Husky68 ANH TK (trimmed AP)

[Digz Graavz[TK]]

I thought about that as well.  It's not easily reached when you're suited up, so whatever is in there would only be accessible before/after the troop.  I glued mine on for security as I was also worried about wear over time and the cap falling off and everything coming out.

 

I'm going to play with some storage ideas in my chest/back instead.

[wook1138[TK]]

Don't worry about being accurate down to the mm for the TD.  I'm surprised that the CRL states 7.5"  I think most TD's are closer to 7.25 inches (like what is in your reference photo posted previously). 

 

Also, yeah... some have used it as storage by using an elastic strap to keep the ends together.  But like Chris mentioned - it is not the easiest thing to reach when trooping and, it is one of the easiest things to lose. 

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Robert, nice work on the TD. Hope the armor party was helpful. Even if the TD comes up a bit shorter than the 190.5 that is fine. Getting it close is enough. 184-190.5 is safe enough. If the caps are fitting snug enough, you can always use them to adjust the overall length by how far in or out you position them.

 

I have entertained the idea of using the TD as a wireless speaker container but have not yet tried it. Someday when I get a chance I might give a a go. Another idea I wanted to try was to have the TD plate lift up on hinges to reveal some tripped out inner details.  

[husky68[TK]]

Took the week off and was kept busy with life.  Took out the forearms tonight and was thinking of filling the trenchs when I made a realization.  The armor is 1mm thick and the ABS strips are 2mm.  So this presents an issue for filling the trenches.  Also it is likely I will have to do trenches for the shins and maybe the thighs so this will be a continuing issue.  Maybe making some abs paste is a possible solution.

 

  Anyway,  after deciding I needed some progress so I sanded down the edges of my TD tube and taped it off for future rattle can sparying.  The center tape is smaller than the panel so there is overlap in case I reduce the size later. Maybe the glue will work the same on the paint but decided to leave some original material in case.

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Also at this stage have a think if you would like to keep anything inside the tube, having a removable end cap can be handy, I added an angle piece of abs to the insides of the caps, glued elastic to one, then on the other end added Velcro to the elastic and plastic angle, can now pull the cap off and remove the elastic via the Velcro.

 

Just somewhere to keep items, trading cards, wrist bands, working with children card (we need them locally) that sort of thing.

 

[husky68[TK]]

Belt position looks good but the thigh strips need to be trimmed.

 

 

Cookie box from Tokyo Disneyland.

[husky68[TK]]

  I tried taping off the frown,  maybe using more tape then needed but hopefully will do the trick.  I also tried taping the vodocoder but found it to be rather tricky as the ridges are very faint.  Added some pencil shading but still not sure how to get the tape to follow the curves that I want.  Taking any suggestions on how to get it taped up clean.

 

[Digz Graavz[TK]]

Don't worry too much about taping the vocoder.  Your pencil lines look great and with a smaller brush you shouldn't have any issues.

[TK-42775[TK]]

On 3/16/2019 at 4:33 PM, gmrhodes13 said:

Also at this stage have a think if you would like to keep anything inside the tube, having a removable end cap can be handy, I added an angle piece of abs to the insides of the caps, glued elastic to one, then on the other end added Velcro to the elastic and plastic angle, can now pull the cap off and remove the elastic via the Velcro.

 

Just somewhere to keep items, trading cards, wrist bands, working with children card (we need them locally) that sort of thing.

 

Where has this little Gem been Hiding? This is Awesome!!!!

[husky68[TK]]

On 3/17/2019 at 7:33 AM, gmrhodes13 said:

Also at this stage have a think if you would like to keep anything inside the tube, having a removable end cap can be handy, I added an angle piece of abs to the insides of the caps, glued elastic to one, then on the other end added Velcro to the elastic and plastic angle, can now pull the cap off and remove the elastic via the Velcro.

 

Just somewhere to keep items, trading cards, wrist bands, working with children card (we need them locally) that sort of thing.

 

   This is the kind of reply I was hoping for earlier when I pondered storage.  This looks great but the elastic might take up some storage space or get in the way of larger items. The caps are already a super tight fit and I have read some hot bath them to relax the plastic and avoid stress on the plastic.  My tube has thick walls so I've got room to sand them down for a smoother fit.   Might consider a locking ring or something with magnets. 

[LTM[TK]]

12 hours ago, husky68 said:

 

   This is the kind of reply I was hoping for earlier when I pondered storage.  This looks great but the elastic might take up some storage space or get in the way of larger items. The caps are already a super tight fit and I have read some hot bath them to relax the plastic and avoid stress on the plastic.  My tube has thick walls so I've got room to sand them down for a smoother fit.   Might consider a locking ring or something with magnets. 

When building my TK I had the same idea for storage (keys, cash for subway,etc...). Now that I have trooped in a few different situations, I would not feel comfortable having anything of value in a TD. For spare parts, I keep mine in the car along with tape/glue because if something can't wait until the end of the troop to fix, I will need to remove the armor to fix it (TD just would not hold enough).

If keys/money is a concern, get a passport bag to fit around your neck and hide behind the chest armor

https://www.amazon.com/Travel-Wallet-hidden-passport-Luggage/dp/B01N30R8CX/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=113E5BDQCOP0B&keywords=passport+pouch+neck&qid=1553005313&s=gateway&sprefix=passport+po%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

 

If you want the cap to be retained, use a small bungee cord attached to both caps. Doesn't take up a lot of room and the caps are always pulling against each other

https://www.amazon.com/Shock-Cord-inch-Diamond-Grip/dp/B07HQBHV88/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=small%2Bbungee%2Bcord&qid=1553005542&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&th=1

 

HTH,

Lou

[husky68[TK]]

Took a day off work and invited Bulldog44 over to my place for some armor building fun.  It was great to ask direct questions and get answers to a bunch of questions.  He brought some of his trimming scraps that will be great for filling the trenches in the forearms.  Most helpful was the extra pair of hands and eyes to check body part alignments.  We decided on the should strap snap placements and gap between chest and back pieces and glued in the snaps.

 

 

  Once the rest of the internal snaps are done I can move on to harder parts like belt and legs.  With a bit of time left we also put a layor of paint on my TD tube.  I failed to notice that a previous contact with belt sander was not sanded back down.  Another coat of paint or two might help but ok with a slightly marked up TD.  Oh,  I also used a ballon to hold the tube and keep paint from inside of tube while spraying.

 

 

  Big thanks to Bulldog44 for making the trek and spending the day giving me a hand with armor. 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Nice idea with the balloon, I use a piece of wire and make an oval at one end larger than the pipe and push in tight, great to see other ideas at work

 

 

[husky68[TK]]

Wanting to keep the progress going I added some more snap mounts into the armor.  Following the example of another build I put them on opposing angles to help keep the two pieces aligned.  If needed can always add another in the middle.

 

[wook1138[TK]]

2 hours ago, husky68 said:

Wanting to keep the progress going I added some more snap mounts into the armor.  Following the example of another build I put them on opposing angles to help keep the two pieces aligned.  If needed can always add another in the middle.

 

I've never tried this, but it seems to me that the butt plate will want to push backwards and stick out (assuming you are going to use elastics under some amount of tension).  I find that just attaching strapping via the shortest route gives the best stability.  I'm interested to see how this works.  Good luck!

[husky68[TK]]

10 hours ago, wook1138 said:

I've never tried this, but it seems to me that the butt plate will want to push backwards and stick out (assuming you are going to use elastics under some amount of tension).  I find that just attaching strapping via the shortest route gives the best stability.  I'm interested to see how this works.  Good luck!

 Thanks,  first armor so everything is trial and error.  The elastic is pretty thick and measured to be without tension with a small gap,  see how it looks after glue is set.  My thoughts were more about  sideways movement but if it sticks out I will have to adjust.

[husky68[TK]]

  Just wondering if this gap between back and kidney is acceptable or do I need to try and straighten out this edge to match?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2019 by husky68

[wook1138[TK]]

4 minutes ago, husky68 said:

  Just wondering if this gap between back and kidney is acceptable or do I need to try and straighten out this edge to match?

 

https://i.imgur.com/vYDrVb7.jpg

 

https://i.imgur.com/DRSk02Y.jpg

 

 

Hey Robert, that gap will close a bit when you are wearing your armour.  Especially if you stand very straight - it is just the way the pieces are shaped to conform to the curve of ones back.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Try to see how the gap looks when the two parts fit the contour of your back.  The gap should be less visible when you try this. If you still have a fairly visible gap when you mock it up to your back, then you might want to re-adjust the straps to reduce that.

[husky68[TK]]

2 minutes ago, Bulldog44 said:

Try to see how the gap looks when the two parts fit the contour of your back.  The gap should be less visible when you try this. If you still have a fairly visible gap when you mock it up to your back, then you might want to re-adjust the straps to reduce that.

  I was trying to sort out the strapping and thought maybe it needed to be addressed first.  I'll put in the snaps reasonably close with neutral tension on the elastics and see how it looks when cured and worn.

[Bulldog44[TK]]

23 minutes ago, husky68 said:

  I was trying to sort out the strapping and thought maybe it needed to be addressed first.  I'll put in the snaps reasonably close with neutral tension on the elastics and see how it looks when cured and worn.

Sounds good. 

[husky68[TK]]

Just before heading out on vacation decided to put in the front snap bases.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 1, 2019 by husky68

[husky68[TK]]

  Back at it and tried putting elastics in place on the body,  all done except sides and crotch.  Bit of tape on the sides and feels pretty good.  The gap between back and kidney is bigger than I would like but will need to bend up the corners and re position elastics to pull that in.  Also getting a gap between my back and back piece,  maybe some bending there will help.  The butt piece seems to float a bit and flare on corners,  might be helped with crotch strap or need to re position two elastics and add a third.

 

Standing a little tilted in the first photo.

 

 

 

 

 I got in some snaps and snap tools but I think the size is just a hair off the ones I got from Mark so they may not be compatible with existing ones.  Still can use them for other spots but ideally would have liked them to be interchangeable.  Although I have not tried making ones yet for an actual comparison.

 

  Next task I will go back to finishing the forearms and getting it strapped to the body.  Then on to the legs, belt, TD, sides, helmet, etc.  No shortage of tasks but putting the body together felt like progress.

[wook1138[TK]]

It's coming along, Robert. 

 

For the back to kidney, I had to use a combination of nylon webbing and elastic to keep it looking flush.  I had nylon on the outside connections to keep things in place and elastic in the middle to allow some more movement when bending over and such. 

 

The butt piece will want to flare out a bit.  This is common on most kits and often seen in the movies too.  I moved my outside connections closer to the edge and gave the butt piece a quick hot both to reshape it (just a little).  This worked really well - no more butt flare. 

 

Also, keep in mind these pieces will fit a little differently when you have your belt on.  Certainly worth wrapping your belt around and seeing what it does to the placement of the various pieces. 

 

Keep up the good work!

[Bulldog44[TK]]

Good to see you back on the armor! Looks good. As you mentioned, may need to re-set the snap placement on the either the shoulder/backplate or the snaps between the backplate and kidney piece. But Greg made a really important point that the belt, when worn pushing things together a bit and will give you a better idea of how the parts fit on you. It may reveal that it pulls the lower armor parts up a touch and help decrease the gap between backplate and kidney. 

  My butt plate flares out quite a bit but when you have the whole suit on, especially the belt, you really cant notice it.