TK6237

I know some people use brightly orange colored ear plugs for this, the type you scrunch up by rolling them between your fingertips before inserting. You can just pluck them out when you don´t need them anymore, and they´re cheap, too.

Using a heat gun or a hair dryer, you can actually form the calf pieces to fit together, closing like a clam shell, with no need for either velcro or glue in the back. I did this on my FX. I just glued the front together, using the ABS cement that came with the kit, giving it at least 48 hours to set. Then, using a regular hair dryer, I heated the calf pieces to the point where I almost couldn´t hold them, feeling the plastic softening somewhat. After that, I just bent them, using my hands, until the pieces were shaped so they would naturally close in the back. Doing this takes a while; you have to heat the pieces, then bend them, then heat them up again, bend them some more, etc. - but the final result is well worth it, I think. Apart from the screen accurate look, you´ll get a pair of calf pieces that will flex in the back, adjusting to the muscles flexing when you walk, or climb a set of stairs. It´s hard to explain exactly how you should bend the pieces, but I think you´ll discover it for yourself, once you have the pieces in hand. You gotta sort of bend the one piece with the "upper" lip inwards, hard, and then bend the other piece, with the "lower" lip, to go under under it. When done correctly, the tension between the two pieces should be enough to keep them closed. To really make sure the calf pieces stay closed, I recommend putting a strip of velcro, not in the joint itself, but on the inside of the pieces, across the joint, somewhere near the top of the calf.

Looking really good, Thomas! You´ve done an excellent job so far. Well done on the shoulder bells as well, looks a lot better. If it´s the sniper knee that´s giving you problems, you could try angling it a bit more forward, away from the knee. This should keep it from rubbing against your knee, as well as hiding under the thigh piece. Might be a problem if you´ve already riveted it on, though..? The smaller ab buttons is a great mod, really helps with the overall look. Keep up the good work! EDIT: I might be able to help you out with the belt, by the way. Check your mail.

That´s always a big hit at our troops. What friends are for, and all that. And thank you. I now have this playing in the back of my head: Put on your white sombrero Saddle your horse my dear And ride off into the sunset You better go For there is no Place for you here ...And now I hope you do too.

I bought one of these spandex suits: ---------- ...Shipping is $20, and takes about three weeks to a month, but the suit itself is only about $9.99. Cheapest alternative I´ve found so far. Sizes run small though, better buy one size larger (if it´s too big, you can just bunch up and hide the extra material under the armor pieces). I´m 175 cm and ordered a size L, wish I´d gone for an XL. Trooped with mine for about half a year now, 6-7 troops, and the suit is holding up just fine. Remember to ask for a crotch zipper. Oh, and I suggest you refrain from browsing their catalogue while at work...They´ve got some serious gimp wear!

I just hand painted my first helmet using Humbrol #14 for the tube stripes (#5 for the traps, and #21 for the chin and black outlines), and I´m well happy with the way the color turned out. However, I used a stencil, and the paint bled like crazy...Even though I used the expensive, blue 3M professional painters tape, an took care to rub the stencil down good. Ended up removing most of the paint with white spirit and a sharpie, and then redoing the stripes only masking off the top and bottom.