dougefresh

You can get strips of aluminum and bend them yourself, or, you can use table cloth clamps. Check out Kev's TK build in the TE-Derived armor section.-- he's got photos there, and I believe he mentions where you can get 'em. It's been a while, but I think Staples carries/carried big banker's clips that worked well too.

Eric -- I have pipe-cleaner arms and legs, so I have the reverse problem -- figuring out how much smaller I can make stuff. Richard -- yeah, they're drastically different, huh? Not even close. But I love the asymmetry. All part of the mystique, I think. Got the helmet all tarted up in Rustoleum today after work. Man- you really have to get the can close and lay it on thick to get that nice candy shell! I was trying to be all conservative at first, and nothin' was happening-- so the next two coats, I just got right up in there and caked it on. I figured if I was gonna' screw up, I might as well go big. Turned out pretty good, I think. A few mistakes, but nothing that made me want to cry. It'll probably look worse to me tomorrow, but for now--- ooooooh shiny! I did make a couple of boo-boos... my finger slipped on the nozzle and got in the way, so I got a few little splatters in the finish. Does anyone know if I might be able to buff out the minor blemishes after the paint cures? I could use some advice, if anybody's been in the same boat.

Thanks, dude! I know it's not everyone's favorite, but I think the high brow is the shizzy.

ATA was nice enough to send me some reference pics, so I thought I'd label them and share 'em with everyone else. Hopefully these will come in handy for everybody.

Umm, not really, but it's on the part of my arm that will usually be tucked against my body-- thank goodness. It might just be that particular piece, in this one particular pull, but my inner left bicep had absolutely no edge on the top. The junk excess plastic ran right up to where the inside of the return edge should be. I think I'll be able to heat it up and make a lip on my own, though. My bicep will just have 1/4" or so less on top. No biggie... I hope.

Ahhhhh... so THAT'S what it looks like when you don't screw it up. Oh man... looks like I'm gonna' need to perform a rescue operation on mine. Hmmm... hope I left myself enough plastic to put an edge on it. Thank you for posting that! You're a life saver. This helps A TON!

Holy crapola! Man -- you make it look easy, Eric. Wow! Dunno if this is something you haven't gotten to yet, but I'd try and pull the shoulder bells in and down a few inches, so they're nice and snug against the chest plate. Other than that -- dang, that thang's purdy!

Did AP change his set up, or materials? Is it just me, or does that look a whole lot sharper than the kits from a couple years back?

Hadn't thought about that. Probably a good idea, huh? Less risk of things getting scraped and scuffed. You're a genius! Yup. Totally going to do the snaps before I paint.

I'm in the same boat-- finding time is the big kicker.... okay, finding time *without* letting all my other responsibilities go to crap. (Not doing so hot with that one this weekend. ) As for the bicep, it's this guy: Thanks, man! I really appreciate it.

Haha!!! Isn't it the BEST, opening that box for the first time? It's like a time-machine-- makes you feel like a little kid just like *that*! You're gonna' have a blast!

I've used CA glue, Plastic Weld and the 2-part epoxy. CA glue dries in clumps, and is really brittle, so I'd recommend avoiding it. The 2-part epoxy (DevCon Welder) works alright, but it's very unforgiving. If you use it, make sure you get your pieces aligned correctly the first time, or things will get messy if you try and re-situate a part after you've applied the glue. The Plastic Weld works great, but I've only used it very sparingly on seams-- it actually melts the plastic chemically, so if you use it, go easy, and/or be very careful. Also, don't get any of it on armor parts that are going to be exposed-- it takes the gloss right off ABS and leaves a noticeable dull patch wherever it comes in contact with the plastic. For the build I'm working on, I'll be trying E6000 this time. Everyone here raves about it, and apparently, it's got a little flex to it. I've heard nothing but good things. Hope that helps!

No doubt. I haven't started to *think* about painting the armor yet. I still need to sand, fit, shape and glue everything! I'm trying to reign myself in from goin' all crazy and rushing stuff. Fortunately-- and unfortunately -- I've been up to my eyeballs in web design projects, so it's forced to me to slow down and do one thing at a time.

Got the rest of the body armor trimmed last night. Now: LOTS of sanding. Followed by some shaping with the modeling iron. Some trimmed armor, a nice fat gash in my thumb, a couple of blisters from the lexan scissors, and a bit pile of scraps. Awesome! Sprayed the inside of the helmet black yesterday as well. Not at all accurate, but I think it adds a lil' summin' summin'. Assembled and primed the helmet today. Looks to me like he needs a little more trimming, but all in all, not bad. Hopefully the weather will hold out and I'll be able to bust out the gloss Rustoleum this week.

That is looking NICE, Johnny! Would you mind posting some pics of the left (as you're looking at it) bicep? Mine came out lookin' kinda funky-- I'd like to compare, if you have time.

Might be my imagination, but the cheeks look fuller too. And the cap n' back, of course, is much more defined. And the back has such a nice, swooping bell shape. Awesome. I love the bumpy look for a sandy, but I love the added detail in the traps and the ridge for a clean TK. Post up all the pics you want! I love lookin' at this stuff. Can't wait to see it all finished out!

That looks fantastic, Mark! Is it just me, or do the HDPE helmets have a slightly different character than the ABS and styrene ones? They seem a bit squatter to me. I dig it!

YES!!! Nice job! That's a night and day difference! Looks SOOOOO much better! Well done! If you want to go one step further, do a search on the forum for "return edge mod". There's some really helpful tutorials on how to put a lip on the curve, so you maintain the illusion of thickness.

I think you're right on the money. You don't want them to taper -- you're going to have to fit boots inside them, and you want a little bit of wiggle room so you can pivot and walk, etc. For my $.02, what you have looks correct!

I thought I should probably trim it to the 2nd line, but since I've never worked with an ATA kit before, I figured I should ask. Better safe than sorry. I hear you on the return edge, Dennis -- I'm leaving one only where it makes sense. Or that's the goal, anyway. The pencil is my friend. I mark EVERYTHING before I trim it. I've gotten myself in big trouble trying to trim freehand in the past, so I just don't do it anymore.

Got some trimming done tonight. Trying to leave material for a return edge wherever possible-- I'm sure my first round of heinous armor bites will show me where to trim more. There's gonna be a lot to shape with the modeling iron, I think. I had a dum-dum question about the shoulder bells, if anyone could help me. It almost looks like there's two sets of trim lines on these puppies. Should I trim to the second "line", or did I get it right? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully I'll get the limbs trimmed tomorrow... I'd like to prime the helmet as well, weather permitting. Fingers crossed!

Thanks, Eric. I felt like I might have come off kinda snobby. I'm glad you took it the way I intended. I completely ruined a leg, and a forearm when I was building my first suit, and was totally bummed about it. In fact, this time around, I trimmed a little more off the cap n back than I wanted to. Now I have a small gap between the brow and the top of one ear. Grrr. Been brainstorming about how I'm gonna fix it. Gonna' go post in my own thread now-- stumped about the trim line in the shoulder bells. Other than the chest plate, everything is lookin' first-rate!

I hate to say it -- seriously, just thinking about it makes me wince with sympathy -- but I would strongly recommend replacing the whole chest piece. I honestly think the curve is too high to salvage it. Not without completely sacrificing accuracy, anyway. Man-- I really don't want to be "that guy", and it kills me to rain on your parade, but that's my honest opinion. Sorry, bro! **EDIT** -- You know what? I'm a big ol' jerk. Looking more closely at Luke's armor, you've got just enough room to emulate the original curve, I think. Personally, I'd still replace it, but I was talking out of my butt when I said it was unsalvageable. Sorry for being a doofus.

I got the Rustoleum-- I've been waiting for it to quit raining here in Denver so I can paint. This weekend's weather is supposed to be nice, so I'm really hoping I'll be able to get it done!

You gotta' respect a guy who even provides his own Cliffs Notes.