CallMeMrTibbles[501st] Posted July 26, 2021 Report Posted July 26, 2021 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: I did it. I've got a mix of the original strapping and snaps now and used the time as well to countersink all the screws that I used for the original strapping. I then went on to paint the screws and rivers white and inserted the crotch rivet. Aside from the missing tube stripes, I'm fairly sure that my armor is at a level where I could submit it for basic approval. I will wait until I've moved out and gotten situated in my new job to take the proper pictures, so that might take another month or longer, but I intend to spend the next week and a bit before I move to finish up the last details. Awesome work. I think you're right, depending on your local garrison you're either ready or very minor changes. My comments below aren't stuff that I 'think' you need for basic clearance, but much you'll need to consider at higher levels. 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: What I noticed upon seeing these picture for the first time was how the left and right thigh seem misaligned with the left being higher than the right. I am unsure as for whether I should pull the right thigh up, the left one down or a mix of both. Given the fact that the left thigh seems to clash with the butt plate, that one will probably need to be lowered. I agree that the left thigh could come down a bit. You want them at the same level, and the fact that the left is catching the back of your butt plate doesn't look ideal as well as maybe causing armour pinch. With all armour parts you want to aim for symmetry between gaps on the left and right pretty much all over. 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: Another thing that seemed a bit off to me were the forearms. They both seem to be too high up and could stand to be lowered so that one can't see as much glove around the wrist and lower forearm area. Again, yes. You're very good at being critical here and picking up the small issues. You are ideally wanting the same gap at the elbow as you have at the wrist when your arms are relaxed, so yes, the forearms could stand to be dropped a little lower. You'll also maybe find it easier to bend your arms (say for putting on your helmet). 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: It might just be my personal opinion, but I think I need something to semi-permanently hold the shoulder elastics in place because they tend to hang in the middle of my shoulder bridge. Maybe something on the back plate that I can open and close via velcro? Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean the elastic that runs from chest to back, from the shoulder bell to bridge, or the elastic that holds your shoulder bridge down? 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: Other end of the torso: the butt plate. I'm fairly sure it needs more curvature and that you shouldn't be able to see those snaps that easily. Also, it sometimes seemed as if it would almost slip into the thighs, which does not sound good to me. Do you have a piece of elastic running from the butt plate to the cod at the front? If that was on and tight enough (but not too tight) it should pull the bottom of the butt plate up to where it should be. 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: Another thing that I need to do something about are those small gaps at the back of my thighs. Either I fill them up, or I cut them out via mobility cuts. Currently I'm leaning towards the latter because some kind of "being able to move my legs" would be pretty neat. Either one is a possibility, and it depends on if you find the armour uncomfortable without the mobility cuts. There are many on screen examples with mobility cuts, and it will not stop you at the higher levels. I have them on the thighs and shins on my level 3 armour. Shouldn't be an issue for basic clearance, but comfort is an issue at all levels! 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: Oh, and I need to tuck in my belt for the thighs better, because that is not supposed to be in front of the armor 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: Regarding the overlap between my ab and kidney plate, Tino (T-Jay) suggested simply putting the ab over the kidney plate instead of the other way round. It actually worked out better than I expected, even if it took me half an eternity trying to lay that belt over the correctly aligned plates. Looks much better. Left side 'may' be an issue at higher levels as the kidney rivets are partially covered, not sure. Would need a DO or similar to comment. 29 minutes ago, Morgi said: Helmet wise, the pictures above were taken without any additional padding. Just looking at them, I feel as if thick padding might do more harm than good. Thin padding might work, but I'm unsure if that would not lift the helmet up too high. The way I wore it in the pictures I had the lens in a way that I could view things as easily as possible and whilst more padding might allow for more movement of the head,I'm not sure whether that's the way to go. To me it looks like your helmet is still sitting too high, and would look more accurate lower. I had to remove all padding from directly above my head, and I just have a little around my forehead and temples to stop the helmet from wobbling. The top of my head touches the bare plastic. Good luck with your basic clearance. You have outstanding looking armour, and you should be very proud of your work. Rich 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 26, 2021 Author Report Posted July 26, 2021 (edited) vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Awesome work. I think you're right, depending on your local garrison you're either ready or very minor changes. So glad to hear that! Any ideas what those minor changes could be? vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: I agree that the left thigh could come down a bit. You want them at the same level, and the fact that the left is catching the back of your butt plate doesn't look ideal as well as maybe causing armour pinch. With all armour parts you want to aim for symmetry between gaps on the left and right pretty much all over. I thought so... I'll try and play around with different elastic lenghts later today. Probably about half a centimetre down on the left and about a centimetre up on the right should hopefully fix the issue. vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Again, yes. You're very good at being critical here and picking up the small issues. You are ideally wanting the same gap at the elbow as you have at the wrist when your arms are relaxed, so yes, the forearms could stand to be dropped a little lower. You'll also maybe find it easier to bend your arms (say for putting on your helmet). Haha, thanks! Same gap for elbow and wrist? I'll see what I can do. I haven't had many mobility issues with the arms, but I'm sure a centimetre (and a half?) should help me anyways. Again, I'll have to play around with the elastics a bit, but that should not be a huge issue. And, hey, it's quite amazing what such little details can do to improve the overall look! vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean the elastic that runs from chest to back, from the shoulder bell to bridge, or the elastic that holds your shoulder bridge down? The elastic holding the shoulder bridge down. It always seems to slip forward and as soon as I open the shoulder elastic (from back to chest) it falls down. My idea was to take a spare piece of elastic, glue it to the back piece under the shoulder bridge and have the other side of that elastic velcroed to the back piece -- about a centimetre away or so. Like that I would have something to hold that elastic in place, whilst keeping it easily moved around for putting the armor on, but also with the option of removing the elastic should I ever need to. Or I could just glue it straight on and save myself some work vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Do you have a piece of elastic running from the butt plate to the cod at the front? If that was on and tight enough (but not too tight) it should pull the bottom of the butt plate up to where it should be. Yeah, I've got one. Since it's currently held in position by the rivet, I would either need to replace the rivet (and go buy a single rivet because I do not have any spares, which I would honestly prefer to avoid) or I would need to cut it off, leave the rivet non-functional and glue it in there, I assume? I do worry a bit about putting too much stress on the plastic like that though and I very much do not want it to crack because of that. Is there anything I could do to prevent such cracking due to stress? vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Either one is a possibility, and it depends on if you find the armour uncomfortable without the mobility cuts. There are many on screen examples with mobility cuts, and it will not stop you at the higher levels. I have them on the thighs and shins on my level 3 armour. Shouldn't be an issue for basic clearance, but comfort is an issue at all levels! The armor can get uncomfortable if I try to bend my legs too much, leaving the shins especially to cut into my legs and cutting off my blood flow if I want to hold my legs at a certain angle for a certain amount of time. I suspect that this means that I should do some mobility cuts? I mean, if they do not stop me from achieving the higher levels, there is basically no con to this huge pro of being able to move properly -- and hopefully getting in and out of my boots without my feet cramping due to the position the armor forces my legs into. Since the shins seem to be the main problem for me, I was wondering whether you need to do mobility cuts on shins and thighs if you want them, or if it's possible to get them solely on the shins? If I know myself well enough I will probably do them on both shins and thighs if I actually go through with that, if only because I'm fairly sure it looks better like that, but I was still curious. vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Looks much better. Left side 'may' be an issue at higher levels as the kidney rivets are partially covered, not sure. Would need a DO or similar to comment. Glad to hear that there's an improvement! Haha, yeah, that might be good in general, getting that kind of professional feedback. And the more people that comment the better anyways. I'm sure that there are issues that I might not have spottet yet... vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: To me it looks like your helmet is still sitting too high, and would look more accurate lower. I had to remove all padding from directly above my head, and I just have a little around my forehead and temples to stop the helmet from wobbling. The top of my head touches the bare plastic. Still too high? Well, now it gets interesting, because this is in fact my head touching the bare plastic. There is no possible way for me to get that helmet even lower... This is what it currently looks like from the inside and this is what it looked like in the pictures that I took earlier today. Only got the padding at the sides that I need to keep the helmet from sliding around... vor 54 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Good luck with your basic clearance. You have outstanding looking armour, and you should be very proud of your work. Rich Thank you so much! I'm very proud of how far I've come. To think that only two months ago I was seventeen, waiting for that brown box with basically no experience at working with any of the tools that I needed and completely stressed because of the final stuff for graduation... And now I'm eighteen, have graduated, am about to move out and have learned so much about Stormtroopers, the armor, working with all kinds of tools... And I've got a lot of ideas on how to continue to improve it (how about a bit of weathering?). It was an amazing experience so far and I got to meet a lot of fantastic people and I'm sure it'll only get better (also, the work's not done yet... there are still a few details that I need to improve for the higher levels, such as neatening the paint on the ab plate or dealing with the gaps in the leg armor... and the tube stripes ) Thank you for all your advice! Edited July 26, 2021 by Morgi added picture Quote
CallMeMrTibbles[501st] Posted July 26, 2021 Report Posted July 26, 2021 (edited) I've got nothing to add about going for basic clearance. Some different garrisons have different expectations for basic clearance, so it's difficult to know what they'll ask for. I can't imagine there's much that should cause a problem though If your head is already at the top of your helmet, then it's going to be very difficult to get it any lower! Body shape and dimensions is always taken into account, and of course its going to look different to a degree on everyone. At 6'4" I'm a little tall for a stormtrooper , and some of the gaps in my armour are larger because of this. Shoulder Bridge elastic. When I'm dressing myself alone I can never get that elastic to stay put, it's one reason it's good to have other costumers or handlers around when getting ready. I believe some people put a spot of glue on the inside to keep the elastic loop in place, but having help always makes it easier. My gut feeling with your thighs is to leave the right thigh and just lower your left, as long as its still comfortable to do that. Having said that, you may find tweaking both gives the best result. It's sometimes a bit of trial and error to get the elastics right. So, the elastic from butt to cod, is it very loose even when connected up? If so then it could well be worth fitting another snap popper to the elastic to make it a little tighter. (Without going back to look at earlier pics, is the elastic permanently fixed by rivet at the cod, and then a pop fastener at the butt?). Alternatively, you could try heating the butt to mould it into more of a curve, but be carefully to not overheat it ruin the plastic. Check the elastic first. Shouldn't be an issue at basic, so maybe get that done before attempting it. Mobility cuts. If you're uncomfortable bending your legs then yeah, mobility cuts sounds like the way to go. Read thoroughly the advanced tactics requirements though, and refer to lots of reference pics. The mobility cut mustn't go passed the raised areas or its a problem at level 2 and 3. The way you're approaching this you're going to be really well set for the higher levels, so I'll be expecting application straight after getting basic Rich Edited July 26, 2021 by CallMeMrTibbles 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 26, 2021 Author Report Posted July 26, 2021 vor 25 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: My gut feeling with your thighs is to leave the right thigh and just lower your left, as long as its still comfortable to do that. Having said that, you may find tweaking both gives the best result. It's sometimes a bit of trial and error to get the elastics right. I'll try that first then! vor 26 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: So, the elastic from butt to cod, is it very loose even when connected up? If so then it could well be worth fitting another snap popper to the elastic to make it a little tighter. (Without going back to look at earlier pics, is the elastic permanently fixed by rivet at the cod, and then a pop fastener at the butt?). Alternatively, you could try heating the butt to mould it into more of a curve, but be carefully to not overheat it ruin the plastic. Check the elastic first. Shouldn't be an issue at basic, so maybe get that done before attempting it. It is permanently fixed by the rivet in the cod and with a snap at the butt. Hmmm, shortening the elastic at the snap? That might work, thanks for the idea. I'm gonna have to look at the snap itself and how exactly I'm gonna go about it. Maybe I'll add another snap, or maybe I can shorten the elastic by sewing and/or gluing that strap shorter. Yeah, I'll avoid heating the plasting as long as there's any other option. I've seen pictures of warped plastic and really don't want to risk anything like that. vor 30 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Read thoroughly the advanced tactics requirements though, and refer to lots of reference pics. The mobility cut mustn't go passed the raised areas or its a problem at level 2 and 3. Yeah, I will definitely share pics of my proposed cut lines before actually cutting anything to make sure everything is OK! Better safe than sorry... vor 32 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: The way you're approaching this you're going to be really well set for the higher levels, so I'll be expecting application straight after getting basic Oh wow, thanks! I sure hope so! As I said, there are a few minor issues, but I sure hope to be able to apply for EIB shortly after getting my armor approved Quote
CallMeMrTibbles[501st] Posted July 26, 2021 Report Posted July 26, 2021 All that sounds perfect 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 28, 2021 Author Report Posted July 28, 2021 Am 26.7.2021 um 15:45 schrieb Morgi: Oh, and I need to tuck in my belt for the thighs better, because that is not supposed to be in front of the armor The easiest fix first: I just made some elastic loops that should hold it up easily. Am 26.7.2021 um 16:42 schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: To me it looks like your helmet is still sitting too high, and would look more accurate lower. I had to remove all padding from directly above my head, and I just have a little around my forehead and temples to stop the helmet from wobbling. The top of my head touches the bare plastic. After using a thinner padding in the back I got to this point: With the way the plastic is pressing against my head this is the absolute lowest that the helmet will go as I have it right now. Tino (T-Jay) not only offered that advice, but also to show me a way to pad the helmet in a way that I can wear my glasses, so maybe my padding will change again in the future... Am 26.7.2021 um 17:58 schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: My gut feeling with your thighs is to leave the right thigh and just lower your left, as long as its still comfortable to do that. Having said that, you may find tweaking both gives the best result. It's sometimes a bit of trial and error to get the elastics right. Am 26.7.2021 um 18:33 schrieb Morgi: Hmmm, shortening the elastic at the snap? That might work, thanks for the idea. I'm gonna have to look at the snap itself and how exactly I'm gonna go about it. Maybe I'll add another snap, or maybe I can shorten the elastic by sewing and/or gluing that strap shorter. This is what it looks like with a lower left thigh and shortened butt elastic: Correct curvature from the back, even with a bad quality picture. This however led me to a slight problem from the front: The butt plate is visible from the front and slips even more into the thighs. Maybe I'll need to make the thighs a bit smaller or maybe I'll need to do something with the buttplate... I'm honestly a bit puzzled about how to solve this. Any ideas from the experts here? I'll go and research mobility cuts now because with the lowered thighs those will be necessary, I think. Once I've got proposed cut lines I'll be back here. If any of you can offer cut lines (that will be Centurion-level approvable), please share them with me! Anything else that I need to work on I would love to hear about as well, of course! Otherwise you can expect an arms update tomorrow along with the proposed cut lines. Quote
T-Jay[TK] Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 3 hours ago, Morgi said: (...) The butt plate is visible from the front (...) Maybe you can just warm it up and bend it more forward? Looking at the full rear and full side views on page 1, everything seems to be where it should be. Or lift the butt plate, kidney plate and rear armor by shortening the shoulder straps from front to rear. Maybe that works... 3 hours ago, Morgi said: (...) I'll go and research mobility cuts now because with the lowered thighs those will be necessary, I think. (...) Wait, this cannot be undone. Is it really required? How tall are you? I am only 175 cm but can easily walk stairs (both ways) in my armor without having any mobility cuts. Found mobility to heavily depend on the strapping. 1 Quote
CallMeMrTibbles[501st] Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 (edited) @Morgi How far have you got with your local garrison re submission for clearance? We can def get to work with these issues, but we may be working on stuff beyond what you need for basic right now. That's not a bad thing, but it's also a personal boost getting the basic clearance sorted. If you get any feedback from your garrisson let us know and we can work on their remarks together too. Don't forget that your local garrison makes the final call at basic level, so always go by what they say if it contradicts anything here. It's a shame really that we can't just pop round and have an armour party; we'd maybe get it sorted in a night or two (plus it'd be fun to all meet up!). Maybe post on your local garrison to see if someone local can pop over to help. Seeing and adjusting in person is always so much easier. If you want to keep plugging away, definitely happy to help if I can . I have a couple of ideas already, but didn't want to write a several pages long comment Edited July 28, 2021 by CallMeMrTibbles 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 28, 2021 Author Report Posted July 28, 2021 vor 1 Stunde schrieb T-Jay: Maybe you can just warm it up and bend it more forward? Looking at the full rear and full side views on page 1, everything seems to be where it should be. Or lift the butt plate, kidney plate and rear armor by shortening the shoulder straps from front to rear. Maybe that works... I'll try to shorten the shoulder strap next, I think, and see if that helps... It should lift the entire back the centimetre that it needs. vor 2 Stunden schrieb T-Jay: Wait, this cannot be undone. Is it really required? How tall are you? I am only 175 cm but can easily walk stairs (both ways) in my armor without having any mobility cuts. Found mobility to heavily depend on the strapping. Hmmm... I guess I could try for basic approval without the cuts, try a troop or two and see how it all works out. I'm 177cm, so it should be doable, going by what you say. If it doesn't work out until then by me trying to adjust the strapping a bit, could you try to take a look at it when we do the submission pictures? Maybe there's a simple solution that I can't spot and you can't see due to only having the pictures to work with. vor einer Stunde schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: @Morgi How far have you got with your local garrison re submission for clearance? Nothing at all yet, I have to admit. I will move out in about one and a half weeks, which means moving into another squad area. Given that I'll probably spend the next two weeks busy with the move, it might take a bit to get those pictures taken and submitted. Since afterwards I'll be living in a tiny space that I rent from my employer (Catholic Church and I don't know their stance regarding weapons and armor replicas, which makes me a tad nervous, I have to admit) it might get a bit difficult to work on things during the next year, which is probably the reason why I try to get so many things beyond basic approval done... vor 1 Stunde schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: It's a shame really that we can't just pop round and have an armour party; we'd maybe get it sorted in a night or two (plus it'd be fun to all meet up!). Maybe post on your local garrison to see if someone local can pop over to help. Seeing and adjusting in person is always so much easier. Yeah, that would be awesome! As I said, with the move that might get a bit difficult, but if at all possible, I'd love to have someone look over it person. vor 1 Stunde schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: If you want to keep plugging away, definitely happy to help if I can . I have a couple of ideas already, but didn't want to write a several pages long comment Thanks for all the help so far, Rich! I would love to hear your ideas, even (or especially if) that turns into several pages! It's fascinating to hear what others spot, what ideas they have and how some tiny details can improve the overall look and effect vastly. Truly, I look forward to any and all contributions by you (and all the other wonderful people on here) in the future! Quote
CallMeMrTibbles[501st] Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 I forgot you mentioned about moving areas. If you haven't already, I recommend contacting (and maybe joining) the new garrison as soon as possible. It will be good to hit the ground running when you've moved, and you may even be able to share a work / storage space with fellow garrison member if the church is disapproving (no promises, but worth looking into). I'll put together something with suggestions. Could be a day or two, but I won't forget to do it 2 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 28, 2021 Author Report Posted July 28, 2021 vor 1 Minute schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: I forgot you mentioned about moving areas. Haha, half the time I forget about it myself until my parents mention that I need to clean up my work area in my room if I want them to drive my stuff vor 3 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: If you haven't already, I recommend contacting (and maybe joining) the new garrison as soon as possible. It will be good to hit the ground running when you've moved, and you may even be able to share a work / storage space with fellow garrison member if the church is disapproving (no promises, but worth looking into). Yeah, that's probably a good idea... I'm already in contact with Tino (T-Jay) from my new squad (or the squad that I plan to join, I should say) but it might be good to get to know some of the others as well, especially regarding that work space. I should be able to store my stuff in my transport box, but working on things might get difficult, depending on the room. We'll know more in two weeks, I guess vor 6 Minuten schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: I'll put together something with suggestions. Could be a day or two, but I won't forget to do it I'm very much looking forward to it! No promises that I'll integrate every single suggestion that you might have, but I'm sure it'll be interesting and informative no matter what Quote
T-Jay[TK] Posted July 29, 2021 Report Posted July 29, 2021 10 hours ago, Morgi said: I'll try to shorten the shoulder strap next, I think, and see if that helps... It should lift the entire back the centimetre that it needs. (...) Instead of literally shorten it, maybe you could just install additional snaps on that strap to get the same effect and to vary in future. Yes, we'll definitely look over everything when we meet for taking for the approval photos. Also I am curious to see Richard's ideas on improving points, so we can get the best out of your armor. And yes, for the basic approval I would suggest to skip mobility cuts for the moment. You are slightly taller than me, so that should work. 2 Quote
CallMeMrTibbles[501st] Posted July 29, 2021 Report Posted July 29, 2021 Hadn't realised that you were moving close to T-Jay. That will make everything so much easier for you. My first thought is really just what T-Jay has already said about moving the back sections higher up. From what I can see in your pics it looks like you have enough space in the butt and back sections to do that. You can use masking tape to hold the armour in place when trying different positions, rather than straight away installing new poppers. Will be easier if you have someone that can help you. But, you still want to keep the top of the kidney and ab lined up. So, if your kidney moves up, so should your ab section to maintain that line. If you are able to do that and its still comfortable to wear (I guess around the cod section mostly) then all cool. Your chest plate wouldn't need to move as you would just have more of an overlap of the chest and ab. Mark Hamill famously was pretty small for his armour, and you can see this especially with how close his ab buttons are to his chest plate. My second idea is really only if T-Jays suggestion can't be done for any reason. As you are currently wearing the armour, where the butt and cod meet is very close. I imagine that the end of the butt plate between your legs is already uncomfortable, and it would likely cause even more problems walking around when trooping. You could trim the butt plate shorter at this point (so it doesn't sit so far between your legs) and make maybe make it a little narrower if needed too. In doing this you may need to remove the front most popper and install a new one further back. (Contact RS for a new popper if needed, as not all poppers work together, even if they look the same size) This should stop you from being able to see the butt plate from the front, as well as make everything more comfortable. Obviously once done this can't be reversed, so (as already said) anything that involves cutting plastic should be a last resort. Yes, this would mean there's no return edge where you've done the trimming. My butt has practically no return edge at this point. It's not a requirement for clearance here even at level 3, and actually allows the plastic to flex a little more without cracking. I did shorten and reshape my butt plate in this way a little, even though I'm quite a lot taller. If doing this, drill out the popper first, as you only need to trim back to the hole, not the edge of the popper. When trimming (as I'm sure you already know), slow and steady. Trim a little. Try it. Trim a little more if needed. These are just my ideas to go into the melting pot. My last thought... Even though you have the uncertainty of the move coming up, try not to be tempted to rush to get it finished. Rushing is when mistakes happen (from personal experience!), and even if (absolute worst case) you can't store or work on your armour where you'll be living, there'll be an alternative that lets you carry on with it. Opportunities always present themselves. Really excited to see your post saying you've got approval! 1 Quote
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted July 29, 2021 Report Posted July 29, 2021 You have a few issues, but you are moving along nicely, Luca! Once you get to meet Tino in person he will be a GREAT help, I promise! It may be the angle of the photo, but without seeing a full length image and not knowing your height/weight I see what may be a potential issue. As per the CRL, "... all costumes are proportional to the wearer in scale, fit and size". Although I can't see the left one, in looking at the photo of the right one below it appears that the rear of your thigh tops might be way too large in circumference and are extending too far back behind the posterior plate. As seen in the reference images they should ideally sit closer in and may need to be reduced. Reference images If this is indeed the case, it's not as hard to do this as you may think. The blue dotted lines below show an example, but it's best to do it in increments until you get the right fit. As for the tops, I would suggest evening them out as seen with the yellow line. Those points WILL cut into you when walking, especially if they sit high. On a side note, if you do decide to reduce the size of the tops, I recommend getting rid of some (if not most) of the return edges, especially in the groin area to prevent chafing. More info on that can be found here. Again, once you and Tino get together he will be able to explain a lot of the nuances that will help, and in the meantime keep posting up lots of photos and asking lots of questions!! 2 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 29, 2021 Author Report Posted July 29, 2021 vor 6 Stunden schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Even though you have the uncertainty of the move coming up, try not to be tempted to rush to get it finished. Rushing is when mistakes happen (from personal experience!), and even if (absolute worst case) you can't store or work on your armour where you'll be living, there'll be an alternative that lets you carry on with it. Opportunities always present themselves. Thanks for the idea! I will try to apply Tino's idea first before starting to cut away on the butt plate (which I would indeed rather avoid. I will do my best not to rush -- and to ask others before I do most things. I would really prefer not to mess anything up -- especially this close to getting basic approval! vor 6 Stunden schrieb CallMeMrTibbles: Really excited to see your post saying you've got approval! Haha, I can't wait for that day myself! vor 5 Stunden schrieb justjoseph63: You have a few issues, but you are moving along nicely, Luca! Once you get to meet Tino in person he will be a GREAT help, I promise! Thanks! vor 5 Stunden schrieb justjoseph63: If this is indeed the case, it's not as hard to do this as you may think. The blue dotted lines below show an example, but it's best to do it in increments until you get the right fit. As for the tops, I would suggest evening them out as seen with the yellow line. Those points WILL cut into you when walking, especially if they sit high. Thank you! I will do some re-work on that, as there is indeed a bit of a gap there. vor 5 Stunden schrieb justjoseph63: On a side note, if you do decide to reduce the size of the tops, I recommend getting rid of some (if not most) of the return edges, especially in the groin area to prevent chafing. More info on that can be found here. Good point and thanks for the link! Since I will be taking my thighs apart once more (at least from the back) it might be a good opportunity to cut away a bit of that return edge at the same time. vor 5 Stunden schrieb justjoseph63: Again, once you and Tino get together he will be able to explain a lot of the nuances that will help, and in the meantime keep posting up lots of photos and asking lots of questions!! I will and thank you very much for the feedback! In fact, here's the next set of photos with lowered biceps (by about half a centimetre) and lowered forearms (about a centimetre): Both of these were taken with the torso just hanging from my shoulders, the crotch snap not closed and without the belt to hold it shut, so please no comments about any and all gaps in that part of the armor The gaps in the arm are more evenly spaced, which is nice, but I might end up taking off that one forearm corner for a smoother look: Good idea? Yes, no, maybe? Next up: looking at my shoulder straps to lift up the back of the armor and trying to find a better fit for my thighs. Oh, and the tube stripes, once they arrive. Can't forget those. Apparently they've reached Germany by now, so it shouldn't be too long now. Depending on how I can lift the butt plate up I'll shorten the crotch strap after that... I hope I'm not forgetting anything 1 Quote
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted July 30, 2021 Report Posted July 30, 2021 I would definitely remove the pointed area on the top of the forearm as it can will poke into you and may cause snags/rips in your undersuit. Excellent job on the wrist/hand guard spacing, and the posterior/kidney gap is absolute textbook. NICE WORK! 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 30, 2021 Author Report Posted July 30, 2021 vor 6 Stunden schrieb justjoseph63: I would definitely remove the pointed area on the top of the forearm as it can will poke into you and may cause snags/rips in your undersuit. Looks and feels better, thanks for the picture! vor 6 Stunden schrieb justjoseph63: Excellent job on the wrist/hand guard spacing, and the posterior/kidney gap is absolute textbook. NICE WORK! Thanks Although (sadly) the butt plate/kidney plate gap does get a tad more visible once I close the crotch snap. Not the shoulder straps, instead the tube stripes template finally arrived! Visibly hand painted, so maybe I'll do a bit of clean-up in the future. For now I'll just let it dry. Happy to finally have completed this iconic helmet for now! I also opened my thighs in the back by removing the cover strips. I'll do some cutting and fitting this evening or this morning and will hopefully be able to present you with a smaller thigh tomorrow to get some more feedback. The shoulder strap may have to wait until I get the thighs done, but I hope to get that one done during the next week as well. If there's anything else that I should fix before I submit the armor for basic approval, this weekend would be the ideal time to mention it, so that I can get most things done until Wednesday. Afterwards I'll probably be too busy packing everything up 1 Quote
gmrhodes13[Staff] Posted July 30, 2021 Report Posted July 30, 2021 Nice work, having the belt on will make a lot of difference to the side gaps, may also pull in your cod/butt. I added a few abs tabs behind the side of the ab/kidney to help pull the sides in. On the right side of your helmet the grey on your outter tooth isn't as pointed as your left. Also you could match the sides of black pain on the vocoder. 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 31, 2021 Author Report Posted July 31, 2021 vor 11 Stunden schrieb gmrhodes13: On the right side of your helmet the grey on your outter tooth isn't as pointed as your left. Also you could match the sides of black pain on the vocoder. Thanks! Guess I'll have to do some more painting/paint removal. I'll put it on the list. vor 15 Stunden schrieb Morgi: I also opened my thighs in the back by removing the cover strips. I'll do some cutting and fitting this evening or this morning and will hopefully be able to present you with a smaller thigh tomorrow to get some more feedback. What it looks like now: On the right I removed just over a centimetre. On the left it was closer to three to four centimetres to get it snug. Any improvements or should I reattach the cover strips? (after I make sure the top aligns, of course) Quote
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted July 31, 2021 Report Posted July 31, 2021 Fantastic work, Luca! From what I can see it looks as if the cover strips are ready to attach, but just make sure that the tops are not too tight. There should be enough room to comfortably insert 4 fingers (or so) in between the tops of the thigh(s) and your leg. If you need a bit more room you can always trim off a little of the return edge (yellow line). "Visibly hand painted, so maybe I'll do a bit of clean-up in the future". Just the way it's supposed to be! CRAZY nice job on the both the painting and placement of those tube stripes. You mentioned you still have a few touch-ups, and I would think about widening the lines in the tears a bit. As Glen mentioned, the vocoder could use a little black paint love. If you have one, I would suggest using a small "Filbert" style (round end) brush for clean/crisp lines. You really are doing a wonderful job on this armor, Luca. If you keep up this rate of excellence, I fully expect to see your submission for Expert Infantry right after Basic approval. Bravo! 1 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 31, 2021 Author Report Posted July 31, 2021 vor 8 Minuten schrieb justjoseph63: Fantastic work, Luca! From what I can see it looks as if the cover strips are ready to attach, but just make sure that the tops are not too tight. There should be enough room to comfortably insert 4 fingers (or so) in between the tops of the thigh(s) and your leg. If you need a bit more room you can always trim off a little of the return edge (yellow line). Thank you so much! There's still enough space as is, but I might still take off the return edge in the future, especially if I happen to regain some of my muscle. Next up: cutting that blue line and attaching the cover strips vor 10 Minuten schrieb justjoseph63: "Visibly hand painted, so maybe I'll do a bit of clean-up in the future". Just the way it's supposed to be! CRAZY nice job on the both the painting and placement of those tube stripes. I'm blushing, lol Thank you so much! vor 11 Minuten schrieb justjoseph63: You really are doing a wonderful job on this armor, Luca. If you keep up this rate of excellence, I fully expect to see your submission for Expert Infantry right after Basic approval. Bravo! Well, I need a blaster for Expert Infantry from what I've heard, so getting that might take a while... Aside from that, I plan on applying as soon as possible! vor 13 Minuten schrieb justjoseph63: You mentioned you still have a few touch-ups, and I would think about widening the lines in the tears a bit. As Glen mentioned, the vocoder could use a little black paint love. If you have one, I would suggest using a small "Filbert" style (round end) brush for clean/crisp lines. Thicker lines in the tears? ... Maybe I'll do that, but I kind of like it as it is. Maybe I'll widen them a bit once I already have the black paint out, but no promises. Thanks for the helpful line regarding the vocoder! I'll get to it right away! Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted July 31, 2021 Author Report Posted July 31, 2021 Well, this has to be the fastest update so far The thighs are glued and currently drying and I just finished painting. Doesn't seem like a huge difference, but there's definitely some more black paint on there: I also got rid of some of the grey in the frown: Thanks for all the feedback so far! 3 Quote
Morgi[Staff] Posted August 1, 2021 Author Report Posted August 1, 2021 Thighs after doing the corrections: Thanks, justjoseph63 for pointing them out, they're much better now! I'll probably mix myself some ABS paste now for those gaps. Would probably be good to get the acetone work done before moving into a small room where I can't work outside anymore 2 Quote
justjoseph63[Staff] Posted August 2, 2021 Report Posted August 2, 2021 18 hours ago, Morgi said: I'll probably mix myself some ABS paste now for those gaps. Would probably be good to get the acetone work done before moving into a small room where I can't work outside anymore Just be sure to glue small strips of form fitting ABS behind the gaps before adding the paste. This provides reinforcement and gives the paste something to adhere to. HINT: Don't go crazy when applying the paste. Trust me. Use just enough to fill the seams without too much on top. Otherwise you will have a LOT more sanding to do. 2 Quote
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