Tesla Kinetic

Good tutorial! Nice tips! I wish I had found it *before* I started working on my ears! ;^)

So here is some of what I have been doing... Finished the biceps Assembled more of the belt ...and moving further along on the helmet ears!

Outstanding! Outstanding! Wonderful! Inspiring work!

there is more than one way to achieve it. For me to understand what you are stating, please clarify...rivets = snaps, covers = buttons...?

So, do I need to drill holes for three female snaps on my belt *before* I glue the buttons on the front?

UPDATE: Touched up AB button plate, heat shaped the belt, sanded and started gluing biceps, started assembling helmet... A few gaps...so I masked and touched up using a toothpick The final result...decent Heat shaping the belt (thanks to Pandatrooper for the tip!) Result! Sanded biceps non matching top portions to an angle and did the same for the strips Prepped for gluing by roughing up the glue area with sandpaper... ...inside and out... ...and the glue portion of the strip... ...taped the inside to help hold it in place... ...glued the strip... ...and the bicep...(waited a couple of minutes before assembling) ...I found I needed a device to hold down the inside as the clamp "foot" is too big...tada!... ...and the waiting of 48 hours begins! Drilled the center helmet holes And assembled! Whew! Forearms and Thighs next I should think!

You are doing great! Much farther along than I am! I am stuck on how to size the thighs and calves!

Thanks, Tim. Do you think the thickness of my strips make the bicep look weird?

So here is what i have been working on. Feel free to answer any of the questions under the last few images: After trying many lids, I decided on using a highlighter pen cap for button mask size Used manicure scissors to cut out circle Secured down with paint can opener Looks good so I did the rest Not perfect but not bad, a little touch up later will be needed LEFT BICEP: What do I do about this? Cut along the red line? Then should the cover strip follow that same cut? And I noticed that the extra strips of ABS I have are slightly thicker than the actual armor. Is this a problem because it looks a little strange? TOP ABS: thickness of armor BOTTOM ABS: thickness of extra ABS for strips

Great info, guys! I will soon need to take care of my holster needs as well!

Sound advice, but as far as "check the fit" goes I have to assume a lot. The helmet will not fit my head as there is no padding yet. So do you mean I should just eyeball how it looks? If so, that would be a problem for me. Is not there an approximate or average measurement for the AP helmet cut lines? Thanks!

Trevor, I *did* use my friend, the search engine. The first link you posted does not address my question of *where* to cut the helmet. The second link has several great images but does not state *how* the cut lines were determined. The third link, same result as the second link. You see, there are so many posts stating “…and then I decided to fit and cut my helmet…†without actually describing *how* that was achieved.

I have read everything I can find on trimming an AP stunt helmet. I really need to see how you guys determined *where* to cut. I admit it, I just do not understand and this is rather critical. This is my first build so I have no reference of experience. Thanks. Post pictures please!

Third times-a-charm...I hope! Color matching test strip for spray paint Spray paint choice and TD re-sanded and re-masked Drying rig Close up After 2nd paint coat / 1st Clear coat 2nd Clear coat Dry fit test! Whadda think?

Amazing that you caught yourself! Soooooo glad you are okay and your armor survived! I shall be more mindful in the future.

Would love to see the pics!

Update on the TD coming soon. I feel like I am wasting my time trying to size the armor. Without a reference on front of me to go by, I am lost. Too many questions. It also seems to me that their should be an established order to size your suit. That is to say, doesn't the placement of the chest and ab piece help to determine the placement of the thighs? Same for the thighs to the calves? Which means - I. am. stuck. I guess I will go back and try to size the arm pieces again.

Ugh. So I sanded off the gray that was too light... Remasked the areas that will be used for e6000... ...and then I ended up with such a mess that it required i wipe it all off with mineral spirits... I can see why people just buy these damn things. Problems I had and need solutions for: 1. The brush hairs came off and stuck onto the freshly painted area. I used medium grade quality brush. 2. Air bubbles visible on fresh coat. I used a toothpick to stir the paint (did not shake). 3. Paint was very sticky and dried extremely fast. I used to make models using Testors in my youth and do not remember the paint becoming tacky in 15 seconds. This made painting almost impossible. The best solution I came up with is finding this exact paint in spray form but I do not think Testors offers it. Also, I will still have these problems when attempting to paint the helmet. Looking forward to constructive, insightful assistant...thanks!

This looks great! I read it in its entirety later! thank you, lady in white!

Okay, so how do you know when the armor fits so you can finish that piece? I understand the concept of "sizing" a garment until it feels comfortable, but this is plastic! I doubt it ever feels comfortable. So my dilemma is that I am stumped, and can not move forward. Does anyone have constructive advice? Or a thorough tutorial they can offer? I have of course been all over the board looking.

Thanks, everyone. I think I will be consistent in the paint colors and use 1138.

Well, poo pants. I thought of doing that but already had this grey for another project and as there is no call out on the CRL... Oh, well, I guess I will just repaint.

No, I have not yet acquired helmet paint. I did not find a paint color requirement for the TD in the CRL. Is there one?

So I was having a bit of a worry that I had not enough ABS material to makes my cover strips out of (there are a lot of scratches and scuffs) that I decided to label everything... Here is my painted TD: Q: does anyone have an idea of how I can smooth out the brush stroke lines? Lightly sand and cover with a Clear Coat polyurethane?