Khazid

While the paint was drying I moved on to the clips. I will be following the How To: Make Thermal Detonator Belt Clips. Jesse’s videos are no longer up on YouTube, but I did some scrounging on the net (re: GOOGLE) and came across them at this location. First step here was to gather up my supplies. From bottom to top: 1†Aluminum stock, 2X4 scrap, Sanding Block, Drill with 1/8†metal bit, Sandpaper progressing in the following order (60-150-220-400-800). I cut two lengths from the stock using a rotary cut off tool. You can use a Dremel here as well, it will just take longer. The two lengths of stock were cut at 9 ¼â€. After a brief sanding on the belt sander to remove burrs, the two pieces are taped together with masking tape. One end must be aligned as close as you can get them to perfect. I then drew a center line at ½†and made my locations for drilling through the stock. The top hole was marked at 3/8â€, the second 1 ½†from that location. The very bottom hole is just used for holding the stock in the next step, so I drilled that about ½†from the bottom. That hole will be removed from the clips in the final trimming. The holes are drilled and the tape removed. The holes are now all in identical locations, which will assist in lining up the clips for final installation without the need for a lot of drafting tools and math. I later discovered that my holes at 1/8†were too small for my #6 pan head bolts. The holes had to be enlarged to 3/16â€. Next up was the initial sanding. This process took some time, but it is well worth it. Work through the progression of sand paper, putting a nice brushed finish into the aluminum stock. To help hold the stock piece to the edge of the 2x4 scrap, I beat in a nail that will go through the already drilled holes. Another tip, make sure to keep a shop rag handy. Dust both sides of the stock and the 2x4 scrap before you flip it over to work on the other side. The residue from each of the papers, along with the aluminum powder, can scratch very quickly and destroy all your work. Just a light dusting is good enough to remove all that extra material. The sanding took some time, but I am very pleased with the results. Here you can see the two prepared pieces of stock laid next to the left over stock in the state I purchased it in. All the nicks and burrs are gone and we have some nice shiny strips to move on to the next step. The two pieces of stock are now attached to a 2†piece of PVC pipe. This is where I discovered my holes weren’t big enough. However; once I had the 3/16†holes drilled they fit easily. Into the vice they go, bending just with arm strength. No, I am not Hercules, aluminum of this size bends very easily. Take note of the brown work glove underneath the PVC pipe. This protects the stock from scratches from the vice mechanism. After working with the stock for a while, again following the video tutorial, you wind up with this. Using the control panel as a guide, along with photo references, I picked the bend point to start the “U†of the clip. I used a pry bar here to help me start those curves. Working with the vice a little more to make the U bends as sharp as possible helps. Without the vice it is not possible to get good tight bends. I removed the pry bar so I could really close the gap up. Make sure you don’t overstress that U bend. Aluminum will snap if overstressed. I then cut off about ½†off of each clip and added in some slight bends. Then it was time for more sanding. All of the paper was progressed through once more, only this time the focus was on just those surfaces that will be visible. This final sanding removed a majority of the small scratches that I introduced while bending the clips. They are done though, and I am happy with them. By now all the paint was dry enough on the pipe to allow for handling. I removed the masking tape and here you can see all the pieces ready for final assembly. I just need to paint the pan head screws with semi-gloss black. The pipe also still needs to allow the paint to cure for 48 hours. This will ensure proper adhesion of all the layers and the top coat. Moving on to the chest plate now, I am going back to the Top to Bottom preparation. I think a little more could be removed from the neck line, but I didn’t want to trim all the way down until I get some test fitting in on my actual person. Then it was time for the shoulder bridges. In the MTK kit the bridges are already arched as a part of the pull. This is nice as it means no heat bending to get them into a good shape. The picture you see here is the inside view. I have taken Magic Sculpt to fill in the large square and the first smaller rectangle channel. I was testing the laying of the chest plate on my torso and I only need 1.5 of the small rectangle channels to get a good laydown of the bridges. The filler here floats up the edge, and once sanded down will give me a solid flat surface to apply the glue to. It will allow for a very solid bond between the bridges and the chest plate. That’s all for now, progress will be a little slower with the work week coming. Not as much time to build as I have on a weekend.

Build Log – 6/12-6/14 – Arms, Chest, TD Weekends are when I have the chance to get more work done on projects and I managed to get a good amount finished over the last three days. Work continues on the arm sections. I now have both biceps and both forearms curing. The trip to Harbor Freight for more 1 ¾†spring clamps has now allowed me to work on more pieces simultaneously. By mid-day on Saturday I had all the pieces in one stage or another. On Sunday, once the E6000 had cured in one stage, I removed the clamps and took the next step. At this point the left bicep is fully enclosed and only has one interior strip left. The left forearm is now closing up and its first interior strip is curing. The right bicep and forearm are at the same stage, the first seam of the halves coming together is now curing. My instincts took me to the TD next. Since the pipe is going to need to be painted, that paint will need time to cure properly. Sunday was a beautiful day in Simi Valley, perfect for painting. Even though I don’t live in a cold climate, it is nearing summer now and there are just days where it is too hot to use spray paint. First up was to do the trimming and sanding. Here are the completed parts. After reading through Spacebrew’s EIB thread I was concerned that the pull on my endcaps would be in the same situation, and they are. It would appear that in the MTK kit, the pull on the endcaps is not as sharp as in others. When sanded down and leveled, the best you can do is 17mm for an end cap. I will be a little short here. Question 001 – Considering I am going to shoot for Centurion, will having 17mm end caps be an issue? Clips will be butted up against the caps and the overall length of the TD will be correct. The hole that you see in the pipe is for venting when gluing in the end caps, the control panel will cover this hole. You will also see that I rounded down the edges of the pipe by approximately ¼†to assist in sliding the end caps on. Before painting, the pipe must be masked. Paint does not like glue! I taped off 15mm on the edges of the pipe, and then traced the control panel location. Using the tracing of the control panel as a guideline, I masked it off, leaving a small band for paint to come in, just like the end caps. This will allow for the paint to run under the edges of both end caps and the control panel while still allowing for enough surface area for the glue to take hold. Up next is paint. Rustoleum flat black to act as a primer, Testors Gloss Gray (Item#1238) and Rustoleum Gloss Clear. Here is my temporary spray booth. For such a small item, I didn’t set up my full spray booth. One coat of the flat black was applied. After 30 minutes of drying time a light sanding with 400 grit paper was done to remove a couple of drips that I got, along with removing any other surface imperfections. Gray was applied in three coats, 30 minutes dry time for each coat and a very light sanding (very light touch mind you!) with 400 grit paper prior to the last coat. Once that last coat had cured for 2 hours I then applied two layers of the Gloss Clear as a top coat, allowing 30 minutes of cure time between the two.

Thank you, the starting is the hard part. That first cut was intense, let me tell you. Very generously kind words my new friend. I am not aiming to make a tutorial, my experience is not great enough. However; if what I document here allows a newer person start the journey to making their own TK, then I will find myself very humbled indeed.

The Build I have seen in some other threads that members have posted questions and tracked them. I really like that idea, so I will incorporate (re: steal) their system and include it here. Once the build is done, I will go over my notes and every question that was asked, along with the most commonly agreed upon answer, will be posted as an Appendix post. One thing I need to do better is more frequent updates. With my E-11 build, I was on pace for updating every two weeks. Considering I will have several questions along the way, I anticipate more frequent updates with this build. I will be shooting for Centurion, so the guidance of those that have come before me will be much appreciated. That will be hard to get unless I meet you half way, and at least post often enough, with pictures, to illicit those replies. Where to start….OMG, where to start?? Ok…deep breath, it is just Plastic..Spacemen…(that was for you Darth Aloha) Some sound advice I’ve seen, start at the top, work your way down…Got it…The top would be the bucket…the bucket? Nope, let’s skip that for now. Nightmares of ears tumble through the synapses of my mind… Build Log – 6/10-6/11 – It begins If I’m skipping the bucket, then let’s start with the arms. First up are the shoulder bells. Part way through the first one, and I understood why the advice is given to start here. Working with the shoulder bells gave me a good feel for how deep to score the ABS to get a good clean snap. I also got some practice with the sanding barrel on my Dremel and my belt sander. When using either of these, use a light touch. If you push hard against the tool the grit builds up so much friction that the ABS will melt rather than be sanded away. Slow and steady is the key, with light pressure. I test fit them to identify which bell was which and then cleaned up the edges starting with 80, 220, 320, 1000 grit sanding. Most of the effort of the sanding to smooth the edges was in the 220 and 320 grits. I will buff out all the armor later on to clear up any minor scratches that overlapped with Novus. Moving on to the left bicep. I used the same process for prepping the edges of the two pieces as I did for the shoulder bells. I did the score and snap method, then sanded in the same order as I did for my shoulder bells. I’m going to refer to this as “Surface Prep†from here on out. I then did some test fitting and to a very nice surprise found out that no major modifications will be needed to fit my frame with the MTK kit. It would appear (at least with the biceps) that the ridges fit me perfectly when trimming to the necessary 15mm cover strip. As my ruler only has whole numbers when it comes to mm, I trimmed one edge to 7mm and the other edge to 8mm. I cut both cover strips and have glued them down, using E6000 as my primary glue. If I don’t make a mention of what glue I’m using, assume that it is E6000. I made a note on a piece of painters tape of the time the glue and clamps were applied, now to wait it out at least 24 hours. Here are some shots of the clamps holding the outer cover strips in place for glue. Well…I don’t have enough squeeze clamps. I thought I had plenty, but just this first piece took 9 clamps to hold in place. Time to make another run to Harbor Freight. I need more small clamps! LOL I am going to work on the left forearm next. Using the same approach, surface prep is completed and the cover strips are setting. First Step – Score and snap. Since this is the forearm, there is no return edge. Second Step – Sanding on the belt sander. No tricky grooves here, so I didn’t need the dremel. You’ll notice that the flash is gone and instead I have pilled shavings to sand away. These pillings are the result of heat build up from the belt sander. Since it is just along the edge I am good, but be very careful to not build up too much heat on the edge when using tools of this nature, you could warp the ABS. Final Steps – Sanding is now done with various papers using the method I described above. Here is the finished edge, all nice and shiny. It is also smooth to the touch and will not snag the undersuit from beneath. To trim the outer edges in preparation for the cover strip you need a nice straight line that follows the curvature of the armor. I measured each side, checked my center measurement, then clamped my 12†metal ruler to the piece. I can now score the ABS at the right spot to ensure enough coverage to attach this half of strip. The total measurement for arms is 15mm, so just like the biceps I am splitting the difference. Once side will be 7mm, the other side 8mm. Both sides of the left forearm piece now have strips and they are clamped for the glue to dry. I didn’t get a picture of my next step, but I did attach one of my left bicep halves to its counterpart. That seam is now drying, I will be able to complete the enclosure this weekend and add in the interior cover strips. I have left over 1mm styrene from my E-11 build, so I will be using that material to make all the interior strips along the butt seams. The extra reinforcement will give me piece of mind. That’s all for now, still a long way to go. Once my left forearm pieces are done I’ll do a complete test fit for some input. No questions so far, but I have a strong suspicion they will be coming.

Tools & Supplies Glue – E6000 (2 tubes), Gorilla Extra Strength CA Glue, 5 Minute Two Part Epoxy, 3M Black Weatherstrip Adhesive Craft Sticks (tongue depressors) – I have large (3/4â€) and small (1/4â€) Dremel Plastic Food Containers, various sizes – Purchased from the 99 cent store, I am using them to sort all the smaller parts, webbing, elastic, etc. With the lids on, they stack and I can easily see and reach whatever I need. Lexan scissors - Curved and straight Clamps - I have both small and big squeeze clamps and 4†wood working clamps. All my clamps are from Harbor Freight. I know, the quality isn’t high, but I am not a professional construction/wood worker, so what they have is just perfect. Line 24 snaps Rivets – Split rivets, speed rivets and pop rivets (along with the tool) Bolts, Nuts & Washers – For my TD. I am using brass #6 pan head bolts. Chicago Screws – ¼†posts. For my holster and belt. 1†Aluminum – These will be used to make my TD clips. I got my supply from Lowes. Industrial Strength Velcro – 2†black, 2†white Elastic – ¼†white, 1†white, 2†white, 1†black, 2†black, 3†black Nylon Strapping – 1†black, 2†black Butane Lighter – Have to seal the ends of the elastic and nylon strapping. Knives – Exacto, Locking Shop Blade, extra blades for both Metal Rulers – 12†with both US Customary and Metric markings, 48†with US Customary markings ABS Sheets – 2mm, these will be used in making the cover strips. The MTK kit comes with some already, and I ordered some extras from Trooperbay http://trooperbay.com Styrene Sheets – 1mm, I have a lot of this material left over from my E-11 build. I will put it to good use by using it as interior strips, covering the joints and adding a little reinforcement. Old Beach Towel – work surface for the parts. Novus Shop Rags & Paper Towels Tape – 2†painters, 1†painters, Packing Tape Sandpaper – 80 grit (paper), 3M Flexible (220 & 320 grits), 1000 grit wet/dry (paper), sanding blocks (coarse and fine) Pencil Magnet Sachets - I have 60 of these. 40 of them are 1/8†thick; the remaining 20 are 1/16â€. They are sourced from K&J Magnetics Files – Assorted sized shop files and a set of needle files for those really hard to reach areas Paint Supplies – Mineral spirits, assorted brushes, paint (bucket, ab buttons, appropriate rivets/screws), Plasti Dip (for bucket interior) Acetone & Small Mason Jar – For ABS paste Heat Sealing Iron & Heat Gun Soldering Iron Assorted Tools: Hammer, Pliers, vise grips, assorted screw drivers, drill Armor Kit MTK – Contact TK-4510 here on the FISD, or via mtk_armor@cox.net – I have found Mike and his team to be very helpful in this journey, I am proud to be building his kit. As of the time of this posting MTK is not on the vetted list, but there are kits that have been built all the way to Centurion. Armor Accessories Undersuit – Champion Mens Compression line available from Target. This is a two part purchase (Top and Bottom ). The logos that are on them will not be visible and there is no visible stitching. Boots – TK Boots Gloves – Thermasilk liners, Nomex Gloves (for those hot days where the rubber chemical gloves would be brutal), Rubber Chemical Gloves (sourced from Trooperbay) for Centurion Flexible Latex Hand Guards – Trooperbay Neckseal – Made this myself using Terry’s tutorial found here Belt – Off White, from TKittel Holster – Purchased from Trooperbay E-11 Blaster – Kit purchased from Phoenix Props, build thread is linked in my signature. Replacement Hovi Mic Tips – Purchased from Vaj Aker & I-Com system – Purchased from TKProducts Environmental Audio System – Purchased from Skyminer Dual Transponder Throat Mic – Purchased from IX Radio, read about it in this thread. CAUTION: It has been discovered that this mic is very sensitive to your neck size. Make sure to read the thread to see others results. I got lucky and this mic works for me, but others have not been so lucky. Consider yourself warned. Headphones – Purchased from Amazon. I will be heavily modifying these for use in my bucket. Cooling Fans – I am using a combination of Evil Boy’s kit and adding in two small 20mm x 20mm 5v fans as well. I got the fans from e-bay, sorry no link for the extra fans, but they are easy to find. There are even some members selling them in the PX from time to time. iAnker Battery System – I saw this in one of the electronics threads and was floored. I will be using it to power all my helmet fans. The item was researched here but their site is a redirect to Amazon, which is where I made the final purchase. Helmet Padding – Purchased from Amazon Imperial Hydration System – Beta Version – This is a project I am working on the side, nothing to report yet so “Move along, move alongâ€. If I get this to work, and still have it successfully hidden by the armor it will get posted. If not, well consider this my 5 finger mind wipe technique. Wow…looking back at this list and reading this again, hard to believe that much goes into making a TK. If you are new, keep in mind I am adding a lot of extras that aren’t necessarily needed for your build. I like to tinker though, really like to tinker…

Resources There are so many good resources here on the FISD to use in your builds. I will admit it is overwhelming to someone new. It took me quite some time to just getting used to navigating the various sub forums to find the information. And the search tool…well, enough is said about that However; here are some highlights of what I used to build my “TK BUILD ENCYCLOPEDIAâ€. I keep lots of print outs of these references in a binder in my work area. Some are bookmarked in my phone so I can pull up the pictures and zoom as needed to pick out the details. 501st CRL – First and foremost you need to know where you are going. For me, that meant the ANH Stunt CRL’s. I am going to do everything in my power to build to Centurion (Level 3) standards. Various Armor -- I used this to decide on my armor type. I am still on the waiting list for an ATA kit, which I will more than likely make a TD now. I switched it up to MTK earlier this year. More on that later. How to Join the 501st -- This is a newer thread, but as soon as it came up I found it extremely helpful. Knowing what to do once I finish this build and when to take which step was very nice to have in one place. Supply List -- A great starting point for what will be needed. I used this specifically to set up a budget on getting all my parts gathered up. TK Resource Thread -- The list is a little out dated, but again it gave me a solid starting point on where to look. Photo References -- I used this a lot for my E-11 and will imagine I will do the same for this build. Tutorial Index -- This was used to resource some of my book, and is still a Favorite in all the devices I use to access the FISD. Neckseal Instructions - Terry’s tutorial is amazing, it is how I made mine. Build Threads – I have four different build threads printed out and in my binder. Sadly, the only one that I kept the information on is Terry’s TD that is on here. I am not going to link it, as there are plenty of other solid build threads to use. The community has such a wealth of good builders; almost any thread you open will have what you need. I have quite the standard to live up to with this one here. Trooperbay Video’s -- I know, it is a little hard to put digital media into a printed book. However; Mike’s videos are filled with techniques that I see constantly used here in the builds. I have bookmarked his videos in my phone’s YouTube app. When I need something, I know right where to go. Build book will have the pictures; the videos will help me with hands on technique. Lastly, I remember reading (also hearing in my head) that the three R’s (Research, Research, Research) should be done before you start this journey. I cannot stress this enough for the new members. No matter how you are going to arrive at the completed kit, make sure to take your time and use this community for its strength, its wealth of knowledge. I would even suggest the three R’s should be changed: 1st R – Read – Pretty straight forward. I started in the Getting Started – Read this First! section; I spent quite some time in those threads. Knowledge from that Reading led me to other areas to start learning. 2nd R – Research – At this point, I knew I wanted to be an ANH Stunt TK. I had found the vetted maker I wanted to purchase from, and had been in touch with them. I moved on to figuring out what I had exactly gotten myself into, and working through those fears by finding those that had gone before me. Using this research helped me identify the resources listed above to build the encyclopedia I am using for my overall build. 3rd R – Reinvest – Get involved! Once I felt comfortable with what I had learned, I started posting. Give back to the community by becoming involved in discussions you have opinions on. Draw upon your life experience and share what you have. Even the newest members can bring a perspective to a piece that no one has thought of. Once I started getting involved, it all started to make more sense. I don’t have near the level of apprehension with my first cuts today, than what I had six months ago. If you’re new, get involved, you won’t regret it.

Introduction Yes, the time has come. With my E-11 now finished, I am ready to start putting together my armor. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the FISD community as a whole. Since November of 2014, I have read so many builds, tutorials, and EI applications (EIB & Centurion) that I just cannot keep them straight enough to mention anyone specific. As my build progresses, if there is a technique/process that I made note of that member, I will be sure to give credit where it is due. However; if I miss anyone, it is not intentional. Troopers helping troopers, indeed! After opening the box, I laid everything all out on the floor. I only noticed once I was packing it back up to take to my workshop (re: garage) that I had mixed up my forearm pieces. You’ll notice that I have both outer shells paired up, and the inner shells paired up. I better not do that during the build, or I will be prying pieces apart! LOL The bucket even comes with the Makers’s Mark, I had not anticipated seeing this as other MTK bucket’s I have seen from my squad mates didn’t have this. A very cool addition to the line, so I will need to make sure not to cover it up when I go to work with the bucket interior. I am going to document my build using the same flow that was used in my E-11. I am asking for all critiques, comments, suggestions, advice. You name it, dump it on me. It is my first build, but don’t hold back as I want shoot for Centurion status. So the adventure begins…..

I've been following your progress and I have no doubt you'll surpass what I have been able to do. You have a lot more technical skill than I have. I appreciate your comments. I'll let you in on a secret, my knowledge of electronics was garnered by numerous youtube videos over the last few months. Combine that with Skyone's directions and schematic, and I suddenly look a lot better than I really am. However; I appreciate your comments and will definitely be providing updates on my bucket.

Check out the PX here, Echo sells rivet kits that have all you need in a build. If he doesn't ship internationally, send me a PM. I have some extra rivets laying around waiting for my build to start. Good luck!

Doopydos sells hasbro conversion kits, I am not aware of any others. A converted hasbro is good enough for EIB (level 2) certification for TK's. Good luck with your build.

Thank you Scott. I couldn't just have a build with lights and sounds and not have a way to showcase it I am glad you liked it, even with me stumbling over some part names. Did I really call the charging handle a Bolt Handle? ROFL Ed, I really appreciate it. Skyone's build was the inspiration, I just wanted to camoflauge all the buttons, etc. as much as possible. I am glad you liked it. Yes, I too really like the reset button on the counter as the reload. I still smile every time I push it. If you need help with your Disney port, let me know. I'll do what I can, which is admittedly not a lot but I will offer it will.

The issue with building this as a kit for sale is that there is no good way to predict the final installation of the electronics. Circuit board sizes, wiring lengths, etc. An option would be to do it as a full production item, providing the customer with the electronics and fully assembled replica. That has its own issues (shipping restrictions, etc.), and you have hit the wall again. Sadly, while Skyone's work is amazing, it is a DIY project. If you take the plunge and hit the wall he is incredibly helpfull in troubleshooting. Now that mine is done, I would offer help as well, though I do not know electronics as well as Skyone.

Amen.

I just had the oddest picture of you Derrek, hunched over a large bowl (Will Ferrel from Old School large) of captain crunch, chuckling at my flubbed lines with molds curing in the background for the next version of your kit.. LOL Thank you for the kind words. Thank you Richard for the feedback. I cannot take credit for the electronics concept, it is all Skyone's. I only modified the code and the installation slightly to suit my own tastes. If his thread didn't exist, I doubt this build would. Thank you Constantin, it was an adventure. I appreciate your feedback. When the going got tough with this, it was really the community here that kept the wind in my sails. Especially when I fried my first completed board, that was a dark day.

Congratulations.

Epilogue I learned a lot through this build. After nearly 200 pictures have been posted, several circuit boards and LED’s were fried, and one quick video was produced I believe the goal I set for myself has been hit. I wanted to have an E-11 (ANH style) that would on a scale of 1-10, be a 7 in accuracy. I think I got there, what do you think? Comments and feedback are welcomed, I need to go get organized for my ANH Stunt build....

Chapter 3 – Final Assembly The following pictures are the final shots of the build. This blaster is done. Minimal weathering was applied, just enough to show light usage. Oh…one last thing. I seem to remember a phrase used in some other threads by the vets…If you don’t have a picture, it didn’t happen. In the spirit of that, I have one more piece to share with you, a video representing the lights and sounds of the build. Enjoy!

It was now time for final assembly; here you can see the layout of all the parts that had to be put together. I almost felt like a gun smith at this point, all the moving parts needing to come together. First up was attaching the D-ring and its retainer to the butt cap. In this shot you’ll see some bare aluminum pipe for the grip, and zebra striping of the same where the T-tracks will go. I masked off these areas on purpose during painting to ensure proper glue adhesion. Glue does not like paint. You will have noticed at the top of the above picture a piece of 2x4 with a pre drilled hole. Borrowing from the community here, I will use this jig to help with the bending of the T-Tracks. Here is a close up shot of that jig. After drilling the hole, I added a small shim of dowel to make sure I get a nice solid 90 degree angle. Once measured, the T-Track was put in the hole. Heat was applied with a heat gun for approximately 20 seconds; this made the track flexible enough to bend. I used the back of my electricians’ grips to flare out the edges. The same process was repeated for all of the T-Tracks. Since each track would potentially have a different length, I measured each track individually. To keep track of what track went where, I used a pin vise to drill a shallow hole in each track. This hole was on the underside where it attaches to the barrel, drilled just deep enough to be seen, but not through the track. The first track was by the ejection port, and they were labeled sequentially until I got to track number six. The sixth track having six little holes in the back. Here they are attached. As a side note, this assembly was completed on 5/31 at the Channel Islands Squad armor build party. Next up was putting the mesh screen behind the spring façade. This will help hide all the wiring on all but the closest of inspections. That completed, it was time to install the main circuit board into the bolt. Here you see the barrel LED and primary circuit board glued into place. Here is a close up shot of the main circuit board. Of course, this is the second board I had to build thanks to the slight mishap I experienced. That completed, the nozzle LED could be installed. Some more testing was done to ensure everything was still working as anticipated, and then it was time to lay out the tools for threading all those wire assemblies. This is a collection of dental picks and vehicle wiring pull tools that I have around the workshop. The wiring was pulled out the front of the barrel and then attached to the circuit board. Here you will see a picture of the bolt assembly being pushed into place. Three hours later, I had that in place and it was time for the power cylinder wires. I took my time as I didn't want any more mishaps with the electronics. I should note that I realized there was a lot more wiring than anticipated. This resulted in the need to remove one of the two speakers from the build. Not a big deal, the sound is still plenty loud. These are single core electric guitar wiring that are cloth wrapped. Due to it being a single core, the wire has nice memory retention on coils. I used a ¼ inch dowel to wrap the wiring prior to clipping and installation. After the glue dried, the coils were shaped and here is the result.

The time has come; these will be the final posts of this E-11 build. I truly hope you have enjoyed watching me get to this point, as much as I have enjoyed sharing it with you. We last left off with the scope assembly being completed. At this point I did one more test of the electronics and discovered that the reed switch was just not functioning as intended. I could get the system to turn on, but it would then stay on, unless I inserted a piece of plastic to break the magnetic field. Instead of fiddling with the system as I had designed it, I just accepted the failure and changed the system. The reed switch was eliminated, and in its place I put a very small two position slide switch, rated for 0.3 amps. The weapon selector will now only slide up and down, but the illusion is still in place and the switch is not visible at all in final assembly. With that tackled, it is now time for paint. I masked off the sections I didn’t want covered with my base pattern. I also used a liquid masking product that I have used in the past to give me spots for some of the minor weathering that I plan on adding. The product is Liquid Masking Film by Bob Dively. Originally designed for RC aircraft, it works great on modeling projects like this, especially for creating a mound of film that I can later fleck off with a toothpick. The trick is lots of thin layers. Next everything was put into the booth and the painting began. Here is another shot with some coats that were drying. Here is a close up shot of the counter and scope rail; coats are done, just waiting to apply the top coat. The top coating was applied using my airbrush and a small compressor. Here is almost the same angle of the counter, top coat in place. When the top coat was applied it really brought out the black fleck coat that was my knockdown spray. I am very pleased with the results. Paint was left to dry for three days to ensure all the coats and top coat had properly bonded.

No worries. when you read the word Sachet it sure sounds involved, doesn't it? Lol

Youtube has several videos on soldering basics. Helped me a ton in my recent projects.

The HowTo on the magnet sachets was mine, it involves no sewing. Just cutting some fabric and using a zip tie to close it up. Bucket looks great ao far!

Just to add data to the sampling. My neck is 16.25". I finally got around to testing the mic tonight. Works perfectly with PTT. Without, the mic would pick up swallowing and sniffling (getting over a sinus infection). That would set off the IComm. Going to go PTT now for sure.

Going to second this, your local garrison (maybe even squad) will be uour best resource. They could even help you do it yourself. Good luck!

Each forum is different. The Garrison and Detachment forums have private areas that are for 501st members only. Until your acct is flagged by an admin, those areas won't show up. That is why those threads are in the public areas, it alerts the admins to verify membership and update that user id for that specific website. Each garrison and detachment is updated seperately.