SpiceCredits

I should just go sandy then! lol I've still not figured it out, but as soon as I can I'll post it! I'm glad I'm not alone though! I get them in weird places, like the outside of the butt plate. My under suit never touches that part either. Maybe I sat it on top of the suit at some point, but I really don't think I've ever done that.

Steel wool sounds scary! lol

It's not the hyperfirm for me, as I don't have mine yet. They're annoying though, right?? The biggest stain off all of them was on my butt plate. It was bad. I got the color pretty dull though from wetsanding and using Novus, but it's still obvious that it's there.

That's what I first thought too, but why don't they appear on the inside of the armor then?

Totally. It has to be one of the black pieces to the costume (I assume), but I can't find what it is. I have a few of them on different parts of the armor, including the butt plate. I have no clue what's causing them. I've tried putting things I think it it into the inside of the armor to see if I can make it happen there too, but no luck. The search continues.

I've done exactly this and the best it does (for me) is dull the color so that it's not so dark. These suckers are pesky!

This is true! And I don't have any on the helmet. I figure that something is rubbing off onto it, but I can't seem to figure out what it is. I've tried recreating it inside the armor to test and no luck yet. Also I've been separating things in my bin with bubble wrap and they still show. This is a tough one! Thanks for the help!

I haven't tried that yet. I tried paint thinner with minimal luck. I'll give it a shot though! Thanks!

Somehow we're gonna figure this out. Lol

Yep. Same here, too. They keep popping up though. I wonder if it's an ABS issue? I'm glad I'm not alone though.

Nope. lol I didn't get mine yet. I had some car trouble immediately after my move that slowed me down. Lol So, for me it's not that, and I would assume it may be something else on yours too. I forget, Jorge, yours is AP too, right?

Do you really? You're the first besides me to mention it that I've seen. It's super annoying! I just can't figure it out.

I've been keeping the pieces wrapped in bubble wrap in my container and laying a towel over the top. Everything is separated and I still find them. It's very strange.

I've been finding these strange stains on my armor and cannot figure out the source at all! I've had a few of them and after some tough elbow grease, the best I've done is get them to not be as dark. <br><br> I've tried rubbing my gloves, boot soles, holster, compression suit, etc. on the inside of the armor to test possible suspects, but I can't recreate them either. I'm at a loss. I've even separated pieces and they still find a way of coming back. <br><br> Has anyone else had this problem? Any idea where it's coming from?

Hey! I'm glad my thread could be of help to you! Sorry to hear about the attack. I hope everything is going well for you now! Looking forward to watching your build!

Thanks! It's a relatively small move from one apartment to another. Nothing too crazy, but enough to keep me side-tracked from what really matters.

You've got some good people in here helping you out! You're definitely in good hands. You could go a little thinner on the black lines, yes. Not a whole lot though… Maybe enough to where you've lessened it by almost a quarter of what it is now. I had them too thick in the beginning too. This was draft 1 (similar to yours): And this is after I tightened them up: Some of those paint smudges can be a pain to get rid of. I had a few...in some places, I still can see them, but really they're not noticeable. I had to just spend some time with paint thinner and elbow grease to get them pretty transparent. It's boring and a huge pain, but they'll thin out slowly. Maybe even wet-sanding could help remove the smudges? Also, if you have a Hobby Lobby close, they have these things in the model section of the store—where the Testors paint is. They're like Q-Tips, but made for removing paint on models. They come in a cellophane package (about 30) and have sharp tips for details. They came in REALLY handy for me. Especially if you're planning to paint your tube stripes. I tried to find a link for you, but I can't recall the name to save my life. They also won't leave fibers in your paint. You can see them in the bottom-right of this photo.

I just noticed this, but on the brackets (chest and back piece)... you may want to reverse the way you did the screws and nuts for accuracy. That way the nuts are inside the armor and sticking outside your armor.

Moving next weekend, finally... After that it's E-11 and EIB/Centurion time! Can't wait! Jim and Jorge, I'm right behind y'all!

Any time! Glad that worked out well for you! I may end up just using the front velcro now that it worked so well for you. I wanted to be sure it stayed put, and that's why I ended up doing the back too.

Looks like I need to go loitering around Home Depot's chain section soon. lol I'm moving on the 22nd, and getting my B-grade immediately after! It's pretty much EIB time for this guy.

Congrats on your first troop, Jorge!! My S-trim did the same thing, I may be adding a dab of glue as well. The headset seems to get snagged on it pretty easily. How did the velcro on the boots work for you?

Totally following this for when I am ready to do the same...because this will be happening!

Yes!! Nice job Andrew! Hope to see this in person soon!