TK 22686[TK] Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Posted May 18, 2016 (edited) Edited May 18, 2016 by E_Palpatine Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Posted May 18, 2016 The last thing I managed to get done was gluing the button plates to the Ab section. The smaller of the button plates went on without a problem. I had to redo the larger plate because it slid down when I put the tape over it (didn't realize it moved) and to me looked really bad. I pried it off, cleaned it up, and re-glued it. I know it didn't move, so it should be good...but will be taking the magnets off tonight, so I'll update pictures then. Probably get my paint done on that as well. Button Plate Mistake Button Plate Mistake Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted June 1, 2016 Author Report Posted June 1, 2016 Been a week or two since my last update. I finally decided to stop kicking my feet together when it comes to the thighs and shins and to just get them done. I trimmed down the front joints to the obligatory 20mm for the cover strips. Got them to fit together the best I could. I've only done the fronts so far, as I've heard that you need to have the front's glued together to get an accurate fitting on the back sides of these pieces. I don't think I'll have to add material to the thighs, but am afraid I'll have to add about 1/2" shims on both of my shins, but when I get them finished, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. I will need help and guidance if that is the case. I'll start with the thighs. I failed miserable the first two times trying to glue the whole cover strip at one time. I found that I had to do half one night, then add the other half the following night, for both of the cover strips. Left Shin (Complete) Right Thigh (1st Half) Right Thigh (Complete) The Shins have proven a little bit easier. I have been able to do these in one shot on the front cover strip...I have a feeling I'll take the advice I have seen and pick up a "Garage Sale" sign and make some inner cover strips to add a little extra stability with the pieces. I have the left one glued and when I take off the clamps/magnets tonight, I'll be gluing the other. Left Shin (Front) Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted June 1, 2016 Author Report Posted June 1, 2016 Next up, I received my latex handguards from Joseph here on the FS Commisary page. They look and feel great...and I decided to color match them with my Anovos armor using a custom spray paint some that some of us went in together for on Facebook. It's a direct match for the ABS color and has a glossy sheen after it dries as well. The photos may not reflect it as much with the lighting, but in person, the difference is more noticeable. Handguards (Before) Handguards (After) Spray Paint Used Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted June 1, 2016 Author Report Posted June 1, 2016 The last bit I've gotten done was some more hot water bath things. I opened up the right shoulder bell more, it fits around the bicep without scraping against the sides of it. I also opened up the right forearm more so it's more circular instead of oval. I tried opening up the backplate straps as best I could, and I think it should help close that gap, but we'll see. Set-up Right Shoulder Bell Right Strap (Before) Right Strap (After) Left Strap (Before) Left Strap (After) That's all for now. I'll get the backs of the thighs and hopefully the back of the shins completed this week. In the mean time, I'll probably start assembling my Snap Plates. I picked up some 1" Velcro rolls over the weekend for about $4 (amounted to about 10' of Nylon. I'll do double snaps for the main body sections, and single snaps when it comes to the arms and such. The end is drawing near, but still so much work to do. Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted June 6, 2016 Author Report Posted June 6, 2016 In my excitement of getting caught up in my build...I realized I had posted this thread in the wrong part of the forums....would a Moderator be so kind as to move it to the subforum, if that is at all possible. Sorry! Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted June 9, 2016 Author Report Posted June 9, 2016 (edited) Nothing major has really been completed since the last update...but I have some things here and there.... Here are the completed fronts of the thighs and the left leg. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I'll get the sniper plate on such a narrow area at the top of the shin...but I'm not worried about that quite yet. Left Thigh Right Thigh Left Shin Earlier this week, I had my ANH E-11 Centurion come in from HFx. I still wish the magazine was a little bit longer, and that the ejection port had more silver on it. I don't know of any, on a firearm like that...that has that much black on it. I'm happy knowing that I'll be able to take it on troops and not worry about who's carrying it or if it will get dropped. Then, I spent an afternoon making snap plates with the snaps I bought from the Seckstore (100 snaps was around $20). My only issue with the snaps, is that the posts seem a little on the long side...so if you're using them with something like a single layer of Nylon, you'll have to trim it down a little bit with a dremel, which I did...or just double up the nylon so it has more filler inbetween the two halves. With leather or folded over elastic, there should be no problem. I took a board and measured out how far apart I wanted my snaps and drilled 2 holes about the size of the snap post. Then all I had to do was put down the 2" x 1" piece of nylon, heat up the nail, and poke it through into the holes and the Viola! Board Method Candle with a hot nail The Technique End Result I was able to get most of the snaps straight. It feels really good when you get it just perfect, but none of them came out bad enough that I would have drill it out and try again. The next thing I managed to do was get my bicep straps glued into my shoulder bells. This was a pretty straightforward process. I just cut out the velcro pads from the Anovos supplied elastic and singed the ends to prevent any fraying...then I just glued them in so that they fit right against the bicep without the elastic stretching. Next, I ordered my Aker MR1505 amp from Amazon.com through a company called Amazing Helpers. They had the 1505 listed for $24.99. What savings!! I couldn't pass it up. I did the Prime trial and got it on Monday. Turns out they sent me the MR1506 that had an inventory tag reading MR1505 on it. I returned and ordered another thinking it was a small mistake on their part. I received the next one today, and it was the SAME THING!!! I called Amazon and they gave me a $15 credit on my next order. The MR1506 Someone Messed Up Last of all, I am happy to report that my iComm has arrived. I was really surprised at how small and light it is. Came with the PTT cable, 3.5mm patch cable, and the unit. I got a nice card from TX-6294. Am excited to try it out when I get around to getting the proper Aker amp, and my wireless headset comes in, in a week or so. Box Contents iComm I don't have much left on my checklist of things to do. I have to: -Glue the backs of the thighs -Glue the backs of the shins -Make and glue on bicep hooks -Clean up all of the glued pieces -Remove excess E6000 -Round off edges and countour lines -Install visible snaps on Ab/Cod/Butt plates -Add shims to Ab/Kidney Plate connection -Install all internal strapping -Adjust strapping to proper fit -Order my Kittle belt and convert my Anovos belt over -Apply for approval (Basic, then EIB, then Centurion) Edited June 9, 2016 by E_Palpatine Quote
=Sv3=[TK] Posted June 9, 2016 Report Posted June 9, 2016 Nothing major has really been completed since the last update...but I have some things here and there.... Here are the completed fronts of the thighs and the left leg. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how I'll get the sniper plate on such a narrow area at the top of the shin...but I'm not worried about that quite yet. Left Thigh Right Thigh Left Shin Earlier this week, I had my ANH E-11 Centurion come in from HFx. I still wish the magazine was a little bit longer, and that the ejection port had more silver on it. I don't know of any, on a firearm like that...that has that much black on it. I'm happy knowing that I'll be able to take it on troops and not worry about who's carrying it or if it will get dropped. Then, I spent an afternoon making snap plates with the snaps I bought from the Seckstore (100 snaps was around $20). My only issue with the snaps, is that the posts seem a little on the long side...so if you're using them with something like a single layer of Nylon, you'll have to trim it down a little bit with a dremel, which I did...or just double up the nylon so it has more filler inbetween the two halves. With leather or folded over elastic, there should be no problem. I took a board and measured out how far apart I wanted my snaps and drilled 2 holes about the size of the snap post. Then all I had to do was put down the 2" x 1" piece of nylon, heat up the nail, and poke it through into the holes and the Viola! Board Method Candle with a hot nail The Technique End Result I was able to get most of the snaps straight. It feels really good when you get it just perfect, but none of them came out bad enough that I would have drill it out and try again. The next thing I managed to do was get my bicep straps glued into my shoulder bells. This was a pretty straightforward process. I just cut out the velcro pads from the Anovos supplied elastic and singed the ends to prevent any fraying...then I just glued them in so that they fit right against the bicep without the elastic stretching. Next, I ordered my Aker MR1505 amp from Amazon.com through a company called Amazing Helpers. They had the 1505 listed for $24.99. What savings!! I couldn't pass it up. I did the Prime trial and got it on Monday. Turns out they sent me the MR1506 that had an inventory tag reading MR1505 on it. I returned and ordered another thinking it was a small mistake on their part. I received the next one today, and it was the SAME THING!!! I called Amazon and they gave me a $15 credit on my next order. The MR1506 Someone Messed Up Last of all, I am happy to report that my iComm has arrived. I was really surprised at how small and light it is. Came with the PTT cable, 3.5mm patch cable, and the unit. I got a nice card from TX-6294. Am excited to try it out when I get around to getting the proper Aker amp, and my wireless headset comes in, in a week or so. Box Contents iComm I don't have much left on my checklist of things to do. I have to: -Glue the backs of the thighs -Glue the backs of the shins -Make and glue on bicep hooks -Clean up all of the glued pieces -Remove excess E6000 -Round off edges and countour lines -Install visible snaps on Ab/Cod/Butt plates -Add shims to Ab/Kidney Plate connection -Install all internal strapping -Adjust strapping to proper fit -Order my Kittle belt and convert my Anovos belt over -Apply for approval (Basic, then EIB, then Centurion) Woah man, your to-do list is almost word for word the same as mine I need to update my build thread but I'd rather use that time to, you know, actually build the thing!!! Keep up the good work, you seem to be on the right track Quote
TK 22686[TK] Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Posted August 1, 2016 After a bit of a hiatus....really it was the shins scaring me away from working on the armor...I've gotten quite a bit done lately. I have the thighs completely done, with the exception of strapping. I'm planning on making a nylon belt that sits just below the belly button that the thighs straps will loop around to stay in place. I'll take good pics of them tonight and update this part tomorrow. I also decided to shim the Kidney Plate. I need about 2 1/4" shims on either side, but could get away with as little as 2". I bought a No Parking sign from Home Depot, as the garage sale signs had a metal backing on them. This was about 2mm thick plastic and should serve well as a support for the shims. My shims came from the underside (I believe) of the chest plate cut out. It's a good thing that I kept those large pieces of plastic intact, instead of hacking into them just to get them off. There was a curve in them, so naturally, I had to hot water bath the pieces to get it as flat as I could. It's not perfect, but I believe i succeeded in getting a piece that will work well for shims. Mock Up - Right Mock Up - Left 4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (before) 4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (before) 4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (After) 4" x 6 7/8" Shim Piece (After) Shim Support (Left) Shim Support (Right) Individual Shim Pieces I'm tempted to take the shim pieces above and try to hot water bath them one more time, clamping them in between 2 cutting boards while they're in the water to try and really flatten them out. But I'm thinking that this should be alright. If anyone things I should give it a shot, I'm willing to do it once more. I'm not sure what to do for the backs of my Shins. I have the fronts glued together and the cover strips glued on the back; however, they come to more of a V in the back and I want a nice closure on them. Do I need to try and hot water bath them? I really don't want to have to do that. Kman said heat them up and then tape them, rinse them under cold water....and they should be good. I heard another say I should use Bra Hooks and elastic, and that should take care of any issues. Any ideas? (The left side is just about the same).... Right Shin (rear) Sorry for the lack of, and bad, pictures. I'll have to take a bunch later today/tomorrow and get some nice quality ones up here. Quote
ERB1973 Posted October 24, 2016 Report Posted October 24, 2016 What did you end up doing to the back of the shins? Mine "V'd" too, and I haven't tried anything yet to get them to curve to match up better. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.