Clamps

wish I could but I'll be out of town Sat. (

Thanka Dr. I've seen the threads discussing the "lean" of the stripes. To my eyes looking head on my stripes lean forward. So I guess I am in the camp of "I don't see it" I tested placing both sets but was not seeing the difference. I will Take a fresh look tomorrow.

Finally, "brown box" day has arrived. Super excited to get started. I have a very busy work and summer schedule, but I will try to post progress as time allows. Photos for the build will be iPhoney quality, as it is is just too much time wasted using the regular camera. Obligatory Box shot Here are the parts spread out in a dysfunctional way. I received the kit as trimmed, so this is why everything looks nice right outta the box. I decided to build the bucket first as I believe that is the personality and soul that will inspire the rest of the build. all screws are in , nice brow line Addded the decals, these will be replaced come Centurion time, but will do for now S-Trim, this is kinda a PITA to install, moreso than I expected finally the mic tips. These are the AP upgrades, which I belive come from TrooperBay. Not sure of the lineage beyond that. Next up. PAINT, oh boy, I am NOT a good painter, this is gonna be a challenge. Thanks in advance for any and all assistance. PLEASE keep it respectful and civil everyone! ChookaBOOM!

^^^ it's true ^^^ I saw Keith do it in person! Good start Jay!

Shoot, with the knowledge and friends I have gained in the last 5 months here, I would happily pay that $50 to keep things humming along for another year!

Standing by to lend my support to the community that has given me so assistance in such a short time!

It still has lots o bumpy Master Yogurt. I only stripped the paint I make it consistent color.

During a recent family visit in California, I have the pleasure to pick up a modified M38a2 from TK Bondservnt 2392 (Vern). I believe the mod is to remove the LED port or something like that and then it was fixed up with some Bondo. There was a mismatch of paint in the middle area where the mod took place. I sanded down most of the paint so I can repaint consistently. I am about to being a full resin build with this scope as my ANH scope. The blaster will have an alternate scope rail and resin scope to make it ESB ready. I have pre-cut the site rail to rough length. No notches or bends yet until I gave the resin kit for proper measurement. Below is how the scope looks as of today. Not much wil change for a while as my armour is due to arrive this week.' Side View Top View Front View through the Glass Front view (sideways)

haha, I was wondering where the heck I was supposed to install that extra one too until Sean sent me the same info. I'll try not to pooch the others )

Way to go Keith!! Congrats!

Lighter for me, works great.

Added some wire from the counter to the fuse thingumabob. it's 14gaugge copper strand inside, it was nice and easy to shape and it holds the shape well. got 4 nice turns on the inside. the outer one I somehow ended up with n extra loop... eh, so what. time to re-weather, seal it and MOVE ON!! If only the amour would arrive I could stop putzing around with this.

Back again folks. did some repair work for the a couple big mistakes made during the build: #1 LED is rewired and now fully functioning #2 After removing lower t-track on the magazine side, I drilled the holes without splitting the gun in half. This resulted in a nasty shaped hole on the front where it caught on some inside plastic that connected the two halves together. I initially used the wrong type of filler to cover the hole but ultimately it never cured and always stayed soft. Finally got tired of the dent and removed it. Used a fat straw to get the right shape and some awesome stuff called J-B Stick to fill in around the straw. 60 minutes later I sanded it down and smoothed out the inner portion of the hole and it was nice and round. A little out of position, but better than what was there before. Was embarrass by the mistake so I never took a photo of the wound. Here is the fixed version. As you can see the hole on the far right is wonky too as well as a little aggressive with dremel removing the t-track.

this outta get you on the right track: http://www.501st.com/databank/Membership:JoinUs

Today I decided to do something productive (while waiting for my kit to arrive). I built a belt/thigh garter combo very similar in setup to Boomshakra's. The belt and garters are fully adjustable. Once I have the kit and the thigh position dialled in, I will likely lock in the position on the belt with a rivet (tbd).

my pleasure. If you every want to change the "targeted" image or the text, let me know, it's a 2 min fix and I can email you back the file to print.

Thanks Vern, I will consider this option when my kit arrives. See ya out west in a few weeks.

Sweet, it's ordering time!

Just to be clear then for Centurion, I can use the cap style rivet for the ammo box? Thank you Tom, that is great feedback. I cannot find Split rivets anywhere around here, so I will be makign my order soon as my kit shoudl be arriving in July! trying to get my piece parts all ready so there is no mad scramble in the end! cb

Thanks Tom, so if I am reading the CRL correctly there are three places that Split rivets need to be located to go for Centurion Level: Ab/Kidney will require 6 split rivets in the 8mm size Ammo pack will be the 7mm ones like the ones you linked to on the Tandy site or in Sean's listing he has 7mm. I assume that this is CEnturion acceptable even thtough they are not "split" as the CRL references with a "?" (allso no size provided in CRL) The Crotch tab requires a split rivet ... NO size provided in the CRL I scored about 40 sets of heavy duty snaps from a retailer store closing, so I am fine for the Male Snaps on the Ab Plate and butt plate. any thoughts on the right RIVET size for the Crotch Tab?

What length chicago screw do you use? Will 1/4" suffice, or should I got for 1/2"?

ahhh, a team blaster build. Good luck guys, I look forward to seeing the results!

Split Rivet question: First of all, I thought I had ordered mine from TrooperBay, but it turns out I forgot. Soooo the question is, are the two split rivets used on the thigh ammo connection the same size as the rivets used for the ab/kidney ones? if so, I assume that means I need to source 8 split rivets. If I go with the Brads, I can easily find a box of like 100 at staples for like $3. I am sure that would suffice for the ab/kidney, but not the thigh ammo connection. thoughts?

Oh and Humbrol paints and 20 N52 rectangular magnets (1"x1/2"x1/16") are on the way to help the build.

Rivets are on my list of what to get next. Still researching but I know Trooperbay (http://trooperbay.com/accurate-nickle-split-rivets-and-washers/) has some in their supply listing. Also I have seen some folks using paper fasteners similar to these on Trooperbay (http://trooperbay.com/2-inch-fasteners-and-washers/) but I was going to look locally to see if I could find them first. I also need to source the snaps, white elastic, black elastic, and black webbing for my strapping. Hoping I can do so locally.