Marx's AP build

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Friends, Troopers, Countrymen, lend me your ears.....and eyes and wisdom!

 

After a decade of patience and fandom, I too have begun my journey to join the ranks of the TK's. I was able to score a resell off this forum from a gentleman who wished to devote his time to other helmeted personages (looking at you Boba and Jango.) I was all to eager to relieve him of his white armor and wound up scoring more extras than I had bargained. He had already trimmed much of the pieces and acquired even those to prepare a TD (knee plate can be see next to the ab and bicep in the top left of the layout.)

 

 

"Hey Marx, what's in the bottles?" 

 

Why, that's my homebrewed "American" IPA! Quite tasty, if I do say so myself and perfect for consumption whilst fending off the intimidation of armor building!

 

As you can see, the biceps and forearms are already put together and upon a test, fit quite well.

 

 

"But Marx, where is the fun in having it already put together for you?" 

 

A worthy query, but fear not, for I still have the majority of it to trim, sand, and assemble, as well as an Anovos on the way? ( I wish someone would post an "Is the Anovos set any good?" thread up, cause i'm not sure it's been asked enough.)

 

See what I mean?

 

 

Along with the AP armor above, the several brown boxes included an extra chest plate and shins, rubber gloves, rubber hand plates, canvas belt, and CaBoots, which, although they will not pass for approval, will be fine getting dirty and scuffed up when shenaniging.

 

"But Marx, where is the helmet?" 

 

Alas, the seller finished the helmet and sold it off. I'll be ordering one from AP in a few weeks.

 

So begins the great trek. I have an aker amp with iCOMM, neck seal, and holster. Body suit is on its way and the E11 is still being sourced, though mine eyes hath been averted to the rubber THG Props model. Centurion is the goal.

 

Times up, let's do this!

 

 

[Snaps[TK]]

Congrats on getting your kit! I have AP and love it. Take your time, measure multiple times. All those pieces can be intimidating but once you start, you'll find your having more fun than you thought it would be.

Hope you go for E6000 glue.

 

Looking forward to seeing your progress

 

[kcman[501st]]

I too am in the middle of an AP Sandy build. Many challenges and alot of fun. As mentioned, e6000 and take your time

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Thank you for the suggestions and encouragement. Definitely going with e6000 and have a nice big box of it on the way. Taking the plunge to actually start cutting was intimidating, especially when deciding on where to start. Many thanks to Templar 726 for his hands on review and suggestions on the armor.

 

As I had extra shins, I decided to start with those and see where it got me.

 

 

 

 

Not sure with what happened to the bottom of that last one; i followed the lines, but my have had it pulled apart too far with stress from the back being taped. The picture looks worse than it is and the other one is fine.

 

 

Fresh from the victory of the shins, I moved on to the thighs.

 

 

 

And the signature AP right thigh conundrum. 

 

 

After taping the pieces together I test fitted the left thigh and shin. It feels great actually trying something on and getting the ball rolling. Only concern thus far is the top of the thighs are not too tight, but could be opened a bit with some extra cuts in the back. It seems like the bottom is too open at the knee.

 

Lessons learned:

 

1. My cutting abilities with scissors of any sort has not improved since kindergarten... Thankfully all cuts will be redressed with an xacto knife and later covered by the outer strips. 

2. It's a lot easier than I was thinking it would be to trim the pieces. That being said, I haven't started in on the extra chest piece yet as I await better tools to make better and more accurate cuts with.

3. This is fun as hell.

 

Feedback and suggestions are always welcome.

[Sly11[Admin]]

Love seeing all these AP builds going on at the moment. Keep up the good work on yours.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Snaps[TK]]

Fun is one of the main reasons to do it

[Templar726[TK]]

Marx,

Nice work. The hardest cuts are the first but looks like you are well on your way. You have a good set of AP and the extra pieces are really nice to have. I am going to enjoy watching this kit turn into a new GA. TK and then of course Heavy Weapons Trooper???

[Starrfox1]

IS THAT A LOST WORLD T-REX TOY?!?!?!

 

My inner child is so jealous if it is.  

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

IS THAT A LOST WORLD T-REX TOY?!?!?!

 

My inner child is so jealous if it is.  

 

Yep! Got another one around here somewhere that has the detachable 'wound' piece!

 

Little to update on as of yet; Bonarooo took a weekend of building. I've been trying to reach AP so as to order a helmet, but have yet to get a reply after two weeks. Has anyone heard from him recently?

[Starrfox1]

Yep! Got another one around here somewhere that has the detachable 'wound' piece!

 

Little to update on as of yet; Bonarooo took a weekend of building. I've been trying to reach AP so as to order a helmet, but have yet to get a reply after two weeks. Has anyone heard from him recently?

 

SO jealous! I remember playing with that thing in the bathtub as a little kid, probably the most durable toy I ever owned.

 

As for AP, I got a response from Mark about my tracking number last week on Thursday, so he's still there. I think he may have been busy preparing the most current kits for shipping (myself and another oregonian got kits from him) so I would imagine he'll get back to you asap

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Thanks for the heads up James, i'll keep waiting and see if I get a reply soon.

 

Attended the Star Wars night at the Braves game last friday and had an absolute blast! Only drawback was not being able to suit up with them, but progress is being made. Also learned of an armor party this weekend and my goal is to have, at the very least, everything trimmed. Question for you guys:

 

1. Should I go ahead and apply the coverstrips to my thighs and shins (front) as well as an attempt at shims to take? This would allow me to focus on fitting at the armor party, which raises the question of: do i get some zap glue to make the process quicker since i'll be with more experienced hands?

 

2. Should I wait for the armor party to do coverstrips/fitting, with the same question on the zap?

 

I am just nervous at trying my hand at it, if I can just wait till the weekend to get it done correctly; know what I mean?

 

That being said, I've been spending a few hours to trim the chest, butt, kidney, and cod piece today.

 

 

Main focus was cutting out the new chest piece 

 

 

 

I left a bit on the top to help reinforce the shoulder bridges as seen in the above pic.

 

The finished product

 

 

I also picked up a tote and some screws for the TD

 

 

 

I thought the above screws were what was called for on the TK supply list thread on the Getting Started portion, but may have been mistaken as there doesn't seem to be room for a nut to screw onto them to secure it inside the TD. Some guidance here would be much appreciated.

 

Eagerly awaiting the new crest for Atlanta United FC, but will continue afterwards with cutting out the back, TD caps and plate, sniper plate, and belt.

[Tusken RTT]

I went with nuts and bolts for the TD, but if you used the screws you always add a touch of glue.  I would not advise the zap, get out the E6000 and get to gluing!  No downside, if you mess anything up just rip the strips off and your good to go again! 

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Forgot about the TD glue, thanks Tusken. 

 

Currently working on the inside thigh coverstrips/trimming the front of the thighs to allow for the correct size strip. Hoping that I can at least get the inside ones done by the weekend and wishing I had another pair of eyes and hands for the backside of the thighs. 

 

No pics with this update.

[Zarlon[TK]]

I would also suggest you stay away from the Zap. I only used it on my gloves because I wanted the hand plates to dry quickly. Everything else was strictly E6000 and in fact, I used three tubes of the stuff to complete my build.

[Darth Havoc[TK]]

I have the same tote and fit everything in it. I also lined it with egg crate

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Thank you all for your suggestions. The zap was only to be used at the armor party so that I could make the most of the time with veterans, but I'll be following everyones advice. 

 

Glad to hear everything fits when assembled, Jamie; I'm still trying to get ahold of AP for my bucket. Thankfully, my work has a whole closet full of leftover foam from pelican cases, so I'll have more than I know what to do with. Hadn't thought of lining the tote.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Just make sure when you use zap that you are 150% positive that the piece you are gluing is exactly how you want it because it's very hard to go back. One suggestion is to use it only on one side. For example, I used inner strips for strength when butt joining. I only used zap on one side and attached the other piece using E6000. That way If I need to go back I could but also didn't need to use all my magnets, clamps for 24 hours of waiting. 

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Also a good tip, Jason.

 

I think i'm going to go with just the E-6000 and shoot to get as many tips on the trimming/fit left on the legs and assistance with the belt at the party. Wouldn't be quite as necessary if I had an extra 3 or 4 hands.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

What you should do BEFORE the party is the torso and ab/kidney done and assembled however method you decide. Then at the party you can have help sizing the thighs and calves. Pickup some extra clamps and magnets so you can get as much done possible during the party. I tried several times to get help from my local garrison but no one has had the time

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

That's the goal; unfortunately, the previous owner of the set cut the kidney a bit slimmer than I need, but also didn't leave much extra ABS for shims. I have some in the mail, but they won't arrive till after the party. 

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Well, the armor party was a huge success. Many thanks to the members of the Georgia Garrison, Outlander Squad for their expertise and hospitality. I received great pointers and gained much confidence in working with the armor after the nearly 7 hours of work. I was able to fix the TD caps and front panel, put cover strips inside a thigh and calf, and completed my belt but for the holster. Goal now is to have the thighs and calves done by another armor party on Sunday, TD painted and assembled, and the back cut out (cause I forgot about that one.) I may also try my hand at cutting shims for the kidney, but am well on my way to armor completion. Still no word on the bucket, but i'll just have to begin expanding my search.

 

Picture time. Critiques are always welcome.

 

Still needs the caps, but otherwise it's done for the plastic pieces.

 

 

 

Original goal was to allow the boxes to remain open and usable, following MechaPumpkin's design, but I gave up that ambition to get a piece completed.

 

 

Inside calf; cut a bit too much out of the center line, but will be hidden by the outside strip.

 

 

 

Not sure how I did so poorly on the thighs and calves but a near perfect inner coverstrip. (Scrap pieces used for inners to begin giving it shape; the outers will be full length.)

 

I'll hopefully be adding more this week!

 

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Two update posts this go around. Yesterday, I continued to sand, trim, and being connecting the other thigh via inner strip. I began by building a cutting station (suggestion of MechaPumpkin and Somatophalyx). 

 

 

This contributed greatly to a much better left thigh coming together. Much better than my previous cuts.....I again make no excuse for my severe lack of above 3 year old cutting skills. Being practically blind may play a role though. Alas, the evidence of the better cut

 

 

And the inside

 

 

That concludes this post of updates.

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

The second update is of tonight's work: many thanks to Templar726 for all of his help and guidance. We knocked out a lot this evening by finishing the trim on the back plate, began the other calf, set snaps, fit snaps into shoulder bells and biceps, and began to set the shoulder bridge canvas strips and snaps. 

 

First though, I forgot to post a picture of my secondary, backup pair of handguards. Since I had both the plastic and rubber guards, I went ahead and affixed elastic to the plastic guards that easily fit over my gloves. 

 

 

As previously stated, we also set snaps into the shoulder bells and began work on the shoulder bridge canvas snaps/fitting: 

 

 

I also tried my hand at bending the ABS shoulder bridge pieces by placing them first into a freshly brewed pot of water (regular coffee maker). I thought that it would be quickest and provide the most reliable level of consistent heat. The first piece turned out great and was curved well. The second, however, did not turn out quite as well. After the success from the first, I moved up to a pot on the stove, believing that I'd have more room and hot water to apply directly to the entire piece. I did not stay as consistently hot, but I still managed to get a good curve in it. After heating each piece individually, I formed them around a growler on its side. This gave me a rough model of the curve needed.

 

 

The original goal was to have the entire top, chest and back with arms, completed. The snaps are set and ready, chest and back piece screaming to be joined, but work was halted to allow me to further research the shoulder bridges (and Mexican food.) I set the chest piece against me and Templar taped the back to a good fit, but we could not get a good angle for the bridges without knowing the proper number of ridges to remain on each side. A quick glance at the CRL image has 4 small and one big on each side, but even 3 small and 1 big extends down towards a valley in the AP chest plate. I will have pictures up ASAP to describe what I mean, but will be looking into this issue tomorrow to hopefully get the top completed this weekend.

 

Another armor party awaits on Sunday and hopefully I can get some pointers on completing the ab/cod fits from local Centurions. My to do list primarily works from the waist down:

 

Shim kidney and apply proper hardware (snaps, rivets, etc.)

Apply snaps to torso pieces and snaps to butt/cod piece

Shim thighs; apply front outer strips and both strips to back

Outer strip on front and back of calf, plus velcro

 

The good news is that I have some great mentors willing to assist, an E-11 and bucket on the way, and already have my boots, neck seal, and speaker system. 

 

Until next time

[Sly11[Admin]]

Keep up the good work, it's coming together nicely .

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Thanks Sly!

 

It's getting closer, which is making it maddening not being able to work while at work!

 

Also, some photos to back up the shoulder bridge conundrum:

 

 

 

 

I still need to work on the curvature of the bridges, but more importantly find the correct placement on the chest. 

 

Aim to pick up 'for sale' signs and some pump clamps to begin shim work tonight.