Leaderboard

At the encouragement of @ukswrath, here is a post I originally made a year and a half ago on the Anovos FB build group, which is handy for all makes of armor, not just Anovos. ABS Paste?!?! WTF is THAT? I've seen variations of this question over and over. So perhaps this will be helpful. ABS paste is homemade glue for your ABS plastic. It literally melts and reforms the plastic into a solid piece, so it's more like welding than gluing. But as the warning phrase "it literally melts..." foreshadows, you should be careful. Making couldn't be easier. Get a GLASS jar. Don't be that person who makes it in a plastic cup. You know... the one that puts plastic melting stuff into a plastic cup. You've met that guy. Don't be that guy. All you need is a jar, some ABS scrap, and some construction grade acetone. Nail polish remover is NOT strong enough, even though it has "some" acetone in it. Pick up a bottle at Home Depot or the like. (For people in other countries, like the UK, where Acetone is not readily available... you have my sympathies) For containers, I feel a glass baby food jar is ideal. It's just the perfect size (unless you doing something epic!), stupid cheap (if you don't already have one somewhere), and easy to work with. I'm going to assume baby food jar, so if you choose a 2 quart mason jar, scale as needed. In general, ABS paste is practically free, other than the price of a tiny bit of Acetone and maybe a buck for a jar of baby food, if you don't have a suitable container already, since your source material is scrap from your own build. (never toss that armor scrap!) A NOTE ABOUT FUMES: Pure Acetone is nasty stuff. You really don't want to be breathing Acetone fumes. A whiff here and there likely won't cause lasting harm, unless you have existing pulmonary issues, but still, do your best to avoid breathing a lot of the stuff. At a minimum, you can end up with a NASTY headache. At worse, you can actually cause damage to your lungs. Use your own level of protection that feels best for you... some want to wear a full respirator (with a volatile organic cartridge), others, like myself, are content to work outdoors and minimize breathing it. (Once the jar is capped, it should be fine to bring indoors.) FILL the jar with the tiniest scraps if ABS you can get. I literally used the curly-que and powdered scrap from under my belt sander, after all my rough cuts, in addition to cutting up a few pieces of scrap into 1/4" square pieces, with scissors. And now the magic. Add approx 1 teaspoon of Acetone (and remember, I'm assuming a baby-food size jar... scale accordingly if you're trying to go big and make enough for your entire squad to build with!). Cap the jar, wait 15-20 min (or more, no worries) and then check on it. Poke it with a stir stick. (You can literally use a stick. Although IMO, a wooden coffee stir stick (free at Starbucks!) is ideal, and Popsicle sticks have their proponents, too, as does the toothpick crew, for detail work.) If you literally do not have a stick, a strong piece of scrap you don't care about will do, just be careful where you set it afterwards. But poke at it. Get an idea where it's going. Then add about 1 tsp more Acetone. Re-cap it again, wait 15-20 min, then check again, and this time, stir it a little more seriously. Note the consistency. You'll probably want to add some more, perhaps 1 more tsp, perhaps less? You may be starting to get a feel for it by now. Let sit for a good 1/2 hr, then check and stir AGAIN. We're going slow. Slow is good. Watch some TV or read a book. You have better things to do than watch ABS melt in super slow motion. At this point, you SHOULD be close to ready to go. If not, I recommend letting it sit overnight before checking it again. (in fact, that's not a bad idea in general, but it's not strictly necessary) Only add more Acetone if you still really think it's too thick and clumpy in the morning, after stirring it some more. Repeat until you reach that magic mayonnaise moment. Correct consistency is *roughly* mayo-like. I'd say somewhere between Elmer's glue (a little too runny?) and Toothpaste (perhaps a little too thick). Too runny = bad. Remember the "melting plastic" part? You don't want that running down your armor. Too thick and you may get air pockets. Shoot for the Goldilocks zone. ) When you're ready, apply with a stick. Let it dry (duration depends on thickness... maybe 20 min, maybe overnight?) and sand it down. Repeat until pretty. Relatively small amounts (read: the small patches that ABS paste is generally best for) should be relatively safe to use indoors, just be aware of the fumes. Larger projects (or sensitive spouses... not that it smells too different from the nail salon, in my mind) are probably best to work on outdoors. The beauty of using the same plastic your armor is made from, to make paste, is you get a dead-on 100% perfect color match. No painting needed! (note: The level of polish/sheen will not be the same, but the color itself will be a match. ABS paste isn't really good for large area applications... and trying to do that will likely end up causing warping from too much acetone anyway) (2nd note: ABS paste is not as strong as the original plastic. It's not actually a glue, even if it looks like one. For connections needing a very strong join, use CA glue, as usual.) (pre-sanding... but note that color match to the Anovos armor!) The paste doesn't really go bad, but eventually it'll harden and you'll need to add more Acetone. Keep it capped, and it'll last longer, of course... you can dry it out quite fast if you leave the cap off for more than a few hours. Future batches you can probably go faster (read: add more acetone, sooner), but I recommend the slow approach when you're starting out, until you have a good feel for it. Good luck!

Let me pick my jaw off the floor....know what build I'm following when I get my armor!

That's a good idea, actually. If he has access to a particular lid, he can create files for the decals and print/sell them as needed. He's done so for virtually every OT TK lid out there.

Follower cleaned and painted in semi-gloss black. I am still searching for the right tube or rod for the rollers. So I started on the magazine mod. The magazine replica from Robert does not come with guides for the sliding plate. I cut two pieces of 0.008" steel sheets and folded them at the vice with a steel ruler. Test fit with tape. Painted and attached to the inside of the magazine opening with epoxy. I used magnets to pull the steel guides against the magazine walls while the epoxy set.

Hey Ross welcome back and thank your Centurion application, let's do this. CRL and Centurion Application Requirements: All required submission photos are present. Thank you for making all the suggested repairs noted during your EIB application. At this time we are happy to say your armor displays all the elements as set out in the Centurion CRL. Sly and myself would like to congratulate and welcome you to the L3 rank trooper. Beautiful job on your build Other-Armor Fit/Assembly: If we had anything to add here it would be your drop boxes are sitting a bit low since you made the ammo belt correction. There should be little to no gap between them and the ammo belt. I'm sure this is a simple oversight. We're suggesting you raise them up when you have a moment. Alright that's it. Time to get out there and make the Empire proud as their newest Centurion.

Have the decals on my Husky storage container.

Hey all, So I figured I would start this as I have confirmation in quite a bit ha. This all happened a lot faster than I expected. What started as meer digging became a full build. Go figure! I don't have basically any photos as a lot is in transit ha. But here is what is going on, and going big so I'm doing it right the first time! Belt from JAFO is on the way Commissioned gaskets, harness and seal from Soulart My new aerator is coming from VaderPainters ImperialBoots has confirmed shipment of boots and gloves. Got on a wait list on the metal holster from R2Dan Basically all that is left is ordering my TLJ armor from Jimmi (going to happen soon) and get soft pouches. As for weapons I've started a scratch built Executioner Ax but don't have pics or much to show. I'm also 3d printing my blaster rifle (standard rifle) so have a teaser photo! 38 hours left on the first parts. Then I'll start the second grouping.

Basic Information Name: Michael Rivera Camacho FISD forum name: darthRivera 501st Member Page: https://www.501st.com/members/displaymember.php?userID=14876&costumeID=124 501st ID: TK-50601 Garrison: Costa Rica Garrison Mandatory Information Armor Maker: RS Propmasters Helmet Maker: RS Propmasters Blaster Type: RS Propmasters E-11 EIB: Optional Information Height: 5'11" Weight: 190 pounds Boots Maker: RS Propmasters Canvas belt: RS Propmasters Hand Plates Type: RS Propmasters Electronics: Ukswrath´s Hovi Mic Tips with Speakers Neck Seal Type: RS Propmasters Holster Maker: RS Propmasters Helmet and armor material. PVC Centurion Suggestions in EIB request: "The only thing for you will be filling those seam lines on the kidney shims to meet the current CRL" For this, I used bondo. I painted the shim and the applied section with bondo with white paint. I did not get the same white shade of the armor, but I think it's ok, I hope it's not a problem. Pics Front Back Left Rigth Left side Detail Rigth side Detail Action Shot Cod and butt plate Attchment Interior Strapping Abdomen Detail Gloves and hand plate Back, Chest Connection Thigh Ammo pack Thigh Pack Attachment Wrist Side of Forearms Kidney Plate Notch Helmet Helmet Lens color S-Trim Blaster Belt and Holster Thermal Detonator Neckseal Boots No helmet Pura Vida!!

Settling in for a good watch, Matt [emoji106] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks Q. I'm relying heavily on your Ax build for inspiration

Looking forward to the progress, good luck

The book refers to his blaster as a "gleaming red" and in a few places mentions him holstering his blaster. That implies a standard F-11D since there is no easy way to holster the larger Heavy or Phasma rifle version. IMO, it's safe to say that if you take the white parts of a standard F-11D and print/paint them in red, you are good to go.

Dang. You're making all of use mere mortal dads look bad! Very cool! SB

Well done Ross welcome to Centurion .nice build

Congrats Ross and welcome to the centurion rank!

Well done Ross. I am pretty sure you're the first Amour maker to make Centurion in their own armour!

Looks really good, Micheal! I think I'd lower the thighs a bit but aside from that, it looks awesome. I particularly like the painted details on the helmet. Well done.

Well done, Ross. :-) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Let's look at how I finished the belt. I completed this work a while ago with the holster being glued about an hour ago. Keep that in mind, you don't have to work on a single piece at one time. In fact it's somewhat beneficial to jump around a bit as the glue or paint is drying on once piece. Drop boxes are attached using 1" wide white elastic strips hot glued to the back of the boxes and then to the back of the belt. In this photo you may notice that the belt and the drop boxes have been Plasti-dipped white with a coat of Krylon Fusion white gloss paint. I masked off the elastic straps with painters tape during the paint process. Here you can see the sheen. To glue the white elastic to the foam belt ammo box I used hot glue. Like the other glue scenarios, I first scribed some lines into the back of the foam and hit them with the heat gun to open them up. This allows the glued to flow into the grooves. Once the belt was glued, I hot glued the drop boxes on. Then, hot glued the Velcro ends so the belt can be fastened. Final piece of the belt is the holster. I basically copied my TK holster, scaling it down 50%. Here's the paper pattern and the resulting foam. I used 4mm foam for this piece. It will be hot glued to the back of the belt as well. The holster foam was folded over and I used contact cement to glue it, same with the strap. Just heat bend it before you glue it. Makes it hold the shape better. I Plasti-dip sealed this piece but this time using black. No need to paint it as the black looked pretty good. This likely won't fit the toy E-11 that I bought for my son so it's non-functional. I'll see if I have time to post more tomorrow night. I need to do some helmet mods to my kit as I have a troop on Saturday. Star Wars night at Comerica Park where the Detroit Tigers play. Should be fun!

Just realized this: I had meant to type "...hate to C-O-C-K the bolt back...", but it was changed to weenie! I built a F-11D with electronics! You can see my build thread here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10154113391975974.1073741864.606335973&type=1&l=e25b434279

Nice job [emoji106] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Congratulations and welcome to the Centurion ranks trooper

ooooooooooooo MAN! Honestly I'm about 80% sure I am going to pull the trigger and do a Captain Cardinal build. If it can't get 501st approved, I could always just paint it white and go FOTK.

You guys are amazing

BTW, I appreciate that. Hopefully I'll have a good blaster plan to share soon.

I believe I've found a suitable material for the nozzle/muzzle. I'm going to use an acrylic white painters pallet that's available at most commercial hobby stores. I'm also going to experiment with a plastic "poster board" that's also easily available at similar stores. Depending on thickness of each I'll use the templates to outline the necessary surface, drill the necessary holes, then cut, stack/glue, and sand where necessary. Wish me luck! I'm using a similar strategy for the scope. The big issue there is proper dimensions for the mid piece of the scope, as it expands and then widens in the middle of the expansion before reaching the eye piece. I may may suck that up and 3-D print it at my local library. But I'd really love to make it from over the counter parts.

Oh my another CRL here we go