SpacesNoTabs AP Stunt build

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Great job on the ears. It really is a tedious task and not having a deemed would make it even tougher. Keep up the good work. It seems things are starting to get better for you and you are getting more comfortable with the build. 
 

‘’also love the cat tree? Helmet stand”

[SpacesNoTabs]

Thanks @Doggydoc! I did the right ear this afternoon. Took me like an hour of hand sanding. Almost threw the whole thing in the garbage haha! I got it on and it looks pretty good but it's affecting my brow trim height a bit. And my brow trim is having a hard time staying up too.

 

thanks for the tips @gmrhodes13! Good call on doing the clamps. I'll try that next time. 

 

[SpacesNoTabs]

Is the brow trim supposed to be held purely by the pressure between the face plate and back cap? 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

Is the brow trim supposed to be held purely by the pressure between the face plate and back cap? 

Yes it is, unless you have a gap between the front and back cap, in that case it would be loose and you could add some fillers of some type to add a little more pressure

[SpacesNoTabs]

The right ear complete and... a problem.

 

After hand-sanding for about an hour, I finally got the right ear to fit well enough.  Decent gap on the backside, but it is what it is.  My issue now is with the brow trim.  Once I attached the ears and tightened them up, it appears that the faceplate must have shifted every so slightly to where the brow trim hangs just a little bit higher on the left side than the right.  I'm worried that this is a bigger issue that will require taking off the right ear, somehow filling in my existing drill holes, and redrilling to ensure this doesn't happen!  Please tell me I'm wrong!!!  Further, the faceplate and back aren't snug together so the brow trim, particularly in the middle, doesn't want to stay up.  I've been trying to think of solutions to this and haven't come up with anything good yet.  Here are some more pics of the helmet on my cat's scratching post

 

 

 

 

 

 And is it just me or is this bucket very deformed?  I know that they come out of the mold slightly deformed, but as I'm putting it together, I'm noticing how out of whack it is and hoping I haven't contributed to it!

[CableGuy[Admin]]

The right ear complete and... a problem.
 
After hand-sanding for about an hour, I finally got the right ear to fit well enough.  Decent gap on the backside, but it is what it is.  My issue now is with the brow trim.  Once I attached the ears and tightened them up, it appears that the faceplate must have shifted every so slightly to where the brow trim hangs just a little bit higher on the left side than the right.  I'm worried that this is a bigger issue that will require taking off the right ear, somehow filling in my existing drill holes, and redrilling to ensure this doesn't happen!  Please tell me I'm wrong!!!  Further, the faceplate and back aren't snug together so the brow trim, particularly in the middle, doesn't want to stay up.  I've been trying to think of solutions to this and haven't come up with anything good yet.  Here are some more pics of the helmet on my cat's scratching post
 

 

 

 

 
 And is it just me or is this bucket very deformed?  I know that they come out of the mold slightly deformed, but as I'm putting it together, I'm noticing how out of whack it is and hoping I haven't contributed to it!

Haha. Deformed, wonky, twisted…. YES!! All of the above! And that’s why we luv ‘em! Lol

Honestly, as someone whose built many, many helmets, and know the original helmets better than I know my own children (!), you’re doing a really good job. Those ears look great.

When I’m building a helmet, it’s really easy to get too focused on certain areas - trying to get it “perfect”. However, when you view it objectively, like I’m viewing yours, you’ve really nothing to worry about at this stage.

If the brow really won’t stay up, you could always consider a little drop of glue here and there within the channel of brow trim. (Trying to drill new holes and change the alignment of the face plate/back and cap at this stage could end badly).

Keep up the great work, Trooper.

[SpacesNoTabs]

Hahaha well I'm glad it's wonky then!! I must get a little too caught up in trying to get it perfect to the point it stresses me out! I must look at the haphazard outfits everyone in the movies wore to chill out. And really, seeing my little boy and girl putting the bucket on their tiny heads and dancing around like monkeys reminds me to just have fun with it! Because it IS fun and this has been a dream of mine for years and I didn't think I could accomplish it but I am thanks to all you amazing troopers!!! 

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Yes, I totally get you. Honestly, I find this most when painting a helmet. I get frustrated sometimes if it’s not quite how I planned. However, I come back to it the next day, compare it to the reference photos, and then (usually) feel better.

Haha - yes, it’s super when our children get excited about it too.

[SpacesNoTabs]

Added a couple drops of glue on the brow trim as suggested.  Good tip!

 

I'm looking at the tube stripes now.  I'm going with the decals for now (don't hate!).  I took the decals and temporarily affixed them on there.  They barely fit, if at all.  Here's pics of them on there, also with a pencil as if I'm not mistaken, they're supposed to be that width from the top of the cheek.  Should I just attach them, starting as close to the ear as possible?  Should I remove one of the blue lines or would that get me immediately discharged from the Empire?

 

 

 

 

[CableGuy[Admin]]

Added a couple drops of glue on the brow trim as suggested.  Good tip!
 
I'm looking at the tube stripes now.  I'm going with the decals for now (don't hate!).  I took the decals and temporarily affixed them on there.  They barely fit, if at all.  Here's pics of them on there, also with a pencil as if I'm not mistaken, they're supposed to be that width from the top of the cheek.  Should I just attach them, starting as close to the ear as possible?  Should I remove one of the blue lines or would that get me immediately discharged from the Empire?
 

 

 

 

Hey trooper,

From those photos, it looks like you might have the decals on the opposite cheeks. See here: https://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/44755-tube-stripes-anh-stunt-dave-m/

You’re correct about a pencil width from the cheek. Where you have them looks pretty good.

Regarding how many there are, if you don’t quite have enough room, simply don’t apply one or two from the back of the decal. Between 9 and 16 stripes is acceptable.

[TKSpartan[Staff]]

[SpacesNoTabs]

Good catch

[SpacesNoTabs]

The other day I tried gluing one of the flexible handguards to the glove using E-6000.  Epic failure.  When I put the glue onto the handguard, it just rolls off.  I tried sanding it based on the instructions in one of the forums, but you can't really sand silicon or latex or whatever it is.  Any other suggestions?  Thought about maybe a different method like velcro or something!

[revlimiter[Staff]]

https://www.loctiteproducts.com/en/products/fix/super-glue/loctite_plasticsbondingsystem.html

 

This is what I used and I think it's what you're after. I picked mine up at the local Ace Hardware. The silicone and rubber are extremely bonded on my own gloves.

[SpacesNoTabs]

I'll try that!

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

On one loos brow trim I just added a couple of pieces of scrap plastic and wedged between the brow trim and front face plate, added a little glue to those pieces once I was happy with appearance.

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

10 hours ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

The other day I tried gluing one of the flexible handguards to the glove using E-6000.  Epic failure.  When I put the glue onto the handguard, it just rolls off.  I tried sanding it based on the instructions in one of the forums, but you can't really sand silicon or latex or whatever it is.  Any other suggestions?  Thought about maybe a different method like velcro or something!

I actually did the exact same thing yesterday. 
 

I messaged Mark at AP props and this was his reply:

 

”you need CA glue with promotor that's the only thing that will work.Just apply a very thin strip all around approx 1 cm from inside edges, don't put any in the middle so when the gloves stretch there's less stress on hand plates.

 

I actually tried something a bit different last night by putting CA glue on the underside of the silicone and let it dry then glued it to the glove with the E6000. Will need to wait until tomorrow to see if it worked.  The CA glue did stick well to the silicone and didn’t crack off when I flexed it around.  

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Really depends on the handplates and the gloves, I've run into issues with three different combinations, last one I used a black industrial silicon and was the only think that held, super glue ripped the backing off the silicon handplates, E6000 just peeled when flexing hands. A bit of trial and error, try a test section first  

[SpacesNoTabs]

@Doggydoc that's good info. I think the loctite that @revlimiter suggested is CA glue but I'll have to double check. My biggest concern is that it sounds rather permanent so if I misalign it, I'm out of luck! 

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

Yes. The locktite is CA glue. 
I followed Just Joseph’s thread on attaching the hand guards by placing them onto the glove while wearing it and tracing it with a pencil. Then lightly sanded the glove on the area it would be attached. Then you can see exactly where to place it when the glove is off your hand. 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Doggydoc

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

13 hours ago, Doggydoc said:

I actually tried something a bit different last night by putting CA glue on the underside of the silicone and let it dry then glued it to the glove with the E6000. Will need to wait until tomorrow to see if it worked.  The CA glue did stick well to the silicone and didn’t crack off when I flexed it around.  

So here’s an update. 
This did not work.  The CA glue pulled off the silicone. I assume the activator is the key to making it stick.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Doggydoc

[SpacesNoTabs]

The stuff that @revlimiter suggested above may be the key. It has a plastics primer on it so I'll probably try that. 

[revlimiter[Staff]]

Really, that Plastic Bonding System worked amazingly.

 

I spent a long while lining up the silicone on my glove where I wanted it, making fists and vulcan salutes and all sorts of things till I was sure it was in both a correct and natural fitting spot. I marked the edges of the white plate with a pencil on the gloves. And then I roughed up the back of the glove very slightly with some fine sandpaper. Probably around 400 grit.

 

I made sure the silicone was very very clean as it had picked up some junk and crap over the many fittings. I also cleaned extra sanded rubber off the back of the glove.

 

Then I followed the directions with the plastic bonder. I did most of the center area with the activator on both pieces of material, let it dry, and then applied the glue. Then I applied a paper towel to the top and a heavy book on top of that and let it sit a day.

 

The next day I inspected and saw what stuck and what didn't. I rolled the glove to the next position, lifted, primered, and re-glued. Then another day of pressure.

 

I think it took about 4 days of gluing to get every piece glued down. But they're VERY glued down. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I use my centurion gloves to protect my hands when boiling armor... and I've boiled quite a few pieces since installing those silicone plates with the plastic bonder. Nothing has come loose, even with repeated contact with boiling water and steam.

[SpacesNoTabs]

3 minutes ago, revlimiter said:

Really, that Plastic Bonding System worked amazingly.

 

I spent a long while lining up the silicone on my glove where I wanted it, making fists and vulcan salutes and all sorts of things till I was sure it was in both a correct and natural fitting spot. I marked the edges of the white plate with a pencil on the gloves. And then I roughed up the back of the glove very slightly with some fine sandpaper. Probably around 400 grit.

 

I made sure the silicone was very very clean as it had picked up some junk and crap over the many fittings. I also cleaned extra sanded rubber off the back of the glove.

 

Then I followed the directions with the plastic bonder. I did most of the center area with the activator on both pieces of material, let it dry, and then applied the glue. Then I applied a paper towel to the top and a heavy book on top of that and let it sit a day.

 

The next day I inspected and saw what stuck and what didn't. I rolled the glove to the next position, lifted, primered, and re-glued. Then another day of pressure.

 

I think it took about 4 days of gluing to get every piece glued down. But they're VERY glued down. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I use my centurion gloves to protect my hands when boiling armor... and I've boiled quite a few pieces since installing those silicone plates with the plastic bonder. Nothing has come loose, even with repeated contact with boiling water and steam.

Vulcan salute hahaha

 

I must be missing something. What white plate are you talking about? My kit came with the silicone and also some plastic guards but I just assumed it was so I had a choice. Do the plastic ones go on top of the silicon?? Applying these things is a lot more complicated than anticipated! Genuinely considering trying using Velcro. Then if I needed to replace my gloves it would be easy to switch out the guards! 

[revlimiter[Staff]]

Just the silicone hand armor. I was calling it the "white plate. "

 

The plastic hand  plates should get elastic loops installed with E6000 and worn with pilot's gloves. That's what I do with mine on every troop. Never trooped with the rubber gloves...

 

The silicone plates get glued down.