LoveMonkey

Funny enough I'm on this part when you posted this. I'm going to use a little E6000. Hasn't failed me yet. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After a weekend of work and no time for building, I was back at it again today. My newborn had a doctor’s visit in the afternoon, so I got some unexpected time to paint the helmet. I think it turned out pretty good. Accidentally put my finger in the gray teeth paint while I was doing the vocoder. I need to get some paint thinner to clean up that spot and clean up the vocoder. Also painted the mic tips that came with the kit. After painting, I had some extra time, so I decided to work on the right thigh. After several test fits and even more measuring, it fit nicely with the gap at the top coming to 22 mm. With that, I decided not to add a shim and just went with a big inner cover strip. The outer cover strip will be able to cover it all up. Will be using a back strip at 25 mm, since that is what I used on the back of the shins. What I can’t decide on is whether or not to fill in that gap with some spare ABS from the trimmings before placing the outer cover strip or just leave it be. Any thoughts? Lastly, my snaps I ordered arrived today. Got them from stecksstore.com, which is a leather company. Much cheaper than Tandy and I think the quality will be comparable, even though I’ve never worked with snaps before. This bag of 100 snaps and tool cost approximately $28, with priority shipping costs included. Can’t beat that deal. With all of that done today, I compiled a list of what needs to be done by the Comic Con submission deadline of 09/17/2015. Here goes: 1. Finish Helmet Assembly ---Faceplate Assembly ---Decals ---Inner Padding ---Seals, Green Lenses, etc. 2. Thighs ---Finish gluing inner cover strips ---Glue outer cover strips ---Attach ammo boxes 3. Minor trimming on chest and back attachment 4. Canvas belt and ammo belt attachment 5. Internal Strapping System 6. Weathering I think that is it...Hopefully. Now the trick will be getting this list done before next Thursday. I really want to be in my armor for the Con and be apart of the Garrison photo. One more question - I’ve been debating about cutting the cod piece from the ab, and then hiding the cut with the belt. Seems like it would offer more maneuverability. Your thoughts. Anyways, thanks for the continued support. Hopefully I can play in the sandbox soon!

Got my order today. I ordered them last Thursday night and they shipped first thing Friday morning. Would have been here Monday except for the holiday. Here is a picture of what I got for $28. ------------- I've never worked with snaps before, but they look good to me. Maybe you snap experts will be able to tell from the picture if these are good quality or not.

Teeth look good to me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Some of the screen shots that I've seen from the movies has a gap on the sides. Looks okay to me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, this is the advice I was looking for. Next chance I get (either Monday or Tuesday depending on my work schedule) I'm going to have my wife help me get this piece measure right.

Perfect, thanks. This week (time permitting with 3 children, one of which is a 2-month old) I am going to knock out the strapping and get a start on the weathering. Here is to hoping I can get it done in time (and here's to hoping the right thigh back isn't as bad as I'm expecting).

I would also second E6000. I had never done anything like this and E6000 gives you some wiggle-room should you make a mistake. CA glue does cure faster, but it is much, much more difficult to fix should you need to fix something. I've been pushing hard to be done for Salt Lake Comic Con at the end of the month. I think it is going well but I am going to slow down to not make any potential mistakes. Like has been said, take your time, research, research, research. Here are two guides to get you started: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/32531-navajo-bros-am-20-stunt-build/ http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31920-ukswraths-am-10-ata-bucket-build/

Con is end of the month, but submission deadline set by our GML is the 17th. So week and a half. I'm going to try and be done but it is going to be pushing it. And my strapping system will be basic and functional, with nylon webbing snap plates. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The end is near. Good luck on getting it done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The end is near. Good luck on getting it done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here's a question - how long would you say it would take to complete the inner strapping system? I've never worked with snaps or webbing before, so I'm curious. The last big items on my build are this and the weathering. Depending on how long they take me next week will determine if I'm done in time for Salt Lake Comic Con.

So I took the plunge and decided to order these. I checked out their website, and they are a full-blown leather store just like Tandy. It would be hard to believe that a leather company would sell sub-par snaps. You can check it out here:----------- I bought a bag of 100 snaps and a snap-setting tool for approximately $28, including priority shipping. I've never worked with snaps before, so I've taken your guys word about Tandy being a higher quality than Dritz. Although I have nothing to fall back on, I'll let you know how these turn out.

Keep up the good work Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think of the rear of the right thigh, where I trimmed for size and where the rear cover strip will go, might have been cut a bit too much. I'll know for sure when I test fit them again on Friday when the glue dries Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So I've been putting in a lot of work over the past few days. Here we go, lots of updates here. Started finalizing the forearms. I need to do one more outer cover strip on only the left forearm and then they should be ready for weathering next week. Here are the forearms in progress. Also got the rear cover strip installed on both of the shins. I will be buying velcro tomorrow. Besides the sniper plate, the shins are also ready for weathering. Started on the thighs as well. I almost made the mistake of not getting the crotch curve right and placing both on the left leg. Caught myself before it was too late. I've started gluing the first inner cover strip and I will make the final fitment adjustments when it is done gluing. The left thigh feels great but the right feels a bit off. I might have cut a tiny bit too much off the back of the right thigh, but I think I can cover it with a larger inner cover strip to hold it together and still have the 25mm outer strip look just right. I'll keep you posted on Friday once the glue is fully cured on the front. Any suggestions on how to potentially fix this if needed would be great! And finally, got started on the bucket. Drilled all of the holes out from their pre-indented spots. When I have magnets available tomorrow I will glue the back and cap together. Also started drilling out the teeth. Used a borrowed dremel and boy was I uncomfortable with it. I'm really happy with how they turned out and they still need a bit of filing and sanding, but considering my lack of experience with a dremel, it's a win for me. That's all the updates for today. I'm going on a big shopping trip tomorrow to hopefully get the rest of my needs supplies, such as webbing, elastic, paint for the bucket and weathering, foam for my forearms, etc. Then back to work tomorrow night. I have until the 17th to be done so I can troop at Salt Lake Comic Con. 14 days remaining. Here's hoping I make it!

Congrats, you're almost there! See you in the sandbox soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---------- Has anyone tried these snaps? They seem comparable to Tandy but at a much cheaper price than what I found Tandy going for on Ebay. I know Tandy is the recommended brand but any money I can save is a plus.

So now that the website is working again for me, and now that I've had time to study your build at length, I have to say I am very impressed. Your armor looks amazing! Thank you for taking the time to put this guide together. I am pushing to get my build done in the next three weeks (time permitting) and I will be using your guide extensively, especially for the inner webbing/snaps and bucket, which I have yet to start. Quick question - where did you buy your snaps from and how do they hold up while you troop?

Got it, thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I didn't realize it when I glued the outer cover strip, but there is an extra 1-2 mm on each side. It looks very similar to Kredal's. Thanks for pointing it out though.

Anyone else having problems with the site? Ever since the upgrade it is very hit or miss if I will be able to access the site either on a laptop or via Tapatalk. I've tried flushing the dns, clearing cookies, etc. and it is still very hit or miss. Is there something else I should be trying? mepd.net is the same way as well.

Ok, so I've been slacking with updates, so this might be quite long. Brace yourselves! Salt Lake Comic Con is just around the corner on Sept. 24-26. The goal is to have the armor completed by then. My garrison's GML has let us all know that if we want to troop in our armor for Comic Con, we need pictures submitted a week prior. So I've got about 3 weeks until that deadline. I feel pretty confident I can get it done in time assuming I can find the time to work on it and nothing really confuses me or slows me down. So here's to hoping! Since the last post, I went over to a Garrison member's house and he helped me to size my chest/ab/kidney/back/butt/cod pieces, since those are a bit tricky to do yourself. In his opinion, they should not need much if any trimming as they fit pretty well. The goal is to get the straps/elastic installed in the pieces and then do any minor trimming if necessary. So that is a big plus! Lately I've been working on the shins. Front cover strip is installed and now I just need to install the back and the velcro to hold it shut. I've also begun work on finishing the forearms. First inner strip on the left forearm is installed and first outer strip on right forearm as well As I'm making a list to try and plan what still is left to be done, I have a few questions. 1. Because of my small wrists, there is quite a gap that shows in the wrist area. I've decided to use foam to try and fill that area in. I haven't had a chance yet to go to Michaels or Joanns, but does anyone know of a good brand of high density, water resistant foam? I'd like it not to get super compressed and gross from the sweat. 2. I'll be buying the paint for the weathering in the next week. Is the paint used on the armor also usable on the boots? 3. I'm not handy with a dremel and don't feel confident using it on the bucket to cut out a teeth. Any suggestions to make this process a bit easier without using a dremel? 4. I'll be starting the bucket here soon. Any advice that I should know out the gate to make this easier? There you have it, all of my updates. Here's to hoping the big push goes well! And thanks for all the advice you guys will give me along the way!

Looking great so far Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk