It's happening! [*CAP]

[Grimez]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

 

Okay, that's out of the way. Let's get started! Paid for my set of CAP-W before I set off on vacation and had it arrive the day I got back (today), here it is! 

 

So many pieces, I have no idea where to start. And i'm not entirely sure I have every tool I need. Any ideas? As many juicy details and insight and links as possible are appreciated!

[Dark PWF[Staff]]

Awesome, Christian!! Congratulations. I say start with the arm parts.

 

Very excited for you!!!

Edited July 16, 2014 by Dark CMF

[starsaber25[Admin]]

Congrats!  Yeah I'm with Tim.  I started trimming my shoulder bells, forearms, and my biceps first.  I felt that those would be the easiest parts to start getting used to the trimming.  As far as tools go I have used for the most part a shop knife and a rotary tool.  I have used scissors as well but I tend to shy away from mine because they are straight.  I would say you should purchase a set of curved ones.

 

After that start looking at build threads and favorite the ones that are most useful to you.  Maybe even follow mine that I am currently doing .  It is moving slow but I am trying to be as thorough as possible as far as measurements and pictures go.

 

Its an exciting time and very nerve wracking.  What I found to be helpful was to just get to the trimming and not think about making any mistakes. 

 

Good Luck!

[ClockworkRonin]

Yes I also started with forearms, then biceps, then shins, then shoulder bells and hand guards. I would leave something as detailed as the helm for last IMO. And when you leave something to dry overnight, like the e6000 or paint, try to keep doing other stuff, dont get tunnel vision and it will keep the process moving, and fun.

[gazmosis[501st]]

Ah the smell of a big brown box!!! Best in the world next to a new car and fresh baked bread.

[Holnave (evan_loh)[TK]]

I love how your "AAAHHH" went of the screen. Kinda gave me an idea of how happy you were. You're off to a good start if you already haven't started panicking as I did when I first saw my pieces!

 

You'll need a curved scissors and lots of E6000 glue to get started

Also don't forget an Xacto blade or Stanley blade.

Rivet gun should you use pop rivets. I used a hammer and thin blunt object to hammer my cap rivets in.

 

I started with the helmet first but I've come to regret that decision as I was new to this and had trouble trimming the ears. I became better a trimming after the completing the rest of the armour.

[Grimez]

I love how your "AAAHHH" went of the screen. Kinda gave me an idea of how happy you were. You're off to a good start if you already haven't started panicking as I did when I first saw my pieces!

 

You'll need a curved scissors and lots of E6000 glue to get started

Also don't forget an Xacto blade or Stanley blade.

Rivet gun should you use pop rivets. I used a hammer and thin blunt object to hammer my cap rivets in.

 

I started with the helmet first but I've come to regret that decision as I was new to this and had trouble trimming the ears. I became better a trimming after the completing the rest of the armour.

Cap gave me 2 sets of practice ears . I've started on the forearms and they are a little rough. How snug should they be to my arm?

[Grimez]

Ignoring the odd environments, this is how my right bracer looks atm. I'm not touching the left one until I get this down. I'll work on the shoulder bells in the meantime. As it stands the forearm feels really big on me, its still really open even though there are only 5/16th of an inch of HIPS left on each one and it also seems a bit long. As you can tell when I put my glove on it covers basically the entire length of my forearm. How should I trim this to fit?

[Grimez]

After some welcome information from my fellow statesmen at Bloodfin, i'm just about done with the bracers. The right bracer is fully assembled (minus foam) while the left one is trimmed and I am waiting for the E6000 to cure more on the first finishing strip.

 

[Holnave (evan_loh)[TK]]

Those look about right. If you find it too spacey you can always add foam. Progressing well

[dkmwong]

Looks good. I can't wait for my brown box to come. I too will be scared when it arrives, also with the fear on where to begin and how it is all done.

[Grimez]

Ooooookay, so I was following Trooperbay's video on trimming biceps and I noticed something after I trimmed my left bicep that I didn't before. I followed suit from my forearms and cut out the return edges on my left bicep but after reviewing the video it looks like the biceps keep a certain amount of edge on the ends. Did I cut too much on these? Will I need a replacement bicep if I did?

 

I then investigated further on my right bicep and saw some impression in the bicep, the blue line is where I trimmed my left bicep and the red line is the one I think i'm supposed to follow, which is correct?

[SCTrooper[TK]]

The biceps are fine. If you look at some photo references, the originals didn't really have a return on the bottom and the tops had a small return in the armpit area. The biceps will likely be tucked under the bells so  there shouldn't be a problem.

[Grimez]

The biceps are fine. If you look at some photo references, the originals didn't really have a return on the bottom and the tops had a small return in the armpit area. The biceps will likely be tucked under the bells so  there shouldn't be a problem.

Thank the maker.

[Grimez]

Arms are done! (i think)

 

Here are the finished biceps:

 

I then went through such a hassle jury rigging all of these pieces to stay on. I don't have straps for the shoulder bells yet so I used rare earth magnets to hold them on: 2 on either side of the top of the shoulder bell, and then another underneath my compression shirt to hold it in place. I then slid on the biceps and for the most part my arm kept them in place, the forearms were sliding all over the place, then I put on my neck seal while all of the armor was on (definitely not easy), and grabbed the gloves and E-11 for a full picture. Enjoy.

 

[Holnave (evan_loh)[TK]]

Nice work

 

Don't forget to add the straps to keep them pieces all in place

 

[SCTrooper[TK]]

When you get to the ab piece, the center button panel will have to be glued to a scrap piece of plastic to look right. Just giving you a heads up for down the line.

[Daetrin[Admin]]

Those look about right. If you find it too spacey you can always add foam. Progressing well

 

Back in the day we used to just glue one side and velcro the other on the legs/arms, and wear it for a troop or two.  The reason is that it's easy to guess incorrectly when you're just standing in your house. But after a few troops, you have a pretty good idea of where you want it to be.  Heck, on my first TK I never did get around to gluing the backs of the thighs, and the fact that the velcro gave a wee bit of give added to the comfort and durability.

[Grimez]

Shins are done, I have trimmed the thighs but i'm waiting until i get larger rare earth magnets to put the finishing strips on. It feels really sketchy putting the shins on since you have to bend the plastic so they go around your calves.

 

 

[Grimez]

Question on the thighs, do I put a finishing strip over both sides of the back or do i just glue it to one side like you do with the shins?

[gazmosis[501st]]

the thighs should be glued closed all the way around. Just like the front, the back should have a single seam where the two halves butt together with a cover strip. (rear cover strips should be in the ballpark of 25 MM or a little less in width. Don't guess with the thighs when sizing.  Have someone help you.

Prep the fronts and tape them heavily so they don't move. Put on the thigh and pull it up high. Then have your helper squeeze the halves together in the back until snug on your thigh. Then have your helper loosen it until it's comfortable. You will probably have quite a bit of overlap closer to your knee. Once the feel is how you like it, have your helper mark with a pencil down the center of the back of your thigh making sure this line is marked on both halves. It really doesn;t have to be a line, it can be a mark at the top and bottom. You can connect these marks with a straight edge when you remove the thigh.

This method will ensure that your thigh is constructed to follow the contour of your leg which is conical..not tubular. This will also go along way to the comfort and the streamlines look of your armor.

[Grimez]

Alright, since I got my new toys and am waiting on some rivets, I decided to dive head first (pun unintended) into my helmet build. All was well as the trimming and assembling progressed...

 

 

But everything changed when the screw nation attacked

 

This is where I am at the moment, these screws are giving me a headache. Given the fact that they were in the bag with the rest of my helmet materials, and that I have 6 (3 smalls for the ears and 2 large for the cap n back/faceplate section), that that is what was intended for the helmet to be built with. Now stop laughing, I know how a screw works, but the specifics of this are bothering me. The washes go on the inside, right? What do I do with all the excess screw that will be poking into my head when I wear the helmet otherwise? I considered just cutting it off but i'm not sure if I have the equipment for that, i'm sure there is an easier way i'm not considering. Help me trooper-wan kenobis, you're my only hope.

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

I believe in many of the build threads I have read, some cut them short, others leave them and put some type of rubber cap on the end.

Make sure if you are using the screws to hold your lens in as well , that you install the lens first then cut them down.

If you have a Dremel, that can be used to cut them down.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DizzyStormtrooper[501st]]

my face when i saw the thread title

[Grimez]

Set blasters to fun, we're on course for painting.