rwmead10

Do you have any issues with overlap on the back/kidney/rear pieces with 5mm return edge? I wasn’t planning on trimming them but it would help get me closer to movie size.

How much?

On to the torso! I am leaning towards removing all of the return edge on the top area if the abdomen. Is this recommended? Want to check before I make the cut.

I was able to bend the sniper knee plate using a hot water bath. I bent the left side up and the right side down in a sort of twisting motion described in other builds. I then clamped the middle and let dry for a few days and glued the sides down. The middle separated a little bit so I had to re-clamp to get it more straight. It isn’t perfect but it turned out better than expected.

The TD caps are on so tight I decided not to glue them. Hopefully that works out ok and I don’t lose one. The color is dark admiralty grey and is lighter in person.

The paint on the TD has finished drying so I began reshaping the clips included in the AP kit. I used paint sticks to keep from pinching them closed and my vise with plastic inserts to bend the clips. Then I used the vise to make a small bend 6mm from the end and then rounded the ends. I attached the clips to position the control panel And glued it on. I added a before and after comparison and the final products. I am thinking of using loctite on the screws so they don’t back out after I glue on the end caps. I don’t want the clips to come off and have to cut the end cap off in the future.

Shins are done! The left had a little gap but both have strong connections and don’t come apart. Next up the dreaded sniper knee plate.

I attached the ammo pack to the right thigh. I centered the ammo pack and each side is 17mm from the back edge. Just need to add the white paint to the rivet heads.

After a few magnets being re-glued for better alignment, I glued the button covers on and the shins are drying. There is a small area on the left shin that I probably need to hit with a heat gun to bend closer but I will see how they fit first.

I taped off the areas of the TD that will be glued and brush painted with Humbrol #5 Dark Admiralty Grey (same as the teeth and traps on the helmet). It took two coats and should be ready for final assembly tomorrow. Also I drilled some paint sticks with a 9/64” drill bit to hold the 6-32 x 1/2” pan head screws and paint them black. I tested both Humbrol #21 gloss black and #85 satin black and they look very close. I will probably go with the satin since it isn’t quite as shiny. I had to buy a bag of 100 so if anyone needs TD screws let me know.

I am using the AP TD clips shown below. I will be rounding the edges and bending the ends slightly to make it easier to get on and off. I think I am going to leave the length since it is the the exact width of the belt and very secure and doesn’t show when on the belt. Welcome to suggestions on that point because I know the screen used TDs were even with the end of the tube. I was planning on using humbrol dark admiral grey the same as the teeth and traps.

Trimmed the thermal detonator caps, panel and overall length to more accurate dimensions. It’s about 1/16” under 7 1/4” but it will have to do. Will drill holes for mounting the clips and begin painting.

I oriented the buttons and magnets how they will end up and marked with a sharpie on the side that would be glued to make sure they were oriented correctly. I glued the magnets in the cover strip, added the magnet buttons and another magnet on top of that on the outer side for strength. The magnets were moving when the hole strip was over them so I am letting it glue in this position for 16 hours, realign and then cure for an additional day or two.

Another successful hot water bath in the books. I found that overlapping the sides kept them in line when forming, holds the shape better and brought it very close together. Moving forward with gluing the magnets in!