TK-Tom

Oh no, more trouble...too much return edge on the Kidney piece and Butt plate. So when clamshelling around me, The return edge buckles. Still not sure how to fix this, or even if I want to, seems barely noticeable when on me.

Did not know I would have to be a seamstress as well but it was a good relief from the stress...

Getting nervous about using E6000 in my apartment, I needed some ventilation, even though I was using a 1/2 respirator. Trouble was, I was using SANDING filters and NOT VAPOR filters. I also replaced the tiny fan with a better one. And got the VAPOR filters!

Thinking I would need to break out the ABS paste, I evaluated the situation and found that the strap was alot wider than the other side. So I just trimmed it out~ It looked just like new (no pic though) Moving on, I had what appeared to be the dreaded back gap. I was not using the bracket system for the back to the kidney armor at this point, and I thought I would have to use long elastic via velcro to tie the pieces together. So I saved this for later on.

The happiness did not last too long though...I had cracked my back armor at the strap...

So that night I did NOT sleep...all distraught over a lousy fit...but then a new day breaks, and I have a BRILLIANT idea. I will try a fitting again, but this time, I will WRAP the armor around my body like a clamshell should. That's it! CLAMSHELL. I was excited now, it actually was fitting right and I would not need shims! Too bad someone wasn't around to tell me how to fit it right the first time, then I wouldn't have had to show my naked legs ;-)

At least the Chest to AB was where I wanted it...

This worked MUCH better and I had greater control over where the Cod sat. Happy times! But the happy times did not last long. I went to try the torso on for a quick fitting, and the tears began to fall ;-) (excuse the bare legs in the photos)...This thing was NOT going to fit me right! I was going to need to shim both sides. PANICK! How the heck do I do THAT successfully?

So I went on to industrial velcro, leaving the brackets in place (without the 1" elastic)

Cod toooooo low for me...

And the corners were really digging in and scratching up the AB piece...

Ahhhh, this is where the fun begins... The bracket system. Boy did I (I do still) have some issues with this. The first bracketing I did was Chest to AB. With the included 1" elastic strips, the Chest plate was up on the AB armor WAY too high for me. The Cod would not sit in the correct place. And besides, I just did not like how it looked sitting that high. I wanted the Chest piece return edge to sit just above the AB button plate. Here it did not...

Off to the belt sander (with the PPE taken with me)...

More parts rough cut... starting to look like armor...

Removed all the forearm - wrist end return edges. The elbow end had to come down quite a bit also. This is a before shot.

Ye Olde WorkBench area...

More trimming...spent alot of time on the belt sander after all parts were rough cut.

Anovos sure did leave ALOT of material on the hand guards...had to cut these down drastically...

Tony, I have replacement screws and hovi tips, for the helmet (the proper ones). My tips are actually going to be speakers and they came with the correct mesh. I was afraid the paint would have to come off the teeth...my painting skills leave something to be desired...as shown below...(I have since fixed this to look better - but the top blue button I lightly sanded before painting and it still is not perfect how I like it. but it works)

Thx for the advice! I have been fitting "circumference-wise" as I go, but I was really tempted to trim the forearms for length before fitting the entire thing together. I will have to wait on that.

By the way, I only learned recently (a few days ago) that you are supposed to build the full kit totally, then fit it and make alterations. Good thing I only made circumference alterations while cutting parts, and not length adjustments. That comes with a full fitting I guess. Good info I wish I had before I began the journey. Would have saved me some sleepless nights.