Fragarock's Scout Build

[Chopper]

Nice work Frank. One small item to note -- the rectangular detonator greeb should have that top indent removed. See photo from the CRL, below:

[fragarock]

Nice work Frank. One small item to note -- the rectangular detonator greeb should have that top indent removed. See photo from the CRL, below:

Oh, didn't realize that little detail. Easily fixable. Just need to get off the couch. Ow, thats the hard part.


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[Aradun]

Nice job Frank and your WIP has great detail for future scouts. Keep up the great work!

[fragarock]

I scraped off the TD greeblie with a putty knife, thank God for E6000 comes off easy. Then removed the tab from the top side of the greeblie using my Dremel grinding wheel. A bit of touch-up paint and then glued it right back on.

 

[fragarock]

I'm working on my knee armor and should have it finished some time tomorrow. While glue is drying, I've shifted over to the holster and have some questions. The photos below are from Woobies ROTJ wip.

The outer piece of the holster slots into the main piece attached to the boot. Appears that a slot is cut for the outer piece to slide into. Once it's in place is it glued? I presume so otherwise what keeps it from sliding out?

 

 

Next question. These five slots, are they a specific length or spacing? I can wing it from the reference photos but I figured there may be specific dimensions from the top of the holster and specific spacing between the slots.

Finally, the corner rivets. Any specific spacing from the edge or wing it? Figure I'll reinforce the attachment area on the inside of the boot too. Don't want the rivet to pop out.

Thanks!

 

 

[fragarock]

So........ not sure how to solve this problem. I have the holster pieces trimmed and mocked up their installation. But there seems to be no way my blaster will fit within the holster in the same way as shown in the reference images. Those images show the entire blaster, including the side scope within the holster. Mine won't fit that way. Not sure if the blaster I have is made too wide or if the pieces i got from RS are too small....which seems unlikely.

Only way this blaster is gonna fit in here is for the scope to be on the outside of the holster. Any suggestions?

 

 

 

[Chopper]

From the photos you posted earlier in the thread, it looks like your blaster is using the old hyperfirm molds, or a derived version of it.

The hyperfirm scout blaster was significantly oversized width-wise, which is why it won't fit into the RS holster.

You have several options:

1) Get a new blaster or 3D print a blaster that will fit the RS holster

2) Get a holster from Studio Creations, which is bigger and will fit the Hyperfirm blaster

3) Get approved without a blaster, as basic approval doesn't require one

I'll address your questions from yesterday in a moment, standby.

 

[Chopper]

 

15 hours ago, fragarock said:

Appears that a slot is cut for the outer piece to slide into. Once it's in place is it glued? I presume so otherwise what keeps it from sliding out?

Next question. These five slots, are they a specific length or spacing? I can wing it from the reference photos but I figured there may be specific dimensions from the top of the holster and specific spacing between the slots.

Finally, the corner rivets. Any specific spacing from the edge or wing it? Figure I'll reinforce the attachment area on the inside of the boot too. Don't want the rivet to pop out.

Usually the outer piece is just held in place with a dry fit between the piece and the slot. You are welcome to glue it once it's fitted in place though.

The cuts in the boot holster are a requirement in the ROTJ scout CRL, not the Mando Scout CRL. The WTF holster plate had ridges, but not cuts, so we recommend that you just leave it flat on the RS holster.

If you choose to go with a Studio Creations holster in order to fit your hyperfirm blaster, those have ridges as well.

There is no specified spacing from the edge. Use the Mando Scout CRL photos as a guide to eyeball the approximate spacing.

[fragarock]

This is super helpful Chopper, thanks for answering this for me. Now just have to figure out which way to proceed.

[fragarock]

I ordered a larger holster from SC and I'm also going to print a smaller blaster. We'll see which one of these options I finish first!

Below are the knee armor pieces. The left one is trimmed, the other not. I left the trim lines on one of them so you can get an idea how much material I took off.

 

Once trimmed up, I put them in a boiling water bath to reshape them. They come super wide from the vacu former and need to be tightened up, especially on my skinny legs.

Once they were reshaped I cut in the side slots for the elastic to go through. I used the same 1" black ribbed stuff that I used everywhere else. I added a Velcro strip down the center which aligns with a matching piece on the flight suit. This will hold the knee in place. I made it long so that it's adjustable up and down. Figured that would be important as I'm still tweeking the overall costume alignment and spacing between the various pieces. The other sideways piece is where the elastic strap attaches.

Here I sewed Velcro onto the elastic straps. One for each knee.

I positioned the velcor side first then slipped the other end through the slot. Put on my flight suit and tightened it up until it felt really snug. Then I marked the non-Velcro end with a pencil so I knew where it entered the slot on the side of the knee. Once I had this done for each knee, I then trimmed off any excess strapping and glued the loose end to the knee plastic.

 

Here's the Velcro glued onto the flight suit in the area of the knees. Put just enough to allow for adjustment but not too much where it would be visible.

 

I tried on the costume which is mostly complete except for fine tuning. Still need to add the gray paint details and do the weathering. Of course need to finish the holster too. Let me know if you see any obvious issues that I can fix now.

 

A few things I want to adjust: 

1. I'm going to add velcro to the back of the cloth belt so it will attach to the back of the cummerbund. May do this with a snap as well to prevent it from sagging. Need to think about this solution because it's already sagging without the TD being attached.

2. Need to tighten up the crotch strap. The white crotch piece hangs a bit too low and loose. This will help raise up the pants which are also kinda low, just the way they were made.

3. Considering taking the boots to a cobler and having the tops lowered 1" or 2". These look too tall for my short stature and I think having more black flight suit visible between the knee and top of boot will improve the look.

4. Need to fill the pouches, probably with furniture foam that I have left over from my TK build. What's the correct thickness for these pouches?

5. Need to make the slot on the right side of the chest bigger where the side strap comes through. It's impossible for me to tighten up that side when I have the chest on. Can someone verify my strap rigging is correct on this side? Strap comes from the inside, through the slot to the outside and folds backwards upon itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Retrofire]

Hi Frank! You're making great progress on this and should be very proud. Here's some input for you on your list @Aradun @Chopper please feel free to add to what I have.

1. I'm going to add velcro to the back of the cloth belt so it will attach to the back of the cummerbund. May do this with a snap as well to prevent it from sagging. Need to think about this solution because it's already sagging without the TD being attached.

I'm not sure why the belt should be sagging especially without the TD attached. If you need to add some strengthening there then I would forgo a snap and use white Velcro. Over time that snap will start to dig into your back and could rip the bund material.

2. Need to tighten up the crotch strap. The white crotch piece hangs a bit too low and loose. This will help raise up the pants which are also kinda low, just the way they were made.

This makes sense and the soft armor will need to be adjusted as you grow used to it. Just be sure not to make the cod too tight or it'll fold over and cause what we call "cod crunchies" and it won't look right.

3. Considering taking the boots to a cobler and having the tops lowered 1" or 2". These look too tall for my short stature and I think having more black flight suit visible between the knee and top of boot will improve the look.

Based on the CRL pics and your pics the boots look ok. The right boot actually looks a bit lower than the left in your pictures. Take a look at the overall CRL pic.

4. Need to fill the pouches, probably with furniture foam that I have left over from my TK build. What's the correct thickness for these pouches?

Based on the CRL the correct thickness is no thickness. The pouches lay flat against the bund and belt. Check out the CRL photo and the model photo above.

5. Need to make the slot on the right side of the chest bigger where the side strap comes through. It's impossible for me to tighten up that side when I have the chest on. Can someone verify my strap rigging is correct on this side? Strap comes from the inside, through the slot to the outside and folds backwards upon itself.

The rigging looks good to me. The only thing I would recommend is that you strengthen the the area around the slots on the chest armor to prevent cracking over time. I learned this after over 80 troops in my SC armor and ended with a bunch of micro cracks. The way I halted that was to cut out a square of ABS and plastic welding it to the inside of the chest then used a Dremel to cut the slot. It's much stronger now. I've learned that while it's always good to be able to dress yourself there are always folks that you're trooping with that can help you with dressing and give you a once over to make sure you're looking sharp!😉

[Aradun]

Pete gave solid advice. I’ll second the Velcro over snaps for the belt. The snaps are more likely to fail over time when using on cloth.

As for the chest strap, your set up is fine. Mine is set up similarly, but sometimes I just can’t get it to thread through the slot and need an assist when suiting up. You won’t have any issue finding someone to assist on a troop. I’d leave it as is.

[Chopper]

I would recommend against trying to lower your boots. As Pete said, they look fine as is and I wouldn't expect any issues with what you have right now.

[fragarock]

While waiting for a new holster to arrive. Hopefully tomorrow is the day! I've started building a new baster, hoping this one will be smaller than the one I bought and fit in the RS holster which I already have. If not, the one from SC is supposed to be larger and may fit the other blaster. We'll see..

This blaster is 3D printed. Haven't fired up the printed in at least 1 1/2 years, since I did the shore trooper. Got it dialed in pretty quickly and printed these parts out in 4 or 5 days. These are from Eelco over at 3-props.com. That's where I got my E-22. I've spent the past few days hitting these with filler primer, sanding, some Bondo, more sanding. The usual 3D print routine. Now I'm starting to glue the pieces together then will paint.

 

I also got the gray rectangle painted on the chest armor. Testor 1138 gloss gray. Paint within the flat area of the rectangle best you can. Gonna be covered with muck and grime anyways so not sweeting it.

 

 

 

[Tarok]

Nice one, I’ve got Eelco’s files too. You planning to replace the trigger guard with aluminium or similar?


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[Retrofire]

Armor is looking good Frank! Keep up the great work!

[fragarock]

On 1/16/2023 at 8:14 PM, Tarok said:

Nice one, I’ve got Eelco’s files too. You planning to replace the trigger guard with aluminium or similar?


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Yep, just need to source flat bar material from a metal supplier or hardware store.

[fragarock]

I have the 3D printed blaster nearly completed, just need to bondo a couple holes before painting. Here are a few shots of it. It's definitely a bit narrower than the rubber one I bought and has a good feel to it.  Also added some real screws to make it look more legit.

 

I did finally get the new and larger holster from Studio Creations. I tried to fit this new 3D printed version into the RS holster but it wouldn't fit either. Maybe RS sizes theirs for the blaster they make.....although you can't buy it without commissioning a full kit build. Or they drew their trim lines wrong on the piece they sent me. Lesson learned is not to trust their trim lines, I should have cut it bigger and made sure the blaster would fit inside. The ABS on the SC holster is bright white where as the RS is their typical off-white color. Luckily it won't matter as the weathering will make this irrelevant.

The SC holster is bigger than the RS and will fit the rubber and 3D printed blaster. Here are some photos, which do you think fits better? 

ROTJ reference photo below.

 

The rubber one fits a more snug in the holster which could be helpful for keeping it in place. I think installing some magnets is needed no matter which blaster I use.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chopper]

I think the 3D printed one fits better and it's a more accurate model than the hyperfirm blaster as well 

[fragarock]

Getting one step closer. Holster is done.

I went back to my blasters and started the process of adding a metal trigger guard to each. Here's the replacement work for the cast rubber version. I used a 3/4" wide x 1/8" thick piece of galvanized steel bar. Found this at my local hardware store. Cut it down and bent it by hand in a vice....with a little persuasion from a hammer. Key thing is to wear safety gear. I cut this with a Dremel saw with metal blade. Cut really well just made a lot of sparks so be careful. Could also use a metal hack saw but that would take a while. Ideally a band saw would have been the perfect tool but I don't have access to one. When bending this, make sure you have the piece squared up in the vice, if you bend it at an angle you're going to regret it, really hard to fix.

Here's the new metal guard, compared to the rubber one. I would have liked to round off the corners but just don't have the tools to make that happen.

To remove the rubber guard I used a Dremel cutting wheel and grinding wheel. The grinding wheel is good for removing the left over material on the body of the blaster.

 

I found some embedded metal reinforcing inside which I cut out of the way.

If you do this, wear a respirator. The grinding creates a fine dust which is not good to breathe.

I removed enough material as possible while keeping the surface flat to receive the metal guard.

Next I marked the holes in the metal guard, drilled them out and then countersunk for the screws.

 

After this I primed the metal, painted it and put on a clearcoat to protect the paint. Then it was time to install.

Drilled some holes into the body where the screws will go in. I got screws of matching size at the local hardware store. 

 

I filled these holes and coated the contact area with E6000, placed the new guard on top and put in the screws. Let it sit overnight and it's good to go.

This is the replacement holster from Studio Creations. It came pre-built which worked out just fine. I glued a couple extra magnets into the slot where the outer holster piece slips in. Not fancy but the E6000 will hold well and it does the job. The blaster will now be held in place with these magnets and is still easy to get in and out of the holster.

 

Time to attach this to the boot. I positioned the piece on the boot and marked the hole locations with a pencil.

Then used my leather punch tool to make the holes. Make sure a clean hole is made through the outer and inner layer of the boot.

Next pick a rivet that will be the correct thickness for the boot, the holster plastic and the plastic inner washer.

Then install all four rivets.

 

Note that this goes on the right leg, photos are in the mirror so they're reversed.

 

 

I'm waiting for a piece of steel to arrive so I can make a new guard for the 3D printed blaster. That's the one I'll use for this costume. The rubber one will be a good backup or display. Other than that, I think I'm pretty much done except for the weathering. That will be tricky as I'm in Michigan and the cold weather may not cooperate with my weathering efforts but I'll do a test piece and see.

 

[wegotdeathstar]

Another Michigan trooper! Really great job on your blaster and boot. 

[Aradun]

Great work Frank! Final product looks fantastic.

[fragarock]

Here are photos of the 3D printed blaster which is now completed.  I finished up prepping it, then gave it a brown primer coat....just what I had laying around. Then I painted it with a few coats of matte black. We had a weird couple days here in MI where it got into the 40's and 50's so painting was possible. Fabricated a steel trigger guard and added real screws. Trigger guard and screws set in place with E6000 which seems plenty strong to hold it together.

 

Once dry I gave it a light coating of graphite to add a bit of depth to the finish. Didn't want to go for a full metallic look so I went easy on it. If you haven't done this before, you can rub powdered graphite onto black to give it a metallic looking finish. More you add and rub in, the shinier it gets. Once done I coated it with a matte varnish from Montana Gold, again leftover from my ST.

 

Did a few paint distressing effects, dry brushed. Here are the final photos.

Top is the cast rubber. Bottom is the 3D print.

 

In photo below the 3D is on top.

 

Neither is perfect but the 3D print is smaller and fits my hand better. The cast rubber has it's advantage of being droppable without breaking.

 

Question. I presume the neck seal goes over the balaclava for a neat/clean appearance with nothing hanging out from under the helmet. 

 

Guess the next step is to start weathering the armor. I think it will be above freezing this coming week so I may get a chance to work on it.

 

 

[Chopper]

16 hours ago, fragarock said:

Question. I presume the neck seal goes over the balaclava for a neat/clean appearance with nothing hanging out from under the helmet.

Correct

[fragarock]

Finally got some warmer weather here in Michigan, had a couple days in the 40's and 50's so I got to work on weathering the hard parts. I used the same techniques which worked well on my helmet way back when I started this many months ago. 

The basic process is to create an initial build up of color and muck then wear it away and repeat the process 1 or 2 more times until you get a realistic built-up layering effect. I'm using a dirt spray which applies just like spray paint. This can be put on light or heavy or built up in multiple passes. Naphtha splattered on using a toothbrush or lightly rubbed via paper towel reacts with the dirt spray and creates an aged/cracked surface. The dirt spray is easy to remove and scratch off for about 24-48 hours, after that it sets in and becomes more permanent but can be washed completely away using naphtha if you desire. 

After the first application I'll wipe away some of the color. Mostly with a very fine steel wool, pressing lightly and in a random patter, almost erasing the dirt. I'll then use a paper towel wet with naphtha to distress certain areas more heavily. Acetone can be used very sparingly to instantly remove all color in certain areas.

The next day I apply more dirt spray and repeat the techniques. Once the overall color tone and wear pattern seems right I scratch it up with heavier steel wool, a wire brush, and an emery board for finer wearing patterns along the edges of the armor or where I want to highlight something.

I started with the chest/back as that's the biggest piece and the one which should really be in line with the weathering on my helmet. The smaller pieces will follow this general pattern.

 

Larger detail shots, forgive the orange color in these photos, my basement lights make the pieces look darker and browner/oranger than they really are.