Sentry71

Balaclava is your best bet for hair issues. On the AP kit, there isn't a return at the neck line, so removing it from ATA should not be an issue. Personally, I would keep a little bit just for the illusion of depth. Once you get it trimmed down some, you probably won't even notice it. Your first two points may have to be answered by someone else with a bit more experience.

Anything that could go wrong with the build CAN be fixed! E6000 is a great product for exactly this reason - very simple to pull back apart, and holds great if you don't need to mess with it. Cuts can be mended, parts can be replaced. With the research you have done, you are going to ROCK this build!

It was, I misread at first. Edited the original to clear that up.

Crotch measurements: Cod rivet: anywhere from 1" to 1/1/2" (I went 30mm, approx. 1 1/4") Posterior male snaps: 15mm and 35mm (from one of Tony's threads)

Yes

Finished up the elastics between the snap plates, and taped everything on, just to see. Learned a few things: 1) Handlers are a godsend. There is NO way I can get into this on my own, due to a few things noted below. Thankfully my youngest daughter was around to help. 2) Both shins and thighs seem to be too long, as I could not bend at the knees for much of anything. Also, they need to be fitted - currently they are way too wide. 3) I need to replace the elastics for the back to kidney with nylon straps, as there is a pretty good gap there. 4) Belt is not attached to the ab yet - that is next to be done. Ab/kidney fitting has not been done either. That, along with the leg pieces, are waiting on the armor party this weekend. Arms were workable, but will be better once shoulder bridges and elastics from bicep to forearm are added. The bicep hooks worked well. What good are descriptions without pictures? Why, not so good, of course! It is slowly coming together.

End of the month is very doable. A little work each night, and you will be done before you know it!

Some of the snap plates were added tonight, as well as adding elastic to the shoulder bells, and creating bicep hooks. I may need to redo the hooks, as they don't quite follow the contour of the bicep itself - but we will see how they feel once dried. I also added the snaps in the posterior, as well as a rivet and elastic for the cod. Tomorrow, I'll probably create the female snap pieces to go between the snap plates, and see if I can at least get the armor to sit together vertically. I did try a test fit of just the kidney and ab - it looks like I *might* be able to cut off the kidney properly where the notch is, but that requires the ab to keep all but about an inch on each side. I'll probably leave that for the armor party, and see what recommendations I get from the veterans.

That does seem very light. From other threads, apparently you REALLY have to mix up the Humbrol paints. Could some of the pigment still be settled to the bottom? Hopefully others can chime in that use Humbrol (I personally used Testors).

Be sure to take off ALL of the return at the wrist. Helps with getting parts on and off, as well as meeting CRL.

Do you know what kind of reaction to expect? Are we talking heat generating, ABS melting reaction, or something else? I have also seen this mentioned before, but never exactly WHAT the reaction is, and why it is bad. EDIT: found this while searching, from our current illustrious leader http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/23202-request-how-to-or-tips-for-e6000-gluing/#entry473018

Looking forward to the final pics - great work!

Spencer, have you thought about putting in additional strapping from the kidney to the posterior, near the L notches, to pull the posterior inward to align with the kidney? I'm thinking that could be a viable fix, depending on how tight everything is already.

That should work, assuming that the scrap is thick enough. Maybe several layers, just to be sure.

Agreed with Jason - mark the screw inside the helmet, remove the screws and cut them down with whatever is handy - Dremel, hacksaw, etc. Definitely don't cut them inside the helmet. Protip - when you cut the screw, make sure you already have the nut on the screw. That way, if there is an issue with the threads in the cut area, the nut coming off should "fix" the affected area. A clean cut shouldn't give you trouble, but the nut will help if there is.

A few more items were moved forward this weekend. I did heat bend both the belt and the thigh ammo pack, as well as putting inner strips on the front of the thighs. I'm waiting to do the shin and thigh outer strips at the armor party next weekend. There probably isn't much else I can finish before then. I know I have a lot of parts needing to be fitted, and an experienced eye will be a big help in getting that right. i did get my elastics and webbing this weekend, and finished creating snap plates. I have not put any into the armor yet - maybe that could be done beforehand?

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/31920-ukswraths-am-10-ata-bucket-build/#entry411443 "measure first hole to drill at 15mm, 2nd hole at 35mm" from edge. I don't think there is a hard and fast measurement, but that is what Tony did on one build.

EDIT: why do I always miss that there are more posts after the one I just read.... Forum use fail. I was going to ask about the paste on the top of the notch, but you explained that part.

I've used score/snap and lexan scissors, with a 220 grit sandpaper to finish off edges. I have heard conflicting reports on Dremel use. Some use the sanding drums with no issue, others end up reporting the plastic getting too hot and melting edges more than sanding them. With the plastic being 2mm, you might consider tin snips instead of lexan scissors, since they can go through thicker material with less effort. If you choose this option, just be sure to get a set of three snips (left, right, and straight) for the most control.

Looking forward to your progress!

Exactly my thoughts as well. Except, erm, I'm still working on joining...?

No, the bottom of the ear (bottom right) will hold the bottom of the cap/back together. The first, third and fourth screws (downward) are the ones on the bottom right of your pic. The second is the bottom middle. The outside will look like this when assembled. (Sorry for out of focus.)

Nice work on the helmet! I don't see anything specifically wrong with the ears, personally. A little space is normal. I am not too familiar with AM, so I'll let others chime in on thoughts.

I traced the eye sockets onto a piece of paper, then added about 1 cm around the tracings. This became the pattern to cut my lenses out. For mounting, I took a different approach than most. Most people will place screw mounts near the eyes, and use them to attach the lenses. I bought a product called Sugru - its basically a putty that hardens on exposure to air. I rolled a few balls of Sugru, pressing them inside the helmet. Next, I pressed the lenses into the putty, overlapping a bit of the putty around the edge of the lens material. After it dried for 24 hours, they don't move at all. I tried bending the lenses using a hot water bath, but apparently these lenses don't soften in boiling water... so they are still flat. Because they have the extra material around the sides, the flat lens allows me to get more circulation of air and should prevent fogging, without people being able to see into the helmet itself. Hope this pic helps:

Sounds similar to my plan, but I think I'll wait to see your results before putting the pot on the stove.