Maxsteele's New NE Armor Build

[TK5144[TK]]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should I move up more and cut at the second line?  Should it be between where I cut and my second line, or is this a good length?

 

 

 

cut more off.  maybe between the lines, but I think up to the second line is fine.

[maxsteele[TK]]

Thanks for the suggestion Derek!  I cut the butt plate halfway between my prior cut and the second line I had drawn.  How's this?

 

 

 

 

 

And here I've placed the outer cover strips for the right thigh:

 

 

 

[Haribon72[TK]]

Looking good!

[Raintrooper]

Looking great!  I'm jealous of the backs of your thighs!  HAHA!  No raised ridges!

[maxsteele[TK]]

Alright - both thighs have the front and back top cover strips completed.  Next on that front will be to bend the ammo belt around the thigh.

 

Many thanks to RainTrooper for coming over today and helping me to mark where the over-lap was on my ab plate.  Here are the results:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll need to do just a little bit of alignment, and there's a point at the top of the right side that I'll need to cut / sand down, but otherwise the sides join up nicely.

 

 

 

Since the ab / kidney was fitting to nicely, I decided to pull up the thighs and take some shots:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, on to the snaps and strapping!

 

I found some 2 inch polyfiber webbing to use for the snap plates, and some 1 inch polyfiber to use for the straps.  Here's a shot of them.  Are these acceptable (ruler for scale)?

 

 

 

 

 

At JoAnns, I found #24 snaps from Dritz.  They're $6.99 for 7 sets.  I think I could get a better price than this.  What do you guys suggest for snaps?  Do you know of a bulk snap purchase online I should use instead?

 

[maxsteele[TK]]

I'm looking to order my belt (from TKittell) and I'm trying to decide if I want the white or the off-white color.  I was looking at another trooper who got a belt from him, and this is what it looks like with the white color:

 

 

 

Would I be better off going with the off-white?  I know I can't get a perfect white match with my armor, but I wonder if the off-white would be better than the brightness of this white color.

 

Comparison of the colors of Tkittell's belts:

 

Edited April 7, 2014 by maxsteele

[hikeba[TK]]

I got the white (not off-white) which I have had on both my TK kits.

As they start to show some wear I think they match pretty well.

Belt gets faded armor stays polished = a closer color match!

 

I had so much trouble with the forearm (really just the one side that is not round) that I ended up having to replace it and start again.

I am short and squat and had to trim the tops of the thighs and ended up with a bit more "black" in between the thigh and the cod then I would have liked.

My kit is basically done with just the finishing touches on the helmet and cover strips on the forearms to go.

 

Great work!

[maxsteele[TK]]

Thanks Chris!  I've ordered my belt from TKittell.  My measurement after cutting the sides of my ab was 41 inches, so adding on 10 inches makes it a total length of 51 inches.  That sucks about having to replace your forearm.  I really struggled with mine as well, but I was able to make it work in the end, fortunately.  So far, it doesn't look like I'll have to cut the length of my thighs or shins at all.  I'm 5' 10", which I've been told is optimum Stormtrooper height.  Get your build thread updated with some pics of your kit!  I'd love to see them!

 

I've decided I'm going to go with the Dritz heavy duty snaps I saw at Joanns.  I'm going to use their 50% off one regular item coupon and just go in once a day and buy one pack of snaps.  There are two JoAnns within 4 miles of each other, so I can get two in the same day.  Some days I can get a second person to come in with me and buy a pack also, so I'll be able to get them all in a few days.  I should be able to get 10 packs (9 packs of snaps and 1 pack of snaps + setting tool) for $40.  That will give me a total of 70 snaps and the hammer setting tool.  That should be enough for my build and spares.

 

I was told by Redforce that I need to use elastic, not webbing for the straps.  I need to find out how long each elastic strap should be, and what kind of elastic to use.  That'll be another JoAnns purchase I'm sure.  

[maxsteele[TK]]

I taped my ab / kidney together again and pulled my thighs up into a position I believe they need to be, and tried walking while holding the thighs up.  The thighs seemed to catch underneath the cod with every other step and make a very audible "pop!" sound.

 

Here is what the return edges look like on the cod piece:

 

     

 

 

I'm thinking I should cut away the return edge around the cod area.  The cod piece would still be very visible and intact, but the return edges, which are hidden by the thigh pieces, wouldn't be catching on the thighs.  Red lines roughly drawn where I'd cut.

 

 

    

 

 

 

I tapered back down to the return edge because I believe I want to keep the return edge on the bottom of the ab as it curves over my leg.  

 

 

My other thought is to have a less dramatic transition when it goes back to the bottom return edge across the leg, and trim this much from either side:

 

 

    

 

 

 

Thoughts?

Edited April 9, 2014 by maxsteele

[Holnave (evan_loh)[TK]]

You could try tilting the thigh pieces outward a bit so they don't clash with the cod piece.

 

I'd say, once approved, take it out for a troop to get a good feel as sometimes the return edges of the cod piece can be a bother on the crotch area. If it is trim it bit by bit until you get comfortable.

 

EDIT: grammar stuffs...

Edited April 9, 2014 by evan_loh

[maxsteele[TK]]

Evan - Yeah, tilting the thigh pieces outward certainly helps, but then I get a misalignment of the thigh cover strips with my knees that I'm trying to avoid.

 

Yes, I'll definitely be taking it out on a troop to find out how it all feels and sits.  Hopefully I can help with pinching through some cod piece trimming.  I do not trust my craft skills enough to make a top thigh adjustment.  Thanks for the suggestions!

[JLight[TK]]

Yeah so I also bought NE armor not knowing it was recast. I did a lot of research and it was never brought up. I too am making it the best I can. Also having issues with thighs and have to slightly turn them. But it's not too bad. Here is a photo of fitting without the forearms and completed gloves.

 

 

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[maxsteele[TK]]

Hey Jonathan!  Thanks for the reply!  Yep, I think there are quite a few of us who bought NE armor after several builds were completed, but before the recast realizations were public.

 

I've been chatting with other NE wearers and had a thread in the Build subforum about thigh pieces pinching, and I think I'm going to go with getting it all put together and wearing it, and then doing what I need to make it fit better.  I might even do a few troops with the thigh pieces turned outward and see if it really makes a difference to my over-all look.  If it doesn't affect anything, I may just keep it that way.

[maxsteele[TK]]

Belt construction time.

 

I received my belt from TKittell today (Thanks!) and I have scoured the forums for any kind of tutorial or steps showing how to line up the plastic on the belt and attach it, and came up with nothing.

 

The NE belt plastic has 3 very noticeable indents at the ends and in the middle.  I believe that is where I'm drilling holes to attach to the belt.

 

 

Questions:

 

1) My belt is 52 inches long.  How do I know at what part of the belt I attach the plastic to?

 

2)  I found a belt graphic hidden in a post that gave dimensions on where the end of the plastic should be cut, and what measurements to cut the angles.

 

 

I measured the ends of my belt plastic to this, and this is what I came up with. This look good for the lines to cut on?

 

 

 

 

3)  Do I attach the belt plastic to the belt at all three points (each end and in the middle)?  Or just on each end and have a faux rivet cover in the middle? 

 

4)  When lining the belt up vertically, should I make the narrower parts of the ends (after cutting the corners) have an equal distance from the top and bottom edges of the belt?  I know NE plastic is a little larger than the 3 inch belt I have, but I have trimmed the extra down to the molded boxes, and it is close to the same size.

 

5)  Should I fit and install the snaps to hold the canvas to my ab before or after I attach the belt plastic to the canvas?

Edited April 10, 2014 by maxsteele

[JLight[TK]]

1. Put your belt end to end and put a slight crease in the loop. That will be the middle and where the middle rivet will be placed to go through the plastic and canvas.

2. Your measurements look good.

3. All 3.

4. Not fully understanding but you do want the plastic to be centered on the canvas. Meaning don't line it up from the top of bottom. Center it. Yes the NE belt is slightly larger than the canvas.

5. Put your female snaps on the underside first, then attach the plastic to canvas and glue on rivet covers. Use a grease pencil to go over those female snaps so when you lay your belt on your ab piece, it will leave a ring. Therefore you will know exactly where to drill for your male snap.

 

 

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[JLight[TK]]

Oh and don't forget to put your drop boxes on before you rivet the ammo boxes to the canvas. They should be attached using 1 inch white elastic looped around the canvas and riveted to the back side drop boxes.

 

 

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[maxsteele[TK]]

Thanks Jonathan!  One other question that I just saw - I noticed some people had heat-shaped their belt plastic in a curve before attaching it to their belt.  Did you do this?

[maxsteele[TK]]

I would like to take this opportunity at this point in my build to give a very large "Thank you!" to everyone who has advised me.  I believe I'm shooting for the longest build thread on the forums.  

 

Seriously though, this kind of project is something I have never attempted before, and everyone here has given me the tools, experience, and confidence I need to get this far.  Thank you, thank you, to everyone who has helped and who will help me in the future!

[JLight[TK]]

I have not done this. If I see a need to do so, I will because I'm very picky. But with the rivets and snaps it seems to bend pretty easy.

 

 

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[Holnave (evan_loh)[TK]]

Thanks Jonathan!  One other question that I just saw - I noticed some people had heat-shaped their belt plastic in a curve before attaching it to their belt.  Did you do this?

 No need to heat bend the belt. Not unless you're finding it really hard to flex it around your waist.

 

I built my TK without any prior DIY experience too. It's a tough hill to climb but very rewarding

[maxsteele[TK]]

Let the snap / strapping assembly begin!

 

Alright, I got a bunch of #24 Dritz heavy duty snaps from Joanns.  There are 4 Joann stores in a 10 mile radius around my house, so I went to each one and bought one pack of snaps and used a 50% regular price for each one.  That's 28 snaps to start off with.

 

I made a few male snap plates with webbing (webbing and pre-melted holes courtesy of Redforce.  Thanks!).  Then I positioned them one one side of my kidney, then lined up the ab and placed matching plates on the ab.  These are held in place with tape for now:

 

 

 

Next, I made a test strap.  I'm not sure how to determine the length that a strap should be.  I am guessing a strap should be just long enough to have the two sides snapped in with no slack or pull of the elastic.  Sound right?

 

 

 

Yes, I know I installed a snap backwards.  Down to 26!  

 

 

Finally, here's a shot of the strap snapped into place on one side.  This strap is a little longer than the placement of my snap plates, which is fine because the plates aren't glued and this strap is garbage anyway.  Looking right?

 

 

 

 

I'm just kind of eye-balling where the snap placement should be, and looking at how others set up their snap arrangement.  I'm not going to make any more straps until feedback is received that I'm even going about all this the right way.  I'll get my snap plates all made.

[Pencap510]

Are your split rivets under them?

 

 

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[maxsteele[TK]]

Not doing side rivets on this build.

 

Also, they don't teach you in snap school that the setting tool will start to warp as you pound more and more snaps.  The side that was concave for the cap part is now convex.  Gotta buy another one of those.

Edited April 14, 2014 by maxsteele

[Pencap510]

Gotta get the heavy duty snap tool- took me forever to find one, like 4 different Joann's. And I'm doing the split rivets- I just worry about it putting a lot of stress on the plastic-

 

 

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[maxsteele[TK]]

Gotta get the heavy duty snap tool- took me forever to find one, like 4 different Joann's. And I'm doing the split rivets- I just worry about it putting a lot of stress on the plastic-

 

 

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I almost had a panic attack when I drilled the holes in my helmet.  And I had to drill those holes.  I'll consider coming back and drilling holes in the ab / kidney after I have this whole thing put together and wearable.  And I know, everyone around here says:  "Once you finish your build, you won't go back and modify it!"  And to that I say "I might not.  And I'm ok with that if I don't.".    I still have to drill holes in the bottom of my thigh when I attach the ammo belt, and two holes through the front of the ab plate to secure the belt.  I am not looking forward to doing those.

 

There's a heavy duty snap tool?  Didn't know that was a thing.  Do you know the brand name or the product?

 

Is this it?  Because I thought this was just the same thing that came in the heavy duty snaps and tool set:

 

http://www.joann.com/heavy-duty-snap-tool/8562548.html

Edited April 14, 2014 by maxsteele