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Future Arborist: Scout Build


Worst

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1 hour ago, Worst said:

@haringjr I think he just means: same thread, new posts within this thread. Rather than me going back and updating the same post over and over. Which doesn't trigger notifications. I'm happy to organize it however. I was just trying to make it easier to come back to later and have a single post for each portion of the build

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@haringjr Yep.  Same thread, new posts.  Notifications are not sent when a previous post has been edited, which means the armory team may not catch the edit.  

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My order came up for my CfO armor kit. Once received in the next few days, I plan to follow @Strider's Lancer thread to build. Here's photos I hope he doesn't mind me sharing to the thread of the pulls before shipping. Thanks again Mark!

100000363025c6e1c361dd667a.jpg100000363197e7130206ccf4f6.jpg

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It's here! Let the trimming begin!

PXL_20231012_2126228799c238bb02c9ef998.jpg

I'm also aware that I got a couple extras, which im very much appreciative of.

A side note I found this CfO/Strider thread that seems to be exactly what I need

https://forum.501stpathfinders.com/topic/19607-sibbel29%E2%80%99s-stridercfo-armor-built-topic/


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This is the pinned Lancer build post, posted by @Strider using his CFO armor, but it looks like all the photo links are dead. :(

https://forum.501stpathfinders.com/topic/17305-lancer-build-tutorial/

 

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Both of those threads are great resources and Strider’s Lancer build is always recommended for those looking at achieving Lancer status. Just be mindful that both of those threads are from 2018 and 2017, so keep the CRL handy. There’s been a few updates to the CRL since then that won’t be reflected in those builds.

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Helmet Build - Part 1

Fusing the halves

The scariest part of the build was putting down the first permanent peice. Here I experimented using magnets to help align the main support. 

I used a 2 part epoxy to affix most of the parts inside the bucket, with a few being CA glue gel.

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I got smart and went to Harbor Freight and bought a bag of clamps
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I had to redo the front brim of the bucket a couple times because I hadn't gotten enough epoxy in to make a good connection. But in the end I think it came out with a nice curve.

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Once everything was glued up and set overnight, I started working on my ABS welding. My first pass was really rough and left a lot of pits.

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But it sanded up decent

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Finally one more pass with a slightly thinner ABS slurry and a loooooooot of sanding

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While I'm still not totally satisfied with the back, I know theres lots of sanding and shaping still to come. And I'd like to get it out into the sunlight for better inspection.

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Finally got a chance to meet up with @haringjr and put some time into the helmet. We didn't get as far as we'd have liked but we're getting closer. One major thing we did was sure up the center seam with more epoxy. I'm glad to have had Don's eyes on it since I'm very certain the paint would have cracked immediately once applied. 

The TL;DR is that there was quite a bit of an air gap between the plastic and the underlying support piece. This was leading to cracking along the seam and it was a bit squishy. Not so much any more after we drilled out all the plastic and re-epoxied
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We also got most of the pieces shaped for assembly of the visor/face.

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We've been fighting with the assembly and fitting to the helmet ever since. I plan to continue that process tomorrow and hope to make good progress because I feel like we are very close.

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Took the dive and commited to setting things in place. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I know they don't go together perfectly but I feel like the lines are consistent and clean. Next up, epoxying the visor in place with additional supports, then bondo, sand and paint.

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2 Updates!

The Helmet is locked in place and ready for finishing. I'm very happy with how clean the lines came out and once the bolts were added it evened out some of the gap I had between the visor and the main bucket.

PXL_20231025_1717123525a7dab04776a276f.jPXL_20231025_171704346c2174fc023df0d04.j

 

Update #2

I started rough trimming my armor. Everything should be within 1/8" of the trim lines. There are some that I'm a little unsure about but from what I'm gathering: get it close and it wont be noticeable if it's ever so slightly under/over the trim line.

 

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I'm moving in little increments now but will probably post up for the trickier pieces like the chest/back plates and the tank.

A Request:

If anyone knows of a forum post where people discuss how to rivet the speedglas(or equivalent) head band into the helmet, I'm having a heck of a time finding one

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I had pads in the top of mine before (so i had velcro there already). I put some the loop across the top of the band and just hooked it up.

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The originals had the 3M harness riveted near the faceshield bolt. Rivets are hidden by the visor. 

This is mine, done in the same way. 

I have my harness taped at the top just to keep it from changing angle. 

hcIXALd.jpg

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Before you mount it to the bucket Bill, you may want to tape it in place with some masking tape and see how it feels. Not everyone finds the band comfortable. I’m one of them. Those type of bands give me a headache after about 30 minutes, so pads work better and are more comfortable for me. Hate to see you rivet it in place and then realize it’s uncomfortable.

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It's been a slow week but I made a bit more progress fusing and cleaning up the visor.

Additionally I received my Endor Finders gloves (thanks @iceknyght ). I like the fit so I went right ahead and removed the zipper from one and am getting started on the other

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This is going to be a large post so I'm going to make these images small in the post. Hopefully it isn't too overwhelming. But I could use another input from the community. I started "finishing" my armor pieces but I think I'm being a little on the cautious side. So am I leaving too much of a return edge? Do these look ok to move forward?

I mostly don't want to get caught up in minute details that aren't super visible since they will be mostly pushed against the fabric of the flight suit.

Forearm:

PXL_20231106_1900532070420cf185e312e85.jpgPXL_20231106_19010776684e85b326da1986e.jpgPXL_20231106_190100776.MP5e919449f634ba61.jpgPXL_20231106_190116720bc3117e569998cc4.jpgPXL_20231106_19012178310d0e5f1b69785a0.jpg

Knee:
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If you compare your trimming against the scoutopedia, I'd say you're in the right ballpark. 

MOTM_13760.jpg

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No worries Bill we all do that. @Chopper is a top shelf trooper and an absolute expert with this armor. You couldn't be in better hands!

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Took another trip up to see @haringjr. We (well mostly he 😅) made great progress on the bucket. Everything is fitted nicely, the ears are cut and the indexing is cut to have the visor snap into an upright position. We glazed, bondo-ed and sanded it as well as put on the first coat of filler primer. 

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Ignore the small blob of CA glue. We needed to fill a few holes we didn't notice once we got the paint on.

Many thanks again to Don for his help. I'm so excited about how this is turning out.

 

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You’re doing…I mean Don is doing great work .

Seriously Bill, this is coming along great and you’re making fantastic progress. I’m really looking forward to you crossing the finish line so you can join the Biker Gang and we can get out and troop together as Scouts!

And when you have the GML working hand in hand with you, approval will be a shoo-in .

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Nah, that’s just being resourceful like a great Scout should be .

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We're having a good time, and  Bill's bucket will be a lot nicer than mine, which is kind of the point. 

What's not obvious yet from the photos is that we carefully notched the backside of the visor so that it functions really well. It locks down into place and also opens and clicks into open position. Very satisfying and infinitely better than my own personal helmet. Building this one, I finally understood the mechanical functioning of the visor and was happy to get it right this time around. 

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Just a word of caution to be careful with repeatedly popping the visor all the way up and down. The area around the rotator bolts is a strain point and eventually the plastic will crack there after repeated use.

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