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I wonder if the traditional Hook method for closing the calves would also be a good option for this kit? The gap may be smaller compared to the Velcro, but a gap would be still inevitable.

Yes, only one side of the calves is glued. The inside seam is where you use Velcro on the tab. The outer seam will face the back, so it's not noticeable. Same kinda deal with the original TK armour. Tip-Be sure to keep the pdf instructions right in front of you the whole time... I often referenced them 3-6 times before gluing/cutting....and then checked these threads/pictures to double-check again. lol (I was very nervous about messing up, which I still ended up doing just recently.)

Yea, there is only the one glue tab. The long side, as you said, will be a butt joint and need to be seamless. You need to use a backing strip, & I'd suggest making it a little wider than the template provided.

Well, congrats on being the one to start a build thread!

YAY! It's official! It's comforting to know I am not alone in messing up. I am sure I'll be able to reconstruct the detail. It is also comforting to know there are other Alphas keeping an eye on the build threads & chiming in with support; it really does help & is greatly appreciated. I am sure the Betas will feel the same too.

Congrats on being the first in Germany! Ask lots of questions & have fun with your build. Looking forward to your progress!

So, I just realized that I sliced off a very important detail on the forearms. Clearly too much trimming & not paying attention... As you can see from the pic (How it's supposed to look vs. what I trimmed off), I have some reconstructing to do as the indent that is to have a decal is basically gone now. Crap.... I have traced out pieces of ABS (from what was provided) and have glued them in with plastic bonder. I'll have to sand them down to the correct shape and then Dremel out the decal indent, then smooth out with bondo... (I'll post progress pics soon) Side note-I tried using bondo for the first time ever last night. I can honestly say I have no idea what I am doing. lol. It's a bit of a mess, we'll see how it looks after sanding....

YAY progress! Have fun.

Right!? SO many curse words. Why did they have to make it so difficult, with messed up angles & curves? lol. (My kit is one of the Alpha 75, so no changes.)

Working on the back/yoke... I really think that the JB Weld plastic bonder is the best option for this piece. There is SO much flexing & tension on this piece. I just applied a generous layer of the plastic bonder and clamped each section together. (I used a thicker layer as each section does't completely flush across the whole section. I hoped that they would be filled with the plastic bonder.) After I sanded down the area that is to be seamless, I filled in any gaps with the plastic bonder. (I added extra on the sides, where the seams meet.) Once it is sanded down, I will try a little bondo to get a crisper seam. ....and I tackled the forearms today. (These were annoying.) Side note-if you can, use a belt sander for any butt joints. I went and picked one up before I started this build & am so glad I did!! Glued in all the backing strips. (I decided to use CA glue on these as it was just easier. I will be going back and coating all the inside seams with clear weld.) Test fitted all the sections to prepare for the CA glue. (As it sets so quick, I like to do a few dry runs, just so I know what I need to do, quickly.) After gluing the 3 sections together, I noticed that they flared out quite a bit. Way more then the width of the top piece. As I test fitted the top section, I could feel the tension on the sides as I pulled them in to meet the top section. (most stress was on the backing strips.) As both the sides has to be seamless, the tension could cause the cracking issues... As much as I hate using it, I dragged out the heat gun... After numerous slow attempts to reshape the forearms & reduce the width...SUCCESS! (I also bent down the little tabs that sticks out. They now sit parallel.) Side note-I am scared to death of using the heat gun. I have had nightmares about melting my armour... All ready for the bondo!

Well, gluing the detonator to the back plate was more interesting than I thought... As the bottom of the DT didn't fit snug, I came up with a brace. It allowed me to glue the bottom in place, with extra support. The gluing went very after adding the brace. It was still a pain, but it worked out well. It has been sanded and awaits the bondo. Finished gluing the biceps, shins & thighs. (The thighs & shins were the easiest to glue so far.)

I am happy to report that I am almost finished the thermal detonator! OMG, so relieved! This was a tough piece to do, but not as hard as I was expecting. I was expecting it to end with me in tears. (Thankfully that did not happen.) I started by glueing the end caps in first on the outer section. I did this because I messed up some trimming and cut off waaaaay too much. There would be no way to push the caps through. I needed to add a shim. (It does help to remove the outer return edges on the caps. It helps them sit flush inside.) Here you can see the shim being added. Look at the size of that gap! Eek! Then it was on to trying to glue the curved section. There was no way plastic bonder would work, so I used regular CA glue. As Clint suggested, I ran a bit of glue behind to give extra support. I took it one step further and coated all the inside joints with clear weld. Worked awesome! (Clear weld isn't thick as the plastic bonder so I could use a paint brush to apply it right into the seams.) Then it was time to fill the giant gap that I had to shim. (Sanding this will be a pain.) I have yet to glue the whole section to the back plate. There will be some creative gluing required for that... But the hard part is over, thank the maker! After it's glued and the gap sanded down, it's just the bondo left.

Update on the progress so far... Shoulder bells are glued together... I had to find the centre of the bells to ensure the crescents went on properly, then I traced the outline as guides for gluing. I have been trying to do the seamless side of the Ab section. I'll say this about JB Weld plastic bonder.... NOT easy to sand. I may be using a bit of bondo to get it looking perfect. I was also able to get the biceps glued together without too much trouble. Given my experience sanding plastic bonder, I think I will head right to bondo for the seams. Also glued the shins. (I tried out JB Weld clear weld on the shins. It sets in 5 minutes, as compared to 15 minutes for the plastic bonder.) Clear bond works pretty well!

Best be starting on yours; I need a build thread buddy.

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes, after using the JB Weld it was clear it would not work well on the detonator. I will use the zap-a-gap and bondo on that "thing" (Said with great disdain...)

WOOHOO!

Just working on the biceps. (In hindsight, I should have glued the butt joint first, instead of the "easy" tab side.) This isn't going to be fun... Notched backing strips Got a nice, snug fit. All the little clamps in row, doing their thing... I attempted to glue the biceps together last night and experienced my first round of frustration. I will admit that this kit can be a tad overwhelming; definitely felt it last night. I am sure there's more to come! Chin up, as they say!

Worked on sanding & fitting the thighs and shins. I sanded down the return edges on the insides. This really helped the parts to lay flatter & closer to the seam. (Which will come in handy when I have to do the seamless parts.) (Left side has been sanded down.) Also took a stab at sanding & fitting the box on the thigh.

My first experience with PlasticWeld went very well! It hardly smelled at all and wasn`t too bad to work with. (Using J-B Weld plastic bonder.) Spats are glued and sanded. Glued the ``easy`` side of the biceps.

Thanks Clint!! I did some fiddling/sanding to get them to do what I wanted. (No improved parts-Alpha)

Moving on to the Ab boxes... (or as I was calling them, the seven little "ears".) The process reminded me of fiddling with my TK ears. Not nearly as frustrating, just tedious. As I will not be doing the edges seamless, I wanted them to sit as flush as possible. Once they are glued, they will sit perfectly. (Side note-I got a little over-confidant with my trimming skills and took a gouge out of the side of box. Just had to sand the whole thing down again; no harm done. Careful, the sides can be a little thin...)

As it has been a while since I've worked with ABS, I chose to start work on the smaller pieces. (Build up the confidence a bit, as this kit is a little intimidating.) I will admit, I kinda missed the scent of sanded plastic! I trimmed and fitted the spats. I will follow in Randall's footsteps and try using snaps on the clips, instead of velcro.

I did a rough fit of the TD, just to get a feel for it... ...it almost ended with me in tears. lol. I will be leaving this to the last, after I have gotten used to/experience working with PlasticWeld. I have never used it before and am not rushing it.

The dreaded TD. The thighs and knee caps. The cod and butt plate. The spats. The "greeblies"

The neck seal, belt & buckle & the soft pouch for the belt The belt boxes. The forearms, The shoulder bells. The shins. The biceps. (**Note-the parts are not in order. I just arranged them for the pics.**)