Cricket's RS Stunt Build (for the Vertically Challenged)

[Racermouse[TK]]

Thanks for checking in on me.    Halloween is huge at my house, and it takes up nearly all of my free time as we get closer to the big night!  Here is what last year looked like, and this year is turning out to be bigger.  Exhausting, but fun.  I'm looking forward to getting back to my TK after all the Halloween madness is over.  

WOW! That is INSANE!

So how big does it get this year?

[Troopacoola[TK]]

WOW! That is INSANE!

So how big does it get this year?

That is awesome work!

Thanks for checking in on me. Halloween is huge at my house, and it takes up nearly all of my free time as we get closer to the big night! Here is what last year looked like, and this year is turning out to be bigger. Exhausting, but fun. I'm looking forward to getting back to my TK after all the Halloween madness is over.

 

Marc

[zv288bot[TK]]

Thanks for checking in on me. Halloween is huge at my house, and it takes up nearly all of my free time as we get closer to the big night! Here is what last year looked like, and this year is turning out to be bigger. Exhausting, but fun. I'm looking forward to getting back to my TK after all the Halloween madness is over.

 

sent from my phone

[TKZombie[TK]]

I understand. I do a large Halloween set up as well. Here's my FB page for it...

 

https://www.facebook.com/Ravenwoodcemetery/?fref=ts

[Addertime[TK]]

I understand. I do a large Halloween set up as well. Here's my FB page for it...

 

https://www.facebook.com/Ravenwoodcemetery/?fref=ts

 

WOW!

[JAYJAYN]

Definitely the info I needed before cutting my kidney thx!

[Cricket[TK]]

Oh, hey y'all.    I'm getting things ready to take to a little armor party tomorrow, and I feel so overwhelmed!  There is so much still to work on, and I want to get as much done as possible at the party.  I know I can't get it all done there; I'm having a really tough time deciding on exactly what to focus on.  

 

My biggest challenge is trying to figure out if things are fitting correctly.  I've been waiting to trim the thigh tops until I get some additional opinions on where they should sit exactly.  

 

And strapping.  It'll be good to have some hands-on assistance with getting everything in place.

 

Oh, and rivets.  Why do those things scare me?!     I'll be getting help with those as well.  

 

I'll be working furiously today to finalize stuff that I can do on my own, like sanding, trimming, shaping, etc.  Need to make the most of tomorrow!  It would be great to get my TK finished before Thanksgiving, but I'm doubtful right now.  Hm.

 

Since my plan is to build this kit to an eventual TD, I realized that I need to buy another set of boots (I've got an ATA TK on order that should be here sometime in December).  In case anyone's interested, the shop over at Imperial Boots is open today through November 19. Glad I got my order in!     
 

[Cricket[TK]]

Even though I get busy with other life stuff, I’m always thinking about my TK.  During the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to come up with an elegant solution for the magnetic shin closure question.  The issue is about how to make the closure strong enough to stay locked.  So far we (the hive mind that is the FISD, that is) have come up with:

• Stainless steel strip- has magnetic properties, but not the strongest, resists rust
  
• Steel strip- very strong, but has the potential to rust over time
  

After thinking about these two options, I thought that there might be an even better, stronger way to lock the magnets.  After seeing Jim's ab/kidney closure, and also pinching my fingers between magnets for the gazillionth time, I realized that the strongest way to lock the shins would be by using another magnet to secure the closure. But how?

 

I thought about using a strip of magnetic sheet, but there was nothing I could find that equaled the strength of another n50 magnet.  So I decided to make the n50 magnets work for me.  Keeping the magnets in place was going to be my biggest hurdle.  After much thought, I decided to make ‘buttons’ to hold my magnets in place.

 

I traced one of my 12mm magnets onto a piece of spare ABS.  I cut the hole out and cut the piece so that I could use the hole as a template to push the magnet through.  (Be aware that heat from a heat gun will weaken the magnet significantly, so be prepared to use a sacrificial n50 magnet for this.)  I taped the magnet to the back of the ABS, and then heated the plastic.  Once the plastic was hot and pliable enough, I pushed the template down over the magnet.  This resulted in nice little buttons that will hold the magnets in place and still can be glued securely to my inner calf strip.  

 

 

 

The buttons aren’t perfect, but they’ll do because they’re not visible at all.  I glued the n50 magnets inside the buttons, and then glued the rest to the inner calf.

 

 

 

 So far, this magnet-to-magnet closure is resulting in an amazingly strong lock for my shins.  The glue is drying on this right now, but I’ll post updates on how this holds together soon.  

 

(Magic) Magnetic Shin Closures in Action (video!)

Edited February 22, 2017 by Cricket

[Addertime[TK]]

Welcome back!

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Grata idea! I may upgrade my shin closures in the near future with this! I just love magnets. I think I may make a wood template to do the "ABS button holder" so I don't use up a magnet.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cricket[TK]]

So after some brief testing, the magnetic closures seem to work really nicely to keep the shins closed up.  Very happy with how they turned out so far.   I even had someone try one on while wearing jeans.  I made him move around a bit in it to see how it would perform, and I didn't see any signs that the shin wanted to open up.  I'll need to troop in 'em before I feel completely comfortable giving these the thumbs up, but it's promising so far.  They stay closed on me while going up and down stairs, so... yay!

 

I finally tackled my replacement kidney and butt pieces this past week.  I created a new return edge on the kidney (at the bottom only!  I've learned from my mistakes...) and shaped both pieces in hot water baths.  I had to use a heat gun to flatten out the creases in the return edges after shaping the pieces in hot water.  (I finally have my heat gun techniques down!  Woo!)  I haven't done much trimming on the sides of the kidney and butt at all.  

 

Last night I was able to get all the brackets assembled on the back/kidney/butt pieces and try it all on together.  Just about everyone kept assuming that I was a Legacy.  Just because I'm a woman in white does not make me Legacy, thank you.  

 

My first thought after seeing the pic below was, "Um, does this armor make my butt look big?"

 

And the answer is, "That's no moon..."  

 

The back plate has been resized to fit me, but the kidney and butt plates need some trimming in a major way.  I also have to trim more at the shoulders where the back and chest pieces meet.  I will tend to that this week for sure.



The front seems good, though, so that's a start.  I still need to trim my thigh tops more than I expected to.  This was the first time I had tried on so much of my armor at once.  In the past, it's always been an arm section here, a shin there.  It's kind of cool to see how it's all beginning to come together, but I'm also seeing that I still have (what feels like) a long way to go.

Here's what's left:

• Thighs trimmed and fitted.  Cover strips to complete.
• Sniper knee and ammo boxes added to shins.
• Trim kidney and butt plates to size.
• Complete inside strapping at kidney, shoulders, and cod
• Install snaps on ab and cod
• Install snaps/elastics on shoulders
• Install shoulder bridges (want to reinforce these before installation, see here)
• Create garter for thighs
• Paint bracket screws white
• Assemble belt/drop boxes
• Rivet holster to belt
• Attach button plates on ab

I think that's it?   If anyone sees something glaring that I need to address in my pics, please let me know!

I'm not including the work I still need to do on the lid.  The hurdle on assembling it is a very low one for me because I've already completed my ATA bucket.  When I finish my armor, I'll get to the helmet, and I know it'll be a quick assembly.  So I'm not counting the lid for now.

 

Huge thanks to David, Leigh, Melissa, Sarah, Brent, and others at the armor party for helping move my progress along. 

Edited February 10, 2017 by Cricket

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

So after some brief testing, the magnetic closures seem to work really nicely to keep the shins closed up. Very happy with how they turned out so far. I even had someone try one on while wearing jeans. I made him move around a bit in it to see how it would perform, and I didn't see any signs that the shin wanted to open up. I'll need to troop in 'em before I feel completely comfortable giving these the thumbs up, but it's promising so far. They stay closed on me while going up and down stairs, so... yay!

 

I finally tackled my replacement kidney and butt pieces this past week. I created a new return edge on the kidney (at the bottom only! I've learned from my mistakes...) and shaped both pieces in hot water baths. I had to use a heat gun to flatten out the creases in the return edges after shaping the pieces in hot water. (I finally have my heat gun techniques down! Woo!) I haven't done much trimming on the sides of the kidney and butt at all.

 

Last night I was able to get all the brackets assembled on the back/kidney/butt pieces and try it all on together. Just about everyone kept assuming that I was a Legacy. Just because I'm a woman in white does not make me Legacy, thank you.

 

My first thought after seeing the pic below was, "Um, does this armor make my butt look big?"

 

 

And the answer is, "That's no moon..."

 

The back plate has been resized to fit me, but the kidney and butt plates need some trimming in a major way. I also have to trim more at the shoulders where the back and chest pieces meet. I will tend to that this week for sure.

 

 

The front seems good, though, so that's a start. I still need to trim my thigh tops more than I expected to. This was the first time I had tried on so much of my armor at once. In the past, it's always been an arm section here, a shin there. It's kind of cool to see how it's all beginning to come together, but I'm also seeing that I still have (what feels like) a long way to go.

 

Here's what's left:

• Thighs trimmed and fitted. Cover strips to complete.
• Sniper knee and ammo boxes added to shins.
• Trim kidney and butt plates to size.
• Complete inside strapping at kidney, shoulders, and cod
• Install snaps on ab and cod
• Install snaps/elastics on shoulders
• Install shoulder bridges (want to reinforce these before installation, see here)
• Create garter for thighs
• Paint bracket screws white
• Assemble belt/drop boxes
• Rivet holster to belt
• Attach button plates on ab

I think that's it? If anyone sees something glaring that I need to address in my pics, please let me know!

 

I'm not including the work I still need to do on the lid. The hurdle on assembling it is a very low one for me because I've already completed my ATA bucket. When I finish my armor, I'll get to the helmet, and I know it'll be a quick assembly. So I'm not counting the lid for now.

 

Huge thanks to David, Leigh, Melissa, Sarah, Brent, and others at the armor party for helping move my progress along.

Everything is looking good! This is the point where everything just starts falling into place. You'll be trooping before you know it and just in time for the R1 premier!

 

I suggest using Chicago screws with a bit of thread lock on the holster to belt attachment. Rivets tend to leave a little pokey bit even when done right. They are approvable up to centurion plus if you ever want to switch out for a different/better holster you can more easily.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[Addertime[TK]]

 

 

My first thought after seeing the pic below was, "Um, does this armor make my butt look big?"

 

 

And the answer is, "That's no moon..."  

 

The back plate has been resized to fit me, but the kidney and butt plates need some trimming in a major way.  I also have to trim more at the shoulders where the back and chest pieces meet.  I will tend to that this week for sure.

 

 

Well... there is only one correct answer when a woman asks that question. Right?

 

And while it does look a bit like you have a load in your diaper, we all kind of look like that in white plastic. Believe me. My little chicken butt floats around in there! When my crotch snap is loose, my backside looks a lot like your pic.

The front of your kit looks awesome so I'm sure you'll have a handle on it soon but know that you're getting very close. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2016 by Addertime

[zv288bot[TK]]

I seriously would have spit my drink across the room had I had one with the "load in the diaper" comment. That was hilarious!

 

sent from my phone

[Cricket[TK]]

WOW! That is INSANE!

So how big does it get this year?

Sorry I missed this comment!  Thanks!  My Halloween display was larger this year because I inherited most of my late sister's Halloween decorations (she passed away in June).  She did a really big display in her yard each year.  It was a great way to remember her.  She would have loved it.

 

And somehow I also missed that you earned your Centurion!  Great job- congrats!  

 

 

[Cricket[TK]]

And while it does look a bit like you have a load in your diaper, we all kind of look like that in white plastic. 

 

Hahahahaaaa!!!!  Good to know.  

 

The front of your kit looks awesome so I'm sure you'll have a handle on it soon but know that you're getting very close. 

 

 

I think I'm getting close, too.  I realized today that I need to remove a bit from the sides of the ab as well as the kidney to get it all to fit correctly.  It seems that once I clear the hurdle of these two pieces fitting together, the rest will be all downhill from there.

 

Today was spent reducing the sizes of the returns on the kidney, ab, butt, and back plates (they were all about 1.5cm wide).  I removed all the brackets and have glued some ABS strips to reinforce the bracket areas for strength.  I wish that e6000 didn't take so flippin' long to cure!!!  Tomorrow I'll be putting the brackets back on and getting a better idea of how everything is fitting together.  The thick returns that I had before were putting the armor all out of whack when it was assembled.  

 

 

[Kacrut[501st]]

any updates on the awesome build...

[Cricket[TK]]

any updates on the awesome build...

Yep!  Progress is being made, just slower than I'd like.  Lots of activities with my kids have been keeping me busy lately.   But still, I have pro-gress!  

 

I've been doing some little things here and there that no one but me will notice.  Like adding reinforcing strips (30mm) to the ab and kidney where the strapping/rivets will go.  Reinforcing these areas now will prevent repairs in the future.

 

And I got around to reinforcing my shoulder straps before installing them.  Check it!

 

I used the pieces of stainless steel strip that were not going into my magnetic shins as reinforcement.  I just cut it to fit.  Then I cut a piece from a super flexy piece of styrene to cover it to make a strip sandwich with e6000 as a condiment to keep it together.  

 

I clamped everything together for a day, and voila...

 

 

When you shine a light through them, you can see the strip doing its thing.

 

 

These shoulder straps are now super strong and flexible.  I don't think these will crack anytime soon.

 

And I have been working hard on fine-tuning the ab-to-kidney fitting.  It's almost there!  Here's my kit on my DTD.

 

 

I wasn't happy with how the left side of the back plate was fitting.  See how it sticks out here?

 

 

I've since given it a hot water bath to reshape it, and now it's good to go.  

 

I worked on getting over the learning curve of how to assemble snaps yesterday.  Didn't take pics of that because I felt like it was such a fail for the most part.  I only sacrificed 5 snaps until I finally understood what I needed to do.  Which isn't bad because I have a bag of 100 of 'em.  

 

Oh, and I need to share this.  This is the thing that I have used the most to size my kit down.  

 

 

It's a quick-and-dirty jig for heat bending new returns on the kidney and ab.  My most valuable tool!  If you are sizing down your kit, you must build one of these if you want to get fairly clean returns while using a heat gun. You can see how I used it on my replacement kidney below.  

 

 

I was about half way into the kidney reduction in this pic.  Remember to do your heat shaping first before trimming because the edges can get a little warpy sometimes. I used a cut off portion of a wooden stir stick (for paint) in order to smooth the returns after bending.  

 

I'm now off to work on strapping and my belt today if the kids will let me get to it.    Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday.  

Edited November 22, 2016 by Cricket

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

Looks great. You'll surely be done by the R1 premiere at this rate!

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[Cricket[TK]]

Looks great. You'll surely be done by the R1 premiere at this rate!

 

Hope so, Jim!  

 

In doing some research today in the FISD about kidney/ab rivet placement, I stumbled across this great post from gazmosis.  It's specific to the ab/kidney rivet placement on RS armor.   I'm finding it to be incredibly helpful as a guide, especially that I've modified my kidney/ab so much.  I think I've got the correct places marked on my kidney/ab.  Does this look right to y'all?  Comparison screen used armor on the right.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2016 by Cricket

[MoSc0ut[TK]]

It looks right to me. In fact I think this is the same guide I used. Instead of nylon webbing I used a piece of rubber matting that is used to line the bottom of tool boxes. That way it will last much longer and without stretching. It was a pain in the butt to set the split rivets, because the material is much thicker, but in the long run it will be worth it.

 

 

Jim - TK50899

[Kacrut[501st]]

Superb built.

[zv288bot[TK]]

Hope so, Jim!

 

In doing some research today in the FISD about kidney/ab rivet placement, I stumbled across this great post from gazmosis. It's specific to the ab/kidney rivet placement on RS armor. I'm finding it to be incredibly helpful as a guide, especially that I've modified my kidney/ab so much. I think I've got the correct places marked on my kidney/ab. Does this look right to y'all? Comparison screen used armor on the right.

 

 

I wonder if you are gonna need to raise the kidney plate up so the 22mm notch lines up with the ab section as shown in the second picture?

 

sent from my phone

[Cricket[TK]]

Nope, thank goodness! I confirmed this over in Diana's Centurion submission thread. All that matters is that the tops of the kidney/ab line up, and that the rivets are evenly set. The bottom will be covered by the belt, so it won't make a difference that the notch isn't lined up with the ab.

[Cricket[TK]]

That moment when you realize that your kit won't be done in time for the Christmas Parade... or Rogue One.