russellr2d2

I ordered my rubber hand gards from trooperbay and will have them for this weekend to take photos. On another note, I have signed up for my first troop at the Police charity golf tournament here in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl golf course. A few others have signed up as well. Hopefully there will be more. Should be pretty low key and not too hot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Check out the Doopy Doos kit it is based on a real sterling. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Waiting on access to the 501st boards. [emoji102] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

INTRODUCING ! TK20017 NOW ON TO EIB !

Fixing a broken tab. This tab holds the AB & Kidney plates together and flat, no gap on the right side. I broke off the original tab putting the armor on over my head and this tab got caught on my side and sheared right off. Inside view of the tab and slot. Two elastics pull the two sides together.

I went back to CA glue. Cleaned the parts off really good and gave them another sanding. All this was silicon glue and hot glue. neither was strong enough. ----------- I have a little pad of ABS plastic glued to the helmet part. The CA glue is working on this. It has never come off so CA glue should stick to the helmet well too. ------------- Success! The CA glue is strong holding here at the front of the helmet liner attachment blocks. ---------------- Doesn't that TK look HAPPY now !? ------------

What glue do you find that works with the hard hat liners? I have tried E6000, CA (seems to work on the back attachment points but the front ones always snapped loose.) I have tried silicon glue with some success but it does not like the pp plastic of the hat liner attach blocks. Nothing sticks!!! Any luck out there?

Armor approved last night !!! [emoji51] Here's the armor! Still working on it getting some things nailed down better but it is basically finished! Just waiting for my TK number!!! I have a tab that aligns and closes the ab and kidney on this side. I busted it off not gettign into my armor right. You gotta be carefull how you dress.

Thanks Tony, At this point I am just showing off while I wait for my basic approval. One more piece of foam in the thigh and I think I am done. There is a 1 1/2 mile parade on the fourth down here but not sure I want to try out my armor on something like that for my first troop. But it looks like fun! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did you guys see my blaster? A DD's resin full kit. This is a blaster that would be on the Death Star...not on some dusty planet getting all dirty and scratched up. Spends most of it's time in the weapons locker. The business end .... Made a spooky red lens... The D ring... The real business end... On it's stand I made...

Waiting for Basic Approval continued....sigh! Working on foam inserts to stabilize the armor. The knee plate ends up a bit off to the right as I walk so I need to stabilize the shin facing forward. FOAM! Here you can see a big open gap at the sides of my knee. These will be filled with black foam. I start with a long block of black foam on each side. I made smaller blacks and sculpted them.....so I would have something to do today more or less... A smaller block fits in front where the gap is widest. a top piece fills the front. This will also have the effect of pushing the knee plate out away from the bottom of the thigh, preventing it from going under the thigh as so many knee plates like to do. I also have the foam in the back of my thigh so that problem should never happen. The finished foam at the knee. I used Super 77 spray glue for this. The knee plate should always face forward now that the shin cannot rotate on my leg. Stirrups in the shins: I already have big Velcro Patches at the bottom on my shins so I did not want anymore down at the bottom of the shin (to keep the shin facing forward while trooping). SO.....to keep the shins down over my boots while I walk (the shins like to pull up off the boots some) I install stirrups. 2" wide soft elastic strap goes down around my feet inside my boots. The top of the stirrup must be up high in the shin to clear the top of the boot. The big wide and soft elastic is very comfortable on my feet.

Mine based on daughters high school graduation date. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Forgive me, stumbling along here . So when I am 501st approved I will have access to all the 501st forums automatically. I do not have to ask for it. When I am 501st approved I ask for "501st" access within my local Garrison boards, a special local Garrison forum only available to members of the 501st? And, I can ask for "501st" access within this board and get access to a 501st member only forum ? Correct? Thank you sirs! Russell Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do we apply for access to the 501st forums here? Or do we ask for that access on our local garrison boards? On my Southern California Garrison forum people are asking for access to the 501st site forums and getting it. Please clarify. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Waiting for my Basic Approval Continued !! Today I started the foam padding that will keep the loose armor aligned and in place. I found a great foam shop in Burbank California (near my town of Pasadena). The foam store is across the street from "Sword IN The Stone" armor maker to Hollywood if anyone knows about this modern day blacksmith shop. I bought this foam for under $5.00 from their scrap bin. This is the gray foam you use for camera cases. I also bought white just because I do not want to come back. I have the Super 77 spray glue already. To locate the foam you first try on the armor with your black suit. Find out where you can put in foam and hold the parts still and in place. Then glue in the foam. Try on with the black suit and see how it works before the Super 77 sets up too much. It cleans off the Goo Gone cleaner or lighter fluid. The foam changed how the straps held the arms together so I installed a shorter strap that holds the forearm tighter up my arm. The foam creates resistance to the strap and it all balances out perfectly. So, after you instal the foam you may expect some adjustment of the straps. Note below how the short strap pulls the arm pieces together. When I wear the armor they are apart about 1/4"-1/2". The thigh: I think everybody knows about how the knee plate likes to tuck under the bottom of the thigh while walking. This is a close up of the BACK OF THE THIGH bottom. Fill this with foam and pull the thigh backwards against the knee. The foam installed with Super 77 spray glue. Two layers, staggered and cut at a bevel so my foot will not tear it off going through the thigh as I put it on (hopefully). So the idea is not to just glue in a block, but to fit in sculpted pieces. Here the foam is holding the bottom of the thigh back against my knee so the knee plate cannot get under it.

There should be a wax product with UV protection that does not get sticky Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

.

Thanks Tony, In one review a guy talks about the product leaving a film that is "sticky". What experience do you have with this wax? Does it buff off dry like a normal wax?

Waiting on word from my GML & the 501s about my BASIC approval.... How many coats of wax can you put on your armor anyway? looking for a wax with a UV protector in it.

Is E6000 stinky? I love the smell of E6000 in the morning! [emoji88] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Waiting for 501st Basic Approval: Installation of the sound system: Amplifier and i-pod shuffle. A wide & soft elastic with snaps holds the amplifier in place. Note the thin plastic in the snaps There is a bit of yellow foam under it to keep it from rattling around. The Shuffle will be used to make TK background sounds, radio chatter. Hope my daughter doesn't notice her old i-pod is missing !!!! I marked a white dot and line where the midpoint on the volume is. Nice and loud without feedback.

You tease! Taking care of other things while I wait. I need to mount the Aker amplifier. Any links that show how others have done it? EDIT: duh...just googled it and found lots of photos...easy! Thanks! Russell

The work continues: Heat bending and polishing. While I wait for my GML to get back to me I am working on some extra touches to get my armor to fit better. Up first is the butt plate has the front ends splayed out. I noticed this in my Basic application photos. I decided to heat bend them in to hug my hips. First I taped the ends together to hold the flaps inward. Then I used a heat gun to get the stress points hot. These are where the plastic is bending naturally while being held with the tape. The trick is to get the plastic hot NOT SOFT ! Keep the heat gun moving and never closer then about 10". Keep the tape on until the plastic is cold again. I managed to bring in the sides over THREE inches ! I did the heat bending three times with different tape applications pulling the sides together different directions and amounts. The measurement used to be over 16" ! Now the butt plate hugs my hips. Now on to some fun with polish... I like Meguires Carnuba Wax. Super glossy. I also got my bottle of #2 NOVUS to take out scratches. Now I will have the shiniest butt in the 501st! And the shiniest AB and chest plates! Death Star ready!

Photos sent to my GML here in the Southern California Garrison. Whats happens now? How do they handle the photos and what do I do next? How long do I wait? (I might need to send the fixed DT photos to the GML also, but waiting for instructions) Ohhh boy!

FIXING THE BACKWARDS BOMB Geeee aint it purdy! yeaaa...but it's backwards. the control panel is glued the wrong way around. OK fix it! Pull off the control panel. E6000 will allow this. Do not use CA glues. I marked a line where the panel will go back to so everything still lines up. E6000 ! All done! Now the circle is on the right.