Pyrates AP Build and Journey to The 501st

[Brattie[TK]]

What's the "hot Tub" trick?

 

~ picturing Troopers floating around in a hot tub... Laugh ~

[Pyrates[TK]]

I used boiling water to make my forearms more comfortable for me by shaping out the portions of the armor that were digging into my arms.

[Brattie[TK]]

That sounds kind of scary.. how difficult is this to accomplish?

[Pyrates[TK]]

Really quite easy - for the forearms I allowed each piece a 10-12 second dip in the boiling water (making sure plastic did not touch the bottom of the pot) when I pulled the piece I began to form out problem spots with my hands (I recommend gloves to be safe as I have callused hands that are semi-heat resistant lol)

[Pyrates[TK]]

For the shoulder bridges it was about a 5 second dip

[Pyrates[TK]]

Repeat the process until the desired form is achieved - and if you're nervous about the process then you can practice on scrap

[Pyrates[TK]]

Right then an update! First shin guard velcroed, thighs drying, tear decals on, upper cap trapezoids of helmet getting painted, forearms drying (again lol), elastics going onto shoulder bells, and a partridge and a pear tree - lots more to do this weekend and wee man is going to the Grandparents for the weekend!

[Pyrates[TK]]

Time to kick-off this weekend with some groovy funk my fellow troopers in training - now get down with your bad selves

 

http://youtu.be/fRr2kf84V2M

 

I've always pictured a TK behind the turntables when I hear this song

(Pyrates busting the moves)

[TK 2759[501st]]

Right then an update! First shin guard velcroed, thighs drying, tear decals on, upper cap trapezoids of helmet getting painted, forearms drying (again lol), elastics going onto shoulder bells, and a partridge and a pear tree - lots more to do this weekend and wee man is going to the Grandparents for the weekend!

I always thought it was... And a beer.. In a tree... Two turtle necks, three comic books, four pounds of back bacon, five golden toques... Not sure about the rest though...

[Pyrates[TK]]

I always thought it was... And a beer.. In a tree... Two turtle necks, three comic books, four pounds of back bacon, five golden toques... Not sure about the rest though...

Kudos to you Dan - you always get me busting a gut

[Pyrates[TK]]

So after some good old TK humor yesterday I have decided on a few changes.

 

1. I have a balaclava so I won't be using the screen from TB.

 

2. I'm going to try no Plastidip - my original intention was to help dowse the extra light and to better conceal me but after a quick test run on my heed I fill up the bucket quite nicely. None the less I am going to eat my words and follow my Captain's direction. Cheers Danimal!

[Pyrates[TK]]

One more timbit (lol) of information I wanted to share is TK Voice.

"Themaninthesuitcase" has developed an app that I was very thankful to have the privilege trying on beta (oober thanks Chris).

This is super beneficial to all who are tight on finances and or remedy the potential last minute failure of standard Aker/ iComm system before or during a troop.

 

Big recognition to Chris and his personal dedication, commitment, and investment to making the magic happen.

 

Absolutely brilliant idea!

 

Check it out:

TKVoice for IOS : Development Annoucement

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/index.php?/topic/32270-TKVoice-for-IOS-%3A-Development-Annoucement

[Pyrates[TK]]

Right (taking a deep breath): ....................painting.

 

So this is my attempt at painting the brow traps so I can get the brow trim on and fasten the helmet.

 

I need honest thoughts on whether I continue painting or give Mark an email for another set of decals:

 

Yes I did get the stencils from TB but found they didn't fit correctly - however they will still aid me in drawing the interior lines.

 

I painted in my grey first painting just over the penciled line for the black area. Then using a .......#1 brush I painted in my black border. Once dried, I taped off my shaky brush strokes and gently used a toothpick to try and clean up my horrendous lines.

 

 

 

I found that the toothpick was doing nothing to help me - I went into my TK surgery tools and pulled out my dental picks from Princess Auto. Using enough pressure to itch a fleas back I gently and slowly got the paint off and then used a Q-tip with a tiny amount of paint thinner to clean it up. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, to thin out my black border I taped off what I wanted kept and painted the excess off with more grey. I let the paint sit for about 30 seconds and removed the tape.

 

 

and here we are:

 

 

Thanks for your opinions in advance, again painting is not one of my strong suits so I trust in you my friends. Decals or keep going? 

[TD42115[501st]]

Keep going man, coming along strong. 

[Pyrates[TK]]

Keep going man, coming along strong. 

Cheers Chris - many thanks

[Pyrates[TK]]

2nd one done:

 

[TK 2759[501st]]

Hand painting looking awesome! Glad to hear about the plastidip and screen lol good move IMO... See how it goes, then add later, if you decide to.

[Pyrates[TK]]

Hand painting looking awesome! Glad to hear about the plastidip and screen lol good move IMO... See how it goes, then add later, if you decide to.

I really liked the idea of more ventilation.

 

Which brings up another good point about your helmet - airflow inside the bucket.

 

Being an HVAC guy lol I believe the reason your bucket is more comfortable is due to your hard hat liner inside allowing for air to circulate more freely rather than being blocked by bulky pads. So I now have a hard hat liner as well - Dan did you anchor yours with Velcro or how did you go about it eh?

Edited March 6, 2016 by Pyrates

[Haso[TK]]

Pyrates I applied plastidip to my hardhat liner and velcroed it along the top and down the sides. Still had a bobble head effect but found some padding between the liner and helmet seems to lock it in place. That was a mock up and I'm just going to put a couple of thick foam blocks sandwiched between bucket and liner to hold it steady. Will see how it goes....

 

Sent from my HUAWEI G510-0251 using Tapatalk

[Pyrates[TK]]

Pyrates I applied plastidip to my hardhat liner and velcroed it along the top and down the sides. Still had a bobble head effect but found some padding between the liner and helmet seems to lock it in place. That was a mock up and I'm just going to put a couple of thick foam blocks sandwiched between bucket and liner to hold it steady. Will see how it goes....

 

Sent from my HUAWEI G510-0251 using Tapatalk

That's awesome news! - I did purchase some bicycle helmet padding with air pockets which might come in handy - I really enjoy the experiments just wish they didn't take so long to process Edited March 6, 2016 by Pyrates

[Haso[TK]]

...I'll post some pics in my thread of what I'm trying to achieve with the inside of my bucket. Just trying to not make it look like a bike helmet and more industrial/military with a combo of hard hat liner and a couple of pads to hold it steady. All black.

 

Sent from my HUAWEI G510-0251 using Tapatalk

[Pyrates[TK]]

...I'll post some pics in my thread of what I'm trying to achieve with the inside of my bucket. Just trying to not make it look like a bike helmet and more industrial/military with a combo of hard hat liner and a couple of pads to hold it steady. All black.

 

Sent from my HUAWEI G510-0251 using Tapatalk

Can't wait!

[Pyrates[TK]]

Hey watch what happens when I say..."Heat gun":

 

http://youtu.be/i5ktzF0s19Y

 

Relax - just making hooks for the biceps and getting some exposure with it and abs

[Pyrates[TK]]

Bicep hooks - 22mm wide bent using the heat gun - now glued and clamped

 

 

[Pyrates[TK]]

Completed inner velcro attachment for other shin using a 3/8" abs strip glued to a 1-1/4" abs strip, both sanded with a 120 grit sandpaper so the glue has lots to adhere to. After 24 hours of cure time I put on the velcro with more e-6000 and again allowed to cure for another 24 hours.

 

 

 

Dry fit...