Marx's AP build

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Thighs turned out nice! Oh, man! You can read my thread about my experience with ears. I went through 3 sets before finally being satisfied. 

[ukswrath[Staff]]

Nice work  Russell 

[Kredal[TK]]

Helmet halves sliding around?  Tape them!  Blue tape on the inside and outside will keep it steady a lot better than magnets will.  But you have to tape both inside and out so they're fighting against each other.

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Thanks Tony and Jason and good call Josh. 

 

I didn't get around to any work yesterday, but managed to get a lot of things going this evening. It started with the delivery of my HWT oil pan base from Bavarian Autosports (9qt). That'll be for Phase III of the build, Revenge of the Upgrades, after Phase II's tweaks and polishing.

 

The oil pan:

 

 

I also began work on the sniper plate, first by aligning it to its best possible position without glue:

 

 

And then deciding to glue one side. I started off with E6000 then added some CA glue to the mix when I got a good clamp on the center to hold everything in place. I'll review the hold tomorrow evening and hopefully complete the other side.

 

 

I also lined it up to not bend outward so much as in the 'aligning' picture, despite having seen a few in a similar position on a few threads.

 

With the hopes of getting to attach the bucket halves together, I worked for at least a couple of hours on the teeth. I tried various tools at my disposal and finally got a combination of them to produce some positive results. Between the xacto knife and whatever the spinny tool thing with cutting teeth that came with my lexan scissors is, I got a good start on it. Thoughts and suggestions here are most welcome.

 

 

Also put on the outer cover strip to the completed thigh:

 

 

I'll have to do some yoga poses to get the other thigh measured properly or await extra hands over the weekend.

 

Lastly, I did some more bending on the shoulder bridges; they straightened out a bit over the past few weeks and so I reboiled them and am leaving them bound with tape overnight.

 

 

Still lots to do, but it's looking better and better. I see a TK Saturday on my horizon!

Edited August 13, 2015 by MarxKnight91

[ukswrath[Staff]]

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Spent the majority of the day tackling the bucket and am pretty happy, at least with the progress. My ears have the ever popular gap and whereas I know there is going to be some, I feel like more can be done to get mine to fit closer to flush. I fitted them by marking and affixing the top two first and then finding the best placement for the bottom screw. It may be just a matter of playing with the tension on each to get it to fit better, as it was right about on the money when I drilled the bottom hole. I may also need to simply lower the ears all together, but before I go further, I seek the wisdom of the masses.

 

 

As you can see, the gaps are rather pronounced in this shot. And obligatory 'try it on' shot...

 

 

Rear view

 

 

Left Profile

 

 

Left Rear

 

 

Left Front

 

 

Right Profile

 

 

Right Rear

 

 

As you could see from the first couple of pictures, I already put in the mic tips and also decided to test fit the S-trim strip.

 

 

I can trim them here or there or move them down to fit the tube coming up, but I decided to take a break to check with others online here as well as for feedback.

 

In other news, my sniper plate has dried and looks alright, as long as the 'lean' is ok. It's on with E6000 so I can try again if necessary.

 

 

At the very least, it'll need some reinforcement to make sure it doesn't come loose. 

 

Hoping to paint tomorrow. A few final cuts on the thigh, their snaps and attachments, the ab buttons painted and applied will round out the main suit. Awaiting rivets from Echo to attach the battery pack.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

Gap looks perfectly normal. You'll pull your hair out trying to get a 100% flush fit. I finally said good enough on mine. I have a gap pretty much identical

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Thanks, Jason. I'm a bit worried they may not even bit salvageable if that gap can't be resolved. 

 

Also, what did you do with the decals with yours? I understand the obvious ones, but there's a set of the long black thin lines... Not sure if that's supposed to be the border for the ear buttons or what.

[Airborne Trooper[501st]]

The pinstripes are for the ears. I used decals on my tube stripes but found out I put them on incorrectly so I ended up painting them on.

[Kredal[TK]]

You should take off the S-trim until the ears are in place and finalized.  Then fit the S-trim over the bottom part of the ears... after trimming down any pokey bits.

 

For the sniper plate, if possible, I would keep the inside edge glued, and re-do the outside edge, pressing it further back on your leg.

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

The pinstripes are for the ears. I used decals on my tube stripes but found out I put them on incorrectly so I ended up painting them on.

 

Just to double check, these are the stripes i'm referring to and guessing that they provide the border on the ear

 

 

I imagine, how to apply them correctly is in one of his videos that I haven't seen yet, but i'm leaning towards painting the border at the moment.

 

You should take off the S-trim until the ears are in place and finalized.  Then fit the S-trim over the bottom part of the ears... after trimming down any pokey bits.

 

For the sniper plate, if possible, I would keep the inside edge glued, and re-do the outside edge, pressing it further back on your leg.

 

Yeah, I just wanted to try it on and see how it went together/looked.

 

Here is a side view of the sniper plate

 

 

(Excuse the mess of a work station; I was in an all out trimming and snapping mode to get the thighs finished and strapped on.)

 

Josh, are you suggesting that I move the side over to that next ridge? I believe that was my original goal, but it contributed greatly to the lean and getting it to stay there while gluing with the E6 was a nightmare.

 

I finally had the thighs finished and strapped to the kit.

 

 

Few things to work on: I believe i've got too much tension on the bicep strap which is pulling them down and causing the shoulder canvas to pull out from underneath the bridge; I've also got a gap between the back and kidney that will need some tuning; going to have to find a good way to keep the boot tops from popping out from underneath the calves. (The thighs are about even when standing normally; it's overlapping due to the stance.)

 

Took the picture with a timer, so that's the best i've got today.  

Edited August 16, 2015 by MarxKnight91

[Kredal[TK]]

Sniper knee looks great from the side. Just a lot of daylight under the front. Probably not a big deal. (:

 

Yes, the black stripes are meant for around the ear. But since you have to paint them grey anyway... May as well paint the black too. I don't care for the decal look anyway. (:

 

What are the black straps sticking out at your elbows?

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

Sniper knee looks great from the side. Just a lot of daylight under the front. Probably not a big deal. (:

 

Yes, the black stripes are meant for around the ear. But since you have to paint them grey anyway... May as well paint the black too. I don't care for the decal look anyway. (:

 

What are the black straps sticking out at your elbows?

 

I'll probably end up gluing the front down to the front of the knee, if it doesn't warp it too much.

 

Thought so. I don't mind the decals for everywhere else! Hopefully I can get them on soonish, once I get more feedback on the ears. If they're ok, then I'll begin finalizing the bucket build with the lens and decals/paint.

 

Those straps are for my super secret squirrel armor disassemble latches! Nah, just keep forgetting to the finish off the bicep straps. Speaking of which, I think I can just close the diameter of the biceps a bit to fix the bicep and shoulder strap issues. 

 

Thanks for the feedback Kredal!

[MarxKnight91[TK]]

It's been a while since I updated, mainly because I lost my main mode of interacting with the site; house got robbed back in August and so I've lost my best way to upload to photobucket. Thankfully none of the TK was taken or damage and I was able to complete it by DragonCon! I wore it out for a visual inspection from the garrison and so I could go in costume to the 'Last Party on Alderaan;' if you were there and saw a TK back up dancing, that was me. <br><br>

CO of the garrison was thoroughly impressed with the build, which highlights the knowledge of this site and all those willing to help and share it. The kit survived the evening.....mostly: sniper plate popped off, butt kept popping free, and undersuit stained almost every part of the armor. I've got some minor touch up work to do on the buttons and some modifications to the helmet, but the two main sticking points going forward are the stains and the gap between my back and kidney. Undersuit is made by tesla.<br><br>

On the stains: I've used mineral spirits, bleach pen, and even a magic eraser. Nothing has sufficiently removed it. Any suggestions here?<br><br>

On the back gap: I know I can realign the shoulder straps, but then I risk losing contact with the shoulder bridge and back via the 1/4 elastic. I've got some extra strap canvas on the way, with the hopes of finding a nice medium to close that gap.<br><br>

Hoping to submit my app this week and finally get that TK number.