EASY’s AM ARMOR ANH STUNT BUILD

**ukswrath[Staff]** · February 4, 2019

DIY brackets, love it. A little fine tuning and you're there.

Regarding the armor, if it fits you good with all that clothing on wait until you're wearing just an under suit

**Easy[TK]** · February 18, 2019

This section is the front armour…chest and ab plates and shoulder straps. Once these are ready and assembled I’ll be fitting them and the back section to me with the undersuit on.

Here are the untrimmed shoulder straps.

I marked and trimmed one. You can see the difference even before sanding it smooth.

Both are done and sanded on the sides. The front edge will be trimmed to about 1/2 the width of the sides. Notice on th AM straps there’s a subtle difference on the front end from most other kits. The longer tapered rise is shorter and less tapered, and the rear hasn’t got this at all. In some cases, depending on the size of the trooper…smaller troopers, that end is trimmed off for a neater look. I don’t think I’ll be trimming them but the fitting session will determine that.

Front edges trimmed and they’re ready to be glued on.

To make a better surface area for gluing the straps on I cut a couple scraps of ABS to fit into the end divet.

There’s plenty of return edge on the chest plate. I’ve marked it for trimming to leave a little for the thicker look. I fit the plate to my chest and there’s a substantial gap on the sides so I’m trimming the entire return edge where the shoulder straps will be glued on. This will allow me to heat and straighten them up and that will close the gap for a really nice fit.

This side is trimmed but not sanded yet. You can see the return edge is trimmed flat on one shoulder and the neck edge is still on.

Here it is with both sides trimmed and the neck edge removed completely. Some sanding will help finish it nicely. Also notice how deep the neck cutout is. It may come very close to actually touching the shoulder tabs of the back plate. Fitting time will tell if some trimming will be needed.

After lining up on the ab plate I marked the area where the strap brackets will go. I made three reinforcement pieces and glued them in place.

Once the glue is well set up I drilled the holes and mounted the brackets. The E6000 will cure with everything set in place.

Next I cut the elastic straps and attached the chest to the ab. I used E6000 to glue the straps into loops and clamped them together to set.

Here are the shoulder straps glued to the chest plate. AM ARMOR has a very long section on the chest and back armour so there’s lots of material for trimming. For this process I’m not trimming off any length. I applied glue to the straps along the edges and across the ribs then clamped them on. This gives the straps lots of surface area for a stronger bond that will hold up under the harshest trooping conditions.

The edges that protrude will be trimmed or sanded smooth.

Well clamped and setting up.

Edited March 18, 2019 by Easy

**Easy[TK]** · February 25, 2019

I’m making the snap plates that will attach the white elastic straps to the shoulders. I made a total of six plates for the snap anchors. I stacked and drilled all of them so alignment is exactly the same on all of them. These are the male halves installed in the plates.

I’ve seen lots of posts about E6000 and metal causing ABS pimples/warts. To avoid this I cut extra shins and drilled them to fit around the snap base. This way the glue will only contact ABS to adhere them to the chestcan back plates. Once again I used my step drill bit like I did with the magnetic shin latches.

A little E6000 to glue the snap plates together and clamp them to set.

The other two plates are for the elastic straps. I cut a length equal the the length of the ABS straps…shown here…then cut longer ones because I need to fold them over the plates. I’m gluing them into the straps with E6000.

This is the longer strap with the plate glued on.

After applying E6000 to the other side, I folded it over and clamped it to set.

After drying I drilled through where the holes are and installed the female snaps. Both lined up perfectly because I predrilled all the plates at one time while stacked.

Time to put the straps on the chest plate.

To line them up I found where I’d like to mount them and then clamped the strap on. I marked the lower edge and removed the clamps.

This is where the base will sit. I measured and marked the right side as well.

I glued and clamped the bases to the plate.

Edited March 27, 2019 by Easy

**Easy[TK]** · March 2, 2019

I’ve see quite a few methods for latching the right side AB to kidney plates. Nylon straps, elastic straps, special brackets and hooks and so on. I’m trying something new…at least to me because I haven’t seen it yet. I’m using the same system as I did on the shin latches, magnets. I’m going to build and install these in the HOPE that they’ll work as planned, plan A…there is a plan B that is similar but without magnets.

Here is the thre parts that will be attached to the kidney plate. I made an ABS strap with a hole to fit the magnet in and a cover plate to glue the magnet into.

The magnet is thicker than the ABS strap so it sticks out a bit. This is perfect because it will sit in the saddle piece that will be glued into the AB plate.

Some E6000 and clamps to assemble it, and two more to go.

All set, ready for some light sanding to smooth it out. I don’t want it snagging the undersuit.

I used two ABS plates for the saddles.

Here you can see how the saddle is taller than the magnet. The strap magnet will sit in the saddle effectively locking it in place while you wear it, same as the shins.

Here is the three straps with the saddles glued and predrilled.

I used the step drill bit to drill out the saddles. They will be sanded smoothe and the strap side of the ends will be tapered to make it easier to feed the straps into them. The straps are smoothed out a bit already.

Here are the ends sanded at angles that should make latching nice and smooth.

Im only gluing a section at the end. This will allow them to bend up and act as a spring to seat them. The magnets will provide holding power.

I painted the area that spans the ab/kidney joint. I don’t want white strips showing through.

The paint is nice and dry by morning, SATURDAY!! So I marked the kidney plate where I want them to go and glued them in. There’s no real set measurement as to where I set them, I just tried to space them evenly. I used magnets to secure them while the glue set. Actually the only thing I can say that might be considered a set measurement is how far they protrude into the ab plate. I set them all roughly in line with the Han snap.

The inside view. Remember, only the end section of the latch gets glue.

This is a pretty simple setup. The latches are glued on the inside of the kidney plate and they make the ab plate fall right in place. All I had to do was line up the top edge and clamp it. A couple magnets help hold the latches in place too.

I put a little E6000 on each of the basses and installed them by lifting the latch and putting them on the base magnets, which are on the latch magnets (as they will be when latched). A couple extra magnets help squeeze down on the base while it dries. Once they set I’ll open it up and permanently glue the magnets into the bases.

Here they are. The saddles all glued and magnets glued in. They work really nicely on the mannequin so I’m looking forward to how they work on me. There’s still potential for slight modifications to make them better for mobility if I find I need it.

Ok…these worked great on the mannequin but just wouldn’t hold when I put the kit on. So, back to the drawing board.

I’m thinking bigger is better. I still have the large magnets that I used to clamp the pieces during glue drying time. I have a 6” space to work with so I’m using three large magnetic latches (6 magnets in all). This pic is the idea but I had to change the layout a bit.

Here is what I engineered to do the job. The four pieces from left to right are 1) the kidney platform 2) the kidney mag-latch 3) the kidney magnets cover and 4) the ab mag-latch.

The kidney half will slide over the ab half and the magnets will align and hold them together. The magnets are all flush with the surfaces so they may slide a bit but should realign easily. The hole at the top is to fit on the Han snap. No snap will be on the latch though. It’s more of an alignment and guide dowel really. It might even provide a bit of anchoring.

Here’s how it goes together.

With all the pieces assembled as they will sit on the armour…measured and marked the location from the Han snap…I glued all the kidney parts on. The ab half is on only there to ensure proper alignment.

The kidney half is complete. Neat and tidy.

I glued the ab piece in, the magnets went in a little after and the assembly set for several hours.

Once it was all pretty well set I hung it on the mannequin. An absolutely perfect seam and plenty of pulling power. I can hardly wait to see how well it works on me. Hoping I won’t be disappointed.

Note: the magnets seen are only there to provide clamping while the E6000 dries more.

Slight change of plans…you’ll find that happens more than you expect…as it turns out I’m still a bit bigger than I want to be. During the test fit it almost stayed closed all the way but the magnets slid (as I designed them to) and it opened up so the magnets were visible. This was with the ammo belt off…Weight Watchers is working so it’s just a matter of time.

So here it is. I added a small elastic and snap and I drilled the hole large enough to fit it through. It works amazingly. The top stayed tight and with the ammo belt on it doesn’t even move.

Here it is closed. The snap is very easy to pull in and attach.

A good view fo the slight stretch to snap it closed.

This is a vid showing how it draws itself together to latch. Sweet.

qsEwPTi.mp4

Edited April 16, 2019 by Easy

**Easy[TK]** · March 4, 2019

In this section I’ll be putting the snaps and rivets in the AB plate.

The famous Han snap. 20mm x 20mm.

Left side river locations marked at 10mm in then 20mm, 52mm and 53mm from the top down.

I’m making some support strips to strengthen the area where the left side rivets go. Two of the four strips are marked, 140mm x 20mm.

Two equal strips sanded smooth.

I set one strip trip in place, evenly spaced at either end past the holes, and marked it for drilling.

I stacked the four strips, two shown here, and drilled them all together. I’m cutting the elastic strapping long enough to reach across the two strips that will be glued to the plates.

Using my soldering iron I made holes in the elastic straps for the rivets. The strap holes are slightly closer together than the holes in the armour will be. This will keep a slight stretch on them and keep the plates together better.

Using the rivets I set the strip in place with E6000 and clamped it to cure.

Here is one of the other drilled strips with spacers. It’s a cover strip. These will be glued on so that the elastic strap will fit in between them where the marks are. The spacers are made from some of the trimmed off ABS and are about the same thickness as ther straps.

You can see here how the straps fit in. These will sandwich the straps and add even more strength. This is a known weak area prone to cracking or breaking from the stresses of normal use, trooping. I designed this to carry the load without stressing the armour. Once the glue is cured on all the pieces I’ll set the straps in, glue the cover strip on, hammer the rivets in and clamp it to cure.

The cover strip is glued and setting with the elastic straps set in the slots. I’ll let it set 24 hours.

Next day, got some help from my son Steve to hold it in place while I hammered the rivets.

This is why I set the strap holes closer together than the drilled holes in the armour. The strap will need to be pulled to reach the rivets on the kidney side. When the kidney plate is joined to this it will have some tension to keep the halves pulled together.

You can see from this angle the straps are sandwiched between the the support strip and cover strip. The rivet will carry the load with all the stress deep in and away from the outside armour.

Now for the same on the kidney plate. The support strip is set in and the kidney plate is drilled for the rivets.

Kidney support strip and cover strip glued around the straps and setting over night.

A better view of the strap sandwich. I think it will be easier to fix it to the the kidney plate after the glue sets up. The rivets are in backwards here (male stems facing outward). The female caps are on the other side to hold them in place while it dries. These will serve as guide pins when gluing to the kidney plate.

I’m going to try to push them out with new rivets and set the caps on to hold them while the glue dries. Since this is a new process I’m going to fit the halves together with no glue to see how I can clamp it to setup and dry. I may have to hammer the rivets in (backwards as they are now) to do the clamping. I can’t wait for tomorrow.

The hinge looks good. It holds perfectly together.

Nice and tight gap. It moves I both directions and is self centering.

YwYJSvx.mp4

After some serious going over I decided to leave the rivets backwards. You can’t tell by looking so it’s all good. Some powerful magnets and E6000 to bond it to the kidney plate and wait for a few hours

Here it is, my very first clamshell. I hammered the rivets using a 4x4 wood block, about a foot long, on its end. A bit tricky but doable.

This closeup shows a neat and tidy hinge with the clamshell open.

Closed it’s exactly what I was hoping for.

This is the test. Hang it on the mannequin and voila! It holds the plates together and lined up just right.

Now there’s a happy face.

Edited March 22, 2019 by Easy

douglasthecook · March 4, 2019

On 3/3/2019 at 4:16 AM, Easy said:

I’ve see quite a few methods for latching the right side AB to kidney plates. Nylon straps, elastic straps, special brackets and hooks and so on. I’m trying something new…at least to me because I haven’t seen it yet. I’m using the same system as I did on the shin latches, magnets.

Here is the thre parts that will be attached to the kidney plate. I made an ABS strap with a hole to fit the magnet in and a cover plate to glue the magnet into.

The magnet is thicker than the ABS strap so it sticks out a bit. This is perfect because it will sit in the saddle piece that will be glued into the AB plate.

Some E6000 and clamps to assemble it, and two more to go.

All set, ready for some light sanding to smooth it out. I don’t want it snagging the undersuit.

I used two ABS plates for the saddles.

Here you can see how the saddle is taller than the magnet. The strap magnet will sit in the saddle effectively locking it in place while you wear it, same as the shins.

Here is the three straps with the saddles glued and predrilled.

I used the step drill bit to drill out the saddles. They will be sanded smoothe and the strap side of the saddle will be tapered to make it easier to feed the straps into them. The straps are smoothed out a bit already.

Definitely interested in this closure system. I like its simplicity!

**ukswrath[Staff]** · March 23, 2019

Hey Dave looking good brother, sorry I've been absent. There are a couple areas you need to be aware of, one specifically that may hold you up from basic 501st approval. The screws you used on you bracket system are incorrect and very large. They should be "V" head and slotted. I've provided a reference photo. Your GML my not approve your armor however, please check with them to confirm.

Your screws

bracket%20srews.jpg

Reference photo

Bracket%20screws.jpg

The other area is the left side Ab/Kidney rivet placement. Sadly the lower 4 are in the wrong position. They should be positioned where I've provided a red dot using the photo you've provided. Again check with your GML for additional information. I've provided a reference photo for this area also.

Your position

Reference photo

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Edited March 23, 2019 by ukswrath

**Easy[TK]** · March 23, 2019

50 minutes ago, ukswrath said:

Hey Dave looking good brother, sorry I've been absent. There are a couple areas you need to be aware of, one specifically that may hold you up from basic 501st approval. The screws you used on you bracket system are incorrect and very large. They should be "V" head and slotted. I've provided a reference photo. Your GML my not approve your armor however, please check with them to confirm.

Your screws

Reference photo

The other area is the left side Ab/Kidney rivet placement. Sadly the lower 4 are in the wrong position. They should be positioned where I've provided a red dot using the photo you've provided. Again check with your GML for additional information. I've provided a reference photo for this area also.

Your position

Reference photo

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Ugh! The screws are an easy fix, I think I have them but I hate the stress they put on the armour. The hinge will take some work to change. I scoured sources for the specs so I’d do it right. This is what I used for those.

Edited March 23, 2019 by Easy

**ukswrath[Staff]** · March 23, 2019

Sorry for be the bearer of the news. For what its worth the archives photo your referred to is correct. Take a look at the lowest rivet. See the difference between it and the step in the Ab/ This distance should be roughly 10-15mm. Check with your GML regarding basic 501st approval. If you plan on applying for EIB or Centurion be aware you'll most undoubtedly be asked to correct it.

**justjoseph63[Staff]** · March 24, 2019

Relocating the holes is a bit of a pain, but as Tony mentioned it will indeed need to be done for Centurion level if you (hopefully) choose to aim for that.

You would have to remove the existing rivets of course, then whip up a small batch of ABS paste, fill the holes, sand them down and install new rivets. If you are up to this tack and need a new set of rivets, just PM me and I will send you a set no charge. Here are a couple of links that may help:

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42737-how-to-remove-bifurcated-split-rivets/

https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/42866-how-to-make-abs-paste/

Here is another pic of a screen used ab for reference:

wNz3M5l.jpg?1

**Sly11[Admin]** · March 24, 2019

This is only a minor set back Dave, you got this easy brother. I must compliment you on a very detailed build thread, nice work overall. :duim:

**Easy[TK]** · March 26, 2019

Ok, as pointed out by ukswrath[TK] I need to change the rivet locations. I talked with a few troopers and the consensus is that I leave the top rivet as is, space the bottom closer to the step in the AB ABS. So here goes.

First thing I did was cut the elastic straps to separate the front from the back. This makes it easier to work with. Easier is better when you have a difficult task like this.

The two halves ready for disassembly.

I used a dremel and grinding tip to take the head off the riviet. Heat is an issue here so go in short bursts and let it cool between them. The rivet will melt ABS so I always grind on the hinge and not on the outside armour. Also remember that heat transfers through the rivet and can melt the armour if your not patient.

I used side cutters to peel of the remaining rivet head.

With all the heads off the rivets can be pushed through.

Here they are sticking out.

Gently wiggle the rivets out

Patience will save time repairing damage. This is a nice and clean removal.

I cut in with a good sharp blade to separate the pieces. Prying might break the armour.

Gently pry with your fingers and saw through the E6000. It comes off fairly easily.

I used the old hinge to mark the lower hole position.

The AM Armor is much larger, which is why I’m making this modification, and as such the lines differ somewhat from the Lucas kits. For this build I’m matching the rivet spacing to the top rivet, 20mm x 10mm.

I measuerd the distance from top to bottom and marked out the four pieces to fit in the length.

Scoring and snapping is all it takes to make the hinge strips. I used cover strip material.

I drilled the bottom hole, measured and divided the length by 2 to find the center rivet location, then drilled it. The old holes will be filled with ABS paste after the hinge is installed.

I clqmped one strip in and drilled the holes.

Then I clamped all four and drilled.

Four perfectly matched pieces to work with.

I lay the elastic strap across two to make getvyhe length I need.

I cut three and mark them for rivet holes. I use a soldering iron to burn the holes in them.

I used the strap to mark the spots where the straps go.

Then I cut and glue spacers to make cover strips. I use ABS trimmed from the shins for the spacers. It’s a bit thinner and will allow a slight pinch on the strap when assembled.

The spacers are glued and drying. I’ll trim the excess when they’re dry and set.

This is how the strapping will sit in the hinge.

I put a bead of E6000 around the rivets where the strap will sit. I don’t want the strap loose in the hinge. Setting it with the glue will place the most load into the hinge and away from the armour.

Lay the straps in and mush them around a bit to spread glue on them.

I put some more on the other side, a light skim on the spacers and a good amount on the base shim.

Make sure the edge that will be along the edge of the armour is perfectly lined up. This will make a strong return edge as a byproduct of the install. Clean off the excess E6000 along the edge.

For the other half, push the rivets through the strips, then push the rivets through the holes in the straps, with glue to hold them, put the base strip on and clamp the whole thing together.

NOTE: the caps on the rivets are only there to hold everything together while it is being built. They are not crimped. I’m replacing them with centurion level split rivets when I install the hinge. I ordered a set on eBay, they are from Trooperbay.

Got the correct split rivets and washers from Trooper Bay.

The rivets are too short to go all the way through the armour, hinge and washers.

I drilled out the hinge holes.

Not all the way through.

I ground out the holes with a round Dremel tip. This keeps the hole aligned.

Just enough to make the washer fit in.

Next I use a flat tip grinding tip that is just the same size as the washer…I think I got lucky here.

With a flat base to sit the washers into and a dab of E6000 I set the washers in permanently. They are flush with the surface of the hinge.

A nice bit of E6000 and it’s ready to set in.

The inset washers let the rivets through, but just barely. Since they are basically only for appearance it won’t matter. The hinge will carry the entire load and leave the armour unstressed.

I originally set the hinge in with the rivets in place and clamped to hold it. After I set the kidney plate in I replaced them with small screws with washers and nuts on the inside to pull it all together.

After the glue set nicely I put the rivets in and hammered the bifurcated ends over. I might cover them with clear glue with my glue gun so they won’t snag the undersuit.

This is how the hinge looks closed…

…with the mag latches set in on the right side.

I also replaced all of the Chicago screws with the correct slotted flat head screws and nuts. Just to keep them from coming loose I put a dab of hot glue on them with my glue gun.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Easy

**ukswrath[Staff]** · March 26, 2019

Looking good Dave :jc_doublethumbup:

**Easy[TK]** · March 26, 2019

1 hour ago, ukswrath said:

Looking good Dave

Thanks. Not as terrible as I thought it woud be. Oh, I have the correct rivets coming as well.

**ukswrath[Staff]** · March 26, 2019

1 hour ago, Easy said:

Thanks. Not as terrible as I thought it woud be. Oh, I have the correct rivets coming as well.

Great to hear, knew you could do it :salute:

**Easy[TK]** · March 27, 2019

AB buttons. I didn’t take a befor pic of this but here is an initial trim done to spec measurements.

Its almost a perfect fit. A little sanding and smoothing the edges should do it.

Fits just right and looks like the archive and spec pics I’ve seen.

This row would look really cool as it is but that’s not correct. I started scoring it to bring it down.

First stage done.

I could have shown every stage but it’s pretty simple. I cut off all the drop edges and then trimmed it to fit the raised area. E6000 and magnets. I’ll paint them once the armour is built so I won’t be ruining the paint while building.

I trimmed the button plates some more and gave them nice sharp corners. Got some other imperfections to deal with before I glue them on.

I removed all the Chicago screws and replaced them wth smaller flat head countersink screws. It took about an hour, including the button plates.

These are much neater and when painted white will look just like the movie suits.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Easy

**TheSwede[TK]** · March 27, 2019

Hi Dave

The smaller plate is not meant to have any return left, here´s a good reference on how it idealy should look and you can see the corners are straight :salute:

**ukswrath[Staff]** · March 27, 2019

1 hour ago, TheSwede said:

Hi Dave

The smaller plate is not meant to have any return left, here´s a good reference on how it idealy should look and you can see the corners are straight

The corners of the plates should also be squared, not rounded. Keep up the great work Dave

**TheSwede[TK]** · March 27, 2019

5 minutes ago, ukswrath said:

The corners of the plates should also be squared, not rounded. Keep up the great work Dave

Yeah I meant for both panels- thanks for clarifying :salute:

**Easy[TK]** · March 31, 2019

The thermodetonator didn’t come with clips so I’m making mine. I bought a strip of aluminum, 1” x 1/16” at HomeDepot. It’s pretty cheap. I made a set last year for another kit so this will be fairly straight forward. ‘Benson’ is seen here with the strip.

The clips are formed from a 10” strip

I cut two pieces.

Using vise grips and a strong thumb to bend the arc for the detonator. I took my time and checked as I went making sure it’s a smooth arc.

It took about an hour to make both to this stage. The end caps and button plate are not glued on yet.

Using a couple steel strips and a little careful persuasion I bent the pieces over.

Before and after.

After and after.

They are pretty much perfectly formed. I’ll trim off the excess length and add a little bend later.

The end caps were pretty large so I trimmed them down to 3/4”. I set this up on the clips to glue the button plate on. It fit perfectly as it came from AM Armor.

Oh look…an FOTK motorhome. I don’t think this would go over well at the airport.

Here they are done and ready for drilling the screw holes.

With much consultation here and on the Facebook FISD sites I got the correct screw locations and drilled them. 3/8" and 2 1/4". Both measurements from the end of the clip. Then I painted the heads black.

Looking nice…and blurry m

Seems to sit as it should with Benson wearing it.

Edited April 7, 2019 by Easy

**Easy[TK]** · April 7, 2019

The waist ammo belt is not as straight forward as it looks. To do it right use a little math and a lot of measuring.

I started with the belt button covers. It’s easier to mark the inside, helps to see the cut line, and cut from the inside. It’s a natural guide for the blade.

A little sanding and they’re ready to glue on.

The belt comes flat so I centerd it on the ab plate pre-bent it with my heat gun on the edge of the table. You likely can’t see it here but the AM belts come with dimples where you need to drill.

I fitted the hanging ammo boxes together. No sanding or trimming was needed so I’ll take them apart an install the straps before gluing them.

ALWAYS READ any info that comes with parts you’ll need from other sources. Imperial Issue custom makes their canvass belts to it your particular armour. You have to measure the closed clamshell to get the correct length.

The belt is perfect and comes with a sticker for the armour box you’ll store/tote your kit with.

This is the way the belt should fit. The end doesn’t hang out past the TD.

I find it easier to put on and get it lined up straight if the top flap is to the right. Try it both ways and see what works for you.

With the TD centerd in the back I mark the belt center on the front.

I clamped the belts together and marked the hole locations to attach the plastic to the canvass. I drilled through the dimples just before.

Lots of measurements and lines here. I used a soldering iron, as the instructions said, to burn the mounting holes in. This is where the plastic belt is attached to the canvass. The arrow at the bottom center points to the top of the belt when worn.

These are the measurements of where the canvass will attach to the ab. The only issue I found with this reference picture is where the holes in the belt are shown. On my kit that would make the belt cover up the bottom of the buttons about where the red line is. I marked the ab plate where the holes will be drilled.

A little math…1/2 of 343 is 171.5. So I put my measuring tape centerd with 171.5 on the center hole and marked the canvass at the end and at 343. To make the belt sit under the buttons properly I need to drill the snap hole closer to the top of the belt. Using the marks I made on the ab plate and my measuring tape laid across the tops of the marks (not below) I was able to determine where the top of the canvass will run. The plastic belt is wider so I made sure there was a gap of that much between the tape and the buttons. It worked out that the holes would need to be 20mm from the top of the canvass, which is where you can see the marks for the snap holes.

I drilled the holes in the AB where I previously marked them, then put the belt on to make sure everything lined up. I used Dremel bits in the holes to check the alignment. It’s perfect.

Dremel bit in the left side.

After installing the snaps in the belt and armour, I hammered in single cap rivets to secure the belt to the am I packs. I then glued the rivet covers on.

Nice fit all around.

Looks really good when installed.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Easy

**CableGuy[TK]** · April 7, 2019

Good work, Dave. Making solid progress. :-)

Something worth looking at is the amount of excess plastic above and below the ammo packs on the belt. As below, you could easily get away with losing a few mm, if you wanted too. :-)

Dan

**Easy[TK]** · April 7, 2019

Thanks CableGuy. I just finished trimming them actually. Total span is 98cm now. Looks way better. Just found out I’m out of white 1” elastic for the drop boxes. Only have black left. Had such momentum going today. Been doing some fine detailing for now, cleaning up a few areas that need it like excess glue, filling in the wrong holes I made with ABS paste and so on. I’ll be adding those pics and posts to the sections of the build they belong in later.

Right now I’m trying to decide…coffee or whiskey.

Nice look and fit.

I hammered the single cap rivets down to attach the ammo boxes to the canvass, cut the white elastic straps for the drop boxes and attached them, and glued the button covers over the rivets.