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Thanks! I am quite pleased with it. I think the client will be very happy.

That is awesome! I LOVE the Vader tree topper. The tree in my house is dominated by Doctor Who & Star Trek (not my choice.)

I have become quite fond of the smell of ABS when you sand it... maybe it's because I have been doing nothing but for the last month or so! lol

Millennium Falcon Project update - 15 hours worth of work = carving & construction complete. Now on to painting & detailing...

Yeah, it's crazy how soft the ABS can get! I have used my heat gun more than a few times already, but it always makes me incredibly nervous. I am thinking I should give the "hot water" method a try when I do my shoulder straps.

Agreed. It would be much easier. (I did mine facing outward to help reduce the gap a bit more.)

Hmmm, agreed. I think the heat gun gives me anxiety. lol. I have visions of the ABS just suddenly melting & warping out of control....

Hmmm, wish I would have noticed your thread before I did my drop boxes. I love that idea! (May just have rip mine apart and re-do them.) I also really like the usable TD compartment. I haven't started on mine yet so.....maybe I'll give that a try. Great progress so far.

I was right in the middle of working on the side rivets, thigh garter & reinforcing the butt joints....but life has other plans for me... Since it's Star Wars related, I thought I'd share... I have started work on a 3 ft. long, custom Styrofoam carving of the Millennium Falcon for a client. This will be a fun commission!

Finally completed the belt. I have been fighting with the sniper plate... I got it to sit straight from the front view... As a result, the left side is a little wonky & a bit off... However, with a little elbow grease and maybe a heat gun, it should line up where I'd like it to sit...

Yes, hooks are tricky. Here's how I get them closed... While sitting, I line up the hooks by maneuvering both sides an line up the hook. (you can see it peeking through)... I have just enough room to squeeze a finger under the armour to help secure the hook. My hooks face towards the armour. (Different than the other picture posted on your thread.) I then line up the top hook and again, I have just enough space to squeeze a bit of my finger in to help out... (Side note - use size 3 hooks. I mistakenly got size 2 but have made them work.) (The little bracing tab I added sits behind the top & helps keep it flush & straight.) I hope this helps give you an idea how they work. True, Velcro would be much easier... Oh yeah, definitely get the cap & split rivets from Echo. I just got mine... (I couldn't find any locally....such a pain) Best of luck.

Ah ha. I was very curious as to what caused those marks. Having never done vacu-forming, I had no frame of reference. Thank you both for the information; I appreciate it.

I went with the hook method as it seems to give you a nice closed look in the back. Velcro seems to stick out more... However, it would be a lot easier to close the shins. I have not found my "groove" yet with using the hooks. I assume that comes with practice. Totally awesome in getting your son to help out on the build! Good Father/Son bonding time.

Excellent progress so far! Great job on trimming those biceps. I am currently fighting with my sniper plate... I think I'm winning? Not sure yet...

Hmm, that was my original plan...just a belt system. Maybe I'll stick to that plan. Thanks!

lol. That's exactly how I felt too. Enjoy every minute of it.

Great start so far! Hope you're having fun.

The belt & shins finally finished setting. Time for a full length pic! -Shins are a little difficult to close with the hooks...without a lot of effort. Have to work on that.... (But they fit nicely!) -Waiting on some split rivets to close the sides and do the crotch strapping... -Need to attach the shoulder straps, sniper knee and ammo belt... -Still not sure how I will hold up the thighs. Unsure about garter system of attaching right to the ab section with snaps... Must do more research.... -Need to glue on the ab button plates....

Congrats! Very exciting indeed. I shall be watching your progress.

YIPEE! First partial fitting of the armour. (I may or may not have squealed) *Sorry for the crap resolution - couldn't find the actual camera* I hate the gloves & will be going with the Nomex flightgloves... The strapping I made is a little big for these gloves and as a result, they don't sit where the should. (I think they should be higher up a bit.) I am open to some advise on fitting, or if there are glaring issues I am failing to see...

Side topic - I tried my hand at Pandatrooper's tutorial on getting a good bend on your belt using a heat gun.... It did not go well... I think there are too many varying thicknesses around the corners and the base. Before the base got even close to being able to bend, the inside walls of the boxes started to warp, slightly... That was my cue to stop & step away from the heat gun. Maybe I'll deal with that another time...and another way?

Almost finished the belt. That was more stressful than I imagined it would be... Getting the snaps lined up on the armour was stressful...to say nothing of drilling through the ab plate! I reinforced the back of the rivets I put through the ab section with plates of styrene. (Was scared of cracking/snapping the armour with rivet tool.) I also debated just gluing snap plates to the armour but figured they would cause the belt itself to not sit very close to the actual armour. The layers of snap connections really adds extra width... Final step is gluing on the square buttons! Side note - I learned that the drop boxes must be fully closed, without using just a back panel...if you are planning on Centurion. I am shooting for EIB, but building to Centurion standards. (Seeing as my armour is recast/soft details, I don't think it would be a good representation of the top award. So, I can let the drop box issue slide.)

Well, the shins worked out well. I discovered I had bought size #2 hooks when I should have gotten #3. Oh well, they worked. I ended up taping the shins closed to help with the proper alignment of the hooks and elastics. Before securing the elastics, in place, I stretched them to an adequate tension to hold the side together tight. (I hoped) I then snapped the magnet in place. Turns out I was right. They close beautifully! I have added the back cover strip last; I would have found them annoying while dealing with the elastics. Side note - In hindsight I should have gotten more magnets, but they are a little expensive. I have made it work with only 9 of them....but I have been working slowly. Thank God for clamps of various sizes. I think I have about 40 of them now. Canadian Tire had bags of 14 on sale for $11.00. Get them on sale.

Sure. Why not? PM me & we can discuss.

Have I mentioned I hate hand-sewing? (I think i did.) "Check twice, sew once!" I had to redo all 6 of my shin hook straps, as I sewed them facing the wrong side... I have marked out the holes I think will work the best. The ended up being different for each shin. as you can see, one naturally closes more than the other... I tried to position each hole/hook so that it provide the maximum closure based on the gaps and the tension? (I am totally guessing here so I will let you know how it works out.) The next step makes me nervous.... lol