What have I gotten myself into?

[Zinfer[TK]]

Merry Christmas to all you Troopers out there.  I hope to meet you someday soon.  You've all been so helpful and inspirational to me and I appreciate all you Fighting 501st members.  Vaders Fist.  I hope to one day join your ranks as a member of the 501st.  Thank you.

[ukswrath[Staff]]

10 hours ago, Zinfer said:

Merry Christmas to all you Troopers out there.  I hope to meet you someday soon.  You've all been so helpful and inspirational to me and I appreciate all you Fighting 501st members.  Vaders Fist.  I hope to one day join your ranks as a member of the 501st.  Thank you.

Merry Christmas Rodney 

[Sly11[Admin]]

18 hours ago, Zinfer said:

Merry Christmas to all you Troopers out there.  I hope to meet you someday soon.  You've all been so helpful and inspirational to me and I appreciate all you Fighting 501st members.  Vaders Fist.  I hope to one day join your ranks as a member of the 501st.  Thank you.

Merry Christmas sir.

[Zinfer[TK]]

Over Christmas I finally feel I've finished the painting process of the helmet.  This had to be the most difficult portion of the entire build.  I hope it meets or exceeds inspection.  Although, I have gotten pretty proficient at mineral spirits and paint removal...  After reviewing the Ohio Garrisons' youtube however I found that most use 15 tubestripes.  So I added 2 more just to comply with and more match my brother Troopers    I put my black mark on the 2nd rib of the ear, to the center.  I could change that to the very rear, but I'm not sure it means anything anyways.

 

But the point is, I finally finished (I think and hope) the helmet painting.  Hand painted.  No decals.   

 

 

 

 

[Zinfer[TK]]

Also broke out the E6000 and getting the shoulder straps set, glued and clamped in place over night.  Need to get set to installing the shoulder bells.  I am really not sure how long to make the straps that adhere to the bells.  

 

[Zinfer[TK]]

Working around the arms and legs still,.

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Zinfer

[Zinfer[TK]]

Has anyone ever experienced the shoulder strap snaps being unable to snap to the shoulder bell straps?  Must be something I'm missing.  Very, very hard to get it to snap together.

Edited December 27, 2020 by Zinfer

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

3 hours ago, Zinfer said:

Has anyone ever experienced the shoulder strap snaps being unable to snap to the shoulder bell straps?  Must be something I'm missing.  Very, very hard to get it to snap together.

Edited 3 hours ago by Zinfer

 

 

Hi, in my experience, I have seen this happening  when using two or more different Snaps makes or when you have pressed the snap in excess and this get deformed and don't match the counterpart.  You may want to check it up. 

 

[Zinfer[TK]]

1 hour ago, TKSpartan said:

 

 

Hi, in my experience, I have seen this happening  when using two or more different Snaps makes or when you have pressed the snap in excess and this get deformed and don't match the counterpart.  You may want to check it up. 

 

Well here's what shipped from RS.  These are 'supposed' to snap together.  So there's no trick like using a pair of pliers to snap them together?    Man, what the heck now.  Each part has it's own special set of issues.

 

[TheSwede[TK]]

4 hours ago, Zinfer said:

Well here's what shipped from RS.  These are 'supposed' to snap together.  So there's no trick like using a pair of pliers to snap them together?    Man, what the heck now.  Each part has it's own special set of issues.

 

The black one is a two-part and you just pop the top part off and you’re all set

[Zinfer[TK]]

BTW, that black matter under my nail is from closing up the lid of black satin Humbrol paint last night. 

[Zinfer[TK]]

7 hours ago, TheSwede said:

The black one is a two-part and you just pop the top part off and you’re all set

Oh of all the...  I am so stupid.  I bit them off.  Came right off and snapped in place.  Thank you Daniel.

[Zinfer[TK]]

Thinking about 3/4" from the snap to the edge of the bell.  I'll take a closer look in a bit.  My eyes aren't the greatest when I first wake up.

[Zinfer[TK]]

Shoulder bells installed.  Well I can wrap a few things up with replacements of the elastic chest to abdomen loops to 1" or less sewn.  But after that,  I'm kind of at a stand still until I can get some PVC coverstrip material from RS.  You guys have been so kind, generous and a wealth of information.  Thanks for all of that and for helping me out.  4 emails to RS over the past couple months.  At this stage just give me a price and I'll BUY the friggen 1/4 sheet.  Not going to mix ABS with PVC.  I've come this far and not going to screw up my build at this point.  Maybe I can come up with a Doopy Doo but I'm pretty much at a standstill at this point.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Zinfer

[Zinfer[TK]]

Right shoulder snap came unglued from the plastic.

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Zinfer

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

On 12/28/2020 at 12:19 AM, Zinfer said:

Right shoulder snap came unglued from the plastic.

Photo?

[Zinfer[TK]]

6 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Photo?

Oh I got it Joseph.  It's the snap that mounts inside that secures the right shoulder strap to the front plate.  The plastic snap.  I was kinda surprised as I'd originally used CA, but this time around I used E6000.  On a different note, I was informed that my PVC cover strip material was shipped before Christmas. I'm at the mercy of the USPS at this point.  Already have a package stuck in Spring Gardens, NY for a month (my under suit).   The mail is really bad here in the States, but man they got this bill thing down, just keep rolling in with those with no problem.

[Zinfer[TK]]

Ugh!  More Painting.  This time the buttonplates.  I'll have to take a toothpick to this after drying, clean it up a bit.

 

I guess some tricky trimming on the main plate as the symmetry is off.  Kind of a cut and fit step I guess.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Some references

    

 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

As shown in the photos Glen supplies, the corners of both plates should be squared off and not rounded and have a slight gap between the edges and the top of the raised area below them (blue arrows).

 

The yellow circles show approximately where the paint should end.  As per the CRL for Level 3, the paint..." shall not extend beyond the bottom of the actual raised button".  Using a round tipped (filbert style) brush will give you more control on the edges.

 

Filbert brush

 

 

  

[Zinfer[TK]]

Oh, I have to completely trim to size yet.  For the buttons themselves, I wish I could have thought of a simple template method but I came up with a blank.  So, I'll just have to make them a bit more round with toothpicks.  If you suggest I start over again, I'll have to run out and pick up a Filbert.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Zinfer

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I use a hole punch and left over decal sheet to make templates, it's handy when you have a lot of tools in your shed

[Zinfer[TK]]

That'd be an extremely large hole punch. 

 

[Zinfer[TK]]

Well I put on some shorter elastics loops from chest to abdomen.  Test fitted the torso again. Man do I ever need to lose weight.  A good  30 pounds.  snap is so far away on the right.  But I don't want to alter the design where it's something I can't just easily remove after a thousand bike rides.  So, I'm (for right now) happy with the elastics.  On to some toothpick work with the abdo button plates later tonight.  Make them a little rounder and a little tighter.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Zinfer

[Zinfer[TK]]

I just started them over.  Do any templates exist for these?