SublimeBW

We returned to work on the helmet today but wanted to be SUPER cautious given that this is where I was originally thrown off track and threw myself into a fear of progress (see posts from 2 years ago in this thread). I was a nervous wreck but eventually gained some confidence. We trimmed back one side and believe we have the ear in a good alignment in relation to the rear traps (we have been attempting to build with level 3 in mind) but wanted to double check positioning before we move forward on working on the second side (I already have enough holes to patch due to my mess ups 2 years back).

Thanks! The template REALLY helped.

Thanks for the details! I give it a review and see about getting it knocked out.

I nuked the paint on all the buttons I thought were in rough shape and busted out the Cricut for some 11mm templates. Worked like a charm. Now to finish up rigging (have ~75% of it in place) and figure out if there is anything else that can easily be done between now and next build day (which will either be holster & belt stuff or finishing up the helmet from its partial state when I first started building ages ago).

Thanks for the feedback, Sly11; glad to know we got it right. A simple bit of progress tonight. First, let's start with the infamous Han Snap. Searching around, I saw that 10mm in and 20mm down was the most recommended placement so that is what I went with. I painted up the abdomen buttons. I have a bit to clean up (round it off, clean up some spillover) and am a bit ashamed I didn't do better on the first pass given the amount of miniatures I have painted.

Oooooo. I like that idea. Did you use a formal hinge or improvise something? I have plenty of extra snaps so that is a promising idea.

Hey gang, I am trying to prep a few things for my incoming soft goods and was curious on people's thoughts on the best way to attach the ammo drop boxes to the belt. I am seeing a few pictures of people using (what I am assuming are) pop-rivets, while others look to be dabs/globs of glue and a third method of some sort of interiorly tucked elastic. I am not seeing any guidelines in the CRL for how the elastic attaches to the drop box so wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious. Thanks, BW

We attached the ammo belt on today and think we did OK. Unsure if we have the positioning right but the picture lines up with what we saw on the CRL image.

I think I backfilled the gaps pretty well and should be ready for that ammo pack and shoulder bell tomorrow! After that, it is measuring the waist to order my belt! Getting closer.

Thanks for the feedback. I went the opposite route originally and glued to the abdomen and used a weaker glue than E6000 thinking it would hold (CA glue, but to a piece of reenforcing ABS along the edge of the abdomen. I will give your recommendation a go. Also good to know that the other pieces help keep things in line. I have my strapping mostly so I will also finish off that and give it a test fit.

Hey gang, I am hitting a bit of a snag with my kidney & abdomen alignment and was curious what has worked for other folks. I tried a tab/groove alignment method using some extra ABS, but the pieces popped off (maybe I had them too close to the end) while doing some test movements.

I pulled a slight audible on my order of operations and adhered in front interior cover strip first to give more stability to my form. With that in place, I went ahead and made a few cuts to the height and an extra pass around the groin. Much more comfortable now. Any areas of concern before I toss on the other cover strips?

Awesome feedback guys and glad to know I was (mostly) on the right track. I will see about getting the first pass of trimming done today.

After 6 months of being off from build, we resumed build yesterday. It felt good to be working on the project again and have a build plan roughly shaped out, making large progress every other Saturday with me doing the final size adjustments and small details (bonding/painting/whatever) during the time in between. We trimmed up the thighs and they seem to fight well around my thigh but I will need to trim down the length of them. A few questions: When trimming the length, is it easiest to use a compass to make sure sure you keep the correct contour all the way around? Is there a limit of how much can be taken off? Is there a desired end point that can easily be referenced or is it simply what is comfortable? We noticed that one leg of the armor was actually longer than the other, is this normal (I am assuming this is OK, but never hurts to ask)? Edit: I apologize for the filthy Jedi shirt you see me wearing in my beautiful white armor.

I feel off the crafting wagon pretty hard! Had a week of solo-dading it up to get the ball rolling, then a vacation, my 40th birthday, my wife's birthday, our anniversary, general summer fun and Baldur's Gate 3 with friends (including the guy that has been helping me make the armor). Now that I am past that stuff, it is time I get to being motivated to finish this project. I have my interior harnessing mostly complete but am having issues keeping the chest/ab & kidney play aligned. I tried a tongue and groove method to keep them in place, and it worked, but then the pieces popped off when trying to take the torso off. Does anyone have suggestions on how to keep those pieces aligned or should I go with the method I tried previously but maybe with stronger glue (I used Super Glue on some pieces of ABS that I have for bracing near the edges).

Progress for the week: Left side rivets installed and did a bit of interior bracing (sadly, it looks like the placement of the brace shifted a little while it was curing; oh well) Working on interior rigging underway Trimmed up the shoulder straps some more and adhered them This week's goal Complete interior rigging system & elastic connectors Test fit torso Order belt, holster & neck seal

Good to know. Looks like those sheets are pretty reasonably priced so I grabbed a set. Thanks for the info.

Bringing up an old portion of your Abdomen build. What material did you use for your reinforcement along the edges? I have some spare ABS scraps but those look a little too light and like the idea of. Also, as previously mentioned, great documentation and build! Having a reference of the same armor was a fantastic way to build confidence. Edit: Sorry for the double post, I didn't think the first one went through.

Bringing up an old portion of your Abdomen build. What material did you use for your reinforcement along the edges? I have some spare ABS scraps but those look a little too light and like the idea of .

Interesting to see that there is differences in the shoulder bumps between models. That explains some of the inconsistencies I was seeing. I have the large bump plus 11 small bumps and a slightly larger bump at the end of the line. I will try and split the difference and see how it looks.

Not as much progress as I wanted but I am on my way! I trimmed up the sides of the chest & back (so it is an average of 5 mm and some parts being wider) , made my 2" segments and installed my male side snaps for my torso rigging and started gluing the rigging in place. Shoulder strap questions I am attempting to trim up the straps but am curious how much to leave surrounding the bumps. I currently have it at 5 mm but I feel like that is too much Is there a standard for how many bumps should be on the upper chest? I am seeing an average of 5 but figured I would ask since they aren't adhered yet

Thanks for the feedback, gang. With the supplied info, I think I am going to make a push to get the torso done by the 4th.

I put in the cod piece rivet but the washer seems a bit big so I might go and pick up different washers. Given it isn't meant to be functional, I am unsure if it is worth the hassle to correct or not (picture below). Questions for the group regarding torso build: 1. Is the rigging/hinge that is used in this post still a valid option at higher levels (I want to make Centurion when all is said and done)? I am guessing so but wanted to double check that I didn't come across something that is grandfathered in (no pun intended with the OF title, @A.J. Hamler). 2. Is the diagram depicting the placement of the abdomen and kidney rivets accurate or has new information been found/discovered? 3. Is there a recommendation for the amount of return edge to leave near the cod piece and the sides of the check & back? I currently have an average of 6.5 mm near the groin and 10 mm on the back and chest pieces. I like the chunkier look but worry about mobility and meeting standards.

Hold on to your butts as I trimmed the posterior and added the snaps. Snaps are placed 15 mm & 35 mm (to center of snap) from the edge of the posterior.

AHHHH! I knew I saw that at one point but forgot about it; thanks for the resource reminder. Between those images and the feedback, I think I am fairly confident I will be making the right cuts. Also, thanks for the feedback overall. It is a nerve wrecking journey for me so having these loop has been a godsend for my peace of mind. On a more fun note! My split rivets arrived today so I get to move forward with those. They look smaller than expected but the head and length are 5/16 and the shaft is 5/32 so believe I have the right pieces.