cjkirk11

I used a dremel with a cutoff wheel. To smooth it out I used my belt sander. Worked pretty well. Just watch for fiberglass dust. Use a respirator and long sleeves.

Any pictures of your belt? I am working on an 850 kit and I'm looking for ideas.

I had to do a considerable amount of trimming as well. If you cut off the cover strip you would probably have to sand the back of it down to get the right thickness. The buttplate shape is a little off on Jim's kit so trimming around the bottom would work out.

I have a praetorian E-11 and I was one of the first to buy the R1 version and they were super helpful and it is a fantastic product. I'd give them some time.

I'd like to see how these attach to the armor if you have pictures of that

Are you going to be doing a run for these?

Unfortunately no, I got really close though. Sorry I haven't been updating this post but I have been busy with work and with the armor. I will post pictures after I get back from DragonCon.

The US Army FM 3-21.5 (which can be downloaded for free online) is a great resource for drill and ceremony for a modern military. Some of the manual of arms could apply for larger blasters but for the E-11 I would probably just recommend holding it at port arms.

When I was there two years ago I noticed them and they are indeed anovos. You fill out an order form that goes to anovos and you still have to wait for shipping. Atleast when I was there they didn't have anything on hand.

Nice work! Those are some fine looking molds

I don't think any level of weathering can add the detail necessary for the R1 style of cover strips. The CRL is in work so unless more people agree that it should be required at a higher level than basic then it looks like it's gonna be mandatory for approval.

Oh, the second tier of the cover strips? I can measure mine when I get home, they look pretty close to screen accurate to my eyes. Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

Which trim pieces are you referring to? Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

Nice, looking good. Did you shorten any of the parts?

Same, but I need to have mine done by the end of the month if I can so hopefully we can all learn from each other and get it done quick.

Looking good! We all seem to be getting on at about the same pace lol

For the glue I used JB Weld Clear Epoxy. CA glue and E6000 aren't the best for structural bonding in fiberglass in my opinion. And for Jim's armor modification to use cover strips would be less than ideal. The details on higher level certification aren't set in stone but to me it doesn't make sense to not allow Jim's armor at the highest level, especially since his is the only kit I know of that is based on the R1 armor.

You should always use some good primer, then a few coats good paint, followed by some clear coat. The clear coat is what protects the paint. And the primer is what lets the paint stick to whatever it is that you're painting. There are some great tutorials on youtube for spray painting.

Right, back with some updates. Work has been a little crazy but I have made some progress. I got a few coats of paint on the helmet but I'm not 100% satisfied so I will be ironing those details out this week. I also started to assemble a few things and cut the back of the thighs for a better fit. Principal painting began on the armor and right now I am a few coats in. I like to alternate primer color so I know how deep I am sanding, should the need arise. I also ordered a few things so hopefully this project comes together in time for DragonCon, time permitting it will be the first outing in the armor.

I agree, here is a decent picture of the marshaling wands for the ground crew.

That looks great!

Just looked through the draft CRL and I have a few questions. 1. Is the CRL going to be updated to include the gaskets on the undersuit? 2. Butt joint and cover strip method, no overlap construction allowed. Does this mean that Jimmi's kits will not be allowed at centurion level? 3. Can you identify the "small indent on the front of the handguard" if it hasn't been done already. 4. Is the CRL going to be updated to describe the screen used gloves? I.E. Gloves similar to those used in TFA, however they are all black and feature padded details on the palms? 5. Should it mention that the drop boxes are connected with black velcro? It looks to me like they are affixed to the belt with elastic? 6. The "bump" in the CRL is said to be on the left side of the helmet, however it appears to me it is on the left side of the reference photos, which would make it the wearers right side. Just a few things I noticed looking through.

Anticipation! My only weakness lol

I too use Imgur, it's great cause it automatically has BBCode.

Wow, this is a nice looking build so far! Keep up the good work!