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plushie

501st Stormtrooper[TK]
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Posts posted by plushie

  1. Question to the Alpha 75

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

    Hey all,

     

    I have a question to pose to all of you Alpha 75 who had their kits built for celebration and since....

     

    Have you had problems with the yolk / shoulders cracking under stress from the design of the pieces that are bondo'd or slurried together ?

     

     

    So far no. But then again, I've only been test fitting. Today was the most stressful day on the yoke as we test fit with and without gaskets, sliding the back/yoke over my head and shoulders multiple times. We were also pretty darn careful. 

    My adhesive and filler on this part was also devcon plastic weld with 3500 PSI. We went that route just because we knew the stress that was going to be placed on the back and yoke. 

     

    I'm sure with more wear and stress there may be a cracking issue, as that seems inevitable. However, I'm sure different adhesives/fillers will have varying degrees of durability.

  2. Plushie's TFA Build Thread (TB-24601)

    in TFA Build Threads

    Posted

    Today, work commenced! 

     

    Shoulder bells now have straps attached to the yoke. Belt boxes are ready to be attached to the belt.

     

    We spent a lot of time having to trim down the shoulder gaskets so that the biceps would fit over them. That took up a chunk of time as we trimmed a little at a time. Better to start small than go big and realized you cut too much. We did have to do the triangle cut, as well as the first two 'ribs' across, and then a little more out of the 'triangle' we cut.

     

    post-22799-0-38193800-1431831396_thumb.jpg

     

    We also found we needed to trim off one side of the velcro tabs on the elbow gasket. 

     

    post-22799-0-74561700-1431831432_thumb.jpg

     

    We're now finalizing parts, such as velcro on the cod, butt and chest. (I forgot my compression bra today, oops. Ladies, I found this a necessary item. That or SPANX to flatten the chest.)

    I found that my head looks SO disproportionate to my body in the armor when I have the armor but no helmet on. I also noticed this on other people. So for others, when you're test fitting without the helmet do not panic at looking at yourself and things do not look proportionate. 

    • Like 2

  3. Bondo Replacement

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

    Jeroen, if you have an ACE Hardware, you can get their name brand Plastic welder in the purple two part tube. It's the same stuff.

    If you still can't find it, I can pick some up and ship it to you. Forewarned, I went through 12 tubes building the TFA.

     

    Oh, and I don't like JB anything.

     

    We went through close to 20 tubes of the DevCon. We hardly touched the CA glue at all. 

    • Like 1

  4. Bondo Replacement

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

    What was the PSI on it?

     

    My scout belt had a pretty bad crack that I used DevCon plastic weld on and it has held up beautifully. We used the same DevCon on my TFA armor in lieu of CA glues. 

     

    Denver ComiCon will be my test of the DevCon plasticweld as an adhesive AND filler. 

    • Like 2

  7. One of the first 75 TFA suits is already on ePay!

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

    I think it's bad form to have turned around to sell the kit so quickly. It's available only to select 501st members at this point in time, it is not available to the public. We have so many members who are chomping at the bit to have this armor. 

     

    I fully understand now that the NDA is over, this person can do with their armor as they please, but it doesn't stop me from feeling this is just poor form. 

    • Like 3

  9. Plushie's TFA Build Thread (TB-24601)

    in TFA Build Threads

    Posted

    I can imagine a first-time builder would lose their mind. lol

    I am nervous, anxious, and a little scared...but mostly excited to do this! :)

     

    This WAS my first build. LOL. My scout was bought second hand from a retiring member, so boy have I really learned a LOT.

     

    I was so nerve wracked during scoring and snapping. "No replacement parts, no pressure," was rolling through my head. LOL

    • Like 1

  12. Plushie's TFA Build Thread (TB-24601)

    in TFA Build Threads

    Posted · Edited by plushie

    No it's not slapping two sections together! LOL

     

    My full build picture gallery is up on Mountain Garrison's galleries. There are multiple angle shots of various stages of the forearm construction. It may require a forum login to view though. I haven't moved photos to photobucket or flickr yet. 

     

    The forearms had a resin greeblie each, a box, the 'top' and two sections. So it was four pieces, not counting the greeblie. Unless I'm brainfarting at the moment and missed a part. 

  13. Plushie's TFA Build Thread (TB-24601)

    in TFA Build Threads

    Posted

    Ssssssssssssssnnnnnnniiiiiifffffffff! Ah the smell of plasti-weld. I am surprised you went that route using it as a filler. There are more flexible bondo options like micro lite. Most any bondo will crack if applied heavy on a flexing surface, but on this armor, the seams are so small and the bondo so minimal in the areas of flex that odds are low of issues occurring. We had no issues with any of the suits that were on Stage with JJ and the cast at Celebration.

    Can't wait to,see you suited up!!

     

    :)

     

    I like the flexible adhesive strength of using the plastic weld as opposed to using the CA glue or Zap a Gap. It was a personal preference of myself and the build team. 

  16. Plushie's TFA Build Thread (TB-24601)

    in TFA Build Threads

    Posted

    Going ahead and starting my own thread. I'm maybe 10-15 hrs away from completing my kit as of this writing and planning to resume my build May 9th. Darn work and trooping getting in the way ;)

     

    I took a different adhesive route than recommended. Knowing bondo is more of a filler and has a tendency to crack, and not having the time for slurry, I went with devcon plastic weld. I'm careful with my kits, but not having a standard body type for armor (being female with curves), I wanted the flexible strength of the plastic weld. We hardly touched the recommended CA glue at all.

     

    Plastic Weld Pros:
    Strong

    Flexible

    Quick cure time

     

    Plastic Weld Cons:
    Can get pricey as we used a LOT

    Tough to sand

     

    It took extra effort using the plastic weld when it came to sanding. Some areas were too closed in to sand in a seamless and smooth manner. We have areas like the ab boxes that did wind up needing bondo putty as a filler. As you can see, the combination worked great.

     

    post-22799-0-04762700-1430287998_thumb.jpg

     

    We have some more areas to resume working on with the bondo putty I'm sure, along with repainting. While the weather here in Colorado was nice and dry, it was still too cold for painting. We should have used a space heater near the painted pieces as they dried, alas. My painting dried rough and no gloss. I'll be hitting the armor again with wet sanding and fine grit paper along with plastic polish. 

     

    post-22799-0-04751600-1430288206_thumb.jpg

     

    Things to finish:
    Internal Strapping

    Shoulder/Elbow Gasket fitting

    Velcro attachments for cod, butt and chest pieces

    Attaching boxes to belt

  17. Clint's Build Thread (TK-61281)

    in TFA Build Threads

    Posted

    My husband spent SO many hours on my ab plate with the boxes. Since we used the plastic weld, while it holds oh so well, it's rough to sand, especially in those areas. So for folks looking to use the weld, be prepared to have bondo or bondo putty or some other filler ready as you will need it to make things smooth and look nice under the primer and paint. 

     

    This picture is from after we were done sanding, bondo putty, and a shot of primer. 

     

    post-22799-0-28589400-1430235816_thumb.jpg

    • Like 2

  18. The Force Awakens Stormtrooper CRL

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

     

    Thanks Shana: One of the TFA troopers has agreed to take photos this weekend in a photo type studio thing. Let's see what he comes up with. 

     

    I was supposed to call Darren the other day to talk about maybe migrating select build threads over here but ended up getting distracted by someone shiny. I'm hoping that can still happen.

     

    Krista raised her hand to start collecting information from the TFA private forums as she has been already to post over here.

     

    -Eric

     

    Excellent! Looks like we're well covered.

  19. Trooping issues and Solutions for the TFA armor.

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

    The gaskets were rubbing off and you could see 'shavings' on the armor from the rubber during Celebration on the troopers. So there is already wear and tear found on the gaskets after a couple of days of trooping. 

    I'm still building, but I've found the Weir Stuck glue that was provided is working well on the rubber gaskets. CA Glue is working as well. 

    • Like 2

  21. The Force Awakens Stormtrooper CRL

    in TFA Stormtrooper

    Posted

    That can't be done though, it would have to remain optional due to restrictions in some countries..

     

    D'oh. I forgot about that part. Naturally blasters are optional. I also saw the thread regarding the gloves too. I'm catching up on the FISD posts :) I think gloves should be in a tiered level as well. Again, my two cents as I am really new to building a CRL and being a part of the 'first' of a costume. ... Heck.. first of anything!

    • Like 1
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