and NOT I to the backplate. Which is correct?

For 501st clearance at either level, it doesn't really matter how it looks on the inside, where it can't be seen. That said, it will be both easier and more in line with what they did in the films for you to just rivet the elastic + washer to the tank, and leave it separate from the back plate.

[DontDissTheFett]

For 501st clearance at either level, it doesn't really matter how it looks on the inside, where it can't be seen. That said, it will be both easier and more in line with what they did in the films for you to just rivet the elastic + washer to the tank, and leave it separate from the back plate.

Thank you!


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[DontDissTheFett]

So my backplate came and just like Jeff said, SC has a much larger scoop out to fit a rivet gun in. I sanded all the rough cut edges and polished them with 0000 steel wool and took 3/4” of the shoulder straps like I had done with the other.

I reapplied the rank bars and moved them up to look more inline with the screen scouts and used a soldering iron to put some holes in some 1/2” elastic.



Now I’m ready to put the tank on. Does this look like a good position for the lower rivet?






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[Chopper]

Looks about in the right place.

[DontDissTheFett]

Ok! So I cut two pieces of elastic, one for the top and one for the bottom and melted holes in them with my soldering iron. I originally just riveted the elastic to the bottom of the tank but I didn’t quite like how the tank fit so I drilled it out. It took a little doing but I was able to fit in the top rivet and elastic and at the same time have the bottom Rivet go through the tank and the hole I drilled in the back, sandwiching in the elastic. I actually had to glue the elastic with its hole lined up with the hole drilled in the back so when I put the tank over it I could put the rivet through all three items and then put a washer behind.

All in all I think it looks pretty good. I bought some small parachute buckles that I’ll sew on each end to connect the elastic together then Velcro the buckle to the back. Then and of course paint the white circle.










The rivet emerging out of the backside of the backplate.



Next up: order the belt clips for the TD and cut the slots in the belt and drop boxes.

I’ve seen suggestions of just using a Dremel and cutting across but I’m a little nervous about that lol.

Is there a preferred way many like to do that?


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[Aradun]

Your tank looks great!

If you use a dremel with a cutting tool, make sure to have the rpm’s set low to start. It will give you more control during the cut. Make sure you have a line to follow to help ensure a straight cut.

[DontDissTheFett]

Your tank looks great!

If you use a dremel with a cutting tool, make sure to have the rpm’s set low to start. It will give you more control during the cut. Make sure you have a line to follow to help ensure a straight cut.

Thank you! And thank you for the tip with the dremel. I was thinking of either tracing a pencil line or laying a piece of painter’s tape across to follow. Ill have to pick up a pack of cutting wheels since I can’t locate where mine went lol but I feel a little more confident now. Thanks!


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[Harbinger]

Make sure to use the ‘thin cut’ blade if you have one. More forgiving.

[DontDissTheFett]

Make sure to use the ‘thin cut’ blade if you have one. More forgiving.

Good advice, thank you

Well I went to Home Depot after work and picked up a big multi pack box full of different bit for the Dremel and i came across a little tiny Dremel apparently marketed for hobbyists. Seeing Thst mine is a “regular-sized” one I figured it might be a bit easier to control and lend itself to a lot of uses where a more fine touch might be needed.



I used the little Dremel with a sanding drum and tried to take down the returns on the SC drop boxes. Does the entire edge need to come off, or can a small “lip” be left over?



Original:


Now onto the slots:

I used a very thin cutting wheel first on some scrap and felt that I could control it well enough so I went in tbd end for a thicker wheel just to cut down on filing time to enlarge the slots.

Once I cut the slot I used a few needle files to clean it up.



I did make a mistake on one side and cut the slot a little past the indented area. I’m not sure that it matters but it does kind of bother me. Is this going to be a problem?



I can clean this slot of with more filing but I definitely should have used the thinner wheel.

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[DontDissTheFett]

One other question about the slots on the belt- Do they go on the vertical surface (marked in green) or the horizontal surface (marked in red)?




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[Chopper]

It'd be between the green and red marks -- maybe a bit closer to the red. Here's an actual scout belt that shows where the cut line was:

[Chopper]

The lip on the drop boxes is a feature of the SC kit. If you can remove it easily, go for it. If not, then it's fine for basic clearance. 

I also don't think the long cut will be an issue for basic clearance. If it bothers you while you get further into your assembly, then you can look at making some abs paste to fix it. Keep your scrap plastic trimmings. 

Just a heads up that, if you choose to do the holster cuts, then you'll need to use a razor saw or a really thin cutting wheel. The cuts are thinner than those on the drop boxes and belt.

I encourage you to check out the scoutopedia, as it has a lot of reference photos that will greatly assist your build. 

http://www.501stpathfinders.com/scoutopedia.php

[DontDissTheFett]

It'd be between the green and red marks -- maybe a bit closer to the red. Here's an actual scout belt that shows where the cut line was:

Thank you, that’s helpful! It’s a little difficult to see exactly because of the watermark. It actually looks like the left side is on the horizontal surface and the right is on the vertical. Is the cut towards the back on the horizontal surface, or would you say it’s the corner of the right angle and widened so it takes up a part of each surface?


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[Chopper]

The webbing is going to conceal the exact point where the slot was inserted and the standards aren't super micro about this anyhow.

I would personally make the cut at the corner of the right angle, on the horizontal (your red mark side) surface.

In the end, it just needs to look like this photo from the CRL:

 

[DontDissTheFett]

The webbing is going to conceal the exact point where the slot was inserted and the standards aren't super micro about this anyhow.
I would personally make the cut at the corner of the right angle, on the horizontal (your red mark side) surface.
In the end, it just needs to look like this photo from the CRL:

 

Thank you, Chopper. I’ve been going back and forth with scoutopedia but admittedly I’m having a little trouble getting used to the difference of this build versus the TK, where there were exact measurements for everything. I understand why here there are not but it’s taking a little bit to jolt my mind into a different mode. I guess I want to be precise as possible but this build isn’t about exact precision. I appreciate your help as always.


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[Chopper]

The TK community has the advantage of having multiple screen used suits that made it into the wild. That's not the case for the ROTJ Scout, so we have to work with what we have. As a result, there's less exact measurements in the CRL and standards. Try to make it like the picture and you should be good. And if you're not sure, ask for feedback, just as you've been doing. 

[DontDissTheFett]

Ok so I decided to take a break from the cutting for the night and start working on putting the front and back together, and getting the shoulder bells attached.


I put the front and back together with a 3” strip of loop side Velcro. I was “thinking” that for more stability there I could affix a matching piece of hook side, then on its sticky back affix and loop facing down. That would give more structure to the joint area, still have fuzzy Velcro on my shoulders, and still allow me to attach my anchor for the bells. Has anyone done that before?

My plan is to use a zip tie anchor with Velcro attached to its bottom and affix it on the bridge while keeping it completely secure (I used industrial Velcro) and allowing me to adjust it.

Here are the shoulder bells drying, I still need to put the retaining elastic on though.



My 1x1 anchor with industrial velcro attached




My wampa wear gloves came in so I decided to go ahead and try on everything I had ready so far. Please excuse the placement. All the arm pieces are adjustable with Velcro except the biceps and wouldn’t you just know it those are the things that are loose lol. I’ll be readjusting those.




I also noticed they my front pouches are uneven; one is 1 7/8 and the other is about 2 1/4 from the top edge. I could be wrong but I think I see the pouches on the crl model and the scout pics on scoutopdia as being a bit uneven. Is this actually a problem or do I need to try and fix it?

[DontDissTheFett]

The TK community has the advantage of having multiple screen used suits that made it into the wild. That's not the case for the ROTJ Scout, so we have to work with what we have. As a result, there's less exact measurements in the CRL and standards. Try to make it like the picture and you should be good. And if you're not sure, ask for feedback, just as you've been doing. 

Thank you


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[Chopper]

11 hours ago, DontDissTheFett said:

I also noticed they my front pouches are uneven; one is 1 7/8 and the other is about 2 1/4 from the top edge. I could be wrong but I think I see the pouches on the crl model and the scout pics on scoutopdia as being a bit uneven. Is this actually a problem or do I need to try and fix it?

Are they velcroed onto the bund or sewn? If they're velcroed on, just try to make them as even as you can.

[DontDissTheFett]

Are they velcroed onto the bund or sewn? If they're velcroed on, just try to make them as even as you can.

They are sewed. I wish I would have noticed when I first received it; I was just trying to acquire all the soft pieces while was waiting for my armor to arrive and didn’t examine it like I should have.


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[DontDissTheFett]

Test fit with the shoulder bells. I haven’t put the retaining elastic in yet so they’re a little out of whack sitting too far back but I think I’m happy with the progress so far.




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[DontDissTheFett]

And with the fine touch help of my mini Dremel, a thin cut off, and my trusty set of needle files I was able to get the slots cut in my belt and test hooking up the strapping and boxes.






I didn’t have enough 2” webbing to do the belt the way I wanted so I ordered some from strapworks, should have Thst in a few days. While I wait I’m going to get the returns on tbd tops of my boxes removed, sew my bridge cover, and clean up the slight return edge on top of the belt.


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[DontDissTheFett]

Ok, time for a bit of an update..

I tried several times to get a good white circle painted on my tank topper but I just wasn’t happy with it so I borrowed my girlfriend’s daughter’s Cricut and made a half inch circle vinyl decal and it fit perfectly.

With that out of tbd way I wanted to tackle the belt. After some practice I was able to sew some white velcro tbd 2 pieces of nylon webbing, then glued it to the plastic belt, cut some plastic strips and riveted it in. I was actually quite proud of myself because I’ve never used a sewing machine before.



With the belt together, I started fitting the drop boxes and for that I figured I needed to have the racing suit on and I figured while I had that on I’d go ahead and try everything on so far. I had my girlfriend pin the straps in the back just to try to get an idea of placement. Looking at it I see I forgot the rear buckles so I guess that changes the placement a bit.. .

How’s it looking so far?

I still need to:
-attach the drop boxes
-Sew my shoulder bridge covers
-Put elastic in the shoulder bells to keep them tighter on my arms
-Roll the shoulders forward a little
-Side strapping
-Put on the holster
-Fix the pouches on the cummerbund








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[Chopper]

It looks like you've self identified most of the issues I'd point out.

Pull your knees up a bit, so they're not dropping into your boots.

Bicep armor should be angled directly to the left and right of your body approximately at he 9 and 3 oclock positions. Bicep armor should be angled slightly forward, approximately at the 10 and 2 oclock positions.

Velcro helps to hold all those parts in place on your flight suit.

Question -- where is your helmet from? In your original post you said it was from Kropserkel, but that doesn't look like a Kropserkel helmet? Is that a New Image helmet?