First Build! ESB with AM 2.0

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Such a great day today - BBB Day! My new AM 2.0 kit with their new 4.0 helmet (one piece cap and back) arrived today. I've collected all (I think) of the other materials except for boots (going to get TK Boots), white canvas belt (ordering TKittell belt in a few minutes), and TD Clips.

 

Can't wait to get started, but will also try to move slowly and ask plenty of questions. I've been researching on here for a very long time, but once the plastic arrived, I feel like I need to make extra sure before doing some things!

I'd like to go centurion with this kit, so please keep that in mind when giving advice, which I hope to get plenty of from you all! I've already noticed that I'll have to add about 1.5" shims on the sides between the abs piece and kidney, I'm up for it. Looks like I may have to shorten the thigh pieces, too, but we'll save that for last to be safe.

I think I will start with trimming off the return edges on the forearm pieces and work on finding where I need to trim the biceps and forearm pieces to fit me.

 

 

Woohoo!

Edited January 5, 2017 by BuckeyeTrooper

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Here's just about everything that was in the box

 

USB powered dual fan setup from one of the armor building groups on facebook 

 

8oz ESB holster from Darman on here

 

Chemical gloves from TrooperBay

 

Neck Seal from Darman

 

Hyperfirm blaster ("naked" version without counter or power cylinders)

Added the D-Ring from TrooperBay

 

A few days ago while waiting on my BBB, I put together a Velleman kit to use in my bucket as hearing assist. It was my first time soldering a PCB, pretty happy with how it turned out.

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Got a little work done last night on the forearms. Trimmed the return edge off the hand side and took a little off the elbow side as well. Then overlapped them on my arms, marked them, score and snap & tape. Then glued inner strips on one of them using E6000. Waiting for the glue to dry is brutal! 

 

 

While waiting for the glue to dry today on the one forearm, I cut out the teeth! Dremel to start from the backside and then used needle files from a cheap Walmart set. Seems to have worked pretty well. 

Edited January 5, 2017 by BuckeyeTrooper

[tkrestonva[TK]]

Off to an excellent start.

[bdgr[501st]]

Hi Jacob.  Looks great so far.  Keep it up.

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Busy day today between working my normal job then announcing a basketball game at night an hour away...but I was excited to get home and unclamp and pull the magnets off my forearm. Fits pretty well, too! One piece down. 

 

Also got the rest of my arm cover strips cut. I think I'm going to need to give my bicep pieces the hot water bath to make them more rounded before fitting and trimming down. May work on that and the helmet tomorrow. Definitely going to glue in the inner strips to my other forearm. 

[Skypig]

I'm interested to see the new helmet design.  I have the old three piece one.  Nice work on the build so far.  

[m3tal_man84]

Nice work so far!

 

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[magni[TK]]

Looking good so far! Love the beveled coverstrips. Great attention to detail.

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

I'm interested to see the new helmet design.  I have the old three piece one.  Nice work on the build so far.  

 

Here's a closer look at the helmet. Only thing I've done so far is cut out the teeth and mark lines for painting. 

The ears come pre-trimmed. According to some who have put these together, they will only need fine-tuned if anything.

[Skypig]

Thanks for the pics.  I may need to upgrade my bucket.

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

OK, biceps pieces blueing (inside strips on one and outers cover strips on the other). Late tonight, I can unclamp and finish with the outer cover strip before bed. I also got ESB decals from TrooperBay and my white canvas belt arrived from TKittell. Also, I forgot to mention that I got a thigh-garter system from pencap here on FISD. Can't say enough about how nice they both are.

 

Just got done trimming the fronts of my thighs and taping them so I can fit them and mark them. Looks like I'll likely have to remove about an inch from the top of both, but I will wait until everything else is done.

 

 

Its also warm enough that I can plastidip with inside of my helmet. I'll do that either tonight or Thursday night, then I can start to assemble the helmet. 

 

I also may have to redo one of the forearm cover strips as one side of it started to lift a bit from the main pieces.

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying this process so far, more than I expected. Barely started on this one and I'm already kind of thinking about which armor is next!

[sharkbait[TK]]

Nice job on the teeth- very clean. If the hot water bath isn't enough to round out the forearms (it wasn't for me), then you can c-clamp it and use a heat gun (very carefully). Keep up the good work!

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Worked on my helmet on and off over the weekend, got it pretty much done (I think). Placed the fans inside. Still waiting for my USB bank to arrive and need to install the hearing assist. Going to order the Mic tips with speakers system next month. Have to admit, the smile on my face got bigger and bigger the closer it got to being completed.

 

Also made a helmet stand with wood pieces from Michael's. Cost about $7 for the base, dowel rod, wooden ball and screws. Had to buy a 5/8" bit to bore a hole in the base for the dowel rod. Then screwed the dowel in from the bottom and glued the ball on top. Going to paint black and put a whit imperial cog on top of the base.

 

So...

 

Forearms - done

Biceps - done

Helmet - I think done, for the most part

Thighs - trimmed to fit, need coverstrips cut and glued on front and back (and eventually trimmed at top for height)

Shins - Trimmed for cover strip on front, but waiting for my TK boots to arrive for the sizing (UPS says Thursday)

TD Clips & Screws - arriving early this week from ukswrath

 

Then it'll be time to work on the chest, back, abs, and kidney (which will need some shim work on sides). Will work on my belt once the ab armor is ready to go so the snaps line up. 

 

Then strapping - I've made a few snap plates....I HATE pounding snaps together, so that'll be fun. Tempted to get the screen accurate brackets & loops from Mr No Stripes to avoid some snaps but worried about possible cracking

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

OK...finally got the inner strips glued into the front and back of my right thigh. Didn't mess with the return edge, because I'm going to as have to trim some off the top because I'll never be able to walk at all as is.

 

Also got my TD Clips and screws from ukswrath (fantastic, btw!) today and installed them into the TD tube and then glued on the control panel with E6000. I'll let that dry overnight. 

 

taped off the screws and painted them black

 

Also got to paint my homemade helmet stand black. When I get a chance, I'll run over the shop and  cut the white vinyl imperial cog decal to go on the top of the base. I have some extra adhesive rubber feet laying around from another project, so I'll use four of those on the base as well. Pretty happy with how it turned out. I know it's a super easy build, but I've never really done anything with wood before.

 

Edited January 19, 2017 by BuckeyeTrooper

[mgb1016[501st]]

Dude, you are rocking this build!!!!    Looks amazing!

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

TK Boots came in today. They are really nice boots, not only for a TK suit, but just in general (if one ever needed white disco boots). They also came with some tips for care, a long and a short shoe horn, a big sticker, a big patch, and a cloth bag for storing each boot. For the price, I'm not sure these things are beatable! Don't let the photo's tint fool you, they are bright white.

 

Didn't get much time to work on the armor today, but I unclamped the TD and added the end caps. Just need to touch-up the black paint on the screws and I think I can call that done.

 

 

Also unclamped the inside strips on the one thigh I started. Then glued and clamped the outside cover strips (I cut all the cover strips for the legs last night).

The edges of the cover strips are clean, that's just excess glue in the picture. I've learned to be a bit more liberal with the E6000 than I originally was. Helps make the bond better but is super easy to clean the excess after it cures. I always sand the area of the armor and cover strip before applying glue. Then lay down a thick bead in the middle of the to-be-glued area. Before I put the two pieces together, I use a tongue depressor to spread the glue a bit and then wait a few minutes to let the E6000 "Tack-up" a bit. Seems to be working pretty well.

 

Plan for tomorrow night - Glue & Clamp inner strips into the other thigh. 

Edited January 20, 2017 by BuckeyeTrooper

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Finally got my imperial cog cut and put on my helmet stand base today! Really happy with how it turned out. 

[RynoHawk[501st]]

Looking nice!<br><br>

Go Cubs (saw the Indians cap)!

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Just to be sure. I'm using the belt on the right, correct? The one without the indents for the button covers.

 

 

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[eminge]

I'm starting my AM build as well.  I notice the helmet came with a LOT of screws and nuts.  Any input on how to use them all?  Did you screw the helmet pieces together at the brow and then cover with the black trim?  I can see a dozen different ways to build this, maybe most will workout fine?  Thanks - Erik

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

I'm starting my AM build as well. I notice the helmet came with a LOT of screws and nuts. Any input on how to use them all? Did you screw the helmet pieces together at the brow and then cover with the black trim? I can see a dozen different ways to build this, maybe most will workout fine? Thanks - Erik

There are others who have explained it better but don't fasten the brow together at all. I used two rivets to attach at the ears and one on each cheek just above the tube. The ear covers them cover those rivets when attached. I only used the six longer, flat head screws - one above and below the ear bumps and one at the bottom of the ear piece where t attaches to the bottom of the tube on each side.

 

Here's an example of the rivet placement I found in a building group on Facebook. This is he same helmet. Some people use the other screws for temporary hold until they have it all fitting together the way they want. Then they replace with the rivets

 

 

 

 

 

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[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Got the inner and outer strips glued into one shin. Will hopefully get the back strip glued tomorrow. Going to use the Velcro method, at least to start.

 

Also got the supports for my side shims glued into the kidney piece and cut shims. I'll have to cut them down once I test fit the whole abdomen. I've also done some trimming down of return edges and sanding some of the corners to be a bit smoother and more round so they don't stab me when I wear it.

 

Put together some more snap plates, too.

 

Hoping to make some real progress this weekend!

 

 

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[tkrestonva[TK]]

Great job so far with the build.

[BuckeyeTrooper[TK]]

Think I could fit a few more on there?

 

 

 

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