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dougefresh

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Posts posted by dougefresh

    Back from a Houdini act

    in New Member Introductions Archive

    Posted

    Dude! Are you *trying* to make me file Chapter 11?

    Secretary Paulson will not be dishing out a 700 billion dollar bailout for the United Bank of Doug-- I can promise you that, pal. :D

     

    I think next up on the armor bankruptcy tour is another TK kit, only this time, I wanna do it right and go for Elite status.

     

    Then a Scout.

     

    Then a TI.

     

    THEN a snowy.

     

    They will all look very nice holding a hobo bindle, decorating my cardboard box. :D

    "Pass them cold pork n' beans this-a-way, Boxcar Tarkin"

    New Recruit Introduction

    in New Member Introductions Archive

    Posted

    Hi, Wayne!

    Welcome!

     

    I'm new as well (or re-newed, to be exact) and have also been kicking around the idea of buying an AP kit.

    And although I'm not certain if it's 100% kosher with the board rules to quote vendor prices, I'd say the number you heard is the going rate.

     

    Occasionally, you can find a smokin' deal on the board-- or, gasp! the big auction site -- for AP armor, but I've heard of prices higher than what you stated as well.

    I think the quote you got was on the level -- at least in my limited experience.

    Back from a Houdini act

    in New Member Introductions Archive

    Posted

    If by "up to snuff" you mean "riddled with tragically ham-fisted, laughable newbie mistakes", I'm WAY ahead of you, sir. :D

     

    Everything's trimmed out, and most of it's glued... for better or worse...

    I have a pretty nasty bubble in the seam of my right thigh piece that's particularly attractive. Ugh :P

     

    I dunno... it's been fun, and I've learned a TON, and I plan on finishing it up, but anyone who knows their stuff will have no doubt that a beginner assembled this thing.

    It screams "I've never done this before". :D

    Next time, I'm definitely going to enlist the help of some grizzled veterans. ;)

     

    I'll glue the last shin and forearm tomorrow... then it's on to the strapping.... which seems really daunting, and makes me very nervous, for some reason.

    I may have to hit you up for some expert assistance, Scott.

     

    Weird thing is... I'm not even done screwing up my first kit yet, and I already can't wait to start another one... hopefully with a dramatic reduction in boo-boo's. :lol:

    Back from a Houdini act

    in New Member Introductions Archive

    Posted

    I'm not sure anyone remembers me or not, but I thought I would re-introduce myself, being that I kinda vanished from the board for about a year, dealing with some family stuff.

     

    My name's Doug.

    I live in Denver, Colorado, and am a Creative Director (glorified graphic/motion designer) for a streaming media company.

    I play bass, compose music and like to write -- the "dork trifecta" as I like to call it.

    I've also taken up mural painting, which has been kinda fun.

     

    After a long, arduous absence from a hobby I really love, I'm very much looking forward to completing the GF kit that's been laying in parts in my storage room for about eight months.

    Can't wait -- even though I've already made some pretty ugly newbie mistakes on it. :blush:

     

    Anyway -- it seems as though not a whole lot has changed here since I left-- which is AWESOME.

    I continue to be amazed at how incredibly generous, helpful and talented the members of this board are!

     

    I'm kind of embarrassed for disappearing like I did, and I hope I didn't step on anyone's toes.

    If I did, I'll make it right.

     

    Anyway, I hope to contribute in anyway I can, and I really look forward to learning more from all the ridiculously cool, creative people here!

     

    Cheers,

     

    Doug

  14. Seperating Cod and Tail

    in Assembly, Mods, and Painting

    Posted

    What binnies do you get from cutting the butt? I havent done mine yet...

     

    Makes it more accurate, if you're going for the ANH look... and supposedly, it makes it easier to sit down and bend over.

    I had the ab and the kidney/ butt cut on my FX, and it does allow a *bit* more flexibility. But as anyone who has dropped anything in armor knows, it's gonna' be a pretty comical experience no matter what. You're gonna look like a doofus tryin' to pick it up either way. :P

    Yet another new guy

    in New Member Introductions Archive

    Posted

    Thanks, and I appreciate your input. :) I do have a holster and an E-11 blaster ready to go. This was just a quick snapshot I took to see how I looked from a different point of view. ("I can't see a thing in this helmet!") You are right about those drop boxes - I'll get to fixing them so they hang in the correct places.

     

    I am also becoming very familiar with the TK300 webiste, as its another great reference and how-to resource. Thanks again for your constructive comments.

     

    As I understand it, I believe you should also have black, rather than white, straps on your shoulder bells-- at least the part that goes around your biceps.

    In fact, I think all the straps should be black, except for the ones holding the drop boxes.

    Is that right, guys?

  17. GF and AP Helmet Differences

    in Hard Armor (General Discussion)

    Posted

    Alain-- oh, pshaw. :) I just make stuff look pretty, and animate it-- you actually make stuff WORK.

    I'm eternally in awe of you programmer/developer guys. My brain just isn't wired for that kind of linear, pragmatic style of thinking.

    It completely mystifies me how you guys are so good at it.

     

    Also, much thanks for checking with Mark about the moulds. I love learning stuff like that. Nice of you to ask, and share!

     

    Scott--- good one! :P

    A joke within a joke-- even if you don't think it's funny, you have to know WHY it *should* be funny. I like it! :lol:

  18. GF and AP Helmet Differences

    in Hard Armor (General Discussion)

    Posted

    That's what I was thinking too.

     

    I'd still like to know the helmet dimensions, just so I can at least compare them to mine.

     

    Paul: Ask, and ye shall receive...

     

    Please note that these are rough measurements...

    "Base", is the rough circumference of the cap, just above the brow trim.

    "Crest" is the circumference at the highest part of the cap, before it starts sloping inward to the dome.

     

    AP:

    Base: 29"

    Crest: 27"

    Ear to ear: 14 1/8"

     

    GF:

    Base: 28"

    Crest: 24 1/2"

    Ear to ear: 14"

     

    Quite a difference at the crest, as you can see.

    The GF, as I heard someone put it, is fairly "pin-headed".

     

    The "hero" theory has some legs, I think.

    It's just a guess, but I'm thinkin' GF was trying to get the squat, lowered-brow, hero look down, and simply overdid it.

    Drum set

    in For Sale - Archive

    Posted

    Yeah, but get them to knock on a door... They are never in time. lol

     

    Seriously, you are not the first to sell your musical instruments for armor. I sold my Bass Rig for my first set of TB armor.

     

    Oh man.... don't get me started. I could dedicate a whole thread to nothin' but drummer jokes. Most of them truly filthy. :D

     

    You sold your bass rig?!?!?

    Man.... that would be a heart-wrenching experience. No fun.

    Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Stormie armor, but I've had my bass for 10 years or something like that; it's like a friend.

    That'd be a very "Sophie's Choice" kinda moment for me.

  22. Smitty's TE2 Helmet

    in Build Threads Requireing Maintenance

    Posted

    You're gonna like the Satin on the interior.

    I sprayed the inside my AP and was totally happy with it-- to me, it makes the helmet look and feel less toy-like and "plastic-y", if that's a word.

    Also, I highly recommend going with the liner from a batting helmet. Again, it adds something to the realism, and will let ya' troop in comfort too.

    I also find that it really helps in animating the helmet too-- with the hard-hat liners, etc., your head moves, and then there's a delay until the helmet wobbles around to line up with your face.

    With the batting helmet liner, the bucket goes where you go.

    I practiced the "What? Oh-- the uniform" head-weenie in front of the mirror to test it out. :P

    Good God, I'm a nerd. :)

    Drum set

    in For Sale - Archive

    Posted

    I'll ask some of my drummer pals if anyone's looking for a Pearl kit.

     

    Makes me miss my DCI days. I used to march with a Pearl snare. Loved it.

    I could never get the hang of the whole drumset, though. I just don't have the limb independence.

    How drumset guys are able to split their mind up to coordinate their hands and their feet just astonishes me.

  24. Smitty's TE2 Helmet

    in Build Threads Requireing Maintenance

    Posted

    Man and I was worried about a few little cracks, sounds like you got your hands full. So basically you ABS cemented blue paper onto your armor? Sand it out and use some Novus? What kind of armor? Consider painting?

     

    I *think* it's a GF-- I got it off the big auction site a while ago-- don't gang tackle me all at once.... I was a noob! :D

    Hence, my thread about the different helmets.

     

    Yeah, I more or less accidentally glued a few pieces of tape to the armor. So far, I've been able to carefully pick/pry most of the tape off with the Xacto... it's tedious as hell, but so far, it's working. I planned on following that up with some ultra-fine-grit sandpaper and some Novus.

     

    I got the armor pretty cheap, so I'm not completely heartbroken, but it's been a real pain nonetheless. I'm definitely mad at myself about it.

    I'm finding out rapidly that a combination of impatience and a lack of modeling skills is not exactly the best thing for building armor.

     

    I don't think I'll paint it-- but if I run into too many more problems, it's something I might have to consider. It's been a learning experience for sure. Sadly, I think mine is going to end up looking like a "learner's kit", big-time. Such is the price for being in too much of a hurry and a beginner to boot, I guess. :unsure:

     

    Eventually, I think I'm going to get an AP kit (already bought the helmet) and take another run at it, using my mistakes as a solid foundation of what *not* to do.

    We'll see.... I'm up for a raise in January, so how fast I can move on the rest of the armor depends on that.

     

    The biggest thing I've learned so far is to SLOW DOWN.

    Getting too excited just makes A LOT of extra work.

     

    Live and learn, I guess...

     

    Again, sorry for hijacking your thread. Didn't mean to. :)

     

    As a side-note-- I'd just like to say that from my experience, CA Glue is total crap. It's very difficult to work with. As many of you know, getting the long seam on the front of thigh is a bit tricky-- trying to get the entire seam to lay flat is pretty tough. And the CA glue didn't do a good job of keeping the whole thing in place, even with two clamps on each end, and a dumb-bell lying in the center to press the pieces together. I have little "bubbles" in the seam, and the CA glue has congealed in little globs under them. Like I didn't have enough problems already. :P Ugh....

  25. Smitty's TE2 Helmet

    in Build Threads Requireing Maintenance

    Posted

    Sorry to derail your thread, Chris.

     

    I think I can probably sort things out myself... but, uhhh... let's just say that I *may* have laid the painter's tape a little too close to the glue line on the thighs and shins... and *might* be spending the bulk of my Christmas vacation picking blue tape out of the seams with an Xacto blade. Fun, fun, fun. ;)

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