Vette11's AP Armor Build

[Vette11]

would someone cue the Star Wars theme music?   IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE...  the UPS guy must of thought I was nuts when he saw me bolt into the house and come out with a camera.  

[Vette11]

now that the build thread is posted, here comes the news.  I won't get a lot of time to work on this so my build time is very precious.  I will be taking photos as I go and uploading them when I can.  please be patient and as always your input, comments and critiques are always welcome.  I became soooo overwhelmed when I first opened the box and took inventory. it took me 2 days just to start on something....  progress has been made, details will follow when photos get published.  I hope you enjoy

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

 My first question:  when I removed the contents I noticed that the kidney plate and butt plates were one piece.   from my research I know that you want to get them as close together as you can for your finished build, do I have to separate them or can I leave them as one piece?

[TK bondservnt[501st]]

wow that trimmed suit sure looks good!

 

bolt the helmet together with the brow trim! quick!

 

you will need to separate the kidney from the rear if you're doing ANH or ESB versions of the armor.

most likely the legs and arms parts should still have the "overlap" plastic still on the parts,

Depending upon your measurements you will have to cut some of the overlapping portions off to properly do the butt join and

cover strip method of assembly.

[Vette11]

HI Vern,  is there a reason I need to bolt the helmet together and do the trim??  my plan was to tackle the bucket last b/c there is still a lot I need to get for it, electronics, aerators, new rubber trim, eye lenses  etc.... 

[Vette11]

I can't seem to get the text with the pics so I will tell you what I have done and then post the pics.  I started with the biceps and they were too big when I put them on. I ended up having to trim out the plastic on the sides to get a better fit.  I became concerned that I would not be able to use the 15mm cover strips but it has worked out.  from the pics you will see I also have inner strips to help give it stability.  the clamps will come off a little later today.

Edited May 17, 2015 by vette11

[Vette11]

 

[Vette11]

 Next up is the forearms.  the pics are of the first test fitting, the face was mounting frustration b/c they were just a tick too big, also the inside corner edges were not quite straight and were pointing down to the inside of the arm.  every time I tried to slide it on it would grab my base layer and pull up my sleeve.  I was very concerned that I was going to rip up the base layer shirt.  so I soaked them in a pot of boiling water to straighten them out and it seems to have worked. I did have to trim some of the side edges to get a better fit.  I now will have to make sure I get the strips set correctly so I can get my hands into them with the gloves on.  test fitting will be today and I will start gluing the inside strips, if I can get some time.

[kcman[501st]]

You can put the gloves on after the forearms. I found this out recently. I have a bit of big hand so my opening was huge.

[Vette11]

 

[Vette11]

 Lastly for today, while I had some time waiting for the glue to dry... I decided to paint the inside of the bucket flat black.  the pics are before and after.  I will contribute some helpful information here when the tape was removed I was very disheartened to see I had some overspray in some places.  first I tried to clean it with a baby wipe and it worked a little bit but not enough.  I decided to try some Maguire's Quick spray wax on a shop towel and well it worked beautifully fast and quick.  and the funny thing about it is that the bucket will now slide across the floor from one end of the house to the other....lmao

[Vette11]

 

[Vette11]

I'm back, just because I haven't been posting does not mean I haven't been working on my armor.  so far I have managed to finish the biceps and the forearms.  the forearms were very difficult, I had to trim the edges where the 2 halves get butt joined so that they would fit my forearms better. the end result of that was the cover strips did not want to lay flat or evenly.  I glued the inside strips with e6000 and let them dry for the required 24 hours.  once I brought both halves together I realized I was going to need some heat action to get a better fit with the strips.  I bought a heat gun (testing it on cut pieces of course) and had to be very careful not to melt my armor.  I was somewhat able to achieve a better fit and glued the outside strips with e6000.  however, the tension was so great that it literally pulled the forearm from the strips every time I put my hands in and pulled them out.  I finally had to go to a superglue gel that is sold in a hobby shop near my office so that the strips would stay together on the pieces of forearm. (the superglue took 15-30 seconds to set so I could adjust if I needed to) now they are solid and I have been putting them on testing the fit.  and yes I do realize that what I did is pretty much permanent so I better be happy with the end result b/c I don't think I can get the exterior strips off if I wanted to.  these will be various picture of the build process and the end result with me wearing the arms in my base layer.  as always please feel free to question, comment, critique. and thanks for your input.

[Vette11]

[Vette11]

 next up are the photos of everything put together and me wearing the arms

[Vette11]

 the gap on the left arm can be fixed by pulling up the tape.  the fit is really good as far as fitting around my arms and I am very pleased with them.

[Vette11]

 now I am moving onto the legs,  I really need everyone's input here so I hope you all will respond.  I tried on the lower leg pieces in the pics you will see that I started with taping them together at the butt join.  the end result was a poor fit on my right leg.  it kept trying to spin around every time I walked. I then pulled it in so that the back of the shin, join ridges overlapped each other and the fit was absolutely perfect.  my question is:  can I do that.  I know the shins stripped in the front and the back is open and closed with Velcro.  can I overlap the butt join, put the strip over one side so it looks like it is joined and have the Velcro on the other and just overlap it closed??  probably not but thought I would ask.  I have to continue my research on the legs at this point so more later.

[Vette11]

this is a picture taken from the front.  I took the photos in a mirror so everything is backwards....

Edited May 27, 2015 by vette11

[Vette11]

 this Is the picture to my question. in this photo it is the left leg (actually right leg b/c pic was taken in a mirror) that has the overlap.  can I do this???

[Vette11]

 this is as far as I can bend my knees.  I can do a slight jog but not run.  I haven't decided if I will cut any away yet to get more mobility.

[Vette11]

 that is all for now, I look forward to your input, hope you enjoy

[aliens8us]

There are quite afew vendors out there specifically for our armor. For your Detanator Clips, I went with Evilboy. As for your fans in your helmet, there are two wonderful vendors that you could go with; Echo and Evilboy. Both of their fans range between $45-60. For your aerators and lens, I went with Trooperbay (I also got my leather MP40 magazine pouches from Trooperbay as I have transitioned to Heavy Weapons Trooper). Your boots, I recommend going with TKBoots.

[Sly11[Admin]]

looking good so far.

Another option for your aerators is Sskunky (CFO) cast from original, his are painted and ready to install, plus they are cast off  the correct hovi mic tips.

[Vette11]

ok, even though I haven't been posting, I have been building,  I just don't seem to have the time to both build and post.  here is some of my latest work.