SpacesNoTabs AP Stunt build

[SpacesNoTabs]

Great tips on aligning the stripes. If it gets to the point where I can't get Centurion because of it I'll fork over the $10 or so to get my third set lol

 

Guess I'll head to Amazon for some elastic now. I'll probably keep using the nylon for the snap plates since I have it. I think once they're glued down, I won't have the issue of them pulling out of the nylon. He said confidently.

 

Thanks for the help all, you guys keep me from throwing in the (very expensive) towel! 

 

 

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

Couple of quick things, Chris.  I know it's a pain, but the stripes really should be the "pencil width" from the cheek all the way back.  Don't despair, though!  It took me several tries as well.

 

As for the ear screw depth, you nailed it, and the alignment of the screws with the rear of the traps above them is SUPER nice!  

 

But... (don't hate me for this) the decals on the traps above the ears looks to be sitting too high.  The entire decal should sit within the raised ridges around it.

 

        

 

It should be pretty easy to peel them off (start from the bottom) and then re-apply a bit lower.  The first pic below is an AP bucket using the same exact decals as you did, so I would aim for that look.

                                                                                                  Reference images

          

 

You are doing the perfect thing by asking lots of questions and posting all the photos.  Keep it up, and know that we all had issues.. it can get frustrating at times I know, but you have an awesome "can-do" attitude so I expect great things from you!  

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

On 7/25/2022 at 12:29 AM, SpacesNoTabs said:

The lens material got a couple small bends in it so I'm either gonna have to buy some new stuff or see if I can cut out enough of the existing for the eye holes and use the sugrue method.

Let me know if you need a replacement for your lens. I did not use mine and would be happy to mail it to you. Same for the tube stripes and trap decals if you need another set.  

Edited July 26, 2022 by Doggydoc

[SpacesNoTabs]

12 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

Couple of quick things, Chris.  I know it's a pain, but the stripes really should be the "pencil width" from the cheek all the way back.  Don't despair, though!  It took me several tries as well.

 

As for the ear screw depth, you nailed it, and the alignment of the screws with the rear of the traps above them is SUPER nice!  

 

But... (don't hate me for this) the decals on the traps above the ears looks to be sitting too high.  The entire decal should sit within the raised ridges around it.

 

        

 

It should be pretty easy to peel them off (start from the bottom) and then re-apply a bit lower.  The first pic below is an AP bucket using the same exact decals as you did, so I would aim for that look.

                                                                                                  Reference images

          

 

You are doing the perfect thing by asking lots of questions and posting all the photos.  Keep it up, and know that we all had issues.. it can get frustrating at times I know, but you have an awesome "can-do" attitude so I expect great things from you!  

 

Thanks friend Yes, I couldn't tell if I stretched out the decals when I was putting them on, or just put them too high up.  I'll try to get them off (if I can) and reapply them.  If not, I may just paint.  I have to paint the rank bars anyway so I might as well get some more practice!

 

Thanks for the encouragement!  You all build my confidence.  Wish we could hang out irl!  (look at me getting all emotional)

[SpacesNoTabs]

9 hours ago, Doggydoc said:

Let me know if you need a replacement for your lens. I did not use mine and would be happy to mail it to you. Same for the tube stripes and trap decals if you need another set.  

 

You are super generous!  I wouldn't want to take your stuff, though, as I'm sure it's good to have backups, just in case!  

[justjoseph63[Staff]]

This is what we do here, Chris.. as our mottos states we are "Troopers helping Troopers" (and future troopers, of course)!  We want everyone who takes the time to log into our site to feel welcome and not afraid to ask questions.  As many as you like!

 

We were all in your position once, and yes, there is a ton of information here.  Sometimes it can seem a bit overwhelming, but we are ready willing and able to guide you through it.

 

When it comes to an issue that you may have with your build, we never offer advice without a solution, and you are always welcome to contact any of us in the Deployment Office for specifics.  We are here for ya', sir.

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

5 hours ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

I wouldn't want to take your stuff, though, as I'm sure it's good to have backups, just in case!  

Seriously, I bought a welders shield and used that for the lenses and still have some left over, so I won’t use the piece that came with the kit. And I have painted everything, so I wont need the decals. 

[SpacesNoTabs]

19 minutes ago, Doggydoc said:

Seriously, I bought a welders shield and used that for the lenses and still have some left over, so I won’t use the piece that came with the kit. And I have painted everything, so I wont need the decals. 

 

Alright dude, you are a scholar and a gentleman. I shall PM (or is it DM?) you

[SpacesNoTabs]

5 hours ago, justjoseph63 said:

This is what we do here, Chris.. as our mottos states we are "Troopers helping Troopers" (and future troopers, of course)!  We want everyone who takes the time to log into our site to feel welcome and not afraid to ask questions.  As many as you like!

 

We were all in your position once, and yes, there is a ton of information here.  Sometimes it can seem a bit overwhelming, but we are ready willing and able to guide you through it.

 

When it comes to an issue that you may have with your build, we never offer advice without a solution, and you are always welcome to contact any of us in the Deployment Office for specifics.  We are here for ya', sir.

Thank you friends! Seriously you all inspire me! 

[Scimitar[TK]]

A couple of unsolicited but hopefully helpful suggestions:

 

First is to get a heavier duty nylon webbing (echoing Doggydoc's suggestion), the thinner nylon you have will work but it's pretty flimsy, the heavy duty nylon is easier to work with and is much more resistant to the snaps pulling out. I made a hole template out of scrap ABS and used that to poke holes in the nylon with a soldering iron and it works great. An example of the nylon webbing I'm referring to: https://www.amazon.com/Heavyweight-Webbing-Inch-Strapping-Outdoor/dp/B09QJ4QZ5Z/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=nylon%2Bwebbing&qid=1658964809&sr=8-8&th=1 You can find it at JoAnn fabrics or a similar store if you have one locally, I normally use 2" wide but I do keep some 1" on hand too.

 

The resulting snap plates I made for my kits:

 

 

I've been quite satisfied with using the same thicker nylon webbing to connect my armor bits together, but I do use elastic at some connections, circled below. Flexibility is still great and the armor also stays together tightly. For the elastic connections I double the elastic over, sandwich a thin piece of scrap ABS between the elastic, and run the snap through those three layers. This allows you to unsnap the straps/connections easily and without stressing the elastic too much.

 

 

Keep up the great work!!

Edited July 27, 2022 by Scimitar

[SpacesNoTabs]

@Scimitar there is no such thing as unsolicited advice on this thread! I need all the help I can get! Your comments and pics were super helpful.

 

Just so I'm clear, are you using that same nylon webbing for the straps that you are for the snap plates? I couldn't quite tell from the pictures.

 

Secondly, I haven't researched the shoulder pieces yet. I've noticed that you have some white material with the snaps. Is that elastic or plastic? I'm sure it will make sense once I get to that part! 

[SpacesNoTabs]

The decals aren't coming off cleanly for me.  Instead of buying new ones, I might try my hand at painting.  I've been scouring the forums but haven't found any good info on hand-painting the traps and such.  Do you all know of any good threads or videos?

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Not sure if it was mentioned but if painting use a coat of white first, this will fill any gaps in masking tape so you don't get any blue/grey bleed  

 

Take a look at Dan's @CableGuy  videos, some great tips there

 

 

 

[Scimitar[TK]]

17 hours ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

@Scimitar there is no such thing as unsolicited advice on this thread! I need all the help I can get! Your comments and pics were super helpful.

 

Just so I'm clear, are you using that same nylon webbing for the straps that you are for the snap plates? I couldn't quite tell from the pictures.

 

Secondly, I haven't researched the shoulder pieces yet. I've noticed that you have some white material with the snaps. Is that elastic or plastic? I'm sure it will make sense once I get to that part! 

 

Glad they were helpful! And yes, I used the same nylon webbing for all of my strapping, except where circled in my picture and those are elastic straps.

 

The white shoulder straps are also elastic and will definitely make more sense when you get there, but they join the chest plate to the back plate, hang over top of your shoulders, and also have snaps for the shoulder bells to attach to. For those straps it's especially important to double the elastic over and reinforce with plastic where the snaps go through, those straps in particular see a lot of use and support most of the weight of your torso armor.

 

25 minutes ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

The decals aren't coming off cleanly for me.  Instead of buying new ones, I might try my hand at painting.  I've been scouring the forums but haven't found any good info on hand-painting the traps and such.  Do you all know of any good threads or videos?

 

I still haven't done this on my own helmet as the tube stripe decals are still in great shape, but I plan to follow @Cricket's method of using stencils and a makeup sponge, it's ingenious:

If you aren't comfortable using a paint brush and thinner for removal of any paint bleed, a toothpick and thinner work extremely well too.

 

TrooperBay for your stencils: https://www.trooperbay.com/products/stormtrooper-tubestripe-masking-templates-star-wars-cosplay

 

Edited July 28, 2022 by Scimitar

[SpacesNoTabs]

Took a stab at painting one of the traps. Haven't done the black lines yet. On the one hand I was proud of myself for getting it to look fairly decent! But the black line is still fairly uneven in spots. Been attempting to use a toothpick dipped in mineral spirits which has helped some. Looks like the trap needs to go up a little in the top left corner. What do you all think? How can I improve this?

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Some use tape as a guide, of course you can find it can bleed under the masking tape, painting a little grey first could help or use Frog tape it is good for stopping bleed. You can also go over with a permanent marker just to tidy up  

[SpacesNoTabs]

Huge shout-out to my friend@Doggydoc for donating his unused materials to a trooper in need! Thank you for mailing these to me!

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[SpacesNoTabs]

Starting work on the straps.  Here are a couple pics.  Two things to mention: 1) After I made this crappy one, my wife gave me a rotary blade for cutting the nylon so the other ones aren't terrible   and 2) After making this, I realized other people use the other part of the snap for the pieces that are glued to the armor.  I imagine it gives a little more surface area for the glue to adhere?  

 

 

 

My first question is, when I go to glue these on, am I only applying glue to the snaps or to just the nylon or both?  I've read some of the other articles regarding whether or not E-6000 on the metal snaps can warp the armor, but I didn't really see there was a consensus.  My armor is the 2mm so I'm assuming chance of warping is more limited.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

10 minutes ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

Starting work on the straps.  Here are a couple pics.  Two things to mention: 1) After I made this crappy one, my wife gave me a rotary blade for cutting the nylon so the other ones aren't terrible   and 2) After making this, I realized other people use the other part of the snap for the pieces that are glued to the armor.  I imagine it gives a little more surface area for the glue to adhere?  

 

 

 

My first question is, when I go to glue these on, am I only applying glue to the snaps or to just the nylon or both?  I've read some of the other articles regarding whether or not E-6000 on the metal snaps can warp the armor, but I didn't really see there was a consensus.  My armor is the 2mm so I'm assuming chance of warping is more limited.

 

I use the flatter section on the rear on nylon or ABS plates, helps to sit flush. Depending on the snaps some can only go together one way as the stem length differs, many I've used don't though.

 

Domed on the elastic side

 

Only apply the glue to the nylon, not that it's happen to me but I have heard some have had issues with glue and certain snaps, can cause some heat when drying. Interesting thread here on the subject, another here

 

Make sure you rough the area of armor with some sandpaper to give the glue something to grip too.

 

Also once cut run a lighter or soldering iron across the cuts and melt to stop fraying, or even glue, nylon can fray quite a lot if not sealed.

 

Using some scrap pieces of ABS can help clamp and lay the nylon flat while gluing

Edited September 20, 2022 by gmrhodes13
Updated text

[SpacesNoTabs]

 
I use the flatter section on the rear on nylon or ABS plates, helps to sit flush. Depending on the snaps some can only go together one way as the stem length differs, many I've used don't though.

 
Domed on the elastic side

 
Only apply the glue to the nylon, not that it's happen to me but I have heard some have had issues with glue and certain snaps, can cause some heat when drying. Interesting thread here on the subject, another here
 
Make sure you rough the area of armor with some sandpaper to give the glue something to grip too.
 
Also once cut run a lighter or soldering iron across the cuts and melt to stop fraying, or even glue, nylon can fray quite a lot if not sealed.
 
Using some scrap pieces of ABS can help clamp and lay the nylon flat while gluing

Thanks so much for the tips! Those were helpful. I attached my first two plates. With as tight as these snaps tend to fit I'm not super confident in their ability to stay attached to the armor when I'm trying to pull them apart! But we'll find out. Now that I have the first two on and have a feel for how to do it I will start doing the rest. Let me know any feedback

My next question is how to measure the connecting straps. I have this fear that I will make these connecting straps, try the armor on, realize they aren't the right length and have to redo it. Those snaps are pricey so I'm hoping to limit how many times I have to redo them! Any tips for getting those strap lengths right?

Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk

[Doggydoc[Staff]]

I have the same snaps. The E6000 holds them on super tight.  I had a snap break on the strap but no release from the armour.

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I've had no issues with nylon snap plates coming off. With other places make sure you try to get them as close to the ends as you can.

 

For the chest / ab I taped them together and checked in a mirror on the placement then worked out spacing from there, easy to adjust the tape to get the right appearance. I do actually use adjustable straps for that area too as sometimes the elastic can loosen over time.

 

You can see the adjustable chest/ab straps in this image

[SpacesNoTabs]

Making some more progress on gluing the snaps.  Working well so far.  I'll post some pics later.  Need to order some more snaps though!  The ones I've been using our Tandy which are obviously great quality but super expensive so I'm going to order either Dot or Fasnap, both of which I heard are decent.

[SpacesNoTabs]

First task is to get these two pieces attached. First off, the top one is the kidney piece right? And the name of the bottom one is...?

 

Do I have those in the right configuration? There are notches on one side of the kidney piece and I couldn't tell from some images of those go on top or bottom. Also, if you notice in the pics, the two pieces don't quite line up in the sides. One is more curved than the other. Is this something I need to address now with hot water bath or will things line up as I get them strapped together?

 

 

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

1 hour ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

First task is to get these two pieces attached. First off, the top one is the kidney piece right? And the name of the bottom one is...? 

Kidney correct. Posterior or Butt plate

 

1 hour ago, SpacesNoTabs said:

Do I have those in the right configuration? There are notches on one side of the kidney piece and I couldn't tell from some images of those go on top or bottom. Also, if you notice in the pics, the two pieces don't quite line up in the sides. One is more curved than the other. Is this something I need to address now with hot water bath or will things line up as I get them strapped together?

 

 

Yes they are correct. At times you can use heat to help curve so they fit together a bit better. V tabs may also be an option.

 

When in doubt check our gallery sections  

 

V Tabs:

With a heat gun you bend strips of ABS plastic into the shape of a V, only glue one side (which ever is sticking out) and the other remains free to allow movement when you bend. Just helps stop the butt plate from pushing back from the back plate.