TKMC

Thanks - I’ll make repairs and use a bit of heat and see how I go. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Anyone else have problems with the right knee ammo belt splitting as it wraps around the calf? Any suggestion welcomed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not happy with the alignment of the cover strip to the bottom of the right back thigh. (top yet to be trimmed) Pulled off cover strip - taped off the area for sanding back the glue - used scalpel to trim the base to a square - cut new cover strip, leaving a wedge underneath for square fit - applied new cover strip - end result much better IMO. Question is will it pass 501st inspection? Time will tell. Image of bad alignment. Closer inspection: Off with the old and taped for sanding old glue. Scalpel out and squared off - used ABS paste later on reverse side to strengthen the hole made. Sand back glue and scalpel area. Backs look much neater - Now I'm looking at that top right cover strip and wondering how to trim/sand that to look like the guide.

Thanks TK Ratchet for the advice on the fix - Don't worry about the Dremel slip up, with a bit of careful sanding,you won't see it. Put down some painters tape to protect the surrounding area, and start sanding with a coarse 180-360 grit wet and dry (with some water) to knock down the high spots. Once you've knock down the high spots, start moving up in sand paper grit to finer paper 300- 600-800- 1200-2000 etc. with the aim of each grit to remove the scratches from the previous and blending the repair. Once you finished with 2000 grit it should be smooth but flat, then use a plastic polish which will remove the scratches from the 2000 grit and start giving it some gloss.

Chest armour and calves trimmed. Feel i'm starting to make some progress. Thigh armour a tad rough in parts - need some tender work - especially where the Dremel cut through from the inside out - I believe taping the area and sanding from rough to very fine wet and dry is required. Thanks for the advice TK Ratchet. Cover strip on this one may need re-alignment Front thighs looking better than the back Note to Self... Don't Dremel through to the front in tight corners -ABS paste to the rescue and much tender masking and sanding required here - I think I created work for myself.

Boots arrived - Perfect fit - Thanks Vincent from Keep Trooping

Excellent pick up - thanks I noted the 12mm from a uTube press and later hunted down and found on Whitearmour a thread where someone kindly listed the strip sizes for all cover strips. TBF it was that thread which gave me the confidence to soldier on.

Shoulder Bells, Biceps and Arms: While recuperating from minor surgery, I discovered RS Props, U-Tube videos, I think I've made some good progress - from initial trimming to a point where I can consider cover strips and final sanding and shaping - welcome your thought before I start sticking things together. These bits are hard to cut this way... apparently a Dremel is way easier. I found measuring and ruling the marker line quite effective with good matches when placing the two halves together. Once I found the overall measurements on the top and bottom parts of each (based on a 14 inch bicep) I was away. Trusty sawhorse and a nice thick straight piece of aluminum, plus a sharp knife with clamps, became my best friends. So this is where I'm at today. On the to do list, 1. Rough sanding 2. Remove pencil marks 3. Cut, sand and apply side strips 4. Dremmel / Hamd sand - take out the returns, rough edges etc Shoulder bells I trimmed some time ago - Biceps and forearms fit nicely. Will need to see where the shoulder bells fit into the overall layout. May need an extra trim, though will wait until I've got the chest plates underway. Welcome your thoughts.

This stuff is GOLD! - May be 10 years old - yet priceless. Looked far and wide for this info - The cover strip width size range are not in the CRL - Guess so that those with bigger thighs and biceps can adapt accordingly. Many Thanks

Thanks - that makes sense.

Shoulder Straps: Using AJ Hamler's guide was extremely useful. As WTF's shoulder straps come flat and joined there was a bit of extra work to be done. I found it easier to tape done the straps initially and use a steel ruler to cut down the middle to separate the two straps. Next was to roughly trim the outer edges. Looking for a smooth underside to adhere to the extra strip of ABS I used the Dremel and sandpaper to remove the injection mold bumps. I cut two strips of ABS to the shoulder strap dimensions and initially, being a tad nervous used some hot water to test how well the two would bend. Happy with the initial test results, I proceeded with a small pot and boiling water with clamps to hold the straps in place. It is of note the strap and paired backing plate were immersed and clamped at the same time, they shaped specifically to its pair and could not be swapped with the other. Next comes glue and clamps, followed by edge affixing and trimming to size.

Ready to assemble -Thats as far as it has got - waiting on 30mm x 2mm x length of metal bar to arrive before I move to final assembly - Thanks to all contributors and reference materials, video tutorials and a little bit of trial and error, its getter there.

Detonator Question: The metal bar - I have dimensions of 215mm long (8 1/2”) and 30mm wide. What should the depth be? I have a 25mm wide 1” bar and 1.2 mm deep (0.042”) the depth seems about right - as in fairly flush to the detonator caps. For the life of me - other than importing from GB, Just can’t to find 30mm wide by 1mm or so bar.