Sentry71

Do you take commissions?

After the first two troops, I ended taking the entire top edge of the thighs off (by about 1cm), and now there's no pinching - and I can sit! I think waiting to see how it works on that first troop is a good plan.

Yep, taping the items so they don't shift is a big help when using E6000. Good work there! Inner strips are a great help. I used E6000 on mine, but CA/super glue would work well. Remember to sand all edges on the inner strips, so they don't catch on the underlayer that you wear. The forearms seem to do that for everyone. My solution to the elongation issue was a hot water bath to help "round" out the elbow end, and allow for a lot more comfort. It makes very little visual difference from the outside, which is a bonus as well.

The painting looks good to me!

It is consistent with what I have. You should be fine with it.

I have the same one. I've used it for seven troops so far, and yes, there is a "little" pressure to close it, but no more than 1/4" of movement. As I learn placement, I bet I will be able to get it closed with no resistance issues. Here are a few pics of the loaded box:----------- Basically, I have the forearms inside the shins, inside the thighs, inside the lower torso (ab/kidney/posterior). Since the forearms are permanently attached to the biceps, those hang out into the open portion of the box, to be surrounded by boots and the chest/back plate, which are separated. The belt goes at the other end of the box (near the posterior plate). If there are more pics/other questions, let me know and I'll take some better photos. Hope that helps! Oh, and for reference... the 50 gal box does not fit into my car without a LOT of awkward shoving, so I thought it better to go smaller and carry the helmet separately in its own bag.

I'll be there!!! A few people are chipping in on an airbnb home rental for the week, so it will hopefully be a bit cheaper than the hotel route.

I've never been able to scale pics on the site. I just let the site do its thing... a few will be huge, but they do size ok on a mobile device.

That's due to Centurion requirements - you'll have that covered this way. Excellent looking Thermal Det! I ended up taking some off of the top of the thighs for extra mobility (front and back) in addition to the mobility cutouts on the back, so don't worry about the edges until after everything gets test fitted together. I used a large dot of E6000 to secure the ammo pack to the ridge. I have also broken it loose several times, so that's one point that will need addressed on occasion. I had the same issue with the contours, and yes, the Velcro does help. A hot water bath might assist as well. To my understanding, the back pattern of the snaps doesn't matter. I agree that the older version looks better, but honestly if they can read the TANDY, they are way too close. Looking great, Jayson. You're getting there!!

Looks great! What is the size of the S trim he sent? I purchased some a while back, but never checked the size specifically against anything else.

You will find a way around this. No worries to be had. We got your back. I had talked with ukswrath about cover strip sizes. His advice was to make them proportional to each other, and to the armor. The recommended sizes for strips is 15 / 20 / 25mm (for forearm and bicep / thigh and front shin / back shin). Mine were 18 / 22 / 27mm. For example, you could try doing 20 on the front of the forearm, and use a larger strip on the back. As a bigger trooper, that may make more sense and still look appropriate for the size. If in doubt, mock it up with tape, take some pics of it on your arm, and ask for feedback. You can probably even contact ukswrath or Sly11 directly for their opinions on how it would affect Centurion (if at all). Hope that helps and doesn't muddy the waters too much more.

Awesome work, Kris. Wear that armor with pride. It has been an honor to help with suggestions, and to watch this suit come together. I know you will keep paying it forward. Congratulations, Trooper!

Congrats!!

In my case, I shortened the elastic attached to the bell. Basically, unstretched, the snap is about 1/4" short of the mating snap position. This lets the elastic stretch, and keep the bell close to the shoulder strap.

Sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do. Looking forward to seeing how it all came out in pics. Definitely don't want a slippery butt plate

Looks great! I made a slight mod to my boots, adding a bit of hook Velcro on the boot top in front, and a matching loop Velcro strip inside the front of the shin. Stopped my twisty shins. I also added a bit of foam behind the knee plate, to keep it outward.

Sorry for the slow reply on my end... was a busy weekend of trooping. On to the important stuff! Your tape/cut lines are right, but as Jason said, you can leave a bit extra on there. I had to cut mine to have 18mm strips on the forearms, so that I had enough room to work with. As long as the strips are 1) not a lot off of recommended size, and 2) scaled on all parts (meaning if you go up 2mm on the forearms, consider going up 2-3mm on the thighs/shins) - you should be golden. In my case, I had to go from 15mm arms and biceps / 20mm shin front and thighs / 25mm back of shins to 18mm / 22mm / 28mm. I would recommend taping the forearms together, and take a pic with your arm in it. Hopefully we can see the overlap (if any) and make recommendations from there. Same applies for the biceps. Don't get discouraged - we all had to make adjustments to fit the kit, and it will be well worth it in the end. We're here to get you there.

Congrats Marco! Looking awesome.

I doubt there is a limited number. Since they are coming from the manufacturer (per other responses), it would make sense that they should be able to print as many as we order.

The trim you did looks excellent. The thighs look much more "sized" to you. When you pull the butt plate in, I think you are going to have to take the upper return off of the thighs to be able to get them away from the butt plate itself. Even rotating them is only going to make them pinch in the front. Personally, I had to take off all of the return on my thighs on top (all the way around), as well as an additional inch of material. I did not put a return back on the thighs when I was done. I would get a few other opinions before cutting, however.

Brian, check out this thread for everything you want to know: http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/11538-the-various-types-of-armor-and-where-to-find-them/ This specific kit is from Mark at Authentic Props - that's why it is known as an AP kit. Mat, Good luck! Looking forward to your progress!

Looking great so far!!

Congrats on the AP kit! It's a beauty. As far as your arms... nope, no hot water bath needed just yet. I did do a water bath on mine, but not until after almost everything was put together. Sniper knee looks good... I would not take any more off until after your shins are assembled. Then you can tailor it to the shin. Keep the pics coming!

When you can't get your arm in, then it is too much. Seriously though, you only need enough to keep the forearm from flopping around. If you connect the bicep to the forearm, then you want the forearm to be able to slide just a bit when you move. This keeps the two relatively close to each other. If not, then you can probably use a bit more foam to keep the forearm in place.

Awesome tips, Kris. I would probably do the same (glue an extra piece behind it) if I intended to keep the ridge.