Alay

My garter system was a fail (velcro backing refused to stick to nylon), my abs and kidneys were still *way* overlapping, and I couldn't get my belt to stick on properly to the snaps... I was very grumpy earlier. I decided to take the nuclear option, boiled a few pots of water, got out my knife, pulled the rivets apart on the kidney/abs left (carefully) and went to slashing and molding my kidney plate. This is about how much material I ended up taking off the kidneys After that the kidneys and the abs both got a few heat baths to reshape to fit my tiny waist. I added back in the notches needed for Centurion and re-drilled and riveted the left side now that it was matching up better Look how good it fits now!!! HAPPY DANCE TIME!!! The butt was still huge, so I matched it up with the notch where it was before reducing the kidneys, then cut vertically along the line. I might reshape the 45 degree cut too depending on feedback Deep breath, dinner, and now I'm feeling good! I got my belt holster attached and the snaps working... The thighs will have to wait, but here's where we're at now! Tomorrow is the garter solution, figuring out how the heck the thighs fit (and if they need to be altered), and maybe, if I'm lucky, 501st submission pictures

No clue on first order, but ANH TK can fit bigger guys with shimming fairly well!

UGHHHH nothing is working out today.... my homemade garter with velcro doesn't want to stay stuck to the nylon, abs/kidney overlapping... gonna be a long night to get this fitting me to my form. /rant

Looking great Joseph! Your helmet mods came out fantastic

If you still need S-trim, I have plenty extra and would be happy to mail you a length Let me know

Centurion update for gloves... First things first, wash the rubber bits and the gloves. Use dish soap. Then do it again! They need to be completely oil free or the glue will *not* stick. Next, you'll want Loctite Plastic Bonding Glue with the Activation Pen. I tried about 5 different types of glue (E6000, Loctite normal super glue, plastic cement, rubber cement, etc... nothing else even came close to holding). Also, for those unaware, loctite is a pun. Loc, as in a shortening of "lock", and tite, as in "tight". It locks it tight. Lock-tight. Loctite. Very clever. Next you'll want to get those gloves good and puffed out so everything sticks well. I stuffed papertowel balls into the gloves. Next you'll want to rub both surfaces thoroughly with the activation pen. It doesn't really show up, so follow a pattern so you get full coverage. Wait 60 seconds. Next cover the rubber backing with the instant glue. Try to leave a little space from the edge so it doesn't get residue when drying on the black glove. Unless you want it to, then go for it. The slightly tacky look is probably more authentic anyways. Place it carefully over the glove, you want to side bit towards the thumb. If you have small hands like me you'll have to wrap it down a little too. Press firmly for at least a minute. (not pictured) I then went over the edges and tidied up the dangling lips to make it sit firmly.

My heart is literally melting from how adorable that is!

Boiling baths for my kidney and butt... they're pretty lined up now. Just waiting on another bunch of snaps from Amazon tomorrow and I should be good to submit for approval if everything fits together without too much of a hitch! Oh yeah... my husband decided he's going to start a costume too

You're kidding me... who's the wise guy over at the Testors factory?

Good luck and have a safe flight! Those brackets look really nice. I think I'm going to use them for my next go around

Centurion update for helmet... Here's a comparison between what comes with the AP kit and the S-Trim. I got this trim from GasPumpHeaven Pull off the old trim, then press the new trim into and around the helmet. You'll want to cut about an ~inch "too long" This way it will sit nice and snug. Force it in as far as it will go around the edge of the helmet, then force the other side in and against the trim. If you cut it too short or desire, you can add a bit of glue to make sure it definitely won't fall off.

Thanks! I put a piece of ABS behind it and it looks a lot better now. I'm soooo close to being finished finally! Excitement is building! You've been an enormous help throughout answering questions. I cannot thank you and everyone else that chimed in enough

My husband is nearly identical in height and weight and my AP kit fits him great. At 125lb I had to reduce the torso only a little. Mark (AP maker) has large shims on both the kidney and the abs so you can easily just trim to perfect length for you. RS is another really popular armor too. Id look into it as well; I may purchase it for my next build. I've been very happy with the AP kit. Pictures in my building thread. Let us know and don't be afraid to ask any questions

Probably the last update of the night (Hope I'm not breaking any rules I didn't see by multi-posting... wanted to make it easier to link to each section in the OP for future reference by people) Left side rivets are installed. I began by cutting some nylon into 3" strips. Using my heat iron I burned holes 10mm from the edges and 20mm from one another. Remember to rub the iron along the edges to make sure it doesn't unravel down the line! Starting with the ab plate; 20mm from the top, 10mm from the bottom, then half way mark between each for the third (60mm each way). 10mm from the edge. Mark similarly from the kidney side. Matching up the top return edges. Again drilling 1/8" holes for the rivets. The split rivets go through. Remember to add the washer. I then take a screwdriver head and pry the eye open a bit. Needlenose pliers to pull them out about 80 degrees. Then a whack or two of the hammer to set them good. Make sure the straps are nice and snug. Rather tight than loose I'd bet. If they don't slide together nicely you can always sand a little bit. Riveting experience

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for... resizing the abs! Well, in the chaos of trying it on, cutting a little bit, taping, measuring, drawing lines, etc my husband and I failed to snap many relevant pictures. That said, this is about the amount that had to come off It fits nicely now around the waist, with a bit of extra room in the back/kidney in case of rapid human-based acceleration. More pics to come of it fitted soon.... That said, anyone trying to reduce their AP kit; the height is pretty flexible either way. I was thinking I'd have to shorten it originally but it fits pretty nice after the cod strap is in place! If you're 150lb or so (or male figured I suppose) you'll probably have no problems getting a great fit out of the box.

Butt snaps are done... Pain in the butt to put in (pun totally intended) Cod rivet as well. The butt snaps are places about 1" and 1 1/2" in, give or take. The strapping is double snapped as well. I used a 1/8" drill bit for the cod rivet, and a 5/32" drill bit for the snap posts, for those of you following along at home

Thanks! I'm going to see how it looks with an internal cover and if it's still ugly tomorrow I'll be pulling it apart and sanding it probably.

Alright I need some opinions on the thighs. Glued together both sides where I thought they were supposed to go (been roughly using ukswrath's anovos thread as a build guide... amazing resource if you're a noob like me!) I attached the belt to the thigh about 1/4" from each side of the backmost seam; a few other Centurion AP builds have it about there, so I figured I'd follow suite. I've also been using this source as a reference pic (from ukswrath AM kit build thread) hole placement Drilled and installed split rivet It's on there tight and doesn't really come "up" at all... best it can do is inline or so. The seam is visible as such between the two thihg halfs after the end of where the cover strip is supposed to go... see below What should I do here? Few thoughts: Squeeze the two together and reglue the coverstrip and hope they stay closer. Pull it apart and sand more so they're in line then reglue front strip. Make front strip longer to cover the seam. Install a strip behind it so it all looks white and isn't as noticeable. Suggestions?

Guys guys! I found it! The bottom of the box!

Oooo awesome call! Found one just down the road!

There's something to be said about leggings. I'm usually not much for anything other than jeans, but they're about the same thickness as my compression suit and form fitting, so they're awesome for trying to piece without having to put on everything else. Not sure they'll catch on with the male crowd, but give them a try. So velcro in back on the shins are completed, and the fronts are double covered (inside and out). They still need a bit of cleanup and the installation of of the sniper knee, but that can wait for now... I figured now is the time to try them on. Front/back/left/right They felt a little wobbly, and I think I'm wearing them a tad too low. I'll be putting velcro in the bottom front and on the front of my boot to keep them secured there. They seem okay size wise though, if perhaps a little big in the back. I may reduce the back enclosure size a little. I added some padding in the front to test how they fit there, and it gave a much more snug feeling as well as helped prevent a locked look... Any input on how I can improve?

Ran the iron over them to make them nice and melty =) Definitely worth the 5 seconds it takes! I do that with the holes too to prevent them from ripping from being pulled on.

I had to cut the stud on the female snaps to get mine to fit

Awesome idea with the acetone paste! Getting the kit to match your frame will indeed be a process, but just take it slow and bit by bit. You'll be there in no time =) Looking forward to watching your progress!

Drop boxes are done (pending adding to the belt until torso is fitted correctly.) I measured the halfway point on the boxes, then a dot around an inch down from the top. Drilled 3/16ths. Using an iron I burned a hole into some white elastic to line up. 1/8" length 3/16th pop rivet and #8 washer through the bit Squeeze, pop, and we're all set! Also as a note, be careful with pop rivet guns... the spring inside mine got loose I guess, and flung a piece of metal around the room. Not a precaution I had considered. I dread to think if it hit me in the face what the outcome would have been. Just be careful and expect the unexpected guys.