Future Arborist: Scout Build

[Aradun]

“Nip and tuck” can easily become never ending, so don’t be afraid to call things a day. It doesn’t have to be perfect. There will be plenty of time to make little adjustments (as well as repairs) once you start trooping in the kit and get a real feel for it. Now get er done!

[Worst]

4 minutes ago, Aradun said:

It doesn’t have to be perfect

Thanks @Aradun. If you think it's passable as it stands I'll move forward. I just don't want to get to submission and then have to redo it. Though it's likely the same amount of work, either way. Let me get the second one on and aligned (this is the important part) and we'll see how it looks. If the rain lets up this week at all I'll try to finish the bucket, otherwise I'll get moving on armor.

[Retrofire]

I think you're doing a fine job Bill! Keep up the great work!

[Worst]

Ok, you win @Retrofire. I moved the strap up ever so slightly in the back and tightened it a bit (they are not stretched taut). I think it turned out great! I hope you guys do too.

I also got some acrylic paint for the indent in the chest armor. I'm leaning toward the "Slate Grey" over the "Dark gray" since that is pretty close to the same color as the snout/bolts

[Retrofire]

Those are looking great Bill! Nice work! The slate is more of a medium grey which is what you're shooting for on the indent so wise choice there. I'm really looking forward to seeing this completed and we can't thank you enough for such a thorough build thread. This is a great help to those that will come behind you. So thank you!

[Worst]

Had an epiphany after watching @BikerScout007's armor video (Mickey I know the joke at the end was probably a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that the soft goods are too much for a video, but we need to make soft goods videos happen ). Anyways, I digress.

I may skip doing the acrylic since I was a bit worried about the surface finish and instead use the snout decal provided in my decals. There is more than enough material there to fit the chest dent (I don't know its scientific name). If that doesn't work out I can fall back to painting

[BikerScout007]

Have no fear @Worst, preliminary work on the soft goods video has already begun!  It was just too much for one video. 

[Worst]

16 minutes ago, BikerScout007 said:

Have no fear [mention=89188]Worst[/mention], preliminary work on the soft goods video has already begun!  It was just too much for one video. 

The video is so insanely helpful. Hopefully I can (once approved) assist in any future education efforts. I'm hoping I can compile this thread down into a site or PDF when I'm done. One of our garrison mates did that with his TK and it's just fantastic reference material.

[haringjr]

4 hours ago, Worst said:

The video is so insanely helpful. Hopefully I can (once approved) assist in any future education efforts. I'm hoping I can compile this thread down into a site or PDF when I'm done. One of our garrison mates did that with his TK and it's just fantastic reference material.

Bill, at the garrison level, we are currently restructuring our forum just a bit to include a unique costuming section, and the hope is to have current and past build threads live there. We do a lot for our Cadets in the Academy, and will extend this out for veteran members. 

[wide]

19 hours ago, Worst said:

Had an epiphany after watching @BikerScout007's armor video (Mickey I know the joke at the end was probably a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that the soft goods are too much for a video, but we need to make soft goods videos happen ). Anyways, I digress.

I may skip doing the acrylic since I was a bit worried about the surface finish and instead use the snout decal provided in my decals. There is more than enough material there to fit the chest dent (I don't know its scientific name). If that doesn't work out I can fall back to painting

I was having problems getting the gray acrylic in the chestpiece indent to look proper and went exactly that route. It worked perfectly. I used a scalpel and a cutting mat to get the rough shape, and left it bigger. If you're careful you can cut off the excess (if you have any) while its already on the armor.

The result was waaaay better than every try I did with acrylic paint.

[Worst]

Did a tape up of where I think the black background should go on the snout. Feedback welcome:

[mrbill8128]

That's looking good to me.

[Chopper]

Should be good.

[Worst]

Uhg what a trip, I had so much trouble painting the black background today. First run, the tape wasn't down well enough AND the ink came off the newspaper I used on the white of my faceplate. I thoroughly messed up the finish doing that. So I messed with it all day trying to make it work. Ultimately I sanded a repainted. 

This time I made a sheet of painters tape on some wax paper and cut out the pattern. It still didn't turn out as clean as I wanted it but I think I have to call it good enough.

[Retrofire]

I think you're doing fine Bill and I don't think it ever comes out perfect. Look at the scoutopedia and even those aren't 100% spot on. I get that you're a smidge disappointed but not to worry. If you're concerned you can always reach out to your GML to check.

[Worst]

Snout and lens aren't permanently affixed. I ordered the welding shield everyone seems to use as my lens is a bit on the green side. The decals, minus the black lines, are also in place. 
 

[Aradun]

Excellent work Bill! That looks solid. Well done!

[mrbill8128]

Looking very good! I had some of the same issues with the snout paint. I ended up gently scrapping some off with a toothpick, lol. When you put the sticker vents on the bottom left back of the bucket, watch Kropserkel's helmet video first. He has a great suggestion on how to do the application.

[Worst]

Everything is assembled on the bucket. As with most projects, I see all the flaws. But I think standing back 5 feet and putting my feelings aside I'm am extremely happy with how it turned out. The end is nigh. I plan on mocking up cuts for my tank today and posting a picture. I have a rough idea of how I want to approach it. 

 

[Chopper]

Good work with the helmet

[Worst]

A day late but here is the mockup for the tank. Before I go cutting, and since it feels like I could really do damage, here is my plan. 

This is rough, I just wanted to make sure everything looked like it was in the appropriate place. i'll probably under-cut these and use the dremel/sander to refine.

[Retrofire]

Good thinking Bill. It's always easier to remove material than put it back so keep your cuts minimal until you achieve the shape you want to the back armor. Your references look good. I'm sure you've seen this before but check out our armor video. Our DL talks about the tank and gives some background on the look.

 

[wide]

On 3/16/2024 at 3:51 PM, Worst said:

A day late but here is the mockup for the tank. Before I go cutting, and since it feels like I could really do damage, here is my plan. 

This is rough, I just wanted to make sure everything looked like it was in the appropriate place. i'll probably under-cut these and use the dremel/sander to refine.

What really really helped me was only cutting a little bit and then using a sanding bit on the dremel and holding the tank against the back armor again and again.

This part was very difficult for me because i didnt understand why it wouldnt sit properly.

So, remember that you might have to reshape the bottom and the sides of the tank as well to make it fit properly. I took off a lot at the bottom.

As the reason why it does not sit properly might be multiple spots at the same time

Plus, it does not have to be 100% flush. Once i accepted that, the task became way easier!

This comment by @Chopperhelped me a lot! Maybe it helps you as well?

https://forum.501stpathfinders.com/topic/23660-first-build-rotj-bikerscout/?do=findComment&comment=225638

 

[Worst]

11 minutes ago, wide said:

Maybe it helps you as well?

These photos are fantastic. I'm hoping to tackle this next so I'll keep this in mind. Thank you!

[haringjr]

To match profiles, I use a pin contour gauge.
It's not necessary, but I use it pretty often.