Airborne Trooper

Forums going up and down! I did one of my calves over the weekend and finished up one of the thighs. Fitment is much better. I'll use it for basic approval but will be ordering AM. I'll take some pictures tonight.

I did the top and bottom ones then the center. You just need so item that you can wedge between the posts and hit with a hammer. A flat head screwdriver would do the trick too. Make sure you put a towel or something down against a piece of wood so you don't scratch your armor all up.

You can get webbing for cheap at walmart. I never did snaps before now and haven't had any issue using the set kit with tandy line 24.

STOP! Don't use elastic, use nylon webbing. The elastic will wear out here. What I did was use the s-snap indent tool and put it on top of the split and hammer down. It allowed the legs to split apart. Keep hammering away until it's split enough and then you can flatten it the rest of the way with just the hammer.

I am the type of person that HATES wearing gloves. But take my advice and buy a pair of cut resistant gloves. I have cut open my fingers with exacto blades and flat head screw drivers too many times to remember during my build so far. Now I reluctantly wear them when doing something involving prying or cutting with a very sharp blade.

This stuff is amazing. Lasts forever and doesn't deteriorate like belt sander sandpaper.

Mrs. Airborne has had other plans for me lately but yesterday I was able to get about a half hour on the build. Was able to replace the elastic hinge from the kidney to ab with nylon strapping. I also started the process of ironing out the ridge line on the back of the calves. My calves are larger but MTK leaves a lot of material. I figured I can heat it up with my iron and slowly iron out the ridge. Its coming along rather well. I don't have a heat gun and I suppose that would work as well if done carefully. I heat up one area with my hobby iron for about 5-10 seconds then flatten it with my hands. Didn't finish but I've got a good idea how it'll turn out. I figured worse case scenario if it didn't work or turned out funky, I can get the full AMv2 thighs AND shins.

Have you tried sending him a PM?

MTK is getting really popular lately. Looking great guys

I'll be working some tomorrow and show progress on what I get done. I think my best bet is to try and iron out the ridge on the calves as a quick fix. Pretty sure AM thighs and calves are on my list of things to buy

I won't be going EIB or Centurion... I'm be going Police Officer and maybe SWAT!

I've been looking but haven't come across any other MTK'ers that have big calves. Maybe I could iron the crease out? That or get the AM2 as well...

Yeah I did the pop rivets the wrong direction so the part that clips off was facing up. Leaving about a quarter inch or so material. Now, I could have sanded it down but I wanted to fix it proper. I'll take care of that this evening as long as Mrs. Airborne doesn't have other plans for me. As far as the calves go. My only concern is how much ridge line will be shown on each side. I kind of wish it was just round like some of the other kits such as RT-MOD.

Great job! I can't wait to do my weathering as it's the part I look forward to the most.

trooperbay.com for the lenses.

Cricket.....cricket. Had to finish a final project yesterday so I didn't have time to really mess with my build other than start sanding the extra ABS paste off the ammo belt. Still need to know if it's ok to put cap rivets to attach the belt to the canvas and help with my calves.

I got my tandy line 24 snaps off amazon and I don't believe I paid that much.

Surf the forums because there are plenty of suggestions. I have a beer belly too and you will probably have to shim. Research and read as much as you can before your big brown box arrives.

Not bad. I know Mike has updated his molds periodically. Like the biceps no longer have the thumb impression on both sides. I don't want to even begin to say how much I've put into mine all together lol.

I've never seen Mike sign a chest plate. You must have been holding onto that kit for a while. 2012... wow

Still waiting to hear if I should redo the rivets for the belt backwards or should I use cap rivets. In the meantime, my calves are large too and this is how they fit. What would be the best route to do it?

I have been to Joann's and Hobby so many times I should get a part time job there lol. How's the build party?

Alright, so after back and forth I'm shimming my thighs again so they can be wide enough for me to pull up high to give my knees clearance. I'm doing this so I can complete the build and get my basic entry into the 501st. I will be purchasing AM thighs next month when I make my big purchases such as my pack, E-11, etc. With further ado, here's the pictures Since everyone is teasing me with their thin thighs and completion of their builds, I've decided to tease everyone with some pork shoulder I have on the smoker for today. Only a 4lb... I usually do 10-12lbs but we don't have anyone coming over to help eat all this food. KCCO to any of my fellow chivers out there Used my No Smoking sign to make the gap and have used ABS paste to glue it in place front and back on each edge. Couldn't go to the ends because I needed clamps to hold it in place on the one side. Very easy to go back and hit those up. I will be using scrap abs to create a flush top side and will jig saw piece it together while using ABS paste as a mortar and filler. So for those of you following along, it pays to keep all of your scrap ABS paste. Just get a couple gallon sized zip locks and collect them as you're moving along. I had completed my belt last week but realized that the rivets stuck up too much and I would be unable to use the covers on them. I had to drill them out which resulted in melting the belt. Easy fix with ABS paste. Letting these dry and will sand them and re-drill them. I'm not sure if I want to pop rivet them again but do it the opposite direction I had done before or use the cap rivets that I purchased for my thigh ammo belt. I have a ton of them , they don't take up much room and are flat. Suggestions?

Looks like you're going to be having an awesome Saturday!!!!

Plenty of people troop with the OG strapping system. I opted for snaps so I can take things apart for easier transportation. Enjoy the party and remember to size everything up before making cuts.